Control

I try to stay keep everything in control, damnit. I make sure to seal the gaps, plug the holes, keep something small from exploding into a large situation I can't control. Today, I came this close to losing it.

I am, of course, speaking of the ant that somehow got into my Raisin Bran. Despite closing the opening securely, a tiny hole in the bag was hiding near the bottom, out of sight and mind. Waking up and grabbing a cereal is one of my few enjoyable tasks. Why do you have to take that from me? I asked this question as I devised the best way to deal with this ant...then I got tired of thinking and just tossed the cereal bag in the freezer. I'll deal with it later, and just sort through that bag of cereal very carefully in the future. All those jokes I've made about eating ants have become a possible reality.

There's something odd about being the first person in the library. Considering how lazy I can get at times, I don't always expect myself to leave the house by 6:50 and start hitting the books by 7, but some days I surprise myself. Truth be told, the library is the one thing about Ross that I have yet to see most other med schools match.While the actual building itself is small, with only a single floors and contains perhaps a few thousand books and periodicals, it remains open from 6AM - 5AM. That's 23 hours every day. And of course, this policy applies to the five other classrooms that are usually dedicated for study. You've probably heard the saying 'give a man a fish, and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' I tend to rely more on a quote attributed to Bernard Shaw: "If you teach a man anything, he will never learn." I interpret it as meaning that that a person needs to teach his or herself, actively and with intent. A school can hire the best teachers in the world, and while the best can reduce complex ideas to simple components, use straightforward metaphors, speak clearly, maintain organizational structure, offer clear expectations and express enthusiasm, at the end of the day, a student needs to sit his ass down and read.

Well, thats a lie. Its also possible to study standing up, if one takes the time to set up a standing desk. I've noticed a  definite enthusiasm and aggressiveness when I used to work standing up, so if you don't mind the alternate lifestyle, consider giving it a try.

Nonetheless, the few times I do hope for a definition that isn't available on the internet, there are more enough books in this library to help. Worst case scenario, send of an email to a prof asking for clarification.

Anyways, I decided to spend today watching webcasts of my lectures instead of going to the actual lecture hall. I've found that for certain couses, the material is so foreign that I feel like I'm just sitting under a waterfall with only a small bottle of crazy glue to stop it. I've taken to watching the webcasts, pausing to find each new definition, and then resuming. Slow and steady wins the race sometimes.