Birds

Running around on sand at 11 PM chasing birds with a friend = awesome.

I can count on one hand the times I've been to the beach.

Last weekend was one such visit.

There's just something about being on the edge of a land mass that makes you feel insignificant and empowered at the same time.

Words

"We search for words because sometimes that is all we can do."
-- Josh Carter

I like words. I particularly like the word "nociception." It's basically a fancy word for pain. Stemming from the Latin root "noceo," it literally translates as the "perception of harm."

Bam. Etymology like that blows my mind.

Another example: disease. Literally the state of being not at ease.

I also like how words feel in my mouth. A favorite of mine is "intrigue." A friend once told me that he likes how the word "thimble" sounds. I spent the next minute or two playing with the word, saying it slowly, drawing out the sounds. After a while, I was mildly addicted to saying it.

Just as sometimes songs get annoyingly stuck in my head, I also get words stuck in my head. For example, just a few nights ago my brain kept repeating the word "apocrine" over and over again while I was at tennis practice.


Apocrine. Apocrine. Apocrine. Thimble.

House M.D.

I'm not a huge TV show connoisseur, but I won't deny my near pathological obsession with Dr. House.

As usual, after attending my last class this past Tuesday, I went upstairs to my room, opened my laptop, and proceeded to catch up on my missed episodes of House. Perpetually one week behind, I finally got around to watching the episode titled "5 to 9."

Now, from the very beginning, I knew something was up with this particular episode. Firstly, nobody mysteriously passed out in the first three minutes. Secondly, the entire introduction was concentrated on Cuddy and her new boy toy. At this point, I was extremely irked. For goodness sakes! The show is called House, not Cuddy.

Then, for the first time, House M.D. mentioned. . . Insurance companies.

Yes, insurance companies.

In fact, the entire episode was one large finger jab at those darned insurance companies.

In my personal experience, House M.D. never mentions money except for the following instances: 1. Cuddy becoming angry at House for wasting money on unnecessary testing 2. Cuddy becoming angry at House for breaking expensive equipment and 3. House making various bets with fellow co-workers.

Throughout the entire episode, Cuddy desperately tries to renew a contract with a heartless health insurance company, trying to get Princeton Plainboro the money it deserves. When she refuses to write a script for breast milk as cancer treatment for a clinic patient, he calls her bitch and pleads that his insurance company will only cover official prescriptions. She fights with a patient suing the hospital for his finger reattachment surgery because he cannot absorb the medical costs. She approaches an evil, douchebag health insurance company CEO during his luxury lunch to demand that he be less selfish and consider the patients instead of his shareholders for once. Dr. Chase who performed the finger reattachment surgery just expresses his wish to treat people, regardless of money.

As I said, one giant finger jab.

I'm not even going to try to pretend that I'm an expert on this whole healthcare crisis. The majority of my personal information stems from late night talking points and cursory scannings of the Washington Post and CNN. But, I know that when issues start pervading pop culture, the general public is more likely engage themselves. I admit I was mildly annoyed that my expected one hour break of mind-numbing programming turned into a in-your-face healthcare discussion. But, maybe that in itself is the problem. Maybe instead of wasting my time watching House be an attractive douchebag, I should take notice of the news and issues going around the world.

Sometimes

You just need to get up and dance.

Yes, you. Get off your lazy ass and dance.

Yes, right now.

Pineapples

Every time I see a pineapple, I do a double take. I won't explain why because the reason is both incoherent as well as slightly embarrassing.


Sorry to leave you hanging.

One Moment

It's Valentines Day and whether you're head-over-heels, annoying-everyone-around-you lovesick puppy or the classic cynic who looks in disdain at the absurd amounts of flower and chocolate sales, take a moment to let someone know happy V-day. It'll only take one second.

Dr. Pepper

Dr. Pepper is a mystery in my life. I have never tasted it, nor do I plan to. This irks many of colleagues who claim that my life is "deprived" and "incomplete" because I have not beheld 23-flavor fiesta that is Dr. Pepper. A friend of mine once told me that Dr. Pepper fills her "with a tingle of happiness." I personally have nothing against Dr. Pepper. I do drink other carbonated drinks on occasion, although I am a tad anal about melting away my enamel. I also call carbonated drinks "pop" which also irks many of my colleagues down here in the South, but I digress.

When my friends shout, "What? No! You've never. . Wait, NEVER, oh my god, NEVER had Dr. Pepper? Dude, you have to try some!" I explain that I like to keep a "little mystery in my life." It's a difficult concept to explain because I don't think it's the real reason I don't drink Dr. Pepper. The real reason is that I have spent almost two decades without it and finally giving in after so many years kind of feels like losing a game, and I hate to lose games.