Big Sur

Very excited we will be driving up US 1 through Big Sur to celebrate New Year's eve. We'll stay in Monterey on the eve and drive back in 2011 :) Here's a great video I found on YouTube on Big Sur.

Lemon Bars

Recently tried this lemon bars recipe using lemons from our own small lemon tree. Delicious. Can't wait until the next couple of lemons turn yellow. Click on the pic below for the recipe from joyofbaking.com!

Bela Fleck @ the Orpheum Theater

We had the pleasure last night to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones live at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, CA with special guest the Alash Ensemble (Tuvan throat singers). What a beautiful holiday show! Below are a few photos I took, and some more info on Alash.













Alash Ensemble

My Favorite Things

The Eternal Battle Baby Ducks vs. The Wind

Aniso Trail / El Capitan State Park

Post Thanksgiving weekend we made the short trek to the Aniso Trail, part of El Capitan State Beach, about 20 miles north of Santa Barbara. "Aniso" is the Chumash Indian word for seagull, and this trail follows their ancient trade route, high along the bluffs overlooking the ocean and the serpiginous coastline of sandstone cliffs. The hike also provides beautiful panoramic views of the Santa Ynez mountains. This cool autumn hike served as the perfect relaxation to round out a great Thanksgiving vacation.

Thesis Completion

Sweewawa has completed her Physics PhD thesis and is mailing the final version today!

And here are some photos from her PhD defense in August:

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Carpinteria, CA! Have fear as the Chinese tiger is here.

Favorite Radiology Links

General:

Chest Radiology: The Essentials (2nd edition)

Brant and Helms Fundamentals of Diagnostic Radiology

Radiographic Anatomy:

Radiographic Anatomy of the Skeleton (U. Washington)

Basic MRI Anatomy of the Knee (U. Washington)

Chest:

Mediastinal Masses explained:

The Radiology Assistant -- Mediastinal Masses

Neuro:

Differential Diagnoses in Neuroradiology

Great Neuro Atlas -- Head Neck Brain and Spine

MSK:

Bone Tumors Differential -- The Radiology Assistant

Bela Fleck

Very excited . . . bought our tix to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones in Los Angeles at the Orpheum Theatre. In prep for the fun here are some videos of the band from Youtube:

Goleta Beach / UCSB Campus

Kaleidoscope

A beautiful poem Sweeewawa composed on the Dr. Zhivago-inspired skating performance by the great Johnny Weir:

Kaleidoscope--for Johnny Weir



White

Everything was at a loss in this
bright new world.
A gust of wind arrived at Zhivago's window.
With the entire Moscow's snowflakes in her arms,
she flipped through the pages of his journal.

Upon the glass cast a fleeting shadow,
An angel soaring and singing
fell suddenly,
scattered to pieces.
Yet Adam did not stop
gazing up at the sky.
His hair dark,
His back lean,
Beside his bony ribs there still remains
a pair of pale white wings.




Red

Watery eyes clear and deep
stir up reflection of bliss and sorrow.
A spell of melodies lifts your arm,
while bending the waist of
a dancing soul.

The soul rests like a swan by the
ancient sea-side cliff,
inhaling the salty breeze and
stroking the damp feathers
with a peck of coral hue.




Black

I knew a tune about
youth and agony.

On the third floor of my old school building
stood an obsolete window.
I used to sit there everyday humming,
my legs dangling out of the sill.
I used to imagine leaping out whenever
a cooling breeze was coming.

I knew a tune about
magnificence and absurdity.

Woke up amidst the night,
Humming to myself I picked up
a charcoal black liner,
and a neon blue rouge.
I was painting so fastidiously
in the moonlight,
without a mirror.

Those sham and banal,
you pronounce as beauty.
True talent in your eyes,
is nothing but audacity.

I have been long abandoned by this world –
Then why bother withdrawing?
Wearing my tight black suit and
my flamboyant paint,
eyes simply shut,
I shall take a stroll in the daylight.




Epilogue

The glimmer of gold melting,
the thrust of light fleeting,
the still of a lonely night,
the quiver of a butterfly’s wings –
you expressed them one after another,
with free-flowing movements,
with ever-changing hues.

Zhivago dwelled on mishaps,
Rudin forever in exile.
Anna sought for extremes,
Asya too fragile –
You live in dreams, one joining another.
’Tis only the outermost one,
that could be woken up
by the thunderous clamor.

