Not just a desert wasteland: embracing my next home

I admit that the idea of living in the desert has not excited me very much; especially since I'll be surrounded by hundreds of miles of desert in any direction. There are some wonderful things about the desert such as beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and storms. I'm currently reading the book, "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer (yes, there was a movie too, but books are always better, right?) and I came across this quote and it gave me more hope in embracing my soon-to-be environment:

"The desert is the environment of revelation, genetically and physiologically alien, sensorily austere, esthetically abstract, historically inimical... Its forms are bold and suggestive. The mind is beset by light and space, the kinesthetic novelty of aridity, hight temperature, and wind. The desert sky is encircling, magestic, terrible. In other habitats, the rim of sky above the horizontal is broken or obscured; here, together wih the overhead portion, it is infinitely vaster than that of rolling countryside and forest lands... In an unobstructed sky the clouds seem more massive, sometimes grandly reflecting the earth's curvature on their concave undersides. The angularity of desert landforms imparts a monumental architectureto the clouds as well as to the land...
To the desert go prophets and hermits; through deserts go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have soughtthe therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat, not to escape but to find reality."

~ PAUL SHEPARD, MAN IN THE LANDSCAPE: A HISTORIC VIEW OF THE ESTHETICS OF NATURE

27 Days

Yep, that's 27 days I have until I leave California. I am trying to compile a list of things to do or places to go before I leave.
So far:
1. I went to the beach twice this weekend. I loved it and it hit me how much I'll miss it. It included a couple adventures, including a lifeguard coming up to us saying he received a complaint and proceeding to lecture us on the no alcohol/no smoking rules. It was hilarious since most of us were silent for about 90 seconds. Another beach-goer approached him and said that we were the wrong group and he apologized profusely. It was pretty funny. Maybe I'll throw in one or more beach trips before I go.
2. I had In 'N Out twice last week and I'm sure it won't be my last. My body is starting to revolt against fast food, but it may have to be patient. See #6
3. I will be attending my first Dodger's game next week. It's about time.
What I still need to do:
4. Go to the Getty. Haven't been yet and it's been on my to-do list for years.
5. Enjoy LA. Maybe see a concert or something. Anyone know of any shows?
6. Have a Tommy's Burger. I've never been there and it was brought to my attention recently that I must go there before I leave.
7. Get all the greenery I can. Maybe a quick camping trip or some hiking. Plus the exercise is good and needed.
8. I still have some more dancing left to do at the Coffee Depot on Monday nights.
9. A quick trip to San Diego. I'll probably go to the AAPA conference for a day or so and enjoy the beautiful, non-arid weather.
10. Last and certainly not the least: enjoy spending time with family and friends.

Anyone have any more ideas? Does anyone want to join me?

The Life A-Quad-ic

Last week I spent another afternoon with 4 very cute babies. It's amazing how much they've grown since I first saw them a few months ago. There's a feeling that all is right with the world when you see 4 happy or sleeping babies. I debated stopping by the grocery store on the way home but figured my shirt was a bit too messy. I played "Name that stain" and my mom got it right on the second guess: sweet potatos! They are such a great family and the parents are wonderful. You can check them out on their family blog here.

El Paso I Will Go

Yesterday I came to a final decision and it wasn't an easy one. I received a much anticipated phone call, but I still felt like I was deciding at almost the last moment because I did not have a really definite answer of where I wanted to go. It was down to two choices: El Paso, TX and North Carolina. I went over my choices with Captain Jones (he's going to be the White House PA starting next month) and he confirmed that both were two great choices and he helped me make my final decision based on what would be best for me professionally. Not that I wouldn't mind jumping out of airplanes (part of the airborne certification that I would have to go through at North Carolina) or the fact that North Carolina was a lot greener and not bone-dry like Texas. If I felt like I wanted to spend the rest of my career in family medicine, North Carolina would hands down be my first choice. It is the Army's medical center of excellence for family medicine and many doctors do their family residency training there. I figured I would have more exposure to emergency medicine and trauma at Fort Bliss, and since their major trauma center serves up to 25% of civilian emergencies, I may even get to keep up my Spanish a little.
When I hung up the phone one of my first thoughts was, "the desert...the brownness...the heat...why??" A funny thing was the fact that I was giving the family home evening lesson that night and it was on decisions. It was almost a sort of "decision-decompression-therapy" for me. I was reminded how all decisions, when made with good intentions, thinking and prayer, can be used to benefit our welfare and learning. There are also times when the answers to the decisions that we make are not so clear. Brigham Young said the following: "If I ask Him (God) to give me wisdom concerning any requirements in life, or in regard to my own course...and get no answer from Him, and then do the very best that my judgement will teach me, He is is bound to own and honor that transaction, and He will do so to all intents and purposes." And so it is with me. It will be interesting to see what experiences I will have there. I will be reporting to El Paso June 10 to start my processing and orientation and will start Officer Basic Course in San Antonio in July. I'm excited -- desert and all -- bring it on!!

Great Advice on Life and Spirituality

This was great and I wanted to share it. It is by Elder F. Enzio Busche of the Quorum of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while speaking at a BYU devotional on May 14, 1996.

