Lungs gone wild

Wow it's been a little while since I've posted but man school's been keeping me occupied. More on that latter but first some other news of what's been going on as of late.

I've been having a bit of a breathing issue and hopefully it's coming under control. A few weeks ago I ended up in the E.R. with breathing difficulties. My breathing was causing some high pressure issues with my vent and after a steroid treatment I was sent home. The issue got better but I continued to have flare ups. We visited with the RT and after consultation it was decided that my lungs were having compliance issues. This made me chuckle but then I had ask what the heck does non-compliant lungs mean. It basically means that my lungs have lost some of their elasticity. They aren't sure why this happened but at least it doesn't sound too serious. My pulmonologist added a new breathing treatment and we're starting to see some improvement. Hopefully things will keep getting better.

This past Tuesday night I went to the university to hear the riveting story of Hiroshima bombing survivor Shigeko Sasamori. She was 13 on the fateful morning of August 6th, 1945 when the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Her story was one of the most powerful that I've ever heard. How she survived is a true miracle and hearing something this makes you realize the pure evil that man can cause. The debate over the decision to drop the bomb will continue to rage on but when will mankind realize how pointless war is. Ms. Sasamori's story is a cautionary one in this age of continuing atomic expansion. You can click here to check out the story of Ms. Sasamori's visit to UM.

School has been good but this semester is my busiest yet. Math has been a drag but I keep telling myself that it will all be over soon :-) We have our first exam on Wednesday and it doesn't sound like it will be too bad. Montana history has been good and the lectures have been pretty interesting. I'm almost finished with the first book for this class and that makes me pretty happy. We have our first exam for this class on Wednesday too. It will be a two question essay and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Lastly, my ethics class has been pretty tough and it takes effort on my part to stay on task with the reading. The professor is awesome and it's the highlight of my day to attend his lectures. They are certainly never dull! We have our first exam on Monday and I'll be spending the weekend getting ready for it.

It's homecoming week on campus and we were fortunate enough to snag 3 tickets for this Saturday's game. The stadium had renovations over the summer and they now have room for over 25,000 rowdy fans. I'm looking forward to my first homecoming game and it should prove to be a memorable experience.

My folks are making a fall visit to Missoula next and I'm so excited. It will be great to hang out for a few days and we will be taking in a Griz game while they are here. Will be a nice break from the craziness of school.

Take care for now and if you missed the start SNL last Saturday, I've included it for your comedic pleasure.

Peace...Mark