Lots of things happened over the weekend. I took lots of pictures, made some new friends, and watched the Aggies lose to Baylor for the first time since 1985. I'll be discussing all of this soon.

Vote GW on November 2nd. Save us from ambivalence.

It's not fall whatsoever. It's been 90 degrees everyday this week. How can it be 90 degrees at the end of October? Oh wait, I live in Houston.

Wednesday night was enjoyable. I studied then went to Two Rows Bar and Grill to watch the Red Sox beat the curse and win the 2004 World Series in four games. It was glorious. Also that night was a lunar eclipse. From what I hear, there won't be another one until 2007, so here is a photograph for you to see.

Yesterday I had dinner at a place called Ruggle's Grill on Westheimer and Montrose. I was thinking it would be like the Ruggle's Grill in the Village, but apparently the one we visited is a fancy restaurant. After my car was valet parked, I showed up in an orange Astros hat, polo shirt, and jeans. Then I looked around the restaurant and noticed everyone wearing ties and nice pants. Oops. The dinner was was quite good as were the drinks. Ryan, April, Todd, and I had an excellent time. I am now scheduled to drive to Waco the Todd and April to watch A&M beat up on Baylor this Saturday. Then we'll drive to College Station and hang out with Carolyn and David at Northgate. It should be very interesting.

Neurology ended today. Clinically things were interesting; MD Anderson is a lovely hospital, and the cases were diverse. The test was difficult as to be expected, but it's all over now. I'm pleased with the overall rotation, but I think it would have been nice to learn a little more. Hopefully i have enough knowledge to get through basic neurological problems or at least consult the right people.

I finally voted today. I made a similar attempt yesterday at a polling place north of my house, but the line was at least one to one and a half hours long, so I scrapped that. Democracy is cool, but not when it takes that long to vote. Today I went to the historic Fiesta Grocery Store next door to Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans of the National Football League. The line this evening was much shorter, and it only took me 35 minutes from start to finish. I am happy to say that I voted straight-party Republican, which I think is the first time I've ever done that without adding a few Libertarians or Democrats along the way. I always feel very refreshed walking out of a polling place...sort of like how I feel after playing trumpet after Catholic Mass. Funny how participating in democracy and in religion can give a similar feeling.

Family Guy is on. Stewey is playing the banjo with some rednecks. God Damn, this show makes me laugh!

And now an attempt at recounting the action packed weekend that was "Alyssa's Wedding 2004."

FRIDAY

I fortunately had the day off from work today which gave me an opportunity to get to Dallas in time to rehearse for the wedding. I left at 8:30 AM on a direct course to College Station. Destination: Room 108 of the Psychology Building at Texas A&M University for Shakespeare class with Dr. Douglas Brooks. I arrived about five minutes late which gave Dr. Brooks a lovely chance to call me out as I walked in. Actually he gave me a very nice introduction, and I responded with plenty of humor. The lecture was about Henry V and was very exciting in usual Dougie style. Class zoomed by, and some of the students chatted with me about medical school after class. The dude I sat next to is set to graduate in 2007. Holy shit, do you realize how young that is? I actually felt quite old at that moment. After class I went to the good doctor's office to chat and catch up. We had good conversation and then I headed off to meet Carolyn at David's house. We packed up the car and headed for Dallas.

Upon arriving I had a quick rehearsal for Alyssa's wedding and then got ready for the big rehearsal dinner at Cantina Laredo. I picked Mary up, and off we went. We sat with a bunch of people from New York and New England. Kyle and Josh (two of the groomsmen) were there along with their dates, Catherine and Michelle. We had a nice dinner: good conversation, the margaritas were flowing, and the food was good. Afterwards Mary and I were beat so we went home without post dinner celebrations. (Apparently many of the Northeasterners went to Dukes.) I went back to the house and played with Paris for an hour or so and hit the sack.

