Category Archives: Uncategorized

What to write about

Well, it’s Sunday night and I’d been thinking over the last week about the fact that I’ve neglected posting to the blog –  once again!  There are so many things I want to write about – family events, work stories, musings that are bouncing around in my head. However, I’m never really sure what to write about.

Most of what we do as a family is the same stuff that every other family does; it seems to me that it’d be quite boring to read about these mundane things.  However, maybe I should write about it just to document the happenings of our family.  Documenting these things may be something worth reading years from now.  But now?

I often wish I could write about things that happen at work.  As an emergency physician, I meet a lot of really neat people with a lot of interesting stories.  I have really cool patients; and I have patients that aren’t so cool.  Unfortunately for you (and fortunately for me), I’ve decided not to write about work; it protects my patients, my employer, and ultimately me!

Like most of you, I’m regularly thinking about a lot of things (religion, politics, family, work, friends, hobbies).  However, I usually figure you wouldn’t want to read about whatever I’m thinking.  Maybe you do, but I usually talk myself out of putting down in writing.  So, I’m often at a standstill when it comes to creating a blog post.

I like to take pictures and I share them.  In fact, I often posted blog entries around a photo.  However, I recently upgraded the WordPress software which was supposed to make for easier photo uploads.  Unfortunately, I can’t get it to work at all since the upgrade.  I’ve had to load photos to Flickr and then link to those photos.  Despite being a little more work, it works.  Nonetheless, if I ever delete a photo from Flickr, the photo will disappear from the blog post.  It’d be better if I could just load the photo directly into the post (as I used to do).  Persistent research as to why it won’t work for me has not resulted in any solutions.  .  But, the blog hasn’t been a very friendly way for me to do it lately.

Speaking of pictures, let me tell you that I’ve recently fallen in love with Instagram and am posting many of my pictures via that app.  If you’re an Instagram user, you can find me as “erdoc”.  Instagram is a photo sharing social network, kind of like Facebook or Twitter but with photos.  Most importantly, I love how the photos are published in a square format and the photo-editing options are very cool, resulting in a very awesome final product.  You can see examples of my Instagram photos here at my Flickr page.

Anyways, I just wanted to check in and let you know that I’ve not forgotten about the blog.  I think about it daily.  Now – just to think a little harder about what to post.

Sally’s Christmas Letter

Every year our Christmas cards, like many others, include a letter updating all our friends and family about the happenings over the past year.  However, our letter is unique because it is written by Sally.  Sarah, our first Bassett Hound, had that duty since she arrived at our house back in 1995.  Since Sally came 2 years ago, she has happily taken over the task of relaying our most recent chapter of our family story.  What’s best is that she’s usually pretty cute about it.

For those that somehow didn’t get a card from us this year, here’s Sally’s letter:

WOOF and Merry Christmas to all this great year of 2011.

Everyone here finds themselves in good health and good spirits.  Anna is now 14 and starting to drive.  Emily is 12-1/2 and has thrived at middle school.  I am 3 and was born to be the baby of the family.

I continue to love when the family travels and I get to go to doggy day care.  Spring break sent everyone on a Caribbean cruise to enjoy the sun and surf.  The girls tell me they loved the teen club on board.  In June, Mom & Dad biked 500 miles across Kansas (from the Colorado to the Missouri border) along with 800 others in 9 days.  The experienced several beautiful days of biking and one day that was absolutely terrible.  Along the way, they were able to meet up with old friends and made new ones.  That led to introduction to a whole new biking group in the area that they ride with regularly.  By the time you read this, they will have collectively logged 8000 miles for the year.  Someday I’ll make them pull me along in a baby trailer – I practice for this by sitting behind them while they ride on their trainers in the basement.  In August, everyone took a long weekend to Colorado to watch a professional biking race.  In addition to viewing the race, Mom and the girls were able to get autographs and photos of many pro cyclists that race in the Tour de France.

Both Anna and Emily are in middle school this year.  I’m responsible for walking them to the bus stop daily.  I want to make sure they know how much I will miss them, so I occasionally will throw myself to the sidewalk and refuse to move until after the bus has left, followed by crying and moaning.  Anna and Emily still are very busy with music, both still play piano and Anna also plays violin and Emily plays flute.  I stay very busy practicing with them.  Additionally, they are still dancing tap and pointe.  I don’t get to do much with those activities, except I can usually convince Mom to take me in the car.  The girls really are my best friends.

After a spring and summer of Dad working way more than wanted, he has moved to a new hospital that is only a mile from our house.  We love his new schedule and he loves the new commute.  Life at Overland Park Regional Medical Center is wonderful.  I love to sit with Dad while he enjoys the occasional cigar in our new sunroom that was put on the house back in March (“The Doctor’s Lounge).

