Funny truck

Funny truck, originally uploaded by ron.lemaster.

You’ve got to love a business with a sense of humor. This sewage sucking truck was sitting in front of WV School of Medicine in Lewisburg, WV.

Can we vote none of the above?

I have to admit that watching the current candidates for President has left me uninspired.  I tend to vote for the GOP, but John McCain worries me a little.  I have seen speeches were his sabre rattling could draw us into a much larger war.

Obama wants change.  Ok, but what kind of change and how are you going to do it.  He has far too few details in his change agenda.  Change without a good plan is crazy.  I’m not buying into the hype.  He has very little experience and often voted “present” instead of making a decision one way or another.  One last thing, as President, he will have precious little power to change anything.  Obama’s endorsement by Senator Teddy makes me certain that I don’t want him to be President.   

 I had enough of Hillary during her husband’s administration.  She wants universal healthcare at whatever the cost.  I wonder how many people would be willing to have universal healthcare if they had any idea of how much their taxes are going to rise to pay for it.  Are you willing to pay half of your salary in taxes to pay for healthcare?  She acts as though because she was married to a President, she has presidential experience.  Monica Lewinski might have a claim there as well. 

Ron Paul sounds crazy and Mike Huckabee spent too much time with his hand out for donations as Governor and releasing killers from jail.

So as of right now, I vote for none of the above. 

It’s Big on the Boards

As my date with destiny, the comlex level 1 boards, rapidly approaches, I’m becoming somewhat amused by how many things are “big on the boards” according to my classmates.  Apparently, everything under the sun is big on the boards. 

biochem- big on the boards; Micro- big on the boards; anatomy- big on the boards; women’s health- big on the boards; diabetes- big on the boards; marlaria- big on the boards; bloodletting -big on the boards; ancient martial arts- big on the boards; one legged butt kickers- big on the boards.

It just seems that the phrase  “Big on the boards” ends every conversation about every medical topics.  So whatever you are studying right now, don’t ever forget that it’s big on the boards.

Getting off our butts

 

Yesterday, Dr. Ajluni, DO, President of the American Osteopathic Association spoke during a luncheon at WV School of Osteopathic medicine.  His main point was, as physician, we need to take the lead in the fight against obesity in America.

He was very persuasive about our need to lead by example.  A fit doctor may be able to convince his or her patients to do the hard work necessary to get healthier.

I have struggled with my weight all my adult life.  I was about 320 lbs at my heaviest about 8 years ago.  I lost 80 lbs on the Atkins diet in about 6 months in 2001 but the weight came back because I didn’t continue the life changes that I made to lose the weight so it came back with a vengeance.

About a month ago, I noticed that I was near the 300 lb mark again and decided it was time for a change.  So over the last month, I have made changes in my diet and increased my daily activity.  I have made it a point to walk for an hour at least 5 days a week.

So far, I’ve lost 20 lbs.  I feel better.  I have more energy.  I know that it is what I need to do to be healthy. 

I tell you all this to encourage you to get healthier too.  I would encourage you to go to www.do-online.org for more information about a program called "fit for life".  Also, let’s encourage one another in our daily battle to live healthier today than we did yesterday. 

Westboro Church of "God Hates Fags” Ordered to Pay $2.9 Million

I know this has nothing to do with medicine, but this verdict makes me so happy that I want to share it with you.  I have seen this group in action and I find their tactics most unChristian-like.  They are more Old Testament than Christ-like.

Westboro Baptist Church, the group led by Fred Phelps made infamous by its website www.godhatesfags.com, has been ordered by a Maryland court to pay $2.9 million to a grieving father who sued in response to their picketing of his son’s funeral, a soldier killed in Iraq.

This “church” has been spreading their twisted version of the gospel for some time.  They had the nerve to protest at the memorial service for the coal miners who died in WV recently.  But I heard that they jumped in their vans and ran out of town when they heard that a group of motorcycle riders where on their way to confront them.  I guess they don’t believe that God can protect them from angry motorcycle riders.

