A Day In The Life...

2009-06-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

After a 2 year hiatus a lot has happened. I have spent a good portion of those two years with innumerable patients in the hospital. They were my teachers on this journey of medical education. As it seems I have not been posting to this blog i a long time, I'm not certain the fate of its future. It might simply disappear into internet obscurity and fade away... or perhaps at some point I will be narcissistic enough once again to believe that others want to hear my half-baked thoughts and life happenings. This chapter, the medical school days, has closed. I am officially a doctor and will be heading up to Stanford for my Emergency Medicine Residency training. For completeness, I want to include this last tid-bit from medical school. I had the honor of being the class speaker for our graduation. The following is my speech (and ill try and post the video later.

Good Morning Friends, Family, Faculty, and graduating physicians,

I have to say, when the honor to speak was bestowed upon me, I was shocked. You see, I have a confession to make. Due to some negligence on my part, I was actually rejected from UCSD med school 4 years ago. The proof is right here, “Dear Nicholas, we regret to inform you that we will not be able to offer you an interview at UCSD… yada-yada-yada… Signed, Dr. Kelly, Dean of Admissions.” Owch! So I did what any overdriven premed would do: I pretended like I hadn’t seen the letter and sent my secondary application in anyway, and low and behold, somehow made it in. So a quasi-imposter is in your midst, but I’m sure at some point we all felt like we didn’t belong here, didn’t feel smart or capable enough at one time or another (med school does a good job of bringing out your insecurities), and yet we each persevered and look where we’ve come!

Nonetheless, I can’t tell you what an honor it is to stand here amongst my classmates and colleagues, a group of individuals who have earned my utmost respect, people with the drive and determination to achieve regardless of the hurdles ahead of them. They are smart and savvy beyond description. They are the class of 200-freakin’-9 and they redefine the word awesome. Understandibly, some have steadfast dedication to that corner desk on the second floor of the library, you know the one with a view. Others can say they have never stepped foot in a library… that’s a joke. I’m pretty sure that’s technically impossible.

But… I don’t have to stand here and tell you how difficult medical school is, or what an accomplishment has been achieved. You, our friends and our families, already know, because each and every one out you out there has a vested interest in us. You have heard of the sleepless nights studying for the next exam, or taking care of patients during the 30th hour of call. You were there for us when we were frustrated or ready to throw in the towel. You were the stability in our lives that we needed, the listening ears, the words of encouragement. You understood when we couldn’t make it home for Thanksgiving, when we didn’t return your calls for a week (or two), when we bailed on you to study or work. And when, worst of all, our sense of humor gravitated – slowly, yet ceaselessly – towards jokes about bodily fluids (sorry about that). You were our biggest advocates and for that we have to say thank you. So thank you. You mean the world to us.

And to our teachers, faculty, mentors, and staff. Look what you have created? Another batch of fact-memorizing machines! Pretty good looking ones at that! But we have also learned compassion and regard for the human spirit through you. You have taken us to new heights. You taught us that the length of your hand in relation to that of your face is, in fact, not a predictor of cancer. That peeing on someone after a jellyfish sting is not palliative, its just plain rude, and will precipitate the loss of friends. We learned that there is, indeed, erectile tissue in the sinuses of your nose. And you made us keenly aware that medical eponyms are to be eschewed and spat out.

And to my colleagues in the Class of 2009: in a time of economic turmoil, congratulations on your employment! Lets hear it for future job security, huh? I bet being gainfully employed will never taste so sweet. And although perhaps you, like me, have developed a taste for Ramen noodles — which interestingly, seems to positively correlate with my level of debt. Lets be sure to order the steak tonight (while our parents are still willing to foot the bill). I’ll be expecting some facebook updates and tweets on twitter on how good it was.

Today we graduate and earn that long white coat. The same long white coat that quite frankly, those that sell makeup at Nordstrom’s get on their first day of work for free. But more than just a piece of fabric, it symbolizes the transformation we have made over the past 4 years, and now completes the metamorphosis from student doctor to doctor. From wide-eyed students paralyzed by fear on that first day drawing each other’s blood, to now physicians who will teach the next batch of neophytes that same skill. Yes physicians. You have come a long way. You have delivered babies, taken care the dying, participated in the art of surgery, and healed many.

But what does that long white coat mean to you? Think about this moment… you are now a doctor. What kind of doctor will you be? What kind of enthusiasm, compassion, and humanity will you bring to the patient’s bedside? And what will you do to advocate for patients, for medicine, for a single payer system, for change? Think about these things and set your goals high, because that diploma, that long white coat, and the letters “MD” by your name – are but a step in the long march of achievements in your life (albeit a pretty sizable and auspicious step).

So this is the end of med school, graduation. From now on, there will be no more midterms or finals, no more pass or honors. From now on, if we fail we will be failing our patients, and when we succeed, we will be doing so for them as well. It’s empowering and incredibly sobering at the same time. But, you know what Class of 2009? We are ready. Jonas Salk once said, “Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.” Class of 2009 you have shown courage, and today you have made those dreams a reality! Here is to success, I love you guys and am so proud of you all!

All the best,
~Nic

here goes something

2007-06-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

So after a breakneck sprint of 2 wks of finals, 2 wks of board studying, and almost 2 wks of vacation, I'm back at school and gearing up for rotations... Tomorrow I begin seeing patients on the wards. I guess I'm going to be expected to know a thing or two about medicine by this point, so here goes something, I'm really looking forward to it.

Dr. West

2007-05-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

So I put this little diddy together with Amit Chadha for our talent show. It makes more sense if you see George Washinton, from whence it is parodied (below).

hope you like it...

Random updates

2007-04-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

I spent my spring break for a week straight in Yosemite at my cabin in Wawona... I don' t have a single photo to share, but nonetheless have to say it was incredibly relaxing and a break from all the class work & memorizing that is going on in San Diego for me.

Other updates, the Border Health Project had a wonderful Cesar Chavez celebration at UCSD. There was a documentary made about the immigrants' makeshift dwelling in deer canyon (which abuts million-dollar properties and developments). Which is where we have been going with the Border Health Project (Doctors, med-students, undergrads, community members) to give free health care, screening, and food/clothing/supplies donations. Unfortunately, I also found out that their make-shift houses, built from scrap wood and tarps, had been torn down by the surrounding land owners... as well as their church.

Lastly, I went to the MAN MAN concert at the San Diego Epicenter with Chris and Andy, and I can't tell you how amazing it was. Best show I've seen in years. They are a band you really should give a chance--I say give a chance because they are not your typical band. They make carnival-esque music with a dark twist, filled with delightful antics, well-composed anomalous noises and beats, their fair share of shrill screams, gibbrish, & high toned whining. They have a seemingly unlimited toolbox of instruments which they pullout at random, but appropriate times within the show. They also flow well with each other, rotating around the stage and playing each other's instruments from song to song... oh and perhaps 3 seconds elapse between each heart-racing, high-energy song. They seem to give a beautiful insight into group psychosis. The whole show was incredibly cathartic, and we left exhausted, but invigorated.

Fungus & Hair

2007-03-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

As I was studying, I realized an uncanny resemblance between Mycobiology and prominent hair styles... I think you will see what I mean,

Aspergillus fumigatus:

(Kid 'n Play)

Aspergillus flavus:

(Flava Flav)

Aspergillus niger:

(Afroman)

Hospital Computers

2007-02-26T16:25:00.000-08:00

This is going to be dope, truly the future of healthcare in which the doctor/patient relationship is increased & errors decrease, all while simultaneously decreasing documentation time and converging tasks, software, hardware, and patient management protocols. Then all we need is a national healthcare system to support consolidation and synergistic medical record keeping, payment systems, and coverage options. Thats all i'm asking Santa Claus for Christmas this year.

Check out the motioncomputing MDA (Mobile Clinical Assistant)

There are some cool videos and specks here

Some of the specs (thanks omeed)

-It's a Tablet PC, so it lets you take notes
-takes pictures with a digital camera
-has an RFID (radio frequency) scanner for quick ID
-has a barcode scanner for scanning patients, Care-providers, and their meds (reduced medication erros by 30% in four weeks in one trial)
-has wifi access to the hospital database resulting in real-time access and less paperwork (doctors can order tests, make referrals, and see test results instantly
-unlike a normal tablet pc, it can actually be disinfected and maybe even dropped a few times

Just because...

