An Absolutely Delightful Song

Check out Lisa Hanningan's "I Don't Know."

Absolutely, light-hearted, nuances of marimba notes, nice lyrics kind of song.

And if you were at Starbucks recently, it was free!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

The other night, I was reading back through entries from this blog. I started it right as I entered medical school, and it's been fascinating to see how my perspective about medicine, missions, and me has evolved over the years.

In honor of my trip down memory lane, I leave you with about 20 something posts that are some of my favorites:

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2004/08/as-i-sat-on-dock-of-dr.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2004/09/stepping-up-on-soap-box-some.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2004/10/life-on-rocky-top.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2004/11/blog-on-vacation.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2004/11/whats-your-mp.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2005/01/another-outdoor-adventure-by-yours.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2005/02/sugar-to-gooey-mush.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2005/03/saturday-in-sneedville.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2005/03/earpieces-enchiladas-and-ideas.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2005/06/kingman-arizona.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2005/07/saludos-desde-smyrna.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2005/08/cooking-with-michele.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2005/09/these-birks-arent-made-for-walking.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2005/10/i-gave-in-to-quizzes.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2005/11/sometimes-ignorance-is-bliss.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2006/02/life-saver.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2006/05/everything-i-ever-needed-to-know.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2006/12/new-beginnings.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2007/06/hanging-up-shingle.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2007/07/throwaway.html

http://michelegourley.blogspot.com/2007/08/motion.html

Grow a Garden, Give to Your Community

Those with greener thumbs than mine tell me it's time to start thinking about this summer's garden.Wouldn't it be a great idea if our communities of faith could take the land and resources God has given us and us them to grow something for the people of our community?

In a nation suffering from an epidemic of poor health, it has been shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables improves our health, yet many people cannot afford to buy them. Spending time out in nature has been proven to help us both mentally and physically. And being unified in a common effort to glorify God never hurts either. :o)

I'm challenging you to challenge your churches, Bible study groups, etc.... to take a small plot of land, plant some seeds, and use the fruits (or vegetables) of your labor to help enrich the diet of those in your community who might not otherwise be able to afford them.So go, grow, and glorify God by giving back to your community!

PS: No pesticides or GM seeds please!

Superlatives

So I thought I'd have time to write. Then I went to Knoxville for a weekend and stayed a week. Ktown is like a black hole...only a good black...the kind that sucks you into wonderful times with lives transformed by a redeeming Savior. Anyways, in the midst of catching up on articles for the ET, I thought I'd leave you with a few "bests of the week" that I've encountered in the Orange Country.





1. Best Book to Read


"Sex God"


Despite the fact that the title makes it seem like it should be placed in the back corner of a video store and that the cover looks like it came straight from the sample strips at a paint store, this is one of the best books I've read so far. Rob Bell has produced some amazing videos and his book is no less of quality as he explores the relationship between sexuality and spirituality. He examines our society's multi-level lack of connectedness and how that affects our relationships with each other and our Savior.





2.Best Movie to Watch


La Vita E Bella


Not only will you have a chance to practice Italian (or discover that Italian is very similar to Spanish) and learn fun phrases like "Boungiorno Principesa," you'll also be treated to a heartwarming story that takes place during World War II.





3.Best thing to do on a Friday night


Jam with friends


You could make the sweet substance that goes well with English muffins, or you could grab a group of friends, a handful of instruments and a few random pieces of music and let the fun begin. I suggest doing this behind closed doors unless you have crutches or some other disability which might justify a novice attempt at panhandling on the streets of the nearest medium-sized city.

(If none of those options sound appealing, hug your favorite fish. Cheers!)

Picking and Grinning

So Santa gave me a mandolin for Christmas. I think it was as great of an idea as giving me a toy drumset for my 3rd birthday. Needless to say, I'm adding yet another instrument to my arsenal of noise-making objects only this one would definitely be a more feasible option should I ever decide to follow through with previous plans to become a street musician (though I once saw a guy in Asheville playing drumset on the street...though I'm never surprised by anything I see in Asheville...it's Asheville).

