Vice
Like any good American, I grew up watching a fair amount of television. But during medical school, when there just wasn't enough hours in a day to do what I needed, I cut the habit and stopped watching TV altogether. It's frightening to realize just how much time you can spend flipping through channels looking for just "one more good show to watch" before turning the TV off.
But like any addict, I still watch a show here and there. But instead of surfing through channels, I only watch the few shows that I've planned on watching. Not that I have more discipline than anybody else... tearing myself away from the TV isn't easy.
I only watch 2 shows right now: The Office, and 30 Rock. I'll go over and peek at the TV every so often when Nathalie is watching something amusing and cracking herself up, but most times I'm at my desk working.
And when I'm sitting at my desk working, I often wonder how my life would have been different if I chose not to pursue medicine and stayed in engineering. One thing's for sure, I'd be able to watch a bit more TV and enjoy my evenings a bit more instead of having to study and prepare myself for the next day's operative cases. I'd also be able to live a lifestyle that doesn't involve being on call every few nights. And I definitely won't have to worry about every action or statement I make because of the fear of being sued by a patient for not being a perfect human being.
Every episode of 30 Rock has a group of people sitting around a table thinking up funny stuff for the next episode of their factitious show. I was telling Nathalie how much I'd like to have that job. Imagine, just sitting with your friends and joking around about stuff to televise. Won't that be an amazing job. Why wasn't that an option when I was looking around for a career? I've really got to go have a talk with my high school guidance counselor.
But then I realized that in between operative cases, that's what I often do in the surgeon's lounge: sit around with my friends joking and poking fun at random things like the bunch of 30-year old guys that we are.
Except we don't get paid for it.
But like any addict, I still watch a show here and there. But instead of surfing through channels, I only watch the few shows that I've planned on watching. Not that I have more discipline than anybody else... tearing myself away from the TV isn't easy.
I only watch 2 shows right now: The Office, and 30 Rock. I'll go over and peek at the TV every so often when Nathalie is watching something amusing and cracking herself up, but most times I'm at my desk working.
And when I'm sitting at my desk working, I often wonder how my life would have been different if I chose not to pursue medicine and stayed in engineering. One thing's for sure, I'd be able to watch a bit more TV and enjoy my evenings a bit more instead of having to study and prepare myself for the next day's operative cases. I'd also be able to live a lifestyle that doesn't involve being on call every few nights. And I definitely won't have to worry about every action or statement I make because of the fear of being sued by a patient for not being a perfect human being.
Every episode of 30 Rock has a group of people sitting around a table thinking up funny stuff for the next episode of their factitious show. I was telling Nathalie how much I'd like to have that job. Imagine, just sitting with your friends and joking around about stuff to televise. Won't that be an amazing job. Why wasn't that an option when I was looking around for a career? I've really got to go have a talk with my high school guidance counselor.
But then I realized that in between operative cases, that's what I often do in the surgeon's lounge: sit around with my friends joking and poking fun at random things like the bunch of 30-year old guys that we are.
Except we don't get paid for it.
posted by THW at 8:43 AM
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