Mom Said

Mom said that an annual update is the least that I can do.

I am not in Zambia any more. More than a year after getting back I think back to all of the good and the not so good events of that African chapter. Of course, now with my anniversary having just past in California my memories are a little less vivid but, some how now more important.

It is really important for me to remember and be thankful for the opportunities that I have had and  where I get to be now.

In the past year I packed up my little black civic and made for Redding, CA having just secured a position as the regional communicable disease epidemiologist. Excited and slightly nauseated, I began the process anew of learning my surroundings and how I fit into them. There was, obviously, an incredible difference between my trip to Lusaka and my trip to Cali. That difference was not having Kahler and Katy next to me.

It is true that the Cali is not comparable so far as culture differences are concerned however, getting to face the new things with someone that can note all the oddities and accentuate the the tough times with a joke and a drink after work is worth more than I can express.

So, keeping a firm grip on what I have in Texas, I have made an effort to embrace where I am. Terrain, hiking, not sweating, biking, kayaking, climbing, softball, soccer, and trips here and there from Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka and the Willow Creek Big Foot Museum to the beautiful drive to Alturas and the snowy pass east to Susanville, I have struck out to learn and see and enjoy as much as I can about where I am right now.

It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I have a few pictures here but, I don't think that they do it much justice.

Brandy Creek

Whiskeytown Lake

Whiskeytown Lake skipping stone

Unbelievable Pine Cone

Sunrise from my apartment on Hilltop Dr.

Road to Quicny

Ridiculously large slug at Brandy Creek

Brandy Creek Falls

Willow Creek Bigfoot Museum

Road to Alturas

Muir Woods, sasquatch pose

I have gotten to spend time with people that I love in my new home and for that I am so thankful. Mom, Pap, Chris, Katy and Kahler have come to see my new digs and I think, for the most part, agree with my assessment of this neat place.

There are things that are lacking here. Most notably, my family and friends! I have made a few really neat connections here however, being a young, traveled, educated, professional in a small town makes places me squarely in a unique demographic. I do miss Aggieland and getting to hang out with friends at a coffee shop and run back to Houston or Huntsville on the weekends to see family.

1. Move to 1152 Willis St. Redding CA 96001
2. Enjoy my office with a big window that opens to the crisp early autumn air
3. Meet Barb Baldwin, a public health nurse, and her husband Dave
4. Begin to acquaint myself with Redding
5. Climb Mt. Shasta
6. Go home for Thanksgiving
7. Learn to love Whiskeytown Lake 
8. Watch the Christmas parade in Redding
9. Go home for Christmas
10. Move to 655 Hilltop Dr. # 15 Redding, CA 96003
11. It gets cold here
12. Regional trainings
13. Go to training in Sacramento
14. Search for church home
15. Go to training in Los Angeles
16. Become terrific friends with Barb and Dave
17. Visit Texas here and there
18. Mom and Pap come to visit
19. Katy and Kahler come to visit
20. Begin to realize a church home is incredibly difficult to find
21. New office, bigger window
22. Brother comes to visit
23. Next stop PhD!

This hardly does justice to the many events that have taken place in this past year but, if I don't get them down in some capacity, the little that is there will escape me.

Next, coming home for Thanksgiving and broadcasting doctoral applications. I have never felt more prepared and able to conquer and earn the heck out of a terminal degree. Travel travel travel! I have learned that California is the cheapest place in the state from which to travel to Hawaii... Methinks it would just be a shame to miss out on that opportunity.

I hope and pray this little post finds you happy. Have a fabulous week. I make no promises for future but, say that I will try.

The work and the weekend

Well today it felt a little like I knew what I was doing, which is a relatively rare feeling these past couple of weeks. I was able to get a few reports out and have take a tour of the laboratory (which is nothing like anything I have ever worked in).

Reports are the bulk of what I am responsible for it turns out. I suppose that it could be worse though. I could be in Lusaka chained to an evil ZEHRP. Speaking of, it looks like it is a good thing that we got out of there when we did because they are tanking pretty hard in Lusaka right now.

