Get to know the ilumin doctors with five fun questions

We already know the doctors at ilumin can give us great advice, and we trust them with our eye care. But we also thought it would be fun to get to know them in a more casual, personal way. So we asked them five fun questions, and they gave us, in return, some surprising answers. Without further ado: get to know them! 

1. Are you a morning person or a night owl? 

2. Where did you grow up? 

3. Favorite place to travel and why? 

4. Coffee, tea or something else entirely? 

5. What’s your favorite band or type of music? 

Dr. Parson

1. Definitely a morning person. Like to drink that first cup of coffee on the deck watching the sunrise, listening to fish jump at the lake.

2. Weeping water, NE, 34 miles south of Omaha 

3. Cape Town, South Africa it is a beautiful city with some of the nicest people.  Love the wine country and the scenery.

4. Coffee. Lots of coffee

5. Love jazz music. My favorite musician is, hands down, David Bowie.

Dr. Menke 

1. Night owl, but with two cups of coffee, I am quickly a morning person.

2. Grew up in Clive, Iowa, which is a small suburb of Des Moines, Iowa.

3. Caribbean; my wife and I love the beach and the small islands and different cultures.

4. Weekday; coffee. Weekend; Old Fashioned.

5. Chris Stapleton, but honestly I have a pretty eclectic taste in music from Pavarotti to AC/DC to Paul Simon.

Dr. Goldstein 

1. I have become an unwilling morning person!  My preference would be to stay up later and sleep in.  As the years have passed, I find that I fall asleep early enough that I now wake up much earlier than I ever did before.

2. I was born and raised here in Omaha, went to college and grad school in San Diego, then returned to Omaha for medical school at UNMC.

3. This one is hard!  I love traveling to about anywhere new and just exploring.  Pretty much anywhere with sun, beaches, and good golf courses, although those are not requirements for a great trip.

4. Definitely coffee!

5. I like most all kinds of music, but my go-to is classic rock. 

Dr. Simone 

1. I used to be a night owl, but after 2 kids and 2 residencies I now find myself waking up early and not able to stay up as late.

2. I grew up in Kansas City and stayed there through college.  I moved to Omaha for 8 years for school, then spent 3 years each in south Florida and Columbia, SC, and now I’m back in Omaha.

3. I like going pretty much anywhere.  My favorite trip would have to be when my wife and I went to Europe and, among other places, stayed in a remote cottage in the Swiss Alps.

4. Iced coffee or iced tea, but not sweet tea.

5. My favorite band would probably be either The Smashing Pumpkins or Radiohead.  I’m a big music fan and like a variety of music, but my go to is rock music.

Dr. Arkfeld

1. Definitely more of a late night person, usually busy and engaged in one thing or another, but up early by necessity.

2. On a farm near Harlan, Iowa, until the age of 5, then my folks moved to town, lived a couple different places, ultimately Omaha.

3. Currently our backyard, easily accessible without any restrictions. Hopefully will be taking a family trip to Maine and Acadia National Park this fall with my family.

4. Currently a cup of half caf, half decaf this morning, need to drink more water, but will move on to something more crafty later in the day.

5. U2, first saw them at a club “Toads Place” in New Haven, CT in the early 80s, but appreciate a broad range of music…

Want a member of our team to take a closer look at your eyes? We are always happy to welcome new patients. Reach out to us and request an appointment.