Public Bathrooms

So I'm in this restroom at this store with mirrored floors, and I notice that you can look at the guy in the stall next door in the mirrored floor. Weird.

Everybody Likes a Festschrift

Writing from the Apple store in Manhattan 5th Ave and 59th St. Great place. Free inernet. Exciting atmosphere.

Feel free to check out the looks I put together at Shopstyle.com (http://www.shopstyle.com/page/BrowseStylebooks?searchString=teddydouglas). Cool site.

Congratulations to all the recent and upcoming graduates!

NY Driving Tips

Most of us are familiar with the traffic light. The color of the light signals when we may drive (green light, go) and when we must stop (red light, stop). But what many tourists quickly learn is that in New York, the traffic light is an audio-visual experience. Relative quiet together with a red light means stop, and noisy honking signals an upcoming green and warns you to prepare to hit the gas.

Where Are All the People?

We did another experiment in lab. It was awful. You stare at the screen and watch little dots appear and disappear. And the monitors have low refresh rates. Not everyone is affected by this, but anything under 75 hz or so bothers me; it looks like the whole screen is flickering.

It's finals season. Classes are winding down it is time to severely hit the books. Incidentally, the weather has been gorgeous and I'd rather be outdoors. I bought a necklace at Guess in the mall, then looked up the piece online when I got home and found it was missing one of the charms. I ordered a new one from Amazon and plan to go back and return the broken one. When I paid in the store, they were training a new rep so it took her forever to ring up the sale. Then she tried to wrap it up and just ended up with a ball of wrapping paper. The saleswoman asked if it was a gift and I almost felt guilty saying no.

Spoke to my mother about my plans for next year. I still don't have any. Work or learn or both, I don't know and it scares me to think about it. One thing I probably will be doing is applying to schools. Actually, just applying. In general. If anyone asks what I am doing next year, I'm applying.

"Applying to what?"

"Doesn't matter; I'm applying."

Either for jobs or for schools or simply applying myself to whatever I'm doing. Like now, I'm applying myself to blabbering.

I finally finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha. Good book; made me think a little. I love Amazon.com. I preordered Harry Potter 7. Don't know if I plan to read it, but I'm sure someone in my family will want to. The book is already a bestseller and it won't be out for over 2 months.

I read a curious little article in the New York Times recently from a book reviewer about the pleasures of reading bad books, so I thought I'd give it a try reading books even if they haven't withstood the test of time and emerged as classics. Makes sense: how will you learn to evaluate books if you only read a certain kind? You won't be able to make the necessary contrasts if you don't have what to contrast with. I haven't yet chosen my first bad book to read. Suggestions welcome. Bad books that are worth it, anyone?

Uncomfortable to Talk About It

I had a lot of fun with the go-go boys at a club in the city the other night. I was so shy, it's funny. Some guy who was talking to me handed me a dollar bill and said to go stick it in the boy's underwear. It was so awkward at first, but fun. You get to feel up the boys and watch them dance on the bar in front of your face. Several people offered to take me home but I declined. I didn't kiss anyone or have sex or anything. Just dancing and touching, so I think that's safe. I don't feel good about it, but then, I don't feel good about much in general so I don't know.

I was very shy, just like standing around, walking around, and people came over to me and said I looked cute and stuff, but I wasn't really interested in most of them. And when I saw someone who was hot, my heart stopped and all I could do was stare and I didn't have the courage to go flirt with him. So I was left in a pretty messed up situation.

Computers are the Enemy

I couldn't comment directly because of the spam robot test letters which I couldn't see, so I'll put it in a trackback:

Wow, there really is a place where all the boys look like abercrombie models? Aw well, you'll have fun in Brooklyn. It is too bad he'll be Kenny not Cody or Bryce.

pic from Eyecatcher

A Response to Drazen

Has the Court Been Practicing Medicine?

In a recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Drazen chastises the Supreme Court for meddling in affairs which he believes should be discussed and decided by "informed and knowledgeable people who are acting in the best interests of a specific patient" and not by blanket rules created by government and regulated by the courts.

Dr. Drazen points out the "disastrous consequences of congressional interference in the case of Terry Schiavo" (namely, that Schiavo's death may have been delayed) and bemoans the Supreme Court's decision in Gonzalez v. Carhart as an unfortunate foray by the courts into the realm of medical practice.

A careful examination of the Court's decision, however, reveals that it did take into account the physician's discretion and the best interests of the individual patient. The Court merely upheld a congressional ruling that once the head or at least half the body of a baby has been delivered, it too is a patient whose best interests the physician must also have in mind. The Court is not telling doctors how to practice medicine; it is performing its duty as set forth in the Constitution, to interpret the law and promote the general welfare.

