This is advice from someone who does research.

1. What is the question for today?
2. What could be the answers for the questions?
3. What experiment can discriminate among them?
4. What techniques are used in this experiment?
5. What materials: chemicals, solutions are needed?
6. What are the protocols?
7. What results do I expect?
8. Analyze and discuss the results.
9. Is the question answered? What is the next step

Renal Fellowships

After much thought, I've decided to apply for renal fellowships this year. The main reason is that I've decided to go into academic medicine and it would be nice to get plugged into a research project as soon as possible. Here are the places I'm thinking about applying

University of Washington

Seattle is a beautiful place and I've got good friends in Walla Walla. However their renal program is in disarray after their program director got fined by Medicare for billing compliance

UCSF

Fantastic place if I would like to do clinical research. The main PI that I'm looking into is Glenn Chertow. My sis is also next door at Berkeley

UCLA

Location, location, location. Unfortunately, housing prices are up the wazoo here in Los Angeles. I've also got a bunch of family and friends there.

UCSD

Fantastic weather and another place that has a strong clinical research program in acute renal failure. Ravi Mehta does a lot of work with the PICARD (Program to improve care in acute renal disease) group.

UT Southwestern

Of course the sentimental choice since I'm there right now. If it weren't for the compassionate hemodialysis (ie dialyze me before I die) and the VA it would be a very compelling choice. I'm very excited with what Chris Lu is doing with TLR-4 receptors. My wife also has a lot of roots in Dallas.

University of Colorado

This choice is more of a gamble. Big risks, yet huge rewards. They are creating a medical industrial research complex a few miles in the southern Denver suburbs. The downside is the head of the medicine program James Schrier got fired for opposing the move. I just need to know more about how good they are in promoting their fellows to junior faculty.

University of Michigan

I believe this program and Johns Hopkins has the best balance between basic and clinical research. On the other hand, I hate Detroit sports teams with a passion!

Harvard/Brigham and Women's

This is the primier place in the country for basic research. The Man for acute renal failure (Joe Bonventre) is there. I heard rumors though that you need to apply for grants even before entering the program.

Yale

Yale has been making strides up my rank list. The main downside is its location. However in terms of research, it is the only program to have faculty that I'm super interested in both clinical and basic science research. Lloyd Cantley who is does some nice work on acute renal failure. Recently, he has a well-cited publication about mesenchymal stem cells in ARF. On the clinical research side, there is a junior faculty Chirag Patel who does translational work in developing markers in acute renal failure (my topic in resident's talk)

Johns Hopkins

I'll be interested in working with Hamid Rabb in ARF. He's a peripatetic wanderer, so I'm not sure how long he'll be in the program.

I'm trying to fix my garden (ok bad puns, but I love them)

At first I was horrified that I might have lost all 200 of my previous posts. But luckily I'm able to see it from the edit view. It was fun reminiscing through my journal, and I realize that by not writing in my journal I'm forgetting all the cool stuff I've done or thought. The hard part is putting it back into public circulation.

I may need my sis' help in restoring blogger (If you are reading this in Beijing, let me know if you can fix it by the time you get back to berkeley).

Procrastination

Alas, procrastination has been chief of my 7 deadly sins. Ok, I've sinned a lot more than that but don't tell anyone. I've decided to blog more frequently now that I have the time during my consult months. However, I will need to go back to serious mode in September when I'll lead my Parkland ward team. I just need to brush up on my writing skills as I will apply to nephrology fellowships this year.

Here's a list of what I need to do. In no particular order

1. Clean the house
2. Pay the bills
3. Get my car license renewed
4. Finish book by Burton
5. Finish Nephrology MKSAP
6. Copy Pulmonary MKSAP
7. Buy flowers for wife
8. Plan Austin trip
9. Buy board review books
11. Apply for renal fellowship (Finish ERAS)

Penguin Sex

My, oh my. After such a long time away from blogging why on earth did "J to the Izzay" (my gizoogle nickname) decide to blog on this. Sometimes in life crazy coincidences occur that make you realize that God has a sense of humour.

About a week ago, I had some free time from my nephrology rotation so I decided to go to borders and just chill ... Anyway, on the bookshelf I decided to pick up a book. The inveterate reader that I am started to read the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This book is primarily about nonspiritual thoughts on Christian spirituality. In the intro of the book, he wrote about how he first fell in love with jazz when he first heard a sidewalk musician play the saxophone. As he played, there seemed like there was no structure, resolution, but he had the pathos to be immersed in the music for what seemed to be an eternity. For him, that was akin to his Christian experience when he couldn't quite predict what riffs God would play in his life. I just chuckled when this strait-laced Christian dude from Texas tried to reach out the pagans at Reed college. Yet in a way they expanded his conception of God beyond petty Republican or Democratic politics.

