Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Chapter 13

But in listening to the D major [piano sonata by Schubert], I can feel the limits of what humans are capable of - that a certain type of perfection can only be realized through a limitless accumulation of the imperfect.

Chapter 15

Our responsibility begins with the power to imagine.

I intentionally planned little to do over this holiday break, and it was great not to squander my free time on running around ticking stuff off my "to do" list.

Christmas eve was spent at Sandy's for brunch. It was a small gathering (us, Marsha, dad, Sandy, and Eric), but all the more relaxing. We then had turkey dinner followed by a couple vs. couple game of pictionary with dad and Marsha at their house and spent the evening there too. Naomi hoped to watch the Mr. Hanky Southpark Christmas episode again, but there was a Wizard of Oz in Canada episode instead.

Christmas day Terri and Al, Anne and Jim with Amie, and Joe and Betty came over for brunch. It was fun to watch little Amie open all her presents and then go a see Sango and Homer in the garage. The dogs were very good around her, except that Sango pulled too hard on the tug-o-war ring and scared Amie her to tears.

I bought one present this year, and that was just right. It was wonderful to not have the stress of gift purchasing ruining the holiday. Besides, the only people who really need any presents are kids and poor. The rest of us, I venture, would just as soon buy our things given the abundance and relative low cost of things these days.

On the 27th Jon and I drove up to Crystal Mountain, picking up Matt on the way. A long drive, but the skiing was worth it.

Winter dinner party

The braised African lamb shank just out of the oven. We added daikon to give it a wintery flavor.














Here's the entree with brown rice and swiss chard with garlic, cherry tomatoes and orange zest. The salad is mizuna with slivered daikon and celery dressed with sauteed bacon, oyster mushrooms olive oil, balsamic and rice vinegar.














For dessert, an original contribution from Michael. The cookies do not have a name, but they are wonton shaped pastry stuffed with spiced sweet potato custard and dried red cherry. After baking he fried them quickly. Served with vanilla gelato and some extra custard.














For fun we had a blind chocolate tasting of 6 brands. The hands-down favorite for everyone was the Endangered Species special dark (72% cacao).

Weekend in Seattle

Endocrinology exam on Friday was easier than anticipated, but I did not do as well as the GI exam, strangely.

Friday night Ben had a wonderful dinner party with beef bourginonne and plenty of great beer, wine and scotch. Elise is due now any day. BT, Briar, Brady, Tammy, Drew, Beth, and Dan were there, as well as another couple with two kids. Naomi had a splitting migraine and couldn't make it.

This weekend we drove up to Seattle with Marisol and Kimmy. Naomi and I had dinner with Alycia, Chris, Lindsay, Andrew, and all the kids. Afterwards the two of us retired to Alycia and Chris's house, where we had a nice time visiting after the kids went to sleep. Chris is a really nice, interesting guy. Alycia makes a great mom, but she was really destined to be doctor or scientist. Hopefully she'll find her career sometime.

Sunday we went to the Bodies Exposition exhibition. It was much more educational than artistic than I had anticipated. It was well attended and I sensed the majority of visitors were enraptured with the displays and found the commentaries engaging.

End of the the quarter

Last Thursday Naomi finished her quarter. I celebrated it for her with some specialty rolls at Masu East followed by pizza at Ken's next door where Yuliya and Akiko joined us.

Friday was the so-called winter prom, in the style of salsa. The space was weird - in a cramped movie viewing hall. The band was live and good - Cuba Ache, and the drinks free. We had a good time dancing at least. We went with Faisal and Jasmine, and also came home rather early, which was fine since the most enjoyable aspect of the evening was the conversation in the care to and from the dance.

Saturday mom came up for the Nutcracker matinee at the Keller. Before that we had sandwiches at Daily Cafe and some pastries at Ken's on 21st. The ballet was spendid, the three of us with big grins until curtain down. She is doing alright on her broken leg, but the soft cast is awkward.

Sunday we met Vivian for dim sum at Wong King's. The wait was long, but the food good, although I might prefer our little Chinatown Restaurant dim sum right across from Nike. Matthew joined us for the last 45 minutes.

Went to Ken's pizza with Jon and Cam then some drinks later. Cam complained about wine drinkers and Jon about Cam's not going skiing in BC.

Sunday I rode the Sauvie Island cyclorace with Jon. It was a mess, cookie-dough thick mud and corn husks making the riding extremely hard. In fact, I was unable to ride most of the course due to pounds of mud that accumulated around the brake calipers, more or less locking the wheels in place.

We spent Thankgiving with mom, just the three of us each with a Cornish game hen, some mashed potatos, asparagus, gravy, hollandaise, wine, bread, cheese, and vanilla icecream with raspberries for dessert. Naomi thought mom had lost some weight since we saw her last in the spring. I couldn't really tell, but her lungs and voice really sounded horrible. You can hear all this crap in her lungs when she laughs. She says that when she gets these chest colds they stick around for 3 weeks. No wonder.

