Okay, I’ve been passively watching, safe in my relative geography. Then today I read that there are TWO Fukushima nuclear plants.

It’s F1 that’s having all the problems, reportedly F2 is shut down and cooling off.

When I’m confused about geography, my current go-to is Google Earth.

So:

There are two Fukushima nuclear plants, you ask?

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As an infectious diseases physician with a special interest in head and neck infections, I had extensive experience in otolaryngological illnesses. However, when I was exposed to new, different, and challenging experiences as a neck cancer patient, I had to deal with these as a patient — not as a physician. I endured the consequences of radiation, repeated surgeries, and prolonged hospitalizations. I confronted medical errors in my care, discrimination following loss of my vocal cords, and the hardships of regaining my ability to speak.

via A laryngectomy shakes this physician to the core.

I could not be that brave.

Definitely worth the read.

I don’t, and it’s not because I don’t appreciate the eleven of you. I do, it’s just that life, and blogging, evolve.

Here are my thoughts on why I don’t blog much anymore:

Technology changes. I Twitter more now than I blog. (@gruntdoc if you’re interested). What I twitter is occasionally snarky and completely useless and nonmemorable, so it’s not blogging, it’s just (sorta)-social media in action. Facebook is where people keep track of each other, and I’m engaging there, somewhat. I still prefer blogs.

My role in my Emergency Medicine group has changed. I’m now one of three ‘officers’ (I’m the Secretary, and no I don’t file or take dictation), but with a little more responsibility comes the awareness that people higher up than me are interested in what I think, and vice-versa. I’d hate for anyone to believe my blog is representative of my thinking (it’s not, the blog is better). Low expectations are better than high, in some circles.

I’ve said it. Frankly I’ve written 20 blog posts that I get halfway through and realize “I’ve said this before”, and that’s that. I’ll only rant about the same thing (excluding parasites) about three times, then it’s Done. Repetition isn’t fun to read on blogs, and I’ve spared you. Welcome. (Many bloggers have had this realization and had the decency to quit. Color me indecent).

I’m established. Yeah: stale, but present. There’s one continuous medblog I know of older than mine, and with that comes a sense of being, of not having to write to get attention. To be fair, stale isn’t what I aim for, but it’s what you get when you don’t push, and I’m not pushing. No argument. Also, not an excuse.

Parasites. There are ever-changing ways to screw docs, they’ll find them, and I’m less and less interested in handing them a blog post they can use against me. And, as I hate them, not worth the effort to rail at them. Doing so diminishes me, and certainly doesn’t elevate them. So, heck with that.

Commenting on the work of others is probably my best input/output option. Yeah, it’s sometimes lazy, but I think sometimes i have an interesting take on the blog/news of the moment. (YMMV).

A ton of my blog-peers, and blog-children, have packed it in. Nobody’s claimed blog-grandchild, and I understand that. It’s the blog version of an old-folks home sometimes, with the whipper-snappers causing problems and getting on the porch. No offense, but I haven’t added a blog to the blog-roll in probably a year. I don’t think blogging is dead, but it’s entirely possible it’s passed me by. Time will tell.

Shifting hobbies. I like projectile-oriented things, spend a lot of time (and the same dollars) on this hobby, and fearit’s not something people on this blog really dig. I don’t want to go all-shooting, but it’d be hard to stop if I started. So, restraint. For now.

Snootiness. Yes, me. I feel I’m setting a disapproving example in not blogging when others blog. About politics,  especially. Political hackery turns the seemingly most-eloquent, genius med blogger into a raving idiot, and not in a good way (either way). The disconnect between politics and the gentle practice of medicine is vast, and I choose to lead by Not Playing. True, I’ve lead in a direction nobody is interested in following, but I feel that it’s still worth the lack of effort. Someday my genius will be recognized. I hope.

Aging. As I become more mature I’m letting things go I didn’t before. The realization that some things are temporary, and those that aren’t don’t usually matter have made me (a little) more tolerant of folderol and foolishness. And get off my lawn.

Why I don’t plan to stop:

I’m a blogger. Yeah, not an auspicious beginning, but an actual description of an organism. (Or, to be fair in describing a blogger, an onansim, but I digress). That likes to blog.

I’m too lazy to quit. I’ve goofed on this before, but really, why quit (more than) now?  The world will miss me when I’m gone (I mutter this to myself continuously).

Blind squirrels, etc. Nuts are my especitalty…

I like all eleven of you.

Thanks for coming around now and again. I promise you…nothing, but when the Spirit moves, I shall keep blogging.

A man who broke into a house in Portland, Oregon, called police — afraid the homeowner may have a gun.

via Intruder calls 911, afraid homeowner may have gun – CNN.com.

Wow. Interesting.

Most kids might hope to get an Xbox or an iPod Touch for their 10th birthday. Brennan Daigle got a reception from a formation of soldiers, a ride in a camouflaged National Guard Humvee–and induction as an honorary member of the Army.

via Wish comes true for cancer-stricken 10-year-old inducted into Army – Yahoo! News.

via Ace.

A Lincoln Town Car will go 63MPH. In reverse.

AUSTIN — A proposal to add an M.D. program to the medical school in Fort Worth could be delayed because of state budget woes, lawmakers and local officials said Thursday.The possible setback for the M.D. school — which would be at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth — was just part of the grim news that confronted scores of Tarrant County officials as they spread out in the state Capitol to lobby for local priorities.

via Texas budget crunch could delay M.D. program in Fort Worth | Texas Legislature | News fr….

Interesting.

HolyCoast.com: Discovery Launch As Seen From a Passing Airliner.

Very cool.  The Captain’s overhead announcement is amusing.