The Flea Battle

It is flea season here now, and we are dealing with Apollyon's little friends. It has been more difficult than I imagined. She has been on Revolution (inhibits fleas' muscle function)monthly since she was a kitten. And still got fleas. So now we have escalated to the point where she is wearing a flea collar (muscle inhibitor again), has jumped a weight class with the Revolution, and has added Program (a chitin synthesis inhibitor). I bathed her for the first time with Anti- flea shampoo (see photo), and we are using "flea bombs" that fumigate the apartment. WE WILL NOT LET THE LITTLE BASTARDS WIN!!!
Poor kitty!

Accident Prone

This weekend Barb & I were test subjects for a first responder training course.  We basically had to fake injuries and let the class decide how we would be treated.  So over the weekend I:

• got strapped to a spine board several times
• facial burns lighting a BBQ
• crashed my bicycle into a car
• got shot with a gun in a mall parking lot
• got hit over the head with a pool cue in a bar fight
• fell down the stairs drunk
• got paralyzed by a falling cylinder at work
• got kicked in the kneecap by a horse.

It was kind fun pretending to be hurt.  The easiest one was the bar fight because I was unconscious. Plus, I made $60.



In the real world I Barb & I went to the Mother's Day run & walk.  I ran the 8km in 1:02:47.  Barb did the walk.  I didn't really train much for it and now I hurt.  The race course was here (Opens Google Earth)



I have started a new enterprise since this job hunting thing isn't going so well.  I've been making custom keyboards in a Steampunk style.  The first two items are now up on Ebay.  The website is at babbage.eh-team.net.

April stuff

Yup. So the last few weeks have been pretty busy with actual medicine. (I know you all think we just frolic by the sea all day every day, but it just ain't so) First, I did a video recording with an actor. This was to practice giving bad news. His character's wife had just been in a bad car crash, and I was the one to tell him this and deal with the response. They make us do this so that we won't be complete idiots and scar people for life. Which ends up happening a lot (they've only recently put how to break bad news in the curriculum. Before that, doctors just had to "wing it"). People never forget how and when their world falls apart. The scenario I was given was quite relevant, as a very similar thing happened during my elective in Bundaberg, only it was parents of a young adult that were informed. Glazed looks of helplessness. All the colour drained from their faces. Wanting to know, but not hearing the responses. It was gut wrenching to watch. The patient survived and recovered fully, but I will always remember the dark place of in-between, of not knowing how things will turn out, and having to walk with families through it. So yes- I think this was definitely a valuable exercise. The next day I sat the first exam of the year. It was short and sweet, and fair (I'll get back to you on that bit). To celebrate the end of that heavy week, Rob, myself and a few med friends went out for dinner and a movie to unwind. We wanted to see KickAss, but as it was sold out, we saw Clash of the Titans. It was fun and mindless, and mostly a waste of digital memory. Then we enjoyed bubble tea and took a walk. Then went home and slept for 12 hours....

We are now moving on from lungs to livers this week. The liver does everything, so be nice to yours, K?

Oh! and I did an ENT workshop (Ear, Nose, Throat). I ended up being the volunteer for a nasopharygoscopy. I'm just stupid that way, I guess. This means they squirted my throat and nose with lidocaine, which tastes like Benadryl mixed with bits of sheer hell. And then the doc passed a flexible scope across the floor of my nose, down the back of my throat and into my larynx. I got to see my own vocal cords! Very cool, and apparently they are lovely, as vocal cords go.... The pic is approximately what you could see.

If you aren't squeamish, you can see it being done (on someone else) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPzSuh7BPKM



Rob has started creating customized keyboards, as his job prospects don't seem to be improving. They are of a "Steampunk" style, and I think they look pretty snazzy! The website is http://Babbage.eh-team.net if you want to have a peek at his work. If you know anybody interested in one, feel free to pass it on or make requests to Rob.
This past weekend was ANZAC day here. It is like Remembrance Day for Canadians, but to especially acknowledge the Australian and New Zealand soldiers. It is nice to see they actually take it fairly seriously, and close everything for the day. "Under Hill 60" was released this weekend as well, and is an Aussie war story. If you like war stories, "Passchendale", which was released in 2008 in Canada was also a good one.
I am thiiiiiss close to finishing an assignment (ahead of schedule!) so I will sign off for now!

Website updates

For those of you who haven't checked out our website lately, there are a lot of changes.  First of all, the whole look has changed.  I also uploaded the last three months worth of pictures. And lastly, there are the instructions and photos of Barb's new Steampunk computer



I've also had a few adventures:  On the 24th, a few friends and I climbed Mt Ngungun at 4:30 in the morning.  We were at the peak in time to watch the sunrise over the Pacific.  Absolutely beautiful.  It was great to hang out with some great new people.  We spent a few hours at the summit, and then went to Maleny for breakfast and to browse the shops.  It is a very hippie touristy kind of place.

