$6,000

That's what this $700,000,000,000 bailout is going to cost you as a taxpayer, and thats just the $700,000,000,000. All told, the tab is $1,500,000,000,000 we've flat out given to Bear Sterns and the like... Of course we don't have much of a choice, if we don't keep them afloat and able to lend money, I'll never finish med school, no one will able to buy cars or homes, or school supplies for their kids, etc. It's rewarding greedy, irresponsible, reckless, horrible people and companies. But I guess its a sad fact of life that we're all in bed with these people, because we have to be in order to live the sort of life we've gotten used to.

Then again, maybe we should let them crumble and let the U.S. go to chaos, at least if we climb our way back - the same mistakes won't be made again. (for a few decades at least, until it becomes an abstract idea like the Great Depression is, to kids born in the 1990's) I think that bailing out these companies who lent money to people they KNEW would not be able to pay it back, shows poor judgment. Now they know they have a safety net - that if they screw up and get themselves into trouble that mom and dad will come and make things "allll better."

The core of business is that good ideas, smart decisions, quality products, and good service are rewarded with profits, high stocks, and longevity in the market. If you take that concept away by rewarding idiotic lending and reckless investment, then what is the incentive for these companies to do the right thing? There is nothing. They can screw over investors, trade in your 401k for "magic beans," and throw your life savings down on a bad hand of blackjack and never be held accountable.

These CEO's need to be thrown in jail just like the heads of Enron, the mortgage brokers need to be fined and stopped from ever working in the financial sector again, the companies need to be stripped from the top down and rehire all new management with very strict oversight most of all - people need to stop borrowing what they are not SURE they can pay back. If you haven't been taking the news too seriously, just think about these people taking $6,000 out of your pocket or having to work 600 extra hours at work or 75 extra days a year at $10 an hour to pay for their mistakes - because that's exactly what you're doing.

Continuing on my rant - these thetruth.com anti-smoking ads have got to go. The ones with the terrible, shallow, sophomoric sarcasm and cartoon characters... As someone who only smokes on occasion if I'm at a pub, I've considered smoking full time and telling kids it will make them cool - simply out of spite and disdain for these annoying commercials. And I think you should do the same.

On a personal note, I've finished my first week of clinicals. The hours weren't so bad - 7:30 to 4 on average with on call until 9pm every 4th night. The learning curve is steep for me still, just learning the technical things on the floor, but I'm getting it and I actually feel satisfied when I come home at night. I've also learned that old people are the best patients, they are genuinely grateful that you're trying to help them, they're agreeable and they like having someone to talk to. These of course are my favorite patients, because they are, well, patient. It can be difficult as a patient to understand why test results take so long to get back or why it may sometimes seem that there isn't enough attention being paid to them. From the other side of the situation though, I can tell you that the resident in charge of your case is very much involved and invested in the patient, overworked, and severly underpaid. The most rewarding thing for me so far has just been being trusted, and liked, and respected by patients - doing histories and physicals, getting on the phone and communicating via a translator with a Hispanic patient, things like that that are new and exciting for me. I'm sure some of this idealism will wear off as I become more and more pressed for time, but for now I'm going to enjoy it.

We went to Turtle Bay pub in Manhattan this weekend, its the official LSU alumni meeting spot in NYC, there were also quite a few AUC'ers there (we're such jet-setters, I know...) It was weird to see 150 or so LSU grads all in the same place so far away from home. We drank, a lot, and ate, and went to another bar, and drank some more. I was going to stay with some friends on the upper east side, but it was late and sometimes nothing but your own bed will do at night. So I searched in the rain for the LIRR station on 34th street and waited for almost 2 hours with several other nocturnal types, homeless people, musicians, etc. for the train to take me back to Hicksville. I think that next time I'll graciously accept the offer on the sofa-bed...



Me watching the game praying that there would not be an upset. Adam watching the game praying there would be an upset.

Jones Beach

Went to Jones beach, a 20 minute drive from my house, this weekend. I also went to Fire Island, so named due to an ivy that turns fire red in the autumn near the lighthouse. I also spoke with a Long Island native and classmate today about Jones beach and fire island who had some interesting things to say about Robert Moses - a man who's name graces a road and bridge in the area. He was a politician in the 20's and 30's who was apparently about as dirty as the Huey Long himself. When funds could not be procured for public roads he wrote huge bills for state parks, the proceeds from which, he used to build the very same roads that were rejected for funding. It was a loophole that allowed him a way to make "ways of getting to parks," in areas where people didn't want major highways - hence the term "parkway." He also made bridge and tunnel entrances too low for buses or large trucks to keep lower income people out of the parks. Sounds like kind of an S.O.B. to me (and they say SOUTHERNERS are intolerant!). But there is no denying that the parks and beaches are some of the nicest places I've ever been.



Yes, this is a water tower! (above)





huge boarwalk


I had just gotten a car wash that very same morning, so much for that...

Yes, they still make beepers, and now I have one.

So they gave us beepers today at orientation. I thought that was pretty awesome, until I realised that now I'll be just a touch-tone away from the hospital 24/7. Realistically I doubt they would ever really page any of us except maybe within the hospital (the place is huge).

Aside from that we went on tours around the hospital, got our pictures taken for ID badges and the cool swipe cards to get into the library and such. We got a brief introduction from all of the department heads, we got fed very well too. I have to admit, I was impressed with how we were treated as students, hats off to NUMC.



view from the 18th floor pediatrics ward

Done.

