Had my interviews with PHIFP today.

They went well.

I should know by next Friday if I got picked.

Cross your fingers for me :)

Monday afternoon I got home from work and noticed a sharp pain in my abdomen. The pain got steadily worse and was not relieved by eating or using the bathroom. I started having chills, but didn't have a fever. I called my mom (a nurse) who told me how to find my appendix. It hurt to press on it.

I drove myself to the emergency room.

At 7:30 Tuesday morning my appendix was removed. I was discharged Wednesday at noon, and went to stay a few days with my mom and dad. I didn't get home until this afternoon.

2011 seems to have it in for me.

What's on your baby's Christmas list this year? The grandparents are starting to ask us what Amelia "wants" for Christmas, and Whitney and I are short on ideas. Amelia already has everything she needs (and more)... What are some good gifts for a 9-month old's first Christmas?

So Amelia decided April 10th was too far off, and decided that Tuesday would be a much better day to make her debut.

She was born at 12:21 AM weighing 7 lbs 1 oz and 19.5 in long. Whitney was only in labor for 8 hours, not counting ~24 hours of barely noticeable pre-labor. We delivered at Carolina Community Maternity Center without use of drugs or medical interventions. Whitney did most of her laboring in a birthing tub, including the delivery itself.

The one hiccup was that Whitney wound up with a retained placenta, which lead to hemorrhaging, which lead to a trip to the hospital to get her placenta removed and for a blood transfusion (2 pints). She felt much better by morning and was discharged shortly after lunch.

Now I'm on "intermittent" family medical leave from work, which will consist of working around 20 hours a week for the next 6 weeks (mostly from home), while using paid sick leave to make up the rest of my hours. So far it has been like a vacation, albeit one without much regular sleep.

Family life, here I come!

Thursday I moved into my new office at work. It's a huge step up from my old cubicle... 128 sq ft on a quiet stretch of hallway and with a window. It even has a closet. The only real downsides are that I'm right next door to my boss, and that I'm not going to be as close to my friends in health education. Neither of those is 100% bad though; my new boss still hasn't been hired (the position closed today), and so I don't know if being close will necessarily be a bad thing. Also, I've been doing a bad job of saying "no" to the health educators when they come to me with projects that I'm capable of doing, but are technically outside my job description. They can be pretty distracting sometimes, too.

Whitney is 21 weeks pregnant as of today (Saturday). Her belly has ballooned over the past two weeks, and she really feels the baby kick. We find out if it's a boy or a girl on Wednesday.

I'm still walking to work most mornings, but it's getting harder as the temperature falls and the days get shorter. I bought a neon orange toboggan (what y'all Yankees would call a knit cap) to wear as I walk so the cars will see me when it's dark. This week I walked 3 days, took the bus two mornings, and rode home with Whitney or a co-worker two afternoons.

My life is good. Journaling doesn't come to me as easily when I'm content. No news is good news.

Every time I write a post or a comment, I cringe at my woefully outdated selection of userpics...

Today I turn 29 years old. Not much planned... probably just dinner with the missus at a restaurant that is considerably more expensive than our usual fare.

One year ago was spent getting poked and prodded by Peace Corps doctors determining if I was healthy enough to unleash on American soil, followed by dining at one of Kenya's only sushi bars.

I've celebrated birthdays on three continents. Not many people can say that :-)

So I recently began hearing the phrase "Health Geography" used to describe the fusion of Public Health and GIS/Mapping, which has become a major part of my job over the past few weeks, and I realized I like the job title "Health Geographer" much better than my current "Health Data Analyst."

Which got me wondering...

1) What is your current job title?

2) If you could change your job title to something more fun, more apt, or just plain better, what would it be?

Egyptian Journalist Throws Shoes at Bush During Final Iraq Visit (BBC Video)

Source: http://www.slate.com/id/2193798/Subject: WHO IS BARACK OBAMA?

There are many things people do not know about BARACK OBAMA. It is every American's duty to read this message and pass it along to all of their friends and loved ones.

Barack Obama wears a FLAG PIN at all times. Even in the shower.

Barack Obama says the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE every time he sees an American flag. He also ends every sentence by saying, "WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL." Click here for video of Obama quietly mouthing the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE in his sleep.

A tape exists of Michelle Obama saying the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE at a conference on PATRIOTISM.

Every weekend, Barack and Michelle take their daughters HUNTING.

Barack Obama is a PATRIOTIC AMERICAN. He has one HAND over his HEART at all times. He occasionally switches when one arm gets tired, which is almost never because he is STRONG.

Barack Obama has the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE tattooed on his stomach. It's upside-down, so he can read it while doing sit-ups.

There's only one artist on Barack Obama's iPod: FRANCIS SCOTT KEY.

