Summer (Part 2)

Four days. Bright and early Sunday morning I'll depart LAX for Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ship will take off on Tuesday and the journey begins. I'm at the "pile of stuff versus suitcase" packing stage and the next challenge is getting the pile into the luggage. My sisters and the boys all came over on Sunday for a "bon voyage" dinner the other night. It was cool to see everybody before I head off and enjoy the amazing chicken.

I've often described my time since finishing the semester as a "few weeks off" but it's been pretty busy. My EMT license is set to expire this summer so I've been working through the recertification process. I've always wanted to take a PreHosptial Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) class and finally got the opportunity. It was quite an interesting class and definitely a good thing to have done. The curriculum is heavily based on research which presents some really interesting contradictions to the "accepted" scope of practice in many EMS systems. The highlight was my first successful mannequin intubation. I do my skills refresher tomorrow and then deal with the paperwork nightmare.

Casey, Julian, Jamie and I had the chance to visit Tani a few weeks ago for our second annual NorCal Adventure. We had quite a bit of fun eating (I was once again exposed to numerous exotic Asian foods) and visiting the surrounding area. A few other folks joined us last Thursday for the first annual LA Adventure. We took the Metrolink downtown and did a pretty intense walk hitting Union Station, the cathedral, LA Music Center (with a tour of all 4 halls), Angel's Flight, Central Market, LA Times Building, City Hall, Chinatown, and Philippe's.

I don't watch much TV during the semester so this could be really old but I recently saw a commercial by the Corn Refiners Association declaring a "sweet surprise" that High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is all natural and just fine for you. They way they make HFCS out to be a wonderfully natural treat is just plain disturbing. Too bad there is significant clinical research linking HFCS consumption to obesity, Type II diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. But don't worry, it's all natural so that makes okay. For good reason, you can find quite a few parodies of the commercial: Parody 1, Parody 2, Parody 3.

A few weeks ago I came across the video of a UK public service commercial encouraging seat-belt use. It is not only an incredibly beautiful commercial but one of the most amazing and artful short videos I've ever seen. Check it out, I guarantee you'll get the chills.

That's all for now, I have to start thinking about packing. Stay tuned for the travel journal, coming soon.

Summer (Part 1)

Earlier this month marked the official halfway point in my undergraduate career. It truly feels like a few weeks ago I was stressed about starting at Cal Lu. Now I see friends like Josh and Sheena graduating (I remember calling their house for band before their freshman year of high school!) and moving on to USC and UCLA respectively (hopefully a little rivalry won't put too much of a strain on their friendship). Overall I have two years down and about 10 to go before I start actually making money.

The end of the year at CLU was stressful and bittersweet as usual. Finals went well and Res Hall closeouts were very interesting (took home quite a few fun souvenirs residents left behind). I bid farewell to many great seniors and bon voyage to a lot of friends who are studying abroad. Overall it was a pretty good year and now it's time to prep for next year as I again tackle music and RA while adding Organic Chem and the MCAT. Fun times ahead.

Speaking of study abroad, I depart for Semester at Sea on June 13. I'm starting to get really excited and the realities of packing, money, communication, etc are starting to set in. I fly to Canada, meet the ship and depart for a trans-Atlantic cross. We'll be stopping in Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco before crossing back over to Virginia. This blog will soon transform into a travel journal and I'm making it my goal to update as much as possible so stay tuned.

The whole oil spill fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico is really a shame. In my Evolutionary Bio class we talked quite a bit about how humans effect natural life and processes in such detrimental ways without even realizing it. Seeing such a blatant example really brings attention to a lot of these human effects, big and small. I don't think there's really a clear-cut solution to any of these problems; we'll just have to see what happens. On a lighter note, at least BP has decided to take action by putting a new logo out.

Having a friend work for Apple makes poking fun at the company even more fun. I came across a pretty sad/funny but true graphic that pretty much serves as the basis for Apple's sales model.

