Paging Dr. Gray

Today I got my senior picture taken. (Ahem, that's "senior" as in senior year of medical school, natch....) I got all dressed up in a coat and tie and figured the camera would be loving me. Not so much, as it turned out -- those were some pretty serious bags under my eyes. (Although perhaps someone will work some Photoshop magic on my behalf.) Med school really takes a toll in the appearance department.

But then I thought, maybe this will be a Dorian Gray kind of portrait. As I slog through the stress and sleeplessness of my residency the senior portrait will acquire dark circles under the eyes and a cynical squint, will lose any traces of empathy or exposure to natural light, and perhaps even develop the stooped back of too many 3:00 AM catnaps on a call room sofa. Meanwhile, I will remain perpetually a fresh-faced, well-tanned, idealistic-looking beacon of compassion, while envious fellow residents and admiring attending physicians wonder how I manage to keep that just-out-of-med-school look.

But who am I kidding? My fresh-faced idealistic look was long gone before I even got to medical school. I think my best bet at this point is to try to project a wisdom and maturity gained through hard experience. Or, failing that, try to project a minimal level of wakefulness.