Blue Moon of Kentucky---October 20, 2007

So far, I haven't seen anything I would call a "blue moon" or anything I would call "bluegrass". I haven't seen a single horse. Of course, I haven't been out much. I am pretty much in central Louisville. Stereotypes aren't always typical it seems.

I have tried to make the best of a difficult situation here. There has been disparity among the attending physicians here and a very solid residency program has divided into two separate programs. There seems to be quite a bit of dissension in the air and their is no certainty for the future. Rumors about the fate of each program are flying. Despite this, I have gained invaluable exposure to ankle arthroscopy, pediatric trauma, and foot/ankle reconstruction. I helped amputate a young man's leg the other day after he was in a motorcycle accident that probably should have killed him. In clinic the other day, we found bone tumors that are likely metastatic cancer.

Friday is my last day on this rotation. This one has seemed longer than usual, but that's because I didn't go home after my rotation at Evansville. My next rotation is in Johnson City, Tennesse, and begins on November 5th. This will give me a week off! I love it when that happens. I am going to park my car at the airport Saturday morning and fly to Des Moines for the week. When I fly back to Louisville on November 3rd, I should have about a 6 hour drive to Johnson City. I am giving a lecture at my school on October 29th. I am speaking to underclassmen on the topic of posterior tibial tendon rupture as well an overview of my clinical rotations.

Like I say, I haven't been out much. There is quite a bit to do here, but I have been so busy. I had been looking forward to coming to Louisville for over a year. I have to admit all of the politics going on here has sort of "let the wind out of my sail" and I have lost a lot of enthusiasm so I really haven't felt like doing a lot of sight seeing. Here are a couple of pictures. One is of Churchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby is held. The other is the factory where Louisville Slugger bats are made. I did not go inside either one of them, though I would like to some day. Sight seeing by yourself is not diversionary as you might hope, but rather seems to accentuate isolation. So I read journals and textbooks. Thrilling.

It's business as usual back north of the border. Cheryl missed a couple of days of work due to illness, but is much better now. The kids are adjusting to their new schools and Kirsten is learning about the higher expections of the high school curriculum. Caleb's grade report was SMOKIN' HOT!! Keep up the good work, guys! We have had a couple of nibbles on the house. We hope to inform you of a new addresss sometime in the near future.

It is with sadness that I report the passing of Shelby Grover last Thursday. Shelby is the 3 year old daughter of Lee and Nicole Grover. Lee is a firefighter in Springfield and Nicole used to work for me at St. John's. Shelby had a brain tumor which ultimately caused her death. I read obituaries all the time that talk about people who "lost their battle with cancer". In my view, to pass into everlasting peace where there is neither evil nor disease is VICTORY, not defeat.