Mon Jan 03 16:28:11 MST End of another year:

This is it. It is the final semester (I will probably do another term of extracurriculars this summer), and Louise and I are excited. We have a lot of work to do, and this will be one challenging semester. It will be a good one, however, and we are looking forward to the good times that are ahead.

Louise and I had a packed vacation full of skiing, family and friends. I am a little sick now because of the festivities (perhaps as a result of skiing for 9 hours the day after new years eve), and we are glad to be getting back to work.

(14) Tue Jan 04 11:20:51 MST Cavities and Caveats:

I don't know if it exactly fits, but it does sound cool, doesn't it? Louise and I went to our dentist appointments and were surprised by some cavities. I had one and Louise had 10! Well, it is good that we saw them before they became a real problem. Louise has never been to the dentist by the way (darn socialized medicine), and that could partially explain the reason why she has so many in such a short time.

The visit to the dentist was much of a capricious thing for us as well. I was in a store picking up a suit when I ran into one of my old young men�s advisors who was in dental school in San Antonio. He told me that he was practicing in Provo and I decided to check out his office since it has been about 7 years since last time I went. It just so happened that there were two slots that opened up today and I signed up for them. Now, Louise is wishing she were still living a life of disillusionment where she has perfect teeth. That is OK though, I mean, you have to have something that isn't perfect, don't you? I would rather it be her teeth then her perfectly sharp wit and personality.

School is getting off to a good start as well. All I need is a 35 on the MCAT and I will be home free for medical school. I will have to study every single day for a few hours, and I will be fine.

(3) Thu Jan 06 19:17:25 MST Some flexibility in my schedule:

That is right. I am taking a class that is quite like Yoga or Pilates. We will write a little poetry, stretch in the gymnasium (where the gymnist work out with all of their pools of foam blocks and parrallel bars), and we even have a 10 min. "relaxation time" where we lie on the floor in the position of the vitruvian man and either nap or meditate with deep breathing techniques.

I am glad to be doing this class because I hope to be able to run in the St. George Marathon this October and I need to be much more flexible if I am going to be an efficient runner. I am also taking a jogging class with my old cross country coach Patrick Shane. I ran with him as a scruffy walk on to the cross country team in my freshman year. I remember when I was able to run for 10-15 miles at a time and I would get that euphoric feeling that all is well. Hopefully I will be able to do that again.

I am also taking Neuroanatomy. That will be a tremendosly challenging class, but I am excited because it will condition me to be able to understand the structures of the brain. The class is also very clinical with a heavy emphasis in MRI's and CAT scans of the brain. We will have to identify blood clogging, tumors, hemmorhages, etc using imaging tools. This is a great preparation for my carrer as a Radiological doctor, (if I do pursue that as a carrer that is).

(2) Mon Jan 10 11:13:47 MST Monday's:

Its been a good weekend. Nothing remarkable happened just the good ol' everyday ordinary reading and working in the library. For those who are interested, my brother in law had another newspaper article done on him by the Toowoomba Chronicle. He will find out if he takes home a Golden Guitar this week. I also read that he is planning a trip to the Good Ol USA in 2006.

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3619190&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=

BY The Way: If you know what that headline means, you know more about Auzzie culture than I do.

(2) Fri Jan 21 12:18:14 MST not much to say:

Life has been pretty boring. One good thing that has been happening is that I have been running everyday early in the morning. I have certainly felt much better since. That is a little tribute to Uncle Roy who I know was an avid Runner.

I am also going to sign up for the St. George Marathon. Ever since I was a teenager I had the goal to run a marathon, and with me taking a year off from school, I have enough time to kill working on the "special interest" side of my resume. I really love running and the feeling of wellbeing that comes with it.

Interestingly, I think that most people use their bodies as a kind of entertainment tool from which they can gain certain epicurean pleasures. I have lately started taking my heart rate, and doing a scientific evaluation of what my body can do. It is a truely wonderful and awesome machine. I want to take it out for a test drive and see exactly what it can take, the limits and the performance. I am also intrigued by how the nervous system works in controlling the body. After 30 min or so of running at a nice 60-75% the oxygen capacity of the body, the nervous system just kinda takes over and you don't even have to think about moving your legs. It just happens in the same kind of way that people with autism do their repetitive rocking or spinning of the ball in the corner. Funny, Mom has always wondered if there was a little bit of autism or obsessive compulsion in me. Perhaps my fetish with running is a result of my inate compusive nature. The world will never know.

Life is always good though. I am happy and it is nice to live a prosaic, mundane life. It is there in the ordinary moments when remarkable things happen.

(4) Tue Feb 01 16:22:49 MST Capitol Hill :

It has been difficult to write because of all the activities that we have been cramming into our schedules. Friday we came here to Washington D.C., and it being my birthday, we went to cheesecake factory. I do love that place. I got the white chocolate rasberry truffle cheesecake.

Sunday was a day to go to the monuments. We saw the new WW2 memorial, and went with a friend to the vietnam war memorial to etch his uncle's name from the stone. Then it was meetings, meetings, meetings.

Today was spent with Congressman Matheson, as well as Senators Orrin Hatch, and Bob Bennet. Hatch was on the Senate floor earlier speaking on the confirmation of A.G. Alberto Gonzales. While we were in his office, he had to go and watch, on the senate Closed Circuit TV, his good friend Teddy Kennedy give his speech so that he could go back on the floor and "rip him" or something like that. We also saw the president pass by in his motorcade. It must have been about 12 motorcycle policemen, three identical bulletproof limos, and about eight large Vans filled with Secret Service guys, an armored special forces truck, an ambulance, and three Washington D.C. police cars. It took about 2 min for all of them to pass by. Tommorrow we will tour the Capital building before we finish up with meetings and fly home before the State of the Union address.

Louise is having a good time as well.

(3) Thu Feb 03 10:54:44 MST Western Return:

Well, it was a long flight on a tiny airplane from Houston and a big hassle from Washington, but Louise and I are back home. Yesterday we had a special treat of taking a guided tour of the Capitol building provided by congressman Matheson and led by one of his staff. Part of the fun was not only looking at the beautiful artwork but also trying to recognize the people in the buildings. On the transport train to the Capitol, we saw Dennis Kusinich (sp?) of Ohio. In the capitol I saw Rick Santorum, and then we had the pleasure to be able to go to the House chambers and watch live house debate. There, Fred Barns of Massachusets was speaking on the Solomon Amendment and Discrimination against Sexual Orientation in the military.

