According to the traditional Johns Hopkins terminology, I am now a "Junior Assistant Resident"; no longer directly in the line of fire for Tylenol and Sonata orders, no longer doing 25 post-op checks for the Ortho service, no longer the default victim of "make the Intern do it"-itis.

Just this level of removal from being the sealing compound in the cracks of modern healthcare permits a bit more consideration of what may be going on with a patient. Last month in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit was rewarding partly because working with such astute nurses is a joy, but working with sicker, more critically ill patients pumps a little more "juice" and thoughtfulness into the job.

And now, though my Intern-year vacation was April, I'm on vacation yet again. As my allocated two weeks for JAR-year, I may well not see another vacation for more than a year. Even so, I enjoy having this little bit of space in my life. I tore apart my espresso machine to identify a balky hot water valve, and gave it a particularly satisfying cleaning--I feel as if I'm recovering some dormant facets of my life. I'm enjoying my espresso, roasting my beans, perusing the active little Internet subculture of espresso-enthusiasts.