Mom continues to teach piano, is active in her state and local music organizations, and leads Girl Scouts.  She and I like to curl up with a good book any chance we get.  Mom continues to be the master scheduler but still refuses to enter the 21st century – she won’t abandon that paper calendar!

I stay busy being the world’s greatest cuddler.  I firmly believe that if you are going to sit with someone, you should sit squarely on their lap (or chest, or shoulders).  I am the neighborhood greeter and bark hello to everyone and everything I see when I’m out for a walk.  I have trained the family to know that when I sit on the kitchen rug I want a treat.  I am also in charge of quality control for all couches and beds in the house.  I’m a real cutie.

Merry Christmas,

Sally

Cotton Bowl Loss

Well, this just wasn’t our year.  Despite a valiant effort, the Cats just couldn’t pull out a win.  In fact, they didn’t even have it within a touchdown (as they have for 9 games this year).  They lost 29-16, but they fought hard.  Several dropped balls and costly penalties made a difference.  Arkansas played much better and deserved the win.

My brother-in-law, Lee, is an Arkansas grad and is surely smiling.  Congrats to the Razorbacks on a good game.  More importantly, congrats to the Wildcats on an awesome season at 10-3.  A second-place finish in the Big XII is excellent (especially considering we were picked to finish 8th out of 10 teams).  Here’s to next year!

Go CATS!  EMAW!

Wildcat Grill (Cotton Bowl 2012)

This is a great song for the upcoming Cotton Bowl tonight. Enjoy. Click on the link and you can listen to song.  Read the lyrics below.

Wildcat Grill (Cotton Bowl 2012) by Dave Parks.

Lyrics (by Dave Parks):

Gonna put a little apple in a razorbacks mouth
Then we’re gonna roast him up and send him back south
You saw Alabama and you saw LSU
But we saw that 9 to 6 and we ain’t scared of you

Chorus:
Get some pig Snyderized
A little slaw on the side
Come on in get your fill
Friday night at the Wildcat grill

Stopped a Hurricane on a fourth and goal
Showed RG3 who was in control
Now a couple times we may have stubbed our toe
But we’re eatin’ high on the hog in the Cotton Bowl

Chorus:
Get some pig Collin Kleined
A little slaw on the side
Come on in get your fill
Friday night at the Wildcat grill

You can wear your pig hats and scream sooie
But we own all of Texas and we own Big D
While Willie’s doin’ pushups thanks to Mr. Bill
We’ll be cookin’ up some bacon at the Wildcat Grill

Chorus:
Get some pig Purple Pride
A little slaw on the side
Come on in get your fill
Friday night at the Wildcat grill

Cotton Bowl and Bike Riding

Today is the Cotton Bowl and Kansas State (#8) will be playing the University of Arkansas (#6). Both teams are 10-2 and are looking for a big win. Here’s hoping Kansas State can get it done.

We discussed traveling to Dallas for the bowl game, but $250 per ticket for the 4 of us and hotel and food expenses helped make the decision to stay home. However, a big screen TV with food, beverages, and friends should make for an enjoyable evening.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that Linda and I were able to enjoy our bike ride in just our shorts and jerseys. 63 degrees on January 5 is awesome.  Hoping for some more biking today before the game.

January 5 Bike Ride

Christmas with the whole family

Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012 was held at our house this year.  We had the majority of our immediate family.  We were missing one of my sisters and her husband plus Linda’s sister and her family.  Otherwise, both sets of parents and the Lynette’s family spent the holiday with us.

I worked the ER for the 3 days leading up to Christmas and was pretty much spent by the time I came home to enjoy time with the family.  However, we enjoyed hours of conversation each night.

Christmas morning was originally going to have the Catholic side at Mass and the Baptist side at one of the local Baptist churches.  However, with Linda playing organ, me singing, and both girls playing flute or violin, the Baptists arrived like a Christmas miracle and filed into the pew with Linda’s parents.  I couldn’t think of a more beautiful way to spend Christmas morning at church – looking out at my whole family in one pew while I was leading all of the Christmas hymns and singing Panis Angelicus was priceless.

After Mass, the kids could wait no longer and we then opened gifts.  What a wonderful time that was.

Dinner was prepared by Linda with some dishes provided by both mothers and Lynette.  The food was fabulous and the cookie extravaganza was over-the-top.  How Linda outdoes herself each year with cookies, we’ll never know.

Maags at Christmas

The day finally ended with a visit from my childhood best friend, Lynn, with his wife and two kids. What a great visit that was – as it’s been nearly 4 years since we last saw each other.  What a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.  God truly blesses us!

Lynn at Christmas

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad

2010.08.23 Lynn & Jan Featherston

Happy 44th Anniversary to my parents, Lynn & Jan Featherston.

