Live from Chicago

Sweet soulful sounds of the day: Seven Swans by Sufjan Stevens

Listening to Sister and In The Devil's Territory whilst romping around the Field Museum in Chicago makes for a wonderful afternoon.

1) 100% baseball 75% of the time

I made it to 3 baseball games in 4 days recently. Game at Wrigley, game at Busch, back to Wrigley. The best part, of course, was Andres Torres hitting a grand slam en route to a Giants domination session at Busch on Memorial Day. Had the Giants shirt on and everything. Great day.

2) Trivial Domination

The team of Shannon, Mark, Beth, Pat, Laura, and me totally dominated the Trivia Night at some place I totally can't remember the name of. And then John Michael and Connie showed up and more awesome happened. Caught up with friends I hadn't seen in awhile and that's always awesome.

3) Day o' Chicago

Threadless has a retail store in Chicago. Prize #1. Which is why I now have this shirt. I mean, a platypus is awesome, no matter what. This shirt just speaks to me. The Field Museum was truly spectacular. The "Evolving Planet" exhibition was amazing, as was the one of "Whales: Giants of the Deep." And then walking all up through Grant Park and Millennium Park towards downtown Chicago on my way to the taping of 

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Highlight of my summer so far, by far. If you're not familiar with the NPR news quiz show featuring the dulcet sounds of Carl Kasell, the wit of Peter Sagal, and the hilarity of a celebrity panel (Paula Poundstone, Alonzo Bodden, and Amy Dickinson), you should be. Kevin Bacon was the guest for Not My Job. Apparently the show ran longer than it ever really has before and they just let it go. It took over 2 hours to tape the 45 minutes show but it was all amazing in every way. And afterwards, I got their signatures pictures with all of them. So you could say that my Thursday evening rocked the socks off yours. Not to gloat, but yeah. It was amazing.

Burgers, bros, beers, baseball

Sheesh. Two weeks. Whoops. Well, here goes nothin'.

1) The Windy City (with plenty of its eponym)
Road trip!!! is happening. This one with the father, uncle, and grandfather. Drove to Chicago on Saturday for a Cubs game on Sunday. I was super stoked to be in a big city again (sorry, Omaha). It's awesome to see certain big city things are immutable from San Francisco to New York to Chicago. Like Asian ladies with rolling luggage running after the L. I really enjoyed the brief time I was in Chicago and I'm looking forward to heading back there tomorrow for the rest of the week. Among the highlights:

BIG and little's: super awesome burgers (with a fried egg on top) and truffle fries. Sweet potato fries. A bunch of seafood selections that I wish I could have sampled a lot of. Or perhaps I'll just have to go back.

Also among the highlights leads us to:

2) Wrigley Field

I am legitimately surprised this game happened. It was a pure deluge shortly before the game. We were under the overhang, safely dry, supposedly. Until it started blowing during the raining and I totally got soaked. And then the poncho kept my back wet until the 6th inning when it was actually warm enough again to take the poncho (aka my coat). Then it got really nice and the sun came out and the Cubs won and all the Cubs fan sing this song after they win and it was a little lame. All apologies to Cubs fans. But they should totally get a better song.

I love baseball and everything about it. Despite a 2 and a half hour rain delay, it was a good game. Good pitching and all that business. Good day for sure.

3) Anticipation

Today I see those wonderful San Francisco baseball Giants (hopefully) smack around the St. Louis Cardinals. I'm already looking forward to it. And it will be a new baseball stadium for me to add to my list. This will be pro baseball stadium #24. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

BONUS ROUND!!!

A) Kearney

The reason I took forever to post a blog is because I was busy during the week and then last weekend I went out to Kearney with Katie to visit Quinn and Spencer, who were doing their small town student doctorin' out that way. Bouncing around to bars I had no place being in, such as Shooters, where I felt about as out of place as the Blues Brothers when they go to that bar that has both types of music. Country and western. The other bar was super brotastic but I had a super fun time on the whole trip. Good stuff to add to the sweet things done this summer.

Knowledge secondary to pulmonary hypertension

Sometimes I can't get enough of them:

This entire album is great. But particularly Carry The Zero and Else are amazing.

1) Small town Student Doctorin'
So I get to spend the next couple weeks on PCB.  If I remembered what that stood for, you'd be the first to know.  I spend three weeks with a family practice doc in small-town Nebraska.  Today was day one.  And if today's patients were any indication of what it's like to be from Nemaha County, you have about a 97% chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Just by being from there.
We saw about 30 patients today and by my count, four of them were under 65.  It was good.  Interesting, for sure.  I didn't get asked too many questions, but I totally nailed the one about cor pulmonale (thanks, comprehensive exam study guide!!!).

2) Bonnaroo Schedule (if you say it weird, it kinda rhymes)

The schedule was released last Friday.  And the schedule is awesome.  

Conundrum: I do have to decide between Robert Plant and Beirut.  Of all the conflicts to be presented with...

This showdown is ultimate.  Here's the deal though.  There will probably be more opportunities to see Beirut than to see Robert Plant.  And I'm holding out against all hope that Jimmy Page joins Robert Plant on stage.  In fact, I choose to believe that Mr. Page will be joining Mr. Plant, at least until it doesn't happen.  And even then I still might choose to believe it will happen yet.

I guess in the long run there are worse problems to have.

3) Ethnic Food Friday

I do loves me some food.  And the dining has been particularly exquisite lately.  Exquisite enough to make the headlines when things are slow...

Sushi and Indian on Friday (hence "Ethnic Food Friday") and then Sunday was Amato's for brunch (gutbuster omelet and ricotta pancakes) and grilled salmon for dinner.  So great was the eatin' that Saturday seems like a blur.  In terms of life.  Not just the food I ate that day.  I just plain don't remember Saturday.