It was neat to see the very room where the President would give his State of the Union Address hours later. The media were laying down their power and communication lines through the capitol building. We weren't able to go to statuary hall because of the preparations for the State of the Union. Funny thing about that hall is that people around would always mistakenly call it statutory hall. I guess that it is difficult differentiating between a statute and a statue.

The trip was an educational experience, and perhaps I will get my very own office in Washington someday as well. I could see Dave Matkin working in Government there and I would be sure to visit often if he did. (hint hint)

Tue Feb 15 13:16:45 MST Snowy Morning:

Today we awoke to a nice 3 inches of snow. I like the snow, and it was nice to see it give us some more water. Busy is the way I would describe our lives right about now. Studying for tests every weekend and doing schoolwork all week long with other things such as callings, etc. takes all of that leisure time away. Nothing special was done for Valentines Day except that we went out to dinner and the Temple on Saturday. That was good enough for us. We felt good about that.

We are also excited about Michelle comming to town for a college, "what will I do with my life" tour. I think that she will really like Utah, and hopefully she will stay.

Anyways, thats us for now.

(1) Mon Feb 21 13:17:54 MST New shoes and holiday weekends:

Last friday we had a special guest come to our lab meeting. He was a scientist from India, (New Delhi) and he talked about proton pumps in the chloroplasts. It has been a while since I have seen somebody so enthusiastic about his work in such an overt way. He also had an interesting training in which he went to Princeton for his graduate work, and germany for his post-doctrate work.

I went to dinner with family memebers including Kristen, Aaron, David, Julie, and Michelle at the Macaroni Grill. That was nice. Saturday Louise bought some "new" running shoes (at the DI thriftstore), and we went running together today. There is not much more to our boring life than that. We are having a very good time right now just enjoying our life in Provo.

(10) Wed Feb 23 10:46:45 MST Job Interviews:

Louise and I got an email yesterday that was from a certain Anne-Marie who is a recruiter for an English school out in Japan. We have been applying for work there and she is getting back with us about times for interviews.

Here�s the situation: Louise wants to go to this training program at the school of the blind at Louisiana State University, but that program is for 5-6 months. The English school will be looking for people to teach in August, and there might be a chance for flexibility but we don�t know exactly how much of a chance. The training program costs $20,000 and we could get funding here in Utah, but it might be more difficult to get funding for the program in Texas after we move there.

I also have Medical School Interviews in August through October, and being in Japan will make it inconvenient to fly back and forth to and from Japan, but not impossible. We would like to go to Japan, but we will see if this all pans out the way we want it. Ideally we would go from October to July.

These are exciting plans for us. We have a little bit of time before we start really getting into work and family, and I think that taking this little bit of time to work in Japan will be nice for both of us to learn and experience a different culture and identity. Besides, after Louise has had her adventure, maybe I can settle her down and we can start having kids. We are looking at going to the island of Shikoku and our home base will be out of the city of Takamatsu. It is a nice rural area with minimal westernization, I am told. We are interested to see the peace park at Hiroshima as well as the historical parts of Kyoto.

In the end, I figure that we will be plenty well off in the future. I don�t need to rush to be a doctor because it is just as important enjoying the journey as enjoying the destination. Anyway, that is what I tell myself, and being with Louise, I think that is true.

(3) Thu Feb 24 11:20:59 MST Why even try???:

So, yesterday I was talking with a couple of friends about The Da Vinci Code and I mentiond that it was anti-christian. I got the same response that it was anti-catholic but not anti-christian. This is the probably the forth time that I have gotten that response from different people.

Perhaps it is just me, but wasn't the book saying that Jesus's divinity was created for political purposes by Constantine in order to pacify the pagan citizenry? (To name just one instance in the book.)

Also, we had a lively debate in my english class about bias in writing. The assignment is for us to write a <i>review of literature</i> (I will write on Affirmative Action) and that I am supposed to inject a little bit of subtle bias. The reasoning is that everybody has bias anyways, and the trick is to disguise the bias in a cleverly sophisticated analysis of weaknesses of the research of the opponent. These social scientist think thay have a handle on the hard truths, but how can they be credible when they claim cultural relativism from a universally objective pedestal. Their conclusions are contradicted by the very premises of those conclusions.

I almost think that this is almost dishonest. I want to do a fair review of all the research that has been done on the topic, (mainly because I myself am torn because of the great merit of both arguments and the supporting research of both sides). Furthermore, there are some things that I believe which will not be borne out by scientific research (i.e. resurrection of the body).

Furthermore, I am not a "randroid" objectivist, but I do think that it is possible to come to the truth in at least some areas. To say "everybody is biased" to me is like the abusive husband saying "well, nobody's perfect" in excusing his ill-temper. Both true, but the newtonian bias that the NASA scientist had when they sent a man to the moon was only centimeters away in the end from the Einsteinian relativistic ideal. If you are going to the grocery store, thinking in terms of relativity is hardly worth the time because the Newtonian paradigm is a far more useable tool.

I think we can reach a certain degree of objectivity and impariallity. The world isn't perfect, and everybody does have some sort of prejudice, but should we not make an attempt to eliminate those personal impartialities? Can we ever attain a just society? Is the rule of law just some nice idea that we will never actually attain, or justice another opiate handed down from those who happen to be the strongest and nothing more?

As for me, I would like to think, along with Keplar, Newton, and Einstein, that we can in some way come to know the mind of God. In terms of religion, I think that this desire is even more attainable.

Well, I am not going to edit this, so hopefully I was clear and didn't make too many mistakes in putting my thoughts down.

(8) Thu Mar 03 16:29:20 MST notes :

Almost done researching my term paper on Affirmative Action. Now I am ready to write. My only problem is, how will I fit so much information in such a small space (ten pages). They don't make term papers like they used to. I have not had to write more than 12 pages ever in college. I guess we are just trying to chug these undergrads through college to the workplace where they get more of the same without ever enjoying the flowers. That must be why the national parks are in disrepair.