I wonder how they are going to get God to pay this court order?

Blogged with Flock

The Best Way to Die

I came across an interesting article from the web site, Newscientist.com. The article entitle, “Death Special: How does it feel to die”, is interesting look at several ways that lives end. Some are them are not very common anymore, like decapitation, but nevertheless, it looks at research done on many types of death and presents the findings.

I included a link at the bottom of this post, if you are interested in reading it. I think the best way to die is not to die. That’s not an original idea though. You may be surprised at the speed of some deaths or the agony of others.

 

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19626252.800

Mount Moran

IMG_1284, originally uploaded by ron.lemaster.

If you ever get a chance to go to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, you have to go. My family and I went the third week of June, 2006. It was the greatest vacation of my life. This is one of the 1,100 pictures that we took in the week.

Be sure to take time to see the beauty that is around you every day. Take time to visit the beautiful places on this planet.

This picture was taken at Oxbow turnout in the Grand Tetons.

The First thing to buy after you get accepted

So you’ve got your acceptance letter to Medical school in your hot little hands, what to do next? Well, after you call everyone in your family and your friends and everyone else that you may have ever met, you need to start planning. First, get locked into housing as soon as possible. Finding a good place to live can be difficult at some schools. WVSOM (WV School of Osteopathic Medicine) is in the small town of Lewisburg. Recently, the school doubles the size of its classes. Obviously, there wasn’t a plethora of rental property on the market, so finding a place to live can be tricky.

After you find a place to live, you need to buy a very comfortable chair. I mean spend some decent bucks on a quality office chair. I went to Wally world and bought a cheap chair and my butt revolted immediately. You are going to be spending LOTS of time reading. By lots, I mean about 20 hours a day. You want a comfortable place to be able to read. So you can go cheap on some things, like a TV (you won’t be using it much). You need a chair that adjusts, that has plenty of cushion for the tush(ion) (I wanted to make it rhyme), and tall enough to lean your head back, so you can take a quick nap.

Trust me, your chair will become your best friend, so buy a good one.

If you have any questions or concerns, leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.

I bet this was a tough sell at first

Doctors Try New Surgery for Gallbladder Removal

The New York Times is reporting that doctors have successfully removed a woman’s gallbladder from her vagina. Yes, you read that right. I said VAGINA. That, to me, seems to be the long route to the vagina, but I’m not a surgeon. Doctors believe that going through a natural orifice, like the vagina, will make the surgery less painful and speed recovery. I would have loved to been in the examining room when the surgeon was trying to talk the patient into this new, experimental surgery.

“Where is my gall bladder again?”

“Under your liver, below your ribs on the right side.”

“And you think you should go in through my vagina?”

“Yes”

“Can I get a second opinion?”

Some guys will say anything to get into a woman’s vagina, I guess. J

We are Marshall

A few years ago, Hollywood came to Marshall University in order to tell a story that had been a part of the community since 1970. McGee, the director, had heard about how Marshall University had lost all but a couple football players in a plane crash on a cold November night. Many of the teams biggest supporters were lost too as the plane impacted short of the runway at Tri-State Airport just outside of Huntington, WV.

The plane crash is one of my earliest memories. I was just about to turn two years old and I can’t remember specifics, but I do remember trying to understand why everyone was so sad. I remember the scar in the ground for several years afterward. The plane crash site was right next to a major road in our town and that torn up area was like an open wound. Marshall and the community was devastated for many years. After the accident, the football program was nearly shut down at Marshall.

“We are Marshall” tells the story of how the Marshall Community rebounded from such a devastating loss. It took many years for a happy ending but in the 1990’s Marshall University became one of the most successful programs in the country.

This movie came out on DVD today. I encourage you to either buy it or rent it. It’s a great movie and tells a great story. Go Herd