Maybe I'll post some of my very rudimentary yet entertaining attempts at playing it on this website. Maybe I should join a different church so I would have an outlet for my new found hobby (or perhaps visit a nursing home...it would fall on deaf ears anyways, right?)

Maybe I should stick to singing in the shower and to learning how to be a doctor. We'll see.

One Year

I have one year without plans, without commitments, without funding.

I have no idea what to do with it.

I wonder what would happen if I gave a year of my life to God, completely open to going and doing whatever the Spirit led me to do.

I wonder where I'd get the money to do something like that or where I'd go.

I wonder what it would be like to travel around only staying with friends or friends of friends.

I could make it to: most of the US, almost all of Latin America, England, France, Greece, Jordan, several countries in Africa, China, Australia, and New Zealand for starters.

I'd better decide soon.

That year's fast approaching...

Towers

I recently read about a tower in Dubai that upon completion, will be over 2000 feet in height, over 1,000 feet taller than any previously-built skyscraper. When I read this, I couldn't help but think of a similar middle-eastern tower built in the days before Christ.

In Genesis 11, the Bible never tells us how tall the Tower of Babel was. It only mentions the following:

"Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.'"

The Tower of Babel, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, 1563

Hmm. So why is it that God permits the same type of construction of towers today that was not permitted at that time? Was the Tower of Babel of such magnitude that it dwarfed modern syscrapers? It appears that the motives of the former tower builders were the same of many modern-day architects of such behemoths of buildings. Hmm..

A Sign?

I travel like Rolf Potts !
You are a travel legend in the making, with a sense of adventure that will lead to hundreds of fascinating stories. Locals all over the world will give you special nicknames, and almost all of them will be complimentary.
What type of traveler are you? Take BootsnAll's Travel Quiz to find out.

Or just a sign I read about traveling too much?

Bored

Over 25% of American children watch 4+ hours of TV a day. The past week, I've been one of those. Today I had great intentions of trying to implement an "on crutches" workout but an allergic reaction to the pain meds the doctor gave me left me red, blotchy, itchy, and sedated on Benadryl for most of the day instead.

Perhaps tomorrow. I'm definitely not a couch potato. I can't wait to start an exercise routine again. To move, to do something, I feel so stagnant and stuck in more ways than physically. Ugh..

They say that being socially isolated is bad for your health. I want to be healthy again. :o)

One day at a time...

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.” -Robert Louis Stevenson

If you're ever in Johnson City on Tuesday night, I recommend stopping by Hopwood on Milligan's campus. Here's a clip from a few weeks ago (my camera was in my purse hence no video). I have no idea who is singing.

Quote of the Day: "Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est."

A Resurrection!

Ha! I betcha thought I'd never post here again. Of course, I thought I'd never have another ankle surgery again, yet here I am, my left err. right ankle propped up on some pillows and my leg stilled stained a suspicious Smurfette blue from the disinfectant applied before surgery.

So in honor of such an unexpected change, I've decided to post to this blog again.

My first news/picture/random quote? The following.

A. I've pulled out of the match. I'm not going to residency next year.

B.

C. "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." -Alice in Wonderland

That's all for now!

An Interesting Way to Give

SunTrust Banks are running an offer where you can open up a free checking account and let SunTrust give your favorite charity $100 or you can receive $50 yourself. Any registered non-profit organization is eligible for the donation.

This opportunity also raises the interesting question of:
Does one give more to others and receive nothing for one's self, or does one take for one's self and give nothing (or less) to others?

More to Come

Predisan, February-April 2008, child malnutrition, a chance to meet and love more of God's people...

I'm excited...

Who Would Have Ever Thought....

...that I'd be returning to Honduras anytime soon? Or in less than 6 months (Lord willing that all the hoops are jumped and hurdles are crossed)?

I'm kind of excited...

I really do try to visit other places...

More to come....

