damn nights...

Messing with my sleeping schedule...want to fall asleep.

On a sidenote, I think it's high time that I start taking it easy with the diet coke and the coke plus. There's an article in the nytimes health section about cola beverages increasing the incidence of chronic kidney disease. It's based off of this recent article from Epidemiology.

1: Epidemiology. 2007 Jul;18(4):501-6

Carbonated beverages and chronic kidney disease.

Saldana TM, Basso O, Darden R, Sandler DP.

Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.

BACKGROUND: Carbonated beverage consumption has been linked with diabetes, hypertension, and kidney stones, all risk factors for chronic kidney disease. Cola beverages, in particular, contain phosphoric acid and have been associated with urinary changes that promote kidney stones. METHODS: We examined the relationship between carbonated beverages (including cola) and chronic kidney disease, using data from 465 patients with newly diagnosed chronic kidney disease and 467 community controls recruited in North Carolina between 1980 and 1982. RESULTS: Drinking 2 or more colas per day was associated with increased risk of chronic kidney disease (adjusted odds ratio = 2.3; 95% confidence interval = 1.4-3.7). Results were the same for regular colas (2.1; 1.3-3.4) and artificially sweetened colas (2.1; 0.7-2.5). Noncola carbonated beverages were not associated with chronic kidney disease (0.94; 0.4-2.2). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that cola consumption may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease.

PMID: 17525693 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I'm not sure that I buy this study. I haven't seen the design of the study yet...I'm thinking that maybe I don't want to give up my coke.

-bender

Nothing new to report....

Don't have too much to update on, been interviewing at bigger places for more pay and skoo is coo. I think when you drink with coworkers and watch WWE together it makes for some hilarious times. Nothing like indian curry, pizza hut, and body slams.

I never realized how much of big kids we are. My coworkers kids refer to me as the guy who plays xbox360 with them and they always want me to come over. It's kinda funny as when I go over I find myself drinking and chilling with my friends 50% of the time and busting alien ass with his boys 50% of the time. I guess it just shows ya that I'm still a youngen. Or at least I keep telling myself that to feel better.

I know I want kids but I guess only if it means I don't have to grow up. My biggest concern is that I am too much a friend to my kids and not enough of a parent. Cuz I think we all know the parents who are your parents and that's it. Then we know the parents who are too much of a friend to their childs so they get out of hand. I always wonder what makes a good parent, is it just in them, or did they learn it?

Meh, Nature, nurture... well I know I don't believe you can learn it from a book, but I think it can be learned, through life lessons. I also sometimes think some peeps are just born with it, I mean... those damn people you envy who have that damn picket fence two kids, bah... makes me puke.

Well... I don't know where this is going, but Halo 3 is sooooooo different from when I played Halo, too much like CS now.

Joe is out, like a Space Marine who got his ass fragged from behind by an invisible enemy...

It's official...I'm gonna be a schlongologist

-bender

just a few more hours...

turns out Jan 21st is the most depressing day of the year.

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1704887,00.html?cnn=yes

shit. oh well. haha.

-bender

Chillin'

4th year of med school is kind of weird. I guess it all depends on what you're made of. Some med students are studs...an oro-maxillary facial surgeon (sp?) classmate of mine is now working as an away anesthesia resident in the surgical suite. He puts me to shame. I on the other hand am goofing off and wasting time. I thought I was a better student than that...that I'd use all of my free time to study and prepare for my real first day on the job as a doctor. I guess I'm pretty weak sauce.

I've been taking night call with one of the urology residents who is working on the SICU with me. My time is divided between checking on my fantasy basketball team, reading blogs, checking my email, hanging out with the nurses and getting late night eats at the cafeteria. Every morning, we've been celebrating all of our hard work by getting pretty plastered at a few local bars where we've gotten to know the owners a little too well. Bloody Marys and Irish coffees in the morning are fantastic. Got a little night skiing in last weekend and this coming weekend will be a great outing in san francisco to check out my brother's new pad in marin.

I finally got my scores back from step 2. I passed...whew. I didn't do as well as I had hoped, but I shouldn't have expected too much after all 5 days that I put into prepping for the test. I'm not sure if I'm burned out, just don't give a damn, too lazy, or a combination of all of the above. I don't know...it's just gotten hard to get out of bed these days. I'll be matching on Monday morning, but trust me, I won't be waking up at 6 am to check where I matched.

Med school is a lot about self discovery. I'm slacking off because it kind of doesn't matter. I don't really get to take care of the really sick patients and all we do is the same stuff every day - tranfuse if low, check cultures - give antibiotics if sick, give fluids if they're not peeing, and mess with their vent settings. It's really all the same ole shit. One of the reasons I did so well down in LA is because I was seriously running on fear 100% of the time, ready to shit my pants at any given moment. That's the environment in which I'm most miserable, but am at my best. I don't know how the match will end up, but honestly, I'll be a little surprised if I don't end up there. hmm...I guess I had always hoped that I'd be one of those self learners. Sometimes I think to myself what would AO do? He is a badass med student in my class from Iowa. Whatever. Joe, I think it's time for a real vacation...a few days on the slopes or something. If you want to come down during ski season, I'd love to have you. $15 friday skiiing at boreal. Let me know.

-bender

Round we go

So, I'm getting closer to my goal. Sure I've had to change my plans, but when it comes down to it... I'm gonna be working for myself. Whether I start small and expand or start small and stay small... I'm gonna call my own shots, and make money off myself, not have others make money off of me. I'm very excited and have already started my paperwork with the counties up here in washington and will hopefully get approved within the next 6 months or so...

WOOT!!

on a sad note, I know no one reads comics nowadays... but this past year has been the saddest yet most intriguing ever... Captain America dies, and Peter Parker loses his marriage and daughter... BAM!!!

Oh well.. I'm a nerd, so what..

Joe Out...

whittling my time away

On my surgical ICU rotation. Surprisingly, it's super chill. I spend a lot of time watching my resident do work...write orders, walk around and get x-rays read, that kind of stuff. I'm really well protected by the residents, so my hours are chill, no call and I get weekends off. Get to see some interesting cases though...a near 100 year old lady who broke her neck after racing around in her hot rod, and a 40 something guy who broke his jaw after getting hit in the face by a ballistic frozen chicken. I'm spending most of my free time reading harry potter. All in all, life is pretty good. Can't complain.


-bender