This is part of my ongoing summer project: Stumbling Through First Year I assumed that each little piece of information I picked up during my medical education at NCNM would be another little tool in my tool belt. Every time I learned something, I would be able to apply it to a medical context. Slowly, … More The time I thought it was tuberculosis.
Being accepted into the ND program at NCNM was an exciting time for me. I received a lot of personalized attention from the staff at NCNM. They called sporadically to give me information and make sure I didn’t have any questions before moving to Portland. I had going-away parties in my honor. I went to … More The time I realized that I’m not special.
A while back, I got dumped by a girl. We’d been dating for almost three years. I was devastated. I knew I had to break the news to my parents at some point, so I called them up, took a deep breath and dropped the bomb on them. My mom sounded a bit distracted, like … More The beauty of finding the ugly.
I slammed the front door as I left. The lock on my door is kind of broken, so every time I leave I have to slam it or it won’t close all the way. Then someone would most likely break-in and be disappointed when they found no trace of anything of value, besides my Mom’s … More I saw a girl fall. (a fictional short story)
I’m a student. I spend my days listening, thinking, learning, absorbing. At school, I’m quiet. I’m reflective. I’m reserved. I slowly and methodically think through everything. My only priority during the school day is to fill my brain with as much knowledge and insight as I possibly can. And that’s what I do. I quietly … More Someone knocked the happy out of me.
I recently wrote about my views on quitting, but it appears that I have more to say about it. In an effort to allow all of my thoughts to come out however they want, I sat down and typed. There are some thematic redundancies and similarities to the other story, but I thought someone might … More I almost never learned to play guitar because of Yoda.
The cultivation of a practitioner I will decide to be a doctor. I will pack up my things. I will leave my family, my friends. I will be nervous. I will hear a speech at orientation where the speaker says, “Look around you. These people are your family now.” I will not want a new … More I guess I write poetry now.
If you memorize the lyrics to this song, you’ll know everything you need to know about the human immune system. (My apologies for the horrendous accent) The microbe is always meaner when it is coughed in your face and gets past innate defenses, but that is a big mistake. The body has many … More How to study for an Immunology exam.
When I was in the fourth grade, I wanted to try playing basketball. My parents signed me up for a league. At the time, I was somewhere around four feet tall and about 80 pounds. That’s the nice way of saying that I was absolutely terrible at basketball. I remember one particular practice where I … More How ‘Under the Sea’ showed me that I’m not a quitter.
My childhood was amazing. I had a loving family. Friends. A good education. I was given every opportunity to succeed. My parents were great at giving me lessons in a lot of the important stuff. But along the way, I missed out on some fundamental information. And here I am today. Twenty-nine years old, and … More I learned how to be a real man from a bunch of girls.
James is Trying 