To Whom It May Concern

The recent use of AIT and pat-downs has raised a serious concern for me as an airline customer. The level of invasion dictated by these procedures does not provide an acceptable increase in my personal security in exchange. Further, my inability to opt out of both procedures without incurring a fine makes it impossible for me to stand up for my rights as an American citizen. How can we, as a nation, not see how personal privacy is violated, victims of sexual crimes are harassed, and religious persons are told that their God doesn't exist at TSA checkpoints?

Regrettably, my family and I find that we may be forced to find alternative means of transportation if these invasive measures are not removed. As airline customers, it is these companies that will ultimately suffer the long-term effects of the TSA chasing Rights-defending Americans out of the skies. I have sought to add my voice to other groups who also find TSA to be violating my rights and will continue to do so. What I hope to learn is what are airlines doing to defend the rights of their customers? Are there groups that the airlines are referring their customers to? And are there alternatives that the public is not being made aware of?

Sincerely,
Gregory Cox

Happiness is...

Getting sealed in the Boise, ID LDS Temple to my amazing wife on December 28th, 2010!!!



We got the last signature from the Stake President last night, so there's nothing left but to get to our date!

Say Hello To Our New Puppy

Xyphoid? Wasn't that the guy from Hitchhiker's Guide To The Universe?

More great observations, lessons, and whatnot can be found at Saving the World.

Summer 2010

With a few weeks off from school this summer, my wife and I drove... a lot. In fact, this much:

I don't recommend that many miles in five weeks to anyone, but we did have a ton of fun. Though we are somewhat terrible picture takers, we did get some from Boulder, CO.

While there we got to see a lot of my old haunts, a few friends, and the Pearl Street Mall.

Along the way, we put the car over the 100,000 mile mark.

The place seemed somewhat apropos give the dozens of times that I have seem this mile post over the course of that 100,000 miles.

Through the whole of the trip, we got to see a lot of friends, both mine and my wife's families, and just generally enjoy a lack of schedule for 5 weeks. So, nothing terribly exciting, but a really good break from the mental exercise that is the first year of medical school. Oh, and for those interested, I did shave the osteo-stache.

Viva La Osteo-stache

By way of explanation: apparently the second year students at ATSU have been growing osteo-staches as part of the festivities in welcoming in the new first years. Apparently I decided to join in.

Ever Wonder What Med Students Do For Fun?

Hey look, more studying!

A Good Use Of Five Minutes

For The Geeks In The Crowd

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Red Tape

I've talked about sleep apnea a couple of times, and specifically about how the military is not a fan. Well, despite having known that this diagnosis no longer applies for a while now, the military finally had acknowledged that fact. The trouble is that they are currently out of scholarships for this year, so I'm left out on the alternate list. Fortunately, this list is based on merit, and now that I don't have sleep apnea, I'm now a top category applicant. The thing that is most irritating is that when I originally approached the Army, already having lost the weight, they told me that sleep apnea would easily qualify for a waiver. If they had just said, "we don't know, you might need another sleep study" this whole thing might have been resolved months ago and I might be reporting that I am on Army scholarship... guess I should just get used to this sort of efficiency.

So nine months ago...

Nope, its not what you think. Its going back to this thing. Turns out that to get an Army Health Professionals Scholarship you can't have sleep apnea. Since I learned this fact I have lost 50 pounds, so I had a follow up sleep test over spring break. The results came back today and I no longer exhibit the signs of sleep apnea!

Well... I Truly Appreciate Math...

More great observations, lessons, and whatnot can be found at Saving the World.

Got This in an Email From My Uncle

Dear Lord,
This past year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze; my favorite actress, Farah Fawcett; my favorite musician, Michael Jackson; and my favorite sales man, Billy Mayes.

I just wanted to let you know that my favorite president is Obama....
And my favorite congressman is Pelosi......
Amen

Just For My Honey

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Why I Bought Wii Fit Plus (Post Consumerism Justification)

I always thought of the Wii Fit setup as a way to get a little physical activity, without ever expecting to feel like I had "worked out." With the Plus add-on, the ability to string together a set of exercises without the long assessment and scoring screens means that I can actually do 30 minutes straight of quickly moving from exercise to exercise. Turns out to be a fairly intense workout when done this way and I really appreciate that I now have this option since its way too cold to run outside these days.

New Favorite Medical Term

As per Wikipedia: Coccydynia is a medical term meaning pain in the coccyx or tailbone area, usually brought on by sitting. Read: coccydynia is a medical pain in the ass.

Christmas Break A Week Later

We tried to take our own picture while we were in Galveston over Christmas. It took a few tries:





It was easier the second time we tried:

Its much easier to just get someone else to take the pics:

And then here's one from Christmas eve service back in Houston: