I couldn't bear to look in the mirror today. I only saw a tired, haggard face that looked so bad I was sure it wasn't really me.

It took an hour and ten minutes to drive home today because of rush hour and rain, an unlucky combination. To make things worse, when I walked into the house I found dog diarrhea all over the carpet floor. Usually, the chihuahua is curled up in bed, in the exact position she was left that morning (she loves her beauty sleep and doesn't budge an inch). This time, she was nowhere to be found-- so she must have moved off-- very unusual for her. Ultimately, she was hiding under the bed. She knew she had done something wrong. Who said dogs don't have complex emotions? This chihuahua knows when to feel guilty :). It wasn't fear, because I don't exactly punish her when she poops in the house. But I do use my stern voice and tell her she was a bad girl.

Tomorrow is Friday but there's no rest for the weary. I'm on call, so I'll be there until Saturday. Basically I've been working straight for two weeks, and I'm about to collapse. Also, my attending tomorrow is the vice chairman and he's very difficult to please. Yesterday, I worked with him for several hours and at the end he showed a rare display of praise: Several phrases of compliments, and then "Dr Seldelaterre, you are to be commended." But it doesn't come easy, and you have to work super hard to get an ounce of this recognition.

I hope I survive until this weekend, and then I'll finally have Saturday and Sunday off, after I catch up on sleep.