Boom? Roasted?

The important news is that I passed! They want me to make a lot of changes, which is kind of daunting because I forgot that is standard, and have to gear up for more work. But I can do it. WE can do it, people! I'm a bit mentally fatigued right now, and will explain it all later. But I passed. This is historic. Thank you, dear readers, for your silent but perceived support.

In all kinds of weather...

If I can boil yesterday down to one idea it is the "rain delay". I feel like I may be down by a few runs, definately on the visiting team, and its about the 6th or 7th inning. Good thing is, this team's got more heart than Valentine's Day, so...
Rest of the game takes place at 1:00 today. Thanks.

Evidence Based Medicine

The most recent episode of Lost we watched (Season 2 episode 1), was ironically called "Man of Science, Man of Faith". Ironic because its tie-in with the following story.
So over the last week or so Valerie and I have had the worst sore throats we can ever remember having. Finally we got an appointment to see some Drs. yesterday. Same time, different physicians. My doc, a tall male resident just a few years older than me and with quite a few more pounds of physique and intimidating muscularity, inspects my throat and nose and asks me about my symptoms and concludes that, based on evidence about oropharyngeal infections (the "say ahh" region), it doesn't really hold water to prescribe antibiotics. I didn't have a white film on my throat (evidence of bacterial infection), and even if I did, it would only take a few extra days to kick even without antibiotics. In the next wing Valerie is seeing another resident, she is a tiny lady with a middle-eastern accent, who is very friendly and even a little apologetic, as if she was the one who got Valerie sick. She comes to the same conclusion about the etyology of Val's sickness (viral) but says she'll order a strep test anyway. Val does the strep test, which comes back positive. I'm in the room at this point, and after the physician's explanation of recurrence of strep infections, we have a 14 month old, etc. etc., we should be on antibiotics. After writing Val's prescription she walks us to my doc's office and says he should write a script for me, too. He says he'll see me in a room in a sec. So a few minutes later we go in a room and he has a piece of paper, which turns out to be a literature review about the efficacy of antibiotics on strep infections such as mine, and that evidence suggests that there is really no benefit to antibiotics. I am very impressed that he stuck to his guns. Did I mention he was all muscly-armed?

So now our house is the setting of a mini clinical trial. Val is on the amox and I am purely on my own immune system. We will see if there is any difference in progression.

If I forget to update you on this, someone remind me...unless you're not interested, in which case, keep it to yerself.

In other news, I defend my thesis tomorrow at 4:00. Eat less red meat. Eat more fish. Pray for me.

T-Rex doesn't want to be fed, he wants to hunt!

Oh frick! Carver look out behind you little dude!!!



(Photo courtesy of Miss America, paleontologist laureate)

Freedom is Free (100th Post!)

I was going to save my 100th post until I could use it to tell you that I successfully defended my thesis. I changed my mind. Over the last few days or so I have been feeling a pretty substantial amount of pressure while thinking win, win as I envision walking across the stage at my graduation. By substantial amount I mean it has been occupying my mind almost entirely. So, God gave me quite a freeing word this morning. I wrote it down on an index card at work. Here it is.

"If I do not successfully finish my thesis this semester, or ever, if I do not become a PA, or own a brewery, or a farm, if I never own a home or write a book, if I never have an audience, I will have been made in the image of God, I will have had His breath breathed into me to give me life. I will have discovered His kindness, His sacrifice for me, His forgiveness, His faithfulness, and His Holy Spirit that brings the Kingdom of God to us."

We do not have to be spiritually subject to the characteristics of the world that are broken. In view of the glory of God and His righteousness to us, I am convinced that our momentary troubles, however terrible they may be, are not worthy to even be compared to the goodness that is to come.

Update: "I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."