On call yesterday. Highlights of my day include:

1. providing anesthesia for a skinhead who's chest said, "In God's grace is the white race", and, "skin head" across his shaved eyebrows. He was also covered in swastikas. He killed 3 people and was being guarded closely. You know the guy is a bad dude when the sheriff actually puts on scrubs and escorts him to the OR with us and stays until he is asleep. I was glad when we finally put him to sleep, I was tired of listening to him talk. In the holding area, he kept asking me where he can find a bone saw like the ones orthopedist's use because he thinks it would be "fun to cut people up". He also likes to dine on fried blood, so he said.

2. Gang-banger trauma: My next case was a gangbanger who got shot. We spent $100,000 worth of blood products (120 units of blood) alone trying to save a man who is going to die in the next day or so no matter what we do. He was apparently wanted by the fugative task force for murder, and they called us last night wanting to know if they should take him off the list. Not yet, but probably soon.

Of course, as I'm finding out, the only people who ever die are nice people. It's hard to kill a drug addict or a gang banger.

I drove home this morning wondering if I really did society a favor in the last 24 hours. My job is so depressing.