action figures sold separately

Socialist Barry Grey recently wrote about how “The US government is engaged in an illegal, covert drive to kidnap people it suspects of terrorist links and ship them to allied countries, where the targeted individuals are imprisoned, interrogated under torture and, in some cases, summarily executed.”

see the washington post piece. then go outside and scream. or organize. or both.

Great news! The match is over. We’re off to Portland! A will be a resident in the joint family med / preventative med program at OHSU. More news to come.

Combatting White Supremacy in the Anti-globalization Movement
By Sonja Sivesind

The anti-globalization movement has been vibrant in communities and organizations of color in the US and around the world for hundreds of years, yet white supremacy was rampant in the movement against the WTO ministerial meetings in Seattle. In other words, racism is alive and well in social justice organizing, and the WTO was no exception. [more]

We saw this film recently and it was wonderful. It is about a family in New Delhi and a big wedding happening in the midst of the Monsoon. It had some great moments and was lush with beautiful color and music. There have also been some interesting critical reviews pointing out some of the shortcomings of the film. It does take on some challenging issues: globalism, patriarchy, and classism and paints them with a “Everything Works Out in the End” rosy glow. It did get Eli and I really excited about our own wedding, though, and a few of the scenes reminded me how in becoming a “bride” I am part of a huge, ancient sometimes very problematic and yet hopeful life experience. We are trying to do make it our own, do this in our own way yet it was a reminder that the history of women entering marriage is complex, difficult, and powerful.

Yes, today is the day that senior medical students throughout the country find out the answer to the question “Did I match?” Thursday is when we find out the answer to “Where did I match?”

This morning I got the following email: “Congratulations! You have been matched.”

So, it appears as if I will, indeed, be an intern next year. It was definitely worth Eli and I doing a small shakey dance and hi-fiving. So, stay tuned for in approximately two days 23 hours 30 minutes from now I’ll find out where I am going next year and will be posting it shortly thereafter.

this whole thing with michael moore’s book being number one is just so great. but of course, the san diego police showed true colors by busting up his book signing there. hold on to your seats, folks. they’re coming for the books. [via mediageek]

Jakob Nielsen’s piece from last summer on pdf for the screen. normally, i love the super useful stuff there. and as much as i hate the fact that adobe wants to basically do away with public libraries, i find pdf to be incredibly useful, on screen or dead trees. in some ways i think there’s nothing better than seeing things they way they were meant to be seen by their creator. take our factsheets or newsletters, for instance. please! and use them widely!

from the paper of record. and folks say racism’s a thing of the past. sheesh.

from my favorite new piece on prison abolition:

Abolition means that every time we oppose or try to tear something down, we need to build something sustainable in its place. We can do this by being strategic, by researching not only what the problems are, but also what resources are available. We must look not only at what the state is doing wrong, but what is already available in our communities that could provide economic and social sustainability for all, or what needs to be created and how we will create it. Each step in our organizing must be able to do this.

Being an abolitionist means taking action and putting energy into building our families, neighborhoods-all of our communities. It means creating a firm community foundation for people to come to when we finally tear down all the walls. Together we can do this, but we must believe that it is possible.

Go CR!

more on the “what i’ll miss about the bay area” list:

cha-ya veggie sushi. wow. so yum. thanks eric and emma! ya’ll rock.

the season-end buffy’s got everyone wondering. i like missy’s take on it. also watch to see the angle at buffy blog. ok, enough excellent silliness.

Woman in Love Shares Bottle of Wine With Best Friend

Menlo Park, CA- An unidentified woman in her early thirties reportedly went to her close friend’s house at around 9:30 PM last night in order to talk about her new love affair. The friend, a Menlo Park woman, allegedly prepared both of them a dinner of Soba noodles, a variety of steamed vegetables and a tangy “Soba Sensation” sauce made from a vegan recipe book. Her friend finally arrived and announced that she was “in love,” a discovery that she made while visiting a man in Brooklyn, NY last week. After this information was revealed, the two apparently decided to open a bottle of Organic Merlot.

While listening to a special mix of several different women musicians, the two reportedly discussed romantic relationships (past and present), their relationships with their mothers, and various aspects of the lives of their mutual friends. They also explored several different topics such as “change” and “transition”. After finishing the bottle of wine they took pictures of each other. “She showed me those pictures later”, the Menlo Park woman’s partner Edgar Smiley later reported, “we laughed at how blurry they were, my guess is that they were feeling the effects of the wine at that point.”

The phone rang at around 10:30. Smiley told reporters, “I called because I was stuck at the train station in San Francisco until midnight” and he was hoping to get a ride home to the Menlo Park cottage he shares with his girlfriend. “They agreed to come get me but I had a funny feeling about it right after I hung up. I called them back right away and told them not to come. You see, I knew that they had drinking wine and talking about love and stuff and, well, it didn’t seem like such a good idea for the two of them to be on the roads.”

At 1:00 AM when Smiley arrived at the cottage, he found the two of them laughing at pictures of Boston Terriers on the Internet. “Yeah, I’m really glad that they didn’t end up driving to The City to get me. Who knows what would have happened. Poor thing, she was really hurtin’ when she got up this morning.”

The Menlo Park woman woke up early feeling dehydrated and with a bad headache. She told her partner that she had dreamt all night that her in-love friend had come over and rearranged the furniture in their cottage and then force fed them large amounts of a messy chocolate cake. The rest of the night she slept fitfully, worrying about having to cancel her 9:00 AM running date with a friend whose brother often upsets her by canceling running dates because of hangovers. “She knew that was a pretty big issue and that it would be a strain on the friendship if she cancelled,” said Smiley, “she was a trouper, though, she got there on time and made it up the hills and everything.” She returned later to the couple’s cottage much improved after a latte, some Advil, and a chocolate croissant. “That’s my girl!” a proud Smiley exclaimed. The Menlo Park woman and her in-love friend were unavailable for comment.

