Why can't I Finish a Book

(Picture from http:// archives/ stackobooks.jpg)

I'm always starting new books and never finishing old ones. I know some people who can read one book at a time (Tim) and actually finish it. I can't and it bothers me. It makes me think that I have some kind of commitment problem. Why do I hit a wall at page 75? Amazingly, I did finish a Vonnegut book not to long ago, but I'm in the middle of about 10 books right now and I know I'll pick up more before I finish even one of them. My problem stems from the fact that when I see something interesting I think that I'll forget about it if I don't pick it up immediately and start reading. I guess I need to make a list of things I want to read, but I kind of have that on my Amazon wish list right now (hint, hint for next holiday season), and it hasn't cured me.

So what do I do? Is it just natural selection of books? Should I not worry about the stack of book in the living room and just let the book with the most interesting ideas survive my short attention span? It think another problem comes from the fact that I don't have enough time to read everything I want to (because of the whole med school thing) so I feel like if I read the first 75 pgs. that I can sort of honestly say that I've read the book. So here's the confession, I do this so I can sound well- read without actually putting the time in to read the whole book. Man, that feels good to get off my chest. So now you know that I'm pathetic and I just want to sound smart. Anyway, any suggestions, besides stop being so insecure, on how to cure my bookitis.

Ebola, Africa, and Gorillas

(picture from BBC article)

The missionary doctors that I have linked to this blog have been battling an outbreak of the Ebola virus in Bundibugyo, Uganda since late November. In fact, the WHO thinks that a new strain of this very virulent, deadly disease evolved in this particular instance. The last count I can find on their blog is 36 deaths in the first (and thankfully only) month of the outbreak. It ravaged their lives killing one of the African physicians (Jonah Kule) they were very close to and separating their family for close to a month. There is an article about Jonah here. Really tragic stuff.

The virus is known only to exist in Africa and it is usually transmitted from ape to human, although there are other reservoirs like duikers, certain plants, insects, shrews, and bats. Often what happens is that people from towns or villages near the jungle will go in and hunt for food for their family and kill a jungle-dwelling primate. Instead of hauling the whole animal back to town, the hunter will butcher the animal there in the jungle and leave the inedible parts behind. The problem that this presents is that if the hunter has a cut and he gets the ape's blood mixed into his, and the animal has ebola, and the virus mutates to a human form, he can get ebola and transfer it to his family, village, etc. and havoc begins to reign. It sounds far-fetched and unlikely but it happened in late November in Uganda.

Usually the virus is much more deadly in humans than other primates, but it seems from a BBC article I just read that it is affecting some of our animal friends. So, as seems to always be the case in Africa the situation is complicated. Not only is there a deadly virus, very little healthcare, an endangered species of gorilla, and a beautiful natural resource (the jungle), but there is also a lot of political strife. But in an unusual twist of events Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, three countries not know for political togetherness, are coming together to try to protect these gigantic mountain gorillas from going extinct. It seems to be one of those situations that no one could have planned. Everyone wins: gorillas get to not go extinct (always good), people are protected from getting ebola by helping the gorillas stay healthy, the economy is helped because tourist pay big bucks to get a glimpse of this beautiful creature, and the rebel groups who are occupying the only remaining habitat of the gorillas are ganged up on by three governments who rarely see eye to eye. Phew! Good news from Africa, what a rarity and a wonderful thing to be thankful for.

So after all this you might be asking why does Austin care about this? It has all these things I care about wrapped into one story: Africa, the animal world and conservation, healthcare (esp. infectious disease), people in poverty, political reconciliation, and people we know (by proxy) there experiencing it all. Well, have a good day and remember Africa, the Myhre doctors, and the mountain gorillas in your prayers.

Just Under 2 Months

(Picture from hopenc.org)

So I'm a total slacker for not being consistent with blogging. The one reason I don't read other people's blog is because they are not consistent, and look what I'm doing. Shame on me. How can I expect to have a worldwide audience if I don't keep my fans updated?

Anyway, one of the main reasons I'm blogging today is because I talked to my cynical partner in crime yesterday, Zach Cheney, and he revealed to me that he was now a committed member of the blogosphere as well. Both of us made fun of bloggers while we studied together in St. Louis and now we're both eating our words like a turkey dinner. Regardless of our inconsistencies, we are tender souls and would appreciate it if your read our humble thoughts. Moving on, I'm going to put some links on the sidebar today for everyone to check out other blogs that I read. They are mostly from friends who I knew in St. Louis, with the very special exception of Robert and Tiff.

Just to get everyone up to speed: Since Christmas I've been thinking a lot about the future. Meg and I really trying to figure what we are going to do with our lives long term. We've have talked through our options and we haven't come to any conclusions yet but we have considered the Air Force, Project MedSend, and doing a rural program here in Alabama. All these considerations are meant to pay back all the debt that we are currently accruing. Both of us have this real discomfort with accumulating debt and so we're looking into these things. So far I've met with an Air Force recruiter and talked to Project MedSend and I feel like MedSend makes more sense right now. So there's the update and if anyone has advice to give I'd love to hear it.