H5N1

Classes started back for my nite class this past Monday. It is MW 6-8:45 class (API) and is easy to do, just that I have to stick around in Mid-town Memphis a lot longer than usual. Neat thing about the STCC campus I teach at, when I leave to get in my truck after class, I can look straight down Beale St. and see all the lights, etc. For those not in the know RE: Memphis, Beale is the party and action street of down town, pretty much open 24/7. They shut down a good part of it to traffic and tourists walk (stagger) up/down. There is a lot of music, shops, eateries, pubs etc and it is a pretty cool place. On the other side of the campus is Sun Studio, the place were Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis cut there first records and got their start to fame and fortune. They still give tours, but I haven't been through yet. Classes start here on Sept. 6.

I just gave my first presentation to the college here at Baptist. It was an overview of the bird flu situation (strain H5N1) and it was recieved favorably. I even had a couple of requests to give it again for other audiences! This is the first presentation I have given to faculty in many years. I used to be quite active and do this a lot, but since 2001 or so, I have gotten away from it. Now, with my "rebirth in Memphis", I plan on doing much more. After a year on board, I know the folks and system a lot better and even though I was very comfortable here from the start, it feels a lot better now. I think that when I first got here, I was just so glad to have a full time professorship in the US that it really didn't matter where I was, but Baptist College of Health Sciences has proven to be a great career move!

Gots to go and relax some now..

Good day

Can't get more stupid?

Just when I thought Bush had hit bottom, ie, done the most stupid thing a President can do (wanted to sell control of some ports to Arabs), he goes and surprises me again. Get this, with New Orleans still needing money for rebuilding a year later, Bush is sending millions of $$$ to help rebuild LEBANON! How utterly and dismally ignorant is that???? Why the hell are we worried about rebuilding Lebanon when we haven't bothered to rebuild in our own nation yet? We didn't even attack Lebanon! If this man doesn't get out of office soon, the country may never recover from his presidency!

Why, if we are buds with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and have invaded Iraq, is gas still so high? It should be .99 a gallon or lower! If Saddam was so wealthy, why isn't his money being used to rebuild and stabilized Iraq instead of MINE!

At least Tiger is back on top of the golfing world and our World Basketball team is playing well. Tiger has won 3 tournys in a row, 2 of them majors, and is 2 under par during round one of the WGC tourny in Akron (which he has one 4 times!) I hope he can pull this one off too! We have to get the Ryder Cup back from those Euros! It is over there this year, so that is a tough hill to climb, but if Tiger and Phil play up to their potential, we have a change.

Classes begin Aug 28 at Southwest and Sept 6 at Baptist, so I have a few more days of peace remaining, although we start our run of pre-term meetings on Monday. Next Thursday, I am giving a presentation on the Bird Flu to the college faculty, so it will be good to get that over with!

Oops, almost 3 o'clock! Gots to get out of here. Don't want to be working too late, right?

Later gator

Holiday?

I am not sure if it counts for vacation or not, but we made it for a 4 day weekend to Columbia SC and back! Got to play 18 holes of golf with my son, who, by the way, now is driving! In SC, a 15 yr old can get a permit to drive and at 15 yrs, 6 months, get a restrictive license (day only driving). I am glad for him, as I know how responsible a young man he is, but I don't think in this day and age, a 15 or 16 yr old should be allowed to drive! Too many fools on the roads already! Anyway, I had 4 pars and 2 birds, so I played really well. My son, who is now 2 inches taller than me and is a starting linebacker for the varsity as a sophomore, can out drive me by a bit, but I still beat him by six strokes. Now I am going to have to be sure to beat him. As he was growing up, I always managed to keep it close and let him win much of the time, but the kid can just kill me in video games, so I have to still win in the real world, right?

Good trip. Spent most of Saturday with my daughter, as her mom was at the beauty salon most of the day, then they rented a car and went to Charlotte to see her family while I spent the day golfing.

Classes start back at Southwest on Aug 28 and at BCHS on Sept, 6, so I have a few downs days to relax, sip some rum and brews before the madness of the fall term kicks in.

Good day,

OVER n DONE!

News flash! Having a 7:30 am class MTWRF is not as much fun as it used to be! But it is over and DONE! I submitted my final grades this morning, picked up my check and don't have to worry about an early morning class until at least the sprng term. Uncle Sam took it usual big bite out of it, but I have been waiting for this check for a while. Now we can travel a bit and not have to worry so much about the cost of gas. Plus, I get my second BCHS summer pay check next Friday and will be get overload pay for the fall term. Looking like a great Christmas shaping up for my kids! I guess I would worry about money even if I had more than I needed. I have always heard that money can't buy happiness and I certainly believe that, but it can buy COMFORT! I have always thought that if I were going to be unhappy, I would just as soon be unhappy and RICH than unhappy and poor.

Got to go now to interview a student that is trying to get reinstated to BCHS. Dismissed a while back because they failed Patho twice. Maybe the third time will be the charm.
Ta Ta

Good day