Time is flying as always, and I continue to get older and more decrepit. I'm not feeling the decrepit part, but I'm sure time is taking its toll on my joints and vessels and everything else it's supposed to affect.

Life is great, though. I tend to live in the moment, for the moment, and don't tend to dwell on the past much. That's why I always have trouble when I sit down and try to write one these posts. Nothing major ever sticks out in my mind. It's all a mush. Of course, I remember what's been going on, but I have to expend mental energy to remember the high points, or at least things that are "more interesting" than everything else.

Some people like to update their blogs every day and write about every single thing that happened to them on a particular day. I couldn't do that. I tend to take a more general, philosophical approach to blogging, and that takes energy as well. That's probably why I don't write on here much. And there always seems to be something more interesting to do. So know that if I am blogging, I have nothing better to do and am probably very bored.

Today was the least profitable day I've had for a while. I thought I was going to have class until 5 PM, but it turns out that I only had it until noon, so what do I do? Make the best of the free time I didn't know I would have? No, I didn't do a good job with that. Ended up piddling around for most of the afternoon, reading a little bit, watching a bit of TV, going to the store, etc. Before I knew it, it was 6:30 in the evening and I had to go work out and run. And I haven't done anything since the workout. Just one of those days I guess.

Tomorrow's schedule will be very light as well, but I hope to do a better job keeping myself occupied. It's difficult, as I discussed in my last post.

The last two weeks have been fun. In school, I thoroughly enjoyed re-learning all about the cardiovascular system, on the weekend I had a great time landscaping with classmates in a Habitat for Humanity project (even though it made me miss the Free Clinic), running has been going very well (excited about the 5K in town and half marathon in New Orleans), and I've had plenty of nice social events at various places with different people. Nothing extraordinary, but nothing simply ordinary.

Here I am, all excited about the new semester, motivated, ready to work hard. And there's nothing to do. Funny how that happens. I'm not complaining, but I don't like to be idle. I get bored quickly with inactivity, and while I don't necessarily want to be doing school all the time, it does tend to ward off boredom. So I've been making a great effort to be productive with my time, and the last 10 days have been fantastic in that regard. However, each passing day I find myself wasting just a little more time than the day before.

Okay, I exaggerated in that paragraph. School has been taking time, maybe even more than last semester, primarily because I've been attending classes. So that's three to four hours a day right there, and then some reading after class. That still leaves about 8 or 9 hours each day that I have to occupy. Am I in med school? I guess so, but most of the time it doesn't feel like it. Or maybe it's just that I don't feel like I thought I'd feel as a med student. I remember in college being freaked and excited at the same time, thinking that I'd be some sleep-deprived zombie with no life who has his head in a book for 12 hours a day. It's a good thing it's nothing like that, because I've found that I'm inept at studying for long periods of time unless I have a significant amount of pressure on me to do so (e.g. the day before a test).

As for as productivity, I've been keeping busy doing the things I said I was going to do in my last post. I'm in the midst of reading 5 books right now. I should probably just read one at a time, finish it, then get onto the next one, but for some reason I can't do that. I think I got that trait from my dad. If I open a book, I usually get interested and read a few chapters, then I'll end up picking up another one the next day and doing the same. Before I know it I'm reading a bunch of books and it takes forever to finish any of them. I'm actually doing well to just keep it at five.

I had a great day at the free clinic on Saturday. We had a fun group, and the two M3s let me talk to the patient and present the case to the doctor a few times. Working at the free clinic is really a great learning experience, and I absolutely love the patients. They're funny, respectful, grateful, non-compliant (hehe), and terrified of needles (deep down, who isn't?). My goal is to try and go every weekend this semester, except when I'm out of town for races (only once or twice) and for that conference in April. I know that's ambitious, but there's no reason (laziness, but that' not a good one) why I shouldn't be able to. It's a lot better than wasting time watching TV or browsing the internet.

The water crisis in Jackson has been a nuisance, but I don't want to complain about it. It made me realize that I've always taken running water for granted, when I know that many many people in this world don't have it. I'm blessed, and thankful for what I have, but I am happy that the water is back on. It makes life much less complicated.

I've been hanging out with Belhaven friends a good bit recently as well. That's been great. I don't like losing touch with people, especially when only live two miles away. It's always very interesting to me to see how relationships change over time. How I'll hang out with a certain group for a few months, then inexplicably won't see them for months, then I'll start hanging out with them again as if we never stopped. That happened more in college than it does now, but I think it will happen.

Another semester has begun! And, I might add, it's off to an auspicious start. The classes are interesting, the workload is light, and opportunities abound.

My goals for this semester are to work harder with school and be more involved on campus and with service.

In thinking about last semester, I realized that more than anything, I was trying to avoid stress. As if it were the plague. So I dabbled and procrastinated, and generally had a great time. Didn't really feel like a medical student at all (as far a busyness was concerned), and was proud of that silly fact. In retrospect, I realize that my mindset was foolish.

Grades aren't an issue for me at all. I'd be fine with continuing to get the grades I got last semester. Not superb, but they're adequate. The issue is with stewardship of my time. As I see it, I've been blessed with this tremendous opportunity to make a difference, and the least I can do is put forth my very best effort. I no longer want to view the minute details as unworthy of my attention. There's no way I can remember everything, but if I only see most of the material once, and some of it not at all, I won't learning like I should.

So I want to prioritize school more. But it just so happens that our schedule if fairly light this semester, so I'll still have a lot of free time. What to do with it?

Of course, I'll continue to run and work out. (An aside - I find it odd that some people are surprised when I answer in the affirmative when they ask me if I'm still running. Of course. I guess it's just a fad for some people. Oh well. Maybe it's the way I'm wired, but exercising will always be a significant part of my life, until I'm old and decrepit or mentally ill). I also want to read. Just random stuff, whatever I'm in the mood for on any particular day. I'd like to be very involved at the Free Clinic as well. I applied for a spot on the clinic's Board of Directors for next year, and we'll see how that pans out. There are about 10 different positions on the Board, and I told them I'd be happy to serve in any capacity, although my top three choices were research chairman, student volunteer coordinator, and physician volunteer coordinator.

A cool thing. An e-mail was sent out a while back to all the MD/PhD students here at school calling for two people to attend an APSA (American Physician Scientists Association) conference up in Chicago in late April. Of course, I'm a newbie and have no abstracts to present, so I didn't respond, thinking that upperclassmen would jump at the opportunity. A few days ago, got another e-mail literally begging two of us mudphuds to go. Apparently, our administrators really want our school to be represented at these things. So, I look at my schedule to see if April 23-25 in Chicago works for me. Three tests on the 26th. Not a problem (hehe). Let's go to Chicago!! All expenses paid travel and hotel stay (nice hotel, too!), plus the opportunity to hear big-name speakers from top schools around the country (one is Francis Collins). How could I turn that down? So, little old me, an M1, gets to go to a big conference. I'm excited.

I could go on, but it's tired and I'm late (for you, Dad)

Ta-ra then!