Your grandest plans thread

If I actually have any money left over after this year's application season:

[YOUTUBE]_FMFHZ4IPtM[/YOUTUBE]


except just imagine that with a slower car and an even slower driver.

Great thread Quik!

Besides med school... ok, so once I'm a Dr, I'd like to do (cause I have NO $$ now):
Volunteer medical work for low income people in the US and abroad
Travel to (in this order) Paris/France, rest of Europe, Africa (Serengeti, Masai, Kruger), Australia, Alaska, Central/S. America... Potentially using my medical abilities to write-off the trips as volunteer work
Have a bunch of land to have a hobby farm
Have a second home in the mountains, unless my primary home is in the mountains, then the second home would be tropical
Climb more mountains (literal not figurative)
Have a great and wonderful life!

Quik, I'm really inspired by you, it is amazing what any of us are capable of if we really set our minds to it!

Transition from a comfortable income to being as frugal as I was during undergrad. Ace every post-bacc class without neglecting my wife or kids.

And celebrate med school acceptance with this:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou...992,-91.494141&spn=37.08836,79.013672&t=h&z=4

I agree, if I am stressed out, I find that the pre-allo forum usually provides me some laughs, and then there's the the fact that people here I can relate to, and also some comedic relief... SDN is a help to me!

Custom built 1000 gallon naturally lit salt water aquarium. Buy a powered parachute and tour the worlds most beautiful places with it (umm, commercial airline to destination then unpack pp for sightseeing, not actually trying to fly all over the world in it). Become a space tourist, (once the market has gotten it down below 50k, or I'm really stinking rich.) Dive the barrier reef. Give $100 bills to unsuspecting strangers at least 100 times a year. Have a 2nd home in Fiji. Climb Everest. Pack trip across the Rockies with my brother. Own multiple side businesses. Then the next year . . . do it all again.

Seriously though, those are real goals and it barely scratches the surface. Man I'm stifled. Need some$$$. Guess I better get back to studying. Really if I get even one of those it'll be awesome.

I want to build an observatory in my yard which would include a radio telescope or two. I also want to build a geodesic house. I want to travel to the seven continents like my MIL. I want to have a couple more children at least.

I wish I could find the cause of hyperemesis gravidarum.

First off Quik, props for wild land firefighting. I have no problem going into run down crack houses that are nearly fully involved in fire, but don't even think of giving me a rake and heading into the burning forest lol.


As for my grand plans, like most it's scary for me to think about leaving my full time job. But, as my elected governor tries his damnedest to make my job unbearable, I find it slightly easier to consider the prospect.

Unlike most of you, I'm not on my post bacc yet. I went straight from high school into the fire department, and no matter how many different times I look at it, the best way to proceed forward is to complete my bachelors in public safety management, which will take about another 2 years, then create my own post bacc for pre reqs.

So, to the point, my grand plans are;

1. Complete gen ed and graduate from cc with an associates in fire/EMS and another associates in law enforcement (I have my peace officer cert). 2 more quarters!
2. Complete my bachelors, 45 semester hours, all correspondence classes with a well known local brick and mortar business school.
3. Get cracking on my pre reqs
4. Med school
5. Residency
6. Profit

If I end up leaving Ohio for med school or residency, we will have to move back. My wife is very committed to her family and won't stand for it any other way. Ultimately, wherever we end up, I want about 10-20 acres with a 40x40 room to be my office, gun room, and reloading room. I want a door from that room that leads straight out back to my own personal shooting range. Since we're dreaming here, I want a vacation house somewhere warm also..

There are times when I think my grandest plan is only to wake up when I'm supposed to the next morning.

Besides that: professionally, I'd like to someday have the wherewithal to volunteer for Doctors Without Borders, but I think I'd be content with simply traveling out to parts of the US that are underserved. Personally, I'd like to someday develop my photography portfolio enough to hold a small exhibition or publish a book.

Oooohhh!!! A Big Dream thread!!! Mine aren't quite as exotic as yours, but they're big enough for me....

I want to have a successful family medicine practice - if I can be even half as good a physician as my own PCP, I'll be thrilled.

I'd love to do some traveling....first, here in the US (there's still so much I haven't seen yet, and so many places I want to revisit); then to England and Scotland.

I'd love to live closer to my family.

On a material level, I'd love to build my dream home and get a newer car (mine's 21 years old.)

