The roads are dark and empty at 6:15. Passing through downtown, animated reindeer “fly” through the air in lights on the side of a skyscraper. At the end of the truncated commute, I snag a spot on the second floor of the parking garage—typically rare but plentiful today. In the hospital’s lobby, I pass the 20-foot tree—topped with a massive star more like a spiky sea creature—that has been up …
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“The Big Sick” is an intimidating name for a movie. I never know what to think when “sick” is used as a noun. Does it mean vomit? Are we referring to ailing people? Just as the name doesn’t give you much insight, neither does the beginning of the film. It has nothing to do with illness. It’s about a Pakistani standup comedian/Uber driver who starts dating a white girl, but …
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As I imagine every young doctor does, I vividly remember the feeling of getting my first pager. It was boxy and bricklike (much like my current pager) and felt obsolete. I’ll admit, it gave me trouble for a couple of days, despite having desperately few capabilities. I used the flashlight on my iPhone to read pages in the darkness of the call room, as I couldn’t figure out how to …
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