Barack Obama is a DEVOUT CHRISTIAN. His favorite book is the BIBLE, which he has memorized. His name means HE WHO LOVES JESUS in the ancient language of Aramaic. He is PROUD that Jesus was an American.

Barack Obama goes to church every morning. He goes to church every afternoon. He goes to church every evening. He is IN CHURCH RIGHT NOW.

Barack Obama's new airplane includes a conference room, a kitchen, and a MEGACHURCH.

Barack Obama's skin is the color of AMERICAN SOIL.

Barack Obama buys AMERICAN STUFF. He owns a FORD, a BASEBALL TEAM, and a COMPUTER HE BUILT HIMSELF FROM AMERICAN PARTS. He travels mostly by FORKLIFT.

Barack Obama says that Americans cling to GUNS and RELIGION because they are AWESOME.Reminds me of all the Chuck Norris fact pages...

I just did a friends cut. I only cut people who hadn't posted in more than a year, so if you're reading this, chances are I didn't cut you. If I you're still reading but not posting, comment here and I'll add you back.

Where can you see lions?

Only in Kenya!

Come to Kenya, we've got lions!

Where can you see tigers?

Only in Kenya!

We've got lions and tigers, only in Kenya!

(Forget Norway)

Kenya, oh Kenya,

Where the Giraffes are,

And the Zebra!

Kenya, Kenya Kenya Kenya,

Kenya, We're going to Kenya!

(Kenya believe it?)

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/kenya/

Flight leaves at 7:25 tomorrow morning. Wish us luck!

I'm gonna make a long story short.

Sunday I thought I was 3 hours short of the 42 hours I need to graduate. This is due to a presumed grade of "U" in an independent study course. (-3)

Monday I went to Academic Affairs to see if I could scrounge up an extra 3 hours from somewhere (-3)

Tuesday I'm told my transfer request from FSU went through, earning me the needed extra 3 hours (+0)

Wednesday I'm told I didn't need 42 hours. 39 is enough for them to give me a degree. (+3)

Thursday I find out my "U" wasn't a "U." The instructor gave me an "S" even though I TOTALLY didn't deserve it. This bumps me up to 45 hours. (+6)

For those of you keeping score of home, that's a net gain of 9 credit hours in 5 days. How does he do it? Just a lucky mothafucka :-D

Friday morning we got an email letting us know when we'll be leaving for staging (pre-departure orientation).

May 21

One month from today.

One day sooner than they had first told us.

Things just got A LOT more real.

There has been a lot of interest in our packing list, and so now that we're so close to having it finished, I decided to go ahead and post it here.

But before I do, I'll warn you that this LOOKS like a lot of stuff. In reality though, it is and it isn't. Peace Corps volunteers are allowed to bring 2 suitcases and 1 carry-on bag, meaning that Whitney and I combined get to bring 4 suitcases and 2 carry-on bags. Because of that, this will probably be one of the longest Peace Corps packing lists you ever see.

On the other hand, a LOT of this stuff is very small. So small that the way things are going, we're probably not even going to fill up all 4 of our suitcases.

Okay, enough blabbing. Here's our packing list.

Luggage:

3 expandable pull-behind hardside suitcases

1 pull-behind duffel-style suitcase

1 Osprey Atmos 50 backpack (carry-on)

1 Fiddle (carry-on)

Gear:

1 Victorinox multitool

2 compasses

3 compression sacks

1 roll unwaxed dental floss

1 bottle sunblock

2 quick drying chamois

1 solar camping shower

5 mini carabiners

2 rain ponchos

2 pair work gloves

1 pair rubber gloves

3 nalgine bottles

2 set travler's sheets (can be zipped together to form a full-size set of sheets!)

2 combination locks

1 roll electrical tape

1 roll duct tape

2 tubes super glue

1 tube goop

1 bag zip ties

1 box waterproof matches

1 12V DC electric fan

1 umbrella

1 Osprey Aura 35 backpack

1 pair bike gloves

1 swiss army knife

1 travel pillow

Electronics:

(We plan on powering most of these using a 12V DC solar power setup that we will assemble once we get in-country.)

1 Motorola cell phone/charger/accessories

1 Palm T5 PDA/charger/accessories

1 Palm Treo650/charger/accessories

1 Sony E-Book Reader

2 LED flashlights

1 12V DC LED area light

1 12V DC 4-way socket splitter

1 DC voltmeter

1 USB SD card reader

10 Secure Digital flash memory cards

2 USB flash drives (2GB each)

1 12V DC powered USB outlet

1 Cannon Powershot SD600 digital camera/case/accessories

2 pair headpones

1 12V DC battery charger

20 various rechargable batteries

1 solar calculator

1 set small speakers

1 tube shoe protector cream

2 wristwatches

Hobbies:

