Nils

Alex,

I was wondering, and I ask this with plain curiosity and no malintent: did you decide to go into dental work route because you are fascinated with teeth/the work involved or was it the money that attracted you to this line of work?

Richard Roche

2) I was wondering your thoughts on the heated nijnas vs pirates debate. Considering all things (such as which is funner, which would win in a fight, who has better clothes, etc….) Which is overall better?

Shayla

Alex - When are you getting a doggy…and when you do, are you going to take it to the Doctors Prestegord? And what breed would it be? Have any names picked out? I ask this because I seem to remember you always indicating your house as "The one without a dog in the yard." That, and I like dogs… k… bye!

John

What makes you happy?

Amber

Boxers or briefs?

HA! I got #5!

Mykala

Where did you go?

Alexander Micek

Answers forthcoming! Must sleep, first.

Alexander Micek

Lab first — then answers!

John T F Larson

Come on Alex, stop procrastinating.

Alexander Micek

(1) Nils — I certainly understand the spirit in which your question was asked, and no offense has been taken at all. I have actually been thinking about this dental career path for some time, especially with regard to the "why do you want to be a dentist?" question posed on most applications. I originally entered college in the Electrical Engineering track … but I soon realized something very important: no matter what I did or accomplished in EE, there would be a distinct disconnect from human interaction. Design a bridge, do it the best you can … and people benefit. However, you don't get to interact with the people who use the bridge, ask them what they like about the bridge, or really discuss how it affects their lives. In dentistry, people come in with problems, perhaps their teeth hurt, perhaps they fear the dentist (I've observed this first-hand during one of my clinic visits - quite serious), perhaps they need a new crown - I look forward to the personal interaction between dentist and patient. My work naturally tends towards perfectionism, and this way instead of a mathematical feedback loop (x!=y so redo this), I get a feedback loop that is more personal and makes my drive towards perfection limited in a pragmatic way. The job is fulfilling in an immediate, intensely personal, sense. That is to say, I'd rather fix problems with people than with numbers. Furthermore, I've seen most of my extended family get tossed about by corporate downsizing, poor benefits, and brutal commutes in heavy traffic. I thought to myself: "I can avoid this." I can live near where I work, in an occupation where I am not at the mercy of a conglomerate, not confronted by a ladder of corruption that I don't want to climb. The potential to provide for my future family and the work itself both appeal very strongly to me.

(2) Richard — Unfortunately I have not formulated an opinion on this debate, humorous or otherwise. My obligation, though, is at least a cursory coverage of the topic; so, given my lack of knowledge, I will do my best. The two lifestyles are very different, so an easy answer would be to ask the person what type of lifestyle they prefer - would they rather secretly do amazing things, or publically do amazing things? My shy personality tends toward the lifestyle of the ninja - less flamboyant than the pirate, yet (as the continued debates have shown) just as cool as what pirates do. However, ninja's don't ever seem to have Mrs. Ninjas — this is (in my eyes) not good, because I would like to have a lady friend. As a pirate, though, scurvy would really be a bummer. Bottom line, though, I think ninjas are better because they are more likely to have all of their limbs, less likely to suffer malnutrition, and more likely to die on solid ground rather than in a cold bath of saline despair.

(3) Shayla — I will be getting a dog when my children are old enough to enjoy one. I will first get many books on dog training, read through them very thoroughly, and then get a puppy so I can train it exactly as I would like. I do not know my breeds, but naturally I would like a dog who is amenable to training (I don't think I'd have the expertise to train the generally difficult-to-train dalmation) and who likes kids. Nothing ugly. Nothing too big or too small. And yes, my dog will get vet care at the Doctors Prestegord, though it might have to timeshare with the Doctors Clappier, as I would not want to offend anyone. Maybe I'll get two dogs and one will go to each.

(4) John — this begs for a long answer or a short answer. I thought about this for a couple of days and came up only with this: maximizing my potential as a relationshipper, musician, artist, chemist, athlete, kind-soul makes me more happy than anything else.

(5) Amber — Unexpected! Whenever you see me in social situations (evenings out, eating out, movies, etc.), I am likely wearing boxers. However, when I am doing sports-type activities (lifting, running, basketball, tennis), I am wearing briefs due to their superior performance in athletic situations.

(6) Mykala — You are lucky, I completely ignored question 6 that was posted last time we had a 5 questions round (mostly because it was inappropriate), however, I will bend the rules this once. I am right here, in Cretin. Sometimes I am on North Campus. But since I don't have a car (and my bike is in the shop), I am really around quite a bit.