Dog Envy

I love to watch Skye (my 4 year old yellow Lab).  There is something about watching the actions of a dog that can be fascinating.  What is even more interesting to me is how she affects the way I feel.  

She can be amazingly entertaining, causing me to laugh right our loud at her antics and acrobatics.  She loves to chase the ball and then play a determined game of keep away.  I swear she is laughing too as I fruitlessly chase her or play the flinch game with her.  

She can be irritating and annoying and has more than once cause me to loose my temper.  The furry thief stole 2 peanut butter and honey sandwiches that I had made for my lunch and dinner and had them eaten before I could rescue my meals.  And as a younger pup, she mistook my ipod for one of her chew toys.  I must admit, I can have a nasty temper but I feel I was totally justified on the ipod case.  Even now, I still find underwear scattered about the back yard when she is irritated or angry with me!  Luckily, I don't have a back neighbor or they would definitely wonder about my sanity as I collect my laundry from around the yard.  

She can my best friend and provide more comfort and love that anyone could ever want.  What more can a person ask for than to have someone or something waiting at the door and excited just because you came home?  She may just like my lap as a pillow but I can't help interpret it as love and affection when she could lay anywhere in the house, but she chooses to lay her head in my lap.  Watching a dog sleep or giving them a gentle scratch to the head provides me with a sense of peace that can be so elusive in this complex and difficult world.

Mostly though, despite what Skye gives me.... frankly.... I am really just jealous!  Skye has three goals in life.  Eat (#1 by a long margin)  play and sleep (in that order).   If only my life were that unfettered and uncomplicated!  And to top it all off, she has trained me well to provide all of it for her, in large quantities, in a comfortable and pampered environment.   She is a master at the manipulative use of the pathetic puppy dog eyes to get what she wants when she wants it.  If only I had those skills!   Is it demeaning to admit I envy my dog?  

Regardless of my fickle emotion state that Skye seems to put me in, she is a great dog and I wouldn't trade her for even the purest bread papered pedigree.  But....  I might trade places with her!

Peru Expeditions

I have just returned from visiting Peru and I am trying to slide back into my usual life without too much fuss. It was a more difficult trip than ones in the past. For those who don't know me well, I have helped organize a humanitarian effort to provide free medical education to native Peruvian physicians and nurses. We hold a two day conference on trauma in Cuzco, Peru, a mod large city in the Andes Mountains that is the starting place for the famous Inca Trail. I have gone every year for the past 4 years in this effort. This year was more difficult than usual as I struggled to get enough participants to make the trip possible. I have been working much more than usual at both my jobs while negotiating new contracts, juggling other volunteer work, other work responsibilities and various other projects. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and ready to throw in the towel but it turned out ok and now that I am back, I can "objectively" look back and wonder at all that I learned. Here are the highlights of some of the pearls I gleaned in Peru.

1. Misery doesn't always love company.

2. South American time is 10 minutes slower than Mormon time.
3. Airports/Airlines/Layovers/Delays SUCK (except when a close bathroom is an essential need)!
4. Always check your Soles to ensure they are not counterfeit.
5. South American Church meetings are as boring as North American Church meetings.
6. Always be careful when talking about bladders in Spanish.
7. Ambien can make you feel fague in the mornings.
8. Lazy overweight out of shape doctors should never try to climb Huianu Piccu no matter how much peer pressure.

9. Nothing feels better than your own bed
10. If you are emotionally challenged, to remain safe, stay away from religious and personal discussions.

11. God and Heaven is in the Andes Mountains

 
                    

Slacker poster

Well, its been awhile since I posted anything. Shame on me! The Vicker is chastising me and calling me to repentance. 2 Our Fathers and 3 Hail Marys should do it! Whoops, maybe a little blasphemous....

So, my problem is that I have no life to post about. I am either working, working, or occasionally sleeping and that is just not exciting blog fare. I was sick for the past two weeks, I guess that counts. I have to admit I am not good at being sick. As a matter of fact, I really suck at it! I am an ornery wench and wallow in self pity. The only problem is there was no one around to hear my wallowing and whining! And, what do you do when your a doctor? I think most people go to the doctor so that someone will listen to there whining but they have to pay for it. I just end up talking to myself and I will tell you, I am not very sympathetic. I usually just end up telling myself to suck it up and take a couple of aspirin and call...well you know. Today someone asked me what I did to take care of myself? I said I took a couple of ibuprofen and then went drug seeking to the local ER. (OK, not true but I was tempted).