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SATURDAY

I awoke Saturday and of course played with the dog. Very little was accomplished in the morning, so finally 1:30 rolled around and I headed for All Saints Catholic Church in Dallas, TX. The ceremony was beautiful. I think my personal performance was adequate, but not brilliant. On the difficult stuff, I sort of lacked confidence and didn't really play my best. Fortunately any less than brilliant playing was covered by the organ and other trumpeter. The stuff I played solo was very pretty if I don't say so myself. So my overall evaluation was positive. As for the actual ceremony, I thought Father Paul did a great job. He isn't the Father Paul of 15 years ago, but he's still good. The poor guy is getting on in years and has been hobbled by recent surgeries and infirmities. He's such an awesome priest though. In fact he is married with kids, because he was Episcopalian before he converted to Catholicism which made it possible for him to have a family (Catholic priests aren't allowed to get married in case you hadn't noticed). The Bride was very pretty as to be expected, and both wedding parties were decked out in the usual garb. The ceremony lasted exactly one hour, which was good.

Then I went home to listen to the Aggies beat Colorado in overtime. It was a very exciting ending, and I wish I could have seen it. But radio sort of adds mystique to listening to an exciting ending. Carolyn, Dad, and I sat out on the patio with the dog listening to the Aggies go down by 3 with a minute to go then onto overtime with even more excitement.

Then it was time for the reception. It was held at the Northwood Country Club, which I've always thought was one of the most beautiful places in Dallas. The "pre-party" was nice. Lots of people running around with white wine and champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Mary and I caught up on the gossip of the day, drank a lot, and enjoyed the sunset on the patio overlooking the 18th hole. Then we all sat down to a lovely dinner. We were joined by two of Alyssa's friends from the CPA program at the University of Texas-Austin. I remember Ellen from a few parties in the state capitol. She was accompanied by her buddy who lives in Houston and is an Aggie alumnus. Dinner was good. There was a salad and some other food which tasted good. Then the toasts began and the dancing and the Texas/Texas Tech along with Boston/St. Louis games. Then there was more dancing and the thing ended. Mary and I moved on to the Hilton near the Galleria where all the wedding guests were staying. We watched the gripping conclusion of the Boston/St. Louis game and sort of mingled with the wedding people.

Then we went home and watched Ashlee Simpson (famous from a previous blog) get embarrassed on national television. She was about to sing her second number on Saturday Night Live when her voice mysteriously appeared over the PA...funny thing was she wasn't moving her lips. Oh, and apparently it was the same song she did for her first number. So that couldn't have been to fun for her.

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SUNDAY

I did very little on Sunday. I had a neurology test approaching that very Friday, and I should have been studying. So what did I do? I waited until after 6 to leave so I could watch the Cowboy's game. But did I study? Well yes but not enough. That wasn't too smart. The Cowboy's had their asses handed to them by the Packers. Then there was lots of driving. Driving to College Station, driving to Houston. Then I went to bed.

The Amazing Astros took a loss today to the Cardinals in extra innings. Jim Edmonds hit a home run to win. So, Roger Clemens will head to the hill tomorrow and try to close this thing out in what will be an amazing game seven to the NLCS. The BoSox are currently kicking the crap out of the Yankees 8-2 in the bottom of the seventh. Pedro is currently in relief for Derek Lowe who threw only 69 pitches to get through six full innings. Oh man, an Astros/BoSox world series would be awesome.

I finally have last weekend's pictures with Carolyn's new dog Paris up. They are included at the bottom of this blog. I also have included food supplements officially endorsed by the team of "top-notch" scientists (I originally used "crack" as an adjective) here at mytommyroshek.com® for all of you to see. If you enjoy being healthy, you might want to try these pills (except lycopene for the females).


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Interesting baseball news, the BoSox won their third in a row over the New York Baseball Yankees to force a game seven in the Bronx (that's where they play right...you know The Bronx Bombers?). Apparently no team has ever come back from three down to force a game seven. You gotta love the Red Sox on this one...let's hope Alyssa doesn't read this and get all flustered. Also, the Astros have taken a 3-2 game lead over the Cardinals after losing the first two games of the series. The Astros will have a chance to close out the series Wednesday in St. Louis. Let's hope Nick doesn't read this and get all flustered.

