Plans plans plans

Going back to work after the vac has clearly brained me, as I have spent this entire weekend doing nothing productive apart from blinking in surprise when it gets to 9pm and Tim's back from on-call. Our conversation goes something like this,

"Hello darling. Did you have a nice day?"
"Yes. Did you?"
"Yes. I saw ten million sick patients, put in a central line, single handedly amputated someone's leg, wrote my thesis, and also had a quick round of golf afterwards. What did you do?"
"Oh, I'd rather hear about your day."
"Well I've talked about my day."
"Yes. Well. I checked my emails. Though I didn't answer all of them. And I cooked dinner. And I thought about vacuuming the house but I didn't."

In fact, I actually blame an Outside Agency for my laziness, because I accidentally, while researching our year out in Africa, stumbled across a blog by one of my old lecturers. Instead of doing anything productive on Saturday I just sat and read his blog all day, which is hilarious and brilliant. He was a particularly hilarious and nice doctor and used to burst out in unexpected snorts when something amused him, which was frequently. I imagine him snorting his way through South Africa, in the best way.

Aside. Do you feel weird when reading the blog of someone you know when they don't know you are reading it, even when it is clearly public? It feels a bit like spying. But I think it might be even weirder to tell them you're reading their blog. So you're caught between spying and a massive non-sequitur.

</ first world problem >

Cooking dinner was also more complex than it sounds as I once again did something cabbage related. Cabbages. Bane of my life. I made something called a timbale, which I'd never heard of before but made me think of a haybale, and when cooked was very delicious but looked like a cabbage-based Christmas pudding i.e. not very delicious at all. I would have taken a photo and shown you but of course I have still not found my camera cable despite searching for it desperately so cannot. Woe. The google image ones all seem to be quite different from mine, but here is a reasonable example, though it is of course much neater than I could ever have made it.

I have been very bad (or good?) at losing stuff all this last week. I lost my stethoscope and after searching for it assiduously decided it was lost forever and as I was starting on Cardiology on Monday I really Had To Have a Stethoscope or risk their derision forever. Bit the bullet and bought a new one (123 flaming pounds.)  Naturally, I found it immediately the next day. Feel a bit of a dipstick now as cannot return new stethoscope but hey ho, the new one has 'Dr' on it whereas the old one didn't, as Tim pointed out. Even I wouldn't pay £123 just to massage my ego but I suppose it is a silver lining of sorts. Also I could always donate the old one if I do go to South Africa. Considered donating it to the Cubans anyway but Cubans annoyed me too much so didn't. Now feel quite bad about it as Cubans probably needed it.

Query - how bad is it on a scale of Bad to Good if you consider giving something to someone who really needs it (at personal cost I should add. 123 flaming pounds.) but because they are so annoying you don't, even though they obviously still really need it?

Probably quite bad.

I did give them everything else I took with me (even my beautiful Oxford Handbook, and Lissauer, which had gone with me to India and Guate. Beautiful Lissauer. Sniff.) I had to buy a new Oxford Handbook. Which I have also promptly just lost.

This is an occupational hazard.

Also on Saturday, I went to the library, in search of more Bartimaeus books. DON'T JUDGE ME. Anyway, have any of you been to the Children's section in the library recently? It's amazing! They don't have fiction. They have Stories. And I can reach all of the shelves.

Also I did spend this morning making plans plans plans with people. I have a speech to write! And places to go! People to see! Lake District to walk! Edinburgh Fringe to sort out (rather in advance.) Hay on Wye. All sorts. So far all I have done is waffle about how I should really be planning things like this, but I confidently anticipate that one day I actually will plan it, perhaps even before said event commences rather than in a panic in the middle. So far so good.

I had lots more to say but I have forgotten it now. Also, too upset by loss of camera cable which means cannot share beautiful photos with you. It's an annoying non-standard USB port as well (not a mini or micro or normal) - it's all flat and weird and irritating. But rest assured. I shall find it. It's one of my New Year Resolutions.