As usual we didn't do anything beside go to the dog park and watch movies on tv. It's getting harder for me to go down a visit. Last spring she was so excited to take us to her hangout bar for lunch, this dive along the I-5 freeway with Bud light signs, Duck paraphenalia, and big screen tvs for watching NASCAR and football. She has become good friends with Ronnie and Sarah (Ronnie was graduated with me from Sheldon), who I suspect are bar buddies. I don't know what happened to Peggy, she hasn't talked about her for a long while.

She showed us the house that she bought in Coburg to fix up and rent out. I'm glad she has that to keep her busy.

It is hard to know if my mom is happy. The smoking, drinking, three divorces, lack of long-time friends, obsession with her dogs, and strange new interests like car racing, make me wonder if she is not depressed.

On Saturday Dan came over for French toast then we headed out to Gales Creek for a ride with Sango. The ride was tough, but the weather was gorgeous. The creek snakes up along a Birch valley that was divine in the sunlight and light dusting of snow. After we had some left over curry from Murata and rented Confederate States of America.

Saw the film Babel on Tuesday. Neither of us really understood what the director was trying to say with the different stories.

Rode a second cyclocross race in Estacada. Didn't do very well. I'll just blame it on the tires and my seat, which made me stop and fix mid-race.

Had the last Circulation exam this week. Actually I beat the mean, which is rare for me. The only thing I did differently was take more time to do the exam.

Rode in my first cyclocross race out near Estacada on Sunday. I haven't had that much fun for a while! Rode my mountain bike which got kind of heavy towards the end. All in all I think I did okay, but I rode a little easy since it was my first time and was not sure how to pace myself.

What a busy weekend! It was Drew Ross's 30th birthday, BT's 34th, and Halloween.

The party was at Aaron and Liz's. I intended to dress up as a Sockeye Salmon, but the full-body suit didn't work out with the felt I bought, so I regrouped and made a 3-foot long salmon hat instead. Of course nobody knew it was a Chinook, but it was bright red nevertheless. Naomi came straight from work and painted her face with gaudy white makeup as a geisha. This was the first Halloween I actually enjoyed dressing up. It is fun to let your imagination loose once in a while. I don't know if Naomi really had a good time or not. She drank a little bit, but didn't have much to say to anyone...

What iPod revolution?

I like this piece about how unrevolutionary the iPod is.

http://www.slate.com/id/2152197/

For the past few years as everyone has had a little wet dream with their white ear buds, I've been like:

has everyone forgot that Sony invented portable music with the Walkman in 1979, and that MP3s have been floating around for a good decade before the iPod landed in our pockets claiming to be the next killer app?

But we here in America love fads and gorging on the hype of the new, even if it isn't.

Physician Workforce Shortage

Went to the Oregon Medical Association bi-annual delegates meeting. One of the big issues these days is physicial workforce shortage, especially in relation to primary care. Medical school graduates these days prefer entering a specialty because of better pay, more control over their working hours, and the feeling that primary care is becoming the "dumping ground" for uncomplicated health issues. Among students graduating in 2007, only 13 of 100 plan to enter primary care.

On Sunday Joel, Casey, and Hilary had an apple pie baking gathering, mostly in recognition of the apple festival. We stopped by but all the pies were in the oven and didn't get any.

On Friday this weekend I went to see Westside Story at the new Armory Gerding theater. The production was very good. Actually, this was the first time to see the show. I was amazed at how profound and visionary the story is, and when you consider the genius of the music, it is really a masterpiece of American creativity. Unfortunately Naomi had to work.

This Sunday was the OMA house of delegates meeting. Although I did not have anything to say, I spoke with the chair of the Community Health Committee about possible involvement.

Saw the Oregon Ballet Theater's fall show. Everything was miraculous, the challenging Four Temperments and the hilarious "The Concert." There was an rude couple that was noisy and came in late behind us. People can be so disrespectful and selfish these days.

Saw "The Devil Wears Prada" on Friday. Naomi kept asking me why I suggested going to a chick flick. The film made me think about how all of us have to confront the question of how much we are going to dedicate ourselves to our careers. How much personal sacrfice is success worth?

Saturday night I went to a Portland talent show with BT and Briar, then drinks in Belmont where Dan Hubbard met us. I think I got a few good ideas for the folleys from the talent show.

Sunday Naomi and I played around downtown...bought some clothes and visited the museum. It is great to have a membership pass and walk right in. We caught the last day of what I believe was an exhibit of local artists. Some wonderful, clever stuff.

We watched The Motocycle Diaries on Saturday night - which was an gorgeous, and moving film - over mate with the gourd and bombilla I bought in Argentina. Sunday went to Lincoln City for lunch at Blackfish and a walk on the beach. Weathe was great, but getting a little nippy. Boy the food was good.

Sunday night was dinner with Dad, Marsha, and Sharon. Dad is doing well on this weight-watcher's diet. Marsha even has him eating acorn squash and drinking a little red wine. We taught everyone how to play Pitch, which we learned in Corcovado, Sharon in return, taught us whist.

Weekdays continue to be routine, tedious, but more tolerable than last year. This is due to more clinical relevance of the courses, a more realistic approach to med school grades, and refined study habits. My preceptorship is with Rob Cloutier in the ER. I love it there, the caos, the variety, the acuity, and humor.

