Over the past 4-5 days, Glasgiw has had weather not seen since last summer - 5 days of lovely warm bright sunshine, and cloudless skies and associated heating up. The difference between night-toime and daytime temperatures at the moment is only about 6C.
And if there is one thing that fells me like an axe, it is humidity.. It has been better the past 2 days, but last week was killing me - waking up with a sodden T-shirt from sweat, the going to work for more of teh same etc. It w as crazy. Thankfully my body seems to be making the necessary adaptations, but I astill drinkibng 5 litres of fluid a day.
However, there has been more sitting in the park enjoying the sunshine this year than I ahve managed before., and I am (dare I say it) even starting to develop a suntan. My memories of past Ednburgh Festivals involve warm sunny afternoon as welkl, so hopefully I can develop a sun tan to at leat look like I might have had an interesting sumemr before I emet up with teh rest of my year group in September to see the oens who have spent 4 weeks in St Lucia, or Australia, Texas or Malta etc.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
The plan of my life
My cohort listings for the next year are out. Starting from 1st September, I;m on a rotating pattern of 5 week blocks, which are (in my case) in order:
Some of it is in new hospitals, some in ones I have been to, and some in hospitals I hate.
We now have to choose our SSC components in the next 2 weeks.
Surg 1 :Surg2 : SSC :O&G : PM : SSC : Med1 : Med2
Some of it is in new hospitals, some in ones I have been to, and some in hospitals I hate.
We now have to choose our SSC components in the next 2 weeks.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
I passed again
I am now one of the few Medical Students in my Med school to also have a First Aid at Work qualification!
My weekend
It was fast, fairly new, shiny, red, 1.8litre, turbo, alloy wheels, it accelerated well and was lots of fun. And it wasn't mine. I had my sisters car for the weekend to get to a wedding, and despite clipping an alloy on a curb, I have to say it was great great fun.
I now sooooo need a car. The issues of having one - problems of parking in central Glasgow, cost of petrol etc, are greatly outweighed by the advantages - go shopping anytime, go to see people miels away, not live your life by a train timetable.
Anyway I now have the money in the bank for a new car and am scouring the second hand car websites looking for likely candidates then I shall drag my brotehr-in-law around these garages to look at cars!
I now sooooo need a car. The issues of having one - problems of parking in central Glasgow, cost of petrol etc, are greatly outweighed by the advantages - go shopping anytime, go to see people miels away, not live your life by a train timetable.
Anyway I now have the money in the bank for a new car and am scouring the second hand car websites looking for likely candidates then I shall drag my brotehr-in-law around these garages to look at cars!
Monday, July 14, 2008
It's enough to make you buy a car.....
Sunday I was through in Edinburgh (again) and went for lunch with some friends. After this I decided to head home, do some chores and prepare for the First Aid course on Monday. I got to Haymarket at 1631, one minute after (as I now know) a signaling cable serving the are North of Edinburgh, was cut by vandals /thieves, after the copper for it's scrap value.
After waiting around Haymarket for 65 minutes, it was obvious that tehre were no West or Northbound trains goibng to happen in the forseeable future. I went up to sort out some stuff I need from the tech kit for a wedding coming up soon. I then went for coffee with some friends...., well actually Tea (much poorer than the second offering at Tchai.... but with a more Bruntsfield atmosphere). Then I headed down by bus to Waverley.
I then joined the nice long queue for a Rail Replacement Bus which was to take us to Linlithgow and then we would catch a train from there to Glasgow...or that was the theory. We have now reached 2030 - 4 hours after I first started to go home. We boardd the bus about 9 and headed off on a FirstBus rattling double decker out to the M9 and up to Linlithgow. After waiting on the platform there until about 9.45pm, a train came in which was going to Dunblane. After it had gone, there were 7 of us waiting to go to Glasgow.
The driver train manager came over and told us he was booking Taxi's for us. The first one came and 4 people were loaded into a Skoda and set off Glasgow bound. Then after a further 10 minute wait a Taxi came into to take us 3 to Glasgow via Croy. Thus, I travelled from Linlithgow to Glasgow in a Jaguar XJ, and very nice it was too.,
The driver was very friendly and had previously been an Executive chef, and trained at the Savoy in London, before working in Edinburgh. He was a good raconteur and was ta;lking about the joys of his job as a private hire driver and dealing with top class clients and such like.
Itw as one of the most comfortable journeys from Edinburgh I have undertaken, but took 2 hours traveling time, and over 6.5 hours from starting home to getting to Glasgow.
However after traveling 300 miels by train in the past 4 days, it was the only delay. Another compenstaion form is winging its way to First Scotrail in Fort William now......
After waiting around Haymarket for 65 minutes, it was obvious that tehre were no West or Northbound trains goibng to happen in the forseeable future. I went up to sort out some stuff I need from the tech kit for a wedding coming up soon. I then went for coffee with some friends...., well actually Tea (much poorer than the second offering at Tchai.... but with a more Bruntsfield atmosphere). Then I headed down by bus to Waverley.
I then joined the nice long queue for a Rail Replacement Bus which was to take us to Linlithgow and then we would catch a train from there to Glasgow...or that was the theory. We have now reached 2030 - 4 hours after I first started to go home. We boardd the bus about 9 and headed off on a FirstBus rattling double decker out to the M9 and up to Linlithgow. After waiting on the platform there until about 9.45pm, a train came in which was going to Dunblane. After it had gone, there were 7 of us waiting to go to Glasgow.
