from the desk of stinkpot

the second year of grad school is the best thing that has ever happened to my body.

for one thing, unlike undergrad, i sleep now. a lot. without 9am classes anymore, i’m able to get 8 hours of sleep a night. who knew you could say good morning with any sincerity?

i’ve also finally been inspired to see physicians.  recognizing that my most heroic drinking companions are all in medical school, i’d long ago resigned myself to a lifetime of WebMD and self-medication. i’m not sure what changed recently [perhaps it’s my well-rested demeanor] but i see doctors now – all of them.  i’ll have seen the dentist, a primary care physician [never had one before] and an ear doctor. the ear doctor was a delightful surprise; it turns out mit offers free earwax removal – a service i simultaneously find repulsive, fascinating, and unfortunately indispensible ever since my face got into a fight with a bush three years ago — and lost.

and lastly, i’m getting good exercise. i cycle daily to mit and twice a week across cambridge to harvard. more importantly, i’m finally availing of the 25m pool that sits across the street from my lab. for the past month, i’ve been swimming about 45 minutes every weekday. it’s terrific – i look in the mirror now and see all sorts of muscles in unfamiliar places.  [that, and my new facial hair along my jawbone, has christina convinced i’ve hit puberty again.]  in fact, i’m enjoying swimming so much that i’ve even signed up for a stroke technique class at the aquatic center.

the first session of said class met this evening. our instructor jeff is sensational for two reasons.  awesome point #1: jeff has great hair – he’s got this mesmerizing white-guy fro that radiates at least 6 inches out from his head in every direction. i wouldn’t dare denigrate jeff’s coif by comparing it to carrot-top’s – picture a much more regal mane, like sideshow bob’s. awesome point #2: jeff is very good at making me suck less at swimming. things i’m going to need to remember for my freestyle:

• bend my elbow and keep my forearm near my body when i pull;
• relax my neck and keep my head down;
• stop rotating my left wrist when it enters the water; keep it straight;
• keep my elbows pointed straight up when pulling my arms out of the water

i’ve never taken a swimming class before and consequently nearly drowned during the lesson. i must have swallowed half the pool. still, the above points made a huge difference for my freestyle stroke and were big revelations. indeed i already consider stroke technique the best gym class i’ve ever taken. it’s somehow even surpassed my sophomore fencing lessons at columbia, which were taught by a hungarian national champion and olympian. the man had a gift for being so intense it was hilarious; my favorite admonition of his, told in a strict tone of voice, was, “hold our epees the same way we’d hold our girlfriends’ teats: softly, yet firmly.”

so to wrap up, mit is doing wonders for my body. this place is like a giant spa.

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