7/31/2013

More fun today with CF patients. I got to take on my own case load today with quite distant supervision. It's great. I still don't enjoy my classmates on this rotation but the patients more than make up for it. I had another goodnight at work this evening. Wednesdays are always the best night for training. I could have stayed for free dinner but I was tired and had work to do this evening. Lots of problem lists and planning for tomorrow. 

7/30/2013

Day 2 in the children't hospital. It is still great fun but I realised today that the food isn't all that it's cracked up to be.  $10 for a small not very tasty sandwich. Looks like I'll be putting in the effort to bring my lunch for the rest of the week. Today I had 5 patients and a tutorial. I got to play hyperdash, basketball, and teach a girl to run.  It's great fun. I'm even getting along with the grumpiest of the patients. This is so fun. My favourite grump is 13years old. We have no slouching contests and she has beeline(the shoes with wheels) so we've bonded. This is really going to be a great placement. I have also gotten to see some rare conditions and then can go home to research them.  Until today I had no idea that non-cystic fibrosis was the name of a disease.

7/29/2013

Clinic today was absolutely fantastic. I was able to have lunch with a friend who works in the hospital. I treated 5 patients with CF by the end I was getting much better. The best part of my day was when a nurse came up to e and handed me chocolate cake. It was amazing! The hospital is fantastic and I like my supervisors. I don't like most of the classmates that I'm on placement with but that's alright. Hopefully it just makes me work harder and really excel on my placement. I came home to study a bit. Luckily, the hospital is 2miles away so I can run to the hospital and back every day. It's great!

7/28/2013

Today I made a last strong effort on my projects before I start clinics tomorrow.  I wrote an ethics proposal for our up coming focus group.  I also studied everything that I could find on respiratory problems in children.  Otherwise it was a pretty uneventful today.

7/27/2013

I was with the seniors and reserves today. They haven't been doing well this season but both won their games yesterday. My friend was the trainer for the other team so we played trainer bingo. We listed the things that we thought we were going to have to do and made a bingo board out of it. I got bingo in two directions, I don't know how she did. We will compare on Friday. After work was Billy's going away party. It was a good party with lots of friends. 

7/26/2013

I had quite a long day today. So long in fact that when I was talking to a friend this evening that I forgot that I had gone to class this morning.  So, I started the day by sleeping through my alarm and having to rush to get to my swim workout. I had Friday morning breakfast at the cafe and a 3 hour seminar on disability and communication. It was interesting and a bit better than last weeks but most of my class is so fed up with the seminars that they have stopped coming. After class I met with my community group to finalize work for the weekend. This afternoon Kat and I strolled around town doing errands because we decided that walking 4 miles was better than riding up the hill.  I spent the evening finishing the last of the business ethics homework for this semester and taking my final.  It was definitely a good class.
I got a message from a friend during my exam that I look at after I finished. It completely blew my mind and I am extremely confuse so let me share.  1billion in Australia is not the same as 1 billion in the US. In the US it is 1,000 million. Here it is 1million million. Well depending on who you talk to. It gets more confusing because some people use the American method and other people use the other method. Oh my! I had almost gotten myself straightened out when my friend introduced me to a quintillion googolplex which is 10^33x 1google^(googol) it is a number so big that writing it out would cover the known universe. Crazy!!!

7/25/2013

We had Thursday off to coordinate and work on our projects.  My group had already organised all of our projects and I have done my parts so I had the day off. I slept in. Then I made a fantastic grilled breakfast burrito with turkey sausage, egg, pepper, onion, and salsa.

I skyped all morning.  Then Steph and I went on a 105km bike ride this afternoon. 38km/hour on the way out 23 km/hour on the way back into the wind. After I got back I raced down to rock climbing. It was a fun night. My friend had a hurt leg so we climbed 1 footed:) my arms were ready to fall off. After climbing we had dumplings and I found my first chicken dumplings in Melbourne:) On my way home I looked for grapes. 4 stores 0 grapes. Bummer.