I got to watch last week's episode of Scrubs (with genius Zach Braff of Garden State), this evening via the magic of the DVR. J.D.'s dad dies in this episode, and the end of the episode is very touching in how J.D.'s brother (Tom Cavanagh) and Dr. Cox (John McGinley) provide friendship and support. Without getting too mushy, it sort of made me think of my parents and how good they've been to me. Actually, I was thinking about it earlier today as well, so it's been a theme today. They don't get enough credit for being so supportive and giving me the tools to make something of myself, so I guess I can do it in this here blog (how's that for technology). Anyway, thanks guys and I love you.

Interesting quote from TODD FOX of www.illegaluseofthemonkey.com and does tommyroshek love you (coming back soon) regarding relationships:

"I think of relationships with women in terms of Mr. Miyagi's advice to the Karate Kid - just focus on blocking, and the attacks will happen.

Ok, so I have no idea what that means."

Yep, I can always rely upon Todd for his profound words of wisdom.

For some very odd reason, I woke up early this morning. I literally have nothing to do today. I'll head over to church to practice for Alyssa's wedding next Saturday, watch Aggie football at 6:00 PM, and play with Paris. Paris is Carolyn's new white Yellow Labrador Retriever. She is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I think I've already taken 50 or so pictures, and I'll be sure to post many of them on this here blog.

Last night I got in pretty late after fighting traffic leaving Houston and entering Dallas. Central Expressway is shut down at the 635 intersection for High Five construction, so getting into town was frustrating (especially at 10:45 at night). However, I did drive past some sweet, sweet high school football. It was at the Rice Independent School District's stadium on Interstate-45, so I'm guessing the contest was between class 1A perennial powerhouses Rice High and Columbia High. I don't know who won or even if those are the correct teams, but for a millisecond I thought about stopping to watch the game. Then the millisecond passed and I kept driving.

Carolyn and David apparently spent the evening hanging out with up and coming pop stars Ashlee Simpson (Jessica's sister) and Ryan Cabrera at an uptown bar. Actually, there isn't anything "apparently" about it, as she was quick to show me pictures. The funny thing however, was Carolyn's excitement at Ashlee's cool leather shoes, not the part about hanging out with pop stars. Whatever, at least Carolyn is grounded (for the most part).

I should be talking more about The University of Texas M.D. Anderson. However, I get skittish on this blog because of the HIPAA laws regarding patient privacy and such. But I can still tell stories as long as I don't give patient identifying information and such. I have two sets of patients right now to whom I have become sort of attached. The first group came in from Missouri. The patient has a non-small cell lung cancer that is growing into the spinal cord causing arm and leg weakness. Actually the syndrome is called Brown-Sequard, because of how the tumor causes symptoms. It actually causes sensory symptoms on one side of the body and motor symptoms on the other. This occurs, because there are several "tracts" of nerve fibers the run in the spinal cord. Some are for motor (making your limbs move) and some are sensory (temperature, pain, light sensation, position sense). Feel free to read more about Brown-Sequard...the neuro-anatomy is fascinating. I have included a diagram of where these tracts are so you can see how a tumor might cause the different kinds of symptoms. Thanks to Rusty Jones' Medical Legal Illustrations (who remarkably lives a few miles north of me in McKinney, Texas) from whose website I took this image.

Anyway, the patient's sister, wife, and two daughters are in town from Missouri, and I think they're wonderful people. The sister (who is in her 70's) compared me to her grandson who plays trumpet and works at a bank (as I have done). So I go and see this family every day, even though neurology is no longer following this patient.

My other patient is a guy from Highland Park (a wealthy suburb of Dallas) whose wife I've become friends with. This fellow had a squamous cell cancer of the esophagus that required the surgeons to cut out his entire esophagus. I did a similar procedure a few months back at Baylor (which was documented in this blog, a patient who by the way also turned out to be a great friend of mine). Anyway, the wife sort of takes care of the patient and has a very thorough recollection of her husband's daily medical condition and is a great resource for me. She is very pleasant and makes this job very rewarding.

So while it's tough working at M.D. Anderson where everyone has cancer and many are not going to survive, there are an equal number of success stories and lasting relationships to be made. I think that's the case in any medical field. Physicians don't have the answers to everything, but thankfully we can do a lot.

Finally, my Aggies won again this evening. We beat 16th ranked Oklahoma State 36-20, but it really was a blowout. OSU was never in the game at any point. A&M dominated throughout. So hopefully we'll move up in the polls. I'm guessing 18 or 19 in the AP poll and 20 or 21 in the coach’s poll. We'll know Sunday evening.