It's up to me now. Turn on the bright lights.

Soundtrack to my life (today at least):

Particularly listening to NYC on repeat.  Which doesn't mean 

great songs such as Obstacle 1 should go unnoticed.

Also, I'm getting better at this whole "formatting of the blog" business, even though I have some way to go.  Avoiding those unsightly YouTube boxes and electing for the links.  Seems considerably more aesthetically pleasing.

1) 25%

As of this afternoon, grades were released for the comprehensive final.  Passed all 5 sections.  Which means on to the next level.  I am one-fourth of the way through med school.  25% of a doctor.  Which doesn't mean that I actually know much of anything so let's table the questions for medical advice for another year or so.  It's a weird/great/relieving feeling.  The year went fast.  I enjoyed a lot of it despite the difficulties, not to mention some of the truly great friends I've made in the past 9 months of classes.  Looking forward to a fun summer with these people.

2) Piling on the reading material

This is what I want to accomplish this summer, reading-wise.  Aaaaand away we go...

3) Park Pilot

My friend Andrew tossed me into a band of his on the keys.  It was already named Park Pilot before I got thrown into the mix.  No self-indulgence here.  The line-up is two drummers, two vocalists, baritone guitar, and keyboards.  We figure that we're the best band with that particular arrangement that you've ever heard.  But there was some practicing today and that is supreme fun.

Piles of procrastination

I've spent a few days with not much going on except hanging out with friends and always seemed to just head straight to bed when I finally got home.  So an early afternoon post is in order.  While I delay studying for the inevitable comprehensive final arriving in less than 20 hours.

Today's post is gracefully soundtracked by the soulful sounds of:

Not to mention sweet videos for Tighten Up and Howlin' for You

1) "Grades are up"

When this happens, the news spreads like wildfire.  Texts come from all over.  Facebook statuses rejoice in passing grades.  Long story short, earlier this week I found out that I officially passed all my classes from the first year of med school.  Which is sweet.  Good to hear that news even if you weren't worried about passing (and after that last test there was call for concern).  That makes me 25% of a doctor.  I think that's how this works.

2) California Street Reading Brigade

Andrew and I climbed onto his garage roof yesterday for the inaugural meeting of people who want to hang out on a garage roof and read.  Needless to say, it was pretty sweet.  That will fill some time this summer for sure.  I haven't decided if I want to make a pile of the books I want to read this summer or if that project might be too intimidating.  To be determined.  And posted if fulfilled.

3) Mother's Day

I would be remiss to not mention the best mother I've ever had, Terri Park.  She's wonderful and deserves more than just a little mention here.  So I'll probably tell her in person as well.  Here's to my materfamilias (which is my new favorite word for matriarch).

Hell, kid. If they don't threaten to kill ya, you're not getting to them.

So today was equally awesome with nothing going on.  So the 3-point stance for the day of leisurely awesomeness:


1) The Sting

Watching one of my favorite movies while allowing the laundry to dry equals an afternoon well spent.  Not to mention the man-crush on Paul Newman with his fancy card grifting tricks.  Money in the bank.  Not to mention that the last 20 minutes of this film is among the best 20 minutes of American cinema.  Period.  End of sentence.

2) Won't bow.  Don't know how.
Mentioned it yesterday, in an honorable mention sort of way.  The first 15 minutes of the first episode of Treme was amazing.  Watching Wendell Pierce join the second line of the New Orleans brass parade was truly awesome in every way.  I love The Wire and I will love Treme.  I know that already.  Finally getting around to actually watching it.


3) Beer with Bob at the Brothers
Bob is a stellar humanitarian.  A great friend who you can really just talk to for hours. Spent three quality hours with him at the Brothers, a wonderful little dive in town.  They play punk music and you can't see the colors in the carpet because it's so dimly lit. PBR on tap on the cheap means a good time.  "Holiday in Cambodia" and all the Clash you can consume in an evening.  Can't be beat.


First Tuesday of summer = another success.

Blogging in 3/4 time

So the general concept has been laid out.  Here's the twist.  Three things per day that are worth blogging about.  This isn't intended to be a rambling "here's what I did with my day" sorta blog.  With that in mind, take it to the waltz...

1) Reading in bed until 3 pm

This was the start of my life today.  Five hours of reading in bed.  Minus the hour or so that I fell back asleep in the early afternoon.  Pure money.  Perfect way to start the summer.

2) Music: I am a big fan of music in general.  Three subsets to this category:

           a) Song discovered whilst working out: "DNA" by The Kills (blues-y with a hint of Black Keys with a throaty feminine touch. Can't go wrong.  Grooveshark it.  Well worth it) 

(I know this video isn't the best but it's the best I could find. That blues-y-ness is full on display at least)

           b) Song guffawed to whilst shopping for BBQ soda: "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" by Billy Ocean

           c) Song swooned to whilst blogging: "You and Whose Army?" by Radiohead

(Say what you will about them [and I'll probably fight you if it's negative because Radiohead is amazing] but they get some really interesting/good fan videos out there when they don't actually have a good self-produced video)

Also, not sure which constitutes the best musical moment, but I will probably again listen to the Radiohead tonight.  And by "will probably again listen to", I mean that I've already hit repeat.

3) BBQ at Andrew's house.

Andrew hosted a little shindig tonight.  He had about 8 people over.  It was a good time.  Andrew will show up many times in this blog, I imagine.  I spend a lot of time with him.  Funny, caring, smart, and interesting.  He's solid.  He's the kind of character you would incorporate into the screenplay before pitching to the Coen Brothers.  He really ties the room together.

If this is summer, I can get used to it.

P.S. Netflix brought me Treme today.  Which means tomorrow can possibly get better.