Earth Day Reflections

Welcome to Joshua Tree National Park- a vast landscape, sand and dust expanding from one horizon to the next, cactus of all shapes and sizes sticking out against the desert tapestry, a pointed reminder of the harsh struggle to survive in a desert and a sharp contrast to my routine, comfortable, urban existence. For Earth day this past weekend I spent the time camping, hiking, and bouldering in Joshua Tree. By definition, a national park preserves an ecosystem worthy for posterity and Joshua Tree is no exception. Granted, it takes a minute to become accustom to and appreciate the beauty of a desert.

Camping was a great time being with friends and enjoying the wilderness. One of the elements I like most about camping is the feeling of self reliance. For a weekend one is reminded that it is possible to live simply, to survive with only what you have carried and brought with you. Creativity and absence are the only reliable tools to deal with unexpected obstacles. Sunday, surrounded only by the vastness of the desert, I was hiking back from the lost oasis (palm trees and all) and my thoughts wandered to my recent trip to NYC. New York City is a fascinating city: a sea of humanity built on a concept foreign to Joshua Tree – density. I fell in love with NYC- skyscrapers seemingly as high as the desert is wide, roads paved in yellow taxis, the people watching, the subways, Broadway, art, and history. Destinations- Ellis Island, Empire State Building, Times Square, WTC memorial, the United Nations. NYC emphasizes our co-dependence and connection to one another-in the moment and in the past.

Earth Day weekend left me with stiff legs, scenic photos, and an appreciation of the complex interactions we have with each other and our environment. A relationship grounded on self-reliance and co-dependence a balance of Joshua Tree and Manhattan. We truly live on a diverse and amazing planet.

I have come to the realization that I have been spending more time blogging than I have studying anatomy. In an effort to provide more balance, I am including Anatomy trivia in my upcoming posts. My flashcards start with the skeletal system so so will I.
Humerus- 1. me using a blog as a study aid. 2. A long bone in the upper extremity commonly called the upper arm bone. Lots more about the Humerus- http://www.pediatric-orthopedics.com/Topics/Bones/Humerus/humerus.html

Make Believe

I remember the first time I read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short story, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings (translated) in Beverly Drapalik's high school English class. This story was my introduction to Magical Realism and it both irritated and fascinated my logical-oriented mind to allow for the "willful suspension of disbelief." While the actual details of the story have fluttered from my memory like feathers in the wind, I have found myself time and time again, drawn to this realm of magical thinking. This exposure doesn't imply comfort; I often feel like a person next to a large, cold pool, willing to put a toe in the water but shivering with goose bumps at the thought of going deeper. This weekend however, I dove.

Tombstone, Arizona - 'the town too tough to die'

Saturday and Sunday I was in Tombstone, AZ with relatives. My uncle in Phoenix had coordinated a trip for my grandfather, brother and I to visit so we took a road trip from California through time to the late 1800s Arizona frontier. Tombstone, founded on a silver vein in 1879, quickly grew to a population of more than 15,000 people including the notorious Cowboys and celebrated personalities such as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, Johnny Ringo, Big Nose Kate and other characters of the West memorialized in legend, lore, and Hollywood. Touring the dirt streets of Tombstone required a healthy suspension of disbelief. Citizens wandered the streets in full 1890s garb: boots and cow boy hats, dresses and bonnets, guns, rifles, pistols, knives. The Bird Cage Theater still stands in its 1800s splendor, as does Big Nose Kates Saloon, once the Grand Hotel (at three stories, a skyscraper), the County Courthouse, the Boothill graveyard, and the OK Coral. Locals and tourists alike spend the day wondering from shop to shop, telling ghost stories, talking guns, spreading gossip and legends. Life here is both 2007 and 1887. While entertaining, it isn't just a show any more than Disney is just an amusement park- it is a custom, a lifestyle, a culture-- Americana. The Wild West in all it's violence and ugliness, is part of our collective (un)consciousness, our manifest destiny--all the hope and despair connected to that phrase.