Grand Plans? Well, baby I dream big, so pardon the delusions of grandeur.....

Here is my dream in a nutshell

BECOME AS TOUGH, CHARMING, SELFLESS, RESOURCEFUL COMPASSIONATE, SUCCESSFUL AND DISCIPLINED AS MOTHER THERESA!!!!

Now some dreams that are a bit more tangible....

PreMed - PreApp

• Finish postbac by Dec 2011 with straight As. Study MCAT for three months and score 34 or higher in April 2012 (Apply June 2012)
• Get an EMT-basic cert (fall 2011).
• Develop and launch a series of med education workshops for for local community health clinic (oral health, children and diabetes prevention, stress reduction for moms, and one other). Not sure if this one will happen.
• Help develop stronger marketing program for another medical clinic that I volunteer at.
• Finish developing one of my websites that has a highly valuable domain name (web site address).

PreMed - Post Ap
- Live/study in Spain for 8 weeks with my 15 year old son. (June-July 2012)
- Run one yoga teacher training program with a minimum of 15 participants/trainees
- Get job as EMT basic, pt
- Go to China and Japan with hubby. Maybe Europe (not spain) if time allows.


PostMed (as med student and dr)

• Volunteer at free medical clinic once a week.
• Go on medical mission once a year.
• Work with under served populations where I can really help people and connect with them.
• Once I become a dr. stay pure in my intentions to serve the poor and never get tempted/romanced by glamor or money.
• Help not only treat disease, but be part of a team/program that successfully promotes preventive medicine and integration of CAMs.
• Write a book about integrated medicine - and actually have it sell on a large scale - making a difference in people's lives.

Big dreams. Well, there are the ones I absolutely WILL accomplish, and ones I would LOVE to accomplish:

1. finish residency.

2. find a job.

3. sell my house in Maine.

4. Buy a house where I have a job. The house has to have land. Alternative:

5. Buy at least 10 acres of land and build a house. I'd love to have a Deltec house. They're just cool looking.

6. Build two small apartment/suite buildings on the property, attached to the main house with covered corridors. One for my in-laws, one for my parents. They're both retired and will need to be closer to family soon, and my husband and I are the only viable options for both.

7. Buy a cheap car that doesn't work for my daughter and have her restore it so she has something to drive now that she's got her learner's permit. I hope my car survives her learning. I also need a second auto restore project for my son.

8. A new car for me. Mine is 15 years old, and it's the newer one in our family.

9. A new truck for my husband.

10. A woodshop for my husband to play in.

11. A garden/greenhouse to grow veggies year round.

12. Help pay for my childrens' education.

13. Go on a real vacation just once. Egypt would be lovely once the area settles down.

14. A trip to Scotland and Ireland for my 25th year wedding anniversary.

15. A beautiful gourmet kitchen. With LOTS of storage space. I love to cook.

16. Save enough money for retirement to live comfortably and leave my children more than debt.

17. Speaking of debt, I want to be out of it. ASAP.


Now for the ultimate stupid big dream:
I wanna win powerball so I can do some of the above NOW. I still want to work, I'd still do 80 hours a week in residency. But it would be nice to pay my husband and my family back for supporting me all these years with some things they would like to have. Unfortunately, to do this I would actually have to get a powerball ticket and I don't buy them. So I'd have to have someone give a winning ticket to me somehow. Then I'd buy a 60 foot yacht and live there on weekends. *ahhhh* heavenly!

-Find a gorgeous, intelligent wife

Click to expand...

Sorry, Quik, I'm already taken.

Graduate medical school, get into a residency that leads to clinical toxicology. Apply for a K award. Get an academic position at a university.

Other goals :
Adopt a few kids
Have a comfortable house
Help out my parents
Climb El Cap and every other mountain out there or just cliffs
Eat desert before dinner every night
Have a fancy bathroom
Cure something
Be close to my family distance wise

I've been reading this and have a curious reaction. I think that I've already achieved my dreams. Now all that I want to do is get through medical school and live comfortably while taking occasional missionary trips.

I remember when I was 23 and just escaping from homelessness and applying to college. I could put myself to sleep each night by imaging myself as a student or by thinking of myself rocking my babies to sleep while quoting scripture to them.

Now my babies are all grown up and I sleepily drag myself to bed at 2 am after listening to their relationship woes for 2 hours.

work for UNICEF or WHO
run clinics in Peru, Cambodia, Thailand...
make a living working on cash-only basis and never work with insurance blood suckers

Quik said:

hahahahahaha!

