Hello 2012!

Well hello!

In case you haven't received the memo, it's 2012! How exciting!

Since early December, much has happened. Christmas break, three weeks of freedom (boredom?), departed as swiftly as it came. I'm trying to recall what I did the entire time, and to tell the truth, I did not do much. Yet in the slowed-down rhythm of life that comes with a long break, I had a marvelous chance to spend time with my grandparents, catch up with my brothers, and read for pleasure. All of these things I do not get to do with any frequency here in Ann Arbor. So although the break seemed tedious after around a week, it was healthy for me to have an enforced season of rest in my life. By my count I only have one more opportunity for this for the rest of my life. After Christmas Break of my M2 year, the rubber finally hits the road. I am excited.

It is not like I sat around and twiddled my thumbs for the entire break, so I'll give a brief summary of what happened:

• Playing Scrabble with my Grandma Betty
• Competing at board games with my cousin Bruce
• Staying up far too late reading (the Hunger Games is a bad book to begin at 10 pm...)
• Meeting up with old friends

Here at medical school I am a week deep into the gastrointestinal/liver sequence. The material is fascinating, especially the anatomy. There is over 20 feet of plumbing inside a human stomach, and how it is all wrapped up inside is incredible. Of all of the material to date, this has been the most fun and exciting. However, there have been two big happenings of the past week: I now have a piano and a house for next year!!!

and...

The piano I purchased with money from my grandmother for Christmas. In the house I will be living with Hope/Calvin alums who are now medical students. The house is RIGHT where we were hoping for a great price. It's the kind of place where we envision staying for at least two years. Thank goodness that we don't have to go through the headache of finding an apartment/rental house in Ann Arbor in the near future.

On an aside, pianos are extremely heavy. I would not recommend moving one up to the third floor of an apartment building that does not happen to have an elevator.

Cheers,

John