RISK

Today is a monumentous day!... As a freshman in college I remember coming out of class one sunny day when a very gentle voice whispered into my ear, “Are you interested in signing up for a free credit card from Citibank? Today only we’re offering a special gift with it” (As if SHE was the gift to take home). Young, impressionable R.J. turned around and saw a young, vibrant, voluptuous blonde who could have just as easily said “Would you be interested in a lifetime of debt and mental anguish from poor investments with money you don’t have?” and I still would have replied with glee “Sure!” Well, that was also a very monumentous day for R.J., as it was 13 years ago to date and what started at a credit limit of 3 digits, quickly morphed into a 5 digit limit with late fees, over limit fees and past due bills. It was a futile battle that I had just about given up on, and although many “charges” were for college expenses (does beer and bourbon count as expenses?), legitimate graduate school tuition and expenses in Miami (hey, I had to wear $300. designer jeans in Miami, how else would I ever have gotten offered that modeling gig that ended up paying me 50 bucks?), medical school expenses and so on. But today, for the first day in 13 years, I have paid off ALL of my credit card debt. All 3 cards I own are paid off entirely (actually overpaid with a slightly negative balance) and my money is now automatically being put into Savings without me even doing a thing. I know my friend Jan and sister Kelly will be proud to read these words. Now granted, RJ is a spender and believes that money burns a whole in your pocket – that you may as well spend it while you’re alive and enjoy it – but I promise, from this day forward, after I return home to Hawaii and buy a new SUV and jet ski to tow on the back of it, I’ll save every penny!

This past week was very boring, and it was really a challenge to stay motivated and energetic. I worked out, did some paperwork, watched a movie and I saw some patients – even performed minor surgery and took a Hemangioma off of someone’s head, but nothing seemed to get me energized. I’m not sure why. I guess its ok to have very dull, lackluster weeks like that. The highlight of the week occurred last night when I hijacked a board game that I used to play often as a child and played it with my corpsman…RISK, The Game of Global Domination! It was actually very fun and good to do something different like that. That’s one of the hardest things about this place I think, working every day and not having any time off. Even with the time off we do have, there’s really no place to go to get peace and quiet. There’s always jets and helicopters flying overhead, or some announcement coming over the base PA system. You’re always surrounded by other people too, and while I consider myself an extrovert, sometimes, as even the happiest of married couples will attest, it’s nice to just be alone, without anyone around you.

Today in the mail I got sent a care package from Soldier's Angel Cindy in San Pedro, CA. It was a little Irish bear. I know my mom will love it as much as I do (she's still trying to figure out how to post a comment to this blog - I love ya mom!) Thanks Cindy, you put a smile on my face today.

Well, that's it for now. There is nothing insightful or entertaining for me to write this time. Maybe you all can help me figure out what kind of SUV to buy when I get back to Hawai'i,...any recomendations???