tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26767590115532998132024-03-18T23:13:54.255-05:00Cheese, Ketchup, and Pickles OnlyAustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-85839781308771129022013-10-07T06:21:00.001-05:002013-10-07T06:21:10.868-05:00Certainty in the Life of a MissionaryWe had the privilege this month of meeting a lot of people who have lived in a foreign land for most of their lives. One question I had for them was how certain did they feel when they finally made the decision to move a new continent. Each person's initial reaction was different -- from absolute certainty of their call to long nights of doubt and prayer about leaving behind everything they knew. But as we continued to listen, everyone started to remember the times where doubt reigned and they thought their idealism and vocation were misguided. In more practical terms, they started packing their bags for the next flight home. In a strange way their struggle to reconcile their sacrifices of being far from family, of being a misfit in the culture they are in, of trying to learn a new language, etc. with the reality of daily life was encouraging to me. As Meg and I continue to discuss and pray about our future and the many exciting paths before us, it nice to know that all people struggle with the big decisions they have made even if they seem from the outside to be making the best choices possible (like taking care of poor children in Africa). <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"> Kijabe has many exciting things going on- new TB and HIV clinics, palliative care for the sick and dying, Care of Creation ministry for teaching people how to care for the earth, multiple boarding schools for African and missionary children, maternal-child health for a country whose infant mortality triples most American cities, Moffat Bible College for training Kenyan ministers, great orthopedic and neurosurgery programs, and an internship for training Kenya physicians. I can get really excited about all of these things, but I also get excited about working with Native Americans and in the inner city too! So we will continue to talk with our family, friends, and mentors over the next few years and one day finally make the big decision</span>Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-32018495988343904082013-10-05T21:38:00.002-05:002013-10-07T06:25:36.604-05:00How to Spend Your MoneyHave you ever wondered to yourself, "What is the best charitable organization for me to give to?" Well I have the answer- The <a href="http://kijabehospital.org/?page_id=276">Needy Children's Fund</a> and the <a href="http://marasafari.org/">Kijabe Vunerable Patients Fund</a> (see the bottom of the Oct. 2nd blog for instructions). Oftentimes we worry that our charitable donations are going to extortionists, large administrative costs, or the salaries of the millionaire CEOs, but not in Kijabe. All of the money that is donated to the Needy Children's Fund goes directly to pay for the bill of the children who are hospitalized in the pediatric ward of Kijabe Hospital. See <a href="http://paradoxuganda.blogspot.com/2013/10/needy-childrens-fund.html">Dr. Jennifer Myhre's blog</a> about it. Many mothers and fathers are willing to sell their phones, means of transportation, livestock, etc. to help their children get better and this fund helps them cover the bill.
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The Kijabe Vulnerable Patients Fund was setup by Dr. Mike Mara to help two brothers who came from rural Northern Kenya with disseminated TB who are going to need extensive surgeries. He received an overwhelming response from generous people and these two boys who were bed bound and knocking on death's door now have the chance to play with their friends again. His <a href="http://marasafari.org/">last two blogs </a> tell their stories.
I have seen what God's grace looks like on a worried mother's face when she realizes that she is finally catching a break through these funds.<br />
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There are so many great needs in this world to give our time and money to, but this opportunity is compelling because it represents such an obvious good- to relieve the stress of money on an impoverished family and to help alleviate the suffering of a child. I fully support giving to local charities and local churches who are working in your community, but don't forget how potent your dollar is to these families in Kijabe and how good it feels to give! Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-29927757976838150812013-10-04T05:19:00.001-05:002013-10-04T05:23:22.324-05:00Safari!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Noteworthy; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">Written September 29th by Meg</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Noteworthy; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">We drove through bustling Nakuru town to get to the main gate of Lake Nakuru National Park, "The Bird Lovers' Paradise", and site of an event called something like "Cycle with the Rhinos" the day we were there. There were hundreds of people, almost all African, milling around the gate area when we arrived, but once we paid our entry and drove the round-about route into the park (Lake Nakuru is currently flooded way past its usual boundaries), all was quiet wilderness. </span><br />
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Astounding beauty. Acacia forests up to, and past, the water's edge. Rolling hills, sharp cliffs, expanses of grass. Countless exotic birds. And immediately we saw herds of impala and several zebras. Muddy, partially flooded roads, with large stones thrown in for traction, which John navigated expertly. We drove about halfway around the lake and then turned uphill to our lodge - Sarova Lion Hill. We got a missionary discount, which made the expense reasonable on our budget (thanks again to Ann and Mardi for some excellent safari advice), and though it still wasn't cheap it was more than worth every penny. We checked in (cool washcloth and a glass of passionfruit juice, yes, thank you!) and then enjoyed a beautiful buffet lunch with a view. Annie was eager to explore the new digs, especially after a few hours in the car, and quickly discovered the chilly swimming pool, tucked away just downhill from the restaurant. Austin was lucky enough to get to take a quick dip with her, as the cool rain started to fall. By mid-afternoon, we were dressed and ready for our first real game drive. </div>
