First Post: An Introduction

Hello everybody!

This is my first serious blog post. By serious I mean using my actual identity and not a fictitious digital mask (and not a Tumblr post). Blogging is still relatively new to me, but hey there is no better way to start something than diving right in!

To start, here is some background on myself. I am 22 years old and currently a student in the Los Angeles Community College system. While there are better programs out there, I did not make the best choices while I was in high school. I graduated in 2007 with honors from Verdugo Hills High School in the small town of Tujunga, California, yet I did not fully understand what that meant. Before graduation it never crossed my mind to apply to universities or take my SAT's. I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was just happy to make it to the end of secondary school. This was not because it was challenging, but rather because it was mundane. At the same time, I had no plan for my future. No goals were set. After high school I worked ten (10) hours a day, five (5) days a week for minimum wage at a machine shop and only lasted 3 months before I quit. There was little challenge, a lot of time, and no reward. Once I saw what a high school diploma and no experience gets you, I opted for college. Community college was my first choice. At first I did not understand college. It seemed just like high school. The subjects were too easy. I was just completing task after task. I still lacked drive as well as a goal. I had some retail jobs in office supplies and fast food, but those did not last either. Brainlessness and coaxing people to make a sale simply does not work for me, nor make me feel good about myself. A couple semesters passed and I was coerced into attending culinary school. Boy was that a mistake! French culinary school is no place for a compassionate, passionate vegetarian. That only lasted about a month and few thousand dollars (for-profit schools are full of sharks). I then returned to community college with a desire to study philosophy. Through some course work, I became very fond of Eastern philosophy (Western thought never appealed to me) and never looked back.

After wasting what feels like a lot of time doing the wrong things and making the wrong choices, I decided to start making some right ones. I unexpectedly met a beautiful and loving woman, Brittany, who is now my fiancee and the mother of my soon-to-be-born daughter, Rikki. I could not be happier! Finances are lacking, but we as a family will be alright. Brittany, who too is inclined to Eastern thought, introduced me to Traditional Chinese Medicine, also called TCM, and naturopathy. She had shown me a book about natural Chinese cures through the use of herbs. I was very intrigued by the idea of curing ailments with something other than radiation and Western prescription pills, which I still hold a grudge against. I thought about it for a while and then realized that I had already been practicing a technique similar to this in my own life. No doctor or hospital had a remedy for my Crohn's disease, but once I adopted a vegetarian diet my symptoms and the pain disappeared. An intake of more nutritious and better quality food increased the quality of my health. These findings and introductions led me on a path to where I am today. Today I decided to pursue a degree and licensing in Traditional Chinese Medicine, namely Acupuncture.

I look forward to learning more about the trade of acupuncture including the traditions and history of the trade. Any information on schools or training in the United States is appreciated, as well as any experiences with acupuncture either as patient or a practitioner. Thank you for any information and thank you for reading!