Today I took several pictures of the Texas Medical Center and The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. I plan to take even more, but I have provided several offerings on this here blog. Today was yet another beautiful day. It started off with very beautiful but dense clouds. But they burned off by noon and left Houston with one of the most beautiful and cool days of the year. There is no question fall is here (which makes me very happy). Anyway, the TMC is a spectacular place to learn how to be a doctor. When this is all said and done, I will be able say without hyperbole that I trained at the finest medical center in the world. I hope you enjoy the images.

In other news, the Astros lost again to the Cards. It was one of those classic games with the cold rain falling, lots of homeruns, and lots of outbursts from someone in the TV room who claims St. Louis teams as his own. Too mad the Astros can't seem to close the deal in the playoffs. Oh well, they'll give it a try in Houston this weekend.

Currently on ESPN2, The Worldwide Leader in Sports, there is a high school football game. Southlake Carroll and Denton Ryan high school are playing one another on national television in a competition of two major North Texas powerhouses. Southlake is a nice area between Fort Worth and Dallas, while Denton is about 35 minutes north of Dallas. Carrol is the number one ranked high school football team in the country and will retain that distinction after tonight. They are ahead 45-27 with 6 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Friday Night Lights indeed. But who needs Odessa and Midland when you have Dallas/Fort Worth?

Finally, tonight was good for television. David Letterman had Billy Crystal on and Jay Leno had Robin Williams on. These four people are among the greatest comics of their era. I grew up watching all four in television and film and greatly respect their talent. It's cool to see them still making people laugh.

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The drive to work this morning was interesting. I was on Highway 59 headed northeast on my way to Highway 288 to go to school. Near the origin of my trip, there are several pretty bridges crossing over 59. One is Hazard street, which is where I live, then there are three more bridges as you head east. Today, there were people holding up signs and waving for all the morning commuters to see. The first said VOTE, the second said KERRY, the third said DUMP, and the fourth said BUSH. I took pictures of 3 of these bridges and will attempt to take them again closer up tomorrow if they return. I was very amused with their enthusiasm and creativity, even if I don't agree with the message. I will be taking pictures around The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center today, so hopefully I can get those posted for you to see.

More to come...

Not much to talk about. I made the fish dinner discussed yesterday. I was quite pleased with the result. In addition to the marinated Mangrove Snapper, we had a mango salsa thing which had black beans in it; plus there was a Cesar Salad involved. So hurray for that.

I'll be heading to Dallas this weekend to begin formal practice on Alyssa's wedding music. Don is supposed to fax me the music today, and I've been building stamina for the past few weeks or so. I'm really looking forward to this event. Plus, Mary Mathieu will be accompanying me, so there is absolutely no possibility that an unfavorable time could be had. Seriously, it's going to be a beautiful wedding, and I couldn't be happier to be contributing in such an artistic way (instead of just being an usher or groomsman or whatever).

The weather is beautiful. Blue sky and wonderful temperatures. Jesus, it's beautiful. I've been watching reruns of The West Wing on Bravo. My DVR makes this possible. I now have a mini library of several shows. It's the coolest thing ever. Speaking of cool, I have included the picture below for the pleasure of Nathan Beach.

So I meant to talk about this Saturday, but I've decided that it is officially Fall. The weather here in Houston today was the most beautiful I've seen in a long time. The sky was a piercing blue and every once-in-a-while there was a cloud. The breeze was cool and the temperature maybe got up to 82 or so today. I slept with my window open last night, and I will do the same tonight. Can you beat that? Maybe if I learn to be a surgeon on the East Coast or up north I can get this more often.

It must also be noted that I made a trip to HEB's Central Market today. I haven't been to the greatest grocery store in the world in at least a year, so it was like being a kid in a candy store. When one visits this particular place after not visiting in over a year, one tends to spend too much money. I sort of purchased filet mignon, a prime rib eye, some scallops, lots of beer, lots of wine, and lots of really good food. I'm not happy about this, but I will be the rest of the week when I'm consuming all of this top-notch expensive food. Tonight I put a bunch of mangrove snapper filets in a bag full of some marinade I created this evening (with the help of Bobby Flay). I think tomorrow is gonna be a good evening...

