Argh! Pourquoi un autre blog?

Simply because I have been writing a lot in the past year and it was about time that I get the guts to share it with the world. I hope to share stories on the events of the past year, thoughts on religion and philosophy, essays on economics and development, and perhaps fun and quirky updates on important aspects of my life which might help others or, in the very least, offer entertainment.

Who am I? I am a 25 year old French-Canadian PhD student in econometrics and biostatistics (technically in absentia but I keep that small detail in perspective for one goal: publications=funding!). I am currently doing research on epidemiology and health policy for a biotech wolf (for whom I am possibly a sheep) . My current work is focused on neonatal and pediatric health care policy and I hope that the idiosyncratic social lab setting of the migrant and low-income population in Washington State will lend itself to meaningful work on market development in larger settings in the developing world.

When I am not at work, I am usually reading or listening to NPR. My tastes are rather mercurial and my essays might reflect this fact. I love reading and chances are I am at one of several coffee shops or bookstores in Seattle on a weekend. I also share in the delight of few close friends. Soon I will be getting a snow leopard bengal kitten named Starbucks. I am also learning Italian.

The highlight for me in 2006 was finishing a 10K race in Seattle.

Finishing the actual race was great. However, in the process I raised over $1500 for Ovarian Cancer research at Swedish Medical Hospital’s Ovarian Cancer Research Center. This would have been absolutely impossible without the generous love and support of my friends and acquaintances in Seattle and New York. This was of genuine importance since at the time my mother was undergoing treatment for Ovarian Cancer. She was at Stage IV and her cancer was a Grade IV by that time, and was quite sick. My father was in the process of transporting her to New York’s Sloan-Kettering for an experimental treatment for endometrial stromal sarcoma of the ovaries. Regardless of her pain, she shared in the excitment of the race mostly because she loved jogging around our neighbourhood. She certainly wasn’t an athlete but, that never stopped her from exploring the miles and miles of trails around the natural setting of our town. If there is one thing I remember about my mother jogging, it’s what she would wear. I would be absolutely mortified she would leave the house for her jogs because she would wear a bright blue over-sized t-shirt and one of my father’s company black corduroy hats with the brim completely straight. She was known around town for that outfit. She was also known as a wonderfully kind and considerate lady. All the kids loved her because she was sincere. She passed away less than 2 months after that race. That was about 4 months ago.

I hope that this is an adequate summary for my audience on the author of these subsequent posts. Please feel free to comment and relate your own experiences and opinions!