Pride of my Fathers

Two nights ago I set about creating a birthday cake for my son. When I was young, I remember nights spent outside in the garage with my father, working on cakes for the Cub Scout cake auction. "What?" you say. "The garage?"

Yes, the garage.

My father the engineer never made a regular cake. One year it was a windmill, complete with working (rotating) fan. Another time it was an airplane with propellers, and yet another time we made a lighthouse - complete with light of course.

I used to stand amazed at how smart my father was. How could I ever be like him? When would I ever learn all this stuff? (I still wonder this, since he is an engineer and hence infinitely smarter than myself). Our cakes always took first place (unless the took second place to my brother's cakes - also made by my father) and raked in the most dough. Ah, how my chest swelled with pride!

And so, when my son's birthday got closer, and my wife asked me to make the cake, I immediately started getting flashbacks to those nights in the garage. A Thomas the Tank Engine party only deserves a train cake with working light, right?

So two nights ago I set about making my first simple circuit since college. When I flipped that switch and the light shone, my chest swelled with pride again. Perhaps I did learn a thing or two from all those nights watching my father? Next step is placing the circuit properly in the cake and cake board. Then my son can turn it on at his party.

And then my chest will swell with pride again.

Belated Congratulations

... to the Forever Young Foundation and Tuan for winning this year's Play for a Cause.

This year we raised $120 for the Forever Young Foundation (FYF), an organization that uses sports to provide opportunities and learning experiences to disadvantaged youth. Pretty cool idea, if you ask me. Also, it was started by Steve Young, the hall of fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and one of my personal favorite NFL players.

Part of the reason for my tardiness was a delay in receiving all payments. Another is my busy life. I went to Vietnam during April, graduated in May, moved in June, started residency in July. By the time I got all the money together and donated it, June was ending and I was jumping into my residency. Hence no time to report back to you that, yes, it was done.

However, I want to say how proud I am of everyone. For three years now, we have all given a little to help others. The variation in winners - Heifer international, Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation, Forever Young Foundation - belies are innately different likes and personalities, but each program achieves the same goal of helping our fellow, less fortunate, brothers and sisters.

Who will win next year? I can't wait to find out. Congrats again to Tuan and the Forever Young Foundation.

A New Chapter

So this post marks a new chapter in the bleeding ear, because no longer am I a college student typing away at my laptop creating a blog from scratch back when blogs were not fully understood nor when I was a medical student with great ties to Vietnam and Asia trying to put my two cents into the world about politics. I've moved on to residency, where its long hours leave me little time to write in the traditional mode and so I am trying something new something different - I am dictating my blog post. Maybe this will work. I dictate admit history and physicals for patients as well as discharge summaries. Much work needs to be done to train my voice and the dictation software box perhaps I can get back to blogging and perhaps make a difference in peoples lives other than my family and my patients. Wish me luck!