Culture Shock

I write this post to you all while wearing a tank top and shorts. You ask, is it because you are enjoying the fabulous 68 degree weather in Denver? Is it because Mary has chosen to vacation in the Caribbean this week? No to all the above. I decided to use my February vacation to return to the frigid ice box known euphemistically as Wisconsin. Mom, of course, has the woodstove burning full blast in the basement, while I sit at the computer in the sunroom baking in the heat. Fortunately, I anticipated all this and packed a mixture of long underwear, sweaters, and skimpy summer clothing.

Here are some thoughts on my first visit home in 9 months:

-It was good to see the entire family. Hard to believe that we had not all sat down at the same dinner table since May 2008.

-I realized that even though I live 1000 miles away, I have been pretty lucky in how often I get to see them...the Hawaii vacation in October (plus the Nebraska cousin's visit), Julie's visit in January and possibly later this spring for apartment shopping...

-I rock at football toss. Paul got this game from Menards for Christmas, which consists of throwing 2 miniature footballs attached with a string down the hallway, onto goalposts (3 points if you land on the top rung, 2 points for the middle rung, etc.). Of course, Paul calls it "testicle toss," both for the alliteration and because it involves balls.

-I have gotten caught up on a lot of reading (both medical articles that attendings have given me and fun magazine reading) as well as movie watching. We went to see
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" in the theaters.

-Though the slower pace is nice for a week, I am grateful that I moved to Colorado. The state of Wisconsin shuts down during the winter, which always struck me as a waste of 6 months. The weather here is not very amenable to outdoor sports. Meanwhile, I've gone snow-shoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park and even downhill skiing twice at Breckenridge. Here, it's been a struggle to come up with definite activities to do. Julie has declined to go bowling with me. There is no ice skating rink open within two hours. This week, I've gone to Dubuque 3 times, Platteville once, Clinton once to visit Grandpa and Grandma, and Madison once. Today we're going to go to a museum in Platteville and then to the Potosi Brewery to eat lunch.

-We had to go back to Madison to drop Paul off at the dorms. The UW campus has undergone a lot of changes even in the few months I've been away. I even saw my old apartment building. Though I often get nostalgic about Madison, my time spent there is definitely from another era in my life, and I'm happy I've moved on.

-I am also very anxious for spring to arrive. I really want to starting running outside again. Julie started me on circuits yesterday to improve my muscle tone.

P.S. I admired that tote as well at Gap the other day, Ashley!