Back to the blog!

Wow - it's been a while since I've even pretended to write anything.
Don't think I have / had much readership anyway... but what do you expect with such sporadic postings? Would be nice to know if any stragglers are still out there - drop me a comment if ya have the time.

Since I started this blog, have had many changes in my life - graduated medical school, relocated to Chicago, started work as a surgical resident, got married, and gained a couple of belt sizes, to name a few - and life is still throwing curves at me. The biggest stress in my life at this point is being jobless. After a hectic two years of residency and frustration over my temporary employment (preliminary residency), I dropped the ball on a disappointing job hunt and had no workplace to call home starting in July '08.

Tried to pick up where I left off on the job hunt back then, ran into some more roadblocks and limited choices, so I dug in my heels and tried to make progress in other areas. Got my third and final component of the licensing exam out of the way, completed paperwork to obtain my license, got back on the wagon of attemping to become more physically fit, and started tossing out decade-old junk in my apartment (I'm an incurable pack-rat, inherited from my dear old dad). Have re-immersed myself in the job hunt two more times, with poor results and depressed spirits. No weight lost with the new exercise routine, but I do feel my endurance is improving at least.

Now I'm back in the market - have two promising leads for jobs starting in July '09... but nothing is at all secured yet, and need something in the meantime or I'll be as good as bankrupt by the time I try to relocate. But moving forward from here. My wife happened to catch sight of a job fair poster, so I'll check that out and see what else comes out in the wash. If nothing else, I'll see about getting "fries with that."

In the meantime, I'm trying to continue cleaning out the apartment (what a slow process), working out as much as I can get motivated for, and spending quantity time (too much?!?) with the wife. In my pseudo-retirement, I let myself get a little overly-involved emotionally with the presidential race, so I am SO GLAD that that is now decided. It has, however, reawakened my passion for some controversial issues - I'll try to address these in upcoming posts.

I will try to keep up a little better with this blog. A while back I had started a second blog to try to document my life as a resident (Dr. Bonzo), so I will keep that one dedicated to medical professional life and (if there is interest) in talking about health issues. This one is more of an online journal, sort of a pop-off valve for my brain and a little window for those who choose to peer in to get to know me better. Hopefully, at the end of the day, it is a little diversion to the grind of life, and maybe even a bit of entertainment.

More to come soon!