And Death Shall Have No Dominion

“Though lovers be lost, love shall not; And death shall have no dominion.” Dylan Thomas, 1933 The Pasatiempo magazine comes every Friday with the local newspaper’s end of the week edition—the New Mexican’s “Weekly Magazine of Arts, Entertainment and Culture.”  Needless to say, with two yearling giant sized puppies hell bent on destroying my house,… Continue reading And Death Shall Have No Dominion

Reason to Believe

“Still I look to find a reason to believe.”  Tim Hardin The events of the last few days—no, the last few months—have been horrendous.  From the attacks in Paris and Brussels to the slaughter in Orlando and the bombing of Baghdad, it seems that every time we turn on the TV, or open up a… Continue reading Reason to Believe

The Disconnect

On Tuesday I did what I said I would never do.  Three years ago, as I was buying an iPhone 5, the Verizon guy was intent on selling me a $70 case called “Lifeproof,” which was guaranteed to be exactly what it sounds like—you can drop it on concrete from five feet up, a horse… Continue reading The Disconnect

On The Road Again

On the road again Goin’ places that I’ve never been Seein’ things that I may never see again, And I can’t wait to get on the road again.  Willie Nelson   If someone had told me even ten years ago that I would retire young and become an itinerant radiation oncologist I would have thought… Continue reading On The Road Again

I Want to Live With Chip and Joanna

I’ve always been a fan of home improvement television shows.  Back in Boston, watching Bob Vila’s This Old House was an obsession, considering that there were few homes in the Boston area that WEREN’T “this old house.”  In 1980, we bought our first home—an 1860’s post and beam Victorian, complete with porch and pillars.   It… Continue reading I Want to Live With Chip and Joanna

Gone With The Wind

I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind, Flung roses, roses riotously with the throng, Dancing, to put thy pale, lost lilies out of mind, But I was desolate and sick of an old passion, Yea, all the time, because the dance was long: I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.… Continue reading Gone With The Wind

My Night At the Opera

“Was that a high C or vitamin D?”  Groucho Marx as Otis P. Driftwood Okay, I admit it.  I am a Philistine when it comes to opera.  I can’t help it.  I grew up in Houston, Texas when the acquisition of central air conditioning was a cultural zenith.  Houston, back then anyway, didn’t have opera. … Continue reading My Night At the Opera

Live Long and Prosper

I was sitting at lunch with a friend today when she leaned over to check her phone messages and discovered the sad news that Mr. Spock, sometimes also known as Leonard Nimoy, had passed away due to complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  She looked up at me and said wistfully, “He was my first… Continue reading Live Long and Prosper

Medicine at the Crossroads

          “When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will.”    Pollyanna   I try not to spend too much time on Facebook, but it’s always been a good way to keep up with “friends” in the Scottish Deerhound world.  The deerhound, being a rare breed, tends to link… Continue reading Medicine at the Crossroads

In Memoriam–Dr. Michael Davidson

In 1994, I was working at my first radiation oncology job in San Diego at Grossmont Hospital when I came into work to hear disturbing news.  One of my colleagues in medical oncology, a compassionate man known for his gentle nature, had stayed late at the Cancer Center the evening before to finish up paperwork. … Continue reading In Memoriam–Dr. Michael Davidson