uro log ical ▁Institute ▁and ▁the ▁Royal ▁Canadian ▁Air ▁Force ▁( RC AF ), ▁telling ▁them ▁that ▁he ▁wanted ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁pilot . ▁After ▁some ▁inter views ▁and ▁checking ▁his ▁background , ▁they ▁told ▁him ▁he ▁would ▁be ▁best ▁in ▁medical ▁research . ▁Dr . ▁Taylor , ▁the ▁head ▁medical ▁officer , ▁told ▁him , ▁" You ▁are ▁clearly ▁tal ented ▁and ▁we ▁would ▁love ▁to ▁have ▁you , ▁but ▁I ▁am ▁not ▁sure ▁about ▁your ▁mot ives ▁for ▁joining ." ▁He ▁was ▁told ▁to ▁travel ▁for ▁a ▁few ▁months ▁and ▁re cons ider . ▁He ▁used ▁the ▁next ▁three ▁months ▁to ▁travel ▁across ▁Canada ▁and ▁deep ▁into ▁the ▁Canadian ▁Rock ies , ▁which ▁he ▁described ▁in ▁his ▁personal ▁journal , ▁later ▁published ▁as ▁Canada : ▁P ause , ▁ 1 9 6 0 . ▁ ▁He ▁then ▁made ▁his ▁way ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁comple ting ▁a ▁res iden cy ▁in ▁Ne uro log y ▁at ▁M t . ▁Z ion ▁Hospital ▁in ▁San ▁Francisco , ▁and ▁fellow ships ▁in ▁Ne uro log y ▁and ▁Psych iat ry ▁at ▁U CLA . ▁While ▁there , ▁S acks ▁became ▁a ▁lif el ong ▁close ▁friend ▁of ▁poet ▁Thom ▁G unn , ▁saying ▁he ▁loved ▁his ▁wild ▁imagination , ▁his ▁strict ▁control , ▁and ▁perfect ▁po etic ▁form . ▁During ▁much ▁of ▁his ▁time ▁at ▁U CLA , ▁he ▁lived ▁in ▁a ▁r ented ▁house ▁in ▁Top anga ▁C any on ▁and ▁experiment ed ▁with ▁various ▁recre ational ▁dru gs . ▁He