Driving the six hours back on Monday, I was greeted at home with the news of the tragedy at Virgina Tech. My heart and prayers go out to everyone affected from the senseless violence. This too is now part of our shared consciousness...as much as I wish it wasn't; as much as I wish it was all make believe. There's nothing magical about it.

Aspirations

Aspirations, to aspire, to breathe....OM. Relaxed? Meditative? Not really. When novices first learn to meditate it is common guidance to focus on ones breathing. Maybe it is no coincidence then that our dreams and goals-our aspirations- are a derivative of this simple life enabling action- to breathe. And while this advice seems simple, trying to meditate for only five minutes, focusing on breathing, for an inexperienced person can seem an eternity. A common theme this past week has been the essential but often overlooked activities and items we take for granted and almost ignore. In a different context however, these same elements become very salient if not the focus.

On a normal day, it is easy to only pay attention to what is new and innovative or what is difficult or out of whack. This is what the news media feeds on and I am an addict. TV ads and news anchors generally annoy me so my medium of choice is the newspaper: print or electronic. On a given lazy day I can spend hours perusing the newspaper: the OCregister, NYtimes online, google news, the comics. As a self-proclaimed news junkie (I have a headline and email checking compulsion) even trivial headlines catch my attention. For example, when you log onto blogger, the Blogger Buzz lists headlines... New today you can now blog in Hindi! (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/now-you-can-blog-in-hindi.html)

For those of you unfamiliar with my attempts to learn Hindi, you have no fear in the immediate future of me writing anything in Hindi. Hindi is an ancient language based on an even older and more sacred language Sanskript. Like all languages, Hindi has evolved with the times and geography so dialects and accents add interest and complexity to the language, all of which are above my level of comprehension; I get hung up on the alphabet!

Hindi is a phonetic language so conquering the alphabet is half the battle. For me besides the actual complexity of the characters (not left hand friendly and my legibility in English handwriting is questionable) the pronunciation was brutal. You see in Hindi there are two types of consonants: aspirated and unaspirated (vowels are a whole different story). Let me provide English examples* to elaborate on the difference: the p in pit (aspirated) and spit (unaspirated) and the t in tack (aspirated) and stack (unaspirated). To the untrained ear, hearing the difference between aspirated and unaspirated consonants is tricky, but essential, in speaking, writing, and understanding Hindi because each different sound in this phonetic language has its own character. At DU my senior year I would practice my Hindi during the late night/early morning hours (10pm-2am) at the front desk of Nelson as I worked my required hours. The best way to practice aspirated and unaspirated syllables, surprise surprise, is with little bits of torn up toilet paper. Cup your hand and place the palm on your chin. Place a few pieces of torn up tissue paper in your palm and say pit. If pronounced correctly, the paper bits will have snowed out of your hand all over the floor. Conversely, for the unaspirated consonants, the paper pieces should not move.

I spent hours practicing the pronunciation differences between ghor and gor (aspirated and unaspirated)...just two characters! not to mention having to be able to write and recognize/read these same characters. By the end of my "Hindi desk shifts" I had paper bites all over everywhere and some very puzzled looking residents scurrying through the otherwise witching hour quiet lobby. The combination of sleep deprivation and aspirated/unaspirated frustration truly do bring your breathing into an entirely new focus....you literally do spit when in frustration or pride you over emphasize the aspiration in "pit". It's also hard to ignore toilet paper when it's plastering the desk confetti style. While my colleagues progressed to actual words, i was still struggling with alphabet and since Hindi was an audited course competing with the writing of my thesis, it unfortunately became victim of senioritis.

I know as I continue to explore my cultural heritage my first attempt to learn Hindi will not be my last. I know that I will continue to follow my aspirations- continue to be a dreamer. When the going gets tough, I will remember simply to breath, and I will find comfort in the fact that it is now possible to blog in Hindi. I have big aspirations.


