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You know when one of your favorite all time bands goes into hiding for awhile, and you don't hear from them for a few years?  They're probably touring, becoming rich, and tweeting. Nothing else.  Ok but seriously, the day finally arrives when your friend says, "hey did you hear so-and-so is finally coming out with a new record??" and you naturally freak out and write in your facebook status about how excited you are (only to realize 12 other people have the same exact status posted in the last hour).  Then the day finally arrives that the album drops (or the new trend of leaking out individual songs ala Taylor Swift, etc.  speaking of Taylor Swift...no wait we'll come back to her.) Anyway, the day finally comes, you buy the tape, CD, whole mp3 album off of itunes, vinyl record because you're super hipster, put it on repeat (do records do that?  I'm sure they do) and prepare for the best day of your life.  And then it isn't.  In fact you end up skipping to the second track hoping for something to knock you off your feet.  And then of course the third and fourth on down the line until you realize you are late for class and you'll have to spend more time with your super hipster vinyl record later.

After a few more listens, you find yourself talking to a friend and saying, "this album is different, I think it's one that just has to grow on you but I think I'm really starting to love it!"  Two weeks later and you've completely moved on.  And of course, subsequent albums are released by this same fav band, except they never really recapture what endeared them to you so much in the first place.  Did they run out of material?  Did they sell out for fame, fortune, and hot babes that are dumb?

Let this be an extremely tangential reintroduction to my little writing space.  I started this blog almost 6 years ago, and I've had lulls (not as many lols, sorry I'll work on that) in writing here and there, but in the last year I've become awful at writing anything.  Call it the insidious effects of being a medical student, but I truly haven't given this thing any time.  And I wondered, "am I just really boring now?" 'Am I becoming one of those old people that  "doesn't get the obsession with facebook" etc. because they actually have real lives and maybe secretly don't really know how to use it?" Or perhaps I just lost interest with writing about myself and my experiences in such a sparsely-frequented public forum.  To be honest, I think being busy has had a lot to do with it.  And if there's one thing I've come to realize more fully in the last year, it's that authentic, meaningful relationships are one of the most fulfilling things in life.  And so I've been aiming to dedicate more time to those than to "with-my-by-myself," clankin' away at the keyboard.  Time is such a limited commodity, and it is a shame that we spend so much time fighting boredom when there is so much of life to live, and so much good to do in the world.  I pledge to give more attention to this space in 2013, but it will definitely come at the cost of something else.  One of my favorite all time quotes is from the oft-quoted/adored President Dieter f. Uchtorf, of the quorum of the twelve apostles:

Brethren, we all know that it takes self-discipline to remain focused on the matters that have the greatest power to increase our love for God and fellowman, invigorate marriages, strengthen families, and build the kingdom of God on earth. Like a fruit tree with an abundance of branches and leaves, our lives need regular pruning to ensure that we use our energy and time to accomplish our real purpose

I know that with discipline and trust in God, that we can make so much more of our lives.  It requires dedicated time to do away with wasteful parts of our lives, so that we can focus on the most meaningful parts.  To all of you that I haven't talked to in forever; I think about you guys a lot.  I'm doing really well, in both medical school and in health and happiness.  It's been in the 70's and sunny in Arizona, and it's the perfect weather after weeks of (sort of) cold that whispers of an unknown excitement.

I may not be your favorite band whose album you've been anxiously awaiting, but regardless, know that I haven't sold out for fame, fortune, nor for hot babes that are dumb. (haha ok it was a weird analogy, and yes I took the weird analogy way too far.  Weirdly)

But hopefully I'll be able to say that my best writing endeavors are those ahead of me, and not behind.

-Ross

p.s. ok now about Taylor, can we stop making her out to be such an exemplary role model as a famous female?  I mean sure there are worse ones (like avril lavigne) (just kidding) (remember her?) but first of all, Swift's last album was pure garbage.  Let's just be honest about it.  Every time I'm in a store and I hear "re-red-red, re-red-red, re-red" I wonder if their itunes is frozen.  (or maybe their vinyl record?) And on top of that she dates all these weird older/younger/harry (get it) men and I'm not sure she's so much more modest or conservative or even original as any other famous girl artist out there.

Ok she's definitely better than Kesha.  Whoops forgot the $ in her name.

I'm callin' you out Taylor, for being as much of an imposter as Manti Te'o's non-girlfriend. (you know I had to sneak that in somewhere!)