(5) Mon Mar 07 16:32:35 MST too tireing:

Well, we finally broke down and bought a new car and traded in our truck. We feel kinda guilty about it in a way, and there is a little buyers remorse, but I guess there is always some remorse after any big purchase. It was a good time for us to do it. Louise's parents are coming to Utah for Graduation and there is no way we are going to be able to do all that they want to do for their last whirlwind tour in America (i.e. St. George, Colorodo/Canyonlands, Las Vegas perhaps). Last time they came, they had to rent a car for a couple of weeks in order for the four of us to fit.

Our insurance expires this month as well, and it is time for a renewal. We also did get a good deal (as good as it gets at a dealer). it was midway between the kelly blue book private party price and the Retail Sales Price, and they extended the warrenty and gave us tinting. Louise isn't as eager to negotiate as I was, however, and she felt kinda bad when we really were squeezing the last dime out of them.

Now I am realizing how much other people were dependant on our truck as well. I am sorry to disappoint them, but we need places to put future carseats and luggage that will actually fit inside the car as opposed to out in the weather.

Overall, we are happy. Except for that bloodsucking financing guy who was trying to sell us all kinds of stuff that we didn't need.

(1) Thu Mar 10 09:42:50 MST I don't need a holiday.:

I just got an email that said that the 28th of April is national say hi to Joe day. I never realized that my fellow namesakes were so concerned about being recognized.

(7) Mon Mar 14 12:33:36 MST Thanks for the gathering.:

Last night we went over to John and Suzie's to have a little get-together. It was very nice. It is always good to talk in reality as opposed to virtual reality of the web, and it is good seeing other cousins who we haven't seen recently.

In other news, I have contacted an attorney because of something that was placed in our contract for buying a car. I hate getting mean and litigious, but I told the finance guy not to add anything above what I had agreed upon with the salesman. He added a $300.00 charge for some rebate program that I would be eligible for if my car is stolen and never recover. I had talked to the dealership many times and they have been dragging their feet. I was totally unaware that it was added to the contract, and I want to talk with a consumer rights specialist to see what I can do to put some pressure on in order to get some action out of this dealership to just remove this little worthless financial product. It has been a week and they haven't done anything about it yet. And that is what I call ridiculous.

In other news, I took a practice MCAT last Saturday, and got a 28. The average for people who are accepted to med school so I am on track to getting over a 30. Just 7 more practice tests and then the real one is coming up. The rest of my life hangs in the balance, and even though I am starting to get ulcers, I am excited about continuing my education into a field that I will really enjoy.

Wed Mar 16 12:15:14 MST Altruistic Consequences:

One of the drawbacks of working in a volunteer clinic is the fact that you are exposed to a lot of illnesses that are contagious. I had a headache and a sore throat yesterday, and I think that it is because of the strep throat cases that came in last Thursday. I did swabs on about 4 or 5 people to test for strep, and a couple came out very positive.

Today, I am feeling a little bit better, however, but I still had to sleep in till about 8:00 when I really wanted to go running this morning. It is so nice going out in the dark morning to run while watching the sun come over the mountains.

Louise and I have also been chatting about how we will go about the next year accomplishing our plans of Louisiana, and afterwards. She also told me that she didn’t want to have me join the military unless the only school that I could get into was a $25,000 or more tuition/year school. We will see. I would like to be in the military for the mere experience and service, but she is right that the experience and service may not be worth making half what we could in the private sector. I think she wants more trips back home in the long run.

We are also excited to see Mum and Dad come into town in 3 weeks (from Australia)!!! There will be much festivities come April with graduation and family from all sides in town. I think that Mom and Ben will also like taking some time with the Nicholson side of the family. I think that Louise's Dad wants to make sure that Ben is good enough for my Mom. :p

This is probably going to be the last time for the both of the Nicholson parents coming to town, but since Louise’s Mom is adventurous and loves to travel, I am sure that she will be in town when some of our kids are born as well as other notable events.

In short, there is always going to be some little sickness or problem, but we are very excited for the future as well as our daily progress. That is the story of my life.

Wed Mar 23 17:06:21 MST Going before the judgement seat::

Yes, I had my Medical school committee interviews today. I was interviewed by Dr. Bloxham and one of my peers. I was quite nervous in the Bloxham interview (I know that everybody tells me not to be nervous, but I just don’t want to mess up). I also didn’t get much sleep last night. I kept on waking up in the middle of the night to check to make sure that I wasn’t sleeping in. That would not have gone over well with Dr. Bloxham.

It was a good interview, however, and I left feeling that I was a good candidate. Dr. Bloxham said that I should have no trouble getting into medical school. I won’t believe it till I see it though. We are still checking on working in Japan for six months as well. The interviewer will talk with us in April.

Also, only one week until Auzzie Mum & Dad come into town. It seems that our in-laws up in Sandy bought a house, and Mum and Dad will be helping with the move for the first couple of weeks that they will be in the States.

(2) Wed Mar 23 17:06:23 MST Going before the judgement seat::

Yes, I had my Medical school committee interviews today. I was interviewed by Dr. Bloxham and one of my peers. I was quite nervous in the Bloxham interview (I know that everybody tells me not to be nervous, but I just don’t want to mess up). I also didn’t get much sleep last night. I kept on waking up in the middle of the night to check to make sure that I wasn’t sleeping in. That would not have gone over well with Dr. Bloxham.

It was a good interview, however, and I left feeling that I was a good candidate. Dr. Bloxham said that I should have no trouble getting into medical school. I won’t believe it till I see it though. We are still checking on working in Japan for six months as well. The interviewer will talk with us in April.

Also, only one week until Auzzie Mum & Dad come into town. It seems that our in-laws up in Sandy bought a house, and Mum and Dad will be helping with the move for the first couple of weeks that they will be in the States.

(2) Fri Mar 25 16:15:25 MST family history:

Louise spoke to her parents yesterday for about 2 hours. They are soooo excited to get into town next week. They are already packing. Louise wanted to know some family history about her dad and her grandfather for a school project. I found out an interesting detail of John Nicholson’s life. When he was a teenager, his parents were maid and butler for the Dutch Ambassador. Every week they would have a half-day to go and do what they wanted to do. The same day, the Dutch ambassador would always get very ill.