* Examples adapted from http://www.ling.udel.edu/colin/courses/ling101_f99/lecture8.html
Hindi alphabet chart from http://website.lineone.net/~krysstal/writing_hindi1.gif

Food + Family + Friends

Hands down, I think a true hallmark of a holiday is food, family, and friends-the rest is cosmetic. Sure some holidays commemorate a religious icon, anniversary, or culturally significant event but in reality these are just excuses. In my world travels, I'd argue with only my perception as support, in terms of celebrations, festivals, and overall fiestas, Americans are too structured and wait for a specific national date or traditional event, rather than create local holidays. A lunar eclipse, Feast day for a patron saint*, only a fifth of a handle remaining, a Wednesday, a wedding or birthday party of a neighbor (regardless if you are acquaintances or not), a friends homecoming or departure, are daily holidays that require fine food, conversations, and friends. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hinting that our culture lacks the fine art of traditions and celebrations....my time as a resident assistant (RA) and fraternity brother (Theta Chi) while an undergraduate provided plenty of evidence to the contrary! And I pray that in med school the party continues. I am saying though, that reserving the "holiday" status for Christmas, New Years, Valentines, St. Patrick's, Easter, Mothers/Fathers, MLK Jr., Presidents, Veterans, Columbus, Independence, Labor, Memorial, Halloween, and, Thanksgiving, a mere 4 percent of a year, does not set aside sufficient time to celebrate all that is worthy during the course of the year.

To be doing my part to keep the festive spirit alive, I am learning my way around the kitchen (since food is key to social gatherings!). Fortunately for me this endeavor has the added benefits of not only enhancing my holiday menus, but also diversifying my subsistence diet. There's hope that I will only rely on cup of noodles or Ramen monthly rather than daily in grad school. For a boy who's initial ambition was to be a piano playing chef in his own restaurant, my culinary skills need honing. Four years of Nelson cafeteria food did little in terms of preparing me to fend for myself; I have not however, been thrown to the wolfs because my culinary gifted mother has come to the rescue (and Chipotle)! This past week I made edible AND presentable chicken and dumplings from scratch, learned how to make a lump-free white sauce (with supervision), and dined on blackened salmon with a side of asparagus. Yes, I even had a side dish with the main course. Granted, my cell phone and an emergency call home (or work) is still a requisite but I am willing to be Machiavellian in this endeavor-the end justifies the means. And while cooking isn't quite a passion for me yet (the dishes at the end spoil it), chocolate is. I am progressing through chocolatier courses from Downey's Chocolates and learning to make homemade ganache (the filling inside a truffle) and temper chocolate. It truly is heavenly and I've had successes in and out of class. (The intermediate chocolatier course isn't until June so I have time to practice). I am looking forward to the days and weeks ahead as I continue to expand on my culinary repertoire be it to entertain, celebrate, or survive.

Even as standard holidays become more commercialized and politically correct, holidays and celebrations will remain special as the traditions remind us of our connections to the past, present, and future and the gathering unites together friends, family, and fun. I will do my part to keep the traditions alive, to make sure there is always excuse to celebrate, and to ensure everyone leaves full.

*Today (April 9th) for example is St. Acacius, St. Waldetrudis, Bl. Thomas of Tolentino, St. Casilda, St. Demetrius, St. Dotto, St. Eupsychius, St. Gaucherius, St. Hedda, St. Hugh of Rouen, St. Madrun, Martyrs of Croyland, Martyrs of Pannonia, Martyrs of Sirmium, and St. Mary Cleophas feast day (http://www.catholic.org/saints/sofd.php). For excuses for a celebration visit the Earth Calendar: http://www.earthcalendar.net/index.php.

