New camera will be arriving today...I got the Nikon D40 for an excellent price ($399.99). The kit comes with a lens (18-55mm). I will hopefully be able to buy another lens for this to complete the package, but for now, I need to learn how to use a DSLR camera! I'm very excited about this. I'll take some pictures with it and we'll see what comes out. I'm in the market for one of those big 8 gb memory cards for the camera. I should be able to get a good deal on it.
Research continues to move forward. I'm actually at work right now downloading a massive dataset. Should be good, but it's taking a long time.
I've decided to go ahead and pony up the money for some private salsa lessons. So far, the lessons are going great. I really feel like I'm improving. The format of the lessons is quite simple...The instructor watches me dance with a partner and then comments, critiques and adjusts. Extremely helpful. The teacher provides the dance partner, an outstanding dancer who works with him, who can really tease out the problems in my leading. It doesn't hurt that she's cute either...
Stock market fell 700 points yesterday...looks like it's recovering some today...very exciting.
I have swing dancing tonight and I can relax tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
A Busy Schedule
Here are things in which I am actively participating right now:
Research: Going very well!! A bunch of abstracts submitted. Some big projects on the horizon. I will start writing manuscripts soon for the abstracts which I submitted. That could be kind of a drudgery, but I think it will be a great experience. It'll take a while for the first manuscript, but hopefully it gets easier after that. I'm excited about this and I'm feeling productive.
Soccer: We are on Game 3 of our session and so far haven't lost a game. I'm the "captain" of the team and I put it in quotes because all that is is administrative responsibilities (i.e. emailing the team reminding them of the game, deciding team name, etc...). It's not really a reflection of my playing ability. One thing that is cool is that a lot of my teammates are also my schoolmates. So it's much more of a social game.
Rowing: I've gone three weeks in a row now. I'm learning the lingo. I'm feathering and squaring okay. BUT, my last time out, I did catch three crabs and it was very embarassing. It's very nice however to be out on the lake on the boat during sunset.
Frisbee: We have an ultimate frisbee team!! We're playing every weekend AND we're even scrimmaging local college clubs. I'm meeting new people and getting lenty of exercise.
Cooking: I've successfully cooked an awesome steak, some seared sea scallops, and pulled pork. The steak and scallops were cooked on the Cape (I'm just gonna post the link to pictures tomorrow or something). The pulled pork was cooked this past weekend while I was in New York. That took 7.5 hours of low temperature roasting of pork shoulder. It was awesome. I have a knife skills class tomorrow night (before a soccer game at 11PM!!) so I think that will round out my skills. I'll try to post something about that (jeez, I've said that a lot in past posts, huh?).
Salsa / Ballroom Dance: Ok, so this is actually picking up too. I've joined a ballroom dance society. I'm finishing up swing dancing and learning other dances as well (tango and cha-cha for example). I have been attending salsa socials. The next one is this Saturday night at WPI right here in Worcester. I have also decided to take a few private lessons in salsa. I figured this is my year off, screw the money, if I want to do it, I should just do it because the opportunity will never again arise. I really want to work on the fundamentals and get those down. I'll post how these go.
OK, so those things I am actively participating in RIGHT NOW!!!! It's a lot. And a few of those will be ending soon (frisbee and rowing actually have a season's end). I'd like to add a few things to my plate. First, I would like to take up photography and as such would finally like to buy a DSLR. Just waiting for a great deal. Second, I need to start to work out seriously at a gym. I've been running (did I mention my 5k race?) and playing, but I need to get some concentrated exrecise.
Ok, enough for now...I think I can dispense with the progress posts and start to post on some real posts. This blog is really the only thing that's not actually getting done right now!
Research: Going very well!! A bunch of abstracts submitted. Some big projects on the horizon. I will start writing manuscripts soon for the abstracts which I submitted. That could be kind of a drudgery, but I think it will be a great experience. It'll take a while for the first manuscript, but hopefully it gets easier after that. I'm excited about this and I'm feeling productive.
Soccer: We are on Game 3 of our session and so far haven't lost a game. I'm the "captain" of the team and I put it in quotes because all that is is administrative responsibilities (i.e. emailing the team reminding them of the game, deciding team name, etc...). It's not really a reflection of my playing ability. One thing that is cool is that a lot of my teammates are also my schoolmates. So it's much more of a social game.
