Sunday, December 13, 2009

Real Job

No matter what your current job or profession, I'm sure you remember your first real job. Along the way, I've had a few jobs*, all with glorified titles:

*Loosely defined here as acitivity lasting longer than a single day that involved me receiving money for some sort of work.

1. Professional Lawnmower - This actually was the verbatim title I listed on my 8th grade resume to describe the three summers I spent mowing ONE neighbor's lawn.

2. Fence Painter - People kept running into this fence along a farmer's field when they'd drive by at night. I was hired to paint it white. Still white, last time I checked.

3. Mink Habitat Repurposer - A neighbor had a mink farm and he was transitioning to writing online travel guides for exotic destinations. What this guy should really be writing is a guide to internet entrepeneurship for mink farmers. Enter: computer programmers. Exit: wire mink cages. Benefit: mink + internet surfers wishing they were on vacation. End result: A good friend and I spent most of that summer sitting on buckets cutting apart mink cages piece by piece. Good times Dan!

4. Gas station attendant/motel cleaner/cook's assistant/waiter/concierge/accountant/Navajo rug expert/dishwasher - All in one summer. Not just a bad string of hirings/firings, this was one of the best jobs possible, living in the middle of nowhere on the Kaibab plateau serving up four star food to Hell's Angels and Colorado City socialites in the same afternoon.

5. Ladybug Wrangler - Two and a half summers of undergrad research involving collecting ladybugs in various farmers' fields and from wooded trails near the Logan River. If the job hadn't included raising aphids (a ladybug's favorite food) in a greenhouse, this could qualify as one of the best outdoor ecology jobs ever. Oh, and the trips to collect
yellow start thistle. It's as painful as it looks.


And now, 24 years after starting school, I'm signed on for a job that will last longer than a summer, won't depend on tips and has the potential to grow into whatever I make of it.




In August 2010, Molly and I will be moving with the kids to Salt Lake City, Utah where I begin work at Primary Children's Medical Center as a pediatrician in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. I'll split time at PCMC between the ED the Rapid Treatment Unit, where children are admitted when only a short hospital stay is needed. We'll be close to home, close to the mountains but will miss all of our good friends in the Midwest. Salt Lake City here we come!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Quite the ride!

A trip to Lark Toys in Kellogg, MN was on the agenda when my parents came for a visit (yeah!) this past week. A gorgeous hand-carved Carousel is one of the main attractions at this specialty toy store. A clip from the Lark Toys website; "The carousel at LARK Toys is unlike any other carousel in the world. Hand-carved from basswood and designed with exquisite detail, each animal is a rideable work of art."
And WOW was that true!

Quinn took a ride on a Deer (those are real antlers)

Dad chose a strong bear with a fish clenched in its teeth

Max was a bit nervous and so opted for the cart that was pulled by a Mama Ostrich (you can see her babies hatching behind Max's head)

I jumped on the back of a Pink Flamingo, gorgeous bird! (your eyes do not decieve you, Mike is casually perched on a Chicken behind me, :)!!
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Mae straddled a Wolf so Mike got on the next closest animal which happened to be a Chicken! Awesome!!!!


My Mom was the photographer, hence her absence in these brilliant photos, great shots Mom! I wish somebody would have snapped a pic of her riding side saddle atop a fierce and staggeringly beautiful-looking dragon! :) In truth, there was a fantastic dragon, but Mom chose to ride something a bit more tame, a seat for photo takers that was placed right in front of Quinn's Deer. I was surprised at how it truly felt like a ride; you went up, up, up and then down, down, down. It went around pretty fast too!

After 5 1/2 fun-filled days, my parents flew back home yesterday. Tonight in Quinn's prayers he said "please bless us to miss Gran & Pa, but not to cry, just to miss them". :) Thanks for coming Mom & Dad! It was so much fun having you here at my house.