I know a lot of people were excited for the Lost season finale last week. The show made quite a stir and, while I never actually saw any episodes, I did watch a short youtube synopsis. Quite a few people have said that the three minute video explains the plot better than the six seasons. I think it's just the sticky note usage that helps.

That's all for now...stay tuned for part 2 after the QHHS alumni band concert this afternoon.

Spring Break

A happy and blessed Easter to all.

One of my goals for my week off was to update this blog, hopefully multiple times. Well, here we are on my last evening off. At least I'll get one post in.

It's been nice having a break from the chaos that has defined my schedule this semester. The classes are tough but keeping me busy. At the beginning of the semester I was hesitant about how well I'd do in my Evolutionary Bio class but it has turned out to be really interesting. I like learning about the subject matter a lot, but being tested on a lot of memorization isn't quite as fun. We recently finished up the hallmark project of my Postmodernism class: a surrealist film. While it was quite fun to make I think the most entertaining part was devising the plot and script. If I get a chance, I'll post it here but it's on Facebook and I was tagged so check it out. Just be advised, it is surrealist so it's supposed to be somewhat disturbing and make no sense.

Back on the 14th I had a chance to solo with the University Symphony playing the Weber Concertino. It was a lot of fun to prepare but I'm a bit relieved now that it's done. Memorizing and soloing a piece like that took an incredible amount of time and focus. You really have to be "in the zone" during the performance for it to work. It was awesome just to have the opportunity. I also have a video that I'll try to get up soon.

The hospital is going well. I'm currently on my last rotation, again in ER. Being in the OR was a really cool experience (saw a total knee replacement on my last day) but I just like the feeling that I'm actually doing something more than observation. Even though it's a small role, I actually feel like a part of the patient care team in ER. I'll miss it after May but hopefully it will be on to bigger and better things.

Life otherwise is great. We did the big birthday rush in Feb and March including a half marathon with my dad and sisters. In late March my sisters and grandma planned a surprise birthday party for my parents. It was a big success and great to see family/friends and play with the quartet. I reapplied for and RA position next year and will be in the same complex. We'll have a pretty new staff with only two returners including myself, but I'm looking forward to it.

Semester at Sea is approaching. I'm currently in the paperwork process and pretty stoked...it's going to be pretty amazing.

The infamous iPad was released this weekend. Despite huge initial sales I'm predicting a bit of a disappointment later on. It's and interesting idea but I don't see it catching on for the long term simply from a practicality standpoint. Just a thought, time will tell.

The new Photoshop is looking pretty intense. Check it out.

That's it for now, have a Happy Easter.

Mozart Quintet K581 Mvmt 1

Pasadena Half Marathon

In celebration of my dad's recent birthday, my sisters and I ran the Pasadena Half with him last Sunday. We had a really good time over the weekend, and a great run. The weather was perfect and we finished together in 2:07:10. It was a really cool way to celebrate, some of the pics are below (I look way too excited in the last one...). Happy Birthday Po!

The Pirates of South

I've been back at CLU for a few days now. The Res Life staff has been somewhat frantically trying to put everything together for the start of the Spring Semester. The theme for our complex was "Disneyland" (so original) and our hall, South, happened to take on a Pirates of the Caribbean persona hence the "Pirates of South" door tags. Classes start up in a few days.
The classes:

• Biology: Ecology & Evolution
• General Chemistry II with Lab
• Postmodernism: The Politics & Philosophy of Art (my Sci Fi film class got dropped)
  
• Music Theory II
• Musicianship Skills II
• Keyboard Harmony II
• Band/Orchestra/Applied Lessons

Alas...20 units again.

Our trip to Colorado was great. It was nice seeing that Grandma is doing so well. We didn't get much fresh snow while we were there but what was on the mountain was pretty good. I took a half day ski lesson the first afternoon just to get a few pointers to work on for the rest of the trip and it really helped out. Ski trip in the future anyone?