Rowing: I've gone three weeks in a row now. I'm learning the lingo. I'm feathering and squaring okay. BUT, my last time out, I did catch three crabs and it was very embarassing. It's very nice however to be out on the lake on the boat during sunset.
Frisbee: We have an ultimate frisbee team!! We're playing every weekend AND we're even scrimmaging local college clubs. I'm meeting new people and getting lenty of exercise.
Cooking: I've successfully cooked an awesome steak, some seared sea scallops, and pulled pork. The steak and scallops were cooked on the Cape (I'm just gonna post the link to pictures tomorrow or something). The pulled pork was cooked this past weekend while I was in New York. That took 7.5 hours of low temperature roasting of pork shoulder. It was awesome. I have a knife skills class tomorrow night (before a soccer game at 11PM!!) so I think that will round out my skills. I'll try to post something about that (jeez, I've said that a lot in past posts, huh?).
Salsa / Ballroom Dance: Ok, so this is actually picking up too. I've joined a ballroom dance society. I'm finishing up swing dancing and learning other dances as well (tango and cha-cha for example). I have been attending salsa socials. The next one is this Saturday night at WPI right here in Worcester. I have also decided to take a few private lessons in salsa. I figured this is my year off, screw the money, if I want to do it, I should just do it because the opportunity will never again arise. I really want to work on the fundamentals and get those down. I'll post how these go.
OK, so those things I am actively participating in RIGHT NOW!!!! It's a lot. And a few of those will be ending soon (frisbee and rowing actually have a season's end). I'd like to add a few things to my plate. First, I would like to take up photography and as such would finally like to buy a DSLR. Just waiting for a great deal. Second, I need to start to work out seriously at a gym. I've been running (did I mention my 5k race?) and playing, but I need to get some concentrated exrecise.
Ok, enough for now...I think I can dispense with the progress posts and start to post on some real posts. This blog is really the only thing that's not actually getting done right now!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Busy in a Good Way
I'm really busy right now...I get home every night around 9:30 or 10:00 and then have to sleep. I'm trying to stay on top of things, and I'm doing alright. The difference between this year and any other year where I was really busy, is that I'm loving what I'm doing right now. All the activities, all the work, all the time, all the people, etc...
I'll have to keep this short for now, but on Mondays, I have ballroom dance in the evenings, on Tuesdays I have rowing immediately followed by Swing class...Wednesdays are free, so I try to hit the gym hard, but I haven't done that yet...Thursdays, I have soccer...Fridays, I try to go out and be social...Saturdays, I do something physical. This past Saturday I ran my first ever 5K race!! On a whim...I decided to do it...I thought I could handle it and didn't half bad. Sunday, I have ultimate frisbee. Rinse and rewash. Throw in a salsa class here and there, and I have got a pretty packed week.
I'm trying new things as they come. Upcoming, I have a cooking class, and maybe a little bit of hiking before it starts getting really cold.
This weekend, I will visit some old friends in New York City and catch up with them a little bit.
Let me just say, that all this is costing me a bundle, and I am so lucky to have supportive parents are supporting my awesome year. It's really awesome so far. I wouldn't be able to do this otherwise.
More details when I really have time and simultaneously feel like writing...
I'll have to keep this short for now, but on Mondays, I have ballroom dance in the evenings, on Tuesdays I have rowing immediately followed by Swing class...Wednesdays are free, so I try to hit the gym hard, but I haven't done that yet...Thursdays, I have soccer...Fridays, I try to go out and be social...Saturdays, I do something physical. This past Saturday I ran my first ever 5K race!! On a whim...I decided to do it...I thought I could handle it and didn't half bad. Sunday, I have ultimate frisbee. Rinse and rewash. Throw in a salsa class here and there, and I have got a pretty packed week.
I'm trying new things as they come. Upcoming, I have a cooking class, and maybe a little bit of hiking before it starts getting really cold.
This weekend, I will visit some old friends in New York City and catch up with them a little bit.
Let me just say, that all this is costing me a bundle, and I am so lucky to have supportive parents are supporting my awesome year. It's really awesome so far. I wouldn't be able to do this otherwise.
More details when I really have time and simultaneously feel like writing...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Toenail Update
My toenail fell off finally...It looks disgusting and awesome at the same time. I'm saving the toenail for now for some odd reason. Should I post pictures? Naah...no need to gross myself out in the future...