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The rain seemed to work to our advantage. We quickly spotted cape buffalo grazing near the water's edge, then drove right into a troop of baboons. There were probably 15-20 of them, including several babies. Annie was eating a peanut butter cookie, and one large male baboon started to approach the van. John quickly warned us to close the window - it hadn't even occurred to me that he might try to grab the cookie, but we would later discover just how bold they can be. We continued our drive, spotting waterbucks, flamingos, and soon a small group of black rhinos. Probably best to let the pictures speak for themselves. It was incredible to see these animals in their own habitats. So majestic. And their behavior was far more interesting than the usual zoo milling around. At this point we tracked past the far edge of the lake into rolling hills, rimmed with cliffs. Weather was still cool and cloudy. Riding in the pop-top van was somewhat like being in a boat. Drove through some more acacia woods, spotting several (Rothschild) giraffes. Then we came upon a cluster of safari vehicles, for the highlight of our trip!</div>
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Lions! First we saw the male, and then his harem sauntered up, at least 10 females. Pictures worth a thousand words. Such an amazing thing to watch. We drove within 5-10 feet of them as we moved on to make room for newcomers. Then we came upon another female, and stopped in the road just in front of two safari jeeps, a male and female. We stood and watch as they all strolled within two feet of our van, crossed the road right behind us, and moved off a respectful distance before engaging in some fascinating behavior. Pictures to come! I've been to the Memphis Zoo a lot in the past two years and have not been that close to a lion. And then you're doing well to see one roll over. What a spectacular scene they were. Wild and majestic and beatiful.</div>
</span>Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-33952996904673856372013-10-01T03:36:00.007-05:002013-10-01T03:36:56.651-05:00Pre-Safari<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.09375); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Noteworthy; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;"><div>
September 27th by Megan</div>
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It was almost a week ago now. The kind of vacation I've been dreaming of for at least 10 years. We had the most spectacular 2-day safari. This post will certainly not be complete until it includes pictures. </div>
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We began our Saturday with donuts from the RVA "senior store" fundraiser, including a delicious maple walnut donut and a few chocolates. Yum. Mr. John, the best driver ever, picked us up <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://8" x-apple-data-detectors-result="8" x-apple-data-detectors="true">at 9:30</a>. He drove us down a fairly new dirt road to the bottom of the valley, where we joined a main highway. The road was put in to improve accessibility of the hospital for people living in the valley. Along the way we had amazing views of the valley and Mount Longonot. We passed countless euphobia trees, startlingly large cactuses that are also called candelabra trees because of their shape. John said they are left because they are useless to people. He remembers when the whole area was completely forested. We drove past small villages made mostly of sheet metal, always with brightly painted, closet-sized shops, with adds for Coca-Cola or Safaricom or Airtel on the exterior walls. We passed many fields with sheep and cattle, usually accompanied by a shepherd and rarely fenced in. These were interspersed occasionally with zebras and Thompson's gazelles. We passed Lake Naivasha, a huge Rift Valle lake, and one of the few with fresh water. We plan to stop there for a visit to Crescent Island (where Out of Africa was filmed) this coming <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://9" x-apple-data-detectors-result="9" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Sunday afternoon</a>. Naivasha is a bustling town, more like a city. Felt huge to us after a few weeks in Kijabe. Banks, shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. From there we drove through beautiful acacia woodlands. Marveled at 1950s era cars and trucks, especially a turquoise one loaded down with cargo, and piki-pikis (motorcycles) carrying up to 4 people, and women walking along the highway with giant loads of sticks strapped to their backs. </div>
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And then we arrived at Nakuru. That story will have to wait for another typing session, as this one is being interrupted by a sweet, precocious, almost-3-year-old who is licking my shoulder.</div>
</span>Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-4628867471657535772013-10-01T03:21:00.001-05:002013-10-01T03:21:40.056-05:00Mama Chiku's<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.09375); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Noteworthy; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;"><div>
September 19th by Megan</div>
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Last night we had the privilege of going to the local restaurant with two long-term missionary families. Mama Chiku's serves local Kikuyu cuisine. We had a delicious, abundant table full meal, served family style. There were the famous chapatas, tasty and oily flatbread, the kids' favorite. There were some sausage fritters, called samosas. There was beef stew with zucchini. And there were loads of vegetable dishes. Ann and Mardi told me the names of all of them, but I couldn't keep up. We had carrots, rice, potatoes, spinach, beans, cabbage, and a tasty green mixture of mashed potatoes, maize, and spinach. The atmosphere was unforgettable, and the company such a blessing. So thankful for missionaries who show the most beautiful hospitality to visitors.</div>
