It's Friday night, and for a hard working med student such as myself, that means taking a break from studying and doing something completely wild; namely, borrowing a dvd from the dorm front desk and watching a movie while studying. Tonight, its Collateral, and in the process of watching Tom Cruise blow people away while studying the superior epigastric artery, I had the inspiration to make a list of all the small joys in life my time in Illinois has made me come to appreciate.

1. Watching a movie on my computer while studying, and being glad that I have time to relax (and update my blog).

2. On the few days when I am efficient and responsible in my studying, being able to look at the clock at 11:45 pm and being happy I have the rest of the day to myself.

3. Feeling bad about wasting time on Facebook, and then clicking on "Friends Online Now" and feeling better when I see a list of fellow med students.

4. Taking a glass of grape juice and a glass of lemonade at the cafeteria.

5. My mom calling me to tell me to make close friendships with my classmates, but not too close with the female ones.

6. My mom on the phone saying "Here, say hi to Calvin and I'll put the phone up to his ear! Calvin, it's Michael! No no no! Stop biting that!"

7. Instead of counting how many classes I have A's in, being able to count how many classes I'm not failing.

8. The sight of a vein that I perfectly cleaned out 5 seconds before I accidentally break it.

9. Having conversations concerning the amount of fat cleaned out from our cadaver's lower back while enjoying dinner.

10. Telling people I'm from San Diego, and hearing them all say "Cool! Whale's Vagina!"

"Sometimes it's not all laid out for you, and you've got to fight – and then you've got to fight some more" -LaDainian Tomlinson

A great quote that can be applied to football, life in general, and especially medical school when you have 8 exams over two days. Time to start fighting.