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
3rd Progress Post - A Punishment
As I update my blog for the first time in WEEKS, I'd like to point out that I'm punishing myself for falling behind on this. I didn't even want to look at my blog as the time between my last post and this current one continued to increase day by day, and then week by week. As each weekend hit, it got worse. But then I finally opened my blog this morning and saw...a comment!! Someone actually read my blog and commented on it!! It was also an inspiring and extremely thoughtful comment, which I really appreciate. Thanks, SeaSpray!
So now, I think I'll have to do a major update on the goings on so far.
RESEARCH - My first project went quite well and I got an abstract submitted to a national meeting! It felt like it was never gonna happen. My head just wasn't wrapping around all the stuff I needed to learn. Finally, things started clicking and it started to go much faster. My computer programming skills started to find their stride and with significant help and pushing from my research mentor, I got things done and an abstract submitted!! I used that momentum to work on another project (on acute pancreatitis) and just today, completed the abstract. There's a deadline for another national meeting coming up this weekend and I will hopefully finish all the editing and refining this week and we'll get that out too! So, all in all, in two months of work, two abstracts that will hopefully turn into two posters at national meetings, that will hopefully turn into two talks at those national meetings, that will hopefully turn into two manuscripts and then finally two publications!!! For two months, that's huge. I'm really happy and excited about this, and my research mentor seems pleased as well. So all in all, this is going great.
STAY ORGANIZED - Actually, this is going quite well too! My to-do list is strong and working well. My calendar is constantly updated. My things are getting done. I do however need to follow my finances as I am spending way too much money. My credit card bill recently was huge and my withdrawals from my checking account have been consistently increasing. So I've decided to follow my spending by using buxfer. I'll see how this goes.
BALLROOM DANCE - Swing dancing is obviously well under way! It's going well, but I happen to be the only person in my class under the age of 50. Plus, I feel like I'm learning "old people" swing instead of the swing I see in youtube videos. I'm learning ballroom swing, or what I like to call "snooty" swing. I realized afterwards that the dance I really want to learn is called jive. No matter, I'll need East Coast Swing anyways before I learn jive. Salsa dancing continues to go well. This week I'm also learning a little bit of Bachata, which is something I've always wanted to learn, ever since I actually saw that at a salsa club. Such a beatiful, sensual, yet classy dance and the music is gorgeous.
COOKING - I'll have to blog about this is in its own post at the end of the month. I will say that I have taken one class with Helen Rennie now and it was on meats. I feel much more comfortable cooking meats and I have even successfully roasted a chicken and cooked rib-eye steaks for my friends, all of whom were quite impressed. I will be learning knife skills coming up and am quite excited about that. I think my comfort level is growing, and I will continue to cook this year. I do need to make simple dishes at home though to get better at the basics. Will work on that...
EXERCISE - Okay, I haven't really been able to get on the wagon here. I think I just have too much other stuff going on to get in formal gym time. That said, I am continuing to play indoor soccer and will actually be playing in two leagues this upcoming Fall session! So that's twice per week. I will continue to take group classes at the gym whenever I have time. I bike a little bit now. And I have also started playing ultimate frisbee!! There's a local pickup game every Sunday, and I got into it. So it's not like I've been NOT exercising. I just haven't been following a regimented program. My weight remains stable and I'm comfortable with my BMI as it is, but I would certainly love to actually look good too. But I am healthy, and that counts for a lot. Oh, and rowing. That kind of has fizzled out a little bit. I went once, it was fun. Before I give up on it, I'll go again this weekend. Maybe I'll be able to get into it.
THINGS TO BLOG ABOUT - I just went Cape Cod over labor day weekend and had a phenomenal time. I rented a house with a bunch of friends from college and it ended up being an excellent weekend. One of my friends is an excellent photographer and is very into DSLR cameras (he recently got the Nikon D80 kit). There are 257 pictures that were taken, and I'll write about the cape and post those pictures as soon as they come out. Also, I need to blog about cooking class, and I need to blog about salsa dancing.