The only positive aspect of a devastating tragedy like the recent Haiti earthquake is how it brings humanity together. When describing the aid given it's been said numerous times in the media how people pitching in to help as they can really demonstrates a sense of common humanity. However, it truly disturbs me when certain prominent individuals (i.e. Limbaugh, Robertson, Glover, etc) abuse their public forum and make some type of politically charged commentary or accusation with regard to the catastrophe. Simply pathetic.

Recent studies have shown that Choline, a micronutrient found abundantly in a good old fashioned bacon and eggs breakfast, can help boost the intelligence of an unborn child when eaten during pregnancy. There you go...bacon and eggs will make your kid smarter.

Pigeon: Impossible. A rookie secret agent is faced with a problem seldom covered in basic training: what to do when a curious pigeon gets trapped inside your multi-million dollar, government-issued nuclear briefcase. A problem I run into occasionally.

That's all for now...I need to spend some quality time admiring the intense rainfall.

A New Decade

Happy 2010!

A little poll: Will the year 2010 will be pronounced "twenty-ten" or "two-thousand ten?"

It's somewhat bothersome how quickly winter break seems to be moving along. It's nice having the time off and I'm getting used to the wake-up, go for a run, do a little reading, practice some clarinet, mess with the Wii, go to bed routine. I've been up in Thousand Oaks two days each week for winter RA duty during the nights and the hospital during the days. Despite the lack of sleep inherent in accepting a schedule like that, it's been kinda fun. I've only been in the OR for a month and have already seen some amazing cases. There's been lots of orthopedics but a fair amount of general and emergency surgery procedures also. Some of the doctors are really great at explaining things and letting me get up close to see. It's definitely one of cooler experiences I've had.

I met Casey, Julian, and Sheena in Pasadena last week at one of the annual Rose Parade Bandfest shows. PCC with it's 9 QH members looked and sounded great as usual. Even though it was pouring rain it was good getting out there and hearing the unique sounds of beefy marching bands. The parade looked great today also...I couldn't imagine the weather would be more perfect. My parents and I are off to Colorado the first part of January. I can't wait to get up to the cabin and fit in a few days of skiing. The Fitch family was up there this week and apparently the powder is amazing.

I've never been a huge fan of New Year Resolutions. Not only do they fail the vast majority of the time but the concept doesn't make a lot of sense. If you really have a burning desire to change an attitude, habit, vice, etc then why wait for a new year? To make a "permanent" lifestyle change it would seem to be much more effective if a single concept or behavior was implemented voluntarily at the time of motivation rather than making a list in late December that you'll talk about for a week and forget next month. Just a thought, if yours work out then more power to you. This little rant was brought to you by Calvin and Hobbes (dripping with Aristotle).

The news of security issues leading to the Flight 253 Christmas Day episode has been all over but there's also been a twist to the story circulating online with a growing presence in the past few days. Passenger Kurt Haskell has come forward essentially accusing multiple US Government agencies of altering events and "lying" to the American people. I'll let you read the details yourself. I heard an hour long radio interview with him on the way back from TO the other day. There's a lot of people out there ready to believe but I have a really tough time buying it. Mr. Haskell seems to certainly be enjoying the press and interviews. I don't quite understand why none of the other passengers have come forward corroborating his unique eyewitness accounts. Certainly someone else must have seen something suspicious if there was anything to see. And even if the "sharp dressed man" or "man in orange" theories are true, for the sake of national security I would hope that a thorough investigation is taking place. This generally means that a video tape isn't going isn't going public anytime soon. I can gladly accept lack of information if it means there's less of a chance others can use it against us.

2009 in review, complements of JibJab.

That's all for now, I've got a rough evening of Wii Fitness ahead.

Semester 3: A Review

It's hard to believe that another semester has already flown by. A 90 minute lecture usually feels like three days but I can't get over how quickly entire months can rush into the past. The previous semester was a busy one (as I'm sure can be inferred by my lack of presence here), but was definitely filled with many good times.