2007-02-25T15:13:00.000-08:00

I thought I should have this on here

Oh and probably this one too

Drinking Out of Cups

2007-02-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting for this moment for quite some time now. As, i'm sure, have you. Dan Deacon is going on tour to a city near you.** He will be playing with Santa Dads, Butt Stomach, & the Video Hippos, all of whom I know nothing about but their names are enough for me to think they are awesome already.

Please get acquainted with Dan:
(also take notice to the number of power cords he has)

Dan Deacon, the excellent lyricist and synth-electronic-reverba-music-player guy who brought the world:
"my own face is f-word"
"the adventures of Mr. Bumpershine featuring dr. wither bean"
"moses vs. predator"
"all wet and no boner"
"I will always have juice today"
"big big big big big" &
"Drinking out of cups"

He is also coming out with a new EP, "Spiderman of the Rings," which (according to pitchfork) should be pretty good:

His tour dates:
03-17 Las Vegas, NV - TBA
03-18 Los Angeles, CA - Il Corral
03-19 San Diego, CA - TBA
03-21 Bay Area, CA - TBA
03-22 Portland, OR - TBA
03-23 Seattle, WA - 1412 Gallery

Did I mention he is a classically trained musician?

**It would be unsafe for you to go to this show if you are not on drugs

NeuroMutics

2007-02-21T23:52:00.000-08:00

Neuro Physical Exam training today was awesome. Let me explain...

First why it wasn't awesome:
It wasn't awesome because I was always wrong. When asked if proprioceptive neurons were large or small, I said large. And was corrected quickly, "Right, small" by the precptor. Next question, is graphesthesia cortical or primary brain function. My reply: primary. "Yes, its cortical," was the retort. And then, vibration tests posterior or dorsal column function? Honestly, I didn't realize those were two different columns! (Posterior was the answer).

What was awesome was seeing the resiliency of the human body for recovery and how profound a difference good medicine can have.

Unbelievably, we saw a patient with Parkinson's Dx who had been mute for the past few years on account of his disease progression. The patient was wheelchair-bound with a half-full down drain urine bag hanging nonchalantly from the leg stirrups of his chair. His eyes stared blankly from behind his glasses, and the skin on his face was somewhat drooping downward. As I was looked I noticed a tear slowly trail from his unblinking right eye down his cheek and rest at the top of his lip. His eyes tracked our motions as we found our place in the room, albeit slowly. He had no visible Parkinsonian tremors (and later on physical examination he had a positive glabellar sign but did not have Cog-Wheeling or a palmar-mental reflex. It turns out he has been doing quite well with his new medications all but eliminating his tremor and other signs. Although his rigidity and bradykinesia are still apparent.)

Then when the preceptor greeted him, saying, "How are you doing today?" The patient mumbled with clear effort a flat and dampened: "Good." Really this was the first time I saw a preceptor break the guise of professionalism in teaching and truly celebrate. He looked at us and at the patient's wife with a big smile. "Did you hear that! Good, he said 'Good' He hasn't spoken in years!"

The Medications, therapy, and a neurosurgery ablative procedure successfully eliminated his tremor and other signs, as well as gave him higher functionality, some responsiveness, and his voice back! He didn't say much more during the exam. He said "yes" "Birthday" and perhaps a few other words, but what a great success to see. It was his and his wife's 59th year anniversary on Monday and it was transparent how delighted his wife was to hear his voice again. It was truly awesome.

Napa Times

2006-12-03T22:34:00.000-08:00

After a wonderful Thankgiving with my family, I headed up to Palo Alto for a night and had an amazing time with the likes of Carly, Alan, & Katie (former SSC-ers) among others. This was a brief stop en route to the lush land of wine and more wine.

I made it to Loren Trefethen's Vineyard just in time to fix the Mule (a suped up gas powered golf cart) and go shoot some guns at pumpkins & targets. This was thouroughly fun. Ambert's brother came with a gun holster, kevlar, and magazines packed with home-made bullets. Yeah, I know.

Later we had post-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner and all the most delectible wines you could imagine. I'm not messing around here. We had Trefethen and a whole host of other amazing wines. We even had a wine made for Loren's High School. But the wine that took the cake and stopped the show was the Magnum of 1995 Cabernet Souvingnon Screaming Eagle. If you don't know the buzz about this wine, look it up on froogle or something. Yeah, I know.

Needless to say, I owe Loren and his family much more than a thank you.

Visalia Times

2006-11-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

Well I came home to visalia and realized exactly why I seldom return. It wasn't longer than 24 hours of me parking my car outside my house than my bike was stolen. Just like that, I woke up the next morning and saw my best attempts to protect my daily means of transportation to school were neatly cut in several locations. I put up 4 locks to secure the bike... yes four. One of which was a U-lock, and the rest were cables protecting the tires, securing the bike rack, or the seat and basket. This is certainly not the first time something like this has happened. In fact I've never had a bike that was not stolen (this would bring the grand total to 5). Again, I am not careless with my bikes, or my things in general. I arrived home late and was tired, and considered the bike safe as anything could be. Well, I don't really need to be negative, I hope whomever is the benefactor of the 3-month old bike enjoys it. I certainly did when it was mine.

Here is a sequay i'm not sure is completely in line. Please don't read it if you will fault me for it, or pehaps even better, please don't fault me for it unless you can correct me: You know it is an unfortunate thing that happens here in America--we silently welcome unrestrained immigration into this country by turning a blind eye. And at the same time discriminate and predjucate against those entering, limiting their opportunities and liberties. In doing so we create a perpetual influx of underclass citizens who, in one way or another, support our lavish lifestyles and powerful economy. It is most often not the immigrants who conflict with this society, but rather their kin. Sons and daughters who grow up in this dichotomous world find anger and frustration with their situation, feel unfairly labeled as a second class citizen, and see the gap between them and their neighbors (albeit neighbors across the tracks). We have created this vicious cycle--knowingly or not--because it benefits us. Our labor jobs are being filled with hard working low earning individuals and the bottom line is our pockets are getting fatter because of it. It is when this hard working low earning individual, or that person's son or daughter, looks around and then wants what others have around him or her that the problem derrives. Once that happens, the Haves protest the Havenots attempts at equality, discriminate against them, misallocate resources away from them, and provide double standards for Have children and Havenot's. In these neighborhoods other alternatives develop and are nurtured by the same predjudices and inequalities that begat them. Alternatives such as theft, drugs, sex, and violence are sought. A de-emphasis on education and a breakdown of cultural ideals and ethics are natural repercussions of this destabalizing factor. And then the Haves wonder why we put up gates around our houses and curse at the Havenots for the theft, vandalism, or urban decay that ensues. We are, in part, the perpetrators responsible for what is happening and we HAVE the influence, power, and means to change this vicious cycle, but fail to do so because we are scared of its possible repercussions.

I don't want to write down a half baked solution, and though I have given this a lot of thought, I would like to postpone writing it down till a later time. I also don't pretend that todays theft didn't inspire this, but it is by no mean an insular event. Finally I don't want to imply that immigrants from the south are responsible for all theft, this certainly isn't the case, but I cannot pretend to ignore that the kind of theft I describe is asymetrically perpetrated by that group in Visalia. I have had 5 bikes stolen in my life (4 of them in Visalia). We have had 1 car stolen, 3 broken into, and one incident in which I woke up and walked outside to see that by brother's car was being stolen (they had picked the lock and were inside working on the ignition when my presence caused them to flee in their car). I've also come home from high school with the unfortunate luck of having every cabinet, closet, and droor opened up, its contents either stolen or spilled on the floor. Yard equipment, mailbox, landscaping decoration, and probably some things I can't recall all taken from our house. It funny that these petty crimes (aside from the car which by the way was found charred and smoking near the railroad tracks after it was stripped and set ablaze--the police at that point asked my father to pay for its towing to the scrapyard after he positively identified it) happen and it does little to ameliorate the situation for the criminal. It doesn't provide them with the funds for social or economic mobility, rather it is an act of desperation, a way to somehow retalliate against those that they feel are undeserving, a stab at the the oppressors.

