Behold, the Bridegroom comes forth in the middle of the night...

It's study mode again here at FSU COM

(really, it's pretty much always study mode

but I choose to be blissfully ignorant of this fact until I absolutely can't ignore how behind I am)

and I probably won't be able to make a single holy week service until Holy Friday :(

So here's what I'll be listening to throughout the week

to keep my mind where it should be

It starts with Bridegroom chants

and continues on to Christos Anesti

but we're not there yet! 

so I skip that part for now :) 

Have a Blessed Holy Week,

light a candle for me!

(p.s. this happens to be the monks from the Holy Cross Monastery Peter visited a few months back

beautiful chanting, no?) 

So,

Medscape released their annual compensation survery results 

This is from the presentation specifically for pediatricians 

I can't wait to be a doctor :D

Click to read more clearly 

On Service and Community

For a Greek Orthodox Christian,

I complain quite a lot about the Greek part.

Not that I don't love the Greek food and culture,

it's just that I could do without some of the social obligations 

- you know, the kind that force you to go to a wedding 

when the most important exam in your career is a mere week away

or getting all dolled up

even for a short service -

this is the kind of stuff

that makes me think I could do without the whole "community" aspect of church...

source

That was until a week ago,

when I happened to sit next to a woman at church

from the town that I'll be moving to in a few months. 

Feeling abnormally social I leaned over and introduced myself.

In true Greek fashion,

she was SO kind-

offered me anything I needed,

a place to stay,

and to introduce me to the parish priest there,

Father Joseph.

I joked about finding a condo 

for me and my two roommates to stay in,

she promised she'd see what she could do.

Well we exchanged numbers,

and less than a week later 

(seriously it was more like two days!)

I got a call from none other than Father Joseph himself

just to welcome me to the parish

and ask if I needed anything

as moving can be quite the undertaking. 

So I was kind of desperate for a place to live at the time-

Tiana and Kristen and I had been looking on craigslist and zillow for WEEKS

and weren't coming up with much.

I just came out and asked him if he had any parishioners 

looking to rent out a condo.

Sooooo appropriate, I know....

Well,

Just like that,

Father Joseph took down our info secretary style

"how many bedrooms?"

"yes hmm...and 3 bathrooms too?"

"anything else?"

Long story short,

three weeks later and we're signing a lease on the MOST beautiful home

(more on that later. maybe.)

That's a true servant right there.

And I mean that in the best possible way. 

We're all called to serve God.

I've always felt that serving God's children is one of the best ways to do that

(hence the whole doctor gig)

but I never considered myself a child of God

or what true service really means.

Judging from Father Joseph's total commitment

-the way he offered to help 

in ANY way he could

without even blinking an eye-

that's true service to your community.

Knowing no task is too menial

no job too small

for even the greatest member to do.

The church my Papouli built in his old χωριό. 

Community is a special thing
although I have to say it does drive me crazy from time to time.
I guess that's the American in me.
But I have to say
I have a new-found appreciation for the value of being part of an Orthodox community
Greek, OCA or otherwise,
being a part of the body of Christ
that's what's important :)

Have a great Holy Week, everyone.

Art and Iphones

So, my dumb phone not smart mobile phone

pulled a fast one on me and stopped holding its charge.

damn. 

Until recently I have been really resistant to the idea of a smartphone of any kind.

Mostly this stems from my resistance to change in general,

but also from a stupid bet I made with the oft-mentioned boyfriend

who will totally shove it in my face if I lose

(and then hug me and tell me I am beautiful.

He's just that good.)

But on a perfectly practical note,

smartphones will soon be a necessity to my education

followed by my career.

I mean,

How many of my two followers the lovely people who enjoy reading this blog

have seen their doctor pull up disease facts on their iphones

or calculate dosage, or a BMI?

Yea. I bet you both alllll raised your hands in the the back of your heads.

So of course I went for the iphone 5. 

When I finally cave in to trends

(which I am generally slow to do)

I go all in

Jump right on that bandwagon.

And WITH said iphone 5

comes a fancy-pants little iphone case 

which I am ALMOST more excited for

than the smartphone itself

what is wrong with me?

Anyways, I love the idea of using traditional art on an iphone case

enter Zazzle.com

They have an incredible selection 

of all my favorite artists

Durer, 

Monet,

even the slightly obscure (but ever awesome) Kunstformen

and then there's these designs, 

by Etsy graphic design artist csera

She is seriously amazing

(and reasonably priced.)

My two favorites:

and this is just to trippy for words: 

and this one is gorgeous too! 

AND THIS ONE!

Why must these silly little life choices be so hard?!

My Dad also suggested I use this website

They have SUPERCUTE cases

if you're into the monogramming thing

(alas, I am not.)

So, guys,

which one should I get? 

Where did you get your smartphone case?

Music Monday- house edition

So in a humorous twist of fate,

both Peter and I are house/apartment hunting at the same time

but separately. 

It's been fun, gut-wrenching, exhausting and educational all at the same time. 

While Peter house-hunts for a room that's biking-distance from work

and open to letting him have guests,

One of my to-be roommates and I went down to where we'll be rotating last weekend,

and both fell in love with the same house

(JUST the right number of bedrooms and bathrooms,

hardwood floors, 

a perfect sunroom

CEDARWOOD CLOSETS- I didn't even know this was a thing

but now I want 'em)

only to find out it wasn't actually available.

I guess that's what we get for breaking and entering through a mailslot

(true story. we are legit creeps.)

There is another house 

that we both also love,

but it's wayy more than 3 girls need 

(FIVE bedrooms, party pool, bar, the works) 

and also way more expensive.

