“Thank you for saying very nice things.” -Kieran McCarthy
Category: Burn out
Sabbatical, Step 5: Present Tense
“I could help you, but it’s your fight.” -U2, “Get Out of Your Own Way”
Gonzo Journalism: A Fluff Piece
Another woman came to discuss some sewing business one day, and Gonzo landed on her head. She totally flipped out and threw her glass of water across the room. It was fantastic.
I’ve been struggling with working on my “Sabbatical” series. That particular entry is important to me, but admittedly a little dry. Rather than force myself through the piece right now, I’m taking a diversion. I’m writing about fluff.
Sabbatical, Step One: Catalysts and Enzymes
“If it’s all been said and done,
I did alright, I had my fun.
Let me walk, before they make me run.”
-The Glimmer Twins (a.k.a. Jagger/Richards)
Continue reading “Sabbatical, Step One: Catalysts and Enzymes”
Sabbatical, Step Zero: How to Plan Without Knowing That You’re Planning
“My parents lived on a very frugal budget. It was really irritating to me (as a child). I had no really proper vacations as a child. You wouldn’t believe some of the places we ended up. Even they (my parents) would arrive there and go, ‘Holy God! It looked better in the magazine.’” – Lewis Black (comedian)
Scotch Tape (a.k.a. I Have an Idea About How Lucky I Am)
“Of all the bad and dangerous ideas in the world, perhaps none is worse and more dangerous than the idea that there is no such thing as luck.” -Kieran McCarthy
Of all the bad and dangerous ideas in the world, perhaps none is worse and more dangerous than the idea that there is no such thing as luck.
-Kieran McCarthy
Continue reading “Scotch Tape (a.k.a. I Have an Idea About How Lucky I Am)”
Going By Candlelight
What struck me this time, however, is that sometimes location does matter.
I’m not a travel writer. By most people’s assessment, our family doesn’t go any place that exotic. Someone did tell Sonia that we take interesting trips and I appreciated the sentiment. Sure, we do odd things, but we’re talking odd by “acceptable” standards. We weren’t drinking jack rabbit blood in the Mojave Desert or exploring the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia.
An Open Letter to the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics
This is a battle worth fighting. We all know that this is an issue, and if it isn’t addressed, the risk is losing rolls of your pediatricians to other careers. Again, I’m familiar with this. We really don’t want a healthcare system that convinces its physicians, providers, and nurses that they are expendable and replaceable. We are on the verge of de-recruiting people from the profession. That’s not a great place to be.
Continue reading “An Open Letter to the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics”
Donut Diplomacy
I once asked one of the nurses, Sharon, if they liked me only because of the donuts. Her response: “No. If you were stupid or a jerk, we’d eat your donuts but talk about you behind your back. We like the donuts, but we like you.” That’s one of the best, most honest compliments I’ve been given.
“And on the seventh day, God rested. And said, ‘Let there be coffee. And let the donuts be plentiful. Let there be glazed donuts, and cake donuts, and long johns, and buttercream and custard filled Bismarcks. But there nay should be jelly donuts, as those are disgusting.’ And so it was. And as God rested, God said, ‘This is pretty good. Keep ‘em coming. And may I please get another cup of Joe?’”
Genesis 2:2, in the original Hebrew, or at least how it SHOULD read.
Life, By Accident
What amazes me, in some respects, is that some these decisions were made with careful thought, deliberation, and planning. But others weren’t. Many decisions were made for reasons that are now less clear to me, or at least made for reasons different than one would expect. In a way, it’s kind of “life, by accident.”