To contrast this... it was ironic that my friend Daren called me today to discuss plans for our trip to Napa. I asked him what he was up to, and he replied that he was reading the police reports from the city of Atherton in the newspaper. The two biggest stories were: a woman reported that she heard a chicken outside her window, followed by a woman reported her daughter missing but while still on the phone her daughter returned. The Visalia Times Delta doesn't even print the daily police reports... go figure.

New Things

2006-10-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

Several New things have happend...

1) New look [Mullet with Bilateral Lightning],
2) New toy [The D.P Catamaran],
3) New cousin [Jean-Marc Kanaan].

I couldn't be happier, aside from the new material i'll be studying for the upcoming test.

Maiden Voyage 005.jpg
Originally uploaded by kanaanical.

Hair

2006-10-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

Braided
Originally uploaded by kanaan2.

I must be taking crazy pills... I don't really know what inspired this. Snoop dogg perhaps? well not really. just some idle hands as I was studing and soon enough it was this. Long hair can annoy the hell out of you... brushing your teeth, eating, drinking out of cups, and seeing in general all become difficult when your own hair betrays the unspoken code that once was obeyed back when said hair was shorter. Anyway, now its all tied up in braids... that is all.

Weenie Roast & Pool Party!

2006-09-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

Med School Orientation

2006-08-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

It really whips the llama'a ASS!

White Mountain 8-3-06

2006-08-10T00:21:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Amit, Ellen, Chris, & Amir for helping me out this weekend on the Acute Mountain Study. It went incredibly smoothly, and was a ton of fun. Really, you cant beat the beauty and serenity of White Mountain as a place to conduct research.

As always, full size versions of the photos are found at my Flickr page. (click on the very last picture to go to the page)

White Mountain 8-3-06_047.JPG
Originally uploaded by kanaanical.

Yosemite--etimesoY

2006-08-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

DSC_1793.JPG
Originally uploaded by kanaan2. One week of freakin' the best company and place... ever.

Republicans

2006-08-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Wow! I take it that you, too, are amused by Republicans. In school we learned of a two party system, but never were we informed that one party, despite its popular and political support, is dumb. This quote from Senator Ted Stevens (R) from Alaska who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee will prove this statement true. It may also land Ted on Bill Cosby's next show, Republican's Say the Darndest Things. (Pictured right, Senator Stevens is shown waving the Constitution at a fly). He is the same guy that is famous for his "Bridge to Nowhere" bit and more recently knuckledragging the Net Neutrality bill with this fine gem of oration:

There's one company now you can sign up and you can get a movie delivered to your house daily by delivery service. Okay. And currently it comes to your house, it gets put in the mail box when you get home and you change your order but you pay for that, right.

But this service isn't going to go through the interent and what you do is you just go to a place on the internet and you order your movie and guess what you can order ten of them delivered to you and the delivery charge is free.

Ten of them streaming across that internet and what happens to your own personal internet?

I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why?

Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially.

So you want to talk about the consumer? Let's talk about you and me. We use this internet to communicate and we aren't using it for commercial purposes.

We aren't earning anything by going on that internet. Now I'm not saying you have to or you want to discrimnate against those people [...]

The regulatory approach is wrong. Your approach is regulatory in the sense that it says "No one can charge anyone for massively invading this world of the internet". No, I'm not finished. I want people to understand my position, I'm not going to take a lot of time. [?]

They want to deliver vast amounts of information over the internet. And again, the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.

It's a series of tubes.

And if you don't understand those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and its going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.

Now we have a separate Department of Defense internet now, did you know that?

Do you know why?

Because they have to have theirs delivered immediately. They can't afford getting delayed by other people.

[...]

Now I think these people are arguing whether they should be able to dump all that stuff on the internet ought to consider if they should develop a system themselves.

Maybe there is a place for a commercial net but it's not using what consumers use every day.

It's not using the messaging service that is essential to small businesses, to our operation of families.

The whole concept is that we should not go into this until someone shows that there is something that has been done that really is a viloation of net neutraility that hits you and me.

Santa Clarita Fire

2006-07-22T02:51:00.000-07:00

My drive up to V-town took much longer than expected today... 3 hours or so longer. This was on account of the blazing fire happening in North LA county (N. of Magic Mountain) at the town of Santa Clarita. I could see the smoke billows from miles, and had a really close (and slow on account of the traffic) look at the fire and how well the firefighters worked to put it out.

Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land

2006-07-22T02:29:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me this documentary, whose opinion of the American news media coverage of the whole situation is critical. He said, "People are people; and people killing people to this egregious degree on this sort of conspicuous scale should bother us immensely, regardless of our perspectives on the matter." And I couldn't agree more...

The more I read about the history and current situation in the middle east, the more I feel ashamed of, embarrassed by, and enraged at my country, its leaders, and its foreign policies. It is austounding to me that the number one opposition to peace in this conflict is indeed America herself. America funds, condones, advises, and aggressively defends the continued aggression at the expence of peace and the lives and liberties of Israel and her neighbors. For what? If America is trying to obtain military advantage in the Middle East and the control of Oil-related politics, it seems the solution is not to appeal to zionists back home, but to ally with the arab world (and yes that means the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian world too). Notwithstanding, the situation now is of humanitarian interest, not political.

An interesting perspective by Richard Cohen from the Washington Post in his Op-ed "Hunder Down with History"

The greatest mistake Israel could make at the moment is to forget that Israel itself is a mistake. It is an honest mistake, a well-intentioned mistake, a mistake for which no one is culpable, but the idea of creating a nation of European Jews in an area of Arab Muslims (and some Christians) has produced a century of warfare and terrorism of the sort we are seeing now. Israel fights Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south, but its most formidable enemy is history itself.

About the documentary: Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites--oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others--work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported.
Through the voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts, Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land carefully analyzes and explains how--through the use of language, framing and context--the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of the occupied terrorities appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one. The documentary also explores the ways that U.S. journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in carrying out Israel's PR campaign. At its core, the documentary raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism, and the relationship between media and politics.

The lion awakes

2006-07-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

The lion awakes
Originally uploaded by kanaan2.

Chris is in Kenya seeing lions, but back at home in San Diego there are ferrocious lions too.

ITS A MALE MERGANSER!!!!!

2006-07-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Stanford Sierra Camp... the return of the Thundercats

2006-07-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

Its been 2 years and yet very little has changed. Camp is still the absolute best way to spend your time and not your money over the summer. The new staff kicked ass, the old friends were just as friendly as before, and the view never ceased to take my breath away. Best of all, my tenure was extended from a single week to two, the first of which I was working on the dock, and the second teaching tennis to guests who most likely know more about the game that I. Four out of the 5 thundercats came back to work and it was great to re-live those thundercat days on the dock, complete with the Windy Shuffle, Thunderstruck ski slots, The LONG Rope, 5-man pyramids, sun tans & zinc oxide, Morn Du Ski, Epic Kneeboarding sessions, Wakeboard Flips, BEFFA, Throwin' buckets, and kicking back T-bombs. This one's for us... Where'd dat Gria get? I do have to appologize to the new dock for repeating jokes of old and referencing B-hyde. This year's dock is a fantastic bunch... Annie, Megan, Joe, Becca, Robbie, & Trainer--y'all rock. So maybe I'll be able to visit in a few weeks for week 8, or maybe I'll get camp to visit me in Yosemite... somehow we'll make it happen. Thanks to all for a fantastic 2 weeks!

so the pictures here are just thumbnails, for the original pics go here and check them out.

And then there were none...

2006-06-12T22:42:00.000-07:00

Since the begining of med school there have been a blistering 30 exams... yup, thats right, at the rate of 1 exam per week. This brutal schedule of cramming and purging came to an end with our last exam on friday. I can't tell you the relief that was felt when I turned in my last exam. All activities are now more fun. Sleeping is easier. And I wake up in the morning early because I want to, not because I have a cloud of studying responsibilities and classes looming over my cluttered mind. It really feels great. I guess that means we are officially MS2's. With the completion of our last exam, we rented a bounce-house, frolicked in the lawn silly-like, and played slosh-ball (also silly-like). The following day was spent at Kay's residence for an awesome pool party. Next I drove up to Visalia with 10 of my classmates and friends and had a delicious Visalia-Palooza (which really consisted of us hanging out and eating my mom's amazing cooking while my dad kept us all on our toes). Next I'm off to South Lake Tahoe (Fallen Leaf Lake) to work the ski dock at Stanford Sierra Camp. This is going to be a great summer.