There was college football to be had yesterday. But before that, there were some errands to be had first. There wasn't much to do until about 4 PM when I went over to school to have a meeting about the trip to China in April. The professor in charge has been doing this for 20 years, so the whole schedule has been maximized to a tee. I really think this is going to be an amazing trip to learn not only Eastern medicine but the Chinese culture and all that it implies. The group is small this year, which I love, because it will force all of us to hang out for the duration of the trip. Last year there were 22 people, which seems like it would be way too many people to keep track of. Plus, we're having a meeting once a month at someone's house to talk about the trip (what to bring, what to expect, tips on Chinese culture, et cetera). I think the monthly meetings will be a great opportunity for us to bond a bit before the trip. This is going to be an incredible month!

Then it was off to the Sprint Store to see why my phone isn't working anymore. I thought maybe they would hook me up with a new phone (of course they won't) but did offer me $150 off a new one if I agree to sign A TWO YEAR CONTRACT with them. TWO YEARS?? Please, there is no way I'd make a commitment like that, even though I've been with Sprint since 1999. I think when my current contract expires (around the time I start residency), I'll think about switching carriers. I'm just sort of tired of Sprint and need a change.

Next it was time for College Football. Since the game is pay-per-view, I decided to watch a bar called Buffalo Wild Wings, which had the game on several big screen TVs. I was joined by Anne Mahan a classmate and good friend. We had some nice wings while watching the game, and the Aggies dominated Iowa State for the win. You have to respect the 34-3 win over a Big 12 opponent. The Aggies look good, but a good test will be next week at Oklahoma State who is currently ranked 22 in the country. I doubt A&M will break into the top 25 this week, but if we beat OSU we most certainly will.

Anne and I then hung around the house for a bit before catching a midnight movie at the River Oaks Theatre on W. Gray. The offering was Evil Dead 2, part of the Evil Dead franchise created by Sam Raimi (also of Spiderman fame). I remember seeing Evil Dead 2 when I was in Elementary school. It was back in my "rent horror films" phase when any number of friends would get together for some weekend scariness. That sort of brings me to the good old days when I would go over to Zaid Kharrat's house after school and have popcorn and watch Duck Tales. On the weekends we'd get Craig Allen and Sean Heaney involved and make fake Saturday Night Live videos (which were hysterical if I don't say so myself). Oh my gosh that was a long time ago. Evil Dead 2 was outstanding, most notably the one-liners and the hooligans in the back who engaged in running commentary. Overall I was pleased to see the film. And more importantly it was nice to hang out with Anne, who I hadn't seen much of since the end of the second year.

It should be noted that today is UT/OU weekend up in Dallas at the world famous Cotton Bowl. It is also the day of the homecoming dance at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas. I plan on watching football all day. A&M/Iowa state happens at 6 PM tonight on pay-per-view, the biggest sham in the history of the world.

Then I think I have a meeting about how we arrange the trip to China I'll be making in April of 2005. There are also undercurrents of going to Greece for a few weeks in May with some classmates. Let's hope that comes true as well.

Song of the Day: Radiohead's "Let Down" from the album OK Computer

Holy crap I'm miserable. I'm just sitting here on a Friday night doing absolutely nothing. I have no motivation to go out, nor do I have the creativity to do something else. I'll probably go make use of my new DVR and watch TV until I fall asleep.

I caught the last 30 minutes of the presidential debate tonight. Politics are such a joke. However, I shudder at the thought that John Kerry, a man who has introduced three bills in twenty years of being in the senate, could be our next president (could that really be true?). Yikes.

NathanBeach.com called this evening to let me know he was at my high school's homecoming game. That got me all excited, so I kept checking DallasNews.com for updated scores and found out that Pearce beat rival Richardson for the 9th time in the last 11 years (34-31). That puts Pearce at 5-1 (2-1) atop District 10-5A. So hurray for victory on homecoming night.

Speaking of high school, Brian Eisemann e-mailed me tonight with a website that is customized according to one's name. Even you can try it. Where is says "your name" you actually type your name there. So go to yourname.youaremyfriend.com So I'd type tommyroshek.youaremyfriend.com That's all I care to say about that.

