Happy New Year everybody!! Yes, 2004 is finally here, and I celebrated with the people that I love and Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider. Great stuff. My New Year's Resolution is to end this term with a 3.5 GPA. Hopefully, it will happen. Feel free to share yours. Out of the big three New Year's Specials, I'd have to say MTV's was the best. It had Hilary Duff, Simple Plan, Clay Aiken, and a rap battle. Simple Plan did a great cover medley of Pink's "Get this party started" and Black Eyed Peas' "Where is the love?". Plus Ludacris sang "Stand Up" on the Last Samurai billboard in Times Square! Dick Clark had a bunch of old people that did nothing in 2003 (except for Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey, the Ying Yang Twins, and Jason Mraz). Honestly, what has Donna Summer and Hall and Oates done for me lately? America's Party really only had Ashanti going for it; Ryan Seacrest just isn't the same without the blond highlights.

OK, everybody, it's New Year's Eve. The granddaddy of parties. Did you know that most Americans stay home on New Year's Eve and don't party? Far be it from me to not follow the American way. I think I'll ring in the New Year with a combo of Dick Clark, Carson Daly, and Ryan Seacrest. Remember when it was so much easier when there was only Dick Clark? Now there's so many choices, and you're often only watching each show because of just one singer that you want to see. Dick Clark is fun because of the dancers (they are so funny!). There is a price to pay for always living in the Central Time Zone, however. When the rest of the country is counting down w/ Good Ole Dick, here in Dallas we still have an hour to go! Conan O'Brien used to do the countdown for the Central Time Zone New Year, but last year that responsibility was passed on to Ryan Seacrest. His show does the countdown at the right time and shows the video from the Times Square ball drop at the same time so you don't really miss anything. How will y'all be spending your New Year's Eve?

Hey guys. I am posting this from my cell phone! This is so exciting 4 me. We decided 2 put off going to Houston until Thurs. Thanks 4 the restaurant ideas.

This mad cow disease thing has freaked out my mom. I tried to explain to her that in Texas we only eat Texas beef, which is not contaminated. But she would have none of it. I went to Gazeebo burgers for lunch today and I had to promise her that I would not eat a hamburger. So I told her I'd get a turkey burger, and she said, "What if tomorrow they announce Mad Turkey Disease? Then you'll be sorry. Only eat chicken. It's safe." Well, my rebellious side kicked in and I got the turkey burger. That's right...I walked on the wild side. The funny thing is my parents and I can't donate blood because we used to live in England. According to Carter Blood Care, we already carry Mad Cow Disease. That's just crazy!

I'm going to Houston on Tuesday. If any of you are familiar with area, could you please let me know of any good nice restaurants there and there location (address, intersection, etc.). I'm going with my family of 5, so it needs to be family friendly. We're especially looking forward to good seafood or steaks. We're staying near the art museum, so it would be nice if it was close by. Thanks.

Comments

On : 12/28/2003 11:34:22 PM gp (www) said:
my two favorite seafood places are quite far away from there. actually, one is barbeque, but has the best catfish in the city. steak... i would have to go with pappas bros. steakhouse on westheimer near bering (5839 Westheimer). pappas seafood (3001 s sheperd near w alabama) is good too and has a number of locations in houston. sorry im recommending a chain. brenner's has good steak too. its on katy freeway. ive heard good things about capital grille (5365 westheimer). joyce's seafood and steaks (6415 san felipe). ah yes and fogo de chao (8250 westheimer) has a great all you can eat meat thing.

i got all these addresses from b4-u-eat.com, you might be able to do better than i did using that as a guide. citysearch.com might be even better. hope this helps.

Yea, the comments box is back! I saw House of Sand and Fog last night. It was a nice movie, very tragic and emotional. Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly were superb. If they don't at least get Oscar nominations, they were robbed. Kingsley's accent was right on and he spoke Farsi pretty well. Connelly was so beautiful and could say so much with her eyes. You genuinely felt sorry for her. While I loved Shohreh Aghdashloo in Maryam, I did not like her so much in this movie. Her grammar was so bad, it made me wonder if that was because of the script or her. It seemed when she spoke Farsi in the film, she was a better actress. Of course, she just won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role, so an Oscar nomination may not be that far behind. She is getting a lot of good buzz. I think she deserves it more because I've seen her grow as an actress from pre-Revolution Iranian cinema to Iranian-American satirical plays she's written w/ her very funny husband to variety show hostess and finally, starring in American films like Maryam and House of Sand and Fog. A pleasant surprise in the film was when Andy sings at the wedding in the beginning. He's a great Persian singer that everyone loves. There were some set directing issues, like women wearing saris at the wedding and some Pakistani decorations in a Persian home, which were a little distracting, but they weren't a big deal. All in all a great film, I give it 3 stars.