The rather daunting task of completing 20 units did not disappoint. Despite the many late night study sessions, it was really neat to settle in on subjects I really enjoy. There was a pretty even split of science (Bio & Chem) and music classes. You know you're in for fun times when the class average on the first test in Genes and Development is a 62%. Luckily a little hard work is all it takes and all turned out well. I recently bought an MCAT study book and have begun to try and devote an hour a week to it. Key word is "try."

Things in the music world are also going pretty well. Our new Honors Quartet is sounding quite nice and is available for your high profile event...just let me know. For a solo, I've been working on the Weber Concertino for a while. I have it down pretty good but the challenge is getting it all in my head. In addition to trying a few local young artist competitions, I'll be soloing with the University Symphony on March 14. Check it out if you're around. I began teaching clarinet regularly to a middle school student early in the semester which was a really goo experience for both of us. There's a whole new level patience and way of explaining things to master. I've come to agree with other teachers I've had that the single best piece of advice when teaching music is "lets try it again..." Unfortunately I don't think I'll have the time to continue next semester but I'm glad I had the experience.

A big change to my routine this year came with the job as an RA. In general, there's a lot of perks and good times countered by a good deal of challenges. I've met a lot of great people and am really enjoy my coworkers and residents. The responsibilities have been beneficial in getting me out there more and much falls into the category of "it was a good experience." It's a very interesting and unique leadership position to be in and overall I'm pretty happy with the way things have gone. The random events and duty nights are getting easier which is probably a good thing if I continue on the path to medicine. I've definitely "gotten more involved on campus" (my reason for applying during the interview) but the single room and money don't hurt either.

I'm still interning at the hospital on a pretty regular basis. I started working ER in September trying to hit the crazy Friday or Saturday nights. I saw many difficult and sad things as well as many amazing procedures that are routine in modern medicine. I find myself fulfilling the weird paranoid uncle role as the boys got bikes for Christmas telling them each to always wear a helmet. As in any ER, there was quite a bit of excitement and always something to do. I have plenty of stories, let me know sometime. I just recently started in OR and have already seem some amazingly cool procedures. More on that later.

I feel like I've exceeded the word count limit here but if you're still reading I'll throw out a few of the famous links:

• The bad economy isn't effecting just us humans.
• One of the better Christmas decorations I've seen in a while.
• 20 things that happen in 1 minute (another one of those factoid graphics that throw out miraculous facts, this one actually cites sources).

Hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas. That's all for now, I need to work on my golf swing.

Merry Christmas

O magnum mysterium,
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,
jacentem in praesepio!
Beata Virgo, cujus viscera
meruerunt portare
Dominum Christum.
Alleluia.

Pretty Snazzy Marketing...

Click image for higher resolution.

Labor Day

A three day weekend after only three days of classes...I could get used to this.

Classes started last Wednesday. I've had most by now and so far they seem to be pretty good. The science classes will pose a challenge but I like my schedule for the most part. It's nice to be settling down with just science and music, none of those pesky humanities courses (not that there's anything wrong with those...). I'm at the point were I'm somewhat enjoying reading the text. Let's hope that stays that way for a while. Here's the 20 units:

• Biology: Genes and Development
• Bio Lab
• General Chemistry
• Chem Lab
• Music Theory
• Musicianship Skills
• Keyboard Harmony
  
• Fundamentals of Conducting
• Lessons
• Wind Ensemble
• Orchestra

RAing is going well so far also. If you have any program ideas, let me know. I was able to get home this weekend. It was pretty nice to get back after a while and see everybody.

This whole thing with people freaking out about Obama's proposed "Back to School" speech is teetering on the line of absurdity. A number of school districts are continuing to refuse to show the speech even after the text has been released and it contains absolutely no reference to any political agenda. Many seem to be ignoring the fact that almost every former president in recent history has given a similar address. I think NBC's John Harwood puts it pretty well.