Here is the view from my little perch in Whiskeytown Lake Park. It really is beautiful here!

Now that I am beginning to get my head around the things that I need to have done on a regular basis I can begin to feel out the need for new initiatives and areas that I can begin to expand or hone.

I get to be a real live epidemiologist!

I am looking forward to the weekend and getting some furniture in my batcave. I will get you some pictures of my place this weekend for sure. Still need to get myself a camera other than my phone but, that is low on the list right now.

Hope that you all are enjoying a terrific weekend!

All is just dandy over here!

Clever Title

It is now in writing. I will be running away to the west coast in just a few short weeks. Officially working as an epidemiologist in Redding, CA I will be responsible for ten counties studying communicable disease and teaching data collection, analysis, and intervention strategies to public health workers.

The details of what actually do in the day-to-day will be relayed just as soon as I settle in. Saying adios to Texas on September 6th and looking to start in Shasta County on the 12th. Still have to get the specifics figured, i.e. house/apt, furniture, directions, etc. A man needs a good map and though I have visited I am far from well acquainted with the area. There are a few beautiful park/reserves surrounding the little town.

Skiing is a quick 45 minute trip to Mount Shasta, the beach is a couple hours west through he redwoods, kyacking, climbing, hiking, camping, biking are all handy at Whiskeytown Lake Park just a few minutes down the road. I will look to get a road bike right away as there are amble bike lanes and the office is not too far from anywhere that I would live in town. With the weather there it is likely that I will be able to bike at least eight months a year. I was told that it rarely, if ever snows which is good news for my car, I think. It will not be required that I get an all wheel drive vehicle.

Other than preparing for this next exciting step in the journey I have been hanging out with friends and family as much as possible. I have to make up for the last year of being totally inaccessible. Still have a few trip to make here and there but, I have some time and it is really amazing because I can breath easy knowing that I have a job and will soon contribute to society again as a working stiff again.

Went on a heck of a bike ride with my brother last week. They have really put a lot into those trails around downtown Houston. It was a blast seeing/realizing/appreciating what a developed world big city looks like. Bike is not so useful a mode of transport in the heat that we have been experiencing though. Good grief, I was drenched by the time we got back.

I love driving! The two thousand mile trek to North Cali may do a number on that but, for now I am really enjoying running my car all over this great, albeit hot, state of ours.

Visited with Carey, Dr. Shipp, and Dr. Sweeney this past week. They are psyched about my move and have promised to come visit though. Ol Doctor Venkatraj wants me to work on a project with him before I leave. I hope that we have enough time to get it done. It is dealing with breast cancer cell lines, chemotheaputic agents/treatments, and mRNA concentration via florescent in situ hybridization (FISH) technology (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19562726/Single%20cell%20RNA%20insitu%202.pdf).

Back in the world of technology with an iPhone. Not sure how people make it without those clever little machines. The Nokia brick did ok for a bit but, it can't compete with the world at your fingertips.

In retrospect I learned an unbelievable bit about life this past year. There are tough times. Life is now. I am not as good at reading people as I thought. Skepticism can be really handy. God is good no matter where you are. I love America.

Apologies for the chaos of this wandering post but, I had lots to catch you up on and no outline to work from. I do hope this post finds you very well. Blessings to you on this beautiful Sunday.

Fine and dandy like sour candy

Here I are doing things that I could forty days ago.

1. Sitting in a comfortable cafe with stable, fast wifi, people around me that understand my English, with a car right outside to take me wherever I want.

2. Reading publications for a project with Dr. Venkatraj (V) (on that fast internet connection)

3. Ordered the new Mac OS ONLINE!

4. Visited Carl and Sandy Williamson of Calvary Baptist Church in Cleveland, Texas. Wonderfully refreshing getting to talk to folks with the same beliefs who have seen the same things that I have. It was a tremendous blessing.

