My anatomy class got me thinking about how many muscles were not worked by my old workout programs. Like the fifty in your hands and forearms. I wanted to design a more comprehensive program.

I bought a set of adjustable dumbbells, Weider Powerswitch, and conveniently stored them in one corner of my room. Weights between 10 and 50 pounds, 5lb increments, are possible with minimal space required.

I'm one week through my new program.

So far my progress is notable.

The three main lifting days include one for upper body and one for lower. The third is concentrated on the large superficial muscles that would cause whistles or snickers, depending on size.

Also included is one day for increasing flexibility through yoga, and a day for cardio through running.

Last is a pseudo-restday that works the aforementioned hand, forearm, and feet muscles that Nobody worries about.

Is it a good balance? I haven't decided yet, but so far this works better for my schedule than trying to do P90X every day.

With my spreadsheet, I work the next routine listed and move that sheet to the far bottom right. Then the next time I have a chance to sweat, I tackle the next challenge.

Send me your thoughts!

"The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, and chance. See a man grow rich, they say, "How lucky he is!" Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim, "How highly favored he is!" And noting the saintly character and wide influence of another, the remark, "How chance aids him at every turn!"
- James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

Tonight my dad mentioned he'd hate to study as often as I study, and I believe him. I believe most people are incapable of calling what I live every day as Living at all. Yet I love my existence, and choose each day to push on towards my goal.

I wonder: Is my self-loving nature necessary to endure the effort?

James Allen stated results are easier to recognize and effort is often invisible. If I joined the world in not loving me for my sacrifices, what engine would drive me to proceed?

Confidence is not a problem with which I struggle, its deficiency does not afflict me.

I wrestle with myself from time to time, asking whether my apparent cockiness is my flaw. Perhaps so or, alternatively, perhaps it is a necessity.

Or perhaps I'm rationalizing and that is how I endure! I postponed my MCAT - six weeks left to study.

All joking aside

I'm nocturnal because I fear darkness.

Mario Capecchi won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and starting Wednesday I work in his research lab!

I'll work directly under one of his staff MD/PhDs, specifically the one manipulating the genes of the mouse brain.

The position is unpaid for now, with funding hopefully coming in one form or another starting in the summer or fall. I do not know of a more prestigious lab in Utah.

This is a fabulous boost to the ol' med school application; I can't believe my luck!

According to the U, the average student accepted to medical school has 48 hours of research experience. Each week for 16 months I'll work 17ish hours for a total of over 1000 should I complete my commitment.

Yesterday was a very good day.

Yesterday I sprained my ankle on an 8' hoop with nobody guarding me.

Today is Happy Valentine's Day! and that has me a little depressed. Don't worry, I won't go cynical and whine about how Valentine's needs to be abolished, abandoned, and beaten.

If I had a more stable romantic situation I'm sure I'd be all over this day.

Like in years past.

Much of this month has been spent taking stock of what I have and what I want. I've not figured out either. It's my fault.

I know I can be difficult.

I want to be better, whatever that means, but I also want to be me. 'Me' is a difficult person to spend three years with.

School's kept me busy for the past two weeks, but I feel great about last Thursday's first human anatomy test of the semester.

I get my score Tuesday and I'm hoping for - and tentatively expecting - an A!

There're probably advantages to driving what looks like a police car. Flagging down help when you break down is not one of them.

The U requires one 'diversity' class to graduate, which is why I'm studying the history of jazz (not the Deron Williams kind). It counts because of the obvious influence of African-Americans on the music.

Here's the thing, there's a black girl in the class. This leads to two possible reactions.

1) Is this girl really learning about black history and culture from the class, and therefore should she be getting diversity credit...

2) If this's NOT a diversity class for her, doesn't that mean her other 117 credits are a diversity lesson?

Maybe I'm being insensitive, but regardless I'll give her a pass on this one.

Yesterday I didn't mention that tomorrow is my first anatomy lab with cadavers.

Funny story: I heard that last semester a student used vicks vapor rub to mask the formaldehyde and decay smells. Now that student gags everytime he smells Vicks.

Needless to say I will let the smell of formaldehyde remind me of formaldehyde instead of using a more common compound!

I'm taking 'Anatomy of the Human Body' at the U this semester.

It's four credits of holy-hell intensity like I've never studied before. Only the reminder that anatomy is important for doctors is keeping me sane.

Lectures are four times weekly plus a two-hour lab with actual cadavers, meaning six hours of new material to memorize each week.

My study group - an outlier in that it's mostly male - is trying to locate exams from past semesters and we've had a little success.

I'm looking for ideas/help/suggestions to manage the load. Are there any kind souls out there who can offer advice?

It's time we take the word 'just' out of our vocabularies. Most of the time when I hear it used, 'just' just doesn't mean anything. It's just an extra meaningless word that conveys either no information or negative information.

For example, consider the sentence "I am just kidding." Easy enough, right? But what possible meanings has that sentence?

Maybe I meant "I am simply kidding."

Or "I am only kidding."

How about "I am kidding."

The third possibility seems most likely. Why don't we (just) take 'just' out of the equation and (just) say (just) what we mean to say!

Furthermore, sometimes just is (just) a word we insert to protect ourselves, a defense mechanism. Subconsciously - and now consciously - we protect ourselves by adding the caveat that we 'just.'

Are we politicians? Are we so afraid to offend those around us, or contrarily are we so fragile that we (just) can't bare to have our comments stand as strong as "I am kidding."?

Let's agree to just stop.

New idea.

I've decided the reason I don't write often is I feel pressured to be brilliant in something so formal as my rants. I know, that sounds like an oxymoron, but really I'm OCD enough that it crushes my creativity. Consequently, I go months upon months without a post.

Couple that with how little I call family and friends and I'm basically a hermit living in a cave who comes out for work, classes, and (albeit rarely) holidays.

No more. Posts made here on the main page will be informal, laced with typos and horrible grammar. I'd not care, because it's way better than not writing at all.

From time to time I'll still post more complete thoughts in rant format, but as I'm taking a full courseload at the University of Utah and working full time for Intermountain Healthcare, these posts will dominate.

You were there.