evil attendants of the airways?

It seems the new Jodie Foster film about a woman who wakes from an in-flight nap to find her daughter missing has upset a few people, and when I say a few, I mean a lot, and when I say people, I mean flight attendants. But then, it is a Disney film, after all.

Easy = Boring

I've been in VA now for about 10 days. I have spent 8 of them "at work." So far my productivity indicators are telling me that I am getting paid far to much for the amount of work that I am doing. Clearly the hospital system is operating in the red in this case. I suppose that it has everything to do with being the new kid in town, along with the fact that not every person wants to change doctors so many times (as if they were going to have to see me so many times before the new permanent dr gets here). Today I saw all of 4 patients. Easy, right? Sure but it is not so much fun as it is boring. Boring a hole in my head wuold at least be interesting. During my spare time all I can do is try to figure out the intricacies of this old Compaq computer that I am using. Using with reservations, I might add. Those of you who know me understand that as a disciple of Macintosh, I feel as though I am betraying my computerized faith and taking a leap into what will inevitably end up in the "blue screen of death," which is akin to that place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. I think my friend Jough does not believe in that place, but then, he uses a Mac too, so maybe he hasn't heard from the other side (lucky for him).

I, on the other hand, have been forced into using a pc out of necessity, at least while I am in the office, because that is all that I can use on this network. I suppose I'll get by. I cannot access everything that I want to access, and I suppose that is not because it is not possible as much as it is that I have certain bookmarks and settings streamlined already on my PowerBook, but either way it is irritating. A little.

Perhaps I can use this opportunity to get to know the other side. It would be like studying the Koran or the Book of Mormon. Interesting, but when one has seen the Light, it is that much easier to recognize the Dark Side.

So am I really saying that using a Mac is like unto a conversion? Of course. Just ask any Mac-user and they will agree. Even those who once were one of us but have left the fold (like my brother's brother-in-law who left and went to work for Compaq) tend to agree that the Mac is more user-friendly and stable. I have even loaned my iBook to a friend just to help him return from his back-sliding ways. He was reluctant, being a real techno-guru type, but deep down I know that he loves the Mac. He just can't use it at work.

Now, that was easy, and hopefully not too boring.

Chatting with "a" God?

I found this online and it made me curious. It is interesting, yet easy to figure out that it is software (in fact it told me so). Try it if you like, but I think prayer is more effective than chatting online...

This is the source where i found it. A nice article on the internet culture.

Tappahannock, VA

I don't think that I have ever lived in a small town. Greenville, SC seemed like a small town to me, and they had nearly 250,000 people when I moved there. Granada, Spain seemed kinda small, too, and there are almost 250,000 people there. Tappahannock, VA, on the other hand has almost 3,000 people. It is the "major shopping hub" for 6 counties, though, so during the day it seems busier. It is home to Walmart, a hospital, Shoney's, and a soon to be completed Lowe's. It is a simpler life, and from the first moment, people have asked me if I am going to stay and be the new doctor.

Now, there are other doctors here, to be sure, but each one has plenty of patients and stays busy, so when one leaves like the one whom I am replacing, there is a significant gap.

Anyway, it is nice that they already want me to "reconsider." I am sure that any plans that I have are meaningless to them, but I have at least mentioned several times that I am planning to go to New Zealand to work in January. "But don't you want to stay here? You'll love it here in no time." Perhaps. But that won't cure me from the Traveler's Peditis (or the itchy feet that make me travel).

As an aside, I want to say that I pray that things go well with all my people back in the Houston area as "Rita" visits this weekend.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- say that three times fast...

I find it funny that there are so many phobias that people have. Many of my patients and friends as well have certain fears that are not very rational when truly thought about in a reasonable sense, but we have them nonetheless. I am not immune, although I would like to say that I am.

First, as an example there are those who hate the circus. Why? They will usually say that they just don't care for it, that it smells bad, or whatever, but what they really mean is that they have what is known as Coulrophobia- Fear of clowns. Maybe there was a bad clown in the past, but who knows. Either way it is an irrational fear for an adult.

So many fears, so little time to ridicule (read discuss) them.

My next favorite is Hellenologophobia- Fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology. I find this almost as ironic as the fear of going to school (Didaskaleinophobia) because to even confront the fear, one must come to terms with how difficult the term is to pronounce and spell.

It is too bad that those afflicted with Iatrophobia will never get it diagnosed. They fear doctors.

I'm glad my brother doesn't have Liticaphobia. It would be bad for business.

And then there is Onomatophobia- Fear of hearing a certain word or of names. Who knows anyone who cannot stand to hear certain words that are moist and full of good meanings for most of us, but the hearing of which can cause undue harm in their psyches?

Personally I think that people with phobias of any kind also have another: Phronemophobia- Fear of thinking. But then I remember that I have Spheksophobia- Fear of wasps. I can't stand them. And I have only been stung a few times. I'm okay with honeybees, because they seem to know that to sting means a sacrifice of their own life, while a wasp can be a bully and sting as much as it wants without really risking much more than getting flattened by my hand or dying a horrible fiery death when I come back to exact my revenge upon it for its incredible audacious act of wanton cruelty. But, I digress.

