NYC

I can't stop thinking about this weekend. Chris and I are celebrating our anniversary, and my very belated birthday, in NYC! Earlier this week, I went crazy planning, and as a result, here is our delicious itinerary:

Friday:
6 p.m. - Get into Penn Station, check into our hotel, have a glass (or bottle) of wine with some crackers
10:30 p.m. - Reservations for restaurant week at Aquavit for some succulent Scandinavian cuisine.

Saturday
12 p.m. - Meet up with peeps at Penn Station, walk around, perhaps explore Crumb, visit the Met.
5:30 p.m. - Reservations for happy hour at Mermaid Inn in Greenwich Village. $1 oysters, hollaaaa
8:30 p.m. - 8th Street Wine Cellar around the corner (can't wait to try their Montmayou Malbec).
11:00 p.m. - Angie's house party in Chelsea. She's making mulled wine.

Sunday
12:00 p.m. - Dim sum at Jing Fong
1:30 p.m. - Brain exhibit at AMNH
Before getting on my bus - Trip to stock up at Trader Joe's

Soooooooooooooo excited!!!!!!

The Man Who Ate Everything

The short story is my new best friend. At a phase in my life when I lack the time (or perhaps motivation) to even shave my legs, the last thing I want to do is to throw myself into a chapter of a complex novel. So I read short stories.

The book that I am reading right now is awesome: it's a collection of vignettes from a former food critic for Vogue. I love books about food, especially when they explore it in different cultural and scientific contexts (as Pollan does in The Botany of Desire). An excerpt from the story titled "Ripeness is All":

"Eternal vigilance is the price of ripeness. Make it a habit to return unripe fruit. Throw a scene if need be. Your message may reach the wholesaler or the grower. For the smallest fruit, here's a handy tip: When nobody is looking, remove a berry from its little basket and conceal it in your palm. With your other hand, quickly wheel your shopping cart into a dark corner of, say, the cheese department and pop the berry into your mouth. Chew. Appraise its texture, sweetness, aromatic flavor compounds, and seediness. Then decide whether to invest in an entire basket. But first buy some cheese. You can never have enough good ripe cheese."

Cannot wait to indulge in some home-cooked meals in T-4 days!

Happy Holidays to you all

Cavarium, meninges, and brain.

I had the honor of dissecting our cadaver, T.S.'s brain today. The skull had been cut two centimeters up from the orbital fossa and occipital protruberance, and once it was chiseled away and the dura was severed, I was able to hold T.S.'s entire past life in my hands. His most fond memories, his hopes and fears, everything that made him the person he was, was contained in that epiphenomenon, his brain.

No one describes as well, in my opinion, the insanity of how organic matter such as a brain becomes a person's consciousness and projection onto others, as Hofstadter does in A Strange Loop. As I was dissecting, I was learning the anatomy and the physiology but also completely baffled by how they once came together to first sustain life, then spark consciousness, then create an identity that could change and evolve, and finally cross and intermingle with other minds. Just like how a ripple starts out as a drop of water.

These moments in my studies really humble me, when I realize how we will never be able to come close to understanding something so elegantly complex that just happens, without our knowledge or action, effortlessly and naturally.

2 Minute Update.

It's a Friday evening, I'm at Starbucks enjoying a holiday latte, taking a break between lectures, so I figured this neglected blog deserved at least a half-assed update.

Basically:
-Med school is hard.
-Med school is fun.
-I study all the time.

It may not be the most titillating lifestyle, but for me it is absolutely perfect. I have been dying to be here, and finally, I am. It's like meeting a soulmate, like you know that the career you've chosen will make you happy for the rest of your life.

More elaborate updates later.... perhaps.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I think I've finally experienced the runner's high.

This is what it felt like: all I wanted to do was to keep running. I didn't want to stop, I didn't want to slow down, I just wanted to run. In addition I wanted an extra challenge - another hill ahead, a steeper incline, a rougher terrain. It was a sweetly masochistic moment.

If these snapshots can be translated at all into life lessons, maybe in the most demanding times, we just need to push a little harder.

Fall wishlist.

