i’m not quite on vacation, but i’m definitely not feeling like i’ve gone back to work. it’s odd taking one class and having no other academic/work responsibilities. it reminds me that college was really a lot better of a deal than medical school. i know that back then i had 4 classes (and those intrusive lab sessions!) instead of one, but still, my time was so often my own. i have deluded myself into thinking that graduate school is going to be like college was, but i have a feeling that once i get sucked into lab it’s going to be a bit more of a hybrid between my williams days and my medical school experience.
but since i now have this delusion of empty windows of time, i have started fantasizing about all of the productive yet enjoyable activities i want to pursue now that i can. i took my violin to a shop yesterday to get it restored (yes, parents, i am serious). it needs new strings and the bow needs rehairing, but otherwise it is reportedly in good shape. amazing, how 6 years of dormancy didn’t seem to phase the thing. i have a feeling i am going to suck for a while (i pity the neighbors, and josh), but hopefully i can retrain myself over the course of a few weeks to, well, not suck. i’m not sure when i am going to do with my skills if i can dredge them up, but i would think about joining an orchestra next year, maybe. or perhaps i can get jobs at weddings and earn enough to buy a coveted iPod. we’ll see.
last night i went to an mstp (md/phd program) dinner. we have these every month at a greek/mediterranean restaurant just a block from my house. there is usually a speaker from some graduate department who gives a 30-minute talk (sometimes very interesting, sometimes not) while everyone sits at round dinner tables just beginning to feel the buzz from the pre-dinner cocktail hour. this time, there was no speaker, as it was designated a “meet the first years” welcome dinner. sadly, i didn’t meet a single one, probably because they were all too busy trying to get to know each other to mingle with the old people.
these dinners are wine-soaked affairs, as our program director is a oenophile who loves to bring in bottles upon bottles of really good reds. he has a penchant for italian wines, but last night i found a rioja that i really liked and drank a few glasses. i know there will come a time in my life when i don’t enjoy being tipsy, or when others start to find it disgusting rather than cute, but i don’t think i’ve reached it yet. i think that typically this time comes when one has children. i remember being sort of grossed out when one of my college friends told me that her mom called her completely hung over and admitted that she had been sick the night before at a party. i mean, it’s her MOM. moms are supposed to have better manners than that. or at least better tolerance.
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