Equality

One of the odd little traditions at the Cairns Base hospital is an annual event called “Boys Lunch”, which essentially involves the male doctors taking an afternoon off and having a few drinks (which if you know anything about medical types usually equals “getting totally rotten”) and watching a few strippers (although I have heard less flattering descriptions of them bandied about by those who have attended previous lunches).

Now luckily this year’s boys lunch coincides with  me being working a week of nights, so I didn’t have to make up some other excuse as to why I didn’t want to go (because I don’t think the organisers would understand that I find the idea of getting trashed with the boys on a weekday generally unappealing, and the idea of watching strippers in the company of my work mates just plain disturbing). The fact that I’m on nights also means however that I won’t been able to organise an alternative event entitled something like “The lunch for people who would like to sip Gin and Tonics at the Marina Bar” for those other like minded boys and girls who’d like a few nice drinks, some good food, without strippers and in a classy establishment.

The bit that’s funny is that a few weeks later there is a reciprocal “Girls’ Lunch” which also involves drinking and strippers (or “Man whores” as I’ve heard them described in conversations), but which is made out to to be somehow classier then the Boys lunch.

The funny observation that Simone made last night was that it was an amusing feature of modern equality of the sexes that the women tried to attain equality by lowering themselves to the men’s level. Needless to say she won’t be rushing out to oogle strippers in two weeks, although I may not have to twist her arm too far to come out for a chocolate martini instead…

Place your orders

Well a year and some after the event, I have finally finished editing the DVD of our wedding.

Although I will pretty much be automatically sending copies to first degree relatives and bridal party members, if anyone else out there would like a copy (so that you can once again laugh at my singing, the speaches, and the “you may kiss the bride” veil mishap) just drop me an email and I’ll send you out a copy.

Alchoholic tendencies

Since starting work I have developed some interesting (semi) alcoholic tendancies.

Simone has commented on them.

My Mother has counselled me on not letting them get out of hand.

It’s all rather interesting.

Now I should probably clarify at this point that my drinking is still disconcertingly mundane (largely becuase I only have time to have a drink 2 or 3 evenings a week) and definitely within the safe range as defined by the department of health guidelines, but I still can’t help notice that between Simone and myself (OK, so it’s largely me), we do seem to have been making a pretty concerted dent in our liquor cabinet.

As a kid I never understood the appeal of a small whiskey after a hard day at work, or a little something before bed (as was the semi-regular habit of the father and mother respectively), but now I find myself following in my father’s footsteps of walking in the door, kissing my wife, loosening my tie (I’m not quite prosaic enough to call out “Honey, I’m home”) and heading for the amber relaxant (although I also quite like my Brandy, which sets me apart from my father who was a solely Whiskey man (although whiskey is probably still my drug of choice).

Now IÂ appreciate how wonderful it is for taking the edge off the world, and providing a cognitive separation between the discipline of work and the independance of home life.

As an aside I read a really fascinating article in New Scientist the other week about the possibilities for removing the negative effects (memory loss, nausea, addiction in alcoholics, etc) from Alcohol, by specifically blocking certain receptors in the brain that ethanol appears to act unfaovably on, while leaving other with pleasant effects (eg euphoria, social disinhibition) alone. It’s quite an interesting read. Unfortunately they make one point that in my mind guarantees to stop these effort from ever becoming reality – alcohol is regulated as a foodstuff, while anything that limited or modulated it’s effects would be regulated as a pharmaceutical with all the restrictions that go with that.

Everyone loves ortho

In recent correspondences I have been constantly amused how much everyone I talk to seems to have loved their orthopaedics terms.

I had a really great time, and have continued to enjoy the orthopaedic stuff that has poped up in my job since then, but it seems I’m not alone.

Both friends and other intern acquaintences I have talked to have been reporting their enjoyment of it too.

I’m not sure whether Ortho is something I want to do as a career, but if I do lean that way, I hope this doesn’t mean that there will be a lot of competition to get onto the program.

Good food guide

Simone and I have taken to frequenting a new restaurant (which is to say that we seem to be going almost once a week at the moment for various reasons).

It is called Azafran, and does modern australian cuisine.

Given that they manage to get me to try (and invariably enjoy) things that I generally don’t eat (Steak on two occasions and Mussels on another) they do do a really good job, and I felt they were worth a comment on the blog.
The restaurant itself is a converted house, with tables on the deck, and in the front and back rooms of the house, and with really friendly staff (several of whom we are already on a first name basis with), who make the small restaurant atmosphere really pleasant.

It’s BYO at this stage, so grab your favorite bottle and go try it out for yourself.

Supervision

I have been at home sick today (which I think may actually be my first ever paid-to-be-unwell day, which is kind of momentous in it’s own little way) and have been being closely looked after.

Jack obviously loves having company around, and he hung around all day making sure that I paid him lots of attention (between blowing my nose of course).

When we were kids my mother used to refer to our cats Tabitha and Tigger as being Supervisory P’s (P for Puss) when they would come and watch us hanging out the washing, cooking dinner, and so on, and I think that Jack is developing similar habits, which I can’t say I’m displeased about :-).

May Ball

The Med School May Ball was last night, and a good time was had by most (it wasn’t as good as last year (although I may be biased, given that my friends Catherine and Lynda organised the ball last year – but it really was better)).

Anyway, I have already acrued a pretty decent collection of photos from the evening, and I will be putting them up on the photo page some time in the next day or so, so pop over there and check them out. I’ll probably update this Blog page when I do put them up.

BBQ Photos

I have put up some of the photos from this evening’s BBQ up on the “randoms” photo page for everyone’s edification.

On the way home we also stopped off and I took a photo of the previously mentioned piece of Questionable Signage at the naughty but nice store, so now you too can see what I mean…