OK, the Comments box is acting up again, which is really pissing me off. Y'all are leaving such gr8 comments on the other blogs. It's making me jealous. There was an earthquake in Iran yesterday. Thankfully, no one I know was hurt, but it's still a huge deal. I was glad to hear that the US is going to offer monetary support to those affected by the earthquake. I think it's hightime the two countries put aside their differences for the greater good. Today was the first day of my 4-day long working marathon. I got in at 8 and finished by 11. That has got to be some sort of record for a weekend scribe. Usually we start at 7 and end at 12. But I already knew I was awesome. ;) :p

I hope y'all had a nice Christmas. I got a Tiffany-replica bracelet, a pink express velour jogsuit, and a West Side Story Special Edition DVD (it's my favorite movie). I gave one sister a Saved by the Bell Seasons 1 and 2 DVD and Hollister sweatshirt and the other sister a pink jacket from Nordstrom and the Legally Blonde 2 DVD. I spent the day watching Ben-Hur (loved it!) and King of Kings 1961 (I fell asleep). Somewhere in there I ate turkey. All in all a nice relaxing Christmas.

I went to work yesterday. The Dr. only had one patient, and she wasn't the kind that I'm supposed to see. So I spent the day (6 hrs.) doing transcription. Some genius put three days on one tape (we're supposed to one day per tape), so we're 5 days behind instead of the acceptable 1. I was playing catch-up and doing transcriptions for both doctors while the other scribes did post-ops and consults. When they got back and the office closed, we decided to let off some steam at P.F. Chang's at Northpark Mall. Bad idea to go to the mall two days before Christmas. So we wound up going to this pizzeria across the street from my school. We were still wearing our scrubs, like all the cool kids do. ;) We got a large veggie pizza that tasted great. It was nice hanging out with the girls outside of work. One of them was the hostess of the party I went to Friday night. We chatted for two hours and then called it a night as we each made the hour drive home. Merry Christmas everyone!

Comments

On : 12/25/2003 12:48:51 PM persianguy (www) said:
damn...I have like 0 clinical experience.


YOU GET TO WEAR SCRUBS?!?


On : 12/25/2003 6:49:44 PM prettydoc (www) said:
Yes, and a lab coat that says "Dallas Internal Medicine Maryam". (That's my name.) It's pretty cool to wear a white coat way before even applying to med school. My job gives me 10-20 hours a week of clinical experience. You should look into being a scribe in your town. There are lots of opportunities in Dallas. It's one of the only premed jobs where you learn how to be a doctor, not a nurse.

Just thought I'd share this review of the LOTR III with y'all. I haven't seen it yet, so I don't endorse this guy's comments but I think the way he writes is pretty clever.

dumbfounded
by I8Yoda (movies profile) Dec 17, 2003
94 of 133 people found this review helpful

Well, I just 'returned' from seeing this movie and I have to admit that I am at a loss as to what to do next. Of course, I called my brother and my roommate right away to share my news. Once the obligatory gloating phonecalls were finished however, I found myself dumbfounded. Dazed and confused as it were.
In plain English, I must say that the reason I cannot decide what to do next is because I am still in shock. Not the kind of shock that would result from an ill-placed bullet to the groin from your nemesis. Nor the type of shock resulting from seeing your wife run off with the local preacher while whistling your wedding song. Nay, my friends, the shock I am in is the kind that can only come from having just witnessed the greatest movie event of all time. Perhaps I could better describe this movie by saying that my DVD collection just barely escaped a toss from my second-story window. Now, my collection is not some old, jaded, dust-gathering stack of polymer. Instead, I have the best of the best. They are well-worn and well-watched movies. I am throwing them out. All of them. They are not worthy of any more discussion. They are not worthy of another glimpse. They are but garbage when compared with what I can only describe as the Middle-Earth juggernaut of accomplishment and excellence. Future endeavors will be ever-reminded of what movies can be: that is, what movies should be. Please, friends. Stop reading my review. Stop wasting your time. Stop stop stop. Just drive to the theater now and join the phenomenon that is about to engulf your community and swell you with a feeling that everyone but you has just seen the movie that will change the way we look at movie-making forever.
Well friends, I am off. I have finally decided what to do next. Leave my woman. Quit my job. Abondon my apartment and begin living in the theater so I don't waste another moment of my life on this Middle-Earth.