7/24/2013

I started the morning with a swim.  It was the most productive pool session that we've had in ages.  We had a Tai Chi practical.  It unfortunately sounds more exciting that it was.  There was quite a bit of theory so we only got to do Tai Chi for about 20 minutes.  We were told to wear comfortable clothing, so I had my Pittsburgh marathon shirt on.  He then told us that marathon runners were idiots and we should never do them.  I don't think he saw my shirt but my classmates did and laughed at me. We had the afternoon so Kat and I did party planning and shopping for her boyfriend's going away party on Saturday.  Work tonight was interesting. No one showed up to open the building until 45 minutes after I was supposed to start. Luckily some of the players were there waiting as well otherwise I would have left. Work was really good this week, too. The players were actually friendly and talked to me.  I am totally fitting in this week. It's really great:)

7/23/2013

Class wasn't too bad today. We finished by 1 meaning that I had all afternoon to work on assignments. I was quite productive but they are huge assignments and I'm not excited about them yet. 

I feel like I'm finally starting to fit in. I was invited to a dinner party at Billy's WITHOUT Kat. All on my own. Not an at piece an actual guest!  Dinner was lovely and we lost 500 afterward. For those unfamiliar with 500 it is a card game similar to spades except that there is a betting round where you choose the trump suit and there is no penalty for going over your bet. It's fun and my group's favourite card game. All around good evening.

7/21/2013

Today was a beautiful day sunny and somewhat warm. I was able to spend a bit of time outside but most of my day as spent doing chores. I don't mind my house is much cleaner now. I tried to go to PAX( a comic convention, kinda) today but didn't make it out of sheer laziness and bad planning. If it makes you feel better I also missed the half marathon that I meant to crash today as well. I did make it out of the house for a dinner party and stroll around Brunswick. This week is the Gertrude street projection festival. There is a light show with exhibits all week. 

7/22/2013

Today was our first advanced Musculoskeletal and sports class. Well not mine but Kat's.  I'm not in the class this semester but I went anyway to get a head start.  It was fun and I look forward to crashing the seminars at every chance possible. It's also quite exciting stuff. The reason that Kat has the class and I don't is that they have split our class in two to accommodate the clinicians.  I have placement starting next week while Kat has this class and then she has placement next March while I have pharmacology.
Today, I did quite a bit of work.  I put an hour and a half in to each of my 3 upcoming projects and also studied the information that I need for clinic next Monday.  Long day.  I still have beets left over from my trip to Cosco so I made beet stacks for dinner from my sister's favourite website. Yum-O!

7/19/2013

We had the day to independently work on projects. My group didn't want to meet up so I had a productive day without them. I planted my herb garden(out of seed pods into a pot). Made an apple spice cake. It was super tasty and I didn't really follow a recipe just threw things together. I took my beautiful new bike out for a ride in the morning. We did hills. I am getting better and I think that I'm about a month away from calling them easy. I also did 9 hours of work and crossed off about half of my assignment list for the week. Kat, Sylvie, and I rewarded ourselves for being productive by going out to watch footy for tight dress night on our way to the pub for dinner we found a link who is in town for PAX. It totally made my night.

7/20/2013

Today was an absolutely miserable day to watch footy. I was very cold and wet all day. Though it would have been a nice day for a cross country race. The clubbie's team won. 3 weeks to go and they are still undefeated. The under 18's team lost quite badly. This evening we had the annual footy ball. We got all dressed up and had a great night. I enjoyed this year's ball much more than last year as I have gotten to know the club better. 

7/18/2013

Today was group work day. My teacher tries so hard but my group hates each other so much. I really wish that we could get some unity going but it really isn't working at all. Such a bummer. 

