Paying by the hour

Last night was the first time I've ever paid for a room by the hour. No, it's not what you think. It was all a part of a quite random evening but I guess what do I expect when I don't plan my Saturday night. It started very depressingly with me drinking at home (alone) and watching an even more depressing rugby game. I then found someone to go out with (yay) - a friend of my cousin (random event number one). I met up with him and some of his friends at an out of the way pub and listened to irish fiddling while jigging it up on the dance floor (random event number two). We then were kicked out of there as the place was closing and the boys, as they are, wanted food. Headed into Northbridge and ended up playing spacies (that's space invaders for those who don't know) at a random kebab place (random event number three). After that the five of us hired a room at a karaoke joint for an hour and sung (terribly) what was considered karaoke hits (final random event). If someone had asked me what I thought I'd be doing (and a couple of people had) I would never have thought that that's what I'd do. I can't say that I didn't have a good time cause I did.

On a different note, it's pissing down cats and dogs at the moment and I'm rather liking the sound it's making on my tin roof. Definately curling up in bed with a good book weather but equally I feel it's going out with the girls and having a boozy lunch weather...oh for weekends off and late starts on a Monday. Thanks Miles, I knew there'd be a way to make the shift swap advantageous.

What do you call this?

Last night, I had this intense feeling of sadness.

Almost done

I have spent the WHOLE of today looking at and composing really wanky responses to the anaesthetic college selection criteria and am almost done...whew. The only thing left (aside from sending the damn thing in) is to have it critiqued and basically ripped apart by my genius and expert-at-these-things cousin. Then, once I've re-written it for the third time (the complete one from today is part one), I'll be able to send it in. I have to say though, I hate doing this stuff. Needless to say that part of it is the whole "look at me, I'm so awesome" speel that has to be delivered, but also I just hate the whole competitive aspect that it implies. Over the 28 years I've lived on this earth, I've come to know that I really dislike competition...perhaps that's why I "thrived" so well in the GMP program.

On another note, further proof that I'm awesome (I don't mind the I'm so awesome stuff when it's all in fun) is that yesterday THREE residents called in sick. That's three out of five who were rostered on for the day. And guess who was on call...

That sickening feeling

I went to the supermarket today as one does when one needs groceries, and I was at the check-out, diligently packing my own shopping bag when the check-out lady informs me that the total comes to $68.00. I look into my wallet and to my complete horror, there's NO CREDIT CARD! Talk about one of my worst nightmares come true! You know that sick feeling you get when you have no idea where a really important item is? Well I had it. Multiplied by a million. I couldn't for the life of me think where it could be. I couldn't even remember the last time I used it. (Being a single girl, essentially living alone, I tend not to buy groceries very often). I had to go back and count day-by-day my activites. Now everyone, rest in peace cause I found it. It was in with my palm pilot which I take to the gym to listen to music. I'd paid for my personal training sessions the last time I went and had put my card in there. So I had to leave all my shopping at the supermarket, return home, pick up the card and head back to pick up and PAY for my shopping.

On another note, while I was waiting for the check-out girl to get to me, she was serving another customer (essentially what she gets paid for). But what I noticed was this: that other customer had purchased a packet of crumpets, and he had put said packet into one of those fruit and veg plastic bags! This I have never seen before. Mainly I think because most people realise that a packet of crumpets is already packaged. And in plastic too none the less. People, please. Now I know I'm not the most environmentally friendly person in the world but I do try. I mean, I don't even put my fruit and veg in those fruit and veg bags (as I'm ususally only buying one and really, I figure they're plastic, not good for the environment and I figure you don't need to bag a single item of fruit). That's my rant for the day.

