Dispatches from across the Pond!

That's right!

Wondering why I haven't been blogging at all for the past 3 weeks? Well, you probably haven't been wondering, because I think that everyone who reads the blog knows that I've been back in Boston since mid-November to interview for residency. But just in case you didn't know, here's the rundown. Interviews for residency (the training that comes after medical school) run from mid-November through the end of January. I just wanted to make one trip back to the states, so I deliberately scheduled my interviews in one chunk of time. And it just so happened to work out that I could schedule them around Thanksgiving, which was an added bonus. So far I've interviewed at 5 places, and I have one more coming up next. The good news is that I've liked almost everywhere I've interviewed about would be happy to train there, the bad news is I'm going to have a hard time ranking places in order of preference! This is a Good Problem. After the interview , then the family is headed down to Baltimore to see Jason and experience the Medicine Lake EP release concert on December 11th! If you live in the area you should check it out! Other highlights of the visit have included:

• Staying with Jon and Julia in Providence, meeting their dog and cat, enjoying some yummy food, and reminiscing about our Birthright trip.

• Catching up with Michelle about our mutual favorite topics: food, running, and primary care.

• Harry Potter 7a with Kate and Hayden! I thought it was amazing. Interestingly, I think this movie was kind of polarizing - people who are dedicated to the books thought the movie was great, but people who haven't read the books or don't remember them well didn't like the movie.

• Seeing our thespian friend John in a production of Henry IV part 2, which was perfect because we saw part 1 in London.

• Staying with Miya and Lester in The Shire and hearing about their intern adventures and bunny-cage making. Did I mention that Miya baked a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting?

• Visiting some of my old favorite Coolidge Corner restaurants - Dorado and Dok Bua - with Michael and giving a new board game a try.

• Four days living with the kitties again! I stole Beppe and Nanni away from their very nice kitty-sitters for a few days over the Thanksgiving weekend. I only had them in Lexington for a short time because they had to be cooped up in my bedroom or else our family's dog would have had her way with them. By the end of the 4 days they were getting a little feisty.

• Family Thanksgiving! This year we hosted it at my family's house, so there was lots of prepping and cleaning but it was totally worth it. And notably, despite considering myself a vegetarian for 5 years, this was the first year I didn't eat turkey. But with a dozen side dishes and veggie gravy, who needs turkey?

• My 10-year high school reunion. Nothing too dramatic to report here, it was very nice to see people I haven't seen much lately, and funny to see how some people haven't changed a bit. The reunion was also exciting because Suzanne and Chris were in town from Pasadena, and they dazzled us with stories of mountains, bike riding, sunny skies and fresh produce.

• Staying with Erica at palace of an apartment in Worcester. Added bonus: playing indoor soccer with her for the first time since high school!

• Getting taught how to play Backgammon by my mom, the reigning Pappo-Rogers family champion. Reigning for the last 30 years and still unbeaten...

• Latkes with Ariel and John! Danny and I couldn't host our annual Channukah/Hannukah/Channuka/Hannuka party in Brookline this year, so we had to have a mini-party instead. I left with my hair, sweater and jacket all smelling of fried potato, which means the night was a success.

• Haircut by Maria at Pure hair salon! Maria is a friend from college who now is a stylist who, luckily for me, specializes in curly hair. My head is probably a pound lighter, my curls are much bouncier, and I didn't have to have some awkward conversation with a stylist I didn't know. That's what we like to call win, win, win. Curly-haired friends in Boston, look no further for your next haircut.

There are many adventures still coming up, most notably a trip to Get HoHoHo tomorrow - a cold, windy but always fun ultimate tournament on Cape Cod, then a few nights with Marlise in Brookline during my next interview, and visiting a bunch of people in the Balitmore/DC area. I'll be back in London on Tuesday the 14th, and hopefully Danny and I will get traveling again!