Border Health Project

2006-05-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend a critical mass of med students, residents, docs, and undergrads joined forces and put on a clinic for the migrant worker inhabitants of a canyon near Del Mar. We had a great turnout and helped out a ton of people. My spanish is getting pretty good too!

Border Health Project is a new organization that we put together to better serve the populations on both sides of the border that are in need and have little access to health care. Check us out at our website (it's pretty simple, I know) at borderhealthproject.blogspot.com

Moral Dilemma on Isle Six

2006-05-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

There has been a severe lack in updates on my blog, and I can only blame myself... So I am going to try and be a bit more dillagent.

Yesterday marked Cinco De Mayo and as my roomate put it:

I may have to take multiple classes on being a "culturally competent" doctor, but that will not stop me from exploiting the great culture of our brothers from the tastier parts of the North Americas.

So indeed that is what was done, with tamales, carne asada burritos, and more forms of cheep tequilla than the village borracho has tried. Please reference the previous post for the party invitaiton.

As for morality and dilemmas that ensue, as I was in Henry's Marketplace buying ice and such for the party I happened to find an envelope. Upon opening it I discovered it was full of 50 and 100 dollar bills in a staggering amount. Clearly this was well over $1,000. I turned to the cashiers and people in line and asked them if they recognized the evelope (sans showing them the money) and when they all said no, I ran over to Danny and Marissa getting supplies declaring my dilemma.

Sure enough, after relayign the details to them I saw a man with a ghost-white face looking around as if he had just been kicked in the balls. I immediately gave him the envelope and in appreciation he bought me a pack of beer...

Cinco De Mayo

2006-05-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

We study hard in medical school...

Real Women Don't Date Yankees Fans

2006-03-30T01:12:00.000-08:00

Let me explain... I'm not a fan of any baseball (except the Blue Jays and only because a great friend from Visalia, Aaron Hill, plays for them). Yikes this started in the wrong direction for a post promoting Home Girls Boston. But I'll try and save it. What I am a fan of is Mei Li. Which brings be back to baseball.

A recent project of Mei's is a specialized clothing line that actually got some positive (and might i add really hot) press on the Conan O'Brian Show. They sell stylish threads for women (and even baby bibs apparently), specifically Boston Sox fans who are women. It seems like things are going great for her, and I just wanted to give a bit of a shout out.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to show off some pictures from a crazy and silly night we played an alternative game of beer pong -- in which we had to exchange clothing for each cup sunk. I guess I don't remember the rules that well, but it was rather ill defined. Anyway here are the results.

Oh yeah, and here is Mei making important buisness deals on my cell phone.

MC LARS (Post-Punk Laptop Rap)

2006-03-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

I just have to rave for a little while about my friend Andrew Neilson, who is now most exclusively known as MC LARS. So do yourself a favor and read on to hear about someone who is big and only getting bigger (musically)...

I used to rock out to MC LARS HORRIS (as he called himself back in the day while at Stanford, I guess that was 3 years ago) at the CoHo, random parties, Art Affair, Cancer Walk/Run, pretty much any venue he could find. Of course his skills are more refined, his music sharper and cleaner, and his content reaches larger audiences now, but he remains the kick ass rapper that both challenges and inspires his listeners with his abstract concepts and literary and pop culture references. MC LARS is hands down amazing.

Let me begin with Andrew. An incredibly bright guy who will blow you mind when you meet him. He is super easy to talk to and very well versed and read. I remeber talking for an hour with Andrew driving to Sac Town from SSC South Lake Tahoe about Rush and Pavement and everything in between. He comes off with sometimes a dry sarcasm that is neither dry nor sarcastic, bur rather genuine and inquisitive but leaving you wondering what exactly he is thinking and if he is joking or serious in a brilliantly convoluted manner. He worked with me at the Stanford Chappie and had a dope comic strip in the Stanford Daily.

MC LARS' genre is Post-Punk Laptop Rap, a genre he pioneered himself. In fact I still have a bumper sticker or two of when he labeled himself as the short-lived genre of Hard-Core Alien Hip-Hop, a genre he outgrew. If you don't know what Post-Punk Laptop Rap is, the best way to find out is to download his songs and buy his CD's (Radio Pet Fencing, The Laptop EP, The Graduate) all of which are well worth your benjamins. MC LARS raps about everything from Shakespeare and Poe to MP3 peer to peer file transfer and Pro Tools, and the whole gambit inbetween. He juxtaposes pop culture with existentialism because he is so post-modern he doesn't even exist. One of his most creative stunts was inventing a ficticious band called Hearts That Hate (which at the time nobody knew of its ficticious nature) and sampling them while telling their story in his song "Signing Emo." It's about a major label A&R scout signing Hearts That Hate looking for a hit, profits from their transient fame, and dumps them (with MC LARS' feeding undertones of sarcasm and distast for our conformist society). Its pure genious.

MC LARS first gained popularity and momentum in the UK (listen to I Love England And Visa Versa), and signed with Truck Records. He kept writing and rapping and eventually making slick music videos. RapBeth kinda took storm in Australia, and he has followings in the far east and much of mainland Europe. Back in America he is really picking up steam. Even San Diego is picking up his song Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock on 94/9. He recently left Truck Records for his own Indie label, Horris Records and released The Graduate (and coincidentally graduated from Stanford).

Some other songs that need at least a listen to:
* iGeneration (a catchy dissertation of our generation [by our I mean those born in the 1980s +/- X years depending on your degree, technical savvyness, or music scene, or general association with the themes in the song],
* Download this song (a slick song off his new album just released on his own indie label called Horris Records)
* Mr. Raven (a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe and his dope Raven)
* RapBeth (Shakespeare with a hook)
* Escape from Robot Island (an epic poem of robots pirates and conflict)
* Hurricane Fresh (because its fresh, and upbeat, and fun)
* Hey that's me (A partial story of Andrew)
* Signing Emo (read above description)
* Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock (a song that is getting radio play even in the bubble that is San Diego, on 94/9 to be specific)
* Stats 60 (because statistics can be fun)
* Certified (because saving lives with CPR can be fun)
* Insectavorous (A song that I heard only 3 times live, and never found on any albums or digital sources. MC LARS, WTF? This was one of the most amazing songs I've ever heard about bugs and dietary habits. If you know where to get this song, I want it. Put it on your next LP)

Want some media? Music Videos can be found here. How about Songs? How about yeah.
Here is MC LARS' webpage, and his myspace page.

So check out his new album, The Graduate, or some of his older albums. You can also get it all on iTunes.

720...

2006-03-29T17:36:00.000-08:00

720...
Originally uploaded by kanaan2.

From spring break... Didn't think I would be able to throw this, but give me 2 feet of pow and I'll try just about anything.

St. Patty's Day Festivities

2006-03-28T15:22:00.001-08:00

Our last final (comprehensive organ physiology) happened to coencide with St. Patrick's Day. And as such we had to celebrate. In the spririt of the Irish, plenty of competitions were exhibited... Beirut, Arm Wrestleling, Operation, and shots were taken from test tubes... just like the Irish intended. We also threw rotten potatoes in the stree for some reason i'm still not quite sure why... perhaps to remember the Irish Potatoe famine.

Heimlich

2006-02-27T23:44:00.000-08:00

An eventful day to say the least... A renal final from the infamous Renal Wrangler, which veritably kicked my ass. Next I was having lunch in Club Med with my Faculty Advisor (an internal med doc.) when suddenly a man runs in asking, "Is there a doctor here, a woman's choking!" Quickly Dr. Goldberg jumped up to his feet, running to help the woman. She was wheezing and clearly having a hell of an awful time trying to get air. He positioned himself and gave her one big upward thrust of the Heimlich Maneuver. The woman continued to choke, so another thrust. Still nothing. Then one final big bear hug of a thrust and the woman began to cough and gasp air. I didn't see any food come out, so I'm not sure exactly what happened, but regardless the woman was now breathing. As she was recovering I ran to the soda machine and brought her a glass of water. I guess it's fitting... "Quick someone get a doctor, this woman's Choking!" should be followed by "Quick someone find a med student! This woman was saved and now she needs some water!" It just doesn't have the same ring... and chicks don't find it quite as heroic. I felt like I could have helped her, but really my place is set as the lackey waterboy.