Loon Point

It's a pretty tough life when every weekend is a beach vacation . . . . but I'm getting used to it. Here's a beach minutes away from our home in Carpinteria. I like.

Loon Point hike is a gorgeous stretch of beach between Summerland and Carpinteria, CA. 40-foot sandstone cliffs tower along the beach and eucalypti, Monterey cypress, and sycamores can be seen dotting the cliff edge.

Radiology oral boards / Hitler

Seven Falls / Inspiration Point

Seven Falls / Inspiration Point is a beautiful hike in Mission Canyon, near Santa Barbara. During the spring, water fills the creeks and there are several falls (seven, possibly?). At this time of year it's very dry and dusty. The views of Santa Barbara, Goleta, the Santa Ynez Mountains, and the Channel Islands are breathtaking.

Real Madrid vs. LA Galaxy

Carpinteria, CA

Next stop on the SB Free tour is Carpinteria, CA our new home and favorite sleepy beach town. The Carpinteria Bluffs walk is free and very gorgeous. There you can also see the seal rookery.

Douglas Family Preserve

A great free thing to do in SB, love this walk with panaromic views of the Pacific coast.

A link with info about the history of the preserve:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Family_Preserve

More info including directions:

http://www.santabarbara.com/activities/parks/douglas_family_preserve

some photos of our recent trip there:

Free Santa Barbara

Am starting a project where I'll list descriptions / show photos of free things to do in Santa Barbara / the surrounding areas under the Tag "SB Free". Good project for a poor Radiology resident. Hope you enjoy.

To Do list for Life

Things I'd like to do before I die -- will keep updating this as things come to mind, and hopefully check some of these things off the list . . .

- Ski the best mountains in the world
- Whitewater rafting
- Get good at kayaking
- Go to Burning Man
- Get really good at chess and go
- take a really long biking trip
- Transcribe note-for-note some Joe Pass songs / solos
- Go deep-sea fishing
- learn sailing
- Take a cruise
- see World Cup soccer live

things to do in California:
- napavalleybiketours.com
- drive a convertible all the way up US 1 in California
- Santa Rose Island camping (islandpackers.com)

things to do in or near SB:
- kayaking off coast
- hikes from "Day Hikes around SB"
- Cold Spring Tavern near SB (http://www.coldspringtavern.com) -- great fun, do again!
- Thursday seafood buffet at Four Seasons
- circlebarbstables.com (horseback riding SB)
- Channel Island tour / kayak trip
- whalewatching
- wine tasting in Santa Ynez valley
- Red Tile walking tour / SB Courthouse
- Lotus Land
- visit / photograph Moreton Bay Fig Tree
- Santa Barbara Zoo

visit:

Amsterdam (again)
Bora Bora / French Polynesia (Four Seasons hotel looks like a good pick)!!
Brazil
Caribbean
Grand Canyon
Great Wall of China
Greece (Santorini looks beautiful)
France (again)
Hawaii
Italy (again)
Jamaica
Japan
Nantucket, Mass
Spain
Switzerland (again)
Yellowstone National Park

concerts:

Bela Fleck (again)
Paul McCartney (before he dies)
Radiohead
Wynton Marsalis

completed & to-do again:

- take Sweewawa to see Joe Satriani
- performed a sternotomy
- Saw BB King Live
- Saw Herbie Hancock Live
- travelled in UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany
- skied in Switzerland, Italian Alps
- travelled throughout China
- Go backcountry camping
- Yosemite National Park

Cheers, Dr. Kowawa

June was busy

Busy month of moving from VA to CA. Not a lot of posting . . . but glad to have finally settled down in the Santa Barbara area!

Hunter Holmes McGuire

The Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, where I proudly served our nation's veterans of war as an intern in Internal medicine for 5 1/2 months during 2009-2010.

Belle's Isle

Bubu's eggroll sushi

Voila!

California dreamin'

Midas touch

The government is like King Midas, except for that everything it touches turns to poop instead of gold. --Dr. Kowawa

Miss You

Douglas Family Preserve

Snowpocalype 2010

Crohn's cat

Theenie decided to spend the evening studying the difference between Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease. I expect a full report in the morning.

1975 Santa Barbara