Busy Busy Busy Busy

My apologies, ladies.  I know it's been a long hiatus.  It ends now.  As a personal policy, I generally don't make excuses for disappearing off the face of the planet, but I figured the best way to get everyone caught up would be a list of excuses.  Here goes:

1. Grad Stud #1
2. Grad Stud #2
3. Hanging out with friends
4. Art historian
5. Research projects
6. Bartender
7. Research projects
8. Debaucherous annual meeting
9. Research projects
10a. Boyfriend (See item #1)
10b. Ex-Boyfriend (Again, see item #1)

Yep.  I think that sums up my spring and early summer quite nicely.

Amidst writing a grant proposal, getting nowhere fast on many research projects, and winding down the joy that was my unfettered research year, I went on a whole hell of a lot of dates. 

At one point, there were approximately four different men in my life (yes, two grad students, an art historian, and a bartender), but this situation became utterly unmanageable.  Have any of you tried to date multiple men at once?  It is exhausting.  It's like having a part time job on top of a full time job.

Luckily, it turned out that of all the men, there was one frontrunner: Grad Stud #1--the gentleman from a previous post.  We had the DTR* in mid-May and decided to become boyfriend and girlfriend (awwww...).

Alas, but the blissfulness only lasted a measly 6 weeks.  Grad Stud #1is trying to finish his thesis by next May.  And the regular schedule of research is ending for me.  He didn't have time for me, and he didn't want to be the third wheel in the relationship between me and Pager.  After all, Pager and I are literally joined at the hip. 

So, he ended it.

Career issues strike again!

Our relationship was so fleeting and the time we spent together so minimal due to his work, that it's not a huge deal to get back to the way that I have been for the past nearly 2 years--single and female and a surgeon.  I would venture to say that we hardly even knew each other really, and he didn't feel like we would have time to figure out whether we were compatible for the long haul.  He also was a little younger than me and he didn't want to "waste my time" because he thought I was worried about my biological clock.

I'm seriously getting angry just writing this.

Despite his fallacious beliefs, truly the burning question for me out of this relationship--and I'm sure for many others out there--is how can two professionals date?  With intense work schedules, career building, and busy social lives, how can we meet men and then how can we actually find time to get to know each other? 

I grapple with this question on a daily basis, but I think it comes down to the fact that two people have to have the maturity, foresight, flexibility, understanding, and time management skills to make the relationship a priority in their lives, just like every other pressing thing.  At least, that's what I've seen with my friends who are professional couples (and I'm not just talking about physician couples).

*Define the Relationship talk