Another non-dinner topic...sorry

Well after another hard day at work in the ED, I yet again leave feeling useless and it's all because of that last patient that sticks with you. I had a woman with an STD and I needed to do a pelvic examination. I don't like these at the best of times and tonight was no exception. I cannot do them. Not for not wanting to...if one could actually want to do one of these. Or should I say not for not trying to. I try. And I try. And I can never find the cervix. (If I was talking about the "G-Spot" perhaps one would mistake me for a man...just kidding blokes). But it's true, I can never find it. And I've tried. I spent three months in Port Hedland and up there spent time with the gynaecologist. She did everything INCLUDING draw me a map and still I came up short (don't even go there with that pun). And tonight was no exception. And it was the girls first PV exam as well. (I mean there's her first mistake...21, sexually active and never had a Pap Smear...is she stupid?!). Anyway, in the end my registrar saved me and I was left feeling deflated and useless. I guess these just aren't my thing but I will persevere.

Beware if weak stomached!

It's been about a week (I think) since I last posted and mostly that's because I have done nothing of interest worth posting about and nor have I thought anything particularly shareworthy. However, I can now inform people that I'm tough...at least tougher than some of my other ED counterparts, a lot of whom have called in sick the last few days but not me...despite a touch of gastro, chills, fevers, stomach cramps etc, I still turned up to work...partly out of guilt (I had agreed to cover the shift for someone) and partly cause I was hoping I'd be told to go home...silly rabbit, that never happens. So I turned up to work and felt awful the whole time I was there. And two other residents had called in unwell. Hence the conclusion that I'm tough. The culprit was either one of two things...I caught it off a patient. Very likely since that's been a majority of what I've seen the last week. Or I ate some dodgy double cream brie. It was tasty but I think that's what it was. Now on a more disgusting but rather fascinating note...I don't know about anyone else, but when I vomit, I seem to be able to separate things quite nicely as they come up. First came the pasta, then the tomato garnish, and finally the brie with crackers. I could tell not because they came up whole, but because of all the different and very pretty colours, resembling nicely the originals. Good thing I was feeling awful enough that I didn't get my camera out for a visual for this page. Anyway, I'm feeling better now. Still a little crampy in the stomach and still off my food, but I don't think I could any longer get away with calling in sick.

Coulda, Woulda But Didn't

It seems as though I'm destined to be single forever. And I think I've resigned myself to that fact now. There was a guy. I thought he liked me but I guess not. I dunno. I do think that I have to put this one in the coulda shoulda pile. So for now it's just me and my cat. You'll see me in a couple of years and I'll have half a dozen cats and hordes of newspapers lining the halls of my house. Oreo for now is my initiation into spinsterdom.

Welcome to psuedo-GP land

I've now finished intensive care as of last week and am proud to say that there were no deaths on my watch. As morbid and poor taste as it is though, I've never had to deal with the coroner and it's something I should know how to do. Unfortunately I think it's learnt practically. I did really enjoy the term. The nurses were really helpful and the registrars really keen on teaching. From what I hear, I think I was lucky in that respect. I had hoped that I would get to do more procedural stuff with respect to lines and such but c'est la vie.

I'm doing my emergency term now out at one of the peripheral hospitals and so far it's ok. I'm not so sure how last night went though because in the wisdom of clinical administration, the 10pm til 8am person was on holidays and they didn't think it important enough to provide a leave reliever. That left ONE person to manage the 14 cubicle department. Crikey, I'm glad it wasn't me. And it's going to be like that for the next two nights again. The department itself seems pretty good though. Again the nurses are great but given that it was a little mad last night, there were basic things that didn't get done that should have...like obs. Fortunately there weren't any REAL emergencies. Believe it or not but most EDs tend to be used more as a GP service than an emergency service. It's all the people who feel that they don't want to pay for their healthcare as it's free. That's why I think that there should be a fee for any non-emergency services provided, but that's a whole can of worms right there. The one thing about this department in comparison to Man's Best is that it isn't on a public transport route so it makes people need to be a bit more determined and motivated to get there.

Now for an update on the last entry: it's got to the stage where I'm meeting one of the anaesthetic educational people this week to go over my cv and discuss any questions I might have. It seems option 2 is the way I'm tending.