Friday, April 28, 2006
Sunday, April 23, 2006
My new favorite word
PULCHRITUDE (Noun)
1. Physical beauty
2. Attractive moral excellence
Etymology: Middle English pulcritude, from Latin pulchritudo, from pulcher, beautiful
1. Physical beauty
2. Attractive moral excellence
Etymology: Middle English pulcritude, from Latin pulchritudo, from pulcher, beautiful
Saturday Night at the Velvet Lounge
My sister and I went to a show at the Velvet Lounge last night. The place is basically a hole. If you want to go somewhere for the decor, don't got there. But it was dark, so you couldn't really tell. Plus the show was great, so who really cares? There were four bands in the line up.
First was Vote Quimby (official, myspace) out of Annapolis, a pop/punk/rock band with a side of stand-up. I saw them a while back in Baltimore and they were just as fun this time.
Second was The Dance Party (official, myspace) out of College Park, a powerpop/indie rock band whose lead singer's flamboyant style reminds me a little of Mick Jagger. They have a song about the Karate Kid. How cool is that?
Third was The Unlovables (official, myspace) out of New York, a pop/punk band whose songs and sound in general is just so spunky and energetic that you can't help but love them.
Fourth was the hosts Full Minute of Mercury (official, myspace), who I've definitely mentioned at least a few times before. Their performances are always energetic, action packed and entertaining. Last night was no different. They had the whole crowd jumping up and down so much that I almost feared that the floor might fall through. But luckily it didn't. That certainly would have put a little damper on the night.
All in all it was a great way to spend a Saturday night! I really enjoy going to see live music and if I didn't have such a hectic schedule I would definitely go see more shows. I'm going to have to work on that.
First was Vote Quimby (official, myspace) out of Annapolis, a pop/punk/rock band with a side of stand-up. I saw them a while back in Baltimore and they were just as fun this time.
Second was The Dance Party (official, myspace) out of College Park, a powerpop/indie rock band whose lead singer's flamboyant style reminds me a little of Mick Jagger. They have a song about the Karate Kid. How cool is that?
Third was The Unlovables (official, myspace) out of New York, a pop/punk band whose songs and sound in general is just so spunky and energetic that you can't help but love them.
Fourth was the hosts Full Minute of Mercury (official, myspace), who I've definitely mentioned at least a few times before. Their performances are always energetic, action packed and entertaining. Last night was no different. They had the whole crowd jumping up and down so much that I almost feared that the floor might fall through. But luckily it didn't. That certainly would have put a little damper on the night.
All in all it was a great way to spend a Saturday night! I really enjoy going to see live music and if I didn't have such a hectic schedule I would definitely go see more shows. I'm going to have to work on that.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Genetics
My ethics class today focused on th ethics involved with genetic testing. That topic is a little too deep to dive into on this blog, but I did learn a few interesting little tid bits in the lecture.
Why do certain potentially lethal genetic mutations persist in the population when, until quite recently, those who got the disease caused by the mutation perished before passing it on? To survive the ruthless culling of evolution, the mutation must provide some advantage. Two prime of examples of this are cystic fibrosis carriers and sickle cell anemia carriers. People with only one copy of the mutated gene which causes cystic fibrosis apparently gain protection from infection by the bacterium that cause typhoid and cholera. People with only one copy of the mutated gene that causes sickle cell anemia apparently gain protection from infection by the parasite that causes malaria. This explains why sickle cell anemia is so common in the African American population. Their ancestors came from an area of the world where malaria is prevalent.
Kind of interesting how things work, huh?
Why do certain potentially lethal genetic mutations persist in the population when, until quite recently, those who got the disease caused by the mutation perished before passing it on? To survive the ruthless culling of evolution, the mutation must provide some advantage. Two prime of examples of this are cystic fibrosis carriers and sickle cell anemia carriers. People with only one copy of the mutated gene which causes cystic fibrosis apparently gain protection from infection by the bacterium that cause typhoid and cholera. People with only one copy of the mutated gene that causes sickle cell anemia apparently gain protection from infection by the parasite that causes malaria. This explains why sickle cell anemia is so common in the African American population. Their ancestors came from an area of the world where malaria is prevalent.