While it would be unfortunate if this decision became a precedent for more intrusive invasions of government into medical practice, this decision seems confined to a very specific interest in preserving the life of our country's newest citizens. Doctors' practice of medicine remains, as of this ruling, outside the scope of judicial interference.

Dangers of Alcohol

Alcohol Warning Video

Today I woke up late as usual. No I wasn't drinking, it would interact with the antidepressants. Just stayed up late reading. Yesterday, when I went to the gym there was a swim meet at the pool which ended just as I finished my workout so the locker room was filled with boys in speedos and less. Hot.

I confronted my professor about an ethics violation in one of his experiments. He shrugged it off. I'm thinking of reporting it, but don't want trouble.

Jakey

Poor Jakey, he's had a rough time. I wish I could make it all better. Good luck with your move!

Pink

Oh yeah, and pink is in. I've been getting this feeling more and more the past few days as I walked the streets of Manhattan. Everybody's doing it. A guy used to have to "pull off" pink. Now, it isn't even fashion, it has almost become the norm. You almost have to have a reason not to wear it. Today, the NYT wrote about it.

I Missed Charlie Bartlett at Tribeca

So I went to a lag ba'omer bonfire last night, but I quickly forgot about the fire as I became deeply engrossed in conversation with a really cute guy I met there. I am usually too shy to go over and introduce myself to someone I am interested in, so it was a real Rashbi miracle that he came over to me. I was in heaven.

After they put out the fire, the little kids, full of energy at half past midnight, began playing with the charred wood and lighter fluid. They had a blast lighting little fires and beating each other with brooms. Does Fisher-Price know how much fun kids can have with this stuff?

Today, I made up a menu for the week's dinners. My little bro complained about some of the more exotic dishes, but tonight went over pretty well.

Lag Ba'omer Sameach

It is Shabbat Across America weekend, beginning tonight. Contact your local synagogue (call before sundown or just walk in) to find out how you can participate. Saturday night is Lag Ba'omer, traditionally celebrated by songs, bonfires, bow and arrow competitions, visits to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's grave site in Meron, and young boys' first haircut.

Speaking of haircuts, I just got mine at Laicale. It came out pretty good, but I still have to see what it'll look like after a shower. The music there was odd, but the service was pleasant.

Do I Worry Too Much? Or Not Enough?

Am I too paranoid? Do I need recognition from others to bolster my lacking self-esteem?

Areas to increase my proficiency for my Resume:

Get more specialized computer education.
Research experience in basic sciences. (Check: upcoming summer job.)
Publish. (Ideas: letter to editor, submit articles to mags, small newspapers, etc.)Trouble is, we don't have local newspapers of value in New York; all people read are the giants New York Times, etc.
Study for GRE, LSAT

Diagnosing Yourself and Others

So now, I got a new diagnosis. I am so excited by all these wonderful disorders I have! It's cool. If you haven't tried it yet, you should try to have a disorder sometime. Personality disorders are pretty easy, so I recommend you try one of those if you are just starting out.

Car Accidents as a Way of Life

I was just leaving my psychologist's office. I started pulling out of a parking space, when a large white van bumped into my car. The other driver and I got out and surveyed the damage, which b"h wasn't too great. He immediately claimed my blinkers were off, so he didn't know I was pulling out. I said they were on, and anyway, he should have been watching the road. My car isn't so small that he wouldn't have seen it without blinkers. And, anyway, I am pretty sure my blinkers were on.

So he hit me. I should have seen him coming, but someone must have tilted my mirror while I was out so I didn't realize but I was partly blinded so I didn't see him coming.

And so, there are two sides to every story. But moreover, there are two sides because it is a story. What really happened? Who is at fault? Do we need fault and blame?

It is funny. As soon as he began saying to witnesses that my blinkers were off, I knew it almost didn't pay to argue. He had implanted the memory within their minds because they didn't notice blinkers one way or the other, they were busy minding their own business. Whatever. Doesn't matter. The damage was minimal. But this happens every day on a larger scale with more at stake and it kills people and destroys the world that tragedy and fighting always continue on and on.

It would make a great story because you could say I am on antidepressants and feeling reckless and suicidal and was in a heightened emotional state and am disturbed because I was at the shrink. Be great reality TV. Or one of those "high profile" cases. "Gay Icon Teddy Douglas Blindsided by Unidentified Motorist"