Do you have a sister

Click to expand...

I do... She is pretty, and she's probably the most intelligent woman I've ever met... Problem is, she's either so far ahead of the rest of us, we'll never catch up, or she's pretty crazy... not sure which...

startoverat40 said:

work for UNICEF or WHO
run clinics in Peru, Cambodia, Thailand...
make a living working on cash-only basis and never work with insurance blood suckers

Click to expand...

I would like to do a similar thing, only basically I would take trades too... Like "hey, you're a mechanic, if you can work on my car, I can remove your mole" or whatever... keeps costs down all the way around... I don't have to pay taxes on 'trades' and the other people don't have to come up with cash... Additionally, people who have insurance can see you, they just pay you and get reimbursed by their ins company... BUT you have to get them to not be so lazy as to see someone else... So, you'd have to build a strong client base to take with you... Either way, I'm hoping at some point the system gets a little better... we'll see...

Ahhh to dream... things I can't do at my sucky job because it takes just enough thought to be not completely mindless, but not enough to be interesting...

Lots accomplished, lots to go. The most difficult item on the list...

- see the Cubs in the World Series (truly, this is a fantasy)


keep dreamin...

Man, who can resist this one?! Great idea Quik!

Near term:

1) Get my mojo back in the gym.

2) Mountain bike, back country ski, and fly fish like a mofo. (Insiders hint: No hotshot= free time in summer )

3) Get a d#$% job offer from the smokejumpers.

Medium/Long term:

1) Get into me school, spend seven or eight years really focused on becoming excellent at one skill, all ninja-like.

2) Not become a money-grubbing, embittered bast@%* in the process.

3) Board Certified Emergency Physician practicing close to all of my friends and family where I grew up.

4) Find a charming and intelligent woman who can beat me at chess, or play guitar better than me, or run faster than me, or any one skill that I can really be in awe of (except for run a chainsaw, she can't be a better sawyer than me, it's just weird, bro), and convince her to stay with me.

5) Have kids, preferably with the girl in #4

6) Sail around the world, see it all, climb great mountains, go to the museums, eat in the bazaars, drink in the bars,

7) Learn to fly

8) Earn a second undergrad in art, history, language, philosophy, or some combination of all of the above

9) Read War and Peace

10) Own a farm and grow my own food and animals.

11) Live to 114

There, that just about scratches the surface.

I should add...

Live and practice in Breckenridge CO... and have a Porsche 911 Turbo Cab... (cabriolet)

Like Shy Rem, I'd really appreciate winning the Powerball so I can shower my family with material things, and hire someone to cook and clean instead of subjecting them to roving dust bunnies and ramen for the indefinite future.

But short of that, I'd like to pay off all debt and pay for the rest of undergrad out of pocket. It would take the sting out of med school tuition debt, ouch.

Finish hiking the Appalachian Trail. I hiked a 1000 miles, just another 1000 to go!

Run a marathon.

Get an MPH.

Be like an energizer bunny until my late 70s. My grandfather (despite some serious heart issues) is like that, man is almost 80 and he's having a ball teaching at a community college.

Family med DO and OMM jedi, with physical assessment skills on par with those in "Sapira."

Non-med?...deadlift 700+ lbs.

Quik said:

I was looking forward to a long and epic touring season in the Eastern Sierra, and flyfishing the truckee, pretty sure you're just rubbing that in.

I'll be sure to do the same from Patagonia come December

Good list man, I sure hope your woman doesn't run a saw better than you; though you two could raise some oxen for children.

I really appreciate the recurring "grow my own food" theme. I was raised on a small subsistence ranch, basically just producing enough to feed the fam. Now I try and buy organic beef direct from a ranch, organic veggies the same (when in season), and look forward to the day I can do it again for myself.

Click to expand...

Of course I'm rubbing it in , though, truth be told, I'm tracking my buddies crews already on fires and trying to reconcile not being available until June 7. Speaking of Patagonia, I started fly fishing after reading an interview with Yvon Chouinard that was conducted entirely while fly fishing in Patagonia. It sounded so awesome I had to learn how to do it in hopes of going someday. You can rub it in as much as you like, I'll need details!!

Also, I like the idea of an environmental advocacy/social justice medical organization. Run with that! (And stay away from chicks with chainsaws, chewing tobacco stains are an equally reliable indicator.)