What does this have to do with penguins? He probably is the first Christian writer to write a chapter to penguin sex. Oh well ... I'm probably the second. To be honest, I don't quite remember what he had to write about sex however the mating habits of penguins are a wonderful analogy of love. Every year emperor penguins walk days and nights to the breeding ground in the harshest winter environment on earth to find love. They march one stubbly webbed foot after another through miles and miles of barren ice to their primordial mating ground. There the females fight over the choicest male to mate. With tender strokes they caress each other, the quiet of the antarctic ice broken by orgastic bleats. After the female delivers the egg, she shuffles the precious egg to the male partner. Soon afterwards, she leaves the male to incubate the egg until she returns to the ocean to feed. After months of waiting by papa penguin, she returns as the eggs hatch to give back regurgitant fish and krill to her baby penguins. Then it is the dad's turn to go back to the ocean to scavenge for food. This cycle repeats until the penguins grow big enough to fend for themselves.

So after my wife finished the bar we decided to go see a random movie. The title was March of the Penguins, but of course it was more about penguin reproduction ;)

Jizzo

You are Romans.

Which book of the Bible are you?

It has been a while since I have posted. Unfortunately that means that my writing skills has atrophied beyond belief.

Here are a few things I'm thankful for:

Being married to the best wife in the world :)
Learning medicine under Dr. Foster.
Having family with a crazy sense of humor.
John Kerry losing the election.
Sleeping well every night (except when I'm in the hospital)
My new computer.
Subscribing to Uptodate and New England Journal of Medicine.
Having friends who remember my birthday.
Sleeping in on my day off.
La Madeline fruit tart.

JH

After looking at Justin's secret website, I decided to do the grammar quiz. Even though my grammar is atrocious, here are the results:


You are a GRAMMAR GOD!


If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!


How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Got into UT Southwestern!!!!!

Yayyy, I'm really excited that I got into my first choice program. It is a very hard core residency program, but with the new 80 hour work limits it should be an improvement. It is an amazing residency program, but they are definitely a bit cocky. Their webpage has a picture of the nobel prize (they have the most number of nobel laureates for an internal medicine department), and they talk a lot about the Southwestern brand. I'm glad I chose it though, because they will push me to become the best internist I could be.

Soli deo gloria,
John

I'm posting because it's Saturday, and I'm in LAB!!!!!! Ok, I came in because Jeff promised that he would buy me lunch. Ok, the real reason why I'm in lab is because I'm hoping that I can get a paper out of my efforts from last year.

Updates:

I'm loving cardiology. I think I must have read over 500 EKGs (I prefer the German acronym) this month. I'm getting pretty good, but sad to say the computer is probably still better than me :( Alas, even surgeons can seem like they know how to read an EKG by reading the computer description.

Match day is coming this thursday. I hope I get into Parkland.


John

Current music: Jesus Freak -- DC Talk

Match List

1. Parkland - UTSW
2. Baylor Dallas
3. Presbyterian
4. HCMC
5. U of M

Anyway, I was just talking to Steve Fu who is on faculty at the VA. I was absolutely beside myself that at this stage in life, that one must still kiss up to the powers that be. My impression was that it was illegal to tell people what your first choice is. Aargh ... I hinted to people that I liked Parkland, but I never said outright that it was my first choice.

Current music: Curbside prophet -- Jason Mraz

Valentine's Weekend

Anita came to town this weekend. It was absolutely awesome to have her here with me. It is always an explosion of love whenever she is here. I decided to do everything I can to make her stay as enjoyable as ever. We went back to my place where I tried to suffuse my apartment in a romantic environment. Lights down, candles, flowers, and a home cooked meal. I'm still learning how to cook, but Anita was very encouraging.

The next night we went out to winter formal which is the equivalent to prom for medical students. I saw a number of my friends there Gully, JP, Tsega, JLee, UnRuh. There I pulled out all of my dance moves (umm ... all 5) with Anita. We also gambled with fake money. I had this really unique strategy of betting. I started with a bankroll of 10,000 so I started betting with 100 dollars. Lost it all, then I bet 200 lost it, then I bet 500, lost it, then I bet 1000, lost it, then I bet 2500 which I won. I then stopped gambling. To make this strategy work well, I would then bet again at 100 and ramp upwards until I win. Anita looked absolutely fab with her red dress which hugged all of her curves. Meanwhile I looked dapper in my interview suit :) It was too bad that Anita had a curfew, otherwise we would have danced the night away.

