It's that time of year...

It's that time of year again. It's Scout Camp time. David and Sam had camp this week. David went to Camp Constantine and Sam had a week of Cub Scout Twilight camp. Jacob was also at Scout camp this week. In fact, I think Dad went a few days as well. Jeff leaves for Scout camp tomorrow with his new troop. This is his first summer camp as Scout Master. I have a tip for Jeff. Personal hygiene is NOT optional. Make sure the boys take at least one shower during the week. Scout Masters don't seem to think that's a big deal, but mothers do.

David seemed to have a good time. He earned several merit badges this year (last year he earned 0 as he missed several of his class). He'd taken to calling Camp Constantine the 'Place of Evil' after his experience last year. Camp Constatine is a couple of hours west of DFW located on scenic Possum Kingdom Lake (seriously, that's the name) and it's know for it's blazing hot and arid condition. Last year it rained the entire week - a once-in-100-year event. David came home with his pillow covered in mildew. This year it didn't rain, but the fire ants were out in force. Camp Constatine may not be a place of evil, but fire ants are truly the devil's spawn.

So David's been telling me stories from camp this week that generally revolve around various humorous-to-13-year-old-boys body sounds. David earned a merit badge in Reptile Studies while at camp so when he told me that he saw two diamond back rattlesnakes, I assumed this occurred in Reptile Studies class. I suppose one shouldn't assume. Evidently, Camp Constantine is not only overrun with fire ants, but also has a sizable number of rattlesnakes. David told me that he and another scout, AJ, found a rattlesnake on the path one afternoon.

"I knew it was a rattlesnake, because it was shaking it's rattle at us. And then AJ poked it with a stick and it rattled even louder!" Ack!

Slave Labor Update

Evan says (behind my back when he thinks I can't hear him) that I've had a personality transplant since my last semester of pharmacy school course work ended last month. I do feel like a tremendous load has been lifted from my shoulders. I started my clerkship rotations on June 2. So 2 weeks of my 40 weeks of slave labor as a doctor-of-pharmacy-wanna-be are completed. 1600 hours of working for free and paying tuition to Creighton for the privilege. Who made up that rule?

I'm working just down the road at a local chain pharmacy. Working with the public is always interesting. Here's what I've learned so far...

1. If someone comes in with prescriptions for both intestinal worms and pubic lice, use rubber gloves and a long stick to hand back the medication or you'll feel like bugs are crawling all over you for weeks.
2. If you must smoke while simultaneously using bottled oxygen, please don't use the pharmacy drive through to pick up your asthma inhalers. When you explode into a fiery ball of nicotine stained chunks, I'd rather not be standing 3 feet away with only a plate glass window to protect me. What kind of fool blows oxygen over an open flame? Evidently, lots of them.
3. Old ladies complain about paying $4 for 30 pills that will probably save their lives. Old men willingly pay $10 a pill for Viagra that will probably kill them, yet they never complain about the cost.
4. No, I don't want to see your rash and, yes, you probably can spread jock itch to your face.
5. If you took your Viagra an hour ago but then your wife called and said her appointment at the beauty parlor ran late and she won't be home for a couple more hours, don't call the pharmacy and ask me what to do about it. Really, don't call me.