Louise’s dad smelled a rat, and went to check out the barley water that was being served to the ambassador. He took the evidence to a chemist who could test it and found out that somebody was putting harpic, a cleaning agent, in the old man’s barley water.

Come to find out that the wife of the Ambassador was German, and she was trying to knock off her husband for some reason. Louise’s dad described her a some quiet white-haired old woman, and it just so happens that he exposed a small scandal that was happening.

So we have a Shirlock Holmes in the family.

Sat Mar 26 11:39:30 MST Lorin's Medaly:

Here's another sampling of Lorin's Guitar playing. It was taped live at the guitar music festival, or something like that.

By the way, we are also taking orders for signed copies of Lorin's CD. They will come with the parents this week.

http://abc.net.au/newengland/countrymusic/jukebox.htm

Have a listen and enjoy!

Tue Mar 29 10:53:44 MST Spring in the air.:

Louise has had a bit of a sick spell these last two days. I think that she caught what I had last week. This morning I got up at around 6:10 before the alarm clock, and went out for a nice morning run. Louise lain in bed until just before I returned. She had the voice of somebody who smoked for 20 years, and I notice that her accent becomes pronounced because she has to speak more forcefully.

I just love those days when I get up and feel rested. I think that this will be a lovely spring.

Mon Apr 04 13:31:25 MST Family Conference :

It was a wonderful weekend. We spent quite a bit of time up in Sandy (aside from my practice MCAT and some work for Louise). I went to Priesthood with my father-in-law John. We had a nice time together.

On Sunday we had a good time with the Nelson/Nicholsons. John and Julie Nicholson brought all of their photo's up to have me scan them, and I remarkably got them all done. Now I have a good 200 photos of relatives, events, places, and such. I also sat down with John and Julie separately to label them all, and I learned quite a bit. I think that they also enjoyed telling me about their family histories. I will now make CD's for all of the Nicholson's for them to have for posterity.

John looked like quite the charmer, by the way. He was uncannily similar in looks to John Kerry. He had the hair and poise of a James Bond fellow.

Afterwards, we had a big dinner with all of the Nelsons and family. We went to look at a few homes in the area as well with Russ and Geneal, and finally came home at around 12:00 A.M.

Those kids (Neices and Nephews) are so cute, by the way.

(1) Mon Apr 04 16:06:44 MST Labels:

While in Sandy, the Nelson's had a big dinner gathering. Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, etc. were there. During dinner, the topic of the Catholic Church came up as the Pope had recently passed away. Perhaps it is because I was raised in part of the United States where Catholicism was the major religion, but I was surprised by what people were saying about the Catholic Church. They recited the same old conspiracy theories that Pope John Paul II was a collaborator with the mafia, that they blackmail government officials, that they are a church of child molesting priests, etc.

Of course I was part of a minority that said that I thought that John Paul II had done a wonderful service to humanity, and that he was truly a good man, to which I received the puzzling rebuttal “then why didn’t he join the church; he surely knew the truth about his church as well as ours.”

Well then, I guess John Paul II will be cast into outer darkness for his knowing rejection of the true church. On the other hand, how can I, as a sixth generation Latter-day Saint judge a man who was born without the kind of heritage and blessings that I have taken for granted? I don’t know everything about the life of Pope John Paul II, but I have great respect for him as well as the religion that he leads. It would be easy for me to pass judgment on people of other faiths when I reap all of the benefits my ascendants and I sit comfortably within the power of the majority here in Utah Valley where I am not challenged or burdened by sharing religious beliefs with people of other faiths.

Something else came up during the course of dinner conversation along the same theme. It is a topic that I feel as strongly about as Alyson and Walmart. It is that of The Da Vinci Code. As part of the Anti-Catholic rhetoric the Da Vinci code was mentioned to give evidence to the evils propagated by the Catholic Church (i.e. Oppression of women (Mary Magdalene), seeking for power, etc.). I raised some eyebrows when I told them that I thought that it was and Anti-Christian book, and cited one part of the book to give my claim credibility (Christ’s divinity was an invention of Constantine in order to merge pagan religion and consolidate power). The retort that I received was “Oh, well it is a book of Fiction, what can you expect.”

Funny, the idea that it is fiction was never mentioned when talking about the Catholic Church or Mary Magdalene’s role as the Lord’s wife (which interestingly enough the book clearly implies that Mary was not the only “wife” of Christ as it was defined in the book, and that is the main reason why I am disgusted by the book, and call it Anti-Christian as well as religious pornography, but that little bit of fiction is conveniently forgotten when extolling the enlightening value of the book).

I thought it wise to keep my viewpoints to myself, especially since I would have been arguing with my kind host, Russ’s Mom, and her sisters. Nevertheless, I felt like an outsider. I am finding that I don’t exactly fit within the categories that define ideas and opinions, the philosophies of men. I find that I am an extreme conservative when I talk with some people, and I am a flaming liberal when I talk with others. I am seen as a person with a weak testimony because I am sympathetic to people of other faiths, and to others I have a strong testimony because I happen to use my right hand to take the sacrament.

The Anti-Defamation League said in a statement that condemned the Anti-LDS film “The Godmakers” that—attacks of that kind on a particular group of people is an attack on all of us. Why did the regular German people allow the kind of defamation and dehumanization of the Jews? Perhaps they thought that they would not be effected, or even that they might profit a little by their criticism (no harm done—right? Just dig a small pit for your neighbor and no biggie.). I hope that we as Latter-day saints do not do the same by thinking wrongfully that we will only succeed by causing the downfall of the “mother of all harlots” as we are so accustomed to label. I think that often people are too intellectually lazy to define ideas and get at the “root of the evil” (as Emerson called it) instead of labeling and categorizing, as we have witnessed with the tremendously complex issue of Terry Shiavo.

Mon Apr 04 16:13:20 MST Having said that, :

By the way, I really enjoyed my time with the Nelsons, and the Nicholsons. We had a wonderful dinner, and the company was even more delightful. My next entry can be interpreted as more of a comment on trends than on any particular person. (No offense Nelsons. Love you all!)