</span>Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-34248297178229766912013-09-30T08:33:00.005-05:002013-09-30T08:33:52.102-05:00Time Flies (Sept. 17th) by Meg<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0898438); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-family: Noteworthy; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">We have had lots of activity over the last few days. Austin was on call four nights out of seven, including all weekend. But it wasn't too bad. Annie and I went to the market together on Saturday morning. It was really nice, and she was a real champ. Very patient and surprisingly self-controlled. There is a beautiful abundance of produce here. We've enjoyed pineapples, bananas, strawberries, tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, limes, oranges, more carrots, etc. I've made guac a couple of times, and the second time was good, with a little extra salt, onions, and garlic. </span><br />
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We've gotten to spend some quality time with long-term missionaries lately. Had really nice dinners with the Maras on Sunday night and the Myhres on Monday. It's interesting to hear about their path here, the adjustments they've made, some of what they've learned. Annie and I have also gotten to spend time with a number of moms and preschoolers at the RVA playgroup on Tuesdays. It's fun to hear their teacher stories as well as the how-they-got-here.</div>
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Looking forward to posting some pictures once we get back to the land of flat-rate, fast internet. :)</div>
</span>Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-64258791852744563842013-09-17T07:55:00.001-05:002013-09-17T07:55:19.738-05:00One Week In <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.09375); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Noteworthy; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;"><div>
By Megan. Internet is quite spotty here, so no telling when this post will actually get posted. But today is Saturday, and we arrived in Kijabe one week ago. So much we could say about this place and our time here so far, it's hard to summarize. Here are some thoughts.</div>
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We have been overwhelmed at how the Lord has provided for us. Thank you all for the prayers! Our travels went so smoothly I can hardly believe it. Our apartment is comfortable in every way. The staff here, Kenyan and ex-pat, have all been so friendly and helpful. Annie has been game for just about everything, and she's having a great time. Eating and drinking and sleeping have all gone smoothly, thanks to clorox, water purifiers, and tips from <a href="http://jetlagrooster.com/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors="true">jetlagrooster.com</a>. </div>
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Kijabe is an absolutely beautiful place. Our apartment is on the third floor and we overlook the Great Rift Valley. Most days are clear this time of year. We can see volcanic Mount Longonot, several other mountains, and a vast stretch of valley floor. We were surprised by the large crowd in church on Sunday - the steep hillside hides much of the town from view, making Kijabe seem less populated than it actually is. </div>
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Austin has had a full week at the hospital already, dealing with many cases of malnutrition and tuberculosis. While Memphis is affected by poverty in many ways, he had never seen a case of malnutrition like what is common here. The children here are on the brink of heart failure. Overwhelming. </div>
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Annie and I have spent a good bit of time playing at Rift Valley Academy. We went to a playgroup there on Tuesday and have gone back to visit the primary school playground. Trying to go to the library, but haven't hit an open time yet. The campus is wonderful. Vividly colorful flowers everywhere, grassy fields, beautiful trees, inviting buildings and dorms with large, open windows. It is quite a trek, carrying back-pack and 28 pound toddler, to make it up to the playground, but the views are worth it.</div>
</span>Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-4494505321173905032013-09-03T14:16:00.002-05:002013-09-03T14:16:19.078-05:00Stay TunedOver the next month Meg and I will be blogging about our experiences in Kijabe, Kenya. We have been planning for almost a year for this trip and we are thankful that it is finally here. Megan has spent many long hours and sleepless nights preparing and I have confidence<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"> in her thoroughness. We are very thankful for our family, our friends, our church, and the folks at my residency that have given of their time and resources for this to happen. First hurdle, 18 hours of flying from Detroit to Amsterdam to Nairobi then finally a one hour drive to Kijabe. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">A couple quick facts</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">-The time difference from Central standard time to Kenya is 8 hours</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">-We will be missing exactly 3 Alabama football games.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">-12 vaccination shots among the 3 of us.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">-72 pills for malaria prophylaxis</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">-At least 100lbs of luggage</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">-30 pulse oximeters donated by UHS for use in the operating theatre in Kijabe</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">-7 night of call in Kijabe</span>Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-28944165757935705252013-01-12T14:50:00.001-06:002013-01-12T14:54:42.048-06:00Roll TideNick Saban is a genius. As a lifetime fan of the Tide winning number 15 (or 9, we still have the most no matter how you count it) is awesome. Around the sports world there are very few teams as dominant as Alabama. Nick Saban has everything to do with this. He is a dictator that has micromanaged everything down to the meals served at the combine.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"> I am proud to say that the graduation rate for the team is higher than it was in previous years. I hope that Saban is really as dedicated to the good of our players outside of football as he says. I hope even more that the pursuit of an elite program does not trump honesty and morality like it did at Penn State. Can you be a fan after that without worrying about what happens behind closed doors? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">Saban is predictable with the media. He says the same thing over and over again talking about the process and dedication and doing your job, etc. etc. Oftentimes he sounds like a compilation of motivational quotes spliced together at random. His players sound just like him too. A prequisite to seeing the field during the game is "buying into the system". It kinda sounds like brainwashing when you here them talk, but I think it is more that they have a mission and they trust their leader.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">I wanted to share the two Saban paraphrased quotes that I think are worthy of some thought: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">"It is human nature wake up in the morning and ask what do I have to do today to get by? What is the least I can do to not fail. But if you want to be excellent you have to work in a way that no one else around you is." </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">"Excellence is not something that you can keep once you achieve it. If you want to be excellent and continue to be you have to</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"> work for it everyday."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Good words. RTR.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-28612900880733553752013-01-02T16:01:00.002-06:002013-01-02T16:01:58.945-06:00Compassion (Part 1)My thoughtful wife gave me a book called <i>Compassion</i> by Nouwen, McNeill, and Morrison for Christmas this year and I want to share my thoughts on the first twenty pages or so. I decided to start underlining some in this book on the advice of an older man. He said that with the proliferation of digital readers, our home libraries will no longer be repositories of our thoughts for future generations since theses machines seem to wear out faster than the leaves of our dusty old books. But here I am leaving my thoughts in cyberspace.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">Several quotes from the book on the idea</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"> that competition is the opposite of compassion: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">"Our whole self is dependent upon the way we compare ourselves with others and upon the differences we can identify."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">"This all-pervasive competition, which reaches into the smallest corners of our relationships, prevents us from entering into full solidarity with each other, and stands in the way of our becoming compassionate."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">"Jesus requires us to unmask the illusion of our competive selfhood, to give up clinging to our imaginary distinctions as sources of identity, and to be taken up completely into intimacy with God. This is the mystery of the Christian life: to receive a new self, a new identity, which depends not on what we can achieve, but on what we are willing to receive."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Medicine is centered around power. Most of my relationships growing up were about who had the power. Marriage is often portrayed as a struggle for control. Many parents see their relationship with their children as a power struggle. Politics is power brokerage writ large. Thinking how to relate to the world without competition strains the imagination. The way out of this paradigm of having to win is seeing our identity not in our imaginary distinctions but in being able to find a place of identity that is not as frail as ours. The imagery of rebirth </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">in the new testament </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">(appropriate for this time of year) is the entrance into a new world where compassion is the new modus operandi and solidarity is preeminent. I hope my New Year is characterized by compassion- the ability to see others as more important than myself. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-73849195624657564142012-12-21T15:47:00.000-06:002012-12-21T15:47:50.845-06:00Christmas traditionsBeing a young family we want to start good Christmas traditions. Here are some ideas half-implemented or just considered:
1. Listen to Christmas Carol by Dickens (and read by Jim Dale)
2. Give to the organizations and people you have thought about giving to all year
3. Put Elf on the Shelf all around the house without the accompanying bad story
4. Contemplate the holidays with advent readings
5. Keep the holidays rich without letting them become hectic
6. Eat delicious goodies especially hello dollies
7. Give these goodies to neighbors
8. Watch Elf, Grinch, Charlie Brown, and Family Man
9. Go to Christmas Eve service
10. In Memphis- Starry Nights at Shelby Farms and Zoo Lights
11. See family and try to make the holidays better for everyone else
12. Drink eggnog
13. Reading a book about the history of Christmas hymns
14. Invite over non-family without holiday plans
15. Watch college football
16. Give homemade and thoughtful gifts to family (Meg does this very well!)
17. Give homemade and thoughtful gifts to people who aren't expecting anything
18. Make a craft with the family (if you are a Dalgo make it a competition)
19. Make a birthday cake for Jesus
20. Many more, and hopefully more creative and generous, to comeAustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-64848612128947508222012-12-20T21:39:00.002-06:002012-12-20T21:39:52.466-06:00I forgetWriting solidifies thoughts. I have done a lot of reading in my life without much writing and I think that is selfish. There are a lot of interesting things and people that I see, hear, and experience and to let them vanish into the emptiness that is my memory makes it feel like a waste.
