opinion : manners (or lack there of)

this silly parenting website has a list of manners that they say every kid should learn. (formatted as a annoying online slide show) based on my daily interactions, I would say that they are not aiming high enough however. Here is my directly copied and modified list, manners that everyone should learn:

1. When asking for something, say "Please."

2. When receiving something, say "Thank you."

3. Do not interrupt others who are speaking with each other unless there is an emergency.

4. If you do need to get somebody's attention right away, the phrase "excuse me" is the most polite way for you to enter the conversation

5. When you have any doubt about doing something, ask permission first. It can save you from many hours of grief later

6. The world is not interested in what you dislike. Keep negative opinions to yourself, and do not offer criticism unless you are also offering a constructive solution.

7. Do not comment on other people's physical characteristics unless, of course, it's to compliment them, which is always welcome.

8. When people ask you how you are, tell them and then ask them how they are.

9. When you have spent time at someone else's house, remember to thank them for having you over and for the good time you had.

10. Knock on closed doors -- and wait to see if there's a response -- before entering.

11. When you make a phone call, introduce yourself first and then ask if you can speak with the person you are calling.

12. Be appreciative and say "thank you" for any gift you receive. In the age of e-mail, a handwritten thank-you note can have a powerful effect.

13. Never use foul language in public.

14. Don't call people mean names.

15. Do not make fun of anyone for any reason

16. Even if a play or an assembly is boring, sit through it quietly and pretend that you are interested. The performers and presenters are doing their best.

17. If you bump into somebody, immediately say "Excuse me."

18. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and don't pick your nose in public.

19. As you walk through a door, look to see if you can hold it open for someone else.

20. If you come across another person working on something and you have a minute, ask if you can help.

21. When someone asks you for a reasonable favor, do it without grumbling and with a smile.

22. When someone helps you, say "thank you." That person will likely want to help you again.

23. Use eating utensils properly. If you are unsure how to do so, look it up

24. Keep a napkin on your lap; use it to wipe your mouth when necessary.

25. Don't reach for things at the table; ask to have them passed.

and now for a few of mine:

26. do not ask about what you can look up.

27. do not interrupt an in-person conversation for a cell phone conversation (unless its an emergency)

28. look at people when you are talking to them.

29. If you borrow something, always return it in the same condition.

30. clean up after yourself, don't ever expect others to do it for you.

31. do not attempt to push a controversial opinion on others unless you know what you are talking about and can back it up.

32. when talking about politics, avoid these: http://www.logicalfallacies.info/

33. never take credit for what you did not do.

Document filing system

I obsessively keep old documents and receipts, and I also continue to look for new ways to store and organize them. Many years ago I began scanning the documents to keep electronic copies and shredding the originals to save space. It is a lot easier to organize and find documents this way (especially if you run OCR on the pdf's) but there needs to be a fool proof back up system. To maintain my sanity, it became clear that I would need off site backup but I am far to cheap to pay for it. I tried a few different schemes such as zipping the files and emailing them to myself but all methods had obvious shortcomings.

I wanted a system that:

- was secure - password access but not part of my usual accounts (if someone hacked my email, they could not access my files) and encrypted connection for transfer

- was easy to use - i wanted instant recall and automated filing

- could handle both edocs and scanned paper files

- could be accessed from anywhere

Last year I did some work at a pharmaceutical company that was setting up a system to transmit FDA docs between research sites in a secure manner. It inspired my current filing system. I could not afford to pay consultants for custom software solutions, but I was able to rig up a pretty good system using Gmail. Here's how it works:

step 1: take out a new gmail account,(the documents acct) use secure settings and never share address or pw. (this provides the centralized, secure online storage)

step 2 : decide on filing categories (as mail tags) and set up a simple code for each category with custom filters so that by attaching the code to the email gmail automatically file the email in the correct category.

step 3: using another email account, attach any current files to emails and send them to your documents acct with the filing code in the body of the message. This allows you to store hardcopy documents (google now allows you to automate this process using gdocs but that involves more set up and will separate edocs from scanned paper ones making it more difficult to search them). I make sure to go to the sent messages and erase those emails after from my primary acct.

step 4: set up automatic forwarding for any ebills that you receive so that they all go to the documents acct without actually giving out the documents email address (prevents spam and ads in your archive). set up filters in the doc acct to auto file these forwarded ebills to the same categories as the scanned docs.