(2) Wed May 04 18:50:52 MST TEXAS HERE WE COME!!!:

I hope anyway. I finished my Texas Medical school applications yesterday. It took me only 9 hours to polish up my personal essay, make a general accounting of my time from the day I graduated High School, and enter in all of my GPA stats. I am pleasantly supprised at the accomplishments that I had these last 4 years. I probably could have done a little better, however.

Last night I had a dream that I got my MCAT scores back and I had a 32 or something like that. I was happy, and then I got an acceptance letter from San Antonio. It has been a little bit of a ride.

I also decided against the AMCAS application. I was going to apply to GW, Med Coll of Wisconsin, Drexel, and Jefferson, but I figure that I would choose a Texas school over any of those. Furthermore, applying to just one of those schools would cost me in excess of 600 dollars, so if I were to apply to all of them I would spend $2,400 more than if I were to just apply to the Texas Schools, and that is a pretty conservative estimate. We could really use that money, so I am going to just take my chances with the Texas Schools.

I think that I have a major advantage. I applied on the second day that applications were opened, and I am already getting the Secondary applications in. I have finished sending Letters and Transcripts to Galveston, San Antonio, and Houston. I only have Southwestern, Texas Tech, and A&M left to do. I may want to apply to Baylor, though as well, but I don't count on gettin in there. Most people don't get their completed application in until July or August. The deadline is mid-October. I feel like I have more than a good shot, and I am excited to start my life as a Doctor (hopefully).

(3) Wed Jun 15 18:04:12 MST Summer commings and goings:

Well, I realize that I need to get back to the world of crummy so here I am back after my writing sabbatical.

Things are going well for us. We just have to line up our finances, property, schedule, and obligations in order to make the move to Louisiana. It will be a trip to remember--traveling through the heartland of America. We are also planning a trip to San Francisco for Mom's Seminary reunion and to pick up the Girls for their visit with Dad.

Looming in the background are my Applications to med school. I find out my MCAT scores soon, and I feel that my life is hanging in uncertainty. I hope I do well.

I am also increasing my running schedule. I finaly bought some new running shoes after having my old ones for more than a year and a half. I was starting to get foot/ankle pains, blisters, and leg muscle pains. My new shoes are wonderful, and Today I ran for 60 min (probably 8 miles). I am really enjoying this summer weather.

Francis, Are you going to be in San Francisco July 14-19th? I'll Call if I don't get a reply.

Let us know, I would love to visit Bakersfield as well--if that works out with Lorna and Michelle.

(3) Thu Jun 16 12:02:56 MST The verdict is in:

I finally got my scores back (being a little early). I am satisfied at what I got. I was really worried because I didn't really plan my day well, for test day, but it has all turned out well. I was really nervous about the result of the test. The day before I had run about 6 miles, and I was a little dehydrated by the time morning on test day came. I drank a lot of water thinking that I would have time to go to the restroom just before the test was supposed to begin. To my chagrin, they closed and locked the doors when we arrived for processing at 7:30 a.m. The test was scheduled at 8:30 and that part lasted for 100 minutes. To compound the problem I had taken some caffeine--Bad idea.

Anyways, the result was that half way through the test I was feeling very uncomfortable, and eventually had to leave to go to the bathroom. I ended up having to blindly fill in the bubbles to 18 questions out of 80 or so. I though that I was a gone-er. As it turned out I still got a 9 in my lowest section and that is still about the top 50th percentile. My biggest pleasant suprise was the Verbal Reasoning section where I scored in the 90th percentile. That is good because it is weighted the most heavily by the admissions boards. With 15% of people from BYU who had excellent MCAT's and 4.0 GPA's not getting into medical school I am glad that I did well in the section that the schools claim to look at as an indicator of good bedside manners and interpersonal skills.

This will also make applying to med school much cheaper. I wont have to go on the U2 American tour of medical schools in order to get enough numbers to be safely accepted into one of them. That is a relief.

All in all, I think I did well considering the time I put into studying (not as much as I would have liked), and the other obligations that I had that stole my attention.

(1) Wed Jul 27 22:31:41 MST Falling into place:

After a couple of weeks of traveling, Louise and I only have a few more days left until we start our respective new assignments. There is some good news for me in all the new beginnings. While we were driving into Denver on I-70, I got a phone call from an person named Joseph who was interested in having me come and take over his position at a surgical center. He is a surgical tech at a center in West Plains Missouri. I had applied for this job about 2 weeks ago, so I was excited to see what would come of it. Yesterday, I received a call from the Owner and Chief Opthamalogist of the surgical center. He interviewed me and told me about what I would do as his assistant. Those duties include working with him in eye surgeries (the scalpal and suture kind), take dictation, remove stitches, take eye pressure measurements, and other patient pre-operation work as well as many other jobs.

West Plains is a town of 11,000 people. It is also on the outskirts of Mark Twain National Forest. The doctor I will be working with is the only Opthamalogist within 100 miles, so if there is an eye trauma case that comes in during the middle of the night, I may have to get out of bed to assist.

Louise, meanwhile, will be down in Ruston, LA (about 350 miles away), and will be in the center until she joins me in West Plains. I will have time to visit on weekends every other week (as the doctor works 4 day weeks every other week). We are both very excited about the prospects of personal growth that is in store for us this comming year. I will have some time to really train for a marathon, as well as have plenty of time to interview for Med-school, and work in a fabulous job that will prepare me to become a doctor.

In other news, we are visiting Alyson here in Kansas and having a good time visiting KU, going to the Zoo, and eating really good BBQ. Alyson has been a wonderful hostess.

(2) Fri Jul 29 20:44:46 MST Leaving Kansas:

Today is our last day here at Aly and Dave's. Tonight Alyson made a wonderful pasta dish and Louise was in heaven (I thought it was very good, but for Louise it was ecstacy). Today we spent some time swimming and going to the Arcade to spend Atticus's "reward" money.

Monday I will be headed off to Missouri to start my new job and find a place to stay. It is so increadibly cheap to live there that it seems that I will have no problem getting a good place. We are looking at a 2 bedroom house for about $285/month, or a fully furnished 2 bed apartment for about $375 (including utilities, save electricity). I think of what I paid in California (1200 split between four people) for a small 2 bedroom apartment near Pasadena. We will see how Missouri compares to California though.

