I'm diligently working on my healthcare employment sites now, and haven't had the time to update the page as frequently as I want : (  Check out www.rxrecruiters.com, www.greatpharmacyjobs.com, and the two I'm working on: www.drugrepjobs.com and www.prohealthcarejobs.com.  All this, and still working full time AND trying to spend as much time as possible doing things I enjoy!  My Auburn Tiger message boards have a neww look, see www.tigerinsider.com, or click the message board link at the top of the page to check it out.

07-09-04 A SEARCH FOR MEANING
A interesting introspection - "The Story of My Heart" by Richard Jefferies (1848-1887).  Jefferies was primarily an English nature writer and was never considered successful by most standards.  He is still largely unknown by readers today. "The Story of My Heart", in my opinion his greatest work, is an introspective journey into the search for enlightenment and the meaning of life. 

"There is so much beyond all that has ever yet been imagined. As I write these words, in the very moment, I feel that the whole air, the sunshine out yonder lighting up the ploughed earth, the distant sky, the circumambient ether, and that far space, is full of soul-secrets, soul-life, things outside the experience of all the ages. The fact of my own existence as I write, as I exist at this second, is so marvelous, so miracle-like, strange, and supernatural to me, that I unhesitatingly conclude I am always on the margin of life illimitable, and that there are higher conditions than existence. Everything around is supernatural; everything so full of unexplained meaning." ...

"The pageantry of power, the still more foolish pageantry of wealth, the senseless precedence of place; words fail me to express my utter contempt for such pleasure or such ambitions. Let me be in myself, myself fully, and those I love equally so."  -  Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) "The Story of My Heart"

COSMIC SUMMER
A NOVEL

"WE ARE OF ONE MIND, ONE EXISTENCE, ONE SPIRIT, ..... OUR SOULS TOGETHER ARE IRRETRIEVABLY AND PERMANENTLY BOUND"

"AND JUST FOR A FEW MINUTES, A FEW GLORIOUS MINUTES, EVERYTHING WAS AS IT SHOULD BE, AND THE WORD WAS RIGHT AND PERFECT, NOTHING ELSE SEEMED TO MATTER ...."
line excerpts from the novel "Cosmic Summer"

cosmic - \Cos"mic\ (k?z"m?k), Cosmical \Cos"mic*al\ (-m?-kal), a. [Gr. kosmiko`s of the world, fr. ko`smos: cf. F. cosmique. See Cosmos.]  1. Pertaining to the universe, and having special reference to universal law or order, or to the one grand harmonious system of things; hence; harmonious; orderly.

summer (n) 1. A period of fruition, fulfillment, happiness, or beauty.

Ronald Reagan - A True American Hero

1911 - 2004
"GOD BLESS THE GIPPER"

Books that I am currently reading:

"Time's Eye" by Arthur C. Clarke and Steven Baxter
"Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge
"The Codex" by Douglas Preston

I just finished the entire "Rama" series by Arthur C. Clarke and getting ready to read the new Takeshi Kovacs novel by Richard K. Morgan, "Broken Angels", as well as start the "Sea of Time" series by S.M. Sirling.  As you might have noticed, for some reason, I've been reading quite a bit of sci-fi lately.  I usually alternate between that and mystery/thrillers (such as Jonathan Kellerman or James Lee Burke) and Dean Koontz-type horror novels.  I also read many of the regional novels such as the Doc Ford mystery series by Randy Wayne White.

"Fortunate boys!" said the Controller."No pains have been spared to make your lives emotionally easy - to preserve you, so far as that is possible, from having emotions at all." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World 

THIS LINK BELOW IS A MUST READ!

Here are some interesting and eloquent thoughts on the overuse of medications in modern psychiatry:  THOUGHTS ON MODERN PSYCHIATRY  Look under the heading: "The Pharmaceutical Industry's Hold on Doctors" on that site. Interesting stuff!

As a pharmacist, I think the opinions expressed at that website not only apply to psychiatric drugs, but to medications in general.   Pharmaceutical intervention now seems to be considered the first line of treatment for many illnesses, when lifestyle changes would be safer and much more effective.  However, most physicians, as well as the general public, have been both misled, brainwashed and bribed by the unethical conduct of the pharmaceutical industry into believing otherwise.  

As hard as it may be for some people to believe, and contrary to what the drug "infomercials" tell you, no amount of pharmaceutical intervention is going to reverse years of overeating, smoking, and otherwise neglecting your body and mind. 

"You are a sad, strange little man. You have my  pity. Farewell." - Buzz Lightyear to Woody - DISNEY'S Toy Story (My favorite line from the movie!!)

We just got back from a family trip to the Disney theme parks in Orlando, Florida.  We had an great time, and it felt good to finally make my financial contribution to Michael Eisner's retirement fund (just kidding about that, of course - it never feels "good" to make that kind of contribution!). 