Okay, things are laid out. It looks like I'm making progress everywhere. But my schedule is a little overwhelming right now. I still haven't explored specialty options for my future career as a doctor (that's kind of important), haven't really started studying for Step 2 of my boards, and there are a few things that I am currently stagnating on. To all of that, there are a few things that I would like to start doing, one of which is photography. My friend with the awesome camera inspired me to get into it a little bit, so I'm now in the market for a starter level DSLR camera. That means my wallet will take another hit. Great....
Until next time!!
So now, I think I'll have to do a major update on the goings on so far.
RESEARCH - My first project went quite well and I got an abstract submitted to a national meeting! It felt like it was never gonna happen. My head just wasn't wrapping around all the stuff I needed to learn. Finally, things started clicking and it started to go much faster. My computer programming skills started to find their stride and with significant help and pushing from my research mentor, I got things done and an abstract submitted!! I used that momentum to work on another project (on acute pancreatitis) and just today, completed the abstract. There's a deadline for another national meeting coming up this weekend and I will hopefully finish all the editing and refining this week and we'll get that out too! So, all in all, in two months of work, two abstracts that will hopefully turn into two posters at national meetings, that will hopefully turn into two talks at those national meetings, that will hopefully turn into two manuscripts and then finally two publications!!! For two months, that's huge. I'm really happy and excited about this, and my research mentor seems pleased as well. So all in all, this is going great.
STAY ORGANIZED - Actually, this is going quite well too! My to-do list is strong and working well. My calendar is constantly updated. My things are getting done. I do however need to follow my finances as I am spending way too much money. My credit card bill recently was huge and my withdrawals from my checking account have been consistently increasing. So I've decided to follow my spending by using buxfer. I'll see how this goes.
BALLROOM DANCE - Swing dancing is obviously well under way! It's going well, but I happen to be the only person in my class under the age of 50. Plus, I feel like I'm learning "old people" swing instead of the swing I see in youtube videos. I'm learning ballroom swing, or what I like to call "snooty" swing. I realized afterwards that the dance I really want to learn is called jive. No matter, I'll need East Coast Swing anyways before I learn jive. Salsa dancing continues to go well. This week I'm also learning a little bit of Bachata, which is something I've always wanted to learn, ever since I actually saw that at a salsa club. Such a beatiful, sensual, yet classy dance and the music is gorgeous.
COOKING - I'll have to blog about this is in its own post at the end of the month. I will say that I have taken one class with Helen Rennie now and it was on meats. I feel much more comfortable cooking meats and I have even successfully roasted a chicken and cooked rib-eye steaks for my friends, all of whom were quite impressed. I will be learning knife skills coming up and am quite excited about that. I think my comfort level is growing, and I will continue to cook this year. I do need to make simple dishes at home though to get better at the basics. Will work on that...
EXERCISE - Okay, I haven't really been able to get on the wagon here. I think I just have too much other stuff going on to get in formal gym time. That said, I am continuing to play indoor soccer and will actually be playing in two leagues this upcoming Fall session! So that's twice per week. I will continue to take group classes at the gym whenever I have time. I bike a little bit now. And I have also started playing ultimate frisbee!! There's a local pickup game every Sunday, and I got into it. So it's not like I've been NOT exercising. I just haven't been following a regimented program. My weight remains stable and I'm comfortable with my BMI as it is, but I would certainly love to actually look good too. But I am healthy, and that counts for a lot. Oh, and rowing. That kind of has fizzled out a little bit. I went once, it was fun. Before I give up on it, I'll go again this weekend. Maybe I'll be able to get into it.
THINGS TO BLOG ABOUT - I just went Cape Cod over labor day weekend and had a phenomenal time. I rented a house with a bunch of friends from college and it ended up being an excellent weekend. One of my friends is an excellent photographer and is very into DSLR cameras (he recently got the Nikon D80 kit). There are 257 pictures that were taken, and I'll write about the cape and post those pictures as soon as they come out. Also, I need to blog about cooking class, and I need to blog about salsa dancing.
Okay, things are laid out. It looks like I'm making progress everywhere. But my schedule is a little overwhelming right now. I still haven't explored specialty options for my future career as a doctor (that's kind of important), haven't really started studying for Step 2 of my boards, and there are a few things that I am currently stagnating on. To all of that, there are a few things that I would like to start doing, one of which is photography. My friend with the awesome camera inspired me to get into it a little bit, so I'm now in the market for a starter level DSLR camera. That means my wallet will take another hit. Great....
Until next time!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