Kind of interesting how things work, huh?
Monday, April 03, 2006
Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Part II
I totally forgot to detail the most amusing part of the concert last night. There was this guy over in one corner who was doing some kind of strange interpretive Martha Graham modern dance thing. Arms failing around, jumps and spins. It was a quite the sight. Wish I had had my camera with for that one.
Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers
You may recall a while back I posted about one of my favorite bands, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. Well, last night I went to their show at the State Theatre in Falls Church. It was a great show! Roger played at least five different guitars, drank at least four shots of tequilla, and sang for about an hour and a half. I got two CDs and a DVD for $22. If that's not a good deal, I don't know what is. Say what you want about "country" music, but these guys know how to rock! I didn't have a camera with last night, but here's a picture from the inside of one of the CDs I bought to show you what you missed if you weren't there.
Lady Terps
There has been so much coverage in the media lately of the Cinderella story of the George Mason men's basketball team. And rightfully so, because they played very well and went further than anyone would have expected them to. There is another local team, however, who also deserves some attention. The University of Maryland's Lady Terps beat UNC yesterday to make it to the finals of the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament. They will be playing Duke tomorrow for the first women's basketball title in school history. Way to go ladies!!
Erika Sunnegårdh
This weekend Swedish-American soprano Erika Sunnegårdh made her debut at the Met singing the title role in Beethoven's "Fidelio." Sunnegårdh was a virtual unknown in the opera world until she was "discovered" in 2004. Until that time she had been waiting tables, singing in recitals and churches, and perfecting her craft. She had been contracted by the Met to cover for Finnish soprano Karita Matilla in this run of "Fidelio," but until this weekend had never actually sung the role on stage. An article in the New York Times likened this turn of events to "the Yankees starting a pitcher who had done nothing more than toss batting practice, or the president appointing a beat cop as defense secretary." It further points out that renowned tenor Plácido Domingo who stepped in for Franco Corelli in 1968 to make his Met debut. In another New York Times article, Anthony Tommasini points out that Sunnegårdh's performance was not without flaws and "a fuller assessment will have to await her future appearances."
Brain Numbness, Orange Urine and False Labor
I worked Friday and Saturday nights this weekend and we had some wackos come in. On Friday night there was the patient whose chief complaint was, "My brain feels numb." She came into the hospital by ambulance. All her vital signs were fine and she didn't appear to have any problem with muscular and nervous system function. Her labs were all negative. Needless to say she got a psych consult.
Then there was the lady who came in at 1:00 am on Saturday night because her urine was supposedly orange. There are certain things that can turn your urine orange: beets, rhubarb, vitamin B, dehydration, rifampin (an antiobiotic), and pyridium (for bladder spasms with UTIs). She had not ingested any of these things. The urine sample she gave at the hospital looked remarkably clear and yellow (aka normal). Lab analysis also showed that it was completely normal. She got sent home.
You may recall my previous post about the woman who claimed to be pregnant with triplets, but wasn't actually pregnant at all. I was talking to one the residents who told me that this woman eventually got admitted to the psych unit, where she was trying for two days to push the babies out. Funny and at the same time very very sad.
Then there was the lady who came in at 1:00 am on Saturday night because her urine was supposedly orange. There are certain things that can turn your urine orange: beets, rhubarb, vitamin B, dehydration, rifampin (an antiobiotic), and pyridium (for bladder spasms with UTIs). She had not ingested any of these things. The urine sample she gave at the hospital looked remarkably clear and yellow (aka normal). Lab analysis also showed that it was completely normal. She got sent home.
You may recall my previous post about the woman who claimed to be pregnant with triplets, but wasn't actually pregnant at all. I was talking to one the residents who told me that this woman eventually got admitted to the psych unit, where she was trying for two days to push the babies out. Funny and at the same time very very sad.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)