The driver train manager came over and told us he was booking Taxi's for us. The first one came and 4 people were loaded into a Skoda and set off Glasgow bound. Then after a further 10 minute wait a Taxi came into to take us 3 to Glasgow via Croy. Thus, I travelled from Linlithgow to Glasgow in a Jaguar XJ, and very nice it was too.,
The driver was very friendly and had previously been an Executive chef, and trained at the Savoy in London, before working in Edinburgh. He was a good raconteur and was ta;lking about the joys of his job as a private hire driver and dealing with top class clients and such like.
Itw as one of the most comfortable journeys from Edinburgh I have undertaken, but took 2 hours traveling time, and over 6.5 hours from starting home to getting to Glasgow.
However after traveling 300 miels by train in the past 4 days, it was the only delay. Another compenstaion form is winging its way to First Scotrail in Fort William now......
Friday, July 11, 2008
Tea or not tea
Today before badminton, Butcher Boy and I went to a tea house - Tchai Ovna - in the West End, down by the river. It was a very unusual place which could have looked very rural, were it not for the back of the new Unite flats being built next door with cranes and builders. We sat on the decking outside on some of the assoreted seats and mismatching coffee tables and read the Menu of 100 tea types.......we chose teh House Special as a start - it was a very sweet milky tea with a distinctive spicy hint to it. I think Butcher Boy liked it more than I did. we sat discussing the world and putting it right whilst looking out through the foliage to watch the builders.
after deciding that it was maybe too large a leap from out tetley, Twinings and Yorkshire tea palate, we decided on a rather refreshing balck tea to follow which was lovely.
Upon paying, the staff asked how we had enjoyed it and seemed alittle surprised thatw e found the spicy one not to our pallette. Butcher Boy was at his most mollifying in trying to convince them that is was our uneducated pallettes which were to blame, noit their random teas.
I feel we shall visit again, maybe starting to get more adventurous with our black, green, yellow white and even red teas. however, i cannot see either of us trying the fruit pipes they offer as a smoking alternative.
after deciding that it was maybe too large a leap from out tetley, Twinings and Yorkshire tea palate, we decided on a rather refreshing balck tea to follow which was lovely.
Upon paying, the staff asked how we had enjoyed it and seemed alittle surprised thatw e found the spicy one not to our pallette. Butcher Boy was at his most mollifying in trying to convince them that is was our uneducated pallettes which were to blame, noit their random teas.
I feel we shall visit again, maybe starting to get more adventurous with our black, green, yellow white and even red teas. however, i cannot see either of us trying the fruit pipes they offer as a smoking alternative.
MIA
Sorry for being Missing In Action for the past 2 weeks or so. I would love a very complex excuse but, no to be honest it is just pure laziness. I will therefore try to summarise life here:
Badminton
Well we have been playing as a group of between 2 and 6 more regularly over the past few weeks, except for the week of Butcher Boy's confinement due to having had his eyes lasered back together. My ability is as ever exceded by my enthusiasm and my hope that i may improve. no one seems to mind much and so we continue to attempt to counteract some of the many calories consumed.
Work
In a change to when I last worked there, I am now working mostly on checkouts. this involves less cleaning and less interaction with chicken grease, which is all good, but does involve more dealing with customers and the vagrities of the human condition from drunk to druggie from elderly to eccentric and from kids to kleptomaniacs. I have also been covering a few shifts on the Kiosk selling addictions - from cigarettes, through skins, through alcohol through gambling to newspapers and sweeties, if you want to feed you addiction, I will happily sell it to you, as long as you look over 21, or from next week, over 25 (or have ID). I have been working an average of 22 hours which is about enough to keep busy, without it not feeling llike a holiday.
First Aid Course
2 weeks dpone now, and half way through the course. It is a mixed bunch of people, mostly very nice and all seemingly willing to get into the spirit of things. There are a few of us about the same age who seem to get on and have been doing the practical exercises together. Only 2 weeks til the assessment so I am reading books again!
- Badminton
- Work
- First Aid course
- messing about on the internet..............
- reading trashy books of varying descriptions
Badminton
Well we have been playing as a group of between 2 and 6 more regularly over the past few weeks, except for the week of Butcher Boy's confinement due to having had his eyes lasered back together. My ability is as ever exceded by my enthusiasm and my hope that i may improve. no one seems to mind much and so we continue to attempt to counteract some of the many calories consumed.
Work
In a change to when I last worked there, I am now working mostly on checkouts. this involves less cleaning and less interaction with chicken grease, which is all good, but does involve more dealing with customers and the vagrities of the human condition from drunk to druggie from elderly to eccentric and from kids to kleptomaniacs. I have also been covering a few shifts on the Kiosk selling addictions - from cigarettes, through skins, through alcohol through gambling to newspapers and sweeties, if you want to feed you addiction, I will happily sell it to you, as long as you look over 21, or from next week, over 25 (or have ID). I have been working an average of 22 hours which is about enough to keep busy, without it not feeling llike a holiday.
First Aid Course
2 weeks dpone now, and half way through the course. It is a mixed bunch of people, mostly very nice and all seemingly willing to get into the spirit of things. There are a few of us about the same age who seem to get on and have been doing the practical exercises together. Only 2 weeks til the assessment so I am reading books again!
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