1 music stand

various sheet music

4 spare fiddle strings

various reference books/textbooks

1 LED book light

2 decks playing cards

1 Kenya travel book

various colors of seedbeads

1 bead organizer

1 sketchbook

1 case colored pencils

1 beach ball

1 sewing kit

1 frisbee

1 12-in-1 board game set

Brad's Clothes:

1 pair sneakers

1 pair dress shoes

1 pair Chacos sandals

10 pair socks

9 pair underwear

1 USF Public Health tee shirt

2 Cabella's fishing shirts

2 Colombia travel shirts

3 dress shirts

4 undershirts

1 bathrobe

3 pair dress pants

2 pair fishing pants

1 pair convertible cargo pants

1 pair blue jeans

1 pair athletic shorts

1 pair swim trunks

1 hat

1 cargo vest

1 fleece windbreaker

2 pair sunglasses

1 belt

2 neckties

Whitney's Clothes:

1 pair Crocs sandals

1 fleece windbreaker

3 pair eyeglasses/cases/cleaning supplies

1 purse

1 money belt

3 scrub skirts

2 Macabi convertable skirts

1 Old Navy Skirt

2 pair scrub pants

1 pair athletic shorts

2 tee shirts

5 long sleeve blouses

5 short sleeve blouses

1 pair pajamas

12 pair underwear

6 bras

2 culotte slips

6 undershirts

10 pair socks

1 pair flip flops

1 pair sneakers

1 pair dress shoes

2 hats

10 head scarves

1 swimsuit

Toiletries:

1 safety razor/blades

1 tube toothpaste

3 bars soap

1 bottle hand sanitizer

4 toothbrushes

8 small rolls dental floss

2 towels

2 washcloths

1 small mirror

1 nail file

2 first aid kit

1 medicine chest

1 fingernail clipper

1 deodorant

3 shower caps

Kitchen:

1 pair scissors

various ziplock baggies

4 tupperware containers

3 kitchen knives

1 pair kitchen shears

1 peeler

1 grater

1 measuring cup/spoon set

some loose tea

2 bags bobas

10 boba straws

1 jar honey

1 jar peanut butter

Stationery:

1 box highlighters

1 stapler/staples

9 permanent markers

3 crayon boxes

1 pad graph paper

1 box black pens

1 box assorted color pens

1 pencil sharpener

10 pencils

5 pencil erasers

3 rolls white-out tape

1 photo album

1 ruler

1 box paper clips

1 roll scotch tape

1 inflatable globe

Gifts for our hosts/special occasions:

1 swiss army knife

3 paring knives

36 American flag keychains

12 Mardi Gras bead necklaces

18 toy plastic animals

So there you have it. There's also a list of stuff we're planning on getting in-country, and a list of things going into our first aid kits/sewing kit/medicine chest, but I'll save those lists for another time.

Questions? Comments? See anything we're leaving out? Comment below!

This is terrifying. Don't click if you're prone to epilepsy.

Three female students, walking into the parking lot.

Girl #1: "It's a good idea, but how do you advertise a sex party?"

Um, yeah, that definitely turned my head :)

Excellent Rube Goldberg-style device.

Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

My old friend Insomnia has stopped by for a visit. It has been a long time since I had an episode this bad. I already know why it's back - School and work stress have been at an apex this week, and to make things worse I took a nap from 6-8 this evening. Luckily tomorrow's not that big a day for me.

Wish I could sleep though...

The Peace Corps recommends that male volunteers shouldn't have long hair in Kenya, and so today I got a haircut.

You know, maybe it's time to take down that July 2006 calendar...

The salon said most of it was long enough that they'll be able to donate it to one of those wigs-for-kids/locks-of-love type places.

I like it. Whitney's still getting used to it.

Wow, I apologize to everyone subscribed to aidsblog and lifeiscalling for filling up your friends pages like that. What happened is I switched the blogs over to "the new blogger" tonight, and apparently LJ interpreted the updated RSS feeds as lists of brand new posts.

Very sorry about that...

Reply to this post, and I will tell you my favorite icon of yours. Then post this to your own journal using your own favorite icon.

I've seen a few people posting their Christmas Wishlists, so here's mine

Full set of spare Fiddle Strings

Photojournalist Cargo Vest

Tilley Safari Hat

Old-Fashioned Safety Razor

Swiss Army Multi-tool (SwissTool Spirit)

And a handfull of other things for both me and Whitney

Speaking of Peace Corps, I sent off the last [knock on wood] of my paperwork last week, and so we could be finding out very soon where and when they're sending us!

Whether or not video games promote violent behavior in young people, it is becoming quite obvious that the sale of video game consoles promotes violence in young people:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/16/ps3-crime-spree/

http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/17/ps3-crime-spree-part-ii-fall-of-man/

I passed my comps. Graduation just got one step closer!

All we have to do is take these lies and make them true somehow.

Vote November 7th.

You paid attention during 100% of high school! 85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?

Create a Quiz

I know. I'm a nerd. I'm not ashamed.