Kite Flying Society

2006-02-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

A great concert from the Kite Flying Society last night at the Casbah in San Diego. I really didn't know what to expect. Going in I had heard a few demo songs and liked their upbeat and mellow feel... a bit remniscent of the Strokes and the Shins and even a bit of some old school the Beach Boys (a little bit). They have a bit of a folk feel to them as well, perhaps because of their fiddle or maybe the plaid and happy demeanor. I was surprised at the range of people in the band, certainly an eclectic group. Derek was rocking the Glockenspeils, as well as the piano guitar, keyboard, and it looked like he was mixing effects from his computer as well. I was surprised to see the violinist let it rip with her bow, and the keyboardist had something about her that was... intriguing. Kinda like a girl who is shy but has a twinkle in her eye, or a pianist who is holding back just a bit. The vocals were great and I had a great time listening to these guys. They looked like they were having as much fun as we were... also great cover of "Friends of P!" This is a band well worth checkng out! They finished with 6000 Shipwrecks, which rocked. They are apparently putting together an album. I hope to see them and hear them on the radio in the future... Check out their site: Kite flying Society

Thundercats Ho!

2006-02-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

With an epic trip to Tahoe with 40+ of my favorite Sierra Camp friends, I'm not sure you can go wrong. The trip started out with a 5 am wake-up and subsequent flight to Reno, followed by a bus ride to South Lake (instead of paying the $25 for the shuttle, we jumped onto some Fresno Tour Group bus that was heading that way. We played it cool, and acted like we knew what we were doing, but we were way out of the demographics and it was obvious we were imposters. Everyone was in their 40's or older, and every man had a well manicured mustashe. Nonetheless, we chatted them up and nobody minded us taking a free ride).

After getting to South Lake and having lunch, we met up with Carly, Chuck, B-Hyde, and Trainer to walk in Sierra Camp on Fallen Leaf Lake in the snow to retrieve the coveted knee board and long rope. After successful recovery followed by epic riding of said kneeboard, we went back to the cabin and hung out with the rest of camp. That night we went to the Casinos and danced the night away in Cabo Wabo Club. I, for some reason, elected to wear a pony costume (which by the way, the lizadies loved).

The following day Chris and I recovered from the night on the ski slope (although our wallet may never recover from the $73 lift ticket! WTF?). We ate ribs at Womacks.

Womack! You pice of shit. Why am I not Surprised?
-Sean Connery in THE ROCK

The party at the cabin that night consisted of intro skits, mystery guests, and a faculty speaker. I am proud to say this was a WEST COAST CUSTOMS FIRST!

Sail Away

2006-02-21T20:23:00.000-08:00

Last weekend John Hornbeak, Chris, and I set sail onto Mission Bay. The wind was blowing hard, and as we were renting the boat we had the feeling that this may be a mistake ending with us capsized in the middle of the bay, drenching wet and cold. Fortunately for us, this was not the case, and quite on the contrary, we had an amazing time wipping up and down the bay with snappy tacks and jibes. Having only sailed a handfull of times before, what I lacked in talent and knowledge, I made up for in confidence. This later came to bite me in the butt when I got us stuck underneath a bridge with absolutely no wind coming through. We had to push against the pileon in order to get the boat out of our luff. Towards the end we started to really get a grip of sailing and actually were going so fast that we were on one pontoon of the Hobee Cat leaning out to counterbalance as far as we could. Chris had never sailed before, and by the end of the day he was darting some great lines through the bay.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2006-02-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a wonderful and pleasant day.
With all my love,
~Nic

Lazy Sunday

2006-01-31T19:35:00.000-08:00

Pretty awesome way to start a Sunday includes the following:

1) A bike ride up to Torrey Pines State Park
2) Trail running to "Razor Point" to watch a school of dolphins playing in the surf
3) A bike ride home along Torrey Pines Golf Course which just so happened to be hosting the PGA's Buick Invitational and seeing Tiger Woods Practice beforehand
4) Taking a spill on my bike (this was not actually awesome, but it happened so I'm not going to lie about it)
5) Getting back by 10 AM and eating delicious waffles, eggs, bacon, and tater totts

Yeah, I saw Tiger.

Patience Daniel Son

2006-01-30T00:05:00.000-08:00

I've added a few videos and will be adding more in the future... so I guess be patient when waiting for them to load. In the meantime, you should be able to scroll through the blog and see pictures fine.
Thanks,
~Nic

Thundercat Invitational

2006-01-29T23:55:00.000-08:00

Over President's day weekend the SSC (Stanford Sierra Camp) 2004 Ski Dock proudly present... THE THUNDERCAT INVIATIONAL. That't right, a whole weekend of snow, drinks, debauchery, and debauchery. And debauchery.

Check out the epic video trailer for teh Thundercat Invitational below:
Kanaanical @ Vimeo

Otero Reunion

2006-01-29T23:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend (after the Pharmacology test!) I'm off to the motherland that is Stanford. For a conference held at the Med School, and to meet up with all my frosh from 4 years ago Otero! I simply can't wait.

For the video trailer we made for the party, check out the link below.
Kanaanical @ Vimeo

Edward Forty-Hands

2006-01-29T23:40:00.000-08:00

I don't have any pictures, but here was the video trailer teaser... needless to say it was a blast.

For the video trailer we made, check out the link below:
Kanaanical @ Vimeo

Glory Hole

2006-01-24T19:14:00.000-08:00

Glassblowing will be my new hobby. First of all there is something called the glory hole, which, in fact, is a hole in a 2,100 degree furnace that you insert your glass to re-heat. Secondly, you literally take sand and throw it in the furnace until it becomes liquid hot glass (i was really tempted to say Mag-Ma). Then you blow, sculpt, roll, and repeat until you have something really cool--Like a scotch glass. The quote of the night:

"Nic, you put it in the glory hole for a sec, She will blow, and I'll paddle your bottom"

Oh what's this?

2006-01-24T19:09:00.000-08:00

Who is this MAN among men? Why its me, riding a MOTORCYCLE. That's right, a CHOPPER, baby. Ladies, please send correspondance to

Nicholas Kanaan
4220 porte de palmas
La Jolla, CA 92122

Please include a picture and small biography.

Redneck Hockey

2006-01-24T19:04:00.000-08:00

Imagine: San Diego Gulls minor league hockey. Then realize it is "Redneck Night." Visualize them giving out free trucker hats. Now recall that I didn't shower or change after the mutation party explicitly for this event.

Merry Christmas

2006-01-24T19:01:00.000-08:00

I forgot to put this up on christmas day, so pretend that it is.

Canon Camera Repair (E-18 Error)

2006-01-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

"E18" WTF! E18 is actually Canon Camera-ese for:

"Ha ha, you got screwed! You thought you had this awesome camera that was really cool and took great pictures and movies at high resolution and was durable, reliable, and easy to use, but small and sleek so you could take it anywhere, and had good software and applications to boot, and sexy in all ways a brushed steel camera can be, and did I mention reliable? Yeah scratch that. I meant reliable until your 1 year warranty runs out, then it's strait to E-18 town for me!"

E18 in English of course means: Error 18 - Lens Operation Error pertaining to any Canon Camera that has exceeded its warranty and thus is not valid for any factory repair unless you pay $150.

I used to love my camera, I would tell everyone considering buying a digital camera to buy a Canon, but those bastards betrayed me. Worse, I was betrayed thrice, Judas. My last Canon Camera had the E18 error. I sent it in and it turns out it was conveinently past its warranty. So I shelled $200 for an upgrade to a newer model (instead of paying $150 to get my camera repaired). This was my first mistake. The new camera was cooler, better, smaller, and had better resolution, so I was stoaked. I went on a trip around the world and toted my camera around, but on the Hangzhou lake (xi hua [West Lake]) the camera suddenly stopped working and in the bottom of the black screen was the ominous "E18" mark. Angryily I took it out on the Chinese, vowing never to speek in Chinese to them and being Extreemly American to each and every person on my way back to my hotel. I asked for ketchup with every meal, flagrantly wore a cowboy hat, and was tall. Luckily my warranty had not yet run out. Unluckily (i'll explain later) I was able to fix the camera by replacing the battery and 'jiggling' the lens a bit with a rocking motion and being really really American to it. So now my camera was working and I got glorious pictures of the rest of my trip. I came to America, quit being so damn American, and started med school (see the first post of this blog). Enter the month of November. E18 strikes again. "But camera, we were so close. After I nursed you back to health and you served me so well, why are you doing this to me?" I asked, but what I didn't realize is not only do cameras not talk, but I also my warranty with Canon had just expired. I sent the camera to Canon anyway, hoping they would fix it (perhaps by accident thinking it was covered, or maybe just because it was around Christmas time). This was stupid. Clearly this was another opportunity for Canon to exploit me and get more money on an annual basis correlating quite precisely to my warranty expiration. I told them to go to Hell and acted really American to every person I called. None of them budged. Finally they shipped me back my camera, still broken. I wasn't going to pay another $150 to $200 to that Un-American company.

