Plastic Surgery and Getting Beast!

On Thursday, I am meeting with a plastic surgeon in regards to getting a research gig in his lab.  I'm really excited because I am thinking I might be interested in plastic surgery as a specialty.  I have worked with plastic surgeons in research before, and I have to say, they do some really really cool shit.  The dude I'm meeting on Thursday peels kids's faces off, cuts their facial bones apart, and glues them back together to repair facial defects. Bad Ass.

Plastics is of course notoriously hard to match in to.  The match rate for most specialties is well above 80%.  For plastics, it's under 50%, meaning that less than half of people who want to become plastic surgeons out of med school do so.  Whatever, if you're super-driven to pursue something, you just go for it and make it happen.  I have to say, the more I learn about the business of medicine, the more surprised I am by the variety of work that falls under the purview of this profession.  As a physician, you could do anything from sit at home looking at slides of cells to threading electrodes in to peoples hearts.  Crazy.

In other news, Heavy Metal Vixen and I are exercising like beasts.  With summer approaching, we both need to look super sexy for all the ladies and the mans.  Being a power couple just isn't as easy as it ought to be.

This is me ------------>

I've been working on my pecs and bi's and tri's.  Curls, pull-ups, and of course, moustache-ups.  At the time this photo was taken, I was simultaneously trying to break the chain in my hands and break the wind from my butt.  And doing a moustache-up.

<-------------This is Heavy Metal Vixen (and, I believe, an example of hardcore porn from the 30's)

She's been doing a lot of cardio. Eliptical, jogging, and biking.  This is an actual photo of her biking.  I have suggested a more practical outfit, spandex or something, but she insists that the stockings and stilettos improve circulation to her extremities.  I don't know about all that, although it definitely improves circulation to one of MY extremities.  heh.

Metalhead to Ivy Med

So a couple days ago, I was accepted to an Ivy League med school. 

I'm just going to type that again. Accepted. To an Ivy League med school. That just doesn't even feel right under my fingers. It doesn't feel real. And when I realize that it IS real, I just feel humbled. I know I know, it's not like Axl Rose to be humble, but there you have it- strange things happen. And me going to a top med school is one of them. Somehow I got from A to B:

 A = Graduated college with a terrible, terrible GPA, tried to become a rockstar in NYC, failed, studied for the MCAT, applied, failed to get in to med school.  Picked myself up off the floor, and got cracking again.

 B = 2 years later, accepted to a ridiculous, top medical school.

So how did this happen? Hell I don't know. Some mixture of good luck, fortuity, and adventituosity. But perhaps there is a method to the madness you say, some secret underlying order to the chaos? Hmm... I think it's time for another long-awaited installment of:

"Axl Rose's Fully-guaranteed Partially-funded Semi-transparent Trans-fat-free Ultimate Good Fun Times Guide To Going from Metal-Head to Ivy-Med"


Step 1: Fail

I can't understate the importance of starting off strong, by failing.  Failing puts you at square 1, which is where the magic happens.  Square 1 is the place where all things are possible because you've lost everything else, and nothing but the black, gaping maw of possibility lies ahead.  And stuff.

Step 2: Run

Run hard ahead, headfirst in to the buffeting wind, letting obstacles strike but glancing blows and drop clattering in your wake.  And shit like that.  From square 1, you gotta fight to get to square 2, and there will be a million other people trying to get there ahead of you.  In my case, step 2 involved taking the MCAT for the second time and reapplying.  That sucked.  Life was really hard.  But you keep running.

Step 3: Repeat Steps 1 & 2 If Necessary


Fail, run, fail, run.  If you have a goal and you keep running at it, you'll get there or die trying.  Simple as that.

Step 4: Winning


A weird feeling.  When you finally get to where you were tryin to go.  It's the best feeling in the world, and at the same time, it's weird to not have to fight, to stop running.  You've gotten there.  You did it.  Now what?

Luckily, there's usually a gaping black maw of possibility right around the corner.  Yes!  Start running in to that one!  In my case, the challenge ahead is medical school.  Then residency.  Then life.  Bring it.

So hatredy.

The latest goings on:

1) I am accepted to a sweet med school in Boston. As of now, I plan to matriculate there in August.

2) I am waiting to hear back from a top-tier Ivy League ultra-fancy-pants med school here in Metalton. Should they offer me a spot, I would have a tough decision on my hands. Should they offer me a waitlist, well then shit, this thing could drag out all summer. Speaking of summer...

3) I will be in Filthadelphia for the summer! I will be doing research in West Philly in June and July. It'll be sad to be away from Heavy Metal Vixen and Bobbins Magellan Mouse-Destroyer 3000, but it beats the snot out of pouring coffee and pole dancing at the Filthy Gunslinger all summer long. That pole can get real slick in the summer months... downright dangerous.

4) Latest music discoveries include Angel Vivaldi (thanks broseph!), Foxy Shazam (a retro Freddy Mercury clone, on top 40 radio of all places!) and of course, BATTLECROSS! So metal. So awesome. So hatredy.

That's the latest goings on. 8 weeks left at The Filthy Gunslinger, and counting.