We have had absolutely horrible wind storms the past 2 days mixed with rain. It makes riding to class quite interesting but walking around campus I pretend that I'm in a music video with my wind blown hair. I did climbing and Japanese after class tonight. I felt awkward and lazy but did well on several hard climbs tonight. I am not only getting better but also getting better strategies for when I feel stuck. After swimming, running, and climbing today I didn't have the energy to fight the wind biking home and took the train for the second night in a row. Gross!

7/17/2013

Best day ever!!! It was lymphoedema day in class. We had a 1 hour lecture. She covered about 1/10 of what I know about it but it was fantastic none the less. So great! It made up for the really gross women's health lectures this morning, the grumpy groups that I had to meet with at lunch, forgetting to bring food and losing my wallet. The lecturer was very knowledgable and I really enjoyed the lecture. I also set up a date to go in and work in the lymphoedema clinic. Yay! I ran to work this evening but got to lazy and took the home. I don't know how working at a footy club makes me so lazy. I guess it's just draining. I spent some time on my many projects and called it a night.  

7/16/2013

Full day of class today 8am to. 5pm. It was a productive day of learning. It was structured much better than we have had recently but it was women's health so it's a trade off. Women's health is most definitely an area that I don't want to get involved with but I'm glad that I will be able to refer my patients to knowledgable practitioners. We started the day off well with one if my classmates fainting before 9am. Other than that we all coped fairly well and were rewarded with a 15 minute relaxation session/nap this afternoon. I spent my lunch break doing 1km repeats at the track. I have started to make friends with the regular Tuesday track group. This evening was studying, as always, and preparing for tomorrow. So hoping I find time for a bike ride this week. 

7/15/2013

We got a late start this morning so I went for a run. I made it 8 miles this morning and another 10 miles after class.  Class today was uneventful but we had a great Bastille day lunch with crepes.  Strawberries and Nutella. mmmm...
I wasted about 5 hours today in lectures but had plenty of work to do when I got home.  I'm still mad that the work load is high but paired with absolutely pointless lectures. Luckily it's only 2 weeks until I'm back in the hospitals.  Anyway I studied for a few hours after my evening run and took a break for  a burrito party with Kat and Billy.  Australian burritos are absolutely hilarious. They have no idea.  Our burritos had endive, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, and chicken with all the wrong spices. Delicious but most definitely not mexican.

7/14/2013

I took my new bike out for its first ride in the rain today.  It did not like it and got a flat tire 50km out.  I had been riding with a friend by she had turned back at 25km.  Luckily I was able to make friends who helped me out. They were amazing.  There was a pack of 4 and Monica the 45 year old ironman changed my tire for me in under 2 minutes. We timed her.  It was incredible.  Once I was back on my way I made another friend and we were able to trade off and work as wind shields for the ride home which was very windy and wet.  When I got home my bike got a bath before I did and I promised not to take it out in the rain ever again unless it was for a race.  I spent the afternoon studying and making borscht.  It turned out very nicely.  The recipe made enough that I have leftovers for every meal this week.  This evening I have been watching the tour. My favourite rider Sylvain Chavanel has been out front for most of the day.  This is the first stage where he has been doing really well.  Interesting facts about Chavanel: He is French, he rides for the Omega Pharm-Quick team, and his birthday is during the tour. As a birthday present Specialized painted his bike to match his Chevy Camaro including exact colour and detailing. He rides a specialised Tarmac SL4 with Zip wheels and Shram red gearing. You can see it here.