Now I'm just rambling. I seriously have nothing here. Ugh.

Song of the Day: Enya’s “Orinoco Flow” from the album Watermark

Yesterday was interesting (to say the least). Work was nice as usual, and then things turned social. I had a doubles match with world-renowned cardiologist Cezar Iliescu, but it was cancelled on the account of rain. Apparently we were going to play against two older Romanian gentlemen, and one of them backed out. Oh well, the cancellation cleared the way for my meeting with our med school group who is organizing the banquet. We were able to summarize the results of a survey I sent to all of my classmates on location, food, entertainment, cost, et cetera and got the ball rolling on all the arrangements. I thought it was reasonably productive, and we have good people doing the hard work, so I'm very pleased. I think this will be an excellent way to end the 4th year, assuming I match somewhere and get to become a surgeon. Sweet

Then I checked my mail and found a letter from a "graduate school of management". Wait until you see from where the letter came. Maybe it's an omen. Maybe I'm not cut out for this whole doctor thing. Oh God, I'm screwed.

Next up was dinner at Jason's Deli with Nick. You gotta love the Jason's Deli. They make good stuff, but the best part is the yogurt cone at the end. I mean come on, unlimited dessert? Insane. Then we went over to Angela's house to make sure she was alive. It turns out that indeed she was alive and was busy entertaining guests. She also had a big test today, so she was unable to go out with Nick and me. So we went on our way to a little German pub on Kirby. Indeed, we thought we were meeting people there, but it was the wrong place. So we watched some of the Yankees/Twins game (which the Yankees eventually won unfortunately) and headed for the Mucky Duck near our house on Kirby and Richmond. I hadn't ever frequented this particular establishment, but it turned out to be very good. There was a group of rag tag people up on stage playing Irish jigs compete with accordion, drum, flute, recorder, guitar, and others. They were quite good if I don't say so myself. They played forever, which was fine because it was the perfect volume. I was really impressed with the whole thing. There we met up with Ann, Brent, Stephanie Pickel, Lori, Autumn, a neurosurgeon at Baylor College of Medicine, and the neurosurgeon's daughter. I think the surgeon was called Dr. Bob, and he seemed very cool. He trained at the University of Minnesota, so I mentioned I'm from there and I'm applying to Hennepin County's surgery program. We had a good conversation. Then a bunch of people left and went to sleep, and the rest came over to Club 1948 for some post party. Brent, Pickle, and Ann came over briefly for some conversation. We watched 15 minutes of Eternal Sunshine (again), then everyone got tired and went home. It was fun.

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Song of the Day: Three Dog Night's "Eli's Coming" from the album Suitable for Framing

Just saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with Seema and Nick. Can you say greatness? This little piece was written by a guy named Charlie Kaufman who also wrote Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. Looks like we may have another genius on our hands. The movie is unbelievably creative and will probably take a few more viewings to catch all the subtleties. However, I think I actually understand the timeline correctly, which is probably a nice feat. So be on the look out for Charlie Kaufman...he's a winner.

It is also of note that Jim Carrey was absolutely fantastic in this film. He stars alongside Kate Winslet who was also very convincing as the flaky but charming girlfriend. Don't you love how quickly Jim Carrey has made the transition from slapstick to drama? I sort of compare this transition to Robin Williams, except Williams did comedy on TV first then dove straight into drama with The World According to Garp, did drama and comedy, then went back to drama. Whatever, he does everything all the time. These guys are unbelievably versatile and talented. Seriously, I'm really floored by how much I am interested by the film, which yet again continues the string (started this summer) of seeing wonderful movies. Thanks to Seema J. and Nathan Beach for their persistent praise of the film and encouraging me to see it... and again to Seema for actually renting it and bringing it over.

Neurology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is going very well. I'm already feeling comfortable diagnosing many of the patients, which I think is a product of being a fourth year student. Hopefully things will continue to chug along, as I'm enjoying this sharply accelerated learning curve.