The following day we went to T4C. After the sermon, I found out from Gloria that I was in charge of teaching the 5th and 6th graders. That itself is a terrifying experience, but it was doubly so when you did not have a lesson plan prepared. Fortunately Anita was there to help me with the kids.

All in all it was a good week, but alas it's always too short.

John

Ok, so I cheated. I was originally Martin Luther, but I prefer to be Augustine :)

"God will not suffer man to have the knowledge of things to come; for if he had prescience of his prosperity he would be careless; and understanding of his adversity he would be senseless."

You are Augustine! You love to study tough issues and don't mind it if you lose sleep over them. Everyone loves you and wants to talk to you and hear your views, you even get things like "nice debating with you." Yep, you are super smart, even if you are still trying to figure it all out. You're also very honest, something people admire, even when you do stupid things.

What theologian are you?

A creation of Henderson

Alright,

I guess I gotta update this in awhile. I had a great time in Dallas doing my renal rotation, while the medical highlight of the month was when I diagnosed primary hyperaldosteronism. However, the real highlight was spending time with Anita who is the love of my life.

Aargh ... I have to go again.

Checking out for now,


John

Goals for this week.

1. Do all the problems in Renal acid base by Rose. I've given up reading the entire 900 page tome, but doing the problems should be doable.
2. Take care of vaccinations (by the way, I got my flu shot for free at the VA :)
3. Organize dim sum
4. Learn how to section tissue. Do staining and microscopy for the next batch of experiments.

John

Interview season.

I will be going to Presbyterian on December 18th and HCMC on November 12.

Interviewing and travelling were my favorite aspect of the entire application process for medical school. This time around I get to go to Dallas and spend time with Anita. My first impression of Presbyterian was that it was a really nice hospital. Right now Parkland is my first choice, but Presbyterian is a close second. I've not heard anything about Baylor Dallas, but since it is in Dallas it is my default third choice.


John

More random info.

Outfitting the kitchen

• A few sharp knives

• Microplane grater

• Stainless-steel mixing bowls

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Colander

• Baking sheets

• Whisks, spatulas, wooden spoons.

• A mini food processor

• Sauté pans (a small one for omelets, two larger ones for vegetables, meats and fish; 8- 10- and 12-inch) and a pot to boil water for pasta and to make stock (4- to 6-quart).

• Heavy Dutch oven for stews and braising

• A couple of saucepans for sauces, heating up soups, etc.

• Small roasting pan and rack for chicken

• Small loaf pan

• Custard cups for gratins

• A blender

• Toaster oven

• Microwave oven for thawing and reheating

Updating leftovers:

• Soups: Change garnish or add a protein

• Stews: Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, noodles or polenta

• Steak: Use in steak salad

• Farro: Use as salad, add to soup

• Vegetables: Use in salads, pasta, risotto, soup or frittata

• Salmon or tuna: Use in salad or pasta

• Chicken: Use in salad, soup, pasta, risotto or sandwich

• Shrimp: Use in salad, soup, quesadilla, pasta

• Rice: Use in soup or salad

I saved this in my blog for future reference when I get married.

What to keep in stock

If you have the basics on hand, you'll never go hungry. You can either add them to leftovers you've got in the refrigerator or freezer or whip up something new. Obviously, what you buy depends on how you eat. If you love Chinese food, for example, you'll want to stock soy sauce, chili paste and peanut oil. For Indian cuisine, make it mustard seeds, garam masala and cumin.

Here are some general suggestions to get you started. Just buy the very best you can afford. And buy small amounts, unless it's something you think you'll use often.

