After taking the ABSITE last year, I didn't open a book for about six months. This year was to be no different. Recently, I had the following conversation with the intern on my service.

Aisha: I force myself to read thirty minutes every day.

Me: Really? Wow.

She: I really want to be a good doctor. Don't you?

And that made me feel guilty, but not guilty enough to read every day. Instead I've been trying to work on other parts of my life, specifically the part where I don't have a girlfriend.

Mike set me up with a friend of his, and I put myself out there. We went out a couple of times, and it was nice to have a not-unpleasant date with a grownup. And the fact that I probably won't pursue it any further has more to do with personal preferences than any dating horror story.

So in the end I'm a bit more optimistic about what might be. Guilt can be brutally effective, but sometimes hope is all you need.