7/13/2013

I was supposed to ride today before work but I was a bit tired and wimped out.  Today I had 3 games with the "other teams" or the teams that I haven't been working with recently.  I was with the under 18's the reserves and the seniors.  Today was a bit interesting because one of the other trainers was having a bit of an argument with the secretary of the club which resulted in us having almost no supplies.  We managed and almost no one noticed.  It rained most of the day and got heavier as I rode home at 5pm. I was absolutely drenched so I showered and changed to go out to dinner.  Unfortunately, my efforts were futile and I was soaked again before I got a block away to meet my friends.  Bird and his girl friend Liala have the same birthday which happens to be tomorrow.  We(Kat, Billy, Emma, and I) were going to take them out for Yemen food but the restaurant was closed so we opted for Sri Lankan instead. It was delicious as always.  After dinner we came back for a game of Settler's of Catan and Tolberone cheesecake.  It was delicious but I lost the game terribly. If you have never played Settler's is a very intense board game similar to risk. I have recently been introduced to it an still have much to learn.  It was a lovely birthday party too bad we made it a joint one instead of doing it twice.

7/12/2013

Today we did more on motivational interviewing.  I really, really wish they would spend half as much time on this and twice as much on paediatrics.  Somehow the emphasis seems to be all in the wrong place.  Luckily we got done around 1pm so I was able to go on an afternoon bike ride.  It was fantastic but I was quite tired afterward so I spent the rest of the evening lazily lying around getting a bit of studying done.

7/11/2013

Long day of group work today. I'm not particularly thrilled about my project or my group. I do like collaboration but we do not mesh well. Luckily I had a stress relieving afternoon with a fantastic run, climbing, and Korean for dinner. So good! I didn't get much work done tonight. Guess that's for tomorrow...

7/10/2013

Pretty full day. I donated blood for cancer research this morning. Then class. We had a 2 hour lunch so I took my friend Angela bike shopping. She is getting a new bike for her birthday. We didn't find anything that she liked but it was fun to play in the bike shop. More class then work then study. Day finished. I'm still trying to catch up on the lectures. It's gonna be a busy weekend.

7/9/2013

I had a pretty good day. I started with banking, then class. I did a track workout during my 2 hour lunch break and then had 1 additional hour of class. We got done around 3 so I took my bike out for a 50k ride. It was calm as could be. We hit 32kph for most of it, very surprisingly since my legs have been feeling like they are about to fall off all day. Once I got home I had a solid 3 hours of studying, a dinner break for lasagna cake, and a bit more studying before giving into the urge to nap that I have had since 7:30pm. 

So much work, so many hours in the day that my bike has to sit in the living room by itself. 

7/8/2013

I think that there is something wrong with the train that runs past my house.  There has been a pounding sound that reminds me of a pile driver that has been pounding in sets of 3 every 5 minutes since 5am.  I initially though that it was construction but have since realised that the pounding corresponds to the sound of trains which seem to be coming more frequently than normal.  I believe that it is a special event at the race course but I could be wrong. Either way the pounding woke me up and has been annoying me all day.

In my first lecture I got a very nasty and unexpected surprise.  The faculty have changed the program layout so that there is now 1 additional class.  This means that tuition has increased by 35% and it is due next Thursday.  Thanks guys....  

It'll be fine but I was not pleased especially since I had organised my budget and finances last week. 

I think that I missed most of the first lecture in an angry haze.  Luckily it was just a guest speaker emphasising the importance of being culturally sensitive.  The remainder of the day was more paediatric conditions.  It is fun and interesting but the organisation of the course leaves something to be desired.  

Over the weekend I was so excited by my new bike that I was a bit lazy when it comes to running.  I am currently on a pretty strict running program in order to be a pacer for the marathon in October.  The two workouts that I missed were 4miles in 30minutes and 12miles in 1:48.  I was going to do one before class and one after but I ended up doing 16miles after class in 2:12 with the first 4 in 28 minutes.  My legs hate me.  It was luckily a pleasant run with birdies.

I haven't seen these before. I think that they are little corella. I also saw baby ducks but I didn't get a good picture. 

The rest of the evening was intense studying trying to make sense of all the information that they have given us and preparing for tomorrow.  