I've got some great pics from our trip, you can see them here: Our Disney Photos

As we were leaving Orlando, my four year old son, Alex, started crying.  He was sad to be leaving.  I remember feeling sad like that myself at the end of vacations when I was a little boy, and truthfully, I even felt the same way when I left Auburn for the last time as a student (at the age of 22).  That is a feeling everyone gets at some time or another I guess, and not just when we are children.  But, it is time to get back to reality for all of us, unfortunately : ( ! 

Here are a couple of new (scanned) thumbnails of us:

For sky-watchers, here is a once in a lifetime event that is happening on June 8th: Sky-watchers gear up for a rare transit of Venus and another interesting space related story: US rocket pioneers hit 100km.  Oh, by the way, this is an awesome movie: Troy (based loosely on The Iliad by Homer) - I definitely recommend it, although they may overdo it (just a tiny bit) on the computer generated special effects.  Here is a rare objective review from Roger Ebert: Troy - Movie Review.

Here are a couple of upcoming movies that look interesting: King Arthur and The Chronicles of Riddick.

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I am not mad" - Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

The first three prescriptions I filled this morning were mild-altering drugs (AKA chemical restraints) for children.  You would absolutely not believe the number of amphetamines, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety drugs that people take.  It is really unreal.  I have seen and filled prescriptions for  children as young as 3 years old that were (mis)diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder), I have filled many amphetamine prescriptions for medical students who want to be able to stay up all night studying or want an extra "edge" (amphetamine use has been linked to brain atrophy, do you think you would want this to be YOUR doctor? (1)), and I have filled anti-depressants for people who were "clinically depressed" because they didn't make enough money, although they lived in million dollar homes.   I started thinking ...........

It seems we live in a society where everyone is trending toward sameness.  If anyone actually exhibits ANY symptoms of individuality, or any traits that are uniquely different (we use to call these people eccentric), we automatically label them as "mentally ill" and chemically alter their minds to fit societies definition of normal.  I, for one, think this is a travesty.  Of course, society wants these people treated, they are easier to control.  We wouldn't want anyone thinking subversive thoughts and "upsetting the apple cart", would we?  Oh, I forgot, people such as this, (free thinkers), were the founders of our country!  I like people that are different - I find them extremely interesting. I don't like people who are happy all the time, I like people with "flights of ideas" and "inspirations".  In fact, many of the GREAT individuals in our history, if alive today, would have been medicated, turned into so-called "productive members of society", and their GENIUS SUPPRESSED!

Off the top of my head, I can name several people who would have fallen into this category.  Albert Einstein is one of the first that comes to mind - he was a very poor student, and exhibited all the classic symptoms of ADD.  If alive today, I'm sure we would medicated him, and he would have turned out as a nice and normal accountant or doctor.  Van Gogh would have been institutionalized and regressed to drawing Sunday cartoons, and Hemingway, if treated for his depression,  would have probably turned out into a decent magazine or newspaper writer instead of the literary genius he was - and the list goes on and on and on.  Some of the most unique, talented, and creative geniuses in the world (and some of the most interesting people) would be considered "mentally ill" today.  Other famous people whose mental illness may have contributed to their greatness:

And if we ever wonder where the Albert Einstein's and the Salvador Dali's of the world are today, they have been medicated and are ringing up our soft drinks at 7-11, and as adults, they are the drones making the same robotic commutes to the office every single day, living "normal and productive", yet boring and uninteresting lives. : ( 

I know that I am playing the devils' advocate in this opinion, and that psychological disorders are REAL, and are illnesses.  My point is that maybe we shouldn't be so quick to judge people, especially our children in regards to ADD and "letting kids be kids".  Diagnosing mental illnesses should be left up to trained psychiatrists and psychologists, and not the local "doc-in-a-box" or family pediatrician. Many people really are mentally ill, and many people need and deserve treatment and help, but in a society where dentists write prescriptions for Prozac and Adderall, and make statements like "they ought to put this stuff in the water", something is dreadfully and horribly wrong.

By the way - here is something I found interesting:  According to the Depressive Realism Theory, depressed people are NOT overly pessimistic ... they actually tend to have a more realistic view of the world, and everybody else is overly optimistic.  Now how about we find a treatment for that!

(1) It is a known fact that many medical students take amphetamines such as Adderall or Ritalin as a "crutch" or to give them an "edge" in college. However, they have to stop taking them eventually (they are VERY highly addictive, and available by prescription only - the adult user would have to be diagnosed with a mental illness such as narcolepsy by a psychiatrist to both continue taking the medication and be able to keep their medical license).  Once the drug user stopped taking the medication, they would relapse to their "old" self, where they were, perhaps, a very less than average student - is this the person you want operating on you?

How does long term amphetamine use cause brain atrophy?  Your brain becomes dependent on the medication to function normally, and compensates for the medication by reducing amounts of naturally produced neurotransmitters, causing atrophy.  When amphetamines are withdrawn, the then chemically dependent brain is left without its "crutch", and a less than normal brain function is the result.

Some Pics! (Thumbnails - Click on the image to view) More coming soon!

Alex, me, and Lauren - 2004

My pharmacy and sushi buddy, Dave, on his bike.

Me

Alex and Me

Teaching Alex

Karen and Me

Reading before bedtime