Pontificum Scriblerus

We all know this about me: I am easily influenced, highly impressionable and moderately obsessive.  But even I am surprised. You see, I read a book. To put this in context, this is probably the first non-science book I read in several months.  I was on vacation, and a friend lent me her Kindle.  Upon her recommendation, I delved into The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain.  It is about Ernest Hemingway's first wife and their beautiful yet wrenching love story, marriage and demise.  I don't even know very much about Ernest Hemingway, and have not read much of his writing because in high school, when I took American literature, I happened to have a very anti-establishment teacher (ironically, educated at Harvard and Yale), who concentrated mostly on African American, feminist and gay/lesbian literature instead of "dead white male" literature.  She had a vendetta against "dead white males."  While others read The Great Gatsby, I read Olivia Butler, the name ...

I have not written in a while, mostly because I've been uninspired. To write something good, you have to be in the midst of some sort of angst, I'm convinced of that. Otherwise, everything sounds canned. What did I have to anguish about? I like my job, I love my kid, I hate the neighborhood - but how much can I really whine about that? All equals lack of posts. But something happened last week that ignited my passions more than the average bit. And forgive me if I have discussed this before, and am repeating myself. So, I'm at the hospital rounding. I run into a fellow young doc from my company. Turns out, he just had a baby. We're both sitting over open charts, pens in hand, making co-worker smalltalk in low tones. Oh, is it your first baby? Oh, it's your third baby! Oh, how very fun, congratulations! Is your wife also physician? No, he says, she is in finance. She was working her tail off with the first two, and never saw them, so now, with the thi...