Enter Nicholas' brilliance. I'll fix it myself! And so I did. I took apart every last pice of that camera, and in retrospect, it is an amazingly intracate and well engineered camera. I mean to be able to put all those circuit boards and connections, lenses and screens, etc in that small case, and still have the amazing feature of spontaneously breaking once the warranty period has passed is genius. I got all the way to the lens and cleaned out the rails and cogs and all moving parts. I even oiled it up just a tad. Then I put it back together (I had one extra part, but then again you always do when you do this kind of work. I was hoping it was the E18 initializer part). But to no avail, the camera did the very same thing: power on... black screen... E18. I hate you Canon. I hate you E18.

Addendum:
Re-reading this post, I fear I came of a bit racist... that's not the case. Frustrated would be the correct term.

I figured a good addendum was to point out that I decided because of Canon's poor quality, warranty policies, and service, I bought a Nikon D70 digital SLR. Had my experiences not been so unsatisfactory with Canon, I certainly would have purchased a Canon Digital Rebel. The $1,500 + that I spent could have gone to canon, as well as plenty of future business with lens upgrades / replacements and accessories from Canon in the years to come. On the other hand I don't have enough spare change after this purchase to buy a new compact digital point and shoot like I had before.

Although the thought did cross my mind that I could buy a canon camera, and just before the warranty ran out I could induce an E-18 error simply by pressing my thumb against the lens while it is powering on. Then send it in and get my camera fixed and the warranty extedned for 6 more months. But somehow that sounds a bit silly to me, and instead should get a camera that simply doesn't have such flagrant problems.

~Nic

More Information on E-18 Error:
There is actually a class action law suit going on right now with the Girard Gibbs Lawfirm and the form is linked in case you have has similar problems and grievances: Canon PowerShot Investigation.

I would also like to direct you to the website of Vladan Nikolic, E-18 Error, which does a great job of cataloging the experiences and perspectives of others who have had such problems. It also gives resources for ways to repair your camera, etc. Check it out.

Chocolate Factory

2006-01-24T17:17:00.000-08:00

Yikes, its been a while since I updated this... time to catch up.

While cleaning up from the party, my last task was to clean the chocolate fountain. As I was starting said endevour, two of the neighborhood kids rolled by on their bikes saying "Whoah! CHOCOLATE!" I forgot how excited kids get for sweets, its like when a dog is so exicted to see you they start peeing on the floor, but not really. They seemed to be squirming and twicthing uncontrollably. So what did I do? I unrolled a copious amount of aluminum foil and poured the remaining chocolate onto it, wrapped it up, put in in the freezer, and told the kids to come back later. They came and knocked on the door every day for the next 3 days, unfortunately nobody was home when they knocked. On the fourth day I answered and again they began to scream "CHOCOLATE!" while squirming and twitching. I gave them each an insane amount of chocolate if they promised to share it with others and not to eat it all in the first week.

Mutation Party

2006-01-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah, thats right. Complete with Ehlers Danlos, Cartaginer's Triad, Cornelea DeLang, Cyanosis, Avian Bird Flu, Cyclops, Gambit, Wolverine, Capt. Wild type, Mutation Man, A 3-tiered Chocoolate Fountain, and more people than the cops could kick out... Thank you everyone who mutated.

Its Coming...

2006-01-05T00:16:00.000-08:00

Mutation Party...

Check out the movie invitation trailer below:
Kanaanical @ Vimeo

Xmas in Yosemite

2006-01-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

What a glorious christmas in yosemite. Our family just bought a cabin in Wawona that is just perfect. I couldn't believe it when I saw the place... apparently they my parents had been looking for a place for the past 5 years and got lucky with this one. My cousin Joe and his wife Roula came up as well and we got to get away from the daily grind of city life and slow down the pace a bit. We went down to the valley to Christmas mass and then went ice skating which was a blast. The lady bugs were out and mating in full force, but I imagine that they came out too early this year (in stead of spring) because of the mild winter thus far.

Heaven's Gate

2006-01-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

Just before our last final, a diligent crew of Heaven's Gate enthusiasts went to the Pancake House as a tribute to those who reached spiritual nirvana and hitch-hiked onto the Hale-Bopp comet in 1997 after eating at this fine establishment. We ate like kings and afterwards all committed massive existential suicide during our pharmacology final.

ps. the apple pancakes were AMAZING

Baja California

2005-12-27T13:24:00.000-08:00

Mexico is a land of many things, one of which is great lobster. Great Big Lobster. Danny, George, Chris, and I were dwarfed by the feast and soon we were stuffed to our gills.

You see, I had gone down to Mexico to start my solo trip south bound and met these guys in Puerto Nuevo. From there we wandered south to La Boufadora to get hussled by salesmen and take in the magic of the infamous 'blowhole.'

It was at this point that our paths diverged and while the three drove back to the US, I kept my purchase and maintained my southbound course. I made it as far as Catavinia that night just in time for the local Catavinia dance. I was obviously out of place the moment I stepped into the little dance hall complete with a band that was playing a Spanish song that just kept repeating the word 'Catavinia' as I entered. I got some puzzled looks from a few, and even a sideways glance from a dark eyed girl folllowed by a bit of a giggle. That night I drove off the road into the desert avoiding Seguaro Cacti and granite boulders until I found a satisfactory spot and set up my sleeping bag in the back of my car and closed my eyes until sunrise.

The next morning I was awestruck by the glow of dawn illuminating the landscape to reveal a surreal vista of cacti, boulders, hills, and valleys that I was completely oblivious to in the twilight of the night before. As I stretched and yawned waiting for the sun to peak over the crest of the distant mountains I noticed the buzzards perched on cacti were doing the same. That morning I went for a hike into a valley where I had seen palm trees, and sure enough, when I got there I found a desert oasis. I left Catavinia by 10 and headed for Bajia De Los Angelas, which is on the Sea of Cortez side of the Baja. My first stop in this dinky little town with less than a few hundred dwellers was the museum. I lounged around the rest of the day, took a long walk up the peninsula, read a book, and when the sun went down I put on my ipod sat on my beach chair cocking my head to the stars and zoned out.

I woke up early for the sunrise and then rented a kayak and paddled a few hours to an island cove. Along the way I saw seals playing, plenty of fish, more sharks and sting rays than I could count, and a friendly sea turtle. I parked my kayak and tromped around the island only to come back and realize the northern wind had picked up. This was a good thing because returning the wind was on my back, creating small waves that propelled my tired vessle back to Bajia. Once I got back to shore I convinced a friendly fellow to let me borrow a fishing pole and we pulled out two fish from the shore, cut them into fillets on the spot, and fed the remnants to the birds. On my departure I got some ice for my cooler and the fish (this was a futile attempt that was only realized later in my journey when I went to cook the fish and found the fish and previously ice now water to have been warmed up considerably in the desert sun to spoiling proportions).

The next destination was Punta Rosarito at a surf spot called the wall which is one of the most consistant right point breaks in Baja. However I made an executive decision (I guess when you are traveling solo every decision is executive) to take the long way and stop off at Mission San Borjas. The road quickly deteriorated on this 26 mile trek to the center of this desert peninsula from washboard dirt pack to rock field. After mile 5 there was a military checkpoint in which men with AK's approached my car and asked to search it. I complied and after they were satisfied, they asked for a donation for their 'work.' I almost laughed. I asked them if they had any milk, of course they didn't they were in the middle of a godless desert, I opened up my cooler and produced one quart of soy milk, presented it to the puzzled men, and said a parting "Adios!" It was after the 24th mile that I really ran into trouble. A sharp rock punctured the tire letting air out slowly. I didn't notice it because the car was rocking and bumping around so much already, but when I tried to avoid a rock with the assumption of a clearance that I didn't actually have, I was quickly aware of my miscalculation. I jumped out of the car and saw my tire slowly deflate in seconds to the point that the rim was resting on the dirt. My first thought was to mentally tally up all the food and water I had and was releived to know that I had enough for several days should I need it. I looked around. Silence. The wind came every now and again spraying me with dust as I worked the tire jack and put on my 1/2 size spare. Satisfied, I idled my way to the mission.