Here's a good example. A patient of mine today who has COPD told me that his primary care doctor of at least two years has never once laid a stethoscope on his chest to auscultate his heart or lungs. He also said, after a simple 15 minute discussion, that I was the first doctor to look at him during a medical interview. (His doctor stares at the computer the whole time.) Physicians do not treat the human body they treat the person who is body and soul. I am afraid that this physician is becoming the rule and not the exception in my field. It takes knowledge to know how to treat a number on a computer screen but it takes wisdom to treat a person. I hope remember this now.Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-85443839106404105082011-04-27T19:48:00.003-05:002011-04-29T08:56:11.977-05:00New Mexico vs. ColoradoTuesday and Wednesday were tales of two cities.<br /><br />Tuesday night we were in Chama, NM a small railroad town that exists along the axis of one road. We met people from numerous ethnicities in this town of maybe 1,000- Israelis, Native Americans, Latinos, African Americans, and Caucasians (even Yankees!). I talked to a lady who, once she find out I was going be a physician told me TMI: that she been married 4 times and told to me all about her relationship with her father. Also Chip, my dad's new best friend, was Rasta-looking guy whose eyes lit up when he talked about his high school age son. These folks were mostly poor but very close to each other. New Mexico is full of towns like this surrounded by mountains, cacti, and sagebrush. The Native Americans were friendly, hawking their goods but willing to engage us even if we didn't make a purchase. They said they lived in pueblos on their self-governed land so that they could have plumbing and electricity in their small collections of homes. My summary poor, arid, beautiful, and friendly.<br /><br />Then as we drove north across the AZ-CO border things began to change. Suddenly there was grass and the ground rather than desert shrubs. The trees that were bushy in NM stretched into tall stately aspens and pines. Not only did the trees grow in size as we headed north, so did the houses. The adobe huts and trailer homes were few and far between and the log cabin vacation homes on hundreds of acres of land were around every bend. Durango is a small town of aroudn 15,000 with tourists probably doubling that. The town is idillyic- kids biking through downtown on their way home from school, snow covered mountains at the end of every street, and the Victorian/Craftsman-style homes are so well kept that my only conclusion is that the neighborhood association is run by nazis. We met a man named Rich in the Steamworks Brewery who was a chemist by trade who used his skills to help vineyards and brew houses perfect their fermentation processes. He gave us tons of local knowlegde that he had accumulated from his self-imposed 2 month vacation every year, sounds like France! All this to say, southern CO, Durango included, is a beautiful place full of verdant fields backed by unnamed 5,000 foot peaks with towering trees- almost perfect. I caught myself thinking several times- is this what the Native Americans thought heaven (or their version of it) would look like? Because I'd sure be happy if looked like this. The people here were not as effusive as in Chama, they spoke to us but it seemed like they were doing us a favor. The priorities here are the environment, outdoor activities, and culture. The population is not as mixed as in Chama, mostly white and mostly very fit! <br /><br />There are great things about both places. My inner voice wars about which I like better. Do I chose culture and education over a place where there is much greater need but also more community? I think this battle is not unique to these two places. Most physicians end up choosing the Durango-type place for the sake of their children, but I think Chama can be a wonderful place to live too, it's just a different kind of education. Anyway, lots of thoughts but much more to see.Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-36457448920259279942011-04-26T22:44:00.003-05:002011-04-26T23:15:29.293-05:00Just getting started...There are lots of things to narrate already. Its amazing how striking the mountains, snow, and gorges are here in northern New Mexico. I thought this was going to be a more subtle beauty than the likes of Colorado and Utah, but this is impressive. We played the part of tourist at a millennium old pueblo in Taos where we bought gifts for our loved ones and ate what must have been a calorie-busting fried bread topped with cinnamon. After driving through flash snow storms we arrived in Chamas, NM where we met the locals at Foster's Bar (est. in 1881). It was great to experience their hospitality through their less-than-full-toothed smiles and recommendations for restaurants and lodges. <br /><br />Deep thoughts: Language oftentimes is used to comfort humans in a big, big world. Rocks and snow-capped peaks don't describe the enormity or what I saw today. There are peaks innumerable that make me look like an ant, most of the mountains with snow on them would kill me to scale, and I think a "cap" connotes something much smaller than what I saw today. I think that we humans like to comfort ourselves that we have a lot more control over our destiny and environment than is actually true and language allows us to believe those illusions. Stand at the foot of a mountain, look at the ocean from a shore, and gaze at the stars and realize that you are small.Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-8984682779948046782011-03-22T08:42:00.004-05:002011-03-22T09:43:01.796-05:00Cryptococcus<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4tlIK7jzRqksdvQ4v28vUYP3vlKY3Tw-_FnlLGgs2UTWZQaSyNAEev-l6RIobsAPtFJmmBz9lDgfni4z6Cmkwc_mp2vmt6sRi3NHjotMhuqgvH8tCXoTlIk_c_xG9dLo60OXYwGRElrr/s1600/crypto+picture.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4tlIK7jzRqksdvQ4v28vUYP3vlKY3Tw-_FnlLGgs2UTWZQaSyNAEev-l6RIobsAPtFJmmBz9lDgfni4z6Cmkwc_mp2vmt6sRi3NHjotMhuqgvH8tCXoTlIk_c_xG9dLo60OXYwGRElrr/s320/crypto+picture.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586914190121158034" /></a> (Here's a picture from google images of <em>Cryptococcus neoformans</em>. I thinks it's kind of pretty.)<br /><br /><strong>For my first installment of things you didn't know existed but will now haunt (or interest) you...</strong><br /><br /><em>Cryptococcus neoformans</em> is a encapsulated yeast first discovered in 1894 by a pathologist named Busse. It enters the body via the lungs and host responses range from being an asymptomatic infection to pulmonary disease to meningitis to disseminated disease. Cryptococcus infection is increasing in incidence as HIV becomes more and more prevalent all over the world. In the US about 5-10% of AIDS patients will get <em>C. neoformans</em> and in Zimbabwe, for example, approximatley 85% of AIDS patient get the disease. AIDS, however, is not the only cause of immunosuppression, organ transplantation, steriod use, and even malignancy can result to crytococcus setting up residence in the body.