TP

My job since September has been as a companion to a 91 year old Alzheimer's patient two days a week. While mentally it has its challenges, the actual tasks are not difficult. I drive, cook, and entertain, on a very structured routine as order and repetition become substitute for short term memory. A typical day looks like this: Arrive at 10am, help with simple chores around the house and drive to the gym; set up the exercise equipment and facilitate the workout routine; return home and make lunch- two eggs/one yoke, a slice of lunch meat, one slice of toast, a cup of instant coffee with milk, a small glass of water, and a piece of danish. I have become an expert at making eggs scrambled, sunny side up, or medium boiled. After lunch is time for a rest on the sun room patio while I clean up the kitchen, followed by a trip to Laguna Beach to walk the board walk and watch the volleyball players. Thursdays my companion takes a community college emeritus course, Finance and Investments.

Due to the rigidity of this routine, variations have tended to catch me off guard. For instance, early in March, I had to re-introduce myself because my companion had forgotten who I was. While this incident should not have been a surprise, it was impactful because of its incongruence. Generally, tasks get easier with experience and I had come to work that Tuesday in March with the assumption I was now an expert caregiver....just to come to the immediate realization that to my companion, I was a new person back at day one. On another occasion, as we were preparing to go to the beach, my companion stepped into the restroom. For most of us, going pee is not a chore, but when you're 91, everything is time consuming. Fortunately, he is still continent so managing bodily functions is just a matter of time and patience. Several minutes later after returning from the commode he asked me a simple question, "What is the history of Toilet Paper?" Caught johnny-on-the-spot, again I found myself in a situation where my college degree and months of experience as a caregiver failed. Being the creative minded person that I am, I excreted the first answer that came to mind: "I don't know!"

I am relieved to say that next time I am in a similar situation, I will be more prepared! TP as it is commonly known has a long, distinguished history dating back to the 14th century Chinese Emperors, while the common toilet paper roll as we know it today wasn't invented until the 1880s. The Sears Catalogue and the Farmer's almanac were earlier ancestors to the TP roll in America. The Albany Perforated Wrapping Paper Company and Scotts were were the first companies to market toilet paper rolls but Scotts did not want their name associated with such taboo an item. Instead they marketed TP under the name Waldorf, after the hotel and main client of the miracle paper. Two ply paper followed in 1942, a British invention. As an FYI, the average American uses 20,805 sheets of toilet paper a year.

Alzheimer's Disease is a cruel thief of the things most valuable to an individual- their memories. And without rationalizing this disease, I can say that my time with Nat has helped me to look at each day anew, despite its routine framework and to value curiosity. It would be crappy indeed if I was to use another 20,805 sheets of toilet paper without thought, taking my luxuries and memories for granted.

For more on the history of TP, visit the virtual toilet paper museum
http://nobodys-perfect.com/vtpm/index.html.

The Beginning

I do not presume that my life adventures will be any more interesting than those of my peers and colleagues but I have two thoughts regarding this blog. First, we learn from each other. I am currently in a transition stage of my life finding solid footing after graduating from the University of Denver in order to make the next leap: med school. Although I wish I had all the answers, having two degrees and a diversity of experiences; my post-graduate existence has emphasized how much I have left to learn both academically and existentially. Sharing our stories is a great way to learn and grow; to collaborate with others (our friends and family); and to communicate. Second, there is something strangely comforting to having a forum that is literally a blank page, private but not secret, personal but accessible to the world.

I come from a family of story tellers and I hope hints of their art of rhetoric enter into my ramblings. I do not promise a beginning, middle, and end- a true story is seldom that linear- the end product will be more like a portrait: a collage of my thoughts and observations that represent only brief moments in time yet capture and preserve an identity of its own. Despite these lofty ambitions, the emphasis of this narration is on daily events, deliberations, questions, failures and triumphs. Its success measured based on longevity over eloquence. Those who know me, cross your fingers that this endeavor becomes an outlet and prism through which to process events and share stories rather than a tool of procrastination.