A Change of Plans

This had been an exciting week, working on plans for next semester's electives, preparing to start grad school next week, and enjoying the company of a wonderful couple from church who had graciously opened their home to a "cripple" (as my friends affectionately call me now) to avoid climbing 18 stairs every time she wanted to leave her apartment.

Yet, today I find my emotions of excitement muddled and fragmented with the somber realization that instead of starting a new chapter of my life next week, I will spend most of it in mid-TN closing an old one and sharing with my family the conglomeration of emotions and feelings that loss expects. I know God is faithful and loving and will see us through time as He has so many before.

An Interesting Verse

I believe that there's a verse to go with every situation in life.

I think I found mine for this situation in life after studying Hebrews 12 tonight at church:

"And make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed." Hebrews 12:13 (emphasis mine)

So is this telling me that I should give up traversing all those crooked rocky hiking trails? I sure hope not. :o) Hmmm....

Praise

So I was originally going to title this post "Ponderings and the Pentateuch" but I've been reflecting on too many praise-worthy things lately so I just thought I'd share a few:

1. A new cast...which meant my old one was too loose because most of the swelling has disappeared (as long as its elevated). Recovery is going well. I didn't realize how much I needed this "mandatory down time," and how wonderful it's been to sleep in past 9am without feeling guilty about the precious hours of studying missed. I can't remember the last time I've slept in for so many days and so many hours and I definitely have no feelings of guilt for doing so.

2.Catching up on reading. Between being on crutches or a Roll-About (which is an ingenious invention that attracts as many stares and comments as taking a puppy or a baby to a park) and my hometown trying to vie with the Sahara desert for the title of "driest and hottest place to live," I haven't had the opportunity to do much more than read and watch movies. You've probably already noticed my recent reviews and reads.

3.Farmer's Market. Hands down there's nothing better than a freshly picked heirloom tomato sliced and eaten or some summer squash sauteed with onion, peppers, herbs, and placed on a piece of locally-made sourdough bread topped with melted Montery Jack cheese. Dee-lish. And if you attend a market in East Tennessee, you may just be pleasantly surprised by the sound of some local bluegrass music (no the musicians are not for sale).

4.U-Pick. If you're ever in Flag Pond, Tennessee around this time of year, stop by the Heavenly Holler Farm and pick some blackberries. The taste? Just heavenly of course.

5.Abel. He and his parents finally were able to return to East Tennessee!!!www.caringbridge.org/visit/abeltyson

6.It's almost Missions Seminar Time! September 14-16th. Mark your calendars.

7.A wonderful new temporary residence. Forget staying in my upstairs apartment, I have a room/house with a view, a pool, and an excellent environment to catch up on my reading and thinking about how I should probably start studying for my upcoming classes. Yay for those who practice hospitality :o)


"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Motion

Motion: the thing which allows us to leave the previous and move on to the next moment of life. It is the characteristic which separates life from death. Without movement our lungs cannot breathe, our blood cannot traverse the circuitous route of vessels to deliver oxygen to the body, and our nerves cannot deliver those thoughts which define our individual self.

As humans we crave motion. We look forward to our afternoon run, feeling our legs move under us as they connect and reconnect with the ground below. We spend hours repeating the same movements of fingers and hands until we have mastered a piece of music or conquered our opponents in some form of raquet sport. We save our money and our time so that we can move ourselves from one hemisphere of the globe to the next, defining such gross movement as "travel." We envy those with vehicles that can produce faster, quicker, more accurate motion than our own.

Our lives are often defined in terms of motion "a journey," "being stuck in a rut," or "about to take the next tep."

Our jobs are often defined in terms of motion "a rat race," a "climbing of the corporate ladder," or "feeling trapped at the bottom."

Even our thoughts "race," our words "stick," and our feelings "float on Cloud Nine" or topple us "head over heels." Where does all this motion take us?

We're told that 10,000 steps a day is encouraged to maintain good health, but what if those 10,000 steps furthur define the same rutted routine that we've been doing for years of our lives? And what if our thoughts continue to traverse the same boring path inside our mind, never taking the "road not taken"? Is that healthy motion? Is there such a thing as healthy and unhealthy motion or is just the lack of motion that may be unhealthy? But then again, sometimes it seems sufficient to "be still."

