#61 Reading Material

365 Blog Challenge: Post #61

I've worked the last three nights and for those of you who know me best, you know I am terrible at three-in-a-rows.  I work 12.5 hour shifts and it takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get home so these shifts allow for nothing but work, food and sleep, literally.  Occasionally, I am able to blog in between shifts while I eat, but I guess since I was getting back in the hang of things after having 13 days off straight, I just couldn't do it this time. Plus, I was crabby.

I did, however, have time to read some interesting articles over the last few days and I thought I'd post them here for your enjoyment:

#1 Sheen is Surrounded by Coterie of Enablers - If anyone has been following celebrity news lately (or even watching CNN's Piers Morgan) they know that Charlie Sheen is a hot mess.  News just came out today that he was fired from Two and a Half Men.  Between drug fueled, hotel-wrecking escapades and berating his producer on national TV, he appears to be in a bit of trouble (though he talks as though HE is fine and dandy...can we talk about denial?)  This article highlights the difficulties in the entertainment industry (i.e. money-making industry) with getting someone help when he or she is making many people a great deal of money.  Priorities?

#2 Why Do Writers Abandon Novels? - We talked about this in my creative writing class (which is now over :(  ).  How can people can get 50, 100, 300 pages into a book and then just give up on it?  I have a new fascination with the writing process so I found this quite interesting.

#3 Go Easy on Yourself, a New Wave of Research Urges - You know the saying "Treat others as you would like to be treated?"  Well for some people, it needs to go the other way, "Treat yourself (and speak to yourself) as you'd speak to a friend."  Apparently being hard on yourself isn't especially effective. (Noted.)

#4 One Way to Encourage Checking Out at the Library - This article reports on a new trend in libraries- dating!  A few libraries across the country even set up speed dating night.  I think it's awesome. especially for those of us who aren't crazy bar goers, and let's be honest, who wants to meet their significant other in a bar?  Ok, ok.  I know there's a few bar success stories but this puritan think meeting your soul mate in a library sounds a little more wholesome.

Let me know what you think!

You're gonna be a what?

Some people have asked me as I describe my future goals and schooling, "What's a nurse practitioner?" Well, this article is a great explanation, and it also differentiates nurse practitioners and physicians assistants. (I.e. Nurse practitioners are more independent while physicians assistants have more flexibility in relocating...though I would say NPs have lots of options as well). And while I can't speak from a physician's assistant's point of view, I can say that compared to MD training, the nursing approach is more hoslitic, incorporating all aspects of the patient's life (cultural, psychological, religious, etc...at least in GOOD nursing practice) as well as addressing the biomedical issue at hand. Perhaps that is not the approach for everyone. But I'd say it is the right approach for me!

2 years ago...this was me.

I was 1 of 77,000 new New Yorkers in 2006. And I survived, largely due to Scott already having a group of friends here, and being a wonderful guy in general. However, this article brought me back to those early days...and even some days now, when the city is a tough place to be. It's especially striking after having been in the midwest for 3 weeks, and realizing just how in sync I am with New York life, and how OUT OF SYNC I am with the slower life style there. Enjoy!

Fascinating

I know this is my first blog in a while (blame school!) so it's kind of a cop-out.  But read THIS article about psychiatry for the extraordinarily wealthy.  It's quite interesting.  And a little bit sick.  But mostly interesting. Enjoy!

Oh so familiar....

After reading this article in the New York Times about living off of a starting salary in New York, I actually feel lucky to have been able to live with Scott and split the bills in a one bedroom!  And man do those raises make a difference!  I can assure you, even before the raise, I ate a bit better than these people (thanks in part to my mom...Thanks Mom!)

Oh dear....

New Yorkers, they're talking primarily to you!

Reading Material: Damn Pigeons...

First of all, for all your non-New Yorkers, this map will permenently be a the bottom of my blog and you can refer to it whenever you'd like to know where the heck I'm talking about. And just FYI: I live at the top left of the Upper West Side. Columbia is in Morningside Heights. Scott and I have considered looking for an apt next year in the East Village (where NYU also is...or is that Noho? Or Greenwich?? Whatever. It's nearby). Midtown/the theater district is where Time Square is (for all you TRL fans...I know you're out there). Feel free to shoot me any questions about it and I'll do my best to give you some answers with all my modest NY knowledge.

Now here is some reading material which I found interesting, and I thought you might too!

Pigeons: I knew there was a reason I hated these birds...check it out

Fascinating stuff about the future of MRIs and their possible involvement in treating chronic pain, addictions, depression, etc...I know you all are interested in such things.

For those of you who LOVE your Louis Vuitton and Coach (GUILTY AS CHARGED)...perhaps I should begin to rethink....I love this article...and its just a REVIEW of the book!.

Speaking of weath, this makes me sick...but again, culturally fascinating!

Any (sort of) serious news sources actual referal to the word Frenemy is worth posting.

Doctors are brilliant....

I loved this article from CNN.com about knowing when its time to fire your doctor. Funny thing is I experienced many of these things with each of the orthopedic surgeons I saw. All I have to say is: YOU'RE FIRED DR.HAAR!!

Speaking of doctors, I have been playing assistant to the psychiatrist who is the head of our department (the MIRECC) while his usual assistant is on vacation. However, he is also on vacation armed only with his blackberry so he calls at least once a day and sends me emails of documents to print out and fed ex to him. (Apparently the man can't take a REAL vacation). Yesterday, I received an email from him with a link to a document of some guidelines for a certain kind of research project. He asked me to print out the "main points" of this document. However, this document was 73 PAGES! Print out the main points...that would be our director in a nutshell...nut...shell...ahem....

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!