(1) Mon Aug 15 18:11:36 MST work, work, work:

Life has changed somewhat since I have moved up here to West Plains. Here is a sample schedule:

7:00 A.M.--Dress in scrubs and scrub my hands and arms

7:30--Prep a patient for some type of surgery and start surgery (dress eyes with betadine and surgical drapes).

8:00-12:00-- watch eyes and faces get cut up, cauterized, implants placed, sutured, and dressed.

12:00-1:00-- help paperwork and dictation

1:00-2:00-- lunch

2:00-6:00-- work in the office, scribing for the doctor during eye examinations.

6:00-8:00--Go to the gym or on a run

8:00-9:30--Dinner, Read, and Relax

9:30-10:30--Call Louise and talk before going to sleep.

Anyways, That is an idea of the kind of thing that I do. I don't have any TV so I have a good time reading. Right now I am finishing Theodore Roosevelt's Autobiography. I really enjoy it. I am also reading bits and peices of Ray Kurzweil's "The Age of Spiritual Machines" about computer technology and the future of medicine/communications dealing with computers--not a bad book.

I was also asked to speak in church--even though this was my first Sunday. And then the Elder's Quorum President asked me to give the lesson next Sunday. The lesson is on how to effectively parent children--as if I would have any idea. Also, I was asked to come to Mutual this Wednesday to see the Bishop. I guess that I won't have to worry too much about not getting a calling. I will also probably be assigned to four families for home teaching. Of course, I don't mind the work, but this is a ward that was in need of a serious blood transfusion.

Louise is doing well. She is also reading quite a bit (Hemmingway mostly) and progressing quite nicely. I only wish that I could go with her on her rafting trip early in September, or her camping/rock climbing trip late Septermber, or that big celebration in October. . .

Mon Aug 22 12:40:31 MST Seminary and Surgeries:

Last week I went to church on Wednesday to see the Bishop. He wasn't there, but I was caught by the stake seminary coordinator sis Hull. She asked me to teach home study seminary each Wednesdays because the other teacher just got a job and needed to travel on that day. I will also probably get a calling in the Young Men's (mutual is right after seminary). All of this fun is happening before they even have my records. I guess they trust me.

I also spent this morning with Bro. Hull-- who is an ENT (ear-nose-throat). I saw a neck dissection in order to remove a tumor of a middle aged gentleman. It was neat to see--I never realized that blood vessles were so durable (especially those really big ones). Dr. Jones was next door working on a toddler who had a pop-bottle rocket in the eye. The lens ruptured and the fragments were forced back on the retina. I guess that is a little lesson for parents--don't let kids aim firecrackers at each other; especially if they are 2 or 3 years old!

Last night the Joneses invited me to dinner. I helped put the horses in (they have about 30) and I mostly talked with the mother while helping out were I could. She is of Italian descent, and it was nice to get to know the family.

I am still missing Louise though, but every day is a day closer to us being together, as well as another day of progress and growth.

Thu Sep 08 13:28:27 MST Remembering:

This was a good last week. I flew to Houston Thursday night after doing some surgeries here in MO. There were few hotels with vacancies because of Katrina--so I got set up in a suite at the Marriott. It was not so bad on the wallet because of a Medical Student Interview discount.

Then on Friday I flew out to Utah for the funeral. The funeral was lovely. It is funny; I learned recently that when you have cataracts then light gets bent funnily through the eye. The condition is aggravated at night so that indicator lights on the dashboard can stretch up and down so that it looks like you have a big long red/orange light from the top of the visual field down to the bottom. A few people use black electrical tape to blot out the light on their dashboards--pretty smart I thought.

Then--an epiphany--Grandpa always put black tape on the dashboard. Some people were heavily critical of that--(*clearing my throat* MOM)--who personalized it as JUST ANOTHER example of his passive-aggressive-compulsive-disorder tendencies (and therefore and example of Dad and me--Damn those Walch Men Traits!). I found out at the funeral that G-Pa had cataract surgery not too long ago--and his were mature brunescent thick cataracts were taken out. G-Pa just wanted to drive without huge lights clouding his vision. After his surgery he didn't need glasses for seeing far away and the night glare, starburst, ghost glow condition cleared up.

Funny how things clear up when you have the right perspective. I think that after this life we will all have a more clear idea of each other--as well as ourselves, and we will have some pretty startling revelations about why we did some things. Sure some of those things may be because we have weaknesses, but our earthly diagnoses (e.g. those annoying labels that SOME people place on us) are probably not quite true.

That is one thing I learned this weekend--we need to put some things in perspective. I guess that is just my clever analogy of how we try to remove the mote out of our neighbors eye while having a beam in our own.

I also learned that we need to give each other a lot more slack in terms of their behavior or personality quirks.

Finished Theodore Roosevelt's Autobiography (quite a big book) and starting on the Autobiography of Frederick Douglas (I read 10 chapters yesterday--riveting).

I also found out that my interviewer at UT-Houston (an exceptional Heart Surgeon--Dr. Frazier and VOLUNTEER Professor) was an avid fan of Theo. He commented that T.R. didn't quite realize how great a man he really was. After that he said that I had nothing to worry about in terms of getting into UT-Houston. We shall see.

Fri Sep 09 09:50:33 MST Red-dotted Chimps, we are.:

Filling out secondaries and I got this prompt.

Ohio State:

18. Please define altruism and provide an example or two where you exhibited altruistic behavior in your past activities. (600 words or less)

Personally, I thought this was a pretty useless question, so I answered the question the people should have asked. This is what I wrote:

After reading this essay prompt I wanted to resolve something in my mind so I started asking questions, and before long I got into a heated debate with myself. This is how the debate went. I asked: what is the meaning of altruism? Isn't altruism the unselfish concern for others? Well, yes it is but can anybody really be unselfish? Isn't everything we DO something that, in the end analysis, fulfills our own selfish desires or self-centered nature? I suppose that is what most philosophers have said. Saint Augustine, among others, wrote that the best we can do is live a life of enlighted self-interest.

