God has been gracious.

Today marks the one year anniversary of our move to California.

Time just flew by.

I remember our first morning waking up in our aero-bed that we had just bought from C.ostco the night before. M slept between the two of us but she had turned horizontal so that we made an "H" as a family. I remember the morning sunshine and the wet court yard of our new home for the next year and I remember thinking, "It must have rained over night." That first few weeks were very busy....getting the gas, electric, water/sewer, trash pick up, satellite tv, internet, and phone services going...driving the Magnum rental car for 2 weeks around the neighborhood, negotiating to buy a new Priu.s (and walking out of the first dealership because the sales person refused a price quote), getting nervous about starting the new job....

We've made some good friends here. We still miss our friends in PA.

We closed on our new home a few days ago. It was a little hairy at the very end -- the seller was In.dyMac. You know, the bank that got taken over by the FDIC last Friday (IndyM.ac foreclosed on the home, the Feds foreclosed on Ind.yMac). After an anxious weekend, the escrow agent told us our deal was basically done and only needed to be recorded.

It's official. We are homeowners. God is faithful.

Come and visit!

It all started on Monday morning....the sky was...hazy. As E dropped me off at work, I noticed that the air smelled funny, almost smokey. Turns out over the weekend of June 21-22, there were multiple lighting strikes all over the surrounding counties resulting in over 300 small fires and growing. We were seeing the culmulative results in the air. Here is a pix of N.Ca shrouded in wild fire smoke.

Every day this week, the air has been hazy. The worst was Wednesday. Many of my patients came to the office wearing masks. In some places, the smoke is so bad, visibility is only 1-2 miles. On of my returning patients smelled like a chimny. "It's in my hair, my clothes, my skin....it's really bad where I live," she said.

Today is Saturday. The morning was hazy, but we got some good sunlight in the afternoon due to the winds. Hopefully, the end is in sight.

If you have not seen the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica (BSG) aired on June 13th 2008, please skip the next paragraph (sorry Gene).

[Start of Spoiler Warning]
Just watched the latest installment of Battlestar Galactica (BSG)...........................They found Earth! But what a disappointment for them. It looks like BSG's Earth is a post-apocalyptic wasteland with no survivers. And who IS the 5th Cylon??!! Can't wait for the next installment. 
[End of Spoiler Warning]

We are in escrow and finalizing the paper work for our closing in mid-July. Ironically BofA is charging us for "flood certification." What the frack! If they were charging us for fire certification, which they are not, then yes, I can see that with at least 3 fires in NCal at this moment...but flood? Come on BofA!

Our home does back up to a steep canyon, so fire is a concern....

With Father's Day just around the corner, I've had some time to reflect on what it means to love and to be a father. Though admittedly difficult at times, M is such a treasure and brings us so much joy, it is hard to express in words what she means to us. To see her dance with abandon in her diaper just so she can avoid getting into her pajamas at night, or the playful way she grabs my hand and says "come," as she leads me to her toys so that I can play with her....

It's times like these I am reminded of yet another one of Keller's sermons:

Choosing to love is hard. Some folks avoid it altogether. This is becasue love makes you vulnerable to unhappiness, sorrow and pain. All your life you've only really lived for yourself and never for someone else. You did what you wanted to make your life comfortable and happy. When you become a parent, however, there is now someone who is completely dependent on you. Moreover, you've made yourself vulnerable to unhappiness, suffering and pain -- your happiness is inextricably tied to your child's happiness. It doesn't matter how well you are doing. If your child in not happy, you can not be happy (if your child is crying, you can not be happy!). If your child is in pain, you are in pain. If the child suffers, you suffer.

When God chose to love his creation, he made himself vulnerable to pain, suffering and unhappiness. He even made himself vulnerable to death. But unlike us, God completely knew what was instore for him when he chose to love. "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Because God so loved...

Thank you God for allowing me to experience fatherhood.

Some of you know that I work for Kaiser. I really enjoy the work and my job, but I am getting more aware that we are headed for a healthcare crisis (I should add that I think a national verison of Kaiser would go along way in significantly improving healthcare for everyone).