THE PANTRY

• Olive oil

• Vinegar (balsamic, red wine)

• Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, soy sauce

• Kosher salt, sea salt, pepper

• Chili powder, ground cinnamon

• Salsa

• Canned beans (kidney, black, cannellini, garbanzo)

• Low-sodium canned chicken or vegetable broth

• Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla

• Dried beans, lentils, pasta, rice

• Dried fruit (raisins, dates, prunes, apricots)

• Cereal (oatmeal and Wheaties or other favorites)

• Potatoes, onions, garlic

• Tuna

• Tomatoes (diced, sauce, paste)

• Peanut butter

• Jam

• Chocolate chips, unsweetened cocoa

THE REFRIGERATOR

• Eggs

• Milk, cream

• Cheese (parmesan, cheddar, Swiss, goat or blue)

• Carrots, celery

• Yogurt

• Cottage cheese

• Oranges, lemons

THE FREEZER

• Chicken breasts

• Shrimp

• Hamburger

• Nuts (to keep them from going rancid)

• Fresh ginger (lasts much longer — grate it while it's still frozen)

• Unsalted butter (to keep it from going rancid)

• Frozen peas and corn

• Bread, English muffins or bagels

John

My email account crashed!

Yikes, I lost the contact info for Presbyterian and HCMC. I'll wait a day to see if they can recover my data.

John

Residency Interviews!

I just received a couple emails for interviews at HCMC and Presbyterian Dallas. Yeah!!!!!!!

JRH

Tuxedo

Did you know that tuxedo is a derivation of a native American word. In fact, it was used by the Alqonquin tribe to denote the place for their chief (big bear). As usual, the word was eventually corrupted by the big bad Western people. One dead white guy stole some piece of land from the Indians and named the place Tuxedo. It is actually an upscale community in New York where people used to party in swanky dinner jackets which came to be known as tuxedoes.

More trivia (I stole this from a website).

Each culture, religious, national, and ethnic group have their own unique traditions surrounding marriage and the wedding ceremony. These traditions are as diverse and varied as mankind itself. The stories surrounding the origin of these traditions are not only interesting but provide an insight into understanding each group and the conditions present at the time.

Most of the wedding traditions common to the western world date from the time of the Roman Empire and the European Middle Ages. Most of these traditions were born from the civilization (or lack there of), culture, and/or the political and economic requirements of the times.

Most of these "traditions" really have no meaning today and are adhered to simply because "it's always been done that way". Each culture has also adopted traditions from other modern and ancient cultures. For example, today in Japan, most couples have a "western" style wedding ceremony in addition to their "traditional" Japanese wedding ceremony.

Many couples today do not want to be bound by what they consider the "outdated" traditions followed by earlier generations. More and more couples over the last ten years have been designing their own ceremonies (within church limitations). Many couples are also writing their own vows.

Most parts of the modern Christian wedding service have their roots in the traditional Jewish wedding service.

Since most couples do not know how many of these traditions came into being we include this brief overview of some of the traditions associated with weddings in the western world.




THE ORIGIN OF THE "RING FINGER"

In 3rd. century Greece the ring finger was the index finger. In India it was the thumb. The western tradition began with the Greeks who believed that the third finger was connected directly to the heart by a route that was called "the vein of love."




THE ORIGIN OF THE "WEDDING RING"

Rings were used as currency in the Middle East prior to the advent of coinage and were a sign of a persons wealth. In ancient times the wedding ring was thought to protected the bride from "evil spirits". Ancient Roman wedding rings were made of iron.

In early Rome a gold band came to symbolize everlastinglove and commitment in marriage. Roman wedding rings were carved with two clasped hands. Very early rings had a carved key through which a woman was thought to be able to open her husband's heart.




THE ORIGIN OF THE "ENGAGEMENT RING"

In 860 A.D., Pope Nicholas I decreed that an engagement ring become a required statement of nuptial intent. He insisted that engagement rings had to be made of gold which signified a financial sacrifice on the part of the prospective husband.




THE ORIGIN OF THE DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING

The diamond engagement ring originated with King Maximillian who presented Mary of Burgundy with a diamond ring in 1477 as a token of his love.

The Venetians Popularized the custom during the 15th. century. Since the diamond was the hardest and most enduring substance in nature it followed that the engagement and marriage would endure forever.




THE ORIGIN OF THE WEDDING CAKE

In the 1st. century B.C. in Rome, the cake was thrown at the bride or broken over her head as one of the many fertility symbols which then were a part of the marriage ceremony.



THE ORIGIN OF THE GROOM'S CAKE

The tradition of a "Groom's Cake" comes from England and Ireland. There, the traditional groom's cake is a fruit cake with white icing. The groom's cake is usually served along with the traditional wedding cake. Today groom's cakes are very often chocolate instead of the traditional fruit cake.



