Wow has it been a while since I posted on here.

Funny story though, this link still goes out with all of my emails from my email address, so it seems I actually had a slew of visitors right along the time the new residency class came through.

What? What's that? A resident, yes, it's true. And finishing even. What a sordid story to tell. Or, wait, sordid? I don't think that's what I meant. How about... fantabulous! Yes, that's closer. I'm nearly done with residency, and truthfully it did not seem to be as bad as everyone touted it up to be. Though, hey, looks like my hindsight wears rose-tinted glasses. And I'm mixing metaphors!

This is fantabulous.

Anyways, more posts incoming I suspect. I will try to do this again.

~DD

Ok, let's begin with the most important thing:

SPOILER ALERT

Ok, got that out of the way!

Seven things stand before
the entrance to the Lackless door.
One of them a ring unworn
One a word that is forsworn
One a time that must be right
One a candle without light
One a son who brings the blood
One a door that holds the flood
One a thing tight-held in keeping
Then comes that which comes with sleeping.

Now, I can't solve all of the bits to this "Riddle rhyme" heard just after Kvothe's time in Felurian, but I feel that there are some well-hidden hints and suggestions that point to this being one of the truthier stories/ songs.

To start, this door leads to the Amyr. I think the Cthaeh suggests this rather strongly when he states that the Maer is near the Amyr but knows it not. The Lackless have a door that holds SOMETHING but we don't know what. I suspect the Amyr themselves or some way TO the Amyr. The trick is opening that verisame door.

Now, as for the bits of the riddle: The most obvious of the lot, and the one that most strongly points to this being significant, is "One a son who brings the blood." Why? Because Kvothe is Edema Ruh and a Lackless/Lockless heir. The Lockless' oldest child ran off with a ravel bastard, leaving an angry and Ruh-hating sister who, as Kvothe notes, bears a striking resemblance to... to... someone. Who fits that story bit the best? Why, how about Kvothe's mother, who ran off with the Edema Ruh leaving her family behind. Further adding weight to the argument, she was particularly upset at Kvothe's song about Lady Lackless and the things hiding underneath her black dress. That makes a lot of sense now.

So, now we have a riddle about opening a door that is likely associated with the Amyr. As I said, the answers to the riddle are still a bit too vague. Could a ring unworn refer to one of the rings Kvothe eventually earns via naming? A word forsworn could be anything, perhaps a broken promise makes the best sense here. The timing could be anything, though maybe a full moon or moonless night could be significant. A candle without light... sounds like a black flame. A blue flame? Chandrian? Maybe. The son (Kvothe). A door that holds the flood.... could be the door itself, or could relate to the door deep within the Library. AND could relate to the door of stone which holds... I think it was Iox who captured the moon. Felurian mentions it, anyways, in describing the creation of Fae. A thing tight-held in keeping... that could be near anything that the opener, presumably Kvothe, holds dear. I'm going with his Lute on this one. Perhaps his music. Perhaps his power. I'm betting on music, given the frame story's significant lack of any. drop. of music. anywhere.

And lastly, comes that which comes with sleeping. DREAMING. Which leads to my ultimate theory: the framework story is a dream in which Kvothe is trapped as he attempts to free the Amyr and destroy the Chandrian. Well, the dream bit is the important part. As for Bast, I believe he represents either an outside power (Felurian?) or a portion of Kvothe's mind attempting to stir Kvothe into action through remembering how he got into the Dream. In fact, it could be said ALL of the characters are parts of Kvothe's mind. And the thrice locked chest of Kvothe the Bloodless? Not sure. I've got my money on his music, his power, or some horrible terrible memory which he has tried very, very hard to forget... but which is key to his freedom.

There are a few more details I suspect, but those are the big ones I think I can support with some evidence from the stories themselves.

At some point during my undergraduate career a friend of mine, I think it was Fuzzy Mike, presented me with the Rejected Cartoons by Don Hertzfeldt. Aside from making oversized spoons a hilarious non sequitur, it also led me to the rest of these cartoons and an Animation Show in downtown Durham, NC.

Fast forward a few years. Seven years. Um. Ignoring how many years it has been, we arrive at the present. It seems almost no one in the world of medicine is familiar with these cartoons. I spread word of their existence back in my first years of medical school to mixed reviews, sowing the seeds of nerd-couture is nothing new to me, and now I feel that time has come again. I need to do share the joy once again for all the people I've met since. So, a compiled set of links for all the Don Hertzfeldt 'toons YouTube has to offer (that I know about).

Oh, and for the record they're really, really weird. Honestly, did you expect anything less?

The rest of the videos in the full post. Et voila you consumer whores. (And How!)

The two below I hadn't seen before. They're not my favorite to be honest, but I include them for the sake of completion.

This isn't the first time I've wondered, but why do people come to the ED so often?

Healthy 18 yo comes in with a cold she's had for 3 days. Healthy 10 yo has a cold since this morning, mother brings him in. Healthy 17 yr old comes in because she gets a brief chest pain while sprinting for the bus that goes away when she stops running.

I think a large part of the problem is the "I want it now" mode of thinking that we Americans have fallen into. Yes, I could make an appointment to see my primary care doc in a week or two, but I want information now. Not treatment, just to talk to a doctor immediately and on my schedule.

I'm not sure everyone's aware, but in 2003 the avg ED visit was $560. That's a lot of money, and I can assure you that number's only gone up. The average stay in the ER's 3.7 hours. Another factor that I don't think people take into consideration. (Especially those of you without a serious problem who want to be seen quickly. Sorry bud, your sore shoulder? Not gonna see it 'til that guy with the stroke's got his plan set and he's going somewhere. That's... another story though.)

So, 4 hrs and half a thou. The thing is, most people don't know those numbers. The copay (if they pay one at all) is significantly lower. Many obviously believe this should be a quick stop. Meanwhile, the ones who really do need to be seen get stuck behind everyone else because the hospitals are getting overloaded. This is problematic.

My suggestion? Bill for the total amount so they at least KNOW how much they're actually paying. If nothing else, it would be informative. I mean, I'm in healthcare and I still have no idea how much some of this shit costs. Just found out a pathology report was 300 some dollars if not more.

As for changing people's "now" mentality, I recommend viewings of both Chocolate Factory movies until they can sing along with the Oompa-Loompas (from Loompaland). If they can do the dance, they get a bonus.

Wow.

After being introduced to it by a friend, I did some looking into the matter. Medical blogging is big! I mean, not Super Mario Bros big. But quite a bit more than I expected.

I'd never even thought of it before. I've seen some crazy patients, experienced some of the weird and uncomfortable happenstances of the hospital. But so have all my coworkers, classmates, and hospital acquaintances of the last four to five years. I suppose I just took it for granted.

J (friend): Have you seen Doctor Grumpy's blog?
DD: *reading* Ah! This guy's entertaining. But I've seen things like this myself, even in my very short, very brief stint as a physician and medstudent.
J: These are the stories I've been asking for!
DD: Huh? Really? But... I work in the ED. We have a huge percentage of... less than intelligent... patients.
J: Then why don't you tell me these stories!
DD: ... I... don't know?

Anyways. It seems an interesting idea, if I could just sit and work through the execution. And distance my name from the writings, I assume.

~DD