It's been very busy and, once in a blessed while, not quite. And I enjoy working and learning, even if I feel stupid and clumsy and lost sometimes.

There are a few hallways at Christ hospital where I can look out the windows and, because of the flatness of the land, see all way out to the horizon. During one of my calls, Dustin told me that he used to look out those windows at night and see all the lit streets and think about the stores that opened and closed and will open again before he would finally leave the hospital.

Yesterday, I came home late at night. I tried to eat some McDonald's that I bought on the way, but threw away the Sprite because they gave me a cup of bitter seltzer water, and threw away the rest because I felt sick from trying to eat greasy food after not having a chance to eat all day. I finally set up my Internet connection and was thinking about trying to get some studying done. The next thing I know I was waking up to my alarm clock blaring at the usual ungodly hour.

Surgery residency can be isolating. And living alone can be lonely. So while it may have been just a case of wanting something to read when you're bored, it meant a lot to me to find that you wanted to know how I was doing. I'm hanging in there. I really am.

I love you all.