Nov
19
Fall Colors

Fall Colors

Although fall started nearly two months ago, yesterday felt like the first day. The sun hid from view and caused a drop in the thermometer. I was indoors most of the day performing surgeries. Today, I have the chance to take the stroll outside. Patchy clouds meld together to form this impenetrable layer even though [...]

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Sat, November 19, 2011

Landscaping

Nov
19
Flat Max by the Pond

Flat Max by the Pond

On this beautiful fall day, the irregular cloud layer obscures much of the sun’s rays, but I can still peek at the blue sky like looking through windows from within a marshmallow. Autumn colors against a background of mostly dark green brighten up this overcast day. I take Flat Max on a walk in the [...]

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Sat, November 19, 2011

Family and Friends

Nov
11
Flat Max in the OR

Flat Max in the OR

Yesterday, I got a letter from my friend, Max, who sent himself in a flat form to spend some vacation time in California. His mom, Sarah, had called me last week and told me to expect the package in the mail, since this is part of Max’s school project. The kids had just finished reading [...]

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Fri, November 11, 2011

Family and Friends

Oct
31
Orthopaedic Clinic Halloween Party

Orthopaedic Clinic Halloween Party

A lot of clinic staff dressed up for Halloween today, and there were a lot of characters that I didn’t recognize. Both clinic locations had potluck lunches, and there was also a costume contest. The highlight, of course, was the Riedel family—Barth, Daphne, and the three little ones all dressed up.

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Mon, October 31, 2011

Profession

Oct
31
Halloween Brain Pâté and Chips

Halloween Brain Pâté and Chips

For this year’s potluck at the clinic, I thought it would be a nice change to make a savory dish instead of dessert. First, I chopped up garlic and a quarter of an onion. Then, I sautéed it in butter. In the meantime, I heated up cream cheese, mayonnaise, milk, and cream of mushroom soup. [...]

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Mon, October 31, 2011

Cooking

Oct
23
Olive and Wine Faire

Olive and Wine Faire

This afternoon, we drove out to the Highland Springs Resort for their first annual Olive and Wine Faire. The main reason for going was to see how olive oil is made. They had a dry demonstration using The Cub olive oil press, which takes about 10 lbs of ground up olives to make around a [...]

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Sun, October 23, 2011

Family and Friends

Oct
9
Filet Mignon

Filet Mignon

I made lunch for my parents today. First, I got some filet mignon from Stater Bros. I also cut up some zucchini and seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. The onions were simply sliced and oiled. For the steak, I used pomegranate juice, Chilean Cabernet, coarse sea salt, and freshly ground pepper to [...]

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Sun, October 9, 2011

Cooking

Oct
2
Lobo Group Camp

Lobo Group Camp

We just got back from a restful weekend retreat in the San Bernardino National Forest. I left Friday evening after work, and by the time I got on the freeway, it was already dark. Most of the group left in the afternoon and set up Lobo Group Camp off of Highway 38. I arrived just [...]

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Sun, October 2, 2011

Camping

Sep
27
Friends from Hangzhou

Friends from Hangzhou

This evening, we had friends from Hangzhou over for dinner—from Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital as well as Hospital Number Two. The visitors had been here for two months, and most of them are leaving tomorrow morning to return home.

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Tue, September 27, 2011

Family and Friends

Sep
25
Pine Springs Ranch

Pine Springs Ranch

Loma Linda University School of Medicine just had a retreat at Pine Springs Ranch. A rainbow greeted our arrival as we turned onto Apple Canyon Road. Among the inspirational talks, Jon Paulien gave some food for thought regarding the value of education at Loma Linda. I had the role of being camp doctor, and thankfully, [...]

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Sun, September 25, 2011

Profession