Well, how about today; I mean we are much more enlightened in our modern rational thinking today than back in the dark ages; right? I don't think so. Look at our whole civilization and the foundation of modern life. Adam Smith said that there is an "Invisible Hand" moving all transactions in business that usually results in the good of all parties. That Invisible Hand is the self-interest of each person involved in the transactions that occur. That pretty much rules out altruistic action. Furthermore, we are taught in Economics class that there is no free lunch, and therefore we must work to prevent the starvation of ourselves and those of our family, clan, or social class.

Wow, perhaps it is not too late to apply to business school. I really should learn how to make my lunch, right? Additionally, I need to make sure that I make a big enough lunch in order for my family to have all the lunch they need. Isn't that altruistic? Well, no. You are still working in your own interest. What if I worked for the lunch of a complete stranger who I will never see again, and from whom I will never get remuneration? There is no free lunch; that is what the first law of modern economics says, and that includes other people who receive goods and services from you. I suppose that I never exhibited altruistic behavior in that case.

On the other hand, the Judeo-Christian tradition tells us not to worry about lunch. Take no thought as to what you shall eat or wherewith you shall be clothed. Consider the lillies of the field: they toil not neither do they spin. All that we need will be provided. I am like the college student who has his room and board already paid for. All I have to do is study and learn to do the REAL work that I was sent here to do. What is that work? Well, it is the work of changing my nature to BE good, and furnish my mind with lasting principles. I am to BE good to others, whether they are my neighbor or a complete stranger.

I suppose to work altruistically, I must BE altruistic. The being gives way to the doing of altruistic works. My whole life can be exemplary of altruistic behavior if I am altruistic, every word and deed. I may fall short of the ideal of altruism, but that is why I am here at school to learn to develop these attributes. The Greek philosophers were first to nod to this principle and they named this attribute caris. The early Christians also advocated this principle of being or becoming good; that was once know as Charity. Charity of today is made up of money and the act of giving it away to some benificent end, and says nothing about the motive of the giver or the gratitude of the benefactor. Once altuistic change happens in myself, I then have the ability to "alter another,” and that is the literal meaning of altruism. The purpose of my work here is not to learn how to get bigger and better lunches, but rather to learn how to BE charitable, or altruistic. Perhaps I will not achieve that ideal anytime soon, but that part of me seems to be winning the struggle in my mind.

P.S. The title is in reference to an altruistic study of Chimps where red dots were put on their foreheads and they were given mirrors to see if they would try to rub the dot off the mirror or their own heads--altruism.

Fri Sep 09 09:58:30 MST No Attack Ever Fed a Hungry Child:

I just remember something Billy Clinton said during the 1996 Debates.

The many comments of criticism of Pres. Bush after the Hurricane reminded me of that.

(4) Fri Sep 09 10:05:10 MST Comments???:

If I don't get any comments from the last three entries then I will know that nobody, except me, is reading this weblog. I guess I deserve that though.

(1) Wed Sep 14 07:35:58 MST Thanks:

...for the comments. Sorry I have not updated so often. I don't have internet except at the office, and I have been given some more responsibilities here at the office.

Can you believe it that they have asked me to do some of the landscaping? I have been working from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday. At least I don't have to brush-hog the 50 Acre field. Last week somebody accidentally cut off a manhole cover with that beast.

I sympathise with John and his work schedule.

(4) Wed Oct 05 19:36:15 MST Bayou Trip:

Last weekend was trip time for me. I went to Ruston for the first time in two whole months to see Louise. It was a very good trip for the both of us, and we feel very good about how we are both progressing. It has been almost insufferable, however, but we have many more weekend visits to come. The next is scheduled for the 15th of Oct. We are both coming to San Antonio for one of my interviews there. We will spend about four or five days there visiting family celebrating Louise’s Birthday in some way, and going to the Temple. I plan on going to the Leon Valley Ward because I want to see all the old friends there. We also want to visit with the Curtis’s (a couple we knew in Provo—the husband is going to graduate school there) in that ward. Life is so busy that it is hard to make plans with others, however, because Louise and I are mostly just interested in spending any time we have with each other.

It was also wonderful watching conference with Louise last weekend. We both had a wonderful time. I also visited the wood shop class where Louise is fabricating her very own black walnut hope chest. It looks very good already even though I only saw the lid and base.

Life here in West Plains moves along. I have signed a contract to become a seminary teacher--full time and committed, and I am finding the difficulties and challenges that come with that calling. For example, there is one boy who is supposed to be in my class who lives very far. His dad was a computer programmer who made a very good salary, but who quit his job and moved into a small country shack out in the middle of nowhere. The place where they moved used to be a meth lab shanty, and the young man who I am entrusted to teach probably has the reading level of a 3rd grader (being 15 years old). The father “home schools” him and claims his son loves it, but I fail to see any “home” or “schooling” going on. My student’s bedroom is the back seat of a broke down car, and it is a miracle that he didn’t die from exposure last winter. I can tell that he would give anything to come to seminary (as well as public school), but there are significant challenges standing in the way. This is one of the challenges that I face, and sadly it isn’t the only one. I can do some real good, however, if I am able to find a way to help inspire and illuminate these young, pliable, neglected minds.

(4) Mon Oct 10 09:10:20 MST Sunday School Antics:

Yesterday was an atypical day at church. I have been in wards that were dysfunctional before, but for some reason I am much more bothered by it right now. On a good note, I had a good time in sunday school. The lesson was lesson 37 or 38 I think--the one about ("In My Own Way") preparing spiritually and temporally. Now, normally I don't make too many comments in Sunday School--content to sit on the side, but this time I was quite riled up. It didn’t help that I have been pondering the ideas of selfishness, self-interest, pride, and enmity quite a bit in the last couple of months.

Well, after a cursory touch on the subject of spiritual preparation we plunged right into the topic of temporal preparations—including not getting into debt, getting a years food storage, learning how to work hard, getting an education, and so on.

I could have stayed quiet even suffering to hear the overemphasis on temporal preparation, but the straw that broke the back of the camel was the spurious and sensational comments that were being made. There was a conspiracy theory that accompanied every point. Credit card companies will raise your rates to 40% if you miss even one payment!!!!! The government has laws that could send you to PRISON if THEY find that you have food storage!!!! They won’t let the MORMONS into PRIVATE SCHOOLS!!!!!!

