I woke up this morning to check my university e-mail account to discover that I had approximately 80 new e-mails. Before you start to think that I've suddenly become very popular, all the e-mails were spam sent by people in my year wanting swap their clinical allocations next year. So bloody annoying!!

I've been placed in Derby for Medicine, Mansfield for Surgery and Nottingham for MDD (rheumatology related stuff). Would have preferred to do everything in Nottingham but oh well. Better get all that driving stuff sorted this summer then!! But to be fair, people at Mansfield get accommodation, so I won't have to worry about spending two hours in the car everyday. But the thought of spending five nights a week in the middle of chav-land with nothing to do is a supremely depressing thought. No offence to any chavs. On a more positive note, it might actually make me do some work as there'll be nothing else to do in Mansfield.

Anyhow, before I descend into final year chaos, I've still got 8 more weeks of obs and gynae, a one week Easter holiday (that's right! One WHOLE week!!!!!! ), a paeds written paper, and obs and gynae written paper and a couple of OSCEs, a four week summer holiday (FOUR WEEKS!! Now I know they're being too generous...) and a week in Morocco  to go. I'm looking forward to some of these events more than others. No prizes for guessing which ones...

I have just very neatly polished off a Firestick Peperami, a Cadbury's Caramel egg (mmm...) and a Cadbury's Creme egg (mmm mmm...), so that's tonight's dinner sorted then! Well, just joking (I think)...might be lazy tonight and just eat noodles.

I'm supposed to be writing up some notes for Obs and Gynae...yes, it's that time again. ANOTHER 10 weeks in ANOTHER specialty. This time it's all about pregnant women and vaginas! Woohoo! It's only our second week but I still don't think it's going to be a specialty I want to go into. Obstetrics? Maybe (only for the cute babies)...but gynaecology? Hmm...maybe not...

I've recently concluded that Bill Bryson has the best job ever! I was reading his book Down Under and just kept thinking "Ahh...I'd love to do that!" In an ideal world, my job would be to travel around the world as a medic, to get a flavour of different cultures and to meet new people. I was told that it's possible to do that, but maybe not at my age, so I'll have to wait until after my menopause, I suppose. If you'd asked me three months ago what I wanted to do with my life, I'd probably grunt this back at you - "Dunno...paeds maybe? Or Maxfax." Ask me now and it's a "Oh definitely not paeds! Maxfax I think!" Did 10 weeks with kids and didn't enjoy it very much at all. Firstly, the majority of kids on the ward had some sort of respiratory flu-ey type thing, and I remember spending most of the 10 weeks with a red nose and having some sort of respiratory flu-ey type thing as well. Secondly, there are too many types of kids ie. a 1 month old baby is different from a 2 year old who is different from a 5 year old etc etc. Also the fact that I had the worst patient I could imagine (cerebral palsy AND lupus) for my long-case exam confirmed my non-desire to pursue paeds as a career path. I believe it was a sign.

So for the time-being, Maxfax it is! Downside is that I'll need to study dentistry. So temporary plan for my life is: Complete med school, do Foundation Years 1 and 2 (by then I'll be 25...ooh, old), and then study dentistry. Would love to do that in a foreign country but I can imagine the fees being extortionate as I'll be an international student.) Hopefully that won't last more than 4 years so I'll be 29 by the time I finish...I'll have three degrees though...

If I don't end up doing that, there's always an alternative. I love bacteria and other micro-organisms (ok, maybe 'love' is the wrong word...'intrigued' perhaps), and recently found out that I got my first choice Special Study Module, which is Infectious Diseases. I could perhaps specialise in Tropical Medicine and use that as an excuse to travel...

Gosh, long time no update. Been so ill today with a horrible cough/cold, that I didn't feel well enough to go into uni, so I've missed a whole day of teaching...booooo...

Am so scared of this exam I have coming up. Right, better do some work...

Colds, crisps and erm...blood...

This is going to be a strange entry...

I think a virus must be circulating around the MaxFax Unit in Derby - have this terrible terrible cold/sore throat. I think I might take it easy tonight and just sit in my bed and drink lots of green tea! I absolutely detest this time of the year, with the weather being neither here nor there. Also, is it just me or does having a cold invariably make you hungrier??! I've had two lunches today, I'm ashamed to admit. I woke up late today and didn't have time to make lunch, so at lunchtime today I bought some sushi and a chocolate and caramel shortcake from Boots - still wasn't enough, so off I went to KFC (naughty me!) and had two large pieces of chicken and some fries. I still felt hungry afterwards...Then again, as the old saying goes - "Feed a cold and starve a fever" (or is it the other way round?) Anyway, can't be as bad as the surgeons' saying - "If in doubt, just rip it out!"

Now let's talk about crisps. Anyone who's ever had lunch with me will know that I absolutely adore my salt and vinegar (more of the vinegar). This translates to my love of Salt and Vinegar flavoured crisps. I love all types, but in Summer 2005, whilst I was working at a psych hospital...in Walsall, I discovered Nobby's crisps! And I haven't looked back since! They literally turned my lips numb! I offered one to someone at a desk 5 metres away from me, and she said "Erm, no thanks - I can enjoy them from over here!" I've seriously been craving Nobby's Salt and Vinegar crisps soooooooooooo much, but I can't find them anywhere! The only place I know that sells them is that vending machine in the pysch hospital, 50 or so miles away from where I am now. If anyone knows of a place in or near Nottingham that sells them, it'll be very much appreciated!

Finally, let's talk about blood. Anyone heard of the Japanese blood type theory of personality? It basically describes that each blood group (A, B, AB, O) has a distinct personality. I'm O rhesus+, so therefore I'm "ambitious, athletic, robust and self-confident. A natural leader." I'm also "arrogant, vain, insensitive and ruthless". Hmm...I'm a bit dubious about all this. Do people agree with this description of me? Ambitious - yeah, fairly. Athletic - if walking to the fridge door counts as a sport, then yeah. Robust - in what way though? Self-confident - nooooo! A natural leader - I've never led anything in my life! Arrogant - what do YOU think? . Vain - hmm, no comment! Insensitive - more the opposite! Ruthless - not me!

To find out what your blood type personality is, just have a look here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_blood_type_theory_of_personality

I've now set myself a goal!

I'm not telling anyone what it is. All I'm going to say is that I'm hoping to have achieved it in six weeks' time.

It's going to be difficult, with work, uni, social life, picking up some new hobbies as well. It's quite exciting actually!

Oooh if only these phases of optimism occurred more often...

PS. No amount of coercion will lead me to tell you what this goal of mine is. If I achieve it, you can read all about it here! If I don't, then, well, I don't and you won't hear about it...