"Twilight" Impressions

I realized that my last couple of posts were a bit somber and I hope maybe this one will help lighten up the mood.
Last weekend I was invited to watch "Twilight" at a friend's house. I had never seen it, nor read the book, but I figured I should catch up with the pop culture of 2009 and see what all of the hullabaloo was about. It was what I expected. No surprises. I knew that since this was going to be a part of a series, most of the movie would lack plot and focus more on the introduction of characters. This led my mind to be distracted by little details like these:
* Edward Cullen (the vampire), for as much attention as he seems to be getting, seems like nothing more than an obsessive, creepy, albino. Not that I have anything against albinos, I just think they went overboard with the "pale" look.
* I can't understand why Bella (the girl) seems like she always has her mouth open. Why?
* "It's anaphase...take a look for yourself" one of my favorite lines. I am a nerd. Maybe because it seemed like one of the most intelligent lines of the movie. The planarians brought back some memories of invertebrate zoology. Awww, flatworms...
* I also can't understand why Bella has such a problem with speaking/narrating in compound sentences. What's up with the pauses?
* The nasal cannula has always been a standard prop for any hospital scene. Why couldn't they put it on right? It always looked like it was going to poke her in the eye or something.
* I do give props for the Pacific Northwest scenery, it was quite beautiful and a little eerie at the same time, but a good setting for a vampire movie.

Bedford Falls or Pottersville?

"Vice is a monster of such frightful mein,
As to be hated, needs to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace."
~Alexander Pope "Essay on Man"

In my last post I briefly commented on the apathy of people towards their own healthcare and now I want to brush on a continually growing moral apathy of America.
Yesterday I was thinking about my favorite movie of all time (yes, I know I've posted about it before - It's A Wonderful Life), and this time I was looking at it from a social perspective and found some eerie parallels. I recommend watching it again, even though Christmas is still 8 months away. You'll see where I'm coming from. Look at the background: Economic crisis (a bank run during the Great Depression), greed, power, and an effort to take over businesses (Potter takes over bank and wants to take over the Savings and Loan), and the transformation of Bedford Falls into Pottersville, where the Emporium, Movie House, and other buildings become sleezy motels and exotic dance clubs. Citizens are unhappy everywhere.

Right now I'm finding a couple of recent topics a bit disturbing that makes me wonder if our country is going the way of Pottersville. Some may consider me a "prude" or an old "fuddy-duddy" twenty-something. Maybe I am.
The first has to do with the legalization of "sexting." This is a new term that describes people taking nude or other inappropiate pictures of themselves or others on camera phones and then sending or texting these pictures to their peers. Some people estimate that 20-25% of teenagers have engaged in this - either sending or receiving. When minors are involved, this is considered technically as child pornography, which in many states carries stiff penalties such as prison terms and being labeled as a "sex offender." Many promoters of the legalization of sexting argue that children should not be subject to such stiff penalties and that it's just another form of lame adolescent behavior such as mooning or flashing. Many do warn that, yes, these pictures of them will be out in cyberspace forever and can impact them years from now, but they don't stress any form of strong punishment other than conversation and taking away their cell phone. To me, child porn is child porn, and teenagers need to realize this and some sort of legal prosecution should be in order.

My next worry is the legalization of marijuana. Some proponents stress that marijuana crimes are not serious and plug up the justice system's courtrooms, lawyers, and jails. Others think of legalization as a solution to easing the tensions and violence between drug cartels, smugglers, border patrol units, and other law enforcement. One California representative offered the suggestion that California would prosper economically off of the legalization and taxation of marijuana growers. Hmmmm.... Marijuana is practically harmless, right?
According to my Current Pediatric Diagnosis and Treatment, low intoxication levels can lead to impaired thinking - sure, we could use more of that. Would you really like to see the driver next to you on the freeway smoking a joint? Chronic use can also lead to infertility (could be touted as an alternative form of birth control!) as well as apathy (after substitute teaching high school, I really fear an increase in this) and amotivational syndrome. Amotivational syndrome is characterized as "decreased attention to environmental stimuli and impaired goal-directed thinking and behavior" which is due to "destruction of hippocampal and basal ganglia nuclei." I think that anything that causes destruction of any part of my body would be cause for concern. Doesn't it seem that all that money spent of childhood Ritalin is going to waste? Not to mention the studies of marijuana as a "gateway drug" and the effects of toxic intoxication (i.e. psychosis...). Other studies have shown that the marijuana stashed under your teenager's bed is not the same kind their dad smoked at Woodstock. One analysis in the late 1990's proved a 3-5 fold increase in the concentration of THC since 1970's and 1980s. Not to mention the possibility of "hybrid" drugs (smuggling hard drugs like cocaine and meth with marijuana).
I fear that we're only a few months to a few years off from public service announcements urging us to "smoke responsibly." Sigh...

2 questions I have are these: Are we teaching the future leaders of this country that when confronted with problems and social issues, we throw our up hands, shrug our shoulders, turn our heads, surrender, and let them infiltrate our society? Do we just legalize all vices just to make "life easier," "save money," and not "tie up our justice system"?