<br /><br />Prior to 1955, if Cryptococcus entered the brain of a person he or she had an 80% of dying, but since Amphotericin B (nicknamed, Ampho-terrible because of its side effects) was invented mortality has been greatly decreased. Once someone with HIV has this fungus, they are treated intensively for weeks to months with Ampho and then given a lifetime of antifungal medicine to keep it from returning. Even if you are not immunosuppressed but you get infected with this in your lung, you are looking at 6 months to 1 year of medicine (fluconazole) to rid yourself of it. <br /><br />All this to say, Cryptococcus is a bad boy with a pretty face. Oh yeah, one aside, stay away from aged pigeon droppings because that is where it grows best!Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-53353013796314539452011-03-16T07:06:00.004-05:002011-03-22T08:22:08.108-05:00Children's Books<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1y0pjfIK7OoI07NVku3zdU-IN37W8zZUbejmIz6aKcYDKwusi7eicLgbLN9PgiQltOBVcpOhDrB-EcOA3wjmuptiQXklV6Y-M9LAC05I8uuSkiFNApo5dj2ET4xqPKHJIJhuinKDeFrCB/s1600/thumbnail.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1y0pjfIK7OoI07NVku3zdU-IN37W8zZUbejmIz6aKcYDKwusi7eicLgbLN9PgiQltOBVcpOhDrB-EcOA3wjmuptiQXklV6Y-M9LAC05I8uuSkiFNApo5dj2ET4xqPKHJIJhuinKDeFrCB/s320/thumbnail.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584654647909382642" /></a><br />One of our friends is a elementary school teacher and she talks about having a room for kids to learn in that is word-rich. Meg and I want to have a family that is word-rich so we are reading to our little one everyday. Right now she really only wants to sit down for about half a Dr. Seuss book, but that's not much shorter than my attention span. <br /><br /><em>The Little Blue Truck</em> is our current favorite because of its rollicking (an adjective used on the cover of the book) illustrations. The story is about a blue truck who is friends with all the animals who live along an ambling country road and he speaks to them all as he slowly goes by. But one day, a dump truck with "big, fat tires" came barreling through just missing little ducky on the road and eventually ending up stuck in a puddle of "muck and mire". No one but Little Blue comes to help the leviathian when he cries out. And despite all his effort he "couldn't quite budge the heavy load" until his animal friends heard his cries for assitance. The dump truck learns his lesson "that a lot depends on a helping hand from a few good friends". Morality is so simple in children's stories, do we make it too complex? One thing is for sure, stories are much better with pictures.Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-71620786142856364592011-03-14T07:28:00.000-05:002011-03-14T07:28:18.231-05:00I Have A Dream Speech<iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PbUtL_0vAJk?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br />Before last week I had never heard this speech in its entirety. The emotionality, rationality, spirituality, and patriotism of the speech are woven so richly together that it seems that King takes the nation's hopes, ideals, and skepticisms and knits them into his dream of racial equality. As you watch, King sticks very closely to his notes until the very end, and then history begins happen. Right after he encourages the audience to go back to their neighborhoods and peacefully fight for the end of segregation and for better schools for black children is when he begans to vere from his prepared speech. Nothing he says was new to his followers, he'd been preaching like this for years in the sanctuaries of southern churches, but is new to the nation. He goes back and forth seamlessly quoting the Constitution to "Let Freedom Ring" to the Bible to negro spirituals resonating each time with self-evident truths of each person's equal claim to dignity. His vision is still moving today because so much of what he envisioned for us in this speech is yet to come to fruition. I just wanted to share this video because it should not be put on the shelf as an interesting historical event, but as a call to action for us all.Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-49298703566297802722011-03-09T10:07:00.004-06:002011-03-09T10:24:38.387-06:00Lent and BloggingCould there be any plausible connection between Lent and blogging? Traditionally the Christian church has celebrated Lent through a time of penance and abstience. Thus, my Papa used to give up his least favorite food every year, watermelon, and my dad became a teetotaler for 40 irritable days! (Just kidding Dad, if you ever read this.) So this year I have decided that, not only am I going to give up some cherished delectables, but that I am going to actively pursue some good things. One of my goals is to take action in my life. I tend to be one who prefers quiet thoughtfulness over direct action and I'm feeling a bit imbalanced. So blogging, despite its obvious narcissitic tendencies, is a way for me to grow my creative side. I got some help from my friend Will who encouraged me to do this by resurrecting <a href="vivalare.blogspot.com">his blog</a> recently. So think about some things to give up or take up for Lent and consider blog reading as an option!Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-17654443491392536282009-06-17T09:52:00.004-05:002009-06-17T15:57:39.097-05:00Summertime and Livin's EasyLast night on our muggy, but much needed walk (thanks to Moe's burritos) Meg and I discussed how nice it is to have a seasonal change in our work schedule. Having a new routine has opened our eyes to new experiences and ideas that we would normally breeze by during the hectic school year. For example, I've been able to do a book exchange with a couple of friends, I've started checking out CDs from the library to add some new jams to my repertoire, and I've gotten a couple of interesting jobs. <br /><br />I know changing jobs every summer isn't possible for people with real jobs, but I think we all ought to try to incorporate seasonal changes into our lives (besides what kind of yard work we do). For a very long time we humans have been dependent on the seasons to order their lives and activities. But now, we work in offices and live in air conditioned homes (neither of which are bad things), but these amenities make it easy to become detached and uninterested in the changes going on around us. For example, the constellations that glimmer in the night sky vary according to the time of the year, but we city dwellers can see very few stars to notice this change. I'm glad we're moving out of suburban Vestavia, so maybe I can get a telescope and start exploring the cosmos at night in Lake View. Well, once I start working full time for 40-80 hours a week in a hospital or clinic I'll read this and reminisce of better and more interesting days, but I bet that ache for newness and change will persist.Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-88266881390641017092009-05-27T08:13:00.004-05:002009-05-28T14:41:50.987-05:00Confronting ScholarshipSo I'm doing a "scholarly activity" this summer as part of fulfilling my requirements for medical school graduation. We are encouraged to pursue publication in whatever field we work in, but this seems to be a foolhardy venture to me. I'm working on an ethics paper and when I put my thoughts to screen they sound so sophmoric. I recall my mind working more freely in days of my undergraduate English literature courses, but now I think my medical education has put my creative powers in a straightjacket. How can I resolve this low flow of creative juices in the short 2 months I have to accomplish this project? Now I know why physicians of yesteryear wrote poetry and fiction in their spare moments- the ability to think creatively atrophies with the slightest bit of neglect.Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-41639901395305307232009-05-15T15:21:00.005-05:002009-06-23T11:46:57.812-05:00Bluegrass as it should BeIn these days of Nickel Creek and String Cheese Incident (who I sometimes can tolerate) newgrass, it's nice to step outside and take a deep breathe into clean air of Gillian Welch. Her songs are so sad and picturesque. The tragedy and richness of the Southern culture are given their twangy voice. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceDxO50GVes&NR=1">Annabelle</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4NI6JFZpTE&feature=related">One More Dollar</a> are my current favorites.Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-69666945733366431332009-05-14T11:25:00.004-05:002009-06-23T11:48:19.993-05:00Maybe This TimeI heard once that you can't keep someone's attention for more than 21 words. If this is true I've lived my life over the past two years in millions of 21 word increments. <br /><br />Things that bring gladness to my heart:<br /> Being finished with boards and have passed<br /> The summertime<br /> Moving from our apartment<br /> Fiction<br /> High schoolers at my church that I'm going to hang with this summer<br /> Having time to blog and figure out how to work facebook again.<br /><br />That's four increments of 21. (If don't count this statement, the title, or contractions, but you do count the numbers, if anyone is actually still paying attention.)Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-73762593275137079482009-01-21T10:40:00.008-06:002009-01-21T11:11:10.503-06:00My Life's Running Book List<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJq1DunFUr5Uh5LvdFwT2ZHpG3_K6uNndUhGiBdv1jzMu_CghoP6LLv1JigQUSMPlKomVh46aT7iQSM2Z0TVh_THVK_rBvuwh6jJIp3EPJ4DecqryoaxIB0tqP_uUE0PL8IuNWwM84eCH1/s1600-h/books.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 168px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJq1DunFUr5Uh5LvdFwT2ZHpG3_K6uNndUhGiBdv1jzMu_CghoP6LLv1JigQUSMPlKomVh46aT7iQSM2Z0TVh_THVK_rBvuwh6jJIp3EPJ4DecqryoaxIB0tqP_uUE0PL8IuNWwM84eCH1/s320/books.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293794853463539202" /></a>I love books. They are a refuge to me from the day. Typically, I've read books around our apartment randomly choosing whatever suits my fancy at the moment, but now I've decided to get organized because I want to get to the end of some books. So here's my list that I plan to add to and finish for the next lifetime or so: (Also, if you have a similar list or are inspired to make one please share it!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Have and want to read</span><br />1. Flowers in the Dust Bin (with music) by James Miller<br />2. House of God by Samuel Shem<br />3. Oxford American, Nat Geo, and Smithsonian Magazines<br />4. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Need to Finish List</span><br />1. Under the Banner of Heaven by Krakauer<br />2. Evil and the Justice of God by NT Wright<br />3. Orthodoxy by Chesterton<br />4. Catcher in the Rye by Salinger<br />5. On Doctoring by Reynolds<br />6. History of Medicine by Porter, Gordon, and Duffin (3 volumes)<br />7. American Mania by Whybrow<br />8. On Presbyterianism by Lucas<br />9. Rediscovering Jesus by Muggeridge<br />10. Don’t Know Much about the Civil War by Kenneth Davis<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Don’t Have but Want to Read List<br /></span>1. Better for All the World: The Secret History of Forced Sterilization and America's Quest for Racial Purity by Harry Bruinius<br />2. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins<br />3. In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall<br />4. Bioethics: An Anthology by Helga Kuhse and Peter Singer<br />5. The Moral of the Story: An Anthology of Ethics Through Literature by Peter Singer<br />6. Blood and Guts: A Short History of Medicine by Roy Porter<br />7. Salvador Dali by Salvador Dali and Luis Romero<br />8. Flannery O'Connor and the Christ-Haunted South by Ralph C. Wood<br />9. The Feminization of American Culture by Ann Douglas <br />10. Eiger Dreams by Krakauer<br />11. Christian Origins and the Question of God 3 Volumes of by NT Wright<br />12. Fast Food Nation by Linklater<br />13. Dr. Zhivago by Pasternak<br />14. The Shack by William Young<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author List<br /></span>1. Edwin C. Hui<br />2. Wendell Berry<br />3. Dorothy Sayers<br />4. Alvin Plantiga<br />5. Michael Polyani<br />6. Kurt Vonnegut<br />7. Fyodor DostoeovskyAustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-67755209610386567812009-01-16T14:13:00.004-06:002009-01-26T17:05:44.596-06:00It all depends...