More Randomness

Sorry. A month spent in absolute assimilation of every scrap of medical trivia known to mankind leads to a post-exam rush of imaginative thinking.

1.Facebook: Yes, I have fallen victim to the evils of digital communication. I imagine one day, our children will look back and ask, "Mommy, you mean you actually met up and talked to your friends WITHOUT using a computer?" Face-to-face contact. Soon to be a sought-after relic. Another thing about Facebook: why does it seem that everyone has to put a bottle in their picture? Does having your photograph with Mr.Jack Daniels or his cousin Bud automatically raise your status in society or your level of sophistication?
Yet another thing: Why do people feel obliged to post every aspect of their life on Facebook? Do I really care what your favorite movies are and do I really want to see 67 pictures of last year's spring break and your pet dog Rufus? Isn't it supposed to be a means to keep in touch with people so that you know how to contact them when you actually want to find out those things in person over a cup of Puerto Rican coffee and a Krispy Kreme chocolate sprinkle donut (organic of course ;-))?

2.Medical terms. Of course I couldn't blog without relating my post to medicine. I have come to learn that physicians are so intelligent that they quickly become bored with using ordinary terms to describe a situation. Instead, they invent new terminology, most of it an attempt to revive the dead Latin language. Example:
A 48yo wm and his spouse were traveling on the interstate. Being somewhat convoluted in nature, they were unaware when they reached the bifurcation of the interstate and soon found themselves in an MVA with the vehicle in a left decubitus position.
Translation: Jim and Jane were traveling on the interstate. Being somewhat curvy in nature [the interstate], they were unaware when they reached the point where the interstate split and soon found themselves in an MVA with the vehicle on its left side.
or
Doctor, I seem to have an erythematous, verrucous mass on my buccal mucosa. It's pruritic and I've also noticed the concomitant symptom of nocturnal epistaxis.
Translation: Doc I have this red warty thing on the side of my mouth. It itches and I've also noticed that my nose seems to bleed at night when I have this.

3.Short Term Mission Trips: Why does it seem that everyone who spends a week in a foreign country suddenly becomes an expert in foreign policy and the culture of that country? Please, if you travel abroad, refrain from making hasty generalizations about the people of that nations. You wouldn't desire people from other nations calling all Americans "fat, lazy, complaining, couch potatoes" would you? Then please don't say 50% of Hondurans live in tiny wooden shacks with dirt floors and compare the workmanship to something your grandchild might build for fun on a camping trip. Also, please don't say "We are so blessed here in the US," as if God's blessing doesn't extend to those in developing nations just because it's not in a monetary form. Doesn't the Bible actually say "woe to the rich" and "blessed are the poor?" Some of the "richest" people I've ever met owned practically nothing and some of the "poorest" people I've ever met seemingly had all their material wants fulfilled.

4.Marital Status: Why does it seem that the defining characteristic of someone in the 20-30 age bracket is their marital status? And why do people hastily assume that just because you haven't moved up the ranks to the mini-van/cradle roll bracket, like all your peers from high school, that you are eagerly awaiting rescue from your status of "singleness?" And why must people assume that just because you're single and female means that anyone who is single and male is sure to be an instantaneous and perfect match for you?

5.Being Female and Being a Medical Student: If I am asked one more time after telling someone I'm in medical school "So are you going to be a doctor or a nurse?" I'm going to start a national campaign for women's rights and join the feminist movement. I'm absolutely sure that this question would not be asked of me were I of the male gender. Yes, there are many wonderful female nurses in this world; however, I am not one of them nor are 50% of my classmates. I have not spent the past two years of my life pouring over the TCA cycle and memorizing Dr.Musich's insane list of transcription factors to be called a nurse. What's my usual answer to this question? A sweet smile and the reply, "I'm going to be a doctor."