I'm learning a lot in neurology. State vs. channel domains, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, Lewy bodies with dementia, and so on and so forth.
After three straight hours of this, my brain was pretty much begging for a break. And our last lecturer of the day started his presentation off with a completely unrelated story about how neurology can take you Places and help you meet People. And his anecdote was the perfect antidote to Too Much Neurology Syndrome. Bahdup ching! I'm here all week, folks.
He was so cute, I couldn't summarize his story without it losing its appeal. So I downloaded the audio file and transcribed it here for you all.
So to set the stage, imagine a middle-aged, balding man, who's kind of short and a little on the plump side.
As luck would have it, I have a little story to tell you. I was flying back from Europe a few of weeks ago and before I got on the plane there was this commotion in front of me and there was this tall blonde attractive woman, and I was looking, trying to see and figure out who this woman was. And I couldn't quite see, being in the back of the boarding line, but I was fortunate enough to be upgraded into a first class seat, where you have room to relax...and I plunk down next to this woman.
And I was looking at her and she sort of looks familiar, but I don't quite know who she is, so I say, "Excuse me, you look kind of familiar, and there was a lot of commotion about you. Are you a famous person - a politician, an actress...?"
She goes, "Well, yeah, I'm an actress on a TV show...actually, it's a medical show."
And I go, "Oh! I'm a neurologist; I specialize in stroke."
[The class laughs because apparently the people who spend more time reading Perez Hilton than their syllabi know which famous blonde was recently in Europe and can anticipate the hidden joke about the actress and stroke. And aw, our cute little neurology professor is so naive he thinks that this famous person could possibly be interested in his profession.]
"My name is Dan Roberts*...what's your name?"
And she replied, "Katherine Heigl."
[The class laughs even more now, especially those who know of her plotline on TV.]
And so then I say, 'You know, I've heard of the name, but what show are you on?
[The class laughs, because everyone except for our neurologist lecturer apparently knows which TV show Miss Heigl desperately wants to be released from.]
...because I just don't watch medical shows on TV, because you know, they're all trash. But of course I didn't tell her that.
And she says, "Um yeah, I'm on a show called Grey's Anatomy."
And I say, Oh, Gray's Anatomy! [slight pause] Um, you know... I've heard of the show, but I can't tell you that I've actually seen it.
And then I thought for a minute, and I said, "but you know, I've read the book!"
[The class laughs uproariously. Some clapping ensues.]
And she looks at me, sort of like how a golder retriever does, when you say something they don't really understand, they sort of cock their head, you know?
And she says, "There's no book about our show..."
It just goes to show, you never know who you're going to meet on an airplane.
Dude, my neurology professor met ISOBEL STEVENS. If only he had met her and diagnosed her way back in October when all that Dead Denny Ghost stuff started...think how much happier the viewers would have been!
*Name changed to protect my very cute neurology professor from the wrath of all those Isobel Stevens lovin' fans out there who are angry that he compared her to a golden retriever.
3 years ago