…on our worldview. A worldview is how we look at the world according the sum of all our experiences. It’s not just our college years or traumatic events that inform our worldviews: our parents, our environment, our friends, our elementary schoolteachers, definitely TV, our happy, bored, and everyday moments, and whatever else we put in our brains affects us. Things that we don’t even remember from childhood have changed the way we look at the world now. It is this observation of the human experience that is the cornerstone of postmodernism. But, postmodernists take the concept and expand it to say that since I have a worldview specific only to me, then I can only have truth that is true to me and my experiences and not anyone else. This, as many have written about extensively, is the worldview that Americans breathe. We love to say, ah, that’s a nice belief FOR YOU. (Did someone mention Oprah?)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Taz_gBEnGvWHR4bK0cYzdJvSd5ELu14nxzRXZa-SteYBFOpHPGmZtBbd0jbZiPf4_VsYOllOSasiAgLuJgNItUzekC24AfRU1PVWwxIC9AVuAoHq0yCO0hejUbJgJHlbuqSc8cR_7S1u/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 127px; height: 84px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Taz_gBEnGvWHR4bK0cYzdJvSd5ELu14nxzRXZa-SteYBFOpHPGmZtBbd0jbZiPf4_VsYOllOSasiAgLuJgNItUzekC24AfRU1PVWwxIC9AVuAoHq0yCO0hejUbJgJHlbuqSc8cR_7S1u/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291993218181783714" /></a>So why am I saying this? Because of a conversation I had here in med school with a guy about what doctors should do with their overly educated (and way too expensive) minds. Okay, so here’s the setup. A group of us were talking about this new approach to medicine where rich people pay willing doctors to be on retainer for them. Basically what this means is that a doctor (most likely a primary care doc) has about 80-100 regular patients (most have way more than this) who each pay him a few thousand bucks a year to be their personal doctor. In addition, his patients pay him every time he visits them at their home, work, or whatever is convenient for them. So if you do the math this guy is making really good money and he gets to know his patients really well. That’s sounds perfect, right? Well, yes, except that he/she is not really helping the systemic problem of healthcare delivery because these folks could get good healthcare anytime they want. So I said to the group, “Don’t physicians have a responsibility to other human beings, their profession, and society as a whole to fix some of the inequities in the healthcare system?” (In asking this I understand that people can do with their medical degree whatever they want, but I’m asking what is best.) And the guy responds, “That depends if you consider medicine to be a moral endeavor.” And I said, “Yes, it does depend on that, do you think it is?” And he said, “I’m not saying it is or it isn’t I’m just making the point.” I wonder what he really thinks…. Anyway, it just goes to show that even in medicine, a profession supposedly (or ideally) devoted to service, a worldview can turn those ideals on their head.<br /><br />My point is that what you think matters to other people. In this guy’s case, for example, whether or not needy people get his much needed attention depends on if he thinks medicine is a moral endeavor. What do we consider moral or amoral? It changes the way we live and the quality of people’s lives around us.Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2676759011553299813.post-59313498916111168892009-01-12T11:35:00.009-06:002009-01-13T18:24:05.871-06:00A Cynic makes New Year's Resolutions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FpJjxinsU9NNfI-6ZnpfUGzj1q_T6aDFcg1ZceuCjGiurRZkyqMlMyg-p1ktbdHOkyCovmiVzynwhX0HNhRXhx6ID6UC_r9S3cIExUZHE9nPExz-GS7QhBrLZlHHfIx6BrHf0LYDFLQR/s1600-h/IMG_2165.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:left;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FpJjxinsU9NNfI-6ZnpfUGzj1q_T6aDFcg1ZceuCjGiurRZkyqMlMyg-p1ktbdHOkyCovmiVzynwhX0HNhRXhx6ID6UC_r9S3cIExUZHE9nPExz-GS7QhBrLZlHHfIx6BrHf0LYDFLQR/s320/IMG_2165.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290464520681868338" /></a> (Sunset in Fort Morgan, AL)<br /><br />I looked up the word cynic in the dictionary. Its most commonly used definition is “a person who has little faith in human sincerity and goodness”. I hate to say it but this describes me all too well. The funny thing is that this is mostly a projection of mine. In psychology authors talk about how it is unhealthy to project or place the faults you see in yourself onto others; and, unfortunately that’s what I do. I doubt my own sincerity and goodness, and therefore, doubt everyone else’s so that I can protect myself from too much self-loathing. (If anyone has ever read Catcher in the Rye, the narrator Holden Caulfield is a perfect, hilarious example of this.) Anyway, this off-putting tendency of mine is one I try to fight, but the roots run deep. <br /><br />Despite this, every year I make New Year’s resolutions. I love the changing of the year, there always seems to be more contemplation, hope, and fun around this time. We Americans eat black-eyed peas (for me only a face-twitching spoonful soaked in salt), listen to sermons about living with a purpose, watch football with family, and melodramatically talk about how we could never have guessed all the things that happened last year. This is a time where I get to hush that cynic’s voice and dream a little about the future. This is the time of the year when I believe most strongly that change is possible. Unfortunately for Meg, I often wax eloquently (and incessantly) in the car ride home from our holiday vacation. So this year I’ve resolved to read more in the evenings as my form of relaxation, instead of mindlessly watching the TV. Also, I want to start writing letters to loved ones because I think letter writing is a lost art that keeps families and friends close. <br /><br />Oh yeah, the other definition for a cynic is “one of a school of ancient Greek philosophers founded by Antisthenes, marked by ostentatious contempt for ease and pleasure”. To save the suspense, I don’t plan on developing contempt for pleasure this year, but maybe ease. See, when ease is my primary aim, my pleasure in ease begins to diminish. But, when I get pleasure in things like reading over TV and letter writing over growing distance, I realize that contempt for ease is not so bad after all because it gives pleasure that lasts longer than a half an hour episode. So this year I resolve to be a half-Cynic.Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503581002497543687noreply@blogger.com4