In the Ceiling

Once upon a time, on a Thursday morning --- to be precise --- a certain heroine named Elizabeth and her courageous roommate, Natalie, found a cat in the ceiling. The cat's name was Willow.

Natalie and Elizabeth tried to coax Willow down from the ceiling. Ladders were produced, ceiling tiles removed, cat food presented, squirt bottles tested, platforms held . . . but all to no avail. 

Now Willow wanted very much to get down from inside the ceiling, but she could not get down using the curtains, for that was the way she got up. 

Natalie thought to remove a tile above the bookcase. It was about a two foot distance between the top of the bookcase and the ceiling. Willow still would not come down. 

Natalie and Elizabeth went to the kitchen to empty the recycling bin (to use as a possible resource). Upon their return to the living room, Willow had jumped to the top of the bookcase. Willow is an independent cat; she likes to be in charge.

It turns out, Natalie was the true heroine in the end --- she moved the tile above the bookcase after all. 

*Note: True story, however, no animals were harmed in the production of this story.

{The End} 

After a minor setback this morning, I made it to the hospital and attended my first Thursday lecture as a part of the Stanley Summer Program. The lecture was held in the conference room around a long table that seats about ten people or so (additional chairs surround the seats immediately about the table for larger meetings). Dr. E. Fuller Torrey was our speaker.

Torrey is the author of the book I am reading called "Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Patients, and Providers." I am three chapters into the book, which is very well written, and I am immensely intrigued with the disease schizophrenia. Torrey was a superb orator, and signed my book afterwards. 

After the lecture, almost the entire lab group went on a "field trip." We walked down to Fells Point (where I wait for the Circulator everyday. A big event Baltimore is calling the "Sailabration" for the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 is going on and big ships are docked at the harbor. (As a result of this planned field trip, this was yet again, another Thursday without clinical rounds, much to my dismay.)

Since Sarven is the one that was WAY excited about this, we saw the Canadian ship (he's from Canada), but we did not want to wait in line to get aboard. The Blue Angels soared overhead every now and again; it was neat to see the planes in formation, and crazy to hear them thundering above us. I carried my camera with me, but COMPLETELY forgot to take any pictures! Lame, I know!

We walked around the harbor some more and ended up eating a late lunch at a Mexican place called Arcos. I don't think they were expecting a large group (there were fourteen of us) because I think it took them an hour --- at least --- to serve us. 

Oh well, it was tasty, and we were treated to lunch. 

We walked back to the lab, by then it was almost three o'clock. It was much too late for me to start a PCR. I will just have to do that on Monday since tomorrow is far too busy. 

It turns out that there is a full blown Schizophrenia Symposium tomorrow all day long. All of the students are encouraged to attend; we had to register for it, but when I say register, I actually mean write our names on a piece of paper with which division of Hopkins we were working and fax it in. 

I am excited about it. I actually have become more interested in schizophrenia as a disease. I read an article today, about getting an infectious agent from cats that has been linked to schizophrenia. I found it fascinating. I think the coolest part is that some of the research in the article was done in the lab I am at! Robert Yolken is mentioned, who I see all of the time and Torrey (was mentioned earlier) was also in the article. 

For anyone who cares to read up on it, here is the link (don't feel like you have to, the science part is not an obligation for anyone reading my blog, but I thought I would provide it, if you so feel inclined):

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/8873/

Also, I found the website explaining the basics of what my lab is based off of. The general website is:

http://stanleyresearch.org/dnn/

I am in the Stanley Neurovirology Lab, which has a website link off of that page, specifically:

http://www.stanleylab.org/

Not that anyone really cares, but I thought I would document it for me to find it later, and if anyone was extraordinarily curious about the lab I am at, it has a pretty good overview. 

Last night I went on a date with someone from the singles ward; we'll call him "Boy A." It was fun. He took me to Chaps Pit Beef where I got a very tasty beef sandwich. That was apparently something else Baltimore is famous for, Chaps Pit Beef sandwiches.

He took me to institute after that where a total of five people came. I am seeing some slight differences compared to Utah. :)

I am excited for Saturday coming up. I am going on a trip to Ocean City with some girls from the ward. I think it is going to be a blast!