Brownie, a 4-year-old cat who has drifted away from his home, returned to the delight but then horror of his owners. Glad to have him back, they were in turn horrified that he had a 13-inch arrow stuck through his head. Luckily the arrow had only skimmed the skull and the little guy is expected to make a full recovery. 1 down, 8 to go.

Youtube of the week: A random guy is seen reading a novel while doing 75mph on the freeway. That better be a good book.

That's it for now...have a nice day off.

That Crazy Thousand Oaks...

Man's Fingertip Bitten Off at Healthcare Rally
By Garance Franke Ruta and Sarah Lovenheim of the Washington Post

One of a national series of rallies for health-care reform took a violent turn Wednesday night when, according to authorities in Thousand Oaks, Calif., an unidentified man bit off another man's pinky finger at the top joint.

The Thousand Oaks event attracted only about 100 people -- a small group compared to the turnout at congressional town halls, which have drawn up to 1,500 people. But their passions were running high, and when a supporter of health-care reform wound up among a group of about 25 counter-protesters, an argument and fistfight broke out, Ventura County Sheriff's Capt. Frank O'Hanlon told the Associated Press.

Reports differ on whether the supporter went to confront the opponents intentionally or was just walking among them while trying to cross the street to the pro-reform rally.

Southern California's KTLA-TV, which first reported on the fracas, wrote, "The 65-year-old was apparently aggressive and hit the other man, who then retaliated by biting off his attacker's pinky."

The AP reported that the injured man "retrieved the finger and went to a hospital." The man, identified by ABC News as William Rice, received care from Los Robles Hospital and on Thursday told the Weekly Standard that the hospital was unable to reattach his fingertip. Also on Thursday, Rice appeared on Fox News, where he was interviewed by Neil Cavuto (see video clip, below).

O'Hanlon told the AP that authorities have a good description of the alleged biter, who fled the scene. "It's considered a mayhem which is the removal of an appendage from a human," Capt. Bruce Norris of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department told ABC News. "The crime is punishable by imprisonment for 2, 4, or 8 years."

Attendees at the Thousand Oaks rally took to their blogs Thursday to describe the clash. Reform opponent Eric Ingemunson recounts his story on RedCounty.com, and reform supporter Karoli Kuns tells her tale at DrumsnWhistles.com.

MoveOn.org sponsored the rally, along with others Wednesday night around the country, and Ilyse Hogue, a spokeswoman for the liberal advocacy group, called the incident "a regrettable act of violence."

"While we do not have any more facts about what happened then what we saw in press accounts, MoveOn condemns violence in all forms," she said in a statement to The Post.

"While we don't know if either party involved was a MoveOn member, we regret any violence that may have occurred yesterday, and we support the Ventura County Sheriff's investigation into the situation. It is our firm hope that this event does not detract from the tens of thousands who were out peacefully making their voices heard for health-care reform and a public option," Hogue said.

RA Training

We're midway through August which means Summer is coming to a close. This time always has that weird combination feel of disappointment that the break is over yet excitement for the new school year.

Our trip to Colorado and New Mexico was great. We had a few days of hiking and relaxation at the cabin before making the trek to Santa Fe. We had a nice little condo within walking distance of downtown. Santa Fe is a pretty interesting place. It's very artsy and a lot of fun to visit but I don't think I could stand living there--a tad too artsy for me. The big reason for going was the Santa Fe Opera; my dad and I saw three operas in three days while my grandma joined us for two of them and my mom went to one. We saw Gluck's Alceste (good opera but a bit "drab"), Donizetti's Elixir of Love and the world premiere of Moravec's The Letter (probably my favorite). After opera madness we ventured to Boulder City to visit my uncle and hit a production of the musical Jersey Boys in Vegas before coming home. Overall it was a really fun time.

I've been back at Cal Lu for a little over a week now in RA training. The training is going well and I've met a lot of good people. The job will be interesting; there's a bit of responsibility but I'm looking forward to it. It's a new experience and I think I've already gotten a lot out of it. Hopefully I'll maintain the positive outlook well into the year. My room setup this year is very nice. It's pretty spacious and actually has a view. Should be a fun time. Classes start up September 2.