Being no longer a working woman, I wear about 1/4 of my clothes and 1/8 of my shoes now. It's time for my wardrobe to slowly make the transition that my life has made. And since all good things arise from lists, here is a back-to-school wishlist:

1. J. Crew Cashmere Slouchy Sweater. I like the idea of being able to throw this on in the morning when I'm running late and still look somewhat polished, and I can probably wear this at least 7 months out of the year.



2. TOMS Natural Canvas Shoes in Grey. The hippie in me actually likes the way these look. Let's hope the day that I start liking the way those "nurse clogs" look is a day that never comes.



3. Marc Jacobs Court Cards Ring. I'm not a big ring person, but how cute is this?



4. Frye Campus Boot in Saddle. The next pair of boots I buy will be Frye. I know I will look like I'm ready to go work on a farm, but that's the point.



5. Rugby Baldwin Piped Tweed Jacket. Ignore the rest of her dumb outfit, but that jacket is lust worthy. I like everything about it: the texture, the trimming, the crest, the shape, the small lapels.



6. Gap Jeans. All my jeans are skinny, because they fit better into boots (ironic - you would think BOOTcut would fit better), but I'm growing tired of just one style. Has anyone tried the new Gap jeans that are supposed to fit better? I for one am swayed by their advertising.


7. Anthropologie Transcendent Encounter Chemise. This is the perfect sweet and romantic nightdress, and would make me look forward to going to bed every night (like I need more incentive). They also have very enticing robes on the website, not that I've worn a robe since I was six.



8. Land's End Sidney Long Down Coat. This is really for practical reasons only.



9. Lululemon Define Jacket. Sometimes I will put on sporty clothes just to not feel like a bum.



10. Michael Kors Astor Satchel. I really like a good-sized bag, in a neutral color, with hardware details, so this is pretty much perfect.

Bier!

I'm normally a red wine fanatic, but thanks to the heat of summer, I've been gravitating towards this cooler, more refreshing drink (although red wine stays part of my diet with a killer sangria recipe). When it comes to beer I used to stick to safe choices like Stella, Sierra Nevada PA or a satisfying #9 but this summer I've been more adventurous and have garnered the following list of beers that make me eager to expand my repertoire further...

1. Unibroue - La Fin du Monde
Not only does this have a badass name but it is also from a brewery in Quebec. It's a Belgian ale that is very drinkable: not too heavy, not too hoppy, with a hint of citrus and spice. It can be found at your Trader Joe's in a sizable bottle (perfect for two), which was definitely the best part.

2. Abita - Purple Haze
This was an unexpected find right from our neighborhood liquor store when we just decided to pick up a sampler pack. Some of the other varieties were kind of gross but the Purple Haze was definitely the best one. It's not intensely fruity or sweet, the raspberry taste is wonderfully integrated and I prefer it over the Harpoon UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen (which is a bit cloying), or even the Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat Ale (which doesn't have enough fruit).

3. Rogue - Dead Guy
Don't let the name of this one make you think that only bikers or old guys with arms full of tattoos should be drinking this. It's actually a well balanced honey ale that is a bit on the malty side. Chris ordered this at Novare Res in Portland (while Jacquie and I went with our staple Allagash White), but then I tried his and ordered one for myself. Delish!

4. Samuel Adams - Summer Ale
This one was drunk many times because in Boston, often it's either Sam or Bud. It's a lemony, malty, and spicy brew, reminds me of a nicer version of Blue Moon, and tastes like Boston.

5. Dogfish Head - Raison d'etre
Maybe I'm just piqued by philosophical-sounding french beer names, but this was another one that I kept on my radar. It's probably the most unique out of all of them. It's a bit more alcoholic at 8%, and is a complex mahogany ale that's a bit fruity, malty, even sour. Perfect when you want a beer to challenge your taste buds.

6. Don't remember who made it - Peach Ale
We had this at the Great Lost Bear - Qui probably knows which one this is. Another fruitastic one! I tried the Dogfish Head Festina Peche which was actually weird tasting, this one was way better. The downside is this one is probably a microbrew which will make it hard to find.

What are your favorite beers?