If we had trouble following your instructions, it’s because they were written like this…
The project was not a difficult, much of which demonstrates ability to follow instructions. Because this project was worth 15% of your grade and the intent was for everyone in the group to participate and “sign-off” before it was submitted & although the instructions & guideline sheet (attached) states “points will be given as all or none for each area above”, no partial credit will be given, I did give partial credit (unless one of the criteria was omitted completely, in which case no credit was given).
Jeanna and I headed north by northwest this weekend for a quick trip to Dayton, OH for her cousin’s wedding. Her mother is one of eight children – most of which still live in the Dayton area – and gatherings with family are always a large affair. This weekend was no exception. Both my family and Jeanna’s have been incredibly supportive of us during this (and all) endeavors. This weekend, though, the questions centered around what cool (and gross) stuff I was learning. As it turns out, for the last few weeks we’ve been learning about parasites, and they are both fascinating and gross.
I thought the best way to show what I’ve learned – both in terms of volume and “grossness” would be to give you a list of all the parasites that we studied. Some are worms, some are not. Take some time to peruse the links below – it really is fascinating stuff. Or, you could search YouTube for just about any of the keywords below and find a video or two on the subject – like this one for Dracunculus.
Also, while I have time to post videos, the one below is one of my favorites of all time. It’s from a group called Improv Everywhere in New York City. It’s a troupe of “ordinary” folks who plan and implement incredible pranks in public places. None of the pranks hurt anyone. In fact, most of them entertain everyone who’s nearby when they happen. In the video below, 207 people synchronized their watches, walked into Grand Central Station, and froze – for five minutes. Brilliant! (If you’re having trouble with the video below, watch it here.)
Word on the street is that I’ll be a test taking machine before this is all said and done. I can certainly see how that will be the case. Last week marked the first round of exams of my medical education and they were, at the same time, stress-filled and fun.
Stress-filled because the bar is high. I’m surrounded by a brilliant group men and women who all work harder than any group I’ve ever been around – and they make it look easy. The week, and the preparation it took to make it successful, was also a lot of fun for the same reason. I’m surrounded by people who want to make themselves better, and they end up making me better in the process. It reminds me so much of Proverbs 27:17. I’m being sharpened.
I’ve also been blessed to have found a few brilliant study partners. They are a joy to be around and it’s easy to see that these young friendships will be incredibly strong after having traveled this road together. We joke about how it seems impossible that we’ve only known each other for three weeks because it simply doesn’t seem possible that good friendships can form so fast. On the other hand, we put in about 40 hours of group study time in the first three days of September, so our relationships certainly haven’t formed from thin air. I hope they know how grateful I am for their ability to teach me and how motivated I am by their excitement for what we’re doing. I’m excited too.
On a much lighter note, I got a call from another good friend in town – the best Realtor in Blacksburg, VA – offering up a couple of tickets to watch Virginia Tech battle Furman in their home opener. It took a few minutes to convince Jeanna that we should go (I even cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed as part of my negotiation) and we had a blast. The photo above is me, at the game, as seen on television. Indeed, my first Hokie football game was also my first television appearance. How cool is that!
Sorry I’ve not had much time to write this week. I’ve been a little, um, preoccupied. You should know that I’m having fun – mostly because everything we’re learning is relevant. I expect this trend to continue. I thought I’d give you a little taste of what we’ve been learning this week. These lecture objectives will give you some idea. In addition to these, we’ve typically had about two hours of ethics lectures per day – it’s a good chance to use the other side of my brain from time to time. One of these days I’ll try to do a little post on how I study and what methods I use to cram all of this stuff in.
Gotta go. Thanks for all the words of encouragement.
I’m not sad to see it go, but I’m sure I’ll be longing for it in a few weeks. I’ve really enjoyed my six week break before the start of classes this summer. Jeanna and I constantly joke that this will likely be the last summer break ever, and I suppose it’s true. If that’s the case, it seems that my last summer break ever ended when I went to bed last night, because today’s agenda is full.
As you might expect, there are lots of errands to run and documents to get in order. I have to finish setting up my office. Most importantly, though, I have to make sure my Trapper Keeper is organized and ready to go. Funny, isn’t it. It’s only been about 20 years since Trapper Keepers were considered “high tech” in the classroom. Now my “Trapper Keeper” is a ThinkPad X61. All my notes, calendars, to-do lists, and contacts are kept inside, and at its mercy.
I thought you might be interested in seeing my course calendar for the next few months. I inserted it into Google Calendar (where I manage my agenda), so feel free to follow along if you wish.
What’s a Hokie? I’m a Hokie!
Lecture Objectives