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Ode to the Anatomy Lab
This post is written in remembrance of my greatest medical school adversary – the Anatomy Lab. From my first voyage into the sterile, bright room housing dozens of dead bodies, to my final practical examination, this one goes out to all the medical students who have devoted countless hours dissecting and learning the human anatomy on deceased human beings. It’s a weird feeling stepping into a room with dozens of dead people inside, but the lessons learned are valuable, even if they were repulsive at times.
DISCLAIMER: This post contains graphic, written depictions of various parts of a dead human’s body. If you have a weak stomach, it might be best to pass on this article. But if you are a future medical student with a weak stomach, read it to get an idea of what you’re in for.
Soze’s Movie Reviews: Volume III
Spent the last couple weeks working on my research, writing for a new project, getting drunk more nights than not, and spending my down time checking out movies, new and old. Some big-budget blockbusters, some indie picks, and even an unsettling Russian film. Read on for my latest batch of movie reviews and recommendations.
Check out my previous two installments:
Soze’s Movie Reviews: Volume I
Bar Etiquette: 21 Rules to Drinking with Dignity
Today I’m going to stray from my normal content of medical school, music and movies. Because on my summer break, I’ve been spending far more time in bars than I have in front of my computer. Every time I’m at the communal watering hole with some friends, I’m reminded of the how socially inept and unaware some patrons are on how to conduct themselves at a bar.
In college, I bartended at both a small, higher class bar and a giant shot-and-a-beer pub. Even on my summer break, I’ve picked up a couple shifts for cash. My time on the other side of the bar provided many insights into how things work. You ever wonder why you’ve been standing at the bar waiting so long that your buzz wears off to get your next drink while the guy next to you was served as soon as he walked up? Good chance you upset the bartender and the other guy has established rapport through being a smart, well-mannered patron.
Read below to find out how to be the guy who gets served instantly, receives discounted drinks, and is greeted with a smile and a handshake every time he steps into the bar.
Soze’s Movie Reviews: Volume II
Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July holiday. I sure did. After a week with the buddies, I spent a couple days doing absolutely nothing aside from watching movies and taking naps, much in thanks to the blessing and curse that is the Amazon Fire Stick. I checked out a few popular picks, as well as some relatively under-the-radar movies that pleasantly surprised me. Been on a bit of a horror/thriller kick lately, so if you’re a weirdo who’s into blood and death, read on for some good suggestions.
For more, check out my first installment: Soze’s Movie Reviews: Volume I
Protected: “Trainwreck” is One of the Worst Movies I Have Ever Seen
Do’s and Dont’s of Medical School
Coming into medical school, I didn’t know much of anything aside from hearing that the journey would be incredibly hard and I’d spend a lot of time crooned over my Macbook studying. I had no mentor. No older friend in med school to pester with questions. Before arriving, I drank a lot of beer with my friends, bartended, and went in with no advice or guidance, forcing myself to learn many lessons along the way. While I can’t go back in time to last year and tell myself what I know now, I can write an article that hopefully some incoming first year students will read and learn from.
Not all of this advice comes from my personal experience – some comes from witnessing my classmates make mistakes as well. Also, I ain’t gonna give study tips, but rather I’ll give advice on general life and how to conduct yourself, a seemingly overlooked aspect of your years in med school.
Live in the Moment: My Love For Live Music & Favorite Shows of All Time
Since graduating high school, live music has been an essential part of my livelihood. Just the other night, in a very inebriated state at three in the morning, my friend and I went back to my house and ran downstairs to plug in my guitar for some late night drunken jamming. We traded on and off, playing riffs back and forth. I probably sounded awful. While my friend played, I sat there mesmerized as he simply strummed a couple simple chords. It doesn’t need to be complex. There’s something about hearing those tones swoon out of my semi-hollowbody electric guitar, through the amplifier and into my eardrums that sends a shiver through my limbic system.
Live music can be found anywhere. Whether I’m buzzing from a few beers at a local bar and hearing a couple kids play an open mic set to fifteen people or watching a legendary rocker electrify a sold-out arena, live music in all forms, like humor, is a universally connecting human experience. There aren’t many other places in the world where you can have a frat guy on your right, and a bonafide hippie on your left, both sharing the same joy.
Soze’s Movie Reviews: Volume I
Last night was a quiet, warm summer evening. I worked out, grilled some burgers, and relaxed with a movie. As I stated in my last post, this is the last free summer of my life before becoming a slave to my Step 1 score, the ensuing clinical rotations, residency, a career, retirement, then death. After working extremely hard this past year and devoting so much time to school, I’ve decided that I can be completely lazy, lounge around, without a care in the world, freed from any sort of guilt that might accompany lying on your couch and watching movies all afternoon.
So, aside from lifting, working on my tan, reading books, watching a few Sketchy Videos, doing weird things at music festivals, getting drunk with my friends, working on medical research, and bartending once in a while, I’ve been nurturing my inner cinephile by checking out an array of different movies every week to fill the void between Twin Peaks episodes.
I enjoy putting my thoughts and opinions on music and movies into word format, but I don’t have the time to write an entire post reviewing each movie, nor do I have the energy to write that much on most movies without being redundant. While I could easily churn out 10,000 words dissecting Mulholland Drive, ain’t nobody got time for that. So, I came up with the idea to write short reviews on the last few movies I’ve watched, while assigning a numerical value from 1-10. There is no rhyme or reason behind my rating system. Just here to give my honest take on recent movies I’ve watched, and hopefully give ya’ll some good recommendations.
Soze Media 