At first I thought the place was deserted as I walked around the beautifully carved cantera stone mission. Then a young kid about 16 came out and greeted me. We talked for a while when he saw my car and the spare. He offered to patch the hole in the original, and I quickly obliged. He went to town on my wheel, improvising every step of the way. First he spashed soapy water on the tire, grabbed a pick axe and hit the tire with the scoop end, liberating it from the metal rim. He did the same on the other side and finally pried the two apart. Then he glued a rubber patch on the hole and repeated the process in reverse. Aired the tire and swaped it out for the spare. As we replaced the tire, we noticed a bit of a leak in the oil pan. Which turned out to be quite a gouge. The temporary solution was to collect the dripping oil and buy a quart of oil from the kid's family so that I could make it to the next town. I was introduced to his family and they seemed to be the nicest, most genuine people you could imagine. They had lived in a small house by the mission their whole life, sleeping outside, carting water from the desert oasis (I later found out it was a series of three thermal vents that brought the water to surface). They just recently received a solar panel for their porch light as gift from President Vincente Fox. The kid took me on a tour of their farm, mission, and the surrounding land. When we got to their hot spring, I noticed soap and he informed me they bathed in this one, got water in that one, and let the animals have the third. I tested the waters with my feet and then took the plunge. It was the only bath I took the whole trip and it was far over due at that. Before I left I thanked the family and asked how much I could pay them for the repair work. I almost sat down and gave them an economics lesson when they said 20 pesos would do. I went to my car and got $10, a big hand full of zip-ties (because they are strong and easy to use, especially to fix things impromptu in the desert), two bungee cords, and a gallon conainer of lemon gatorade powder (a huge hit because their water tasted of sulfur). I thanked them and drove off towards the sunset.

I couldn't make it all the way to Guerro Negro that night (it was another 70 miles south and I was spent... plus I was 2 miles from Punta Rosarito) so I drove to the beach and watched massive waves glide down the coastline, their crests blown by the onshore wind, as the sun drowned itself into the water in the horizon.

The next day I woke up excited to surf. The waves were bigger than the night before and they were coming from a slightly more western direction (versus the north west). The huge swell promised by surfline.com had arrived. I had no idea at the time it was this swell that would be making headlines for largest waves back in San Diego. I surfed from 7 to just past noon. So as to not get tossed, I walked to the point and paddled perpindicular to the lineup. What I didn't know was that I was just delaying the inevitable. I paddled down to catch the first wave. I was flailing my arms and in great position. The wave came and took me with it, but I was not prepared for its speed or size in the slightest. I lost balance trying to stand up and it swallowed me, chewed on my bones for a few long seconds, and spit me up in its frothy wash. No sooner did I secure my board and get a second breath than another, more sinister wave did the same. This process continued for the next 6 waves, and I was losing ground each time. I felt like I was in the middle of a cruel game of keepaway. I finally conceeded and boogie boarded the next wave. This proved to be both effective and fun. The ride lasted for at least 30 seconds and I got barreled at least twice as the wave progressed perpindicular to the shoreline. I got out and walked back to the point and tried the process again. Similar failures ensued this attempt. It wasn't until my 4th attempt from the point that I actually rode one of these monsters. I was tired and angry at that point. Frusterated at myself, suspicious about my board's integrity, and downright exhausted. I paddled just as the wave was breaking and the offshore wind somehow managed to keep me from catching it. Instead I was blown off the crest and a shower of salty droplets engulfed me in the calm water that didn't break. A rainbow shown through the mist almost as encouragement. The next wave was identical to the first, but somehow I stood up just and it was breaking and I was propelled with great speed to the curl below. I adjusted my back foot for balance and turned a sweeping right turn. I rode the wave for what seemed like 5 minutes (later from the shore I timed the waves crashing down the coast to be more like 50 or so seconds... but still far longer than I've ever experienced). It was like I was skiing rather than surfing. I carved up and down the wave all the way back to the shore. That day I spent over 5 hours surfing and talleyed up only a handfull of waves I caught, but this one made it all worth it.

When I made it back to my car I had to face reality again. I still had a hole in my oil pan the size of a penny. By now all the oil had dripped out (I found a few abalone shells and put them under the car to collect the drippings) and I was officially stranded. I gues I was technically stranded before, but I wasn't ready to acknowledge it until I had surfed a bit. I mean, that's why I came to Baja in the first place. But now I had a hole to plug. I tore through my supplies in my trunk and after a great deal of thinking found a solution. I dug a hole in the sand below my car and threw down a towel so that I could work on the oil pan. Then I grabbed some surf wax and put a light coat of wax in the hole to keep any residual oil from coming through. I took a piece of used sand paper and scraped the metal clean and rough. Next I squeazed some Solarez onto my figer and smeared a coat around the hole (Solarez is a surfboard repair product that has an expoxy resin with fiberglass fibers included in the matrix. It is activated by the UV in sunlight, which was the biggest problem) I waited for a while for the Solarez to cure, then found an emergency blanket in my first aid kit that is made out of reflective mylar that worked brilliantly as a mirror to reflect the sunlight under the chassis of my car. After 4 applications of Solarez, I was pretty confident the patch would hold oil. I put in my quart and fired up the engine. The oil light went off and underneath I couldn't see any drops, so I was good to go... except I was 4 quarts shy of a full oil tank. Thats when the winds of chance blew my way. A guy in a red truck came blazing down the road leaving a cloud of dust behind him. He was camping further north on the point than me and as he drove by he slowed down and asked if I wanted beer from Guerro Negro. "Beer would be great, and I need about a case of motor oil, too." He looked at my hands and saw the oil and grease and realized my burden. Several hours later he returned and I filled my oil and took off.

I zoned out to the sounds of "Dick's Picks #11" Greatfull Dead compilation that was playing on repeat and soon I was again in Catavinia lit by the moonlight. I pressed forward after adding a quart to my oil tank (The heat of the engine and vibrations of the road had loosened the edges of my fiberglass resin patch and oil was leaking, but at a comparatively slow rate). I made it to Ensenada that Tuesday night just before midnight. There I met Angel Saad (a friend from Stanford who lives there) and we partied the night away at Husong's Cantina. The following day we cruized around Ensenada and hung out. I met his family (his uncle was an ex-Mexican Wrestler) and bonded with his dad about our shared Lebanese heritage. His dad took me to an auto shop to replace my oil pan and that night a ton of Angel's friends came over and we had a fiesta at his place. The next morning I thanked Angel and his family and left for the good ol' US of A. I picked up my brother in San Bernidino and kept driving north finally stoping in Visalia once our nostrils were permeated with the smell of farming.

Huevos

2005-12-05T15:52:00.000-08:00

Today in my preceptorship I experienced something that I can't say I've been dying to learn. We've all been there before, the doctor says, "drop em." You do. You hear the snap of the golve and its a head turn and cough away from being done. Unfortunately not when there is a med student there. Thats when the patient and med student are both lucky enough to be completely uncomfortable while the doctor explains to the student exactly how to fondle the patients testicles such that all sectors are examined for lumps and malformations. Things get more uncomfortable when the student attemps to do as instructed. I dare say that was my first expereince holding another mans balls.

Aquaporins Are No More

2005-11-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Our previous dominance in the pool has sadly come to an end with our semi final match in the innertube waterpolo tournament. We were only down 1 goal at the half, but quickly the bridge was expanded until our moral fell. It was valiant play, nonetheless, and I am happy to retire my speedo and ball for the 2005 season.

Laguna

2005-11-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

After spending Thanksgiving at the inland empire that is San Bernadino with Cousin Joe and his wife Roula, I headed west to the OC--Laguna Beach actually. I met up with John Hornbeak and kicked it with him and his family for a while. We enjoyed the georgous beach, surfed, and flew the kite bord kite. The detour from San Diego was refreshing and worth it 100 times over.