Comments


On : 12/22/2003 2:43:36 PM will (www) said:
I think you just violated that mans rights.

Tonight's Shab-e-Yalda, the longest night of the year. Basically, it's the Winter Solstice. The Persian tradition is to stay up late eating nuts. Yes, we're an exciting bunch. Have a good night everyone.

Hi everyone. Last night was awesome. I went to a party at the girl's house that I go to school and work with. She lives in Heath, TX, which is six miles outside of Rockwall. Of course, living in Plano that's an 1 hr. to 1 1/2 hr. drive. So I arranged to drive to another friend's house in Garland (1/2 way point) and then she drove me to Heath (she was also a guest at the party). When we drove on the bridge crossing Lake Ray Hubbard I felt like I was on some road trip across an ocean or something because you rarely see a waterfront view in Dallas. Rockwall was a pretty good size city, sort of like Richardson, but Heath was another story. Heath has NOTHING besides houses, and the houses are 1/2 mile apart. Basically, we drove the 6 miles out of Rockwall to Heath on a tiny one lane road with no shoulders or guard rails. One turn of the wheel and we would have rolled down a hill and never been found. Scary stuff. When we finally got to the hostess's house, we found it to be HUGE. It was like a palace. It was right on the lake and was surrounded by gates with her family's initials on it. It was three stories with 5 living areas and a guest house. I was surprised to find a house like this in the middle of nowhere. There were 15-20 people at the party, and I was surprised that I knew about 10 of them. One guy there had even gone to my high school. It was a potluck, and the hostess had asked for us to bring ethnic food. I brought Salad Olivia, a Persian dish which is basically potato salad and chicken. My friend who drove me brought hummus and babaghanouj. Needless to say, we were the big hits of the party, since everyone else's idea of ethnic was chocolate cake and pizza. The hostess was Egyptian, so we put on some Arab music and we danced a bit. My friends were surprised at my proficiency at bellydance since I'm not Arab, but they were mostly grateful that I was eager to participate instead of being a wallflower. I snapped pictures with my camera phone. If you email me, I might send you some. Then we all played Taboo, which is fun with a big group. Another one of my friends on my team was getting really competitive (think Monica on Friends) and I was getting caught up in it too. Unfortunately we lost, but it was still really fun. Of course, then we had to call it a night. I was really proud of my hostess for throwing such a fun party with college kids without ever needing to mention alcohol or any of that stuff. Whenever I want to throw a party for the Commuter club at school, the kids always say they want to bring beer. That just makes me sick. You don't need alcohol to have fun and last night proved that I'm not the only one who feels that way.

Okay, I've gone crazy with the phone downloads. The site has so much stuff that I want everything. This is what I have so far:

Ringers
Beware of the Boys -- Jay-Z and DJ Punjabi
Calling You -- Blue October
Get Ur Freak On -- Missy Elliot
Objection Tango -- Shakira
The OC Theme Song -- Phantom Planet
Snake -- R. Kelly

Screen Savers
Burberry
Daredevil
Keroppi Froggy Dance Animation
George Clooney
Keroppi Neon Flashing Animation
The OC
3 Tom Welling pictures

Applications
Tip Calculator
KTV Trial

Pretty cool, huh? I'm probably gonna delete some of this stuff, but it's cool to see how much you can fit on a tiny phone. I'm not really a game person. My phone already comes with Jamdat Bowling and Pac-Man (the greatest game ever!). Yup, PacMan, Ms. PacMan, Super Mario Bros., Pong, and DigDug: the greatest games ever made.

Comments

On : 12/18/2003 7:07:21 PM gp (www) said:
god.. you're terrible. another waste of space on the internet.