It seems impossible to go a few hours without hearing somebody's (misinformed) opinion about the whole healthcare debate these days. With all this going on it's nice to see that there is at least one person out there that has it right.

I know there's a few slip-n-slide fans out there so this video is a must watch. The legitimacy has been debated quite a bit but whether an actual jump or edit job it's a pretty cool feat either way.

The odds of catching a foul ball in a major league game are 1 in 333. The odds of catching two major league foul balls in the same game are 1 in 3,333,333. This 12 year old kid beat the odds. Pretty awesome.

That's it for now, I think I'll take advantage of my afternoon off and treat myself to a quick nap.

NIB

I recently returned from Phoenix and the National Intercollegiate Band. I'm glad to say I didn't die from the heat (worst was about 115°) and we got some monsoonal weather. The whole experience went really well. The director, John R. Bourgeois, is the director emeritus of "The President's Own" Marine Band. He was a really down to earth and great guy who had some amazing stories from his 40 years of service. The composer was Mark Camphouse and his piece was pretty heavy (in a good way). It was really neat meeting some new people from around the country and running into some old All Southern/State folks. It was a great experience and really fun time. I'll post some audio when I get it.

The day after I returned, Casey, Andrew, Josh, Julia, Julia, and I made a last minute journey down to the Hollywood Bowl to see Philip Glass and his ensemble play with the LA Phil. Many people aren't fans of minimalism so it was really neat to see the Bowl packed with people who really appreciate it. The music was incredible (Einstein on the Beach!) and the musicality amazing, as expected.

After enjoying a few days of laziness I'm off to Colorado and New Mexico later this week. We'll be spending a few days up at the cabin then make our way to Santa Fe for the Santa Fe Opera. Should be a good time. When we return I have a few days before heading back to Cal Lu for RA training.

I know many of my peers are having difficulty in the summer months with waking up early. ThinkGeek has a solution: for every minute you sleep past the alarm on this clock, your bank account automatically donate money to an organization you hate. Genius.

Many of you may have seen youtube's top hit for this week, the awesome wedding entrance dance. For those who haven't, you must check it out. Cool little tidbit: apparently Karl's sister, Erin, was actually at the wedding. Pretty funny stuff.

That's all for now, I need to go post an ad to sell my Public Speaking and Spanish books. If anybody is interested, let me know.

Off to Phoenix

It's only 112° right now...

For the next few days I'll be participating in the National Intercollegiate Band at the Arizona Biltmore. I auditioned on a whim a few months ago and was pretty surprised when I actually made it. It looks to be a really good experience (complete with the director of the President's Own and Mark Camphouse) and I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully I'll get some pics and audio to share.

The past few weeks of summer have been pretty busy. To quickly sum, I've:

• Made the annual Kling/Crane Dodger game excursion
• Made the annual Stutelberg/Crane Dodger excursion
• Witnessed 5 births including a C-section with twins (absolutely incredible!)
• Moved my sister from Canyon Country to Acton with the help of Casey and Josh
• Persuaded four other people to donate blood with me (you should too)
  
• Completed a 5 week summer school term of Public Speaking and Spanish 102 (thankfully it's over)
• Written letters and had petitions signed to the Governor and Mayor.
  
• Seen the Monty Python musical Spamalot (very funny...definitely recommend)
• Discovered an unknown function of the MacBook.
  
• Hosted a surprise birthday party for Andrew LORDKEMPER.

I'm probably forgetting a few things, but you can tell it's been an action packed summer so far. I wish I had time to go more in depth on some things but maybe when I have some free time in the next couple of weeks I'll be inspired to share my wacky attempts at political involvement or innermost philosophical feelings on witnessing the miracle of life. Or something like that.

I should probably start packing so that's about all for now. I leave you with Obama and the "Mom Jeans" controversy.

Karl Runs 30 at 30

A fun and awesome day...more details.