Thothblog

People, people!  Ya gotta stop.

I get that people become impassioned.  I appreciate that passion can drive people to extraordinary measures, to do great things.  Passion is a good thing.  However, don’t let it get in the way of intelligence.  Don’t let passion drive you to stupidity.  I ask this, because I every day use of insignificant sample sizes are driving me batty!  Sample sizes of 1 and isolated incidents don’t mean a whole hell of a lot and impassioned people seem to want to anoint their single blip as the second coming.  What the hell is that about?

Here are some classic examples of passion leading to douschbaggery.  Using a single hot or cold event to help prove your opinion on climate change.  Snow in Houston does not disprove global warming.  A record temperature high does not prove global warming.  I would say leave it to the experts but as we learned earlier this year, that pesky original data is just a bitch to store.

Along those same lines, an off night for a basketball player does not prove him to be a shitty player.  An on night for a basketball player does not cement his greatness.  A strong performance by a player does not prove the validity of a trade, a weak performance in one game does not demonstrate the stupidity of the trade.

Lets shoot for 30, and no cherry picking the data.

I am fairly sure that is what goes through every doctor’s mind the moment you speak any medical terminology to them. As I sit here in the waiting room, I think back to previous doctor visits over the last 6 months. Most notably is my followup visit to the oral surgeon (thus referred after this as dentist) after having my wisdom teeth removed. I remember it as if it was yesterday (it wasn’t) and the cheerful demeanor that the dentist had. Well, had until I answered his first question. A simple question; “how are things?”. I assume what doctors hope for is “Fine.”. However, when you answer them intelligently, with correct pharmaceutical dosing and pronunciation; just watch their butts pucker. Doctors hate the web, it demystifies their profession. More than that doctors hate people who use the web to become informed, because that forces doctors to answer their patients with more than platitudes. However, there is someone they hate more than that; those few who have medical and biology backgrounds but aren’t doctors. Not only do we have the information they do, but we understand it.  This scares the crap out of them…in part because I am fully willing to call them on their BS! As for the dentist, that cheerful demeanor went away damn quick.

“To our prevent defense!” his brain commanded. “Well, you see, pain management can be a difficult thing, and we, the humble doctor can not be responsible for fluctuations in pain.”. “good evade.”, his brain soothed.

“Doctor, that might be true had I not explained in detail my previous pain experiences and gave specific pharmaceutical dosing and tolerance levels.”

At this point the doctor’s brain is thinking; “MUST AVOID GETTING SUED!”

I always think that I should preface any face to face with any of my doctors with a “please speak intelligently to me, I am not going to sue you.”. Sadly not. This is one reason that I like working with the technicians. These people are knowledgeable regarding their field and when someone presents interest and intelligence, most technicians seem to jump at the chance to banter back and forth.

This all brings us to today…yes still in the waiting room…and my allergy and asthma appointment. This is a field I have way to much knowledge for not being a doctor, but after all, it’s me and I have a vested interest in me! I like my current doctor because he does not dumb his answers down to me…although a thick accent does make things a little difficult.

Ok,  so my appointment is finished, all is as I expected…not where the doctor was hoping things would be, but it is what it is.  Allergist still in the good column.

It’s nice to have doctor’s visits that go well.  They give you a warm fuzzy over maybe there are people in the medical industry who aren’t out to screw people.  To be frank, I don’t feel that most doctors are out to get their patients.  I think a combination of fear and an abused legal system has led to the doctor patient dichotomy that exists today.  However, there are always those oral surgeons in the world who just don’t like to listen.

Wow, okay.  So, the decision is in, the votes have been tallied and the requests have been…whatever happens to requests.  After years (just over 1, so we are going to stick with the plural on that one) of twittering, I have decided that the need exists for a larger out pouring of the trials, tribulations, and musings that go on in my brain.  What the perfect forum to do so in.  Nerd musings.  Thats the name of the game.  I have so many nerd musings I feel like I am going to bust.  So hopefully this will give me the ability to post on the various sillyness that creeps into my daily life.  Hopefully, I am able to incoporate pictures and drawings and math and nerdiness into a blob of soemthing worth reading, or not, who knows what will happen.

So with that in mind, its ON!!