T minus 1 day: Blog Introduction Part Deux

I just sent out an announcement about my blog to my friends and family. I'm not quite sure what's going to happen next: I'm not expecting this blog to become an active social hub (a la Facebook) and I do take a dim view on excessive online socializing. Nonetheless, I also hope I'm not firing off electrons into the internet just for my own amusement.

Speaking of Facebook, I have delayed joining these online social networks despite having received several invitations for the same reasons I have delayed starting a blog. A med school colleague commented that he thought I would have signed up long ago! However, I currently believe Facebook is evil and it has an unlimited potential for wasting time (a rant for another day...) But, I concede that I'll have to join eventually -- with only an absolute minimum profile so I can check in on long lost acquaintances.

So, my approach to this blog is to have a high signal-to-noise ratio -- it won't be a daily diary and I'll try to keep rambling to a minimum. Also, for the non-medical people out there, any posts about my work and interactions with patients will be deliberately vague -- confidentiality prevents me from giving any details which may identify any patient. Considering I'll be working in a small-town this restriction will be especially important.

I'm going to head out the door soon for lunch with mom and then have a short break followed by dinner at a friend's place. I leave tomorrow afternoon for Montreal.

The excitement is building.

T minus 2 days: Road Trip Introduction

I commented to friend and colleague of mine the other day that "my social life has quadrupled in the past week!". Although I finished my last day of residency only 2 weeks ago, it feels like a distant memory now. In addition to the planning and preparation that goes into a 2 week road trip I've also been taking the time to meet and catch up with friends, have profound philosophical discussions with my dad (he wants me to get married), and eat ethnic food like there's no tomorrow.

My preparations are complete: I have a daily itinerary sketched out thanks to a guide book I bought, all my accommodations are set, and I just bought a poor-man's GPS (Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008 installed on my laptop) to prevent me from getting lost.

I have a few more social engagements for tomorrow and then a dim sum lunch with the family on Sunday before I head off on the first leg of my trip.

In the meantime, I hope to gradually master the Blogger tools and improve the appearance of this blog. First priority is to try to get some images up.

T minus 2 days: Blog Introduction

Those who've known me for some time know that this blog is long overdue. I've been interested in computers since I was a pre-teen and yet here I am signing up many years later. Like most things in life it was all about timing and priorities: just as blogging was taking off and the tools to make them were becoming more accessible, I was being distracted by something called medical school and residency. But, the wheel has finally turned and I'm ready to blog.

The timing is good because I'm about to discover that one of the myths I've always held about life may actually be true: you do get more free time after you finish school! (Well, there are actually several huge caveats as you will soon see). Secondly, for the first time in my life I'm moving not just a long way from home but to one of the far corners of Canada. On the one hand I'm going to be very far away from everybody I know and yet on the other hand it's going to be quite an adventure. Also, I'm not the type of person who brings his work home and my family can attest to the fact that I rarely talk to them about my work. However, moderation is the key and talking about work will not only get the stress out but also help others understand what makes you tick. So, followers of this blog will not only be able to keep up with what's going on in my life but also discover what it is I do for a living.

Lastly, as you might see from the blog's tagline in the banner, I have a more ambitious goal for this blog. For those who aren't familiar with the term, "walkabout" comes from the Australian Aboriginal people and it refers to a personal or spiritual quest. When one has become overburdened with work, duties, and obligations you can start to lose yourself. As you drift further and further away from your true self, you eventually reach a crisis point and you have to "go on a walkabout". Leaving everything behind (except essentials) you would then walk, and walk, and walk some more until you eventually meet yourself. Once you find yourself, you sit down and have a very long talk. If things work out, when you finish you'll be alone and whole once more.

This is my walkabout.