Ireland, part 5

Another excerpt from my travel journal, dated Monday, April 14, 2008:
Early the next morning we were off.  Before leaving Dingle Town we’d picked up some sandwiches, post-cards, and woolen souvenirs. The highlight of the trip to Galway was a thirty-minute ferry ride in the crisp, cool sunshine.  The cold wind blew across the sound as [...]

Columbia & Jazz

I’ll have to write more later about the nearly three weeks I have spent as ICU senior (or “junior fellow”) in the surgical and cardiothoracic ICUs.  The days are packed with intensity, from unstable patients, to hectic call nights, to diagnostic dilemmas, to withdrawals of care.  Add to that the month of August (only one [...]

Family pics

When I was home recently in Texas, I took some family pictures…
Here are Mom and Dad at Dad’s office in Kilgore.

My five-year-old niece Isabella.  She likes to go to sleep surrounded by her favorite dolls.  I suggested the miniature horse could nuzzle her pillow, and my sister Shelley informed me that since that visit, Isabella insists [...]

Ireland, part 4

From my travel journal, dated Sunday, April 13, 2008:
Breakfast this morning was more to my New Yorker sensibilities: coffee with a toasted bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon.  We drove the 3/4 mile into town and set about renting bikes.  Alas, closed were Paddy’s Bike Rental; Foxy John’s Hardware, Pub, and Bike Rental; and [...]

Ireland, part 3

From my travel journal, dated Saturday, April 12, 2008:
Some things will stay with me after I leave Ireland–the pastures green under cloudy skies after a soft afternoon rain, the rugged western coast tumbling down to the breaking waves below, ancient stone fences and woolen dots speckled on the mountainside, and the warmth of the friendly [...]

Time travel’s paradoxes

While discussing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with me, my roommate Jordan mentioned that there was an irreconcilable paradox presented in the book.  The story is as such: Harry is about to have the life sucked out of him by the dementors when a powerful wizard across the lake casts a hefty patronus [...]

Things I don’t like

After an exceptional day in the operating room, I realize this list is definitely due, and perhaps will be added to over time.  It focuses on my dislikes at the hospital.

Standing on power cords.  This robs me of my sense of stability and balance.  It’s remarkably uncomfortable.
Trying to put a forced-air warming blanket on a [...]

Photo blog

I spent a little time yesterday browsing some photography blogs.  Here’s an image I particularly liked off http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/  It reminds me of some buildings I’ve seen here in New York, where the history of a neighboring structure can be seen on the external wall.
Addendum: I felt weird copying a photographer’s work to decorate my blog, even [...]

Understatement of the Month Award

“The plane is very seriously damaged,” said Jan Van der Cruysse, a spokesman for Brussels Airport, referring to a 747 cargo plane that crashed today while attempting to take off en route to Bahrain, CNN.com reports.  Only four of five crew members sustained minor injuries.
Here’s a picture of the damaged plane.

I was noticing that it [...]

Ireland, part 2

Another excerpt from my travel journal, dated Friday, April 11, 2008:
The plane is now descending into Dublin, after nearly seven hours of flight.  As much as it’s in the collective consciousness to make snide remarks about airline food, ironically I’m always happy when it comes.  Others seem more than happy to receive it too…where are [...]