THE ORIGIN OF THE TOAST

The term originates from the sixteenth century. At that time a small piece of bread would be placed in a goblet of wine. The goblet would be passed from guest to guest until it reached the person being honored who would drain the goblet and eat the morsel of bread in the bottom. This tradition is practiced at weddings today - usually in the form of one or more champagne "toasts". The best man has the honor of giving the first toast. Usually the bride and groom remain seated for the toasts while all the guests are usually standing to honor them. The couple may then make a few remarks thanking their families, wedding party members, and guests. They may also "toast" each other or share a "toast" together. Often special glass or silver goblets are used by the bride and groom. /P>




THE ORIGIN OF THE BEST MAN TRADITION

Among the Germanic Goths of northern Europe in 200 A.D., a man usually married a woman from within his own community. However, when there were fewer women, the prospective bridegroom would capture his bride from a neighboring village. The bridegroom was accompanied by his strongest friend (or best friend), who helped him capture his bride.




WHY THE BRIDE STANDS TO THE GROOMS LEFT

After the bridegroom captured his bride, he placed her on his left to protect her, thus freeing his right hand or sword hand against sudden attack.




THE ORIGIN OF THE "HONEYMOON"

After "kidnapping" his bride, the groom would take her and go into hiding. By the time the bride's family tracked them down them, the bride would probably already be pregnant! A "bride price" would then be negotiated.

An earlier source is the early Jewish custom of the bride and groom spending a week together alone immediately after the marriage feast. The earliest reference to this practice is Jacob's marriages to Leah and Rachel.




THE ORIGIN OF THE TERM "WEDDING"

Although some brides were kidnapped, marriage by purchase was the preferred method of obtaining a wife. The "bride price" could be land, social status, political alliances, or cash. The Anglo-Saxon word "wedd" meant that the groom would vow to marry the woman, but it also referred to the bride price (money or barter) to be paid by the groom to the bride's father. The root of the word "wedding" literally means to gamble or wager!



THE ORIGIN OF DOWRIES

As civilizations developed, political, military, and economic ties became very important to prominent families and clans. Arranged marriages were a means of cementing ties between families, middle class family businesses, and countries. A man's daughters, who were considered to be his property in those days, provided a means of securing needed alliances with other families. Thus dowries were introduced as a means attracting and securing the most beneficial family alliances possible.




THE ORIGIN OF THE TERM "TO TIE THE KNOT"

The term "tie the knot" also goes back Roman times. the bride would wear a girdle that was tied in many knots which the groom had the "duty" of untying.




THE ORIGIN OF BRIDAL SHOWERS

Bridal showers were meant to strengthen the ties between the bride and her friends, provide her moral support, and help her prepare for her marriage. Gift giving at showers dates from the 1890's.




THE ORIGIN OF STAG PARTIES

In Sparta, during the height of Greek civilization, soldiers were the first to hold stag parties. The groom would have a party for his friends the night before he was to marry. He would bid farewell to his bachelorhood and pledge his continued allegiance to his comrades.




THE ORIGIN OF THE BRIDAL PARTY

This term has many origins from different cultures. In Anglo-Saxon times, the groom had the help of "bridesmen" or "brideknights" to help him capture and/or escort his bride. Later they would make sure that the bride got to the church and to the groom's home afterwards. The women who accompanied and assisted the bride were called "bridesmaids" or "brideswomen".



THE ORIGIN OF SATURDAY WEDDINGS

In early times, for Christians, Sunday was the original day of choice for weddings because it was not a work day. The Puritan revolution in England during the 17th century changed all that - because the Puritans thought it improper to be festive on the Sabbath. Saturday is the most popular day for wedding now.




THE ORIGIN OF THE TRADITIONAL WHITE WEDDING DRESS

In 1499, Ann of Brittany popularized the white wedding gown. Prior to that time, a woman simply wore her best dress or a new dress without regard to the basic color.




THE ORIGIN OF SOMETHING "OLD", "NEW", "BORROWED", AND "BLUE"

The tradition of carrying carrying one or more items that are "old", "new", "borrowed" and "blue" also comes from English. There is an old English rhyme describing the practice which also mentions a sixpence in the brides shoe. Something old, signifying continuity, could be a piece of lace, jewelry, or a grandmother's handkerchief. Something new, signifying optimism in the future, could be an article of clothing or the wedding rings. Something borrowed, signifying future happiness, could be handkerchief from a happily married relative or friend. Something blue, signifying modesty, fidelity and love, comes from early Jewish history. In early Biblical times, blue not white symbolized purity. Both the bride and groom usually wore a band of blue material around the bottom of their wedding attire, hence the tradition of "something blue". Originally the sixpence was presented to the bride by her future husband as a token of his love. Today, very often, it is the bride's father who places a coin in the brides shoe prior to leaving home for the church.