I forgot to add:
12) Run a marathon

13) MPH in global health

14) Adopt a clinic in an under-served area somewhere in the world (or other appropriate level of involvement in global/under-served healthcare)

Quik said:

medium term:
Climb the big-7: Aconcagua, Mckinley/Denali, Kilamangaro, Elbrus, Vinson Massif, and Carstenz pyramid.

Click to expand...

From the 7summits.com description:
"A mysterious place hidden in the jungle of Irian Jaya.
Climb sharp rock while being watched by naked men wearing penisgourds!"

Wait, WHAT exactly?
I think I'll stick to the 6 summits.

I was told by a guy who has climbed the big 7 plus a bunch more (and thought about doing Everest, and stayed at base 6 for 2 weeks to do it, but backed out due to weather) that I (supposedly) have the correct physiology to allow me (if I were in better shape) to climb Everest... I have yet to have anyone be able to explain to me why my body is able to retain it's O2 sat levels at altitude, but it does... When I climbed a 14'er in CO with this guy he checked my O2 and I was at 94% while the rest of our group was in the 80's... I only have desire to climb Kilimanjaro, none of the rest... and Kili they give you sherpas, so you just walk and they do the work... seems like cheating to me....

SBB2016 said:

I was told by a guy who has climbed the big 7 plus a bunch more (and thought about doing Everest, and stayed at base 6 for 2 weeks to do it, but backed out due to weather) that I (supposedly) have the correct physiology to allow me (if I were in better shape) to climb Everest... I have yet to have anyone be able to explain to me why my body is able to retain it's O2 sat levels at altitude, but it does... When I climbed a 14'er in CO with this guy he checked my O2 and I was at 94% while the rest of our group was in the 80's... I only have desire to climb Kilimanjaro, none of the rest... and Kili they give you sherpas, so you just walk and they do the work... seems like cheating to me....

Click to expand...

A couple of notes: I think your guy was blowing smoke somewhere he shouldn't. To my knowledge, there are only 4 camps on Everest, and I've never heard of anyone with the "correct physiology" to climb high altitudes. I've guided 14er climbs here in CO, and I was lucky enough to spend three days at the HRA clinic near Everest, and people from all backgrounds came in with altitude sickness. They were old (70+), young (teens), fit, fat, a 20 year veteran guide from Chamonix, and many Sherpa porters and guides. The doctors there and my experience have told me that performance at altitude is pretty much 100% approach profile and 0% everything-else-that-people-think. The Sherpa people have lived in the region for centuries, so if those guys are coming down with HAPE and HACE, then there's little hope for you and me genetically.

As for Kili, be sure to research the climb extensively because I understand that there is a 1000M elevation gain between each hut and many guides will try to drag you to another hut every day, resulting in far too steep of an approach profile and something like a 50% failure rate due to AMS. Also, just to nit-pick, "Sherpa" is the name of the ethnic group in eastern Nepal. You'll get porters in Tanzania, but you won't get Sherpas.

Please don't think I'm trying to be a d*** here or bust your balls. I just figure it's better to get this advice on an anonymous forum than face to face with someone.

And, before anyone else does it:

Ok.... I'm sure that you have more time on your hands than I have on mine, and yes, I'm sure you don't mean to nit-pick, but for something unintentional, you surely do it well

SBB2016 said:

I was told by a guy who has climbed the big 7 plus a bunch more (and thought about doing Everest, and stayed at base 6 for 2 weeks to do it, but backed out due to weather) that I (supposedly) have the correct physiology to allow me (if I were in better shape) to climb Everest... I have yet to have anyone be able to explain to me why my body is able to retain it's O2 sat levels at altitude, but it does... When I climbed a 14'er in CO with this guy he checked my O2 and I was at 94% while the rest of our group was in the 80's... I only have desire to climb Kilimanjaro, none of the rest... and Kili they give you sherpas, so you just walk and they do the work... seems like cheating to me....

Click to expand...

Well, I don't have the 7 summits on my list, but I did Kilimanjaro in '97. I wouldn't underestimate it. It was by far the hardest physical challenge of my life (and I've climbed El Cap). The locals mantra was "pole', pole'", slowly, slowly in Swahili. Take your time. Our philosophy was that we had invested so much time, money and effort in the venture that we would do whatever we could to maximize our chances. To that end, we spent an off-day at 13,000 feet just acclimatizing. I'm convinced it made a difference. Others who started about the same time we did but pushed on thru had only about a 50% success rate.
-----
Other items for the lifelist...