We're currently waiting

to hear  back from a fourth person 

which would obviously make it affordable

And lastly, there is a third house

that we both agreed we can settle for 

If both above houses fall through

(which seems pretty likely.)

It's not the prettiest

so to cheer myself up about it,

I made this pinterest board

with a few ideas of how to make it nice

and cozy. 

I found this website especially helpful 

it's got great tips on how to make cool wall collages,

and simple DIY repairs 

to spruce up even the fugliest of houses.

Also, a cute kid and a dog make random appearances.

So, now that my novel is done,

here's the song of the week.

Only seemed appropriate.

plus, Neil Young <3. 

Have a wonderful week!

The Beggar at the Door

 If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door,  

 you will not find him in the chalice. 

 Saint John Chrysostom

Rembrant

Those who wander

So, I've noticed a trend of people on blog posts, graphic designs 

and even iphone cases

misquoting Tolkien's most popular line (at least at the moment) 

"Not all those who wander are lost." 

It annoys my little nerd heart to NO end, 

even more than it annoys me when I see people improperly using the words "their" and "there." 

HOWEVER,

I am working a little bit on self-improvement, 

part of which is not being so judge-y. 

SO, rather than go on about my so-called "problems" 

(which, let's be honest, are kind of pitiful even on the first-world scale,) 

I'd like to share an AWESOME playlist I discovered on 8tracks and have been using to keep myself pumped through the long hours of studying

and has even introduced me to a few new artists or two ;-) 

without further ado, 

I give you "Not all those who wander are lost"

not all who wander are lost. from chlopoppy on 8tracks Radio.

Memory Eternal

Blessed are you O Lord, 

Teach Me your statutes

Lead be back to be fashioned 

to that ancient beauty of your likeness 

Appoint me a place in paradise,

Where the choirs of the saints, O Lord, 

and the just,

will shine like stars

Memory Eternal, 

dear brothers and sisters

Music Monday

I really like country.

and I REALLY like folk.

So you  can imagine what a giddy school child I become 

when I discover an artist or song that marries the two perfectly 

(props to you, Rolling Stones. 

And if you don't love Neil Young, 

then you probably should be here. 

Go on, now. 

Let's not make this awkward....

 Oh, and also The Byrds.

I have mad love for those guys.

Shout out to Chris Hillman!) 

And when an artist or group from MY  generation 

gets their honky tonk folk rock on

- Looking at you, Mumfords and Truckers-

my gen X heart just swells right up with pride

So without further ado,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

let's have a fine welcome for Ray LaMontagne!

Music Monday

Neil Young is a genius.

That is all.

Sunday thoughts

"No one on this earth can avoid affliction; and although the afflictions which the Lord sends are not great men imagine them beyond their strength and are crushed by them. This is because they will not humble their souls and commit themselves to the will of God. But the Lord Himself guides with His grace those who are given over to God's will, and they bear all things with fortitude for the sake of God Whom they have so loved and with Whom they are glorified for ever.  It is impossible to escape tribulation in this world but the man who is given over to the will of God bears tribulation easily, seeing it but putting his trust in the Lord, and so his tribulations pass."

- Archimandrite Sophrony, Founder of the Monastery of St John the Baptist, Essex

In my young days ... I had been attracted to the idea of pure creativity, taking the form of abstract art. ... I derived ideas for my abstract studies from life around me. I would look at a man, a house, a plant, at intricate machinery, extravagant shadowscapes on walls or ceilings, at quivering bonfire flames, and would compose them into abstract pictures, creating in my imagination visions that were not like actual reality. ... Fortunately I soon realised that it was not given to me, a human being, to create from 'nothing', in the way only God can create. I realised that everything that I created was conditioned by what was already in existence. I could not invent a new colour or line that had never existed anywhere before. An abstract picture is like a string of words, beautiful and sonorous in themselves, perhaps, but never expressing a complete thought..."

  —Preface to St Silouan the Athonite

Museums and other such nonsense

A month or so ago, I attended an amazing talk by this amazing physician, a family doc in Alabama who sketches his patients and shares their stories through his own writing. He's fascinating and a wonderful speaker and you should definitely look up his books- but I digress. 

He started the talk by asking how many of us liked art;
being the tolken liberal arts student in my med school class,
of course I had to raise my hand.
He then called me out of the crowd and asked me what was my favorite museum?

To be fair, I am terrible on the spot

(can't wait for rounding in the hospital- I'm gonna get obliterated.)

So I did  what any idiot-who-should-not-raise-their-hand-in-a-large-lecture-hall-ever would do:

I shrugged and turned beet red. 

And of course, mere moments later I realized without question 

that my favorite museum is the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens

and then I felt a little like this:

Ah, such is life.

But the museum- 

Seriously, 

if you ever find your self in Athens, 

(not the one in Georgia, 

the REAL one.

in Greece.)

do yourself a favor- 

walk a ways up from Syntagma Square

along Vassilisis Sofias Avenue

And check it out.

I went with my brother while I was living there in 2010

and trust me-

it will not disappoint. 

But I might as well let the images speak for themselves:

Brostakis number 1 at the museum entrance

Early Christian Artifacts such as censors, crosses and seals

Cherubim 

As you can see, the icon collection is both fascinating and beautiful- 

this is just a fraction of what we saw

one of my favorites

Luke and Saint Luke!

Me...next to an icon of *cough* the best Saint ever *cough* Saint George.

The trinity visiting Abraham

Stefana fit for a king and queen (and let's be real, they probably were.)

 And to close, an icon of Saint Marina beating the tar out of a demon/devil beast.

So there you have it. 

My first post on things I recommend doing in Greece. 

No idea what I am doing with this blog,

but recapping on some of my adventures,

in Europe and elsewhere,

just might become a thing :)

Seriously, dude. just stop.

Music Monday