CH3CH2OH

Ethanol: never had it, never will. Do I think there’s something inherently evil in those 9 atoms? Is there something diabolical about that particular arrangement of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen? No. Or at least I don’t think so. I am wrong on occasion.

In excess it most certainly damages the body. I’m not going to go into the potential benefits in small doses. Let’s just assume that it’s unhealthy in general, and say that’s reason enough not to drink it. There’s also the fact that I’ve covenanted not to drink it. That is reason enough never to imbibe. But why did I covenant not to? I think the most reasonable explanation is that nobody needs to drink, and there are some people whose lives would be ruined by alcoholism, so we all commit not to drink. It’s certainly a sensible decision.

None of this is new to me. What is new is debating whether or not I would be an alcoholic. Traditionally my answer would be no. I tend to have a pretty blunted response to medication and caffeine, so I hypothesized that alcohol would affect me less than the average bloke. And although I feel genetics has a huge impact, and I know nothing of my own, strictly on a personality basis I think I could be a potential alcoholic. How did I come to this conclusion? Veronica Mars.



Yesterday I watched 20 episodes of Veronica Mars. This was certainly not my intention at the beginning of the day. I watched an episode as I ate breakfast, which I can justify. I realize that breakfast sans television takes 5 minutes and with television takes 45, but I’ll allow that inefficiency. I did a lecture, then watched another episode. I did one more lecture, and once again rewarded myself with an episode. And then I rewarded that episode with another 17.

Why exactly did I watch 20 episodes in a day? There are a number of intrinsic reasons. Primarily, Kristen Bell is extremely cute. I felt a bit bad considering her character is 17, but I was able to justify myself since the actress is 27. It was also a bit bittersweet in that she looks very similar to a girl I used to date, but it was primarily a positive association. The show itself has an interesting concept, an engaging plot, and a sense of humor very close to my own. Compound these facts about the show with how flexible my schedule is and how little I like the musculoskeletal block that I’m currently studying, and you’ve got a recipe for indulgence. I tried to justify the marathon (notice how many times I’ve had to use justify in relating this experience) by thinking how I was going to watch all these episodes eventually. I might as well check Veronica Mars off my to-do list so I can focus more on rotator cuff injuries tomorrow. Ridiculous thinking, I realize. Because I’ve got The Wire to watch next, and a never-ending stream of television and movies that I’d like to watch at some point after that. It’s not like the entertainment is ever going to run out so I can strictly focus on learning medicine. And at least with The Wire I could talk about the show without people thinking I was pervy and asking “Wasn’t that show on the WB?”

The good news is that I didn’t watch any Veronica Mars today. This victory was diminished by the fact that I finished off the series yesterday. However, I didn’t watch The Wire either, which is a minor accomplishment. Maybe I wouldn’t so much be an alcoholic, just a binge drinker. What’s worse for a medical student: the time consumption of entertainment or the brain damage of alcohol consumption? Some students actually manage to pass doing both. Once vice is all I can handle.