7/7/2013

I went out for another fantastic ride today. 81km still without the fancy wheels. It's been really windy but we still kept the pace quite quick. After riding I cleaned my other bike just to make sure it didn't feel left out. I had homework to do and I needed to buy a book for my paediatric placement. That took up the remainder of my day and I still have a bit left to go. With all the riding I didn't do the runs that I was should have either day this weekend. Hopefully I will do them tomorrow just as long as I don't get distracted by my bike...

Abbie asked me to make her some olive green ice cream so I did. While studying I made more mint chocolate Oreo ice cream. Abbie if you get on a plane now there will still be some left when you get here. 

7/6/2013

My new bike and I went on a fantastic 2 hour ride today.  I am still getting comfortable on it and I had to stop to get it readjusted on my way back because it was too long for me. It was very windy again today so I used my less fancy wheel, which are still quite nice.   It's an amazing bike.  I have quite a bit of work to do this weekend so I spent the rest of the day studying and cleaning my house.  Kat is away hiking this weekend so my bike is sitting in the living room while I decide where it is going to live.  It will probably end up in the garage even though I feel that it deserves a glass case in the living room.

7/5/2013

New bike!!! 

We had a social work seminar this morning. It was quite fun. After class Steph came over and we took her wheelless bike down to Hamilton. We got so many strange looks and at least 5 people asked her if her wheels were stolen. Steph put my wheels on her bike and we were off. I didn't have the coordination to carry my manual so I'll have to pick it up tomorrow or Sunday. 

We made it 3 blocks and realised that my seat was far to high so we went back to adjust it. Then we were really off. There was a very strong head wind but I still felt amazing I only got onto the aero bars a few times for fear of being blown over. It will get easier as I get more comfortable. 

This evening I had a 4th of July party. It was so American. I loved it. I brought flag cake and mini poppers that shoot streamers. Great fun. 

Big ride tomorrow on my new bike! 

7/4/2013

Happy 4th of July!! To celebrate I painted my nails red, white, and blue and went to Costco to do everything American. I bought 2.5 litres of Hershey's syrup. It's magnificent! I also made flag cake but that's for a party tomorrow. 

I also swam, ran and went to 8 hours of lectures. The lectures remain dry and the workload gets bigger and bigger. Guess I'm going to be working all weekend. 

7/3/2013

Today we had the quickest run through imaginable of every childhood disease. We spent 4 hours covering everything from congenital defects to brain cancer. I feel under prepared. Luckily the notes had plenty of resources so I'm sure I will have the opportunity to teach myself everything that I need for clinic. I came home from class did a fast 5 miles(39minutes) and went to work. I got to work to find no one there. I waited around till 6:15 but there were no signs of anyone. I assume they forgot to tell me that there was no practice tonight. Great organisation! The extra time gave me a chance to come home and study. Fun fun. 

6/2/2013

Happy birthday Grammie! 

Today I really got back into work. I swam, ran, biked down to the shop and trailed my new bike for about an hour before heading home. The school work also started to pile on today. I think I'm going to spend most of the weekend studying. 

Billy had a dinner party at our house tonight. It was perfect- a party at my house that I didn't have to host! Score!!

Grammie have an absolutely wonderful birthday. Lots of birthday love.

7/1/2013

I made up my mind to go buy a bike today. I've been looking for a while and I was planning on taking my friend to get the bike after class. I was still just a little bit up in the air because the bike I wanted didn't have the gearing that I like. To get the gearing that I like I'd have to go for a smaller wheel which is a pain. So sitting in Louisa's x1/semester lecture aimed at scolding us on being lazy, I looked on the bike exchange. I found the bike of my dreams in my size with all of the parts that I wanted the frame, the wheels, the gears, and it matches the rest of my stuff.... Plus it was on sale so that it was the same price as the bike that I was going to buy.... Even though it is much nicer. The "down side" is that it is 17km further away along my favourite bike route. 

After class Steph and I rode down and tried the bike. It's fabulous. So Friday I get to pick up my new bike once it is all decked out and fitted to me:) 

The specs are below

http://m.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/shiv/shivexpertmidcompact