Back into the swing and being sick...

Hey Mom (we all know that she is the only one reading this),

School is back and we are in it 100% again. Now you are wondering, what is 100% Joe? I will tell you...

1. Classes are now going everyday with usually something to do in the afternoon.

2. A test is right around the corner and you are scrambling to get some studying done everynight.

3. Things that you would do in the summer like nothing, make you extremely worried that you have done. No more getting up at 10, playing video games all day, and going to bed at 2AM.

4. Constant worry, headaches, acne, and a little depression are back and here to stay for another year.

This past weekend I got a mild case of Gastroenteritis (stomach flu). I was unable to sleep all night and then spent the following day with nausea, vomiting, and diharrea. I have to say that the experience was a little different now that I have finished a year of medical school. Instead of just thinking about how miserable I was the entire time, I thought of what was going on in my body. I tried to remember what bugs would be responsible, probably a noravirus or rotavirus, and how I could possibly combat them. Now as you all know viruses are very difficult to treat so my only option was to wait it out. I also learned something from my Nurse future mother-in-law. Once you have finished vomiting and you can keep a can or two of 7up down then you are ready for some solid food.

Well I am all better (except for a little weakness) and ready to face another week of med school.

Thanks,

Joe

Summer Time...

It has been a long time since my last post for several reasons. I will list them in this short list:

1. At the end of the year school became very intense.

2. Summer started and I did whatever came to mind!

Unfortunately blogging has not been an important part of my summer. It actually would not have been too interesting. But now that summer is coming to an end in the next week (I am actually dying inside) I am prepared to talk about it.

So, this summer I have done whatever I have wanted to. It has really been my favorite summer yet. I am going to give you a few highlights.

1. First of all I have been up to my parents lake house in Northern Wisconsin about four times. It is always a great time when I get up there. I can relax, ride ATVs on endless trails, eat my parents food, drink beer, bird watch, fish, spend time with family, and MORE! My dog also loves it there.

2. I have discoverd a plethora of spoken word entertainment for my iPod. The long drives to Wisconsin, hours of yard work, bike rides, running, and house cleaning are now not so bad because I have things to listen to do while I do them. I have listened to about about 9 books this summer in addition to lots of This American Life, Car Talk, and This Week in Tech.

3. I have caught up on a few video games. I finally beat Bioshock (awesome game), played through Mass Effect again (arguably my favorite game), got some Left 4 Dead in, and have dabled in GT4 and Fallout. There are more games that I would love to play but may have to shelve for now.

4. I have spent a lot of time with my Fiance. Brescia has finally moved into town and I have spent a lot time with her. We were apart for way too much time and our time together has been amazing. I am so exciting that we are finally together and FOREVER!!

There has been more that I have done this summer, but who really wants to hear about it. The thing that I am sorry about is that I haven't seen my friends too much this summer. I apologize to those that have missed me and to those that haven't. I am a good guy and haven't just flaked totally all summer, I have done things I enjoyed.

To those who are reading this blog for the med school insights...read on, things are coming. Next post (coming next week) I will be summarizing first year and looking ahead to second year. From now on I will try to focus on Med School with a few Guster dog moments kicked in.

Thanks,

Joe

This American Life

Everyone needs to go here and listen to some of these programs online.

I have been hooked on this program for the past couple of days. The stories are real, they are interesting, and they show you that there is never a simple answer to life and its mysteries.

Be warned though...once you listen to one, you won't want to stop.

Thanks,

Joe

Guster thoughts....

OHHHHH Man! What is he doing now? He is so boring sometimes. I wish he would do something other than sit in front of that computer all day. I have needs too, you know!

I am the master of the house!

-Guster

Facebook applications and why they are dumb

Facebook is about finding out what your friends are up to. It is a service that will basically make sites like classmates.com obsolete in the near future. When your on Facebook and checking a person's profile what do you check?

Here is what I check:

• Marital Status: Do they have a girlfriend/boyfriend? Did they get engaged? Are they married?
• College/Job status: Are they still working that dead end job? Did they change their major again?
• Pictures: Did they gain weight? Is there girlfriend/boyfriend good looking?
• Wall: Who is talking to them? Do they have a lot of friends or is the wall littered with personal updates and messages from mommy?

After the initial sweep I usually move on to the next person I see on the mutual friends list and repeat. I really think I could do that for hours!

Applications are what I like to call the "credit card offers of facebook."

Let me explain. When you go to a retail store and have your three folders and pen all ready, and you are poised to swipe your card the cashier says something along these lines, "would you like to open a Target card today and save 10%?" This is usually my thought after that exchange, "Do I really want to take 10 minutes to apply for a card just so I can save $1?"

Now compare that experience with that of a Facebook application. You are checking facebook and you see that there are several notifications. You see that you have a few friend requests, a friend tagged you in a photo, and your brother wrote on your wall. You check out all those things and then notice that there is one more you missed. Your cousin just finished taking a quiz about Cat Woman the movie and scored 90%. Now why would you want to take 10 minutes and check out his scores or take the quiz yourself? Would knowing that you know more about the Cat Woman movie give you some kind of insight into your cousin that you never had before? NOOO! The application just wasted your time.

Oh and another thing...did you know that there is actually an application that tracks your bowel movements! Yes, it is called Ploppy. I mean come on, are the Facebook people really letting this slide (no pun intended).

Thanks,

Joe

Little about Joe...

Hey Friends,

Why start a blog? Don't you have lots of TV to watch? Don't you have studying you should be doing? Isn't there facebook, twitter, google chat, and other mediums easier and quicker than a blog to reach people with?

The above were all question I began asking myself when I decided to start a blog. I am busy... or at least that is what I tell everyone I am. There is always something to do whether it is watching TV, studying, shopping online, chatting online, and occasionally exercising. A blog is something that I have always wanted to do for several reasons: I like talking about myself and what I am thinking, I like to think of myself as tech savy and a blog is something most tech savy people have, I have tried something like this in a few forms (those who know me remember Joe's advice on Darren's website and my Snow youtube video), and maybe one day my kiddies with read this and smile, laugh, or be totally embarressed.

Now if you don't know me read on...if you do then skip down to the word STOP!

Mini Biography time....
I am a 23 year old Osteopathic Medical student at the Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Iowa. I live in a small two bedroom house with my dog Guster. My fiance Brescia (bresch-ah) is currently living in Madison, WI where she is finishing up her undergraduate degree. My parents are still living in my home town, my sister lives with her fiance in St. Paul, MN, and my brother goes to college in Oshkosh, WI. I am from the great state of Wisconsin where I grew up in Onalaska (west side of the state near LaCrosse) and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2008 with a Bachelors of Sciences in Biology. I love TV, video games, computers, taco bell, biking, basketball, science fictiton and fantasy books, and much more that you will learn about right here.

STOP!

So the blog is about a lot of things one of them including chronicling my trip through medical school. It has been a long first year but at the same time a short year. I'm usually in one of two phases, "crazy worry about test phase" or "eh, I can do it later phase." While that probably isn't the best system, it is what I got now. I can tell you that I have learned so much about so many things but at the same time I have so much more to learn. It's going to be fun putting down my thoughts about school and I am glad you get to read it.

Now I will end my post the way my father ends every one of the millions of emails he sends...

Thanks,

Joe