Live Without Dead Time
One of my goals for the summer was to hike or fastpack the Tahoe Rim Trail. After looking at my calendar, I found a 7-day window in mid-August, between my Lake Aloha camping trip and my NOLS Wilderness Medicine course (WUMP). I figured I could average about 30-miles a day which would schedule me to…
Since moving to Northern California about two years ago, I’ve been hearing a lot about the Desolation Wilderness, and Lake Aloha in particular. The Desolation Wilderness is a protected wilderness area on the west side of Lake Tahoe. This area is marked by beautiful blue alpine lakes and exposed granite. It is located on the…
During my first year of college, after leaving the military, I was assigned to read Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish in a political philosophy class. Although I struggled with his style and concepts, I was immediately hooked. There was something about the book that I couldn’t let go. I suppose this is the case with…
Almost exactly one year after our Tampons and Crampons climb, several of us reunited for another go at the mountain. This time I brought skis… and an expired disposable camera. Saturday, May 11th With Tim flying in from New Jersey and landing in San Francisco this morning, Mikey driving up from Los Angeles, and me…
This quarter can be summarized in two words: “tedious” and “exciting.” Yes, these words are antonyms and describe very different opinions about the quarter, but that is the MEPN rollercoaster. Before classes even started this spring, I knew it was going to be a challenge. UCSF has it set up so that the “A” MEPN…
I am honored to announce that I was selected as a 2019 Tillman Scholar. Tillman Scholars are military veterans and spouses with a high potential for impact as demonstrated through a proven track record of leadership, the continued pursuit of education and the commitment of their resources to service beyond self. This year there were…
Moving right along! It’s a little shocking how fast this UCSF MEPN year seems to be moving. It feels like I was finishing up Med-Surg and the intense Fall quarter just a few days ago. I was excited to enter this new quarter with a boost in confidence and more experience and knowledge under my…
Thanksgiving weekend couldn’t have arrived at a better time. I was swamped with assignments and exams for my classes at the UCSF School of Nursing. I hadn’t had a full weekend off since the start of the quarter. My stress levels were through the roof. The air quality in Napa and the rest of the…
In the introduction to his essay, The Question Concerning Technology, Martin Heidegger prepares the reader by saying, “We shall be questioning concerning technology, and in so doing we should like to prepare a free relationship to it” (Heidegger, 1954, p. 311). A free relationship with technology, as Heidegger describes it, is one in which our…
Med-Surg Nursing During our first summer together as MEPNs, our whole cohort of about 70 students attended the same core classes Monday to Wednesday and then we split up into smaller groups for our clinical rotations on Thursdays and Fridays. In the fall, the cohort was split into two groups, A and B. Each group…