Interests:Medicine, Trauma specifically Expertise:Taking pictures. Graphic Design. Color science, not freaking out at blood Occupation:Photography Industry:Marketing, Publication
It seems I have been absent a while. No matter, life proceeds without xanga. Proceeds rapidly, even, with no discrimination for who's website is being updated most frequently, who's getting the most eprops (or whatever ridiculous thing the user decides to call them, yes, even I joined the fray).
For me, life consists of getting prepared for marriage, and after that to attend college for the first time. On that note, I received my first scholarship notice this week, from the state of Ohio for scoring over 700 as a one-time GED tester. One week from tomorrow I find out whether my SAT test scores are satisfactory or not.
Yes, the SAT for which I neglected to have a calculator during testing. Ouch.
In other news, I posted my first youtube.com video. In 2 days, a whopping 31 hits. All from family, no doubt. Well, here it is for your perusal.
I am currently in the habit of substituting comic strips or comedic videos with trite, platitudinous, and likely ineffective writings of the regressively conservative religious as the source of my "best medicine" (yes, this is cynicism you hear dripping from my voice). I guess it's kind of my form of intellectual humor.
It's humorous to see how piety brings a group to become so internally focused. Seems like everything I read has a didactic slant, aiming for some reform, but will likely never be anything but a text that makes people furrow their brows with concerned agreement, and little more.
Apparently, a "deeply furrowed brow" is synonymous with spirituality and "concern for the church" by the booklet I have in front of me. This same text is a writing about the place of Youth in the Church (an amish script), assumably from Aylmer, Ontario that makes the following statement on one page:
"Some people may dream of being great reformers in the churches and do not realize that a quiet, submissive life is like a shining beacon for young and old."
then on the opposing page quotes examples like Joseph and Moses as people who's upbringing brought them to right living. Clearly these are good examples of people who lived quietly and submissively.
But enough satire.
Medicine has nearly supplanted photography as my consuming passion, William Osler M.D. my most recent hero. I'm looking forward to shadowing Dr. Leon Miller, General Surgeon at Pomerene Hospital in the operating room in late march, and also to experiencing the intricacies Pediatric care at the Akron Childrens Hospital both in the emergency department and with the chief resident pediatrician Dr. Olivia Wenger.
I got my first pair of scrubs for Christmas, and they are the most comfortable clothes I own (read: they are my pajamas). I look goofy, actually, I look like a wanna-be. Guess maybe that's because I am.
And that's my life in a nutshell! Oh, and I want to publicly congratulate Crystal on successfully starting her first IV on a real patient! *wild chearing tainted with jealousy*
I couldn't sum up the last 3 months in anything less than an essay, and xanga isn't for essays. I could write a book about it, and to be honest, it would probably be a fairly interesting read.
August 7: Micah Eberhard, killed at age 20, in an automobile accident. While we were at the hospital, early the next morning, Annie, Teresa and I were talking outside the ICU. Annie said about nursing: "I can't go back. I hate hospitals now." I said: "Funny thing, it has the opposite effects on us. You want to get out, and I want to get in."
August 18: Saturday afternoon, Annie, Brad and I were talking at church. In the midst of our conversation, Annie looks at me and says, with more seriousness than I was anticipating, "Nic, you need to become a doctor."
Bam. The ball started rolling. Sunday, I was enamored with the idea. Writing down my thoughts, instead of paying attention to the sermon. I told a few of my closest friends. Monday, I told others, but only a few. I was emotionally a wreck, completely consumed with this new idea. But I kept telling myself "It's just a fad, it'll go away." But it didn't.
August 27 1 week and 2 days after Annie had dropped the bomb, I was driving home from Indiana, calling a few of my friends, and getting their feedback. Then, right there in the car, somewhere between Fort Wayne, Indiana and Wooster, Ohio, I declared to God and to the people in the car next to me (if they heard me, which they might have) that I was GOING TO DO IT! And that was it. The idea hasn't died. I have only grown stronger in Christ than I ever have been before. And I've only grown fonder of the idea every moment.
Life is full, life is tough. It's tough to deal with death, plain and simple. But Micah's with God, now. And I want to do the will of the Father who has sent me the gift of inspiration.
I'm currently learning the ropes of being a Christian led by the Holy Spirit, and WOW that's tough. A friend described it as being on a treadmill: If you quit running, you fly off. You've got to stay on top of things, you've got to stay on guard.
Micah Eberhard, a dear friend and talented artist, passed away this morning of his head injuries. Cerebral blood flow tests around noon revealed that he had been brain dead for several hours, totally dependent on life support.
Notes of encouragement can be emailed to those involved by clicking on this link: In Memory of Micah. Please pray for Micah's parents Dave and Julie, his brother and sister Dana and Rutti (who are still in Brazil) and for Micah's girlfriend, Annie (Here's her xanga site). He was a friend to all.