Friday night Dad and Marsha came over for a Dominican Republic style chicken dish we made. They brought Mickey so Sango was happy - and sad when they left. The food turned out well, and it was pretty healthy I assured them. Dad has lost 30 lbs!

Saturday we gorged ourselves at Saburo suishi and went to Portland Taiko's fall show with Akiko and her boyfriend Jordan. Jordan seems very nice, easy-going and has a good sense of humor. The performance was fabulous, but a lot more movement and dancing now that the ensemble is under new directorship.

Surveyor's Ridge

Sunday was a huge 25-mi ride on Surveyor's ridge with Jon, Justin, and Jeff B. The weather was phenomenal - even Rainier was visible. Justin blew us all away of course on the downhill...

<--- Jon with Mt. Hood

Naomi and I watched another film by Koki Mitani (All About Our House - last week we watched Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald). I like how he views interpersonal conflict and sees resolution as a group process that involves cooperation. I know that's a banal description, but all I can say now.

Sunday we rode into town and saw a small exhibit on Japanese naturalist/landscape wood block prints. We ended up buying a year student pass, which is great because the (new) museum is gorgeous. There was some stuff from the Hokusai/Hiroshige era up until the 1990s.

Jon and I rode the Siouxan creek trail near St. Helens. Peaceful ride with a few small waterfalls and emerald green pools.

Brian and Ruta had their combined 70th birthday (Brian turns 30) and Andre and Ruta's place. Julia made a huge amount of food and a wonderful multi-layered cake. We enjoyed some cognac-like liquor from Dagestan and laughted about how wacky Central Asia is.

Ape Canyon Ride

Labor day weekend, we went to St. Helens to ride bikes. The trip up Ape Canyon was spectacular, 3.5 hours, hot and bone dry. Sango was boarderline heatstroke, but found a trickle of a creek to wallow in at the end. The trail took us to timberline, which had a stunning view of the mountain close up. Wide-open and desolate, like being on the moon.

Saw Brian and Julia at Henry's for drinks on Sunday night. Afterward went to a sort -of-gay latino dance club in the Pearl and heard some great cumbia, etc. We had a round of tequilas and Naomi nearly passed out.

What to do with a psychotic teenager?

Yesterday in Medford, Oregon a high school freshman shot another high school man four times. After that he threatened to take his own life, but was finally persuaded by the police to give up the gun.

Why intervene? Let the kid kill himself. His extremely anti-social behavior and desire to commit suicide are signs from "mother nature" that something has gone awry in the gene pool or in the nurtuing process - likely both - and that she is trying to correct it. Is there something other than the Christian belief in reformation and redemption that would motivate, I wager, the majority of Americans to save the kid from himself? If you were a member of a small village or tribe, why would you want such a person around? In addition to the very good social reason why you wouldn't, there's a good biological reason too: children tend to come out like their parents in both genetic and behavior ways. The risk of psychotic behavior being passed on is increased through dyfunctional brain chemistry and abusive parenting.

Ah, but is it really too late to save him, after all he's still so young! From a legal and social standpoint I suppose he is young. But from a developmental one, I think that by the age of 14 the damage is probably irreparable, and I know there is plenty of evidence demonstrating that a messed up a kid leads to a messed up adult and that psychiatric/behavioral/religious intervention will be at best palliative.

Our 2005

This was a big, exciting year for my wife and I. I started medical school (Oregon Health and Science University) here in Portland and my wife received her green card, which means she will be able to work and continue to pursue her degree in biochemistry.

Naomi spent a good deal of the summer back with friends and family in Japan. I took my mom and little cousin over for 10 days, which despite the apprehension on my mom's part, turned out to be a truly wonderful vacation for everyone. We visited Kyoto with my wife's mom, Tokyo, and the cool mountainous countryside of Nasu prefecture. Emily, my cousin, came home with a meter-long hotdog, bags of cute Japanese candy, and a really great bright red shirt that says "sakkah damashi" in Japanese on the back (Soccer Spirit). Late summer is a tough time to travel in Japan, for the weather is relentlessly hot and muggy. But everyone managed pretty well.

In addition to studying chemistry, Naomi is working as a waitress in an old mom-n-pop Japanese restaurant where she has to call the septegenarian owners "oka-san" and "oto-san" (literally, mom, and dad). Its good work for a student's schedule, however, and she always comes home with amusing stories of her customers, such as the one white guy who thought it was appropriate to put soy sauce in his green tea. More exciting is her involvement with the Wild Salmon Center, an organization based in Portland that supports salmon conservation around the entire Pacific rim. She is helping them get an office in Japan started. We're hoping this will turn into a substantial job in the future.

Medical school is exilarating, challenging, relentless, and tedious. There is a good handful of classmates that are older, on second careers like myself. I have developed some great friendships already. In addition to the academics there are plently of clinical opportunities, even for a first year student, to explore. I was the main organizer for a modest but meaningful memorial service to honor the individuals who had donated their bodies to our medical education. Many family members attended and a few said some moving words about their loved ones.