Killing Balloons

It is a truth that none of the information being presented at medical school is difficult in and of itself. The real challenge is the quantity of data. I don't know how many times in the past month I've heard "It's like drinking from a firehose". For me, it's more like being asked to imbibe the Pacific Ocean in all its entirety (see The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet for more about this!). Because of this extraordinary demand, tests become a source of anxiety. We know when they are coming (click here to see our schedule this semester) but, despite heroic attempts at studying, every test feels like an approaching tsunami. This being said, every passed test becomes in itself a victory. To celebrate, I use a BB-gun and shoot a balloon with the number of the test on it. Being retired from the US Army, I find this ceremony oddly satisfying. As of this writing, we are two tests down with many more to go. It's going to be an adventuresome Fall semester! Below is a brief video of my most recent test balloon.  Enjoy....