Say Hello, Goodbye

I said goodbye to my grandfather this year.  I was glad that we got to have some semi-nice moments together this summer between his delusions to talk about his childhood, read psalms, even pray together.  Our last words were probably something along the lines of "I have to go now," "OK, go," but they sure beat the last words my grandmother ever said to me, which was something along the lines of "you have gained weight."  I didn't realize this before, but having dead grandparents (in the plural) means taking back everything we have ever given them, the photos and clothes and whatnot, because who else was going to hang out to those mementos now?  Consequently, a lot of Bo' and H'Bomb gear are now floating around our house.

Looking back, 2011 has been, fittingly, a year of 1sts.  Though it would have been more fitting if it was a year of 11ths.  But alas, my memories cannot count that high, so we'll focus on the firsts.  Like living south of the Mason Dixon for the first time.  Or visiting South Korea and Malaysia for the first time. There, I had take out delivered to a park and a giant abscess on my leg, respectively, both for the first time.  I graduated from my first grad school and entered my first doctoral program.  Neither were exciting moments in themselves, but they sound important when I tell other people.  I was commissioned to make a film for HPM orientation and write a poem for a wedding-- both firsts were highlights of the year because they blended words and friends together.  I also published in NEJM (perhaps the last?  let's hope this research career works out) though again, it didn't feel that special, it's just fun to tell med students who think they're smarter than I am.  Basically, I remember 2011 as a blur of mad studying and applications with spots of genuine goodness in between.  Nothing much to write home about, but not bad, not bad at all.