...wondering what Ethiopian food is like? I had a visit from my friend Dr. David Gilbert, classmate of mine at OU med school. He was up here interviewing for a residency position. We went to eat last Monday night, had Ethiopian food. Kinda felt guilty, eating Ethiopian food. Like I should have boxed it up and sent it to Ethiopia so the kids there could eat it. No utensils with Ethiopian food. You are given a large, thin piece of bread that is actually more like a pancake all folded up. You tear off a piece of the pancake and pick up the food with the pancake. On my plate was ground beef, collared greens, spicy lentils and some yellow bean paste type thing. Not too bad. Kinda messy, but the warm towel was handy. And, no follow-up bowel problems.
...This month has been easier for me, compared to October--for all of you who may have sniffed out some kind of despair or lamentation in my last post. I think I may have come across a bit more despondent than I intended. Wasn't terrible, but the hardest working 21 days I've had. I was working on some kind of task every day from the moment I arrived at work at 5am until I left at ~6pm. Toss in the occasional call night where the clock doesn't stop and I don't go home until noon the next day. This leads me to another thought...
...I suppose everyone has choices in how busy they are at work. If you want to advance in your company/work, you will likely have to put in many long days with constant working through the day. If you don't impose pressure on yourself to advance, you can have the slow workday, peppered with personal phone calls, errand running, long lunches, background music, etc. There's certainly nothing wrong with that kind of workday. I'm just jealous. Must be nice.
...I feel like I should have an I-Pod. That's called effective marketing. I'm learning that I am supposed to have a need to have music at my disposal at any given moment, all contained in a conspicuous white package and white appendage from the ear. But when am I supposed to listen to music? When I'm at home, I use the stereo or computer. Work?...funny. The drive?...got the car stereo. So why should I want an I-Pod? Answer/theory: I'm almost 30. If I don't catch on to this gadget and learn it, then I'm on the downhill slide to technical oblivion. The road that leads intelligent men and women to be rendered helpless by a VCR.
...Music lately--Damien Rice
...Dealing with student loan lenders sucks. It's hard not to approach them with suspicion like used car salesmen. Especially since 3% on my loans totals into the thousands.
...It's very hard to let your light shine when a nurse pages you up at 4am, no matter the reason. Jesus never dealt with that. Dr. Gilbert, I have broken our resolution too many times.
...So now I'm in the ICU, where death is somewhat a part of the routine. (Of course, not everyone dies.) The team I'm on this month is consulted when patient are placed on mechanical ventilation. Several patients have had medical care withdrawn due to the poor prognosis of their condition. Others just have so many medical problems that families let nature take its course, with no intervention with resuscitation drugs or procedures. Other patients camp out for a very long time in the ICU, with no instructions on end of life issues, perhaps due to a lack of planning or, in one case, no family is able to be located to dictate plans. I believe now that God has given us some jurisdiction over life and death. I'm not going to touch the abortion issue. But we have become comfortable with the idea of "playing God" when in reference to creating life--birth control, in-vitro fertilization, fertility drugs. However, it is more uncomfortable regarding death. God has given us, as humans, the ability to end life. Murder is a sinful way to end life. Withdrawing medical treatment in light of a statistically proven poor prognosis is not seen as sinful. As medical advancement continues, we are capable of keeping a person "alive" seemingly forever with mechanical ventilation, a feeding tube, and a pace maker. Give antibiotics when infection sets in. Dialysis if the kidneys stop working. Miracles happen, but death is more common. And nobody gets out of this world alive. I think that God's forgiveness covers ending life in these situations. Perhaps the commandment, "Thou shall not kill" should be viewed as a heart issue, meaning that the difference between murder and withdrawal of care is malice vs. wisdom/sympathy/compassion. How many other sins or perceived/implied sins can be viewed as such?
...I need a haircut.
...To the Texas fans out there: Enjoy it while you can. Vince Young will leave one day. Heisman-less (Reggie Bush) and championship-less (USC will make them one-dimensional) to boot.
