You've Said it All

For those who aren't familiar, when you say Wisconsin, you've said it all. I'm not kidding

And it's true. I LOVE this place. Commencement exercises were this past weekend (so I'm officially a graduate!) and I can't really describe it, even 36 hours later. So, here's the story.

For a bit of background, I wasn't terribly excited about this whole "walking" thing. I've been to a college graduation before. It was boring. I listened to an unimaginative speaker blather on about how life was pointless - I'm not kidding - and then they read names. For an hour. BUT, the one thing that got me through it was seeing my sister graduate. So that made it worth it. At any rate, I wasn't pumped for this at all, and at a few points I was considering not even doing it.

As it turns out, our Chancellor is hilarious, the Provost is a riot, and I have a ton of friends that walked with me that I didn't even know were going to do it. Seeing them was a real treat. And then I got to walk and give whole Kohl Center a "go an' brush ya shouldas off" look via Jumbotron when they handed me that coveted red diploma holder (the real deal shows up in the mail 12 weeks from now...blergh). I got to see my parents and family thrilled, happy and excited. I got to sit next to John, a roommate I will miss terribly. I got to joke around with Mike, a classmate from the ol' Hilltop and a perennial source of smiles. I got to sing Varsity one more time and John and I belted that out louder than I think either of us ever have, football games included. Then, they played You've Said It All (colloquially, "Bud"), and I lost it. I hopped up on the chair I was standing in, fist-pumped the whole way through it, and wore one of the biggest smiles I have ever had.

And why not? I'm so excited about MCW, but at the same time, this is home. I love this place. Our speaker James Kass talked a bit about his experiences in Madison. I, too, lived on both lakes, walked the many miles through the snow between tests, went to 5th quarter (although the Badgers were at least better than they were in 1991), laid in the sun on Bascom, locked myself in cages in the library, sat for hours on the terrace - I, too, love this place.

I'm very fortunate. My parents paid my tuition. Taxpayers built the facilities I used every day. Professors and administrators fought tooth and nail for the grants that enabled me to perform my research. My professors spent hours editing and refining to give me the best they had. My classmates pushed me to do more. Many of them became my friends, and a few of them have changed my life in ways that I can't begin to enumerate (and not just due to my illiteracy, it's more than that). I'm going to a great medical school for my dream position, and SO many people here at UW made that a reality for me.

Maybe one of the best things of the day was having lunch with my family and then running around campus with my mom taking pictures in all my favorite places. I'll be home later this week, so expect pics then, but in the mean time, believe me when I say they are good.

Bottom line: I'm in a very happy spot. I graduated from a world university with honors, and am headed to a very enviable program to pursue my dream as a physician-scientist. But more than anything else, with this comes great commitment. I have a moral obligation to the public, my family and myself to make something of this. And that, my friends, is the great joy that stands before me.

U!
Rah!
Rah!
Wis!
Con!
Sin!

Working Break

Ok, so one thing you need to know (and most of you do, thankfully): I am a total nerd. I was born one, and dammit, that's one of the reasons I'm doing this whole MSTP thing. And I love it. Apple isn't just a media darling, I've loved these guys forever. Even in 1996. Still, I saw something today which gave me reason for pause (and yes, this constituted my study break today):

"The Android mobile operating system passed Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone in terms of U.S. market share during the first quarter, according to a report issued Monday by the NPD Group."
-Wall Street Journal

..This prompted the following response from my end:

**************************
Dear Mr. Jobs,

As you know, recent reports indicate that the iPhone OS has now dipped below Android for market share.
As a shareholder, I'm duly curious to know when Apple will accept that 68% of the market is not AT&T and move accordingly.

Thank you.


Most Sincerely,
Raman Kutty
The Medical College of Wisconsin
Class of 2018
262-893-5252 (Cell)
kutty@wisc.edu (Main)
r.kutty@neurosurg.wisc.edu (Work)
**************************

I doubt I will hear back from him. And if I do, I doubt it will be more than 2 words...likely something to the effect of "shut it". Still, I think it's important.

Apple has gone this path before. They used to have a dominant foothold in education and they lost it to the PC because of a great deal of arrogance on their part. History repeats itself, but this time it had better not. I hope they learned from that mistake - they're still feeling the burn from their past indiscretions.

Apple has some GREAT technology. Unfortunately, AT&T sucks. Take my position: I hate my RAZR. hate hate hate. But, I love US Cellular (these guys are pretty good!). I love the iPhone. love love love. But, AT&T's version of "service" leaves a lot to be desired.

Come on, Apple. Get it together and hookup with some new partners.

We're Halfway There!

Fortunately though, not yet living on a prayer.

...Yet.

Topping my to-do list for the last couple of years was "earn Biochem degree from Madison". Today, I can check that off. Handed in was the last assignment for the last class, a whopper of a lab report on ß-galactosidase. It's too bad, he's a hard working little enzyme, but often gets overshadowed on this campus by the BMoC, ADH. Anyway, all done with Kms, Vmaxes, Michaelis-Menten steady state kinetics...needless to say, I really enjoyed working on that for the last couple of days.


Still though, it's a nice feeling, having all that done! I really can't give the faculty here enough credit, it's a fantastic program. More than anything else, the courses I took for the degree I feel have prepared me more than anything else for the MSTP. I came in liking science, now I live it. And, I can say that truthfully.

Still though, we're not done just yet. At this point, it's all for show (no big). 2 more exams and a thesis from now I'll have a neat little stole with 3 cardinal bars on it. Really, it's just a handy little handle to grab and remind us to be humble. Honors students do need some reminding, after all.

Righty-oh, time to hit the books for a bit/enjoy this campus. 5 days left as a college student, time to finish right and make the most of it!

Memento Mori

The irony of being a physician is that in one's career, death will become a part of life.

I've been very lucky; I've accomplished many things this year that I never thought possible. And I'm so happy that my [adopted] grandmother, Loretta, was there to see so much of it. As for the rest of it, she'll be watching from above.

A golden heart stopped beating today, but after 94 years, it was time. This one's for you, Loretta.

Another Kutty on Pub Med? Oh, Brother.

A few weeks ago, Matt Clark offered this succinct review of the Cream City MSTP blog:
"...I, for one, would like to see some science content." Well, wish granted. Eat your heart out big guy:

Science!

So great news: it's a pub! My First! Granted, I have a long ways to rack of the star power of my dad but it's a good start! Of course, there's a lot more to go - first author will be key and on something novel (i.e. not review). But for someone just starting a research career, I'm more than pleased with it.

Big props to the lab, especially Mike, Paul and Jonathan for all the work they put into it. And of course, Dr. Kuo.

So here we go, more to come!