I find it interesting that there are several words for some phobias; where fear of the Dutch is simply Dutchphobia, fear of Germans of German things is either Germanophobia, or Tuetophobia. Then one of them has several options: Cypridophobia or Cypriphobia or Cyprianophobia or Cyprinophobia - Fear of prostitutes or venereal disease. I can't say I know anyone with the latter.

All this is fun, but my favorite of all is Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words.

How's your fear factor?

More Pictures

Since you asked (at least a few of you have so far), I posted a selection of pictures on my site. Of course there are not a lot of bad-weather shots, simply because I did not take many that are good enough, but there are a few that give the flair. This one to start is a picture of me in the DJ booth in Bayern 3, a pop radio station in Munich, where I happen to have connections. We later dedicated a song, "New Slang," by the Shins to our friend Mike. It is good to make connections I think. Never know who there is to meet through another. The degrees of separation are not always as numerous as they may seem.

Just a funny picture I took

So I was in Stuttgart with my friends Brenda and Kerstin about a month ago when I took this interesting shot. It was one of many pictures I took while i was over there, but it sort of caught my eye when Iwas reviewing them all, and I thought I would share it, at least for a while.

A Voyage to Remember

So I decided to publish an iMix on iTunes. That is where the link will take you if you have the iTunes program. If you don't have it, then it won't do much. I know that many people don't have it, and while I endorse it as the best way to buy music that doesn't clutter up one's shelves with CDs, I know that many people have not yet found it to be "all that."
While in Europe I decided that I could make a playlist of songs that tell the tale of my journey in an interesting way, so I began putting songs on a list. Some made the final cut while others did not, and one must understand that some of those reasons are more personal than others. One song about the rain just did not seem sufficient, while songs that mean a lot to me may not make the cut simply because they might reveal more of my feelings than I would care to do (or might make me look different than I care to appear). Either way, the final list is here. There are a few songs that made the cut but are not available on iTunes, and therefore do not appear in the iMix, but those are indicated. The order is not perfect, but it is the best I could do, and some of the titles seem to suggest something that is not what the lyrics say, so in order to truly understand the list, some songs just need to be heard; the title is merely the bookcover.

Song Name - Artist

Vertigo - U2

Jumping Someone Else's Train - The Cure

A Sight for Sore Eyes - Tom Waits

Nothing Like a Train - Bill Mallonee & Vigilantes of Love

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head - David Hasselhoff

Another Travelin' Song - Bright Eyes

Travelling Without Moving - Jamiroquai

One of These Days - Doves

Foreign Affair - Tom Waits

Sudden Rush - Erlend Øye

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Cake

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own - U2

Lost Cause - Beck

I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying - Sting

Empty Arms - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

I Was Brought to My Senses - Sting

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2

Paper Boats - Nada Surf

Goodbye Again - Vertical Horizon

Leaving, On a Jet Plane - John Denver

There Goes the Fear - Doves

Go Tell It On the Mountain - The Blind Boys of Alabama & Tom Waits

Montaña - Gipsy Kings

Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head - Ben Folds Five

Buckets of Rain - Bob Dylan

Poor Wayfaring Stranger - Natalie Merchant

The Great Train Robbery - Azeem, Greans Crew & Hobo Junction

Night Train - Public Enemy

Guess I'm Doing Fine -Beck

Me - Caedmon's Call (from a Guild CD)

I'm a Ramblin' Man - Waylon Jennings

I Will Never Be Normal (After This) - Bill Mallonee & Jake Bradely

No Regrets - Jennifer Knapp

Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Home Sweet Home

So I am back in Houston, and it seems that I missed a lot of hot and humid weather. Aw shucks. I'll still get my share of it, I am certain.
My trip back was okay, but I had two major delays caused by a certain American Airline that will remain nameless. First, though we landed a few minutes early, we were unable to pull into a gate because another plane had not left ontime. It finally left 20 minutes later, and we were able to park 10 minutes after that (it takes a few minutes to get the gate ready for another plane). Then after going through Immigration easily enough, we all waited at least another 40 minutes for the first bags from our plane to be brought to the baggage claim area. For those who are unaware of how the Customs control works, when flying into a major airport one must clear customs before flying to another city within the country, as not all of them will have customs offfices.
It took another several minutes to get my bag and then I breezed through Customs and went to the next stop where I rechecked my bag to Houston. By then we had been in Miami for an hour and a half, but my flight was set to leave thirty minutes later, and the woman at the desk told me that they would not be able to get my bag to my plane in time for me to make the flight (though I knew that I could easily walk to the gate in 15 minutes), so she had to reschedule me to a later flight (3.5 hours later). I was really tired when I got home, let me tell you.
So I have resolved to continue using preferentially another more "Continental" airline when possible, and even if it cost a bit more. They just treat me right.
No that I am home, I have to focus on several things: getting things arranged for a job in Virginia that starts in just over 2 weeks; arranging the purchase of a condo locally; and starting the process to work in New Zealand beginning in late January or early February. If things allow, and they should, I am going to see if I can volunteer my services medically (as I no longer work with the county, I am no longer insured to practice) to those who need medical attention who are here in Houston seeking refuge from the disaster that was New Orleans. Pray for them.