"That Don't Impress Me Much..."

"That don't impress me much."

Just a song I heard driving home tonight, nothing major, but a few bits made me think.

She's going through the people she's known, the ones who are unique, and wondering if there was anything that truly impressed her, anything that really had any true value.

First on her assault was a really smart guy she knew, a rocket scientist with a mirror in his pocket and a comb up his sleeve. But, what good are brains if you don't have the touch? What good is knowing pi to the Nth digit, if you don't have the warmth in your heart that can keep someone smiling?

Without the touch, brains are all flash, and no dash. It's a car without a transmission- it sounds great, but it goes nowhere.

Next? A guy who was gorgeous- she compares him to Brad Pitt. Looks that don't quit, a physique as chiseled as a Greek god, and a thousand-watt smile. Yet, without the touch, without the heart and soul behind it, you have a mannequin. Nothing more. An empty smile without substance, a hollow grin without a thought behind it.

Last? A guy who was obsessed with his car, always polishing it and demanding that shoes be removed before it was sat in. But, what good is a car without a driver? What good is a car, if the guy driving is as unthinking as a robot, or as cold as a doll's eyes?

"Don't get me wrong, I think you're all right, but that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night."

I may not have the perfect mind- darn good, but not perfect- or the looks, or the flawless car, but I try and do the best I can by those I love. As someone on Snopes once said, "Make me smile in the dark, and you'll have me forever.". That's my goal. I may not be perfect, but I try to leave everyone I love smiling in the dark, and happy I was there.

Just a late-night musing, driving down I-75. Good night, folks.

So, what am I thankful for?

I've never been a fan of setting aside only one day to give thanks for a whole year, but, since that's the system we have, I did some thinking.

I'm thankful for the friends I've found, the ones that have helped me through some rough spots in my life.

I'm thankful for the votes of confidence people have given me, when I needed them most. Some people saw diamonds where I saw broken glass. A kind word of hope and encouragement was just what I needed to keep rolling.

I'm thankful for having a place like this to vent, and people who are willing to listen - and every so often, think I'm pretty good at this writing thing!

The things I am most thankful for, though? Those are the things that showed up when I needed them most.

When my grandfather was in the hospital, several days before he died, I saw the most perfect sunrise I have ever seen. Salmon shot through with gold, soft and warm. It was a message of hope- that no matter how bad things got, the sun would rise again.

Some months ago, when I was feeling down and pretty sad, my girlfriend surprised e with our first kiss. She didn't know at the time that wasn't just our first, it was my first. Such perfect and sweet love is something I will treasure until the day I die.

So what am I really thankful for? Love. Hope. Encouragement and friendly words. People who have become friends, and moments where the world stopped in sheer beauty.

Those are what I am thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving. :-)

The long wait...

Three to eight weeks. That's what Wright State said to get back to me on an acceptance. It's week 4, as of last Wednesday, and I wait. 95 slots, I want but one, and I wait.

A chance to heal people, a chance to slip on the white coat with my name stitched over the heart, a chance to do what I am meant to do, and I wait.

I don't like waiting.

Encouragement, and strange coincidences.

Did you ever think how weird coincidences can be?

Looking critically, Bainwen and I should never have met. Small age gap, went to college in different states, lived about 40 miles apart, different religious backgrounds and home lives, no initial point of contact.

Then, one day, a thread was posted on Snopes, and we started bouncing private messages back and forth- talking about philosophy and religion, literature and logic, Tolkien and the Bible. One thread led to another, led to a first meeting, led to a first kiss, led to falling in love.

One thread, posted on a message board. If I hadn't read it, I wouldn't be where I am. If I hadn't asked that initial question, nothing further would have happened.

Yet, I did, and she responded. We spoke, laughed at each other's jokes and dried each other's tears, and fell in love.

Now, I stand on the border of the unknown. Medical school calls to my South, and Bainwen has been looking at her MA at the same university. Culmination of two people's dreams, started with a thread on nothing.

Wow.

Meeting a kolamama...

Bainwen put in her side as to what she thought, I figured I would do the same. :-)

I thought it went surprisingly well. Very comfortable, very easy, just two good folks talking that happen to have a dear friend in common. That's exactly how I hoped it would be, though I've seen different.

My father and his father-in-law have always gotten along all right, I guess, but there's never been any real level of comfort. Grandpa's a Catholic. Dad's a Methodist. Grandpa sold insurance. Dad worked construction. Dad's a divorcee, Grandpa was married for 54 years. They get along well enough, but these are two folks that simply would never meet in the real world, absent this connection.

Here, though, I can picture meeting the Kolamama easily enough. Message board, wandering through a park, something, but there is an ease there that is a very welcome thing.

I built the entree for dinner (Chicken and 40 Cloves), while Bainwen handled dessert and the salad course. We complement each other well, and the Kolamama in question even commented on how happy we made each other. :-)

So, I close with a quote from Casablanca. "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship." And yes, I do think it could be. :-)

12???

Today, I finished my EKG Technician course. It was fairly simple, though you could tell the students who hadn't taken an anatomy class- there's way too much information for anyone to just pick up.

An exmaple of a question...

The heart is a...
a. Hollow organ that pumps blood.
b. Solid organ that pumps blood.
c. Hollow organ that oxygenates blood.
d. Solid organ that filters blood.

The answer is, of course, A. Yet, a few people messed the question.

Another one, just to confuse...

A 12-lead EKG has how many leads?
a. 9
b. 10
c. 11
d. 12.

Ironically, the answer is not D. It's B. Two leads double up. :-)

But, that leads me to the purpose of this rant.

We read EKGs in the class. Simple, how to read the strip and how to give an EKG. The last strip we read one day was easy. Heart rate of 78, PRI of 0.16 (normal), QRS of 0.08 (normal), in other words, dead normal. The prof asked who knew the rate, and a great mumbling came up "78...76...80...77" All close, so good enough.

Guy in front raises his hand, and says "12".

Eek.

If that guy passes his certification, I'm turning mine in.