Flu is surging at record levels. Measles is exploding, an outbreak in South Carolina just passed 200 hospitalized cases. ICE just shot and killed a U.S. citizen. We overthrew Venezuela for their oil and wanna “buy” Greenland. National debt is $38 trillion. Healthcare is crumbling rapidly now.

Done with streaming. I wish there was a service where all the channels were available in one package from one company that connected to the back of your TV via a cable…

I’ve had the privilege to work with the best group of colleagues a doctor could ever ask for. Here’s to the doctors, NPs, PAs, nurses, RTs, PT/OTs, SLPs, RDs, PCTs, and all the support staff that made everything possible. Peace out SATX! Till next time… (Y’all are some talented artists too!)

Good thing AI is taking on the menial jobs so humans can focus on making art and creating t- wait, what?

“No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith.” - R.A. Salvatore.

This tactic is part of the foundation of toxicity in modern medical practice. Physicians lack dedication, devotion, resiliency, you name it. The system is never at fault. The system must never change. Our problem is we just went to medical school to take the easy route…

When you’re trying to do some teaching and are also easily distracted…

Hot coffee, cold showers Someday you're gonna get your flowers All your pills come over the counter Yeah, they were so wrong about ya Let 'em look at you now like you're Hannibal Lector They wanted a villain, and you deserved better Yeah, you deserved better - “Too Pretty for Buffalo” by Baby Nova

An excerpt from the Nebula Award-winning novel, “Parable of the Talents.” Written by Octavia Butler, published in 1998, and relevant as ever.

Measles? Check. Trade war? Check. Child labor? Uhh…

I’m not gonna say the future is bleak, but the future is bleak.

This reminds me of the time Elon said he would give $6 billion (2% of his wealth at the time) to the UN World Food Program if they could give him a plan to eradicate world hunger. In 3 days they gave a detailed report. He never mentioned the report, and donated the money to his own foundation.

I remember the cystic fibrosis patients I took care of 20 years ago. I also remember the dedicated HIV wards in the hospitals, and that Princess Diana made headlines for shaking hands with AIDS patients. Progress has been incredible. Miracles are where you choose to see them.

“So what are your thoughts on America? Americans?” “I don’t know, maybe you will be taking offense.” “No, I want to know, seriously.” “I don’t know, I think there is … confusion. Confusion here.” “How so?” “Americans really not know who they are.” “I’m listening.”

Benjamin Franklin:

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Emma Lazarus 11/2/1883

Now hollow fires burn out to black, And lights are fluttering low: Square your shoulders, lift your pack And leave your friends and go. O never fear, lads, naught’s to dread, Look not left nor right: In all the endless road you tread There’s nothing but the night. A.E. Housman #burnout

Always be fighting Cardiology.

Ahh, sweet San Antonio. Where a tiny dusting of snow turns the town into a set from The Last of Us…

It wasn’t TikTok users who were hacked into giving up the blueprints to America’s most advanced stealth fighter. If TikTok is so risky for its ties to the Chinese, why is Rednote freely available? This is just another in an endless parade of calculated distractions in the United States of Amnesia.

It even looks like his hair.

“For last year's words belong to last year's language, And next year's words await another voice.” -T.S. Eliot, “Four Quartets.” Here’s to leaving what needs to be let go, and holding on to what needs to be kept. Happy New Year everyone.

Only about 300 to 400 people a year give a kidney to someone they never met. It's an act of generosity so unusual, a neuroscientist studies the people who do this.

The Killers released a Christmas song every year for over a decade. All proceeds from those singles went to charity. Those songs are now all together on an album: “Don’t Waste Your Wishes.” Check it out if you want some different Christmas tunes! They’re bangers.

“Talent isn’t as rare as you might think. There are incredibly talented people everywhere, carrying their gifts within them. The problem is, and always has been, opportunity. So many others could do what I do. Fate chose me.” “Nobody chose you. Luck is like lightning. It strikes, or it doesn’t.”

So the President urged Congress to take action, and the Governor of Wisconsin put the flags at half mast. Good to know we’ve done all we can do, until the next school shooting (which statistically speaking will probably be before the end of the week).

Attended the “Illuminate” light show exhibit at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens last night. Simply stunning. Will be posting more photos I took, but the highlight was this massive peacock. It’s hard to describe how disorientingly beautiful this was to experience in person.

Congrats to my friend Colton Valentine on his incredible art exhibit at 337 W Commerce St, in San Antonio, TX. So grateful to know you man. Wishing you unlimited success. It’s never too late! (Not pointing at Sade, I’m pointing at him.)

Love finding my little book out in the wild. Makes a great Christmas gift if you’re still looking! Easy read, nice and compact, great for medical and non-medical people alike. :) You can find THESE VITAL SIGNS on Amazon or at this website for other options: www.harpercollins.com/products/the...

Had a dream I time-traveled and stopped Paul Walker from getting in that car. He went on to have a big cameo role in John Wick opposite Keanu, got cast as Aquaman, started appearing in “prestige” films including Oppenheimer. We stayed in touch. He was kind and funny. Woke up still hoping. 😞

The City of Tulsa coming through in the clutch…

It’s going to be an interesting jury to be on, that’s for sure.

Saw an ophthalmologist in the physician lounge today. Looked around incredulously to see if anyone else was seeing this. Sure enough a small group of hospitalists was huddled nearby, filming with their phones. One of them gestured to me, and pointed. “I know!” I mouthed back silently.

Choose empathy. Read.

Some *good* news, Dr. T! www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/...

They know the outrage will be limited and things will blow over. As long as profits keep rising, all is well. We’ve had examples like this over and over and over, but the system propagates itself. There’s too much money in it. The time for incremental change is long gone. Revolution.

“It’s a Small World” is lowkey a kind of terrifying ride, but the level of unease ratchets up to near unbearable levels when the dolls break down and stop dancing and just… stare blankly into nothingness.

The psychological burden of the amount of work building up for you to come back to, when you take a vacation, requires a second vacation.

Wait, so her name is Minerva Mouse?

Had a dream that I was 13 again, visiting a family member who just died recently. I tried to warn them about the lung cancer they would develop down the road. Told them to get a CT scan early, seek early treatment. They told me to let them go, things happen the way they do. Woke up still hoping.

Snapshots from Florida #3.

Snapshots from Florida.

Thoughts from a few days at Disney World. Nobody does hospitality like Disney. Everyone we interacted with was pleasant to a fault. Place was spotless. Transportation was convenient. Lightning Lane system worked well. Gave the impression of harmony, which is rare. Just a well-oiled machine. 1/

“Soarin” is one of my favorite theme park attractions of all time. Simple. Pure. And it inspires one of the rarest feelings… true awe.

Snapshots from Florida. I liked the way this little guy looked at me as I lined up this shot. No fear. Minor irritation, perhaps.

Ahhh Disney World during a major holiday season, relaxing and serene as ever… My decision-making skills remain A+.

I agree with this sentiment. When you view the world as an ideological battlefield and nothing else, it becomes hard to comprehend pursuing something for its own sake. To do a thing for the sheer love of it, without looking to “win” anything beyond meaningful happiness. To enjoy clear blue skies.

Sarah is such an immensely talented artist. This painting perfectly captures the way I’ve been feeling lately. It’s also achingly beautiful. Can you see the little boat almost lost in the storm? Unexpected storms, toy boats, safe harbors. Sometimes you find the harbors, sometimes they find you.