I'm all moved in and settled, I think... I still need a desk and chair, but I'll keep looking on craigslist. With the exception of the mattress, which cost a small fortune, I furnished the whole apartment for less than 600 bucks. That includes - sheets, an Ikea sofa that opens into a full sized bed, a TV stand with lighted cabinets (my own DIY job), an air conditioner, glasses, silverware, trashcans, shelves, a mirror with hooks, picture frames, extension cords, plastic drawers for the bathroom cabinet, basically everything. The AC is a 6,000 BTU I picked up today at a garage sale for $15 - I have to polish my nails on my shoulder for that one.

I can't take all the credit though, I "commissioned" Leigh to pick out everything before I even moved here since I was on a budget, she went above and beyond and even drew out floor plans, so my creativity had very little to do with anything. I'm hoping she gets her own show on TLC so I can pay off these school loans without moonlighting 20 hours a week as a resident...

Before:



After:

9/11/08

I went by the WTC site yesterday. It wasn't quite what I expected, mostly tourists and 9/11 conspiracy theorists. There weren't as many flowers and candles and all of the things you might expect. There were news crews, people playing guitars, tons of police, a man standing with a photo album of pictures from the disaster ranting to an interested crowd like an evangelical preacher, and thousands of people milling around looking at the sky.







When I got there, I turned on my camera only to realise I had left my memory card at home. So I took the subway to Times Square and hunted for a cheap replacement (FYI if that ever happens to you - don't buy from these no-name electronics stores they wanted $30 for a 1 gig card, I went to Staples and got a 2 gig card for $13) While I was there I decided to go to central park and uptown where Leigh and I had hung around last winter, everything looked completely different this time around - much nicer.

I decided to head back downtown to the WTC site.

I hung around for a while, hoping to maybe see Senators McCain or Obama who were supposed to stop to pay their respects. But, as I talked to more and more cops it became pretty obvious that they were going to keep people far away from whatever location the presidential candidates would be at, they wouldn't even hint at a time that they would be there, saying THEY didn't even know.

Needless to say I gave up and took the train over to SoHo and met Adam for a couple of beers at a place called the Blind Tiger. I got to see where Elija Wood (Frodo Baggins) smokes cigarettes outside of Adams apt, which was a real treat... and with a bit of a buzz, I hopped back on the E train to take a few night shots of the WTC site. The infinity lights where incredible, to solid beams piercing the sky like sabers. I had to see them in the context of the Manhattan skyline, so I took the PATH over to Jersey City (yes, I went to another state to take a picture, it was the best $1.75 I've ever spent.) Be sure to click to enlarge:

Virginia's war on speeding

I was driving through Virginia today, I saw some curious signs and my imagination ran wild...

Leaving Louisiana

Well, the power finally came back on on Thursday, after 48 hours of having to see the neighbors across enjoying lighting and central A/C... But the newfound luxury was short lived as I packed up for the drive to Long Island. It was tough to leave this time, I did a lot these past few months - studied for, took, and passed my boards, went to Colorado, learned to fly fish (poorly), hiked, went to Galveston, went through a hurricane, bought a car, got caught in a storm in a paddle boat, saw my brother start veterinary school. So for all of those good things to suddenly come to an end, it was a little tough, but it ended on a good note at least, and the next chapter seems to have a lot of promise, too.

I drove for 12 hours today, it wasn't as bad as I thought. as long as the sun was up it was doable, but as soon as it went down, my eyelids gained a few pounds, so I stopped in Knoxville, which is almost the exact middle of my 1,470 mile trip.

(bottom right) ...Long trip ahead




No, dude, seriously... quit...



I wonder if this town had a court order to inform other towns nearby when it moved in.



A really bad pic of two deer playing on the side of the highway (trust me they're there). I was just excited to tell Leigh Ann and actually use the word "prancing," in a sentence for the first time in my life...

A-OK

The hurricane came and went, our power went out at around 1:30 and the worst part of the storm hit at around 4:00 p.m. I have to admit, that compared to Lili in 2002 and Rita in 2005. One of which put a tree through our dining room, and the other that had me evacuated for 4 weeks - that this one was on the milder end of the scale.

Sure, I am running my laptop off of a gas powered generator, and there is a magnolia tree laying in the yard that narrowly missed the house and the power lines. But all in all, there isn't a whole lot of damage.

In 2002 it took, literally, MONTHS to clean up the dozens of trees in our yard and in those of my immediate family- we all pitched in and helped each other on weekends, not unlike an Amish barn raising....

My dad and I drove around town today and saw maybe 5 or so down total. Hopefully power will be back on it the next couple of days and everyone else who took the real beating closer to the coast fared as well as can be expected, too.

The local weather man said that this hurricane had virtually none of the tornado activity that usually accompanies the north and west side of hurricanes, and that to a large extent, is why the wind damage was so minimal.

This is the first time we've had a generator and AC after a hurricane, making the house a livable 78 degrees rather than the balmy 90 that I typically dread. So maybe I'll actually be able to sleep tonight. Another upside is that I don't get yelled at for letting whats left of the cold air in the fridge when I open it up to poke around for water - though I did take a shower by lantern light - St. Maarten style...

This is livable, and for that I'm pretty thankful.





Hurricanes in Louisiana are a film-worthy event - mom with the Handy-Cam


The magnolia by the back bedroom - the only casualty of Gustav in our yard


Downed oak and power line at the neighbor's house


Mom and Tim lighting candles


Almost like the votive candles at church...



About as black as night can get. Overcast, with an entire parish (county) without electricity. My mom walking Amos with a flashlight around broken branches.