5. Talked with Dr. V about a new project in his office. Got to talk a little about what I believe. He is open but, he is open to everything so it is a tough one to get through. Will keep working though, the Lord keeps he and I close for a reason I know it.

6. There are only old people here in College Station in the Summer... oh no...

7. Get to go home here in a bit to my family and just chill, throw horseshoes, watch a dumb movie on TV, or whatever else Huntsville dares to offer.

This time here in between is beautiful. I get to try and catch up with those that I missed out on a year of life with before I take off to rebuild in Redding. Oh ya, that is all but done now. Lots of prayer and lots of talking to folks who know has made me very comfortable with that decision.

The Journey will continue but, hopefully I will get into the habit of posting more pictures on this next leg. Should be filled with early mornings on lofty peaks and sunsets on the lake.

All is, well, see title. Have a beautifully blessed Weekend!

No car

Must be the Africa in me but, I was really relieved to drop that rental car off and be on foot. One less thing to keep up with. Certainly not new to the idea of walking being the main mode of transportation. You know Kahler and I talked a bit and now the mentality that the Kiwis (Reece and Chris) had in utilized public transportation is much better understood. Though, I can admit that the rail system here had me dumbfounded for a few minutes. Learned something important. Read everything, you will always be able to find your way. Traded some crack head my twenty for his ten and two fives. Mean to tell you that I unloaded those quick, pretty sure that it was counterfeit or marked or something.

Forgive me though, I am jumping ahead a bit. Let's rewind to where I left off. Headed for the meet and greet at the office with Beth and Brandy. The meeting and lunch went well. It is a relatively small department with five folks (as best I could tell). Brandy with two epidemiologists and two analysts. This is new to me, I have not been any where that separated those those jobs. In my mind that is what the epidemiologist does but, I am certainly not complaining. They showed me the office that would be mine. Pretty sweet with a big window and a small meeting table apart from the big corner desk with a new desktop and laptop.

They apparently had trouble before with the epidemiologists comfort/ability to present to the other county health departments. Makes perfect sense as I was really the only one doing the talking in the conference room where we ate. That bit should be a piece of cake though I will check that until I see if there is some really good reason, I suppose the other health departments could employ rabid zombies, I can't say that I have given a presentation to that undead lot before.

Wrapped up lunch and headed with Beth to Whiskeytown Lake Park. There is a beautiful lake and beaches all around. You can camp and climb and kyack and other stuff that I don't know about or can't think of. Then back to the house where we prepared a big flank steak, grilled veggies, and brown rice. It was really tasty though I wished that I could have used some smoked salt that she had to make a brine with lemon to help out the squash and zucchini, oh well.

Then ducked out to the River City Cafe or a cup of coffee and to read a bit. It is so pleasant in the evenings, I sat outside and get this, didn't sweat! That is a pretty big deal as it is impossible in Texas. I have been trying to process and synthesize some over-arching statement about me impressions of the Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency however, I have yet to come up with anything accurate enough.I will continue pondering and let loose the results when they are ready.

The next morning I had planned to take it easy and cruise out of Redding early as I had heard that the traffic in Oakland and the Bay Area begins at 2:00. What hours do these people work? I didn't believe it.... then I stopped and traveled three miles in half an hour. Kill me. I didn't get out of Redding because Pam called from the Health Department and said that my fingerprints came back and I was cleared to go and get my physical and drug screening. I thanked my generous hostess and got on the road to the regional medical center where I kid you not, I was a premiere human specimen, all digits accounted for and on top of that I could count them all by myself!

I escaped the clinic with a splendid bill of health and hopped on I-5 for a piece. The drive, though long, was much more enjoyable in the daytime when I could see all of the Cali terrain, mountains, lakes, and other bits unique to this part of the country. The little rental got good mileage and I turned it in thirty minutes before it was due. The first plan was to have enough time to drop by my inn and leave my bags so I just had to carry myself through the transportation system. No luck there but, it was no real hiccup in the end, I packed light.