December 1967 found Dad in Advanced Training for the US Army – I believe in New Jersey.  He arranged a brief getaway so he could get home to Tulsa to marry his love.  She followed him back to New Jersey and they were soon off to West Germany.  Fortunately for me, they started their family in just a few short years.  At the request of military commanders, they experienced moves to Maryland, Taiwan, South Carolina, Italy, and Kansas (plus a solo year in South Korea).  Times could be difficult, but they always had each other and us kids (Lynette, Su, and me).  We were fortunate to grow up in such a loving home that modeled Christian love and care.  Here’s to many more years, Mom and Dad.

Blogrolls and Podrolls

Blogrolls are a listing of blogs that a person might keep on their own blog page to help their readers find other interesting blogs. I’ve wanted to have one on my page, but I’ve never been able to figure it out. Well, I finally figured it out and you can now see a listing of my favorite blogs located in the column to the right. You’ll find emergency medicine blogs, biking blogs, Catholic blogs, cigar blogs, and photography blogs. These are what I read every day to stay up to date with the latest news and issues of my interests. To stay caught up with all of these, I use an app for both my iPhone and my Mac called Reeder. Absolute, can’t-miss blogs include “Connor and Helen Grow Up” (the blog belonging to Linda’s sister) and “StorytellERdoc”. For a good laugh, ZDoggMD is a medical satire site with lots of funny videos.

I’ve also decided to give you a listing of my favorite podcasts. These load automatically each day for me to listen to when I’m able. I used to new able to listen a lot when I was commuting back and forth from Leavenworth, but my new 3-minute commute has severely cut into my podcast-listening time. Anyways, these are the shows I listen to. The app I use to load and listen is Downcast. Absolute favorite podcasts are “Catholic in a Smalltown” and “DogWatch Cigar Radio”.

Here’s hoping you can find something in here that might interest you. Enjoy.

Eighth Grade Field Trip

For the first time in 9 years of our daughters attending school, I accompanied a class on a field trip. Anna told asked me over the weekend if I’d like to help chaperone her Social Studies class as the ventured out to the National World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial. The museum was opened in 2006 and I’ve always wanted to go – but have never been. Fortunately, it was my one day off and I was available to go. Two birds, one stone!

I met the group at the museum and was unprepared for just how unruly and disrespectful 8th grade boys could be. Certainly I wasn’t like that when I was 13? The old cliché “herding cats” came to mind a lot during the day. Frankly, it WAS just like herding cats. As soon as I’d help get a small group back under control, there’d be another small group getting out of line. The disappointing part is that there was a lot to learn and take in while at the museum and I’m afraid most of the kids didn’t get much out of it. Three-fourths of the kids were just fine, but that other one-fourth made it a difficult learning environment. I thought to myself, I’m glad the kids were not wearing t-shirts announcing that they were products of our particular school district and from our particular part of town.

After the museum visit, we loaded up onto buses and travelled over to the Crown Center to have lunch in the food court. Anna and I ate lunch with a good friend of hers. That actually was a fun time and was capped off with ice cream. Then the ultimate cat herding event began. We needed to collect each of the 150 or so kids and take attendance. This was being done while each kid had just eaten and was hopped up on sugar from the candy store or ice cream shop. WOW. However, I experienced some very entertaining interactions with young teens at this time. One kid wanted my class ring – in fact, called himself a magpie and really just wanted to have my ring. Another kid walked up to me and proclaimed that she’d had too much food and her belly was full. She was glad she hadn’t tried to eat at the Japanese restaurant because we didn’t have time, but sushi was her absolute favorite food. I’m not sure she ever took a breath through the 90 seconds that she spoke to me. I’d never met the little girl before – I was a complete stranger. It was like something out of a sitcom.

After wrangling all of the kids together, we walked over to the Union Station to experience the “American I Am” exhibit which celebrates the history of African-Americans in the United States from the early 1600s to today. Very cool exhibit. Much to our pleasure, there were security guards there that were more than happy to play the part of the mean guy and make sure the kids behaved.

2:00 finally came and I was released to walk back to my car to enjoy the rest of my day off. It was a wonderful day with Anna and her friends. Hopefully, she won’t need me for another nine years.

Christmas Recital – Anna

Screen Shot 2011-12-13 at 8.00.44 AM

Yesterday, I posted that Linda has her piano students play Christmas music at a local retirement facility at Christmas time.  The students get to play Christmas songs on the piano and the residents get to hear the kids play.

Anna played several pieces: Christmas Time is Here; Do You Hear What I Hear; and I’ll Be Home For Christmas.

Unfortunately, the camera began to overheat and shut itself off to cool during the last piece.  Linda had said this happened to her before, but I’ve never seen it happen.  The crazy thing is that this is a brand new DSLR that has amazing 1080p HD video and shouldn’t be overheating 8 minutes into recording video.  But – alas, it did and we’re stuck with a performance recording cut short.