So not per usual, I leave you with no quote. Just a post about motion.

Just Read: All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou
Currently Reading: Numbers, Status Syndrome by Michael Marmot
Going to Read: The Problem of Pain by CS Lewis

More HodgePodge

So it's POD 15 though I feel like it should be POD 35. I'm learning alot (such as it's not a good idea to go outside in 100+ degree weather with a cast on...it's not a good idea to go outside in 100+ weather period), healing alot (or so I hope), and catching up on all the hours of sleep I lost the first 3 years of medical school and all the hours of sleep my friends lost the first 3 years, and all the hours we'll lose intern year, etc..

I have no great epiphanies or pearls of wisdom to offer you. I do have new respect for those patients in the VA wound care clinic who patiently let the neophyte surgery student (me) remove their stitches and staples sans much experience.

I have a new respect for caregivers. I'll readily admit that patience and dependence are not two of my natural gifts; rather, I seem to posess an abundance of the opposite qualities. You could say they are my Achilles heal, or peroneal tendon in my case. It's been a struggle the past few weeks letting people do for me and help me, accepting help, even non-perfect help, slow help, not-quite-what-I-was-expecting help. I'm learning...slowly.

So three more weeks in a cast, two more in a boot, and finally (hopefully) I'll be able to use two feet again. I'm almost there.

Just read: Exodus
Currently reading: The Status Syndrome (recommended) by somebody Marmot, Real Food by Nina Planck
Plan to read: All my public health books (in a few weeks, or at least look past the front cover)

(ok so all of the above are recommended)

Ones and Twos

Several moments of boredom have prompted me to create a hodgepodge list of one and two item suggestion that you may find helpful, amusing, or simply a means of passing a few moments of your own boredom:

One + One = One Great Dessert
Half of our fabulous female Quillen quartet accepted the invitation to have lunch today with one of the other members. The result led to the decadent dessert of homemade brownies coupled with Breyer's All Natural Vanilla Ice Cream. Wonderfully delicious and absolutely no calories (because calories don't count on birthdays, sickdays, girls' nights, etc..)!

One Website to Check Out:
www.freecycle.org Based on the principle that "one man's junk is another man's treasure, this site allows people of the same geographic area to post and accept unwanted items that would otherwise go into the trash. So whether it's a dozen toilet paper rolls, a bicycle, or an old printer, check out this site to find donors or recipients and leave trash for the trashcan.

Two Great Vegetables, One Great Recipe
I know you are all wondering what to do with all the fresh summer squash and zucchini you purchased at the market. Here's a great recipe to take care of some of your squash surplus:

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. Vidalia onion, finely chopped
2 cups zucchini sliced thinly and unpeeled
2 cups yellow squash sliced thinly and unpeeled
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup freshly-shredded mozzarella cheese
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
3 cups cooked brown rice
3 Tbsp flax meal (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees and grease 8x8 pan. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and add garlic and onions. Cook until tender (3-5 min). Add squash and zucchini and cook another 5-10 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and stir in additional ingredients except flax meal. Place mixture in 8x8 pan, making sure it is packed into dish. Sprinkle with flax meal. Cover and bake 25 minutes.

(Adapted from Lean, Lucious, and Meatless Cookbook)


One Way to Dispose of Extra Flowers
Whether its a business event, wedding, or other event, a great way to dispose of all those extra freshly-cut flowers is to take them to a local nursing home. It'll brighten the patients' day and save those beautiful flowers from an untimely demise in the dumpster.

Two Random Facts
If a surgeon in Egypt lost a patient while performing an operation, his hands were cut off. (I guess there weren't many surgery residents back then!)

Gloucestershire airport in England, reportedly used to blast Tina Turner songs on runways to scare away birds. (I'm glad to know Tina Turner is helping keeping our airplanes safe)


So there's my list of randomness. Feel free to add your own list of ones and twos!