Make the most of every second...

When you work an insane, incomprehensible number of hours for 20 straight days and get most of the weekend off you have to embrace it. Sure, washing some underwear is probably a good idea, as is cleaning the house and getting some groceries. Studying should also be on the radar screen. But really, every 16 hour day you work is a day of your life that just poof! disappears forever. Now if you love what you do and go to sleep every night with a smile on your face wondering what tomorrow will bring it's a huge bonus. But there is so much more to life than work...

- Taking your dog on a leisurely walk through the woods. Watching her excitement as she swims across a murky pond and bounds through a prairie of 4 feet tall grass.

- Sitting outside on a beautiful summer night unhurriedly eating bruschetta until the restaurant closes

- Going to a large open air market to get fresh raspberries and bakery bread

- Watching the sunset from the beach with a bottle of wine and chocolate



- Going for a leisurely bike ride through the metroparks with 10 friends

- Sleeping for 3 glorious hours in the middle of the day

I honestly didn't even feel like I needed the time off. I've been having such a great time at the hospital that I hadn't really missed the finer things in life. I mean, when your job consists of a man in a large bloody gown and mask giving you a very long sharp knife and instructing you to cut a guy's leg off below the knee, you don't exactly spend the day thinking of your next gustatory delight. But nonetheless, the weekend was glorious.

Speaking of living life... I think I've changed my 2008 plans a bit. I have been given an invitation (ok, ok, so I totally and rudely just invited myself along) to a week long cycling trip of the wineries in Tuscany. So as much as it will disappoint many of you, I will spend next summer cycling to my heart's content (and probably getting knee surgery) instead of training like an insane person for another IM. I'm sure I'll be back for another IM someday, but next year my money will be well spent on an orthopedic surgeon and trip to Europe. I'm thinking I might even go a couple weeks early to do some hiking and adventuring. 4th year of med school is a gift- a lot of freedom and time off. I don't plan on taking that gift lightly...

I'm currently accepting applications to fill my room for the trip to Italy. Applicants must be easygoing, have a insatiable thirst for travel and adventure, and truly love great food and fine wine. Oh yeah, and be prepared for some kick ass rides through some of the best cycling country in the world. Oh, man. This is gonna be awesome.