Made it to home for the night, enjoyed a shower and hit the streets to find some grub as I was famished. Found a Burger King, Subway, McDonalds, Starbucks and Popeyes's. Reminded myself that I was in a new and fun part of the world and I should find something that I can only get here. There After passing a few options, I landed at XOLO La Taqueria (they had me at taqueria) and enjoyed all the life out of a few tacos.

Not ready to go back to my room just yet, I continued to wander. There is a place right around the corner from the little Washington Inn called the Pacific Brewing Company. Settled down at the bar and watched a few minutes of the Portland v LA MLS game. Had Pacific Brew's Imperial Stout and Extra Pale Ale. Two very opposite ends of the spectrum, both great in their own respect. Met a fella who operates a company called Honeydrop. He just got a contract to shelve his products in Nor Cal While Foods stores. Interesting conversation with him about bees and Africa.

Got back to my room and after skyping a little, I hit the hay. Got up this morning knowing that I wanted to hit this little cafe called Tully's that I had seen last night. That is where I am now with a cup of tea (because I like to be unpredictable sometimes). It was an absolute zoo in here with the morning rush hitting around 9:00. I didn't envy the barista a bit, been there.

will be going back to my home away from home in a few minutes to plan out the rest of the day. Want to minimize how far I have to travel on foot with all my gear. Think I will visit the City Center area maybe and then head to the airport.

the architecture here is really neat. I have enjoyed walking around and just looking up at all the buildings. There are some really neat old structures here. On the way back from dinner last night I found a really cool looking old building that I am sure Chris could make look awesome with his camera. Wishing that I had a nice SLR even if it would make me that guy walking aimlessly snapping pictures of what is everyday life for everyone else. I can deal with that.

Have a fantastic day everyone. Here's to a safe and uneventful trip back to Texas. Brother, you are too cool for school coming to pick me up so late from the airport tonight. Stay classy planet earth

Redding

I am here. Sitting in a little coffee shop in Redding, California.

Flight:
Went without a hitch. Dad got me to Hobby in plenty of time and the plane was on time. It was a packed out flight though. Captain said that there were 137 seats and 140 people booked, so get cozy. Got hosed with a middle seat because of the boarding order and free reign seating but, I landed between two very civil and courteous folks. Got to read some, drifted off for a bit, ate some pretzels (the chronology there is off, just a list in no particular order) and braced for land (just kidding). The connection at LAX was smooth, I didn't even have enough time to finish my cup of coffee though before we took off. I had intended to email and blog from there but, there was no luck with internet access the terminal I was in. Got to Oakland and had quite a hike to the rental department where they didn't have the car that I wanted. They gave me a Dodge Charger and even though it was nice, I don't want to eat that gas and it is a big body so I went in and had them change it to a Ford Fusion, if James Bond can drive one I figure I am not above it. I did, nearly knock a hole in the floorboard looking for the clutch though.

Loooooooooooooooooong, drive to Redding. Made it in around midnight. Beth, was fabulous and introduced me to her pup, Bingo who visited me a few times last night. No AC needed in the evenings, there was just a breeze coming through my open window, pretty flippin' sweet.

Felt like a criminal getting fingerprinted and now I am about to head back to meet Beth and go to the little meet and greet lunch that the health department has set up for me. Oh ya, mom, forgot my belt. I feel like that guy, you know... the one that forgets to put a belt on. They will understand, right? Anyway, I will give all of you, my wonderful readers, another update this evening. Have a beautiful day and make an awesome memory, I will let you know what mine is later.

I realized

I am the guy that was beating me out of jobs that I was interested in a couple years ago. It is much better to be on this end. It just takes a little time I reckon. There is no substitute for the clock rotations.

Today is a good day, lots of thinking and a few to-do items ticked off the mental list.

Hoping that this short entry finds you very well. I will give more details on the above, soon.

All is well