Finale

2005-11-23T21:45:00.000-08:00

In celebration of our last final we drowned our frustrations in something we hadn't see in all too long: sand, sun, and surf. Molecules and Medicine was a joke, but required a day of studying nonetheless. So afterwards some of our big sibs gave us some celebratory drinks which we brought along in our post-test exodus to the beach. The surf sucked, the sun was a tease, and the sand did what sand does... but this arduous 2 weeks of straight studying made this place feel like paradise. Now we will just have to wait a day until we can stuff our selves silly with food. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Dim Sum

2005-11-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

I started the day with a bit of studying and then Kyoko (Chris' friend) came and took us to this dope dim sum place in Clairmont Mesa. The trip had such highlights as...
Chris: "Kyoko watch out there is a car coming"
Kyoko: "sorry--Asain girl"
Me: uncontrolable laughter from the back seat
Later we found ourselves at the resteraunt bringing the white person count up by 200%. Lunch was great, then we headed back for some more finals cramming. I met up with Fonz and Hornbeak later for some hottubbing and general chilling (but Fonz's stomach had other plans and he ended up booting in the corner of the back yard... yikes)
In other related news, the Aquaporins (our Med school innertube water polo team) advance past the 1st round of finals. Here is a quick recap:

In one of our most stunning performances yet, the Aquaporins outshot, outplayed, outmuscled, and outclassed their opponents yet again. The match was nothing short of amazing. We played the whole game one man down giving the opponents incredible advantages on offense and defence. Huge props to Kari for being the rookie of the year with her first appearance at the pool being one of absolute dominance. Chester rocked the pool with some sick defence and an amazing counterattack. Kevin's arm was an unstopable rocket, nay make that a laser guided misile, and always found a way to get open. Ben was animalistic in the goal, stretching to block all four corners of the cage and even dunking oponents with is might. He even scored (claiming two points) from his position in the goal! Kayla was outstanding and an offensive force to recon with. She fired a shot around her defence and bunny-eared the unsuspecting goalie for two points. Needless to say the aquaporins may not be able to perscribe you drugs, but the sure as hell can make you want them.

Anyway thats all for now.

Orange you glad?

2005-11-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

Hell yeah I am...
So let me preface that a bit with some background info. Today I opened my front door to see a UPS truck driving away, leaving deisel fumes behind... oh and what is this? SEVENTEEN POUNDS OF MANDARIN ORANGES?!? And to that I say Hell yeah! Mom, Dad, you just made my day (and Grandma, thank you for having such a delicious and prolific tree!). I guess it is sometimes the little things like this (well big in this case) that rock your world during the stresses of finals.

2 down, 4 to go...

2005-11-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

Biochemistry and Disease final was today... I studied a whole bunch, and actually felt good about the test. So that's one more in the bag. I learned that I passed Espanol with flying colors, which is nice. And things are feeling up and up. Today I felt like this picture so beautifully illustrates.

Pork Chop Party!

2005-11-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

So it finally happened. I ate my first pork chop ever, in style of course. This was more or less an imporomptu party that started with Chris and I walking through Vons the day before and picking up some pork chops to cook on account that I had never tried this delicacy before. At some point we decided to make a party of it, and celebrate the end of our Major-block classes as well. We made a great spread with tabouleh, curry potatoes, rice, and some amazing specimins of the other white meat. Top that off with chips, dip, a veggie spread, and 3 kinds of cake and pie! (notice the beautiful centerpiece on the table) People were coming and going all night long, so it kept things fun and fresh. We had a great time and even busted out the Argillah towards the end of the night. I feel sorry for all the losers who couldn't make it...

Final Thoughts

2005-11-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

As I begin to study for my finals (one down-- Espanol-- that wasn't so bad... just 5 more to go), I am reminded of the first week of class that seems like so long ago. I was in lecture that first week sitting there trying to take notes and absorb the informations being thrown at me. I was swimming, not knowing up from down or alpha-ketogluterate from glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate. So I pulled out my computer in search of a digital santuary. Dr. Taylor was lecturing... She crystalized PKA, and you better be damn sure that we learned every intricate part of that pathway, as well as how important they are. If her lectures were any more boring I would have gouged out my eyes long ago, and if her slides were any less coherent I would have given up after day two... So I began to doodle and came up this rendition.
As I study for finals, I like to think back at where I was back then and how overwhelmed I felt, and now I feel like I'm actually getting it. Although I'm behind in just about every class, but easy does it and I'll get there. Wish me luck...

Dia De Los Muertos

2005-11-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

It was a bit of a gamble, but Swati, Caleb, and I hopped into my car and drove to Dr. Rojas' house for a Dia De Los Muertos Party. We sat parked in front of the house for about 5 minutes debating wheather or not to go in... none of us knew anyone there. Dr. Rojas was going to be our Spanish Preceptor, but that wouldn't be until next week. I think we were drawn by his email saying, "come early while I'm still sober." We had a great time, met tons of people, and successfully put of studying for another day.

Kite Surfing!

2005-11-05T23:34:00.000-08:00

So what started out as a day to catch up on studying turned into a day catching up on kitesboarding technique. Chris, AJ, and I all headed to the beach (Blacks beach that is.... complete with naked volleyball players and the like) and all tried our hand at controling and launching the kiteboarding sail. We had a blast, and although we didn't do any actually kiteboarding, we learned a ton for the next time we go out.

Roomates

2005-11-01T01:34:00.000-08:00

This is a picture from halloween in which my roomate was Chris Farley, and I was something that had lost his shirt, adorned a headband, and had some strange facial hair. Chris (as coinsidence has it his name is actually Chris) is a great guy, and an amazing roomate. I don't think I could have been paired up with anyone better... somehow things just worked out and we are lucky that we click so well. Big shout out to trick-or-treating for shots.

Halloween Party

2005-10-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

The Halloween party was epic... over $1000 budget, tons of people, and well more than the requisite number of drunk people. We had an amazing dj, great decorations, EVEN SUSHI! To be honest, I personally didn't remember a good part of the night.

PS. thats our dean in the superman costume.

For the video trailer we made, check out the link below:
Kanaanical @ Vimeo

Vive Mexico Cavrones!

2005-10-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

David Kaufman came to mi casa looking dapper in his interview suit. After his interview we were hanging out thinking of what to do... dinner? drinks? How about Mexice? Ole! And off we went. Chris (my roomate on the right) and Kaufman had some exelent tacos, plenty of cervezas, and of course some tequila. On the way back Kaufman rocked it, purchasing a viagra pill on the way home, and some churros to wash it down.

Ben's Pizza Party

2005-09-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

So this is the crew that made it out for pizza on Ben's birthday. Speaking of Ben, he is a great guy and I'm really glad to have met him. Turns out he is Kara Bishoff's (and Collin's too) step brother. Anyway, we had some amazing pizza in PB in his honor and some great local brews as well. (Thats him kneeling down near the guy in the blue)

House Party!

2005-09-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

From our first house party at our place. Chris and I have thrown our fair share of kick ass parties. This is the crew of girls that always come out... Carly, Kayla, Sarah, Toni, and Kari.

Foozball with the Fonz

2005-09-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

So this was a great surprise. During orientation week Peter Marshall, Alfonzo Pullido, and John Hornbeak were driving through San Diego en route to Baja California for a surf trip. Unfortunately their car broke down and they were stuck here for the day. We met up and had an epic boogie boarding sesh, and then an old school foosball match to boot.

Torrey Pines State Park

2005-09-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

Biking up highway 1 gives some spectacular views. This is a quck moving pic from Torrey Pines State Park. I've been getting on my bike for some long rides, but I feel like this trend will depreciate to just riding to and from school on week days.

White Coat

2005-09-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

So here I am... a first year med student learning a lot, sleeping a little, and trying to have as much fun as medical education will allow. It really sunk in that I am going to be here for the long haul when I dawned this white coat and was cheered on my much of my family (Aunt Lynne, Uncle John, Grandma, and my parents Cheryl and Charbel). Its funny to say but whereas before when I embarked on my college career, I didn't feel like I needed the support like I would this time around, and It was wonderful to have so many people behind me (as well as those who could not make it). So stay healthy for a while... because in about four years or so Dr. Kanaan will fix you right up.