return to work after a three day weekend. it's not easy and perhaps makes a statement about the work. i've divided my projects into six segments, each done semiannually. this half year:

1. become a sage
2. make my bedroom a sanctuary
3. observe shabbat
4. lose weight
5. move ahead professionally
6. create my synagogue's future

how did i do?

1. i had an editorial in the delaware medical journal and a personal letter with the head of united synagogue of conservative judaism
2. i started organizing things but it's a daunting task and my wife has other priorities
3. i read rabbi frand's commentary every week and i had a shabbat guest.
4. i weigh more than in january. restricting intake has been a struggle and i've been very inconsistent with exercise
5. i decided to divest myself of the st. francis hospital. i'd like to become an expert on coordination of care and cchs may give me an opportunity to pursue this, if not i'll find the opportunity someplace else. i've written a few editorial pieces commenting to the aei think tank and gotten a few responses.
6. i've written a few editorials pieces, transmitted to people who can benefit from them. i've gotten the financial reports to be more understandable.

not bad, not great, but i worked at them with reasonable diligence. in a week it will be june, time to plan the next semiannual projects. i think i need to be more specific about what i want to do.

memorial day holiday, a day off to get caught up on household chores, some of which i did. my garden was disappointing except for sage which seems to outgrow the entire 4 x 4 ft block. we got the deck prepared for the finishers and i made some progress putting away my clothing which has been a daily incomplete project for nearly three months. for a half hour i decluttered the basement, something not really on the get myself ahead list but necessary. rmp

introduction

it is time for me to set up. first, a little about me. i graduated an american medical school of which i am quite fond in 1977. appointments with me are increasingly hard to come by through no fault of my own, though after thirty years i am starting to wind down the patient care aspect and harvest the proceeds of varied experiences and a creative, irascible mind.

while i thought i might be an empty nester by now, such is not yet the case. my daughter starts medical school in the fall, my son just graduated and probably will spend the coming year seeking his highest level of amusement on the video screen. my guess is that he will turn toward medicine as well, maybe going into critical care where the physicians now watch the icu activities on television from a remote site.

this past august my wife and i celebrated our thirtieth anniversary, which counts far above any professional achievements that may have intruded along the way.

we live in a typical suburban tract house, all paid for except for another year or so on a home improvement loan to install paint-free siding, then followed by another similar loan of similar sum for a new roof. we are hopelessly thorough savers, which has worked well for us economically but also resulted in 2400 or so square feet of clutter. the organizing shows on tv wouldn't know where to begin.

this memorial day weekend i'm toying with the summer schedule of obligations: graduation, the rabbi's retirement reception, shavuot, a medical center outing that i'll probably skip, our friend's daughter's bat mitzvah that i won't be able to skip, jury service, a respite away for the glorious fourth, my wife's friend's daughter's wedding, and finally my friend's wedding which we'll tie into vacation. there are two weekends on call thrown in as well. could use some downtime.

rich the furrydoc