I am done with medical school. That is, if I passed the USMLE step 2, an eight hour, 400 question examination that I took on Monday.

“Step 2 assesses whether you can apply medical knowledge and understanding of clinical science essential for the provision of patient care under supervision, and includes emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. Step 2 ensures that due attention is devoted to principles of clinical sciences that undergird the safe and competent practice of medicine.”

Scarily enough, it is estimated that 99% of folks who attend mainland allopathic medical schools pass this examination.

So, since my main task for the past few weeks has been cramming this shit in to my brain in order to practice medicine “safely and competently” I have some insights on staying sane and healthy while studying:

1. Vary Study Location:I try to break up the monotony by studying in a variety of locations.
   • Home: I tend to be less focused at home because there are so many great distractions (see below) but it is really nice to be there around Eli and the doggies and to be able to raid the fridge, wear pajamas, and get hugs and kisses and plenty of fur therapy.
   • Cafes: Good for feeling like you are still part of this world despite the fact that you have just spent two hours contemplating the various ways that people can die slow and painful deaths from a smorgasbord of different cancers. They can be great for built in people watching or eavesdropping breaks and tend to have tasty snacks and ready access to caffeine. Also good for flirting, as in, “Check me out, I am a stunningly sexy intellectual beauty. Aren’t I alluring as I knit my brow in consideration of the various ways to access colon cancers involving the anus and rectum?? Oooh baby.”
   • Libraries: Good for those days when you are like “Holy fuck I really have to study! I’m fucking doomed! What was I thinking with all of that mellow cafe and home studying!”
   • Group Study: Good for being focused and also helps cut down on the terrible mind-gripping attacks of depressing isolation which are a hazard of prolonged studying.
2. Take a lot of breaks.
   • Some time during undergrad some kind professor informed us whacked out premeds that constant studying was no fun, stress provoking, unhealthy and actually reduced the retention of information. I remember the pale, emaciated, person with deep rings under his eyes sitting next to me saying “I don’t know if I buy it . . .” I have, since, taken this concept and run with it- taking breaks for a few minutes at least every 20 minutes and taking longer breaks every hour or so is essential for my chaotic brain. So, what do I do on those breaks?
   • Listen to music- Usually things which are raucous and radical and loud like I’m listening to Chumbawamba right now [”Albert?” YEAH? “Bobbie?” Yeah? “FOR GOD SAKE BURN IT DOWN!!!” from Give the Anarchist a Cigarette]. It definitely helps to let those parts of yourself out to play in the yard for a little while before you have to shut them up inside to get back to studying again.
   • Eat- Something about studying and sex which makes me ravenously hungry. Stock up on satisfying but healthy-ish snacks (I’ve succumbed to the evils of marketing and have been munching on Luna bars, an energy bar designed for women with folate and calcium and iron and these frolicking curvey women on the package- oh yeah, and they’re lower in calories than “men’s” energy bars!! AND they’re easier to open, equipped with a handy little slit. Arrgh.)
   • Stress release- Exercise is essential. At least ride your bike to the library. Today I was lucky and got to combine biking with the abovementioned study break of flirting. “Hey, nice bike!” a cute fellow biker called out to me today. “Hey thanks!”
   • Umm, another way to release stress . . . An informal survey of fellow students has revealed that there are other favorite stress-relieving study breaks. Some of these can be very nerdily and time-savingly electronically (or, ahem, electrically) aided. Good Vibrations is a good resource for this- check them out, they’ve got great links and, ahem, entertaining stories, on line.
   • Call a non-studying friend and laugh a lot and get some perspective on what you’re doing. “A NINE HOUR TEST?? Sweet Jesus!”
   • Read Lynda Barry comics or some other fun reading. Read something wonderful right before going to bed- short stories or essays or poetry. I love anything by David Rackoff, David Sedarris, or Rumi for a quick fix.
3. Take care of yourself:
   • SLEEP
   • Eat well
   • Connect with others
   • Get outside and exercise
   • Other sanity preserving handy-helpers:
     • They want me to learn that? FUCK THEM!: I think this is a healthy attitude to have sometimes. When looking at some particularly ridiculous constellation of facts which seem irrelevant and impossibly detailed, don’t get scared- get Pissed! Either that, or laugh hysterically. Then you can combine this attitude with some of the abovementioned music (The Who is good for this also) and have a nice, envigorating study break. You’ll probably be able to come back to it and learn enough to get by.
     • Don’t get upset with yourself if you’re not doing as good a job as you think you should. Give yourself room to screw around a little bit.

     • Remember your priorities and the reasons why you are doing all of this crap in the first place. “Oh yeah! I want to be a doctor so I can serve others” wow!

	Install It Right The First Time:
Some Guidelines for Electricians, Custom Installers, and Technicians By Eli Rosenblatt

Check it out. Are you are relatively new to indoor wiring or haven’t been doing custom installation of low-voltage systems for years? These pointers are for you. Or perhaps you’re an electrician who normally does plugs and lights, but who now has to run phone &/or coax cable for a particular job, these simple guidelines can help save you, and the installers who work at the site after you a lot of headache. The examples cited are by no means the last word from an uber-expert, but rather problems I’ve run into while doing custom installation - problems that with proper planning and training, can be easily avoided. The document is in pdf format, and can be printed or viewed - note it’s about 480K so you’ll want to be on a high speed line or take a break while it loads.

Before

After

two more in the ok-people-let’s-get-clear-on-this-once-and-for-all department:

• there is no such thing as plastics recycling. It’s a ploy.
• can we get a clue? george w. did not pass out just from some damn pretzel.