Valentine's Day Off

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! It is an American made, commercialized holiday that is revered by many woman. This year I recieved an amazing Valentine's Day present... A DAY OFF WORK! It is not normal to work every day for weeks on end. Unfortunately, the previous rotation of doctors did just that. They had a schedule that allowed for zero days off for 6 months. Absolutely ridiculous! More importantly, it is completely unhealthy. 2 weeks ago I decided that this had to stop. There are 3 of us docs that work in the hospital ward. One of us has to be there at all times, 24 hours a day. We decided to cover for each other so that each person has at least most of one day off a week. So far it is working. Apparently, we have received some critical casualties in the last day. I would not know because I was NOT THERE! I was away from the hospital for a whole day.

So, for my 24 hours off I did what most Americans do on their days off, relax. I spent time reading a great book called "The Blind Side". It is a great story about an inner city kid who is totally neglected but gets rescued. If you have not seen the movie or read the book, I recommend it highly. This morning I slept in until 8 AM. After getting up at Oh Dark Thirty as we say in the military for the past 51 days in a row, it felt great to stay under the covers a few hours longer. I was able to get to church today which is always a good thing. Lent is coming up and I am planning to actually take it seriously this year. I'd like to learn more about my faith and there is no better time to do it then now. I was able to enjoy a smoothie and some pizza for lunch today. That hit the spot. I ended my day off with a run out to the incinerators and back. Oh what a site it is to see all the garbage that thousands of troops produce each day burned to ashes. Obviously, I am kidding. It's disgusting and a necessary evil I guess.

So, now I am back to the grind. I am back on nights this week. My batteries are recharged. I'm ready to work hard and do the best I can to take care of our wounded warriors. In the meantime, I will steal some valentine's day chocolate from someone and and endulge.

Cheers!