That is when I piped up and said that the issue at stake here is Spiritual Preparation and Development FIRST, and then everything will follow. Once a person has learned the gospel and consecrated her life to the building up of the kingdom, and then all temporal things will be provided. I then said that we need to need to learn how to work, but we need to learn how to do the RIGHT kind of work—citing the scriptures that say “if you seek riches, seek first the kingdom of God and then if you desire riches you will have them—to do good” I made the point that we know that the first thing we do after getting paid is to take out 10% for tithing, but when we decide what to do on a Sunday afternoon, or what career to choose, or what to study in school—spiritual things are rarely the first thing to consider for the majority of us.

Our Teacher commented “that is true, but you need to make sure that you are healthy and taken care of first or you won’t be able to care for your family or others.”

BALONEY!! I said that is the greatest lie that Satan has told us. He askes us if we have any money and then tells us that everything in this world is had for money, and since he is the God of this world and therefore the economy of this world, then you have to work for him in order to live. And you will work hard for him because if you don’t—then you won’t get your lunch. There is NO free lunch. Everybody agrees on that—Socialist, Capitalist, Catholic and Jew. If we need to be educated then he will teach us—the philosophies of men, and show us the way to get money through his system to help others. He shows us a fork in the wrong road and then points out the higher way in the wrong road. What should I study in School? Well it is the bread and butter subjects that really matter—after all I need to provide for a family don’t I. No pie in the sky for me, pie in the bakery store is the only thing that we will ever hope to get.

Not many people were convinced. I had this same dialogue with Mom, and the interviewer at UTMB—Galveston.

Anyways, I need to get to work.

Mon Oct 31 13:46:00 MST Supreme Question::

Since when was it a radical idea that things which were so antithetical to our American heritage that they were criminalized for over 200 years, should remain in the hands of The People to decide to throw it out of our lawbooks or not?

Oh, I guess that idea started when the Dred Scott case was decided LEGALIZING SLAVERY in all of the states of the Union.

Such is the usurper's way of doing things in the courts.

(2) Fri Nov 11 15:56:30 MST Texas Tech:

Went to Lubbock to interview at Texas Tech Med School. The operative word here is Big. Big Buildings and hospitals. It was a nice school all the same.

Currently I am in Ruston for the weekend. I am enjoying my time here with Louise. One interesting fact that I heard about Lubbock, though, is that they say there is Lithium in the water. I don't know how accurate that bit of info is, but that would make me not want to live in Lubbock notwithstanding the happy people.

(5) Thu Nov 17 06:43:46 MST Homegrown "wish people would just behave"ist:

Reading "Homegrown Democrat" by Garrison Keeler. I seem to like about 35-40% of what he says, and dislike 60-65%. Mostly I dislike his calumniating of people who disagree with him calling them stone-brained, squinty, and other things. He did have good things to say about Nixon, however, and that was suprising because Nixon is supposed to be the Great Satan of the Democratic Party.

Anyways, before I had to go to work I was going to add, that Garrison Keeler was a proponent of public schools. I don't criticize that position at all. I believe that liberty can only be sustained in a society that embraces education--universal education.

Then I read in the New York Times this morning an article entitled "Sex Ed for the Stroller Set." This article notes "the resistance [to sex ed in the younger years] comes from parents who cannot imagine initiating a conversation about sex with children who cannot read a book or ride a bicycle, and haven't yet displayed any curiosity about the matter." The correct method of teaching (as espoused by this "Fashion & Style" columnist) is to start as soon as a child starts talking.

That made me think of Garrison Keeler, who might agree with me on this point, who frequently spoke of the loss of decency and civility in America. He said it was all the Republican's fault and I may agree with him to a certain degree, but wait a minute here.

What is decency? If you talk to your children about sex and sexual anatomy from their earliest childhood they will they be able to learn decency? If we make it a point to talk about something that is purposefully left silent in public (although if you were to watch prime-time TV lately you will see that the public is not so silent) then children will learn that sex is something that we should talk about in open public spaces instead of the private, intimate places and times. Why should I be surprised when the minister/bishop/priest comes over and my kid tells him that he has a big p----.

I remember being in middle school and a buddy started talking about a teacher of mine and calling her a prostitute. Of course I was “disadvantaged” by not having the necessary sex-ed prep to understand what that term meant so I just followed along. Then I asked my mom what the word meant, and I still didn’t quite understand. I don’t think that kid understood really what it meant either.

Kristen, Alyson and I had a good conversation on this topic when in Utah for G-Pa’s funeral. The conversation included what I was calling the sexualization of children by people who take the sexual welfare of children upon themselves. These people are primarily the liberal elites, the gay elites, the feminist elites, and other people who claim the classical liberal heritage, but who are merely shells of and namesakes of the truly great heritage of liberalism.

The common element of all of these people is this: they all had some type of victimizing incident in their life. They then turn this victim-status into a profession. Tammy Bruce (a self-proclaimed decent lesbian) called this type of victimization found in the gay and lesbian elite Malignant Narcissism. Robert Bork called it Radical Individualism. Basically it is an absence of decency. These Malignant Narcissist tell me that I am to accept their values of no values, and based on their privileged status as victims they are enlightened to teach me and my children the standard (of no standards) of social conduct. Promiscuity is natural and normal, furthermore, addiction and compulsion are not problems—their part of an “alternative lifestyle.”

I must go, but I could go on and on about this as well as where the true heritage classical liberalism lies. Here’s a hint: it isn’t in a feminism that supported the continuation of governments that prohibited the education of women and had institutionalized female objectification in the form of rape rooms, etc.

In sum. I wish to teach my own child in age-appropriate and decent ways. Perhaps he will suppress his inner sexuality in ways which the liberal elite may disagree, but I would hope that my children also suppress their other savage tendencies (like rage, anger, and other criminal conduct) in like manner.

Tue Dec 13 17:18:36 MST Book of Mormon Stories:

Thought this article was interesting.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/12/1213_051213_maya_mural.html

"In that way it really is like you didn't know the Renaissance ever happened—you have no knowledge that anyone ever painted anything in Florence in the 16th century, then all of sudden you see a Michelangelo [in 100 B.C.]," Saturno said.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.