cjsmith: (Default)
cjsmith ([personal profile] cjsmith) wrote2005-07-12 02:01 pm

Aw, timing!

Dang it! My MRI films are ready for me to pick them up, and I don't have a car. I will have to wait TWO WHOLE DAYS. (Unless the repair guys get me a loaner car in the next hour or two.)

[identity profile] simplykimberly.livejournal.com 2005-07-12 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Whereabouts are you, again? I maybe can help with a ride, if you're feeling impatient ;)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-07-12 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks! Mountain View, going to Los Gatos. I did get the loaner car but because of commute direction I'm waiting until tomorrow morning.

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2005-07-12 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh the frustration! Glad you're gonna get them tomorrow. Will you be getting the analysis then too, or does that come later?

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-07-12 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Later, when I get to the doctor. Unless I can get this book (and understand it) really really fast. :)

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2005-07-12 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, what a fascinating specialized book! I say grab a copy and cram -- how hard can it be? ;)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-07-12 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Other than the hundred and forty bucks? ;-)

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2005-07-12 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
But you can get it used for $121.97! Not all that much! ;)

Wow, I missed that huge price on first glance. Scary!!!

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-07-12 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Looks like it's actually a textbook. Wonder how much money and time it would take for me to amass, read, and comprehend a very basic medical education. I sure could use one...

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2005-07-12 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
I know I've ended up regretting that I took only physical sciences in HS and college, and entirely skipped any biological or medical stuff. *sigh*

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-07-12 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
I've got more than one anatomy reference. Have I read them? Of course not. That's like work.

I suppose I should either decide to learn something -- make a plan about how much, when, and what my study habits will need to be -- or get off the pot.

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2005-07-13 12:03 am (UTC)(link)
I am in the middle of the simplest, laziest step I could come up with to start to remedy my lack of education on bio-stuff. I've been TiVoing (and actually watching) a community college TV course called
Cycles of Life: Exploring Biology (http://www.learner.org/resources/series74.html). I'm halfway through this series. I figured it'd get me started on picking up some of the biology stuff I've missed out on. Their microbiology course (http://www.learner.org/resources/series121.html) actually has Video On Demand on their website, which I might do next. I dunno -- I think I prefer watching TV on TV with my TiVo. I wish they had something like physiology or something that'd introduce me to human (and cat) medical concepts.

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-07-13 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, if I were listing things I wanted in my basics I'd start with anatomy and physiology and then go on to various pathologies. I don't know enough to know what other stuff I'd need for that.

I'd LOVE to get a good solid understanding of nutrition, too, but for my impression that no one knows that yet and current wisdom is just a bunch of guesses handed down to students to memorize. No thanks!

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2005-07-13 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
My fears about anatomy and physiology classes are that they're more about memorizing than about understanding. So I always avoided them. Plus I didn't wanna dissect anything. But I realize I went too far in my avoidance. Now I wanna figure out how to get that understanding without wading through too much terminology or even too much detail. That's why I've started with this overly simplistic Biology Intro TV course. I'm trying to approach my ideal level of low-to-medium detail and lack of vocabulary torture from the side of too little of each.

But the biology class has been very general, and I need anatomy and physiology info! Yesterday!!! *sigh*

And yeah, I agree with you about nutrition concepts, that no one knows that yet; "they" seem to publicize contradictory studies almost weekly. Bleah, not worth it to me.

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-07-13 12:42 am (UTC)(link)
I agree those are pretty much entirely memorization -- sadly I want to have the vocabulary, so memorization it is. :-/

My impression is that in nutrition, even the studies themselves aren't about understanding. No one's postulating "this is how such-and-so functions in the body" and running experiments to confirm or deny. They're just saying that fifty-eight percent of people who eat wheat turn out to have cataracts in their seventies, or something. Until we care about why, we're like the blind men arguing over the elephant.

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2005-07-13 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I want some of the vocabulary too -- I'm just afraid that the ones I really want will be lost in a sea of words that I don't really want to know. But the only way to really find out is to dig in.

And, yeah, I also agree that most nutrition studies seem to be about trying to find simple consequences of food or "lifestyle" choices, and not giving us a coherent overall picture that makes sense. Until then, I'll mostly ignore what "they" say, and try not to get too extreme about eating any particular food.

Except that CHEEEEEEEEESE will always be part of my diet (reduced if necessary, but always present), if I have anything to say about it!

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-07-13 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
Everything in moderation, including the act of cutting out cheese from the diet! ;-)

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2005-07-13 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
Word!