My Favorite Memories of 2009

After my friend Courtney was "inspired" by one of my posts for her own version, I became "inspired" by one of hers for this one. 

Here are some of my favorite memories from 2009 recapped via photos:

In December 2008, I was able to finish a great Crafternoon project that ushered in the New Year right, and so that I could display my Christmas cards that I received for the Holidays.

In January 2009, I had my first post residency interview in Falmouth, MA, on the Cape!

The Cincinnati Snuggie Bar Crawl debuted in March of 2009, through Mt. Adams.  Of course the Medicine Man knew how to doctor up his new snuggie.

The Norwood Community Garden was in initially founded and planted in May!

Residency Graduation at the end of June!!!!  Also my first hard thoughts about again entering into another LDR.

July was a month of Farewells.  Farewell Norwood.  Farewell Wildfell Hall.  Farewell Neighbors.  Farewell Great Friends.  Farewell Burgers!  And also a month of Hellos.  Hello St. Theodore. Hello Seattle Children's Hospital!

The month of August, I spent exploring Seattle and getting to know Green Lake, as I started my new job.

September, I went on my first trip to CA for Tim Chan wedding and caught up with old high school friends!

October. Back in Cincinnati for the RLH with Laura and Jonah, and also a look back at all the runs I've done over the years.

November was a big month for volunteering.

Who has a second going away party from Cincinnati, after not living there for 5 months?  I do!

Here's a new year, where may the best of 2009 be the worst of 2010!

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Alex

My Google Alternates

Ever try Googleing yourself?  Some people find they have hundreds of Google Alternates (GA), while other find they have only very few.

I feel, I'm one of the lucky ones with very few GAs, and I come across myself quite often:

Finding my name in text across the web:

A Temple University School of Medicine 2005 Rebuilding New Orleans Trip that included a Philadelphia PSR write up about our experience, and a Temple Medicine write up and my personal journal entry (check out page #36.)

My IMDB actors page, where I started as "Redsin's Victim" in The Redsin Tower.

Cincinnati Kiwanis Club meeting minutes about my presentation of One Laptop Per Child.  Along with more Kiwanis meeting minutes.  

When I was first starting to look for information about my family tree.

Alumni Listing of CCHMC residency graduates.

 

Penn State's NASA 2001 HEDS-UP Project: Mining the Foundation of the Future.

I actually made one meeting to the Fort Thomas Corvette Club!

My Race Times!
 

Honorable Mention in the Legible Script for Uncle Alex.

Poster presentation as a medical student entitled Linking Physicians To Their Patients: Using a CQI Model To Improve Continuity of Care In a Residency Practice.

Delta Chi Quarterly write up about advising with the University of Cincinnati Colony.

Temple Times write up, along with a Fox Update write up about pursuing and MD/MBA dual degree program.

Don't forget to look through the images after you Google yourself, you might be surprised! 

 

Also, finding yourself in other peoples pictures and videos can be very enlightening. :-)

A Taft with a Twist event with Ari.  Ariane, if you're out there - I still miss you! (Yes, that is a giant monkey sticker from Enjoy The Arts on my shirt.)

A Senior Roast video from CCHMC w/o sound.

Hitting up Club Bang! with Diane and Greg.

What's the deal with all the Kiwanis photos?  :-)

2009 Hyde Park Blast photo with Emily and Tom.

Finding myself through personal, friends, and networking  services:

Is Twitter ever going to learn how to make money?

My Google Profile.


LinkedIn profile.

Who still uses Friendster?

Lastly, random comments on other blogs (#2, #3, #4, #5, #6)


Over the years, I've found my name bring great respect and honor to many communities, my first GAs has been a junior high honor student, a long jumper and a 400 meter relay runner.  After finding the wonders of  Google Alerts, I've found another GA that is a JHS/HS football champ (#2), also a long jumper and hurdler, a basketball player, and interested in science and soil research (something I did as well in high school!  However, I studied the viability of stocking trout along the Turtle Creek through researchers at IUP)!

What has your Google Alternate done today?

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Alex

Run Like the Devil is Chasing

Cincinnati Bell sure knows how put on a great party for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation!  The Run Like Hell is half 5K run through Walnut Hills Cemetery and half celebration for Halloween -  filled with costume contests, live music, and a Cincinnati favorite: Goetta.   I've ranked the RLH #1 for fun runs for years!  a close second is the Reggae Run.

All that running, eating, and sweating paid off!  This year, marked my 3rd year running.  While not having lived in the area for the past 3 months, I packed up my Bam Bam costume, complete with bone club and running shoes and flew back home to Cincinnati.  It was also a special year, in that Binkle and her husband few out from Washington, DC to meet me for the run and celebration.

Costumes very from the fashionable "sexy nurse" to completely homemade to last minute throw togethers.      While the RLH will never compare in scale to the New York City Marathon, and their best 25 costumes, it still holds a very special place in my heart.

So what were our results?

My over all place in the male category: 200th!

With a time of: 32:16.00

For a pace of: 10:34/mile

Binkle's overall in the female category: Better them mine! at 166th
Time: 33:30:00.
Pace of: 10.58/mile.

Cincinnati isn't the only city that schedules fun runs around Halloween.  Seattle held it's 14th Annual Pumpkin Push, a "one-of-a-kind run" for the support of healthcare for Seattle's homeless.  Sadly, I didn't pick up my complimentary pumpkin post race. :-(

Even the city of Salem, MA has it's own 6.66 mile race to embrace the holiday spirit!

The crowd at the RLH!

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Alex

P.S. Binkle was the first to inform me about her MovNat experience which lead to my MovNat training.  