- learn to fly a helicopter
- be a great doc
- invent something that can be leveraged to heal thousands
- still be a good husband and father (trying my best )

Quik, where do you work with adaptive skiiers? I love snow skiing but it's hard to find places on the east coast unless you go way north. I skied at Beech Mountain last year and it was awesome

The thing is, I've asked people in the know, as in PhD's in exercise phys, and they can't answer the question! It is possible that you are correct, but lean well developed muscle shouldn't be exerting itself as much as muscle being worked hard... not sure...

About the question for working with disabled skiers: http://www.boec.org/programs/adaptive-ski-ride-school/

ShyRem said:

Big dreams. Well, there are the ones I absolutely WILL accomplish, and ones I would LOVE to accomplish:

1. finish residency.

2. find a job.

3. sell my house in Maine.

4. Buy a house where I have a job. The house has to have land. Alternative:

5. Buy at least 10 acres of land and build a house. I'd love to have a Deltec house. They're just cool looking.

6. Build two small apartment/suite buildings on the property, attached to the main house with covered corridors. One for my in-laws, one for my parents. They're both retired and will need to be closer to family soon, and my husband and I are the only viable options for both.

7. Buy a cheap car that doesn't work for my daughter and have her restore it so she has something to drive now that she's got her learner's permit. I hope my car survives her learning. I also need a second auto restore project for my son.

8. A new car for me. Mine is 15 years old, and it's the newer one in our family.

9. A new truck for my husband.

10. A woodshop for my husband to play in.

11. A garden/greenhouse to grow veggies year round.

12. Help pay for my childrens' education.

13. Go on a real vacation just once. Egypt would be lovely once the area settles down.

14. A trip to Scotland and Ireland for my 25th year wedding anniversary.

15. A beautiful gourmet kitchen. With LOTS of storage space. I love to cook.

16. Save enough money for retirement to live comfortably and leave my children more than debt.

17. Speaking of debt, I want to be out of it. ASAP.


Now for the ultimate stupid big dream:
I wanna win powerball so I can do some of the above NOW. I still want to work, I'd still do 80 hours a week in residency. But it would be nice to pay my husband and my family back for supporting me all these years with some things they would like to have. Unfortunately, to do this I would actually have to get a powerball ticket and I don't buy them. So I'd have to have someone give a winning ticket to me somehow. Then I'd buy a 60 foot yacht and live there on weekends. *ahhhh* heavenly!

Click to expand...

Oh man are you a resident at Maine Med in Portland? That's my dream residency hospital. I'm from the area, and I got the tour of Maine Med when I interviewed for the Maine track last time round...love it.

I have only 2 dreams, and I will accomplish both of them in the next 6 years:

1) Get in to/get out of med school.

2) Become a rock star.

Quik said:

Nice! It is such a rewarding experience for everyone involved. I'm always thanked gratuitously by the people we have come through, and I have to thank them equally in return, not only for trusting me with their safety, but just for being willing to come out with a great attitude and have a great time (again, at the risk of their safety).

Anyway, I volunteer with Disabled Sports USA, Far West @ Alpine Meadows (Lake Tahoe, CA). Although there are various programs, large and small nationwide, to the best of my knowledge Disabled Sports USA (nationwide) would be the best resource to go to. Our season just ended, but if you have the means, you should come out next season. Otherwise, check out DSUSA.org, and find their nationwide chapter directory. Not every chapter offers adaptive skiing, but I hope with a little searching you'll be able to find one that does in your area.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I actually sat on the board for DSUSA for a couple years back in the day Obviously I didn't think of the most obvious answer, LoL. I love snow and water skiing, though I'm better at water (there's more of that in Florida, LoL). I ran a sitski into a tree last year, it was a wicked crash, but a blast getting there

I keep adding them... To have these problems:
What stethoscope to buy for med school
What sports bra to buy for med school
Which med school of the many acceptances to pick from
Etc...

0919mmk said:

Oh man are you a resident at Maine Med in Portland? That's my dream residency hospital. I'm from the area, and I got the tour of Maine Med when I interviewed for the Maine track last time round...love it.

I have only 2 dreams, and I will accomplish both of them in the next 6 years:

1) Get in to/get out of med school.

2) Become a rock star.

Click to expand...

Yeah... stay in Maine. That's a good one.

