13-23 April

17 Apr 2007
Herbie lives again

Bizarre accident happened on the street below my office today. Was just contemplating whether I'd done enough work to justify eating lunch (answer: no, but I ate it anyway) when I heard a skid and loud bang outside. It's a noisy road anyway, but this sounded a bit louder than normal so I went to the window to have a look. I was just in time to see a red car reverse at speed across the road into the side of a parked car, then drive forward into a driveway and reverse again into the same car. I was thinking road rage, or, given that I work in a hospital, sudden death or something at the wheel. It looked like something out of Herbie. But apparently not, because the car then stopped in the middle of the road and the female driver got out, looking v much alive. A few minutes later 2 police vans, a police car and an ambulance arrrived with their sirens going, stood around for a bit, then went away again. So no idea what happened there... any suggestions to Hammersmith police!


16 Apr 2007
Careers advice

Tonight I was given some unsolicited careers advice. My response to questions about careers have always been vague, I don't have any great plans for the rest of my life, or any ambitions to a high flying career. Something reasonably interesting that pays the bills is good enough as far as I'm concerned. The answer to 'what will you do with your phd' is also a bit tricky. Have another certificate is the real answer, but I can usually fob people off by saying I want to use the research skills in the NHS or charity sector. Tonight that answer didn't suffice. The man in question was determined that I should have An Ambition and enthusiastically suggested possibilities. He pursued the idea of being A Surgeon with some enthusiasm, not even put off by my admission that I'm extremely squeamish and would pass out, not to mention the problem of funding medical school. His next suggestion was a Director of Public Health, ignoring the lack of a medical degree and ambition to be a director of anything, and we finished up eith being a Researcher for Glaxo Smith Kline (no chance, I'd rather eat my own arms than work for big pharma). Fortunately he ran out of steam at this point, but not before telling me that just doing whatever comes along is Very Unsatisfactory. O well....
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13 Apr 2007
remote control crises

My grandma has bought a new tv. I spent 2 hours earlier this week setting it up and teaching her how to use the remote control (i.e. volume and going up and down the channels). I heard today that she hasn't used the tv since, because I "didn't spend enough time showing her how to use it." Should've known it'd be my fault! I wouldn't mind, but she successfully used a remote control with her old tv for the last 10 years. And even though I've taught people with learning disabilities (including a *long* 2 hours a week for 12 weeks teaching someone to mop a floor - he needed reminding every 3 minutes to actually mop and not just lean on his mop sighing loudly at the injustice of life) somehow I just can't quite find the patience to go round there tonight...