Andy, the intern on Colorectal, said that he was a big fan of Korean barbeque. He said we should go on a night when neither of us was on call. Sure, I said. And I'll bring some girls so that they can flip the meat, he said. Sure, I said.

So I was sitting at home today, having gotten the day off after Q2 call over NYE and the weekend, when I got a text from Andy that he'll come pick me up around 6. I went downstairs to meet him, and sure enough, he'd brought a girl with him in his car. Then we drove to Caribou Coffee and picked up her roommate. Great, right?

Somewhere along the way, I found out that the girls were actually that - girls. 22 and 23, if I remember correctly. One of them graduated from the same high school as I did, and kept asking if I knew this or that person. I kept saying that I was not likely to know anyone that they knew.

This past week I saw Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, and Up in the Air, which might be more than all of 2009 before. They were all good, but George Clooney's isolated frequent flyer hit home more than anything else. He did make it to his sister's wedding, which may be the best I can hope for, since any sort of attempt at human connection seems like a bit much for me.

I did make it through Korean barbeque in one piece, though, so maybe there's hope for me after all. This has to be considered progress from hanging out with youth group kids, right?

Baby steps, 2010. Baby steps.