Well here comes a longer than normal blog post. I'll go in reverse chronological order.
I just uploaded some pictures I took last night at Mt Cooth-tha. I was planning to catch the full moon rising over the ocean, but it was too cloudy to even see the moon until after it has risen. I did however, photograph a time-lapse of the city growing dark. I also took a few night shots of the city. We are currently in the throes of winter (for all you northern hemisphere, people think December). It is starting to get a bit chilly: I even wore a jacket for the first time since moving here.
I had a job interview on Wednesday. It is part-time as a computer tech support at a girls school on the the south-side. I think the interview went well and it seems like a interesting job. -=Cross your fingers=-
Since Barb had the week before last off at school we went for a beach day with some friends at Gold Coast. Since we are in "the throes of winter" I was the only one of us who actually went in the water. The water temp. was "only" 21C. Afterwards we went out for chocolate a Max Brenner's, kind of a Second Cup but serves chocolate.
The weekend before that Barb went up to a Rural Medicine conference in MacKay. She had a lot of fun, and was able to smooze with a bunch of the big wigs in the Queensland medical community. (I think she is planning to blog about it, so keep you eye pasted here)
The big news before that was we had our first house guest; my sister Bet. She was in Aus. for just over two weeks. It was great to have her here. I don't think we have spent so much time together since we went to Expo in Vancouver way back in 1986. As part of her trip she went to Cairns and Sydney to see the sights too. While she was in Brissie we went on the CityCats, we toured around Sunshine Coast, went to Kingaroy for peanuts and wine, went go kart racing, drove down to Byron Bay and went sea kayaking. All in all it was great that she came to visit.
That's about it for the news. Good night everyone and remember less than 6 months to Christmas ;-)
I am writing the first of 3 exams tomorrow. Each one is 2 hours long, and can and will be about anything from first year to now. I am more than a little stressed. I even got Rob to lock me out of my Facebook account to decrease the distractions. However, humour is always good. So here's a fun poem that's been circulating:
Twas the week before med exams, And all through pbl Some unshaven creatures Are acquiring the smell
Of sobered up students Eating things out of cans Tired yet driven To excel at exams
Saleem told us to study Why did we not listen? As we crack open our books Some so new they still glisten
Gone are PBL triggers And the comic relief From our dear PBL groups - Whom we part from in grief
Locked inside as we study While winter doth fall Waking from the best nap Upon Guyton & Hall
To Matt Devine wepray, For his knowledge and skill As we cram everything in To prepare for the kill
Exam 1 will come soon- EBM is the devil We’ll stagger out in the end Looking doubly dishevelled
Hold off on the cheers Don’t forget Exam 3 and 2 Two more nights of lockdown Till sweet freedom for you
When it’s all handed in, We’re 3/8 through the race! Ask Santa for a Seven, Now please go shave your face
And tonight:
"Now I lay me down to rest, a pie of books upon my chest. If I should die before I wake, that's one less test I'll have to take!"
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!
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.
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!
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.
