It’s been 2 weeks since embarking on my exhausting ride through the world of oncology. Whether we were dealing with “liquids” (leukemia) or “solids” (organ tumors), my typical day involved doling out a variety of painkillers from fentanyl patches to IV dilaudid, making me a highly-underpaid yet legitimate drug dealer. The rest of my efforts are spent suppressing nausea and getting patients to move their bowels – an art that all interns have more or less perfected. Even if the Colace/Senna doesn’t get you going, we’ve got lactulose, Fleet enemas, and my favorite: Dulcolax BLAST kit. On a different note, but still related to this entry’s title, we finally finished the epic battle between Solid and Liquid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4. After a 6 month hiatus and forgetting most of the controls, we resumed the final chapter of this exceptional game just before Melody’s overseas rotation. With the help of our camo suit, the Mk.II scout unit, and other spying gadgets, we stealthed our way through the rubbles of war-torn Middle East, the cobblestone streets of Eastern Europe, and even nostalgic Shadow Moses Island from the first MGS circa 1998. The gameplay blended seamlessly with impressive full-motion cinematics, though the nearly 2-hour ending was somewhat exhausting. What better way to spend Valentine’s Day?

As my cold winter month at the Faulkner draws to an end, I decided to treat myself on my last call night with not one but TWO meal tickets at the hospital cafeteria (my only two left). The $11 credit got me two basil & chive chicken entrees, mash potatoes with gravy, string beans, a large cup of clam chowder, an Odwalla Chocolate Protein Monster, and chocolate mousse – a feast with enough calories to put an elephant to sleep. Unfortunately, I was not spared the usual craziness as I ended up sending an obtunded patient from the ED to the ICU, stave off another cross-cover from going to the unit, and section my last admission for suicidal ideation. Of course, it didn’t help that we stayed up late on Friday night to watch the last seven episodes from the first season of Heroes. As we wrapped up our couch potato marathon, we pondered the possibility of having super powers ourselves. Sadly, as NBC has taught us, only incredibly hot, good-looking people are blessed with such gifts. We also finally completed our journey through space, the final frontier. The finale episode to the 7 seasons of Star Trek TNG reminds us that all good things must come to an end.