At this point every document, bill, and receipt i have had in the last 5 or so years is saved on a gmail acct that only i know about. If i need a certain doc, typing it into the search bar brings it up. I can review all of a type of bill by logging on and clicking the tag. I have been using this system for over a year and it works very smoothly. beyond the original setup, it allows you to operate a sophisticated filing system with little time input.

Advice : What to eat to stay healthy

Hardly a day goes by when I don't see an article or an ad claiming that a new study shows that we should eat a lot of something, or avoid something, to live longer. I've seen studies or reports claiming that we should eat huge amounts of everything from vitamins to trace minerals to random foods to herbal supplements. I have also seen reports claiming that we should avoid everything from vitamins to minerals to random foods to herbal supplements. Many(like my parents) make up diets by picking certain info that the like and ignoring the rest. Others have the attitude of simply throwing their hands in the air and just eating whatever they want, because experts cannot agree on what is good and what is bad for you. This is not really true however. There is one piece of diet advice that has never been disproven or contradicted and is pretty much guaranteed to keep you healthy: All things in moderation.

Now there are two parts to the 'all things in moderation' diet. First is the all things. This means eat a wide variety of foods. Do not leave random things out such as meat or dairy products or even sweets. Vegetarians often become anemic for lack of B12 and protein, and women who avoided dairy fat are less fertile. Studies have shown health benefits for things ranging from beer to chocolate, proving that to get all benefits, you simply have all things.

Now before you run out and gorge, keep in mind the second part, in moderation. This means that while you can eat some chocolate and have some beer you should not eat large amounts of anything. It is large amounts of bad foods (such as fat, cholesterol, and sodium) that make them bad for you. This moderation also includes healthy foods however. It turns out that too much fiber has the same side effect is too little, so if you eat a lot of bread, you'd better make sure it is not all whole-grain. Also healthy foods such as fruit have a surprising amount of simple sugar, so while it is certainly healthy to eat some, that cannot be the only thing in your diet. In addition, no legitimate scientific study has ever shown that megadoses of anything are healthy for you. It is a medical fact that excesses of vitamins and minerals are simply washed out by your kidneys, and do no benefit to your health whatsoever.

All things in moderation happens to be the guideline that I follow for my everyday diet, and it has certainly kept me healthy and thin while eating lots of food that I enjoy.

Safety at Drexel

In one of the most amusing emails I have ever received, the office that administers my program is endorsing a student's call for action following at least 3 separate incidents of students being attacked and mugged in East Falls last weekend. This call includes availing yourselves of self defense techniques to fight off attackers (email suggests using keys), and carrying "protection" at all times (specifically pepper spray). Email also recommends reporting incidents directly to Drexel as well as the police and to use common sense. My thoughts on this plan:

1. Holy crap, I was actually on the site of one of those attacks a few hours before it happen

2. The average medical student does not stand a chance against the average crackhead (even with keys)

3. The suggested remedy to this crime problem is illegal in most student's states of residence (including mine)

4. "try not to carry valuable items" is very useful advice for people who are required to bring laptops to class.

5. East falls is arguably the nicest residential neighborhood in Philly. When you are doing your rotations at St. Chris (pediatrics) I recommend a handgun of no less than 45 caliber.

Advice : Good food fast

If you ever eat frozen prepared food, you have probably run into this dilema: Microwave it and get the food fast but soggy, or bake it and get it tasting good but having to wait 10 times as long. Despite the saying "good things come to those who wait", I am going to reveal a shortcut that I have been using to solve this evil tasty problem.

When faced with a frozen bakable product, simply do the following:

1. Microwave product for 1-2 minutes (or half its actual mwave cooking time, whichever is less)

This should leave the food soggy but thawed to approx. room temperature

2. Put product in toaster oven (use small baking tray if necessary, although best is on rack)
Toast on high for one cycle (but watch to make sure no burning)

3. let stand for a few minutes. after the outside cools, product should now be cooked warm on the inside and crispy on the outside (in only 5-10 minutes)


This technique has been tested on and worked for:
-tater tots and french fries
-burritos
-any type of breaded chicken
-pizza squares/bagels
-hot pockets


Bonus: Hershey's Dark chocolate bars have 50% more dietary fiber than Nature Valley granola bars. (and more antioxidants, and only 30 more calories). Regularity is about to ensue...