No, I got out of Maine. My family didn't care for the New England attitude. We're westerners at heart. We needed friendlier folk to be around. We needed neighborliness.

I do miss the seafood though. Lobster and mussels are terribly expensive in the midwest.

Quik said:

As much as it bored you, SBB, I have to admit I found it interesting and surprising. I would have assumed individuals with a larger muscle mass, or BMI, would be less apt to high altitudes as they require more oxygen than a thinner, wirey physio-type.

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That makes a lot of sense to me, too. As I understand it, though, the problem isn't in our muscles use of oxygen, it's in our cardiovascular system's ability to get the oxygen from the thinner air. People who develop AMS, HAPE, and HACE don't get better by resting, only by descending.

The major change that occurs during acclimatization is a greatly increased number of red blood cells, which is why ascending slowly and taking rest days is crucial. Your body needs the time to build the new cells. Once you've done that, then you can perform as well as your conditioning allows.

eablackwell said:

Quik, where do you work with adaptive skiiers? I love snow skiing but it's hard to find places on the east coast unless you go way north. I skied at Beech Mountain last year and it was awesome

Click to expand...

You should check into the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, CO. I worked at the resort about five years ago, and the NSCD was a really well run organization back then. I assume it's still a great place.

ThreadStalker said:

That makes a lot of sense to me, too. As I understand it, though, the problem isn't in our muscles use of oxygen, it's in our cardiovascular system's ability to get the oxygen from the thinner air. People who develop AMS, HAPE, and HACE don't get better by resting, only by descending.

The major change that occurs during acclimatization is a greatly increased number of red blood cells, which is why ascending slowly and taking rest days is crucial. Your body needs the time to build the new cells. Once you've done that, then you can perform as well as your conditioning allows.

Click to expand...

You keep assuming that people had AMS/HACE/HAPE... This is not correct. The change in elevation was ~4500 feet from where the people were acclimatized and where we hiked. Additionally, I've been in the NSP for over 20 years, and I'm quite capable of seeing signs of any altitude illness. This is simply a case of people who can pull more O2 out of air than others. I have been told by some it is the difference of the V02 max, but this is by super-hyper-exercise-fitness trainers, not by people in academia or medicine. One could argue that for a woman I have a high hemoglobin (typically 14-14.5) and that allows me to do what I do, however, I doubt it is as simple as that... and it's not 'that' high... Either way, I still have no answer... That is a dream... an answer to this...

-publish a novel
-more traveling
-continue making cakes on the side (check out my link! )
-becoming a home owner
-going to the summer olympics! it is my dream! i WILL make it there one year!


as a physician...

-join Doctors Without Borders
-extensive work with low income/free clinics...this is def my greatest passion

SBB2016 said:

You keep assuming that people had AMS/HACE/HAPE... This is not correct. The change in elevation was ~4500 feet from where the people were acclimatized and where we hiked. Additionally, I've been in the NSP for over 20 years, and I'm quite capable of seeing signs of any altitude illness. This is simply a case of people who can pull more O2 out of air than others. I have been told by some it is the difference of the V02 max, but this is by super-hyper-exercise-fitness trainers, not by people in academia or medicine. One could argue that for a woman I have a high hemoglobin (typically 14-14.5) and that allows me to do what I do, however, I doubt it is as simple as that... and it's not 'that' high... Either way, I still have no answer... That is a dream... an answer to this...

Click to expand...

Well, in your post that started all of this, you were talking about having the "right physiology to climb Everest" and mentioned only wanting to climb Kili. Both of these mountains are significantly over 14,000 feet and would present you with much greater risk of AMS, HAPE, and HACE, which is why I commented on the subject. The mechanisms leading to these conditions are not well understood, which is why the "people in the know" you've talked to can't answer your questions. All I've said is that if you don't acclimatize properly, you stand a good chance of not fulfilling a dream you had mentioned. I'm just giving you a heads up with info from someone who's been there and done that.

On another, somewhat related note: You need to chill out. This is the happiest thread I've found on SDN. I like dreaming. Big dreams get me stoked. Talking about big dreams gets me stoked. Hearing about others' big dreams gets me stoked. Seeing other people's big dreams end in sudden failure due to simple misinformation really bums me out. I know it's SDN and a lot of people post here just to tear each other down, but don't think I'm doing it to you. Let's keep this positive.

Now then, off to work on my app and then look at sailboat pictures...