Grrrr...I just spent the last hour or so writing a detailed blog about this weekend with pictures, links, and everything and then as the last picture was uploading the computer decided to freeze. If anyone wants to buy me a new laptop, Christmas is coming soon. Speaking of new technology, if I had the the money to buy a new PDA, I'd get a Zire 71- its got a color screen, digital camera, MP3 software, and it looks cool. Ok, so I don't really want to redo the whole thing and I need to be ontime to class tomorrow to scribe the lecture (9am...sooo early) I'll just hit the highlights:

1) "Black October" ended Friday at 3:30pm with my anatomy lecture midterm, the last in a series of 3 major exams within a week's time.
2) I attended the AMA-MSS conference in Fort Worth on Friday evening and Saturday morning.
3) The coolest thing I heard about at the conference was an art/medicine collaborative class that seeks to improve med students' observational/diagnostic skills by examining painted and photographic portraits. The lady that gave the presentation talked about the joint program between the Amon Carter museum and UNTHSC, but their class is modeled on the original program at Yale Medical School/Center for British Art and other similar programs at Cornell, UTMB, and UT Houston.
4) We had our white coat ceremony on Saturday afternoon (pictures below). Now I can wander the wards at Parkland and look semi-official (as long as nobody asks me any questions, or to do any procedures). As physician Sir William Osler said, "Look wise, say nothing, and grunt."
5) Read Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven. It is a good story and a reminder that every life is significant and that seemingly trivial actions can have important consequences.
6) I got my new mini tonight! (see picture below)