Pop Culture References

10/01/12

Happy October dear readers!

So today, in addition to a normal regime of lectures (action potentials, spinal cord and autonomics, and control of the cell cycle), we also had a seminar on Wellness and Lifestyle (preventative) medicine. This was really interesting to me for two reasons: 

1. It wasn't a seminar that requires much study and yet it will still be on the exam. Victory. 

and 2. I am really interested in preventative medicine. As many of you know I did my undergraduate thesis on legislation aimed at preventing the spread of whooping cough in California. I am really interested in pursuing a career in public health and preventative medicine is an important component of that (as well as other medicine, though it is largely neglected). 

One of the most interesting parts of the seminar was on how most causes of death are preventable, even heart attacks (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1109/03/cp.01.html) (though I would say, to a certain extent anyways); most deaths are caused by habits (tobacco, lack of exercise, proper diet, etc) as opposed to other causes. Preventative and lifestyle medicine really do seem key to living a healthy life. The other component was on how to live a balanced lifestyle (between occupational, intellectual, physical, social, spiritual, and emotional). Unfortunately for me a big theme of that seemed to be that medical school is inherently unbalanced, but you do have to try your best to keep up some semblance of balance. That said I did skip zumba today... I had my honors quiz (good news! I did pretty well. Not amazingly well, but passable. I will keep stepping it up until the exam on Monday and hopefully my hard work will pay off with an A!) and that took up hours that I felt really needed to be devoted to studying. On the upside, at least I walked to and from the freshman part of campus (maybe a 30 minute walk roundtrip) instead of taking the shuttle! Inherently unbalanced is right. 

The seminar also got a little political, which if you know me well you know that's something I love! Basically the breakdown was the haves (healthcare costs on average about $12,000 a year if you were to purchase it yourself) and the have-nots, the 47 million people without insurance. Isn't that a crazy number? Fortunately this looks like it will change with the Affordable Care Act, which may increase coverage of maybe 30 million of those people (including millions of children who currently lack coverage). It was really interesting and definitely increased my interest in preventative care (it has been quantified according to a study he showed us; a dollar invested in preventative care (exercise classes, healthy food, etc) is worth approximately $15-17 in medical treatment) as well as my commitment to giving back to my community be it through volunteering at free clinics or working on public health initiatives somehow. One of my incredibly mature older friends (maybe) texted me to tell me how the professor was my perfect man--too hippy for him. I will never understand his politics! 

The other thing related to this (and more related to the previous point, the haves and the have-nots, sorry this post is all over the place! I'm trying to be quick!) was his point about how the US leads the world in healthcare....profits. Our doctors, hospital administrators, etc are among the most well-paid in the world. But in terms of comprehensive care? If you bring a child with a broken arm to a hospital in Dominica, you will never see a bill for that care. He pointed out a list of the "Best Healthcare in the World," and the US is ranked 37, two spots behind Dominica. http://www.businessinsider.com/best-healthcare-systems-in-the-world-2012-6?op=1. That is pretty darn shocking if you ask me. Granted, if I get seriously sick here please ship me back to the United States, but there it is. We really need healthcare to change in the United States if we are to compete with the world, and more importantly, provide the best care to folks in the US. As my professor pointed out today, it's unacceptable to have kids not getting treated for easily preventable conditions! 

But enough about politics, and to something entirely different-- a bit about one of my other favorite style icons, Taylor Swift! I am probably one of the biggest T-Swift fans out there, I love her music, I love her look, and I wish I knew her, because I'd love to be her friend too! She just seems so nice! (Side note about this; so today at the honors quiz, one of my friends came up to me looking super tired, poor guy probably had just woken up! But anyways, he comes up to me and said how happy he is to see me everyday because I'm so happy and chipper and positive attitude-y! That make me ridiculously happy, that's really how I want to be! I have noticed how infectious attitudes really are, so I have been trying to bring the positive one that I can to the table, even though classes are really hard and sometimes I'm pretty homesick. I want to be that energetic and optimistic girl, and it seems that I'm on my way!) I saw a Yahoo news article (http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/jam/taylor-swift-john-mayer-presumptuous-think-dear-john-162907405.html) about her today, she is Glamour's current covergirl. Below are some of the pictures from that photoshoot. She's also on the mind, because one of the college's near where I attended just won the VH1 Storyteller's Contest, so she'll be performing a small concert there! I would be a little more bummed out about missing that, but I am lucky enough to have seen her twice in concert before on her Fearless and Speak Now tours. 

(Glamour)

I love this dress! So cute! Cute cut, cute shoes. I love her hair too. I have never been a big fan of wearing my hair down since it stopped being stick straight, but hers looks so amazing! I will have to try it. I will have to get used to it more than anything, but she looks so great! I like her bag too. Perhaps my opinion is slightly biased on that though, of all things I forgot to bring here, I managed to not bring a purse! I guess I figured I would just always have my backpack with me so I could stash my keys and wallet in that. I guess I didn't think about going out to dinner or hitting the beach or any of those things! Now I know what to bring back with me in January!

(Glamour)

There are a few things I really like about her music. The biggest one is just that it's so relatable. Her songs in many ways really do convey what it's like to be a girl growing up, falling in love, getting your heartbroken, all of that (and especially the last two). Her music I find to be harmless pop music; there is nothing derogatory about her music, it's just a girl singing about her thoughts, feelings, and sometimes here experiences. I'll always remember that one interview she did, I think with Today, where one of the hosts why she wrote songs about the wrongs done to her in relationships, and she replied with something to the effect of how if they didn't do anything wrong, she wouldn't write about it. I just find her music to be real, which is refreshing. I also think it's cool that she can actually sing and writes all of her songs herself. So many artists can't really sing and there's whole production and writing teams that come up with their songs. Swift's are so much more personal and I think that's pretty cool. On some level though, I really am ready for something new from her! I love her albums that are out, but I am ready for something a little different! Maybe it's just because I'm getting a little older, but I can't help but feel that she should go out and do something...go to college, or travel, or get a job, or something so she can have some new fodder for songs, other than dating a Kennedy.

(Glamour) 

Really bright red or pink lipstick is definitely a favorite of hers! It's a look I love too, even brought some bright pinks and reds with me here. Here's an article about her other signature style moves http://www.glamour.com/beauty/blogs/girls-in-the-beauty-department/2012/10/an-ode-to-taylor-swifts-4-sign.html. I do love the curly hair; I will have to come to peace with mine and wear it down sometime. 

UPDATE: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/school-deaf-children-receives-50-000-internet-prank-193007336.html I just think Taylor Swift (in addition to having great style) is a great human being. For a 22 or so year old, she's really got class. 

That's it for now! I have some exams coming up (Microanatomy exam on Monday morning, Anatomy (lab) practical on Monday afternoon, and then the comprehensive unit 2 exam) so I likely won't be on here much in the coming week! It's unfortunate timing; I was hoping to do some cliff jumping and exploring of the island this weekend, but another time! The anatomy practice test was scheduled during that time. Need to rock these exams, phoenix style! Rising out of the ashes.  

But happy October! I hope everyone has a great week and I will be back on here soon!