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I hate putting rings in the noses. Ugh... Especially the grown ones...

But cows are stupid, especially bulls. They have two gears, forward, and not forward. We had one so fat get stuck in the chute at the farmers place. The dumb b*****d didn't know how to back up, so he jsut went further forward. We had to get a chainsaw to cut the poor ******** out.

We weren't paid by the hour either....

But, I must admit, cows are at least smarter than buffalo. They don't even have gears, only different speeds. No reverse on those things. And people wonder if I have remorse for eating them... the poor things can barely feel pain, or understand you can go backwards... much less that they're raised to feed me.

Do you guys own a llama? Its the fad that's sweeping the nation. They're naturally protective, and quite amiable with cows. According to farmers that own them, they're quite good guard dogs... But then again, do you live near natural predators?

It sucks for one.

I'm becoming a surgeon, but there's no way in hell I'm playing field doctor. If what you're thinking of is one of those guys in the squad to saves fallen comrades on the battlefield in the middle of the war, I'm not sure that you're right in the head.

not to mention, you are always in the line of danger, you either help people that only need first aid, or only patch up someone who's dead in 3 minutes most the time. Most squads can treat their troops well enough in the field the medic is almost unnecessary.

Not to mention, boot camp for field doctors is more rigorous than seal training (which really isn't that rigorous, to be honest, but..). You're submitted to put IVs in each other (trade off with your partner) while you're splashed with a firehose in 30 degree weather. I think the training they go through is more Bullshit than anything but whatever...

If you want a medical carreer, that's safe, pays well, allows you to actually live at home, and do little work, then be a corporate consultant. You basically refer to other doctors all day, and make 6 figures.

If you have to go into the operating table, then surgeon isn't that hard to pass. Just a C average in school, and 8 years in college.

Want a challenging medical career? Try Veterinarian. A average all 8 eyars of school, self employed (mostly), and you might jsut pull 50k a year if you're lucky!

Because that attitude will get you dead.

A fear of death is what keept a soldier alive back then. Nowadays, you'll ahve to go through so much Bullshit (you still need the 8 years of Med school to be a field surgeon anyway, so technically you are ******** into doing that) that its not funny.

But, the upside is, if there is no wars or conflicts while you're in, and you don't like it, then you can fall back on the surgical career.

Nowadays, really, the field medic is a fabled position. They ahve them, but really, what can you do? you don't spend time nursing the soldiers en masse like Vietnam or WWII. You spend more time healing civilian casualites, than soldier soldier bonds. And when you do treat soldiers, you are going to have to follow normal procedure.

Most soldiers are "wounded", but it is usually only a bullet wound anymore. You might see a case of a leg blown off every once in a while, but nowadays, probably not. Burns, maybe. But you're efforts are really wasted in a sense.

Soldiers anymore aren't soldiers really. I lost my faith when I asked a guy about his S.E.A.L. training, and he's the lead squad commander, and he couldn't bring to bear the fact he had to kill a rabbit.

You really are romantisizing about it, in a sense.

Soldiers either die, or they have really small injuries. I know one guy who went to Iraq, and the most he ever did was treat several blisters and three bullet wounds. Garunteed, bullets hurt, but no.

The days of the hundreds upon thousands of injured are over. That died with Vietnam. The War in iraq has caused 1200 some deaths, maybe more, but not more than 5000. Injured is almost 9000, i believe. Of that 9000, how many do you think had serious injuries that required medical care? less than half.

Trust me, field surgeon isn't what its cracked up to be. Not to mention, you may never even become one. Remember, all hospital staff rotate, so you have a greater chance of being stuck in a hospital than actually playing G.I. Joe out on the field.

Hate to burst your bubble, but eh... I would never go into the military unless I had to. The government is the worst thing to ever happen to someone's life. Trust me, if you're lucky, you'll get your dream, but the paperwork alone is 80% of your job.

But, I can't say otherwise.

Though, your "not minding the prospect of death" doesn't come from bravery. It comes from Ignorance. You've never been in a situation where you could have died probably.

How many times has your life flashed past your eyes?

I've been kicked, stomped on, fallen over 3 stories, fell into a collapsing stage, been in every type of natural disaster, saw myself on the edge of a razor knife, gun in my back, beat up, smashed, nearly ran over who knows how many times, bitten by rattlesnakes, and had a riquochet glance past my ear, and I can tell you, you wake up really fast after the first couple times.

Suprizingly, I've never broken a bone... simple fracture, but never a break...

In the words of Winston Churchill:

"I am fully prepared to become a martyr; however, I would like to postpone it as long as possible."

Accepting death is not the problem. Its inevitable, and the seven stages of death will happen to everyone, sooner or later. My beef with it is that I want to live. If I wasn't scared of death, or enjoyed it, I would kill myself. But I'm here, and you're here, so neither one of us actually wants to die.

That's the difference. Acceptance is one thing, actually facing it is another. If you were truely unafraid of death, then suicide would be nothing. You would be dead already. But the primal instinct to live is a very strong one, even if one doesn't notice it. Only through beliefs can one truely surpass instinct. Hence, why religeous zealots and cultists make up the bulk of deaths.


But besides that.

Nospai, whether or not you want to, you'll still have to go through med school. If you're just a paramedic or first aid kind of dude, you'll probably only need 4 years of school, but if you're going to wield a scalpel and field surgeon's kit with sutures, scalpels, and morphine, you're going to need the 8 years.

That, and if you have the military pay for it, you'll probably need to be active duty for about 3-4 years, depending on the deal you strike. But, you come in as a captain, along with all the combat pay (provided you go overseas).

But there isn't a single doctor that doesn't have over half his job doing paperwork. Even the best have to press the pencil to the paper.

Who am I to critisize? I've been in the military my entire life. I know the healthcare system sucks for citizens, and worse for military dependents. Military surgeons in the country work three operations a day (at best). they make 50k bonus, non-taxable on top of their salary.

I'm just not a military fan. They are supposed to protect me? The Air Farce is a joke, the Army... ugh.., Navy can't decide on what it wants to do, and the Marines are thrown around like a rag doll. The Coast Guard works harder than the other four branches, defending our coasts, and every coast of any country we go to as well...

Its times like this I wonder why was I born smart and good looking? (latter being highly subjective)

My point. If one is truely unafraid, then suicide would be nothing. In fact, many deaths come from curiousity in the States.

however, everyone is scared of death, whether they know it or not. It cannot be bred out. Psychologists have proven, even when the most robust of characters is put to the test, the subconcious works overtime to prepare for the chance of fleeting.

It is simply mind over matter when it comes to it.

Enough about death. As I stated, I'd rather live than die. I'm machiavellian in that aspect as well. Cowardly? Perhaps. But alive. I actually do think like Theta 231 sometimes....

As father points out, "A healthy sense of paranoia and fear often times are much better than bravery and courage. While you may not get a red badge of courage, you might be lucky to NOT get a purple heart. God I hate purple hearts. Stupidest medal one can recieve."

I repeat:

"I am fully prepared to become a martyr. However, I would like to postpone it as long as possible."

Anyways...

umm...

I love Churchill. Best quotes in the world come from him. Like this one:

"If you're under thirty, and vote republican, you have no heart. If you're over thirty, and vote democratic, you have no brain."

You. Lotto Tickets. Buy now.