Recently I have felt compelled to look more and more at residency programs and places that I would like to live. Few of them are in the midwest. I am looking out West for many programs, but there aren't that many out there. I also like some programs in North Carolina, South Carolina, and maybe NY. But, I don't want to live in NYC. Chicago is nice. There are lots of programs there, and I would be close to my grandparents and parents. Fortunately, I will be busy and not have time to see them all the time, as I know they want. Recently I had a conversation with a beautiful woman about the city of Seattle. I have always felt drawn to Seattle for some reason. Possibly that I love the outdoors, love seafood, and love the West. Although the weird thing is that I've never been to Seattle. (well, not that I remember) Also, I really like the idea of moving to Madison, WI. They have a pretty good ortho program, and I hear Madison is an awesome town. Lots of cyclists and runners there. Lots of trails. Lots of snow, which is not a bad thing. I can work on my snowshoeing and trail running. On a side note, has anyone tried out the waterproof trail running shoes? I know that Merrell, North Face, and a couple other companies make them. I have looked at several but I haven't talked to anyone about them. Any pointers? Bueller?

Other cities: Salt Lake City, UT. What a gorgeous city, well, as long as you are not on the Great Salt Lake. For those of you who don't know, the GSL smells like a garbage heap of rotting flesh. Sorry for that olfactory and visual image, but it does. The problem with the GSL is that it is so salty that nothing can live in it, for the most part. Everything dies in it and the smell carries into the city. The rest of the city is beautiful and wonderfully laid out. Those Mormons were on to something when they moved from Nauvoo out there. Also they were escaping religious persecution, but that's a different history lesson. Modern day Mormons are not all bad, in fact, the current Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid, is a Mormon. He is the highest ranking Mormon in the United States government history. For a one-sided tale of Mormonism read Under The Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, however, does not like the book for the negative image that it portrays of Mormons. Regardless, it is an interesting read.

More cities to come as they pop up in my search for a real job. My first real job. A job in my career, which I can actually use on my CV. Joy.