THE ORIGIN OF WEDDING FLOWERS

From the earliest times, brides have adorned their hair with flowers and carried bunches of flowers. Traditionally, each type of flower had a special meaning and significance in and of itself. Flowers were often thrown at the couple after the ceremony. However today, most brides pick their flowers for color and personal appeal not based on the traditional meaning of particular flowers.

The groom's flower, worn on his lapel, usually matches one of the flowers in his bride's bouquet. This tradition goes back to medieval times when knights wore the colors of their lady in tournaments.




THE ORIGIN OF THE GARTER AND BRIDAL BOUQUET TOSS

In parts of Europe during the 14th contrary, having a piece of the bride's clothing was thought to bring good luck. Guests would literally destroy the brides dress by ripping off pieces of fabric. In order to prevent this, brides began throwing various items to the guests - the garter belt being one of the items.

In order to avoid this problem, it became customary in the 14th century for the bride to toss her garter to the men. Sometimes the men would get drunk, become impatient, and try to remove the garter ahead of time. Therefore, the custom evolved for the groom to remove and toss the garter. With that change the bride started to toss the bridal bouquet to the unwed girls of marriageable age.




WHY IT BECAME "BAD LUCK" FOR THE GROOM TO SEE BRIDE BEFORE THE CEREMONY

Until relatively recently, brides were considered the property of their father. Their futures and husbands were arranged without their consent. The marriage of an unattractive woman was often arranged with a prospective groom from another town without either of them having ever seen their prospective spouse. In more than one instance, when the groom saw his future wife, usually dressed in white, for the first time on the day of the wedding, he changed his mind and left the bride at the altar. To prevent this from happening, it became "bad luck" for the groom to see the bride on the day of the wedding prior to the ceremony.




THE ORIGIN OF THE WEDDING VEIL

Brightly colored veils were worn in ancient times in many parts of the world and were considered a protection against evil spirits Greek and Roman brides for yellow or red veils (representing fire) to ward off evil spirits and demons. At one time, Roman brides were completely covered with a red veil for protection.

In early European history, with the advent of arranged marriages veils served another purpose - to prevent the groom from seeing the brides' face till after the ceremony was over. Brides began to wear opaque yellow veils. Not only could the groom not see in, the bride could not see out! Therefore, the father of the bride had to escort her down the aisle and literally give the bride to the groom.

Nellie Custis, the daughter of Martha Washington, is credited with wearing the first lace veil.

Today, prior to a Jewish wedding ceremony, it is the groom who ritually "veils the bride". This reason for this tradition goes back to the marriage of Jacob to Leah (the older sister) when he thought he was marrying Rachel (the younger sister) whom he loved.




THE ORIGIN OF THE BRIDAL KISS

The kiss dates back to the earliest days of civilization in the Middle East. A kiss was used as the formal seal to agreements, contracts, etc. In Ancient Rome a kiss was still being used as the legal bold to seal contracts. Hence the obvious use of the custom at the end of the wedding ceremony to "seal" the marriage vows.



THE ORIGIN OF THROWING RICE

Rice has been used as a symbol of fertility and as a wish for a "full pantry" in various parts of the world from ancient to modern times. In the past, rice was not the only thing thrown at the bride and groom as the left the wedding. Wheat, instead of rice, was thrown in France, figs and dates were thrown in Northern Africa, and a combination of coins, dried fruit, and candy was thrown in Italy. In some European countries eggs are thrown!

Since rice is harmful to the birds that eat it, birdseed has replaced it for most weddings. Flower petals, confetti, baubles, and balloons are often used today instead of rice.



THE ORIGIN OF TYING OLD SHOES TO THE CAR

This tradition originated in England during the Tudor period. At that time, guests would throw shoes at the bride and groom as they left in their carriage. It was considered good luck if their carriage was hit. Today, more often than not, it is beverage cans that are tied to a couples car instead of shoes. It should also be noted that the English consider it good luck if it rains on their wedding day!



THE ORIGIN OF THE GROOM CARRYING THE BRIDE OVER THE THRESHOLD

Ttraditionally, the bride had to enter her new home the first time through the front door. If she tripped or stumbled while entering it was considered to be very bad luck. Hence the tradition of the groom carrying the bride over the threshold.

John