Song of the Day: Blur's "Badhead" from the album Parklife

Coincidence (n.):

1. A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged.
2. mytommyroshek.com blog entries

Two blogs ago, I sarcastically remarked that I need to be careful with what I write here in virtual reality, as someone of importance might someday read the information which could theoretically have some effect on my actual life. Well, today that very circumstance occurred. It seems one of the residency programs to which I am applying noticed my e-mail address ended in tommyroshek.com and decided to check it out. Hopefully he or she got a kick out of the writings and enjoyed it as much as the rest of us do. We here at the mytommyroshek.com® family of webpages strive to produce the highest quality infotainment value for you the reader. And if you're a program director or residency coordinator, just think how much fun it would be to have a creative and articulate person (such as myself perhaps) at the office everyday. Gosh sure sounds like fun!

But in all seriousness, I've really enjoyed blogging my daily activities here in cyberspace. I think this medium provides an excellent opportunity for me to keep in touch with all of my friends around the world without me even knowing it. I think people thus far have enjoyed it, and I hope you will too. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading!

And now, here is today's fun fact, which applies to this blog entry:

Ironic (adj): Characterized by or constituting irony

Usage Note: The words ironic, irony, and ironically are sometimes used of events and circumstances that might better be described as simply "coincidental" or "improbable," in that they suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly. Thus 78 percent of the Usage Panel rejects the use of ironically in the sentence "In 1969 Susie moved from Ithaca to California where she met her husband-to-be, who, ironically, also came from upstate New York." Some Panelists noted that this particular usage might be acceptable if Susie had in fact moved to California in order to find a husband, in which case the story could be taken as exemplifying the folly of supposing that we can know what fate has in store for us. By contrast, 73 percent accepted the sentence "Ironically, even as the government was fulminating against American policy, American jeans and videocassettes were the hottest items in the stalls of the market", where the incongruity can be seen as an example of human inconsistency.

Thanks to dictionary.com for providing today's definitions and usage notes.

Let us discuss the greatness that is the digital video recorder or DVR. Satellite and cable companies offer this device similar to the brand named TiVO which invented the technology. Today (after hearing that such a device was available from Time Warner Cable from April and TODD FOX), I went to my local Time Warner Cable retail location to pick up my DVR. And not only does this DVR work on regular cable TV, it also records cable in High Definition. So what I'm doing right now is watching by Aggies kick the shit out of Kansas State. The cool part of the deal, however, is the ability for me to leave the game at anytime (say for instance to get some Greek food from Niko Niko's) then come back and not miss a play. It's the coolest thing ever. And because I'm behind the live feed, I can fast forward through the commercials. This is going to be awesome for hockey, especially in HD (if there is a hockey season).

Yesterday I started the fourth rotation of my fourth year. It is called neurology. I'll be rotating at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer; the finest cancer center in the world. I don't take call, and I don't take weekends, so I'm very pleased about that. It will be nice to learn a thorough neuro exam, and hopefully I'll learn how to read MRI's and CT scans.

Last night there was some tennis to be had with world renowned cardiologist Cezar Iliescu. Since I didn't eat anything all day, my energy wasn't up to par, and I didn't play as well as I would have liked. After tennis I joined Beth Cochran (recently returned from her family practice rotation in Lubbock) along with Rob Koval, Artie Cantu, Julie Karns, and a few others. We took the train downtown and had a few drinks at the Licor Lounge. The interesting thing about the evening was the large Asian population at the bar. This was interesting, because after midnight I remember not a single White or Black person entering the place. Everyone was Asian. I remember looking up and feeling like I was in a far away land. I might need to investigate this phenomenon. (begin social commentary) It sort of reminded me of the time during my first year of medical school when I visited the local Denny's around midnight on a Saturday to study. Everyone in the restaurant was Black. It was really cool to sort of experience being the minority. Sort of like going to the Gallant Knight during the week. Seriously, White males age 18-45 don't get that opportunity very often in this country, and I think it's an important learning experience. (end social commentary) So we had a delightful time, and I met a nice Catholic girl who was in the Peace Corps for a few years. Then the bar closed and we took the train back up where we started. It was a nice evening. I will try to get some pictures.

Also you'll notice a new icon at the bottom of my blog entries. It is an envelope. If you click on said envelope, you can e-mail my blog entry to anyone in the world. So happy e-mailing and feel good about it.