In rock climbing lingo, “projecting” means dedicating many sessions to working out a challenging route that’s right on the edge of one’s climbing ability. At my local climbing gym, I’d been projecting this tricky Orange V5 the hardest move, or “crux,” being a weird calf-hook scissor stance to match the final upside-down thumb press. The first moves I’d figured out in two sessions, but even after a month I was struggling to muster enough force through my hands at hip height to reposition my calf. Then, a funny thought: Winston, at eight months old, is projecting too! Except his project is gross motor function generally.
Continue reading Winston’s Projecting
2024 in Retrospect
Annual tradition, let’s go!
Continue reading 2024 in Retrospect
Medical Training Wrap-up
On the afternoon of Sunday, 6/30/24, I prelim signed off my last report as a neuroradiology fellow at Yale. It was the last of many lasts. Before fellowship, I remember reading my last case as a resident at Sinai (it was 11 pm Thursday, lol), and I also remember my last sign-out as an internal medicine intern at Greenwich. If counting those six years plus four years of medical school at Cornell, ten long years it’s been since I moved to New York City to begin my medical training. A whole decade. A transformative decade, and it’s just ended!
Continue reading Medical Training Wrap-up
Bouldering Check-in
I’ve spent the past five months rock climbing, specifically bouldering. The main motivation was to build upper body strength, after a lifetime of no meaningful upper body gains, in preparation for lifting a baby and baby supplies. Climbing has always intrigued me, but in the past I refrained from committing for the sake of protecting my fingers for music or potentially surgery. But now, why not!
Continue reading Bouldering Check-in
Practical Running
Running has been relegated to a means to an end. Ever since I started bouldering in February 2024, “commuting runs” have comprised the vast majority of my running efforts.
My usual 6-mile run commute cycle consists of a 1.3-mile unladen run to the climbing gym, 1.3 miles back, 0.4 miles to work with a small backpack full of food and gear, a 0.9-mile urgent run from the hospital to New Haven’s Union Station for the 11:24 pm train, and then a 2.1 mile run from NYC’s Grand Central Terminal to home, usually from 1:30-1:47 am.
Continue reading Practical Running
Spring Vacation in Belgium and Amsterdam
This April, Katie and I enjoyed an eight-day urban vacation through Brussels, Ghent, and Antwerp in Belgium and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. This was unusual for us, a trip with essentially no wilderness excursions, but we still managed to squeeze in something like 28k steps each day. The trip focused on mostly museums, food and beer, and tulips.
Continue reading Spring Vacation in Belgium and Amsterdam
Trying New Haven Food
New Haven has a real food scene, one steeped in a rich Italian American history. During my first half year here as a Yalie, Katie and I explored several of the renowned dining institutions.
Here’s a low-key blog post about some delectable food We’ve tried in New Haven. I’ve decided my blog posts have been too heavy-handed recently, so here’s a straightforward post!
Apizza
New Haven is an American pizza mecca, except here it’s called apizza (ah-BEETZ). It’s thinner with a deeper char from coal ovens. You can read more carefully researched recent pieces by both the New Yorker and New York Times. Katie and I just consume the food.
Continue reading Trying New Haven Food
2023 in Retrospect
Hi, everyone. This is my blog’s longest running tradition, a yearly wrap-up post.
Continue reading 2023 in Retrospect