I have a secret. Deep down inside I've always wanted to be able to write well. And not "I got an 'A' on that term paper" well, but actual, publishable well. So well that people don't stop mid way through a sentence and ask themselves if my first language is really English. I'm perpetually envious of those that can get a point across clearly, or make a cogent argument in a few sentences. I think in particular I've been envious of a guy named Mike Royko. He wrote for the Sun Times and then the Tribune before I was born, and died before I could appreciate a newspaper. What makes his writing so great is in the delivery. It's blunt, somewhat cynical, but always sincere. He had a way of diffusing controversial issues that puts most politicians to shame. I've always finished one of his articles wishing I could be so witty, decisive and clear.

So chances are that I'll never write a column in a newspaper. Hell, I'll probably never write a clear grocery list. But maybe, on the days when med school has got me down, I can daydream about dropping everything and becoming a brash writer who isn't afraid to say what's on his mind, and always says it well. A guy can dream, can't he? Until then, I think I have some studying to do...