On : 12/18/2003 9:14:29 PM prettydoc (www) said:
Will's exciting posts from the slopes are a tough act to follow when you're stuck in boring Dallas. But don't worry, I'm going to a party tomorrow night, and I will spare no details.

I've been playing with my phone ever since I got it. I found this great site where I can download all the ringers, screen savers, games, and apps I want for only $6/yr.! What a steal. It's a lot cheaper than getting that stuff from Sprint or some other sites. I've downloaded Shakira's Objection Tango and R. Kelly's Snake so far. If y'all know of any other cool ringtones, esp. songs, let me know.

I got a new phone today! I decided on the Sanyo 8100. I'm taking pictures of everything. Maybe I'll upload some on the site for y'all to take a look at. It's so exciting to get something new. In other news (ok, so it happened a couple days ago), they got Saddam! It was big news at my place, considering he bombed my house while I was in it. The cool thing is the soldiers that found him are from a fort a couple of hours from where I live. I even know people based there. Look at all these connections. It's a small world after all.

Greetings from a screwed premed. I made a C in Organic Chemistry, dropping my 3.5 GPA to a 3.3 and thoroughly screwing my Science GPA. So my grades this term were A, B, C, and C+. Things have got to change next term. I'm taking three classes where I'm all but guaranteed an A, and then there are my two science classes, where I'm really gonna have to work hard to kick ass. I think I'm gonna start studying O Chem over the break, at least make some flashcards of reactions. OK, this winter break will consist of studying ahead, working, and at max 2 short trips out of town. Sounds like a whopping good time.

Comments


On : 12/15/2003 11:32:17 PM persianguy (www) said:
Stick in there...ochem is tough, but genetics has no excuse. I'm guessing your major isn't in the sciences, so you never know -- a few more years of subjective bullshit grading. Anyways, stop messing around with guys, and pay more attention to studies 'n I'm sure you'll go far.

I'll tell you what my grades are tommorrow, when I get them.


On : 12/16/2003 5:33:32 AM persianguy (www) said:
oh f-ck me! a 3.2 in LITERATURE? what the hell is that. anyways, 4.0 in physics, 3.8 in calculus....but a 3.2??? i hate humanities


On : 12/16/2003 2:56:56 PM prettydoc (www) said:
I getting a BA in Bio and a BA in English. I love humanities. Lemme know if you need any help in that department. Congrats on the A in physics! That was pretty hard for me in high school. I'm taking it next year.

Y'all need to read what happened to Will this weekend. It's amazing. Some people have such exciting lives. I mean, the highlight of my Saturday was my decaf Eggnog Latte at Starbucks. Although, it was pretty good. :) OK, I want to get a new cell phone. My current one sucks cuz no one can hear me, and all I hear from my friends is complaints about the reception. My top three picks are Nokia 3588i, Sanyo 8100, and Samsung VGA 100. The rebates apply to me, so the Nokia's free, the Sanyo is $99, and the Samsung is $130. For me, it's more between the Nokia and the Sanyo, but if y'all have experience with these phones and know that Samsung is better, I welcome that input. OK y'all, feel free to vote and help me make a decision.

Comments


On : 12/18/2003 12:36:53 AM Will (www) said:
We cant all be super heroes.

Yea, the comments are back! Now I can read your beautiful words again. I'm so glad now that school is over for the semester. I got an A in Philosophy, a B in Organic Chemistry Lab, and a C+ in Genetics (yikes!). I'm still waiting on my Organic Chemistry grade. He said we should find out by Monday. Cross your fingers guys! So far I have a W and C+ counting against my chances of getting into med school. Hopefully I won't get another C in O Chem.

Last night I watched Shirin Ebadi's Nobel lecture on C-Span. I was so touched by her words and the impact her award has. She is such a remarkable woman; my humble words cannot do her justice. She is a role model, not just for Iranian women, but for everyone, of what we can accomplish if we just believe in ourselves and what is right. I recommend that all of you read her speech. On a different note, the comments box has been acting up. Hopefully the Comment This server will go back online soon so that I can read your responses and interact with you once again. I truly cherish your input.

Comments

On : 12/13/2003 7:03:03 PM persianguy (www) said:
<- not crying, but throwing up...

Hey, y'all check out this Britney Spears Lookalike. Make sure you read the whole page. OK, time to go back to studying for my Organic Chemistry final (it's less than 10 hours away!)