500 Days of Summer

After seeing "500 Days of Summer" on my flight back to Seattle from Cincinnati, I got to thinking.

Just one day, I'd like this to happen to me.  Well... I can forgo the animated birds.

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Alex

How I spent my Sunday

This past Sunday, I had an amazing experience in Discovery Park, Seattle, WA!  First introduced to me by Binkle, was concept of MovNat, the brain child of Erwan Le Corre.

With my increased interest and along with others (#1, #2, #3) in Vibram Five Finger training, I came across a natural fitness program geared towards reconnecting with nature and finding a "context" in which to train.

What I, and ten other gentlemen learned from this 6 hour clinic with Erwin enlightening:

First: The philosophy of MovNat depends on finding situations that are adaptable and that require focus.  Prior to MovNat, I could be found in the IMA gym working out on Life Fitness Strength training machines while listening to my favorite NPR podcast.  With these machines, I could follow my progress and chart my total reps, weight, and the last time I isolated a specific muscle group.  However, with this training regiment, I became dependent on the machines, and the machines only helped me to lift more weight in one particular motion. Learning from the MovNat philosophy, if I broadened my mind and the context in which I trained in, I could work more muscle groups, faster, and more efficiency.  Plus, I could apply my efforts to a multitude of different situations, and I wouldn't be limited to just the repetitive movements on a pulley system.

Second: It's OK to be lazy.  In fact, it's encouraged!  Body weight exists because of gravity, but it doesn't have to slow you down.  By utilizing the principles of "body weight transfer" and "body weight shift" one can use gravity to improve movement, balance, climbing, and positioning during a training exercise.  Our "lazy training session" consisted of learning how to use minimal strength to climb a tree limb by developing a body weight transfer from our two handed grip, to a three point system = adding a leg! Then, using a body weight shift and swinging our free leg and allow the momentum to rotate and propel our body around the tree branch. Success!

Third: Creating context helps focus, increased motivation, and makes training fun!  In a jumping exercise, the group focused on limiting our landing and take off points - as if we were jumping from small ledges and avoiding clefts down a mountain side.  In our climbing example, it was important to focus on our
"body intelligence" and know when to have our arms tightened, and when to have them relaxed and ready for movement and action.

Lastly: Running is the ultimate training activity.  Think about it - you rarely "walk for your life," or "bike for your life," but perhaps to a slightly more extent you can "swim for your life," but you always "RUN FOR YOU LIFE!"  With increased focus and attention to running, it's possible (and preferred) to use gravity to propel yourself forward.  Using your legs to catch yourself in mid fall.  Again, with a body weight shift, minimal muscle movement and energy is needed to run.  This concept can be used in other situations as well to increase efficiency.

Other activities we covered in our MovNat clinic included principles of Throwing/Catching, Balancing, and Lifting.  Each of these single topics could have been covered exclusivity in just one clinic and by the end, we would have only learned the basics behind each movement.

11 + 1 at the end of MovNat training.

Several of us have expressed a continued interest in training together and have created the Seattle-area barefoot & Five Fingers running group and the Seattle Natural Movement group, both on Facebook.  All are welcome and encouraged to join either group and to find out more information if so desired.

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Alex

Next Leaders Summit

I've only recently discovered City Talk Radio within the past few months, a talk show focusing on local issues in the Cincinnati area. 

Last week, Michael Sweeney and Tom Hodges talked with Clara Rice, Rusdyn Lindsey, and Julie Bernzott, about the Next Leaders Summit, held Sept 17th-19th, 2009 in downtown Cincinnati.

To paraphrase form the NLS website:
The Next Leaders Summit was designed to focus and highlight on how far the YP movement has come.  The YP movement is one that focuses the energy and minds of YPs on showing up, reaching out, and digging in to build better places to live and work.  As a testament to the YP strength, there are more then 300 Young Professionals Organizations, representing nearly one million YPs in our cities and companies across the US.

Click to listen the Sept 13th show and hear the Medicine Man's comments, near the end of the show.

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Alex

I ran across a bunch of facebook "25 things about me" lists and decided to respond to Redcat's post and here.

1. I LOVE the the city of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh International Airport, and Primanti Brothers sandwiches (also from Pittsburgh).
2. I have no tattoos or piercings.
3. I've been to North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
4. I used deep fry a turkey every year while in medical school and still have a turkey deep fryer... somewhere...
5. Sushi is in my top three all time favorite types of food.
6. My cat, Midnight, is a pretty good pen pal to have, and often writes about me, behind my back.
7. My first cassette tape growing up was of NKTB.
8. I tracked town my best friend of grade school last year, after being out of contact for 15+ years.
9. I once did a 40 mile adventure/orienteering race complete with trail running, mt. biking, and canoeing.
10. Wild animals eat the veggies in my garden faster then I can pluck them.
11. I have bed room in my house that I call the "Peanut butter room" and another called "the Pink room."
12. I consider "cooking" to be combining 2 or more ingredients together.
13. I've played an extra in a movie - naked.
14. I've run up the stairs of the Philadelphia Art Museum and topped out just like how Rokcy did!
15. I'm a tea drinker over coffee and a hot coco drinker over both of them.
16. I read comics on the toliet.
17. I've shot several hand guns and a shot gun.
18. The 4th of July is one my favorite holidays - Fireworks, hot dogs, and great music.
19. I used to play video games all druing finals week in college.
20. I'm addicted to LOST and Hereo's.
21. I just discovered Podcasts and Google Reader this past year.
22. I hope to complete a mini triathlon one of these years.
23. I don't like the bubbles in beer, pop, or soda.
24. Sausage is my favorite pizza topping.
25. I've lived in IN, PA, OH, and MN.

Thanks for reading,

Alex