For a while now (at least a year and a half or more) my oldest daughter Jessica and I have had monthly daddy/daughter dates. And they are truly amazing experiences. Last night we went to dinner. My wife isn't too fond of Chinese food (ever since being really sick after eating some Chinese food one night-not the fault of the food, just bad timing), but Jess and I love it. So we decided to head over to the local Chinese buffet and make pigs of ourselves. We had been having a rough week, ...

. . .or simply particularly unispiring? Whatever the case may be, as can be evidenced by the fact I haven't written an entry for around two weeks now, I have been feeling quite uninspired. In the past I have written articles that have (however vaguely) dealt with some of the zany antics of all of us here. I have also written about music. And at times I have even written about *gasp* personal goings-on (or would that be going-ons?). But lately none of those have sparked even the most em...

I love being a daddy. I really, really do. But today I really had to remind myself of that. Aubrey was actually pretty happy for most of the day. That was a definite change from previous days. But when Jessica got home from school, well, it got tough. She simply didn't want to do anything we asked her to. To be fair, I don't think it was deliberate. She just didn't seem able to pay attention. I would ask her to do something and "poof", it was gone, she had forgotten. I try to be...

Are my wife and I crazy? Of course we are. But are we certifiable? Some might think so. But we don't. Nope, we think we are pretty level-headed and sensible folks. Even though we decided it was time to have another little one. We thought about it a lot, and prayed about it even more. And we both felt that it was time to add to the Jones family. My third year of medical school will be pretty low key. I will be doing research, and working regular hours. I tell you what, the thought...

We see it happen every day. Someone opens their mouth or sets their fingers to the keys without fully engaging their gray matter. Or perhaps that is just he way they operate, vomiting forth whatever will come. Of course the aftermath usually is more than they were anticipating, but that is most likely because they left out that crucial initial step. You know, thinking. So the backlash comes. It is inevitable. Even the most well thought out arguments and comments will be offensive t...

Years ago, when I first started contemplating going to medical school, I had a fear. And that fear has successfully been overcome. I was afraid of the first year of clinical work. Yep, downright afraid. And as I finished up my first year (all bookwork and basic science stuff here at Duke) and second year approached (the first year of clinical work, usually the third year of medical school at other schools) that fear became more real, more tangible. After all, I have a family, a wif...

We are all consumers. And we have an amazing amount of power. The truth of the matter is there are a lot of lousy companies out there. Some of them we just can't really avoid I suppose. Sometimes it becomes a choice of a lesser of two evils. But often there are also really good companies. You know, those companies who really seem to appreciate their customers, are willing to listen to them, and respond appropriately. And when I find a company like that I like to let them know. And...

We all hunger for acceptance. On a certain level we all need to feel that we are part of something larger than ourselves. It may be a religious group, a political party, a school organization, a group of good friends, a family, a fan club. Or, as we have seen here at JU, it may even be just being part of a lie. And that shocks and appalls me. That someone would feel the need for some sort of acceptance so bad that they would willingly make themselves part of a lie boggles my mind. ...

Disclaimer Sure, this could possibly go in the Personal Computing category, or even OS customization, but since the crux of the article doesn't focus on either of those I am tossing in the dirty bin also known as Misc. End Disclaimer Yes, the title is correct. Last night I forked over $15 for a piece of software that is still in the beta stage. What type of madness has gripped BlueDev you may ask yourself. And it is a question worthy of an answer. For those who may not know wha...

The first day on the Gynecologic Oncology service was thoroughly depressing. As medical students we were instantly put in our place at the bottom of the rank and file, stripped of any real responsibility, and relegated to running and doing inane tasks for the intern and residents. We were informed our notes were not “valid”, told that we should not sign them if we really felt the need to write them (which is fraud and something we adamantly refused to do), and not assigned any patients to f...

I am currently on my Pediatrics rotation and just got home from a grueling, exhausting, and inspiring week. I had the opportunity to spend a week of my rotation serving as a counselor at Camp Kaleidoscope. (Check the provided link for more info) Briefly, it is a camp that Duke offers for chronically ill children who would not be deemed healthy enough to attend regular summer camps. But because of the access to Duke staff, we can pull it off. And pull it off we did. We left Sunday mo...

We have all seen it. People who walk around either so full of themselves or so insecure in themselves that they ever have a chip on their shoulder. Quick to offend and even more swift to take offense, they look for the insult in each and every action. And if your opinion differs from theirs, well, take cover, because they will come out with their sleeves up, ready to rumble. Some see it as a sign of courage, some see it as a sign of aggression, and yet others see it as a sign of deep co...

It seems that everywhere I look these days I see it. It raises it hideous head in whatever situation I seem to find myself in some way. Like the hydra of old, it attacks from multiple angles, its vicious maws coming at us from every side. And our best efforts to combat it seem just as fruitless, two heads springing up where there once was only one. It truly is a monster that plagues us all today. A monster with such a simple name. Hate. It has many forms and varying degrees. We se...

This will probably make me unpopular with certain folks and factions here, but that is okay with me. I need to write this, if for no one else, then just for me. Just make sure you remember, none of us pay to be here. Okay? We aren't customers here, just free-loaders leeching off the generosity of Brad. As if we could possibly forget. Maybe it is just me. Maybe I have some sort of weird radar for picking this stuff up. Maybe we are just being reminded of this fact on a painfull...

I just woke up from a little nap after my first ~30 hour day of call on the Labor and Delivery unit at the hospital. It is a weird experience to be there that long. I was rounding on patients this morning and had to keep reminding myself to talk to them about their delivery yesterday, even though it was all one big day to me. And, yep, I did catch, all by myself, two little babies while I was there. I also got to be part of three C-sections and observe a couple other, more complic...