Pre-departure

Hi!

Tomorrow I leave for the motherland for six weeks. Ten days after that, I'll start med school. And today, I finished Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (These events have importance of equal magnitude.) I did find a place to live- it's 5 minutes from campus and across the street from a coffee shop. It will be so strange not to be a commuter anymore. Also, I'll be living with Meredith, giving me ample opportunity to change every aspect of her personality, something that's always been a goal.

Books I've finished:

The Hunger Games trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Just read the first one if you're interested. The second two are terrible. Movie out in spring 2012.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stiegg Larson
Um, really disturbing. It was well-plotted, I guess? No real interest in reading the second two, but I'll watch the movie (sensing a pattern here)

God is Not Great - Christopher Hitchens
Look! Non-fiction! So I haven't exactly finished this. I'm just over halfway, and it's really interesting, but will I get anything new out of the rest? Advice/input welcome.

Books I'm taking tomorrow:

Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris
Christine - Stephen King
The Kid - Dan Savage

Books I'm not taking:
Anatomy textbooks. This is probably foolish, but I couldn't find something light enough, and surely my cousins have some.

This brings me to the next point. There is sure to be more family drama than usual this trip (wedding!). But I'm really going to try to get along with everyone and keep a smile plastered on, at least until July 15th, at which time I'll sob through the last Harry Potter movie.

ALSO. I'm sorry, I had planned on writing a real post about healthcare reform, which I feel obligated to know about in some sort of thorough manner. But frankly I haven't yet read enough analysis or done enough of my own thinking to be able to write intelligently on the topic. I'm taking a bunch of articles and readings with me to further this goal, and will probably post from there once in awhile.

So in conclusion...uhh...write to me on the internet, yeah?

Mild link dump

• We obviously need to fund less medical training
• a well-referenced article on Republicans and the Overton window (via Krugman, via Zach)
• Currently reading: God is not Great (Christopher Hitchens), Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins)
• Currently learning: watercolor. obviously.
• Currently looking for: housing
• Currently: an honorary Weasley. Really, you should see my hair.
  

Question

What do you call someone who says, "Religion is man-made. There is no god" (I'm translating here) and answers "yes" to the question, "Do you believe in god?"

(and don't say "insane", because I don't think she is.)

The Sunday edition

Today I woke up with very little memory of the night's dreams, just the name "Sartre" bouncing in my head. I don't remember anything about the dream except someone saying "Sartre" over and over. Maybe they were practicing? I blame Amelia. I also blame Malcolm in the Middle, as he once got in trouble for correcting a teacher's pronunciation of "Sartre". I have been dreaming a lot the past few nights.

Reading the newspaper this morning was not as fun as usual. Maybe KK's on vacation. Also, can someone remind me how to get around the nyt paywall? I've already used 15 of my 20 free articles for the month (whoops). An alternative is to read something else. I tried reading the Guardian today, but like...what are Tories?!
#uscentric #americaisthecenter

In other news, Nick Kristof gets it right again (I can't really wrap my head around the contraceptives-for-horses thing). Also, one of my big sources for learning about vaccine-related things is Orac, who just posted a video about anthropogenic global warming. I'm too lazy to watch it, so you should watch and tell me what you think. Cool? Cool. I'm glad we're getting along.

Finally, I learned of Ellie Goulding from last night's SNL. Her hair is pretty cool and she sings okay I guess.

Lights - Ellie Goulding

On vaccines

I am slowly learning more about the anti-vaccine movement and the ramifications it is already having, especially in our fair state. This article about people left vulnerable by a breakdown of herd immunity is eye-opening and completely horrifying.

Summer reading list

The main limiting factor on this list will be how much I can fit in a suitcase, especially because I'm planning to take a couple anatomy textbooks as well (dontjudgeme). Suggestions always welcome.

When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present - Gail Collins

Lisey's Story - Stephen King

Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference - Cordelia Fine

the remainder of the Sookie Stackhouse books - Charlaine Harris

The Show that Smells - Derek McCormack

Anything else I should be reading? I would especially like to have more horror-type things in my repertoire.

Superfluous post

12 DAYS.

"Come on, let's get to it, I know that we can do it" --Dora the Explorer

I don't have anything profound to say (as usual), but I will share that today I learned that 27% of incoming medical students don't believe that species evolve by natural selection (JAMA Feb 11, 2009 –Vol 301 Pg 663). Hoo boy.