Unwritten rules

For some reason that I don't understand, university libraries seem to be the coldest places on the planet.

It's really not good when you're trying to get pharmacological principles through your thick skull and all you can think of is how cold your fingers are.

I also feel a grade A prat as I brought my sunglasses in with me today for cycling. They look pretty redundant now...

Ethnicity

I'm going to explain a little about my family background. One half of my family is Celtic, and the other half Romany. My mother has thick, rich dark wavy hair, and olive tanned skin which goes a beautiful colour in the summer.

My father has curly hair and fair freckled skin.

Of course, I would be a hybrid of this. I got the thick dark hair which does exactly what it wants, but I also got the fair skin with freckled shoulders.

Consequently when I was working last week I was rather amused when a male Filipino nurse became curious as to whether I coloured my hair. (I do colour it from time to time, but only to cover impending white hairs - I colour it back to my natural colour and hence I never have roots).

When I explained that my hair was naturally this colour, he asked me the most impossible question I have ever heard; Was I mixed race?*

The other two staff started laughing, and I had to join in with them. My skin is so pale it's practically grey in winter, and he was so confused as to why my hair was the same colour as his.

This amused me all night, or at least until a patient on the ward asked me if my hair was naturally black...


*his expression, not mine.

The breakfast of champions

The thing I love most about work is the home part. 

I get to cycle home, which is really refreshing no matter what the weather is, followed by a bowl of cereal, a game of guitar hero this morning and a beautiful glass of red wine.

It really is the breakfast of champions.

Night shift syndrome

It's the easter holidays now, which can mean only one thing. With no OSCE looming after the vacation, and only one assignment and one piece of PBL to do, both of which are mostly done, it's time to work my little arse off at the hospital doing night shift after night shift.

I've also recommenced days at the outdoor pursuits centre, which raised some eyebrows as I think they thought I'd quit. Being unwell for nearly 6 months combined with very cold weather does not make for an amazingly good idea. 

Tonight is my first proper night shift on the ENT ward, and I'm not that fazed by it. I quite like the ward and the majority of the patients are independent and can get themselves out to the bathroom etc*

That being said, I'm quite looking forward to it. Tomorrow night may be completely different. I'm 'specialling' a patient who has falls from bed a lot, and I could spend a lot of my night fighting them. 

*expect a post later saying that all hell has let loose....