My Attempts at Normalcy

This post is not about vampires and blood. Bear with me. In fact, its 3 almost normal posts all under 1 topic. I ask for your patience

Music

Now that I'm all giddily in favor of Legal Music , I was all pumped about my latest aquisition, Nightwish's "Once". Put together a STRANGE looking gothic chick much like Morticia Adams, some wierd dude with a silly beard and a bunch of other non descript scandinavian dudes, what do you get? Decent music, bordering "good". Back them with a "Hoo Haa" chanting orchestra complete with cellos, violins and now what do you get? A kick ass symphonic metal album. Good value for money (heck, there's a music video too), its a neat change from this stuff. Downside, the lyrics range from cliched metal lyrics about clans, death and heaven to the downright ridiculous romantic stuff. Romance? Romance? Geez. If you've followed this band, you'll know the lead singer has been fired. Big deal...

Ah, the Pearl Jam classic Alive solo is playing. Unreal.

Am now waiting for my Doors collectors' edition DVD. Go Jimmo!

The Great Outdoors

The past few months were all about my silly laptop. No, thats my computer, you pervert. Free from academics for a month, I took off (rather was taken) for a day of snowboarding. For all of you think skiing is graceful and you can reach high speeds on two slender sticks I've one word for you : "PANSIES". Snowboarding is THE way to go.

The night before, I slept at 2 AM and woke @ 6 AM. Got ready and went to friends place. We left at abt 8 and got to "Copper Mountain" @ abt 10. I signed up for lessons (a sweet $125). Rented boots, snowboard. Damn thing's light

There the "junior" instructor determined which "foot" I use. Determining my foot ascertains which direction I'll be rushing down the mountain i.e. left hand in front or right hand in front. This is a very complicated, scientific method requiring years of training. This involves this complicated process, try to follow

1) Make subject stand with back facing instructor with no clue of whats to come
2) Push subject
3) Watch which leg bends first while subject falls down hopelessly.
4) Pay no attention to swearing subject (and reply with silly grin)

Turned out I use the "normal" left leg. So I've to go down the mountain left sideways. Then was given a basic heads up about snow boarding, also suffered my first fall. Then taken up the ski lift. Darn thing has no seatbelts. Getting off the ski lift is torture as u have to slide out. Sigh. Fell down hopelessely. Met main instructor. She was teachin basic techniques. Joined in (Whats your name? Pithri? Prithi? Pitri? ) Was taught plenty about screaming down the slope (bunny slope). Garland turn, toe-side, heel-side and the like. Then lunch @ 1230. 9 bucks for a slice of pizza. BASTARDS!!! When we came back, instructor said she was so happy with our progress she wanted to take us to the next level. "You're doing pretty well!!" Learnt stopping techniques (as of now stopping meant falling on bum).

Verdict's that I'm pretty good for a rookie. Like the stupid ABCDs say "Too good yaar". Had an awesome time. I even did a jump (ended in a sore fall, but the rush!!!!!)

I can do an 'S' turn, can stop from any speed without falling. I rule.

Came back home soaked. Spoils of the day : Near broken knees, near broken wrists, near dislocated left shoulder. Cant wait to get back. Skiers, get a life

Reverse Bungee jumping, here I come

What Dreams May Come

I finally slept after a week. Yes, I was up for 24 X 5 days.

Turns out it was a bad idea. I was cleaning decks on a pirate ship (go figure), was pissed I didnt get invited to a party for movie experts(there was some stuff about C programming too). Worse, I had 2 separate dreams of me begging my ex to take me back. Damn, I'm not sleeping again

Freedom

We have an infinitely complex mind bound by the limits of a body prone to death and destruction. The more fertile the mind, the more the body is a curse. We build walls around our mind to curb its flight. Do not question the world or what it does to you. Live outside it. See things as they are meant to be. Love nothing. Live for nobody. Talk to yourself. Seek the answers to the questions your mind asks every dark night. Look up at the sky. It is infinite, limitless. Release your mind from the box it lies in

Death is non-negotiable

This is from Autopsy

Read it completely. My 'observations' are at the end

Here's how an autopsy is done. In this example, there are three pathologists working together.

The body has already been identified and lawful consent obtained.

The procedure is done with respect and seriousness. The prevailing mood in the autopsy room is curiosity, scientific interest, and pleasure at being able to find the truth and share it. Most pathologists choose their specialty, at least in part, because they like finding the real answers.

Many autopsy services have a sign, "This is the place where death rejoices to teach those who live." Usually it is written in Latin ("Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae"). Autopsy practice was largely developed in Germany, and an autopsy assistant is traditionally called a "diener", which is German for "servant".

The pathologist first examines the outside of the body. A great deal can be learned in this way. Many pathologists use scalpels with rulers marked on their blades.

The body is opened using a Y-shaped incision from shoulders to mid-chest and down to the pubic region. If the head is to be opened, the pathologist makes a second incision across the head, joining the bony prominences just below and behind the ears. When this is sewed back up, it will be concealed by the pillow on which the dead person's head rests.