Kaiser recently rolled out a High Deductable Health Plan (HDHP) and I have a problem with that. Mind you, Kasier, as well as other health plans, are bowing to market forces that are demanding lower health care cost. Large employers (think "major corporations") want to save money so is offering HDHP, some with Health Savings Accounts (HSA). But in fact, they are simply shifting the cost/burden to individuals. Although I understand the reasoning for folks choosing these types of plans, I think this is the wrong way to go interms of providing the best healthcare.

I'll give you an example. The other day, I saw a young woman who's had a "dull headache" for about month. One day she was headache free, the next day (she doen't quite remember what she was doing at the time) she had a headache. She never had headaches before. She tried Motrin, Tylenol, Advil, etc. Nothing worked. Her primary care MD sent her to me in consultation.

She was otherwise healthy. No medical problems or surgeries. No family history of headaches. She only takes Oral Contraceptives Pills (OCPs) x 3 years, and does not smoke. No trauma history. No recent skiing or running in a marathon. Her exam is normal, including a funduscopic exam.

"Because of your daily headaches and OCP use I'm going to order an MRI and MRV of the brain." I explained to her that the "V" stands for vains so that I can rule out a blood clot in the veins in the brain.

There was slience from the patient.

"Do I really need the study? How sure are you that it is a blood clot?"

It turns out that she has a HDHP. The first $2000 or so of any healthcare cost comes out of her pocket, and once she spends the $2000, her insurance kicks in.

"The MRI alone is going to cost me $900."

I didn't know what to say. What are the odds that she has a blood clot (Transverse Venous Thombosis) that is causing the headaches? In the end she declined the study and I gave her some medications for the headache. I also documented that she refused the study inspite of my recommendation. Did she save some money. Sure. Does she need the study? Yes. If she was my family, I would insist on getting the study. Only time will tell if it was the right decision.

Choices like these are going to be problematic for folks with HDHP.

To drastically change the subject, M stopped taking afternoon naps 3 days ago. E is very upset. Daily 1-2 hour down-time is now gone. Has she stopped napping for good? We will see.

Still watching and enjoying the Korean drama, "On Air." E likes the guy who plays the young director. She thinks he is good looking. I mentioned to her that he looks alot like E's brother (for those of you who don't know, E has a younger brother in B school at Northwestern). Sure E's brother has shorter hair, but they look alot alike. E just kind of laughed it off (but I could tell she was thinking).

A new drama started a couple weeks ago called "Happiness" (not to be confused with the movie called "Happiness"). The literal translation of the title is "I am Happy." It staring the same actor who was in "In Search of Son." It's really good. Very funny.

Good seeing the folks in Philly! Thanks M&H for hosting. Did not get to see everyone and we were not able to make it to Renewal, but definately next time!

Maddie really enjoyed meeting her grandmother and cousins, but she was sick with fever and cough from the plane ride from SFO ("she cried and cried") thru the entire trip. E even took her to an emergency room in NYC because of stomach pains (turned out to be constipation). Also, E's sleeping schedule and temperment changed after the trip. For example, she no longer likes to take baths, only a modified shower, still very clingy to E, and always need to be reassured that E is present. E now says "never again" will I travel alone with M. She's learned her lession. Let that be a stern warning to all the mothers out there: don't leave your poor husbands to travel alone with (a) child(ren)!

As mentioned in a previous post, the realestate market here is out of control. Our landlord last month offered to sell us the home we are presently renting becasue of cash flow problems. We politely declined. The kicker is, she can't sell the home right now on the open market becasue she can't get what she paid for it -- the bank won't let her "short sale." Meanwhile, there are 2 bank owned properties for sale on our block and just the other day, the one across the street from us got a "For Auction" sign with details of the up coming auction next month in small print. How does even a "motivated seller" compete against that?

I guess one person's misfortune is another's opportunity. Our counter offer was accepted while we were away, so we will be home owners soon. The property is located on the otherside of town and is a REO, that is, bank owned, so we got a good deal. We will be closing in mid-July. Personally the best part of it is that it is very close to work. With gas prices at $4/gallon here, proximity to work is a definate plus. E thinks I should bike to work. The actual distance is short, but are are alot of hills. Several of my colleagues at the hospital will be my neighbors. One guy actually does bike to work, but he is a semi-professional biker who can be frequently seen in his biker shorts, helmet etc roaming the hospital hallways. The chief of my division will live up the street from me. He does not bike to work but he does drive home for lunch! I like that better.