I've also been out to the beach twice this last week.  Barb & I were out at Wellington Point last Sunday.  At low tide, there is a narrow sand-spit that takes you out to King Island.  There was a little grove of Mangrove trees on the island.  The tide was rising as we came back in, and had to walk the last little bit in about 30cm of water.  By the time we left the point, there was no land left out to the island.  Tuesday Barb had to go down to Surfer's Paradise (yes that is the real name).  She was at a pain conference where she was a subject for displaying a new ultrasound machine.  While she did that, I wandered around town, spent some time on the beach, and got sunburned.  It was interesting to watch the surfers, not something this prairie boy has had a chance to watch much.  There was some pretty good waves.

I'm still job hunting.  It is harder than I originally imagined.  There are several jobs that are over the 20hours/week that Immigration is limiting me to.  Barb & I are going to try to apply for permanent resident status.  They changed the rules at the school and she can be a foreign student and an Australian resident (she has to keep paying the foreign tuition rate). We might qualify if we apply together and it is much faster to get if you are in-country rather than abroad.  We'll see how it goes, but your prayers are much welcomed on the matter.

March is the beginning of Autumn

Sorry we haven't posted in a while! In the in between, we've had a few adventures:
First, we traveled to Bundaberg to watch baby sea turtles hatch! We went with two other couples, Matt and Helen and Jon and Hasna. I had arranged for us to stay at Federal backpackers. I'm sorry to say the place was entirely feral, and they had "forgotten" that I had asked for one room for the six of us. Fortunately, we went to the motel next door. Even though the proprietor had nothing to accommodate 6 of us, he phoned around until he found a place that did! So, for $2.50 each more than the backpackers, we got a large suite together with private bath, DVD library, fridge and coffeemaker. Oh, and it was clean (the most important bit!)
The nesting ground is slightly out of town, at Mon Repos. It is the most used beach by the sea turtles along the entire coast, and is closed to the public every evening- only guided groups are allowed. We were fortunate to be in the first group, and got called out about 8:30pm. We were led to a nest were the turtles had begun sprouting, and they had piled more sand on them to hold them back until we arrived. They are adorable, and look like fully formed turtles, just miniature! They passed one little guy around so we could see them up close and feel their shells. Then, after counting, they were released in a wild dash for the ocean. Whoever said turtles were slow never saw baby sea turtles stampede! The next day we went to Elliott Heads beach, as I remembered it to be the most beautiful beach ever. Unfortunately rain and wind had made it angry and muddy- but once we got into the water, it was still a good time.  (More photos here)

Speaking of wind and rain, QLD has had more rain this season than it has in 25 summers. Up to 80% of QLD was disaster declared at one point with the flooding. Most rural roads were underwater, and many towns could only be accessed by helicopter, as the landing strips were submerged. Now we have a cyclone Ului heading down the coast, closing airports around Mackay. From Arlie to Rockhampton has been declared a disaster zone. The cyclone is still heading down the coast, but isn't expected to hit Brisbane. I will however, be keeping tabs on my friends in Townsville and Rocky. So far, they are hanging in.

The next major thing for us was a concert by the New Cologne Philharmonic, given at St. John's Cathedral (which has the most fantastic acoustics!) This was a Christmas gift from Barb Doiron, and we enjoyed it immensely! The group put new spins on the classics such as "the Four Seasons". Even Pachabel's Canon in D (which I consider to have been beaten to death by the wedding crowd already) became a fresh, delightful experience.
We also had a night out on the town on Friday, when the women in med group (SWIM-Supporting Women in Medicine) held a Cocktails night. A fun evening!

The last update is from March 20, when we attended the wedding of some friends of mine, Alon & Kerri. It was our first Australian Wedding, and for the most part was pretty familiar, right down to the "Chicken Dance"! We wish them all the best!

And now I have the next week off. By "off" I mean I that the firehose of knowledge gets turned off for the week, and I can attempt to catch up on all the stuff that whizzed by before. So yup, still plugging away.
Rob continues to job hunt. It is a frustrating process, and we wouldn't mind your prayers in this regard.

Hockey Morning in Australia

This morning we got up at 5:00am to head into the city to watch the Canadian men's hockey final.  Us and about 200 other Canadians.  We sort of filled up the Pig & Whistle Riverside. I was a bit surprised that many Canucks showed up.

That was quite the game.  It would have been exciting no matter who won.  Just glad it was Canada.