So besides the Clinical Vignettes that I’m drilling into my head, I’ve taken on another book.

I read this book in 9th grade for the first time. I used to bring the super thick hardcover book to school each day in my bookbag. People would look at me very strangely with this 1197 page monstrosity on my desk, me oblivious to whatever was being taught in the background (I’d get an A on the test anyway).

Of course this only lasted about 2 weeks, because by then I’d finished Stephen King’s “The Stand”. Yeah, I finished it that fast, it was a page turner for me. I’m on the same pace right now actually.

In short, it’s an epic novel about an “end of the world” scenario, caused by a “superflu” that kills 99.5% of the world’s population, where people break into two groups (good and evil basically) and everything eventually comes to a head.

For one reason or another this book has resonated with me. I think I was inspired to read it because a) it was about to be made into a mini-series, b) I had just gotten into Stephen King books seriously having read one of the Dark Tower books, c) I was beginning my phase of reading those big super novels by Tom Clancy and the ilk, and d) it was all caused by a superflu and even then I was crazy about medically related stuff. After I read it, the characters stayed with me like no other characters in any other book. Stu Redman, Harold Lauder, Trashcan Man, Nadine Cross, and even Randall Flagg “the Walking Dude”.

I’ve always wanted to be the calm and cool of Stu, but somehow I am always the know-it-all brooding hateful Harold. You’d have to read the book to really understand, but in a bunch of ways (particularly one situation this past year) I am really scarily like Harold.

What I discovered was that The Stand was unlike most of King’s other works. It was HIGHLY character driven and relied less on Horror and more on real life drama. I didn’t have this frame of reference when I was reading it back then obviously, but it reads like how a reality show would be written. Like if some situation led to a Survivor like scenario, that’s how it would go down. This is a book originally published in 1978 folks!

Of course the supernatural element is there with Randall Flagg, the dark man, the Walking Dude. I personally wasn’t fearful of him as much as I pitied those who followed him. It took alot of hate in ones heart to be drawn to him.

I think at times in my life when I’m struggling internally with what’s right and wrong, I feel compelled to read this story. In it’s own way it puts things in perspective for me.

Now that I have some medical education, the way that Stephen King described the epidemic being spread is pretty spot-on. If such a deadly strain of the flu were to be unleashed, it’s spread would probably be that way, and the ensuing panic would be pretty similar as well. Imagine the movie Outbreak (the one with Dustin Hoffman, Cuba Gooding, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, and Rene Russo…oh and the monkey) without the happy ending. It’s still an amazing novel.

Elsewhere in the Killa’s goings ons…..

I discovered this link http://www.karolzyk.com/pee/castin.mov yesterday and it’s STILL funny to me. I had to send an e-mail to a few people, and I don’t normally do that. That’s how funny it was to me. I hope it makes someone else laugh as hard as it made me laugh.

I was inspired by Jackson’s latest entry (the one about the Inner-city Alternative School). I remembered that my dad used to work as a social worker at a school like that when I was growing up. Tomorrow I’m going to write about that.

Time to read some medical stuff now.