The pathologist uses a scalpel for these incisions. There is almost no bleeding, since a dead body has no blood pressure except that produced by gravity.

The incisions are carried down to the skull, the rib cage and breastbone, and the cavity which contains the organs of the abdomen. The scalp and the soft tissues in front of the chest are then reflected back. Again, the pathologist looks around for any abnormalities.

Here, one pathologist is preparing to open the skull, using a special vibrating saw that cuts bone but not soft tissue. This is an important safety feature.

Another pathologist is cutting the cartilages that join the ribs to the breastbone, in order to be able to enter the chest cavity. This can be done using a scalpel, a saw, or a special knife, depending on the pathologist's preferences and whether the cartilages have begun to turn into bone, as they often do in older folks.

The third pathologist is exploring the abdominal cavity. The first dissection in the abdomen is usually freeing up the large intestine. Some pathologists do this with a scalpel, while others use scissors.

The skull vault is opened using two saw cuts, one in front, and one in back. These will not show through the scalp when it is sewed back together.

When the breastbone and attached rib cartilages are removed, they are examined. Often they are fractured during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Freeing up the intestine takes some time. The pathologist in this picture is cutting along the attachment using a scalpel.

The top of the skull is removed, and the brain is very carefully cut free of its attachments from inside the skull.

The chest organs, including the heart and lungs, are inspected. Sometimes the pathologist takes blood from the heart to check for bacteria in the blood. For this, he uses a very large hypodermic needle and syringe. He may also find something else that will need to be sent to the microbiology lab to search for infection. Sometimes the pathologist will send blood, urine, bile, or even the fluid of the eye for chemical study and to look for medicine, street drugs, alcohols, and/or poisons.

Then the pathologist must decide in what order to perform the rest of the autopsy. The choice will be based on a variety of considerations. This team will use the method of Virchow, removing organs individually. After the intestines are mobilized, they are opened using special scissors.

Inspecting the brain often reveals surprises. A good pathologist takes some time to do this.

The pathologist examines the heart, and generally the first step following its removal is sectioning the coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood. There is often disease here, even in people who believed their hearts were normal.

After any organ is removed, the pathologist will save a section in preservative solution. Of course, if something looks abnormal, the pathologist will probably save more. The rest of the organ goes into a biohazard bag, which is supported by a large plastic container.

The pathologist weighs the major solid organs (heart, lung, brain, kidney, liver, spleen, sometimes others) on a grocer's scale. The smaller organs (thyroid, adrenals) get weighed on a chemist's triple-beam balance.

The next step in this abdominal dissection will be exploring the bile ducts and then freeing up the liver. Again, this pathologist has decided to use a scalpel.

After weighing the heart, the pathologist completes the dissection. There are a variety of ways of doing this, and the choice will depend on the case. If the pathologist suspects a heart attack, a long knife may be the best choice.

The pathologist has decided to remove the neck organs, large airways, and lungs in one piece. This requires careful dissection. The pathologist always examines the neck very carefully.

The liver in this case weighs much more than the normal 1400 gm.

The lungs are almost never normal at autopsy. These lungs are pink, because the dead man was a non-smoker. The pathologist will inspect and feel them for areas of pneumonia and other abnormalities.

The liver is cut at intervals of about a centimeter, using a long knife. This enables the pathologist to examine its inner structure.

The pathologist weighs both lungs together, then each one separately. Afterwards, the lungs may get inflated with fixative.

The rest of the team is continuing with the removal of the other organs. They have decided to take the urinary system as one piece, and the digestive system down to the small intestine as another single piece. This will require careful dissection.

One pathologist is holding the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, duodenum, and spleen. He will open these, and may save a portion of the gastric contents to check for poison.

Another pathologist is holding the kidneys, ureters, and bladder. Sometimes these organs will be left attached to the abdominal aorta. The pathologist will open all these organs and examine them carefully.

Dissecting the lungs can be done in any of several ways. All methods reveal the surfaces of the large airways, and the great arteries of the lungs. Most pathologists use the long knife again while studying the lungs. The air spaces of the lungs will be evaluated based on their texture and appearance.

Before the autopsy is over, the brain is usually suspended in fixative for a week so that the later dissection will be clean, neat, and accurate. If no disease of the brain is suspected, the pathologist may cut it fresh.

The kidneys are weighed before they are dissected.

The last pathologist is preparing the big needle and thread used to sew up the body.

When the internal organs, have been examined, the pathologist may return all but the portions they have saved to the body cavity. Or the organs may be cremated without being returned. The appropriate laws, and the wishes of the family, are obeyed.

The breastbone and ribs are usually replaced in the body. The skull and trunk incisions are sewed shut ("baseball stitch"). The body is washed and is then ready to go to the funeral director.

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Right. I havent seen an autopsy in real life. I've seen the entire video though. Its gory. I dont quite how pathologists value human life, but I found the video thought provocative. We're just a mass of tissues and bones. There is no life after death. I dont see the point anyway