One of the favourite sights ever when travelling abroad was in India - Krishna's Butterball, - a chuffing huge rock which is seemingly ready to roll down a hill and crush people.
When I was in Dorset the other day I saw a guy doing stone balancing on the beach, and it reminded me of it... but on a slightly smaller scale!
Balancing rocks make nice pictures as you'll see if you look at his website. I would have bought one if I had me own flat to put it up in.
Monday, 25 August 2008
Sunday, 17 August 2008
Kevin McCloud
I must confess I do like those property programmes, or "property pRon" as they are often referred to. I dont, however, really think it is fair to blame Kirstie Allsopp for the country's current economic woes. She is far too yummy (well, that's the sort of thing they say to descibe her) to be responsible for that mess. Blame Gordon Brown (non-yummy).
Anyway, one of the best shows is Grand Designs, because it shows that sort of houses that I aspire to but will never be able to afford. Oh.
However, I'm not a fan of Kevin McCloud. It's not because of the slightly arty/theatrical, patronising tone he uses most of the time, it is because of his name, or more specifically his surname.
McCloud. "Son of Cloud". Yes that's right, Cloud, that famous Norse King who ruled Skye. What's that you say? Some people spell it "McLeod". Maybe the name means "Son of Leod"? Hmmm?
I resent whoever it was that decided it would be a good idea for their family branch of the McLeod tree to change McLeod to McCloud. Must have been Americans. I would have less problem with McLoud!
Britain in "Not Completely Sh*t" Shocker!
I'm confused. This is Britain. We're meant to be useless at most things, especially in sports.
However, we now stand at 3rd in the Olympic medals table, behind China and USA, whose combined population is 8 million times that of ours. If your powers of deduction aren't that good, that means that, yes, we are beating both Germany AND Australia. Take that Boche and, ummmm, sports-mad exile convicts!
However, we now stand at 3rd in the Olympic medals table, behind China and USA, whose combined population is 8 million times that of ours. If your powers of deduction aren't that good, that means that, yes, we are beating both Germany AND Australia. Take that Boche and, ummmm, sports-mad exile convicts!
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Where the Hell is Matt (2008)
Well I posted a link to the original video about 2 years ago, so in the spirit of nice internet videos, here is "Where the Hell is Matt (2008)"
He still doesn't seem to have been to Scotland!
He still doesn't seem to have been to Scotland!
Friday, 27 June 2008
New hospital policy
So as I mentioned in the previous post, my consultant decided I needed surgery on my knee. The procedure is called arthroscopy.
So I got the bus down to the hospital for the surgery. It is minor day surgery, albeit with a general anaesthetic.
I had a private room, and was just relaxing waiting for the nurses to prep me. The nurse came in and gave me the surgical gown and a few other bits and bobs, then left to let me get ready. I put on my surgical gown fine (no - I didn't put it on back to front!) and put on a hairnet and a single TED stocking.
I then lay there watching TV for a while, waiting for the consultant. While I was waiting, the nurse popped in once or twice to see I was ok.
After a short while, my consultant came in with the senior physiotherapist. The consultant kind of gave me an odd look when he came in and said something about "new hospital policy". I wasn't sure what he meant, but then lay there listening as he and the physio described some of the aspects of the surgery and recovery.
Towards the end I asked him if I really needed to wear the hairnet for the operation.
"That's not a hairnet," he replied, "that's your pants!"
OH SH*T!
Yes - I was sitting there in front of my consultant and the senior physiotherapist... with my surgery pants on my head!
So I then burst out laughing, as did the consultant and physio. I was laughing so hard that I strained a muscle in my neck. They had quite impressively managed to be completely serious with me till that point. The consultant had thought someone was playing a joke on him ("new policy"), then when I didn't take them off, figured he would let the physio explain to me once he had left.
As I said to them - I had wondered why it had a hole in the top, but thought it maybe doubled as a beard net too. I didn't notice that it had two holes (for me legs!).
To say I was embarrassed would be a slight understatement.
Even once they left I kept bursting into spontaneous laughter every time I thought of it.
I have since told this story to anyone who will listen, and pretty much everyone is reduced near to tears!
So anyway, I've now had the surgery. The consultant thinks he found the problem and has sorted it. I am now off my feet for a couple of days, and hopefully in a few weeks my knee will be back to 100% normality!
So I got the bus down to the hospital for the surgery. It is minor day surgery, albeit with a general anaesthetic.
I had a private room, and was just relaxing waiting for the nurses to prep me. The nurse came in and gave me the surgical gown and a few other bits and bobs, then left to let me get ready. I put on my surgical gown fine (no - I didn't put it on back to front!) and put on a hairnet and a single TED stocking.
I then lay there watching TV for a while, waiting for the consultant. While I was waiting, the nurse popped in once or twice to see I was ok.
After a short while, my consultant came in with the senior physiotherapist. The consultant kind of gave me an odd look when he came in and said something about "new hospital policy". I wasn't sure what he meant, but then lay there listening as he and the physio described some of the aspects of the surgery and recovery.
Towards the end I asked him if I really needed to wear the hairnet for the operation.
"That's not a hairnet," he replied, "that's your pants!"
OH SH*T!
Yes - I was sitting there in front of my consultant and the senior physiotherapist... with my surgery pants on my head!
So I then burst out laughing, as did the consultant and physio. I was laughing so hard that I strained a muscle in my neck. They had quite impressively managed to be completely serious with me till that point. The consultant had thought someone was playing a joke on him ("new policy"), then when I didn't take them off, figured he would let the physio explain to me once he had left.
As I said to them - I had wondered why it had a hole in the top, but thought it maybe doubled as a beard net too. I didn't notice that it had two holes (for me legs!).
To say I was embarrassed would be a slight understatement.
Even once they left I kept bursting into spontaneous laughter every time I thought of it.
I have since told this story to anyone who will listen, and pretty much everyone is reduced near to tears!
So anyway, I've now had the surgery. The consultant thinks he found the problem and has sorted it. I am now off my feet for a couple of days, and hopefully in a few weeks my knee will be back to 100% normality!
Sailing and surgery
Ok, It's been a while since my last post.
To summarise the more significant events of the past few weeks:
1) I went to Chicago for a conference and visited Kev. Greg and Cara came down from Toronto and we had a very good time. Conference was pretty good too. I had a speaking slot which went quite well.
2) My consultant decided that I needed surgery on my knee for the problem I've been having.
3) I went to another conference in San Diego last week. That was a very cool conference with around 30,000 people there are around 6,000 exhibitors. What was even cooler was that my company chartered a yacht, which I got to go out sailing on a couple of times.
So that's the last couple of months summarised. See next post for something more... amusing!
To summarise the more significant events of the past few weeks:
1) I went to Chicago for a conference and visited Kev. Greg and Cara came down from Toronto and we had a very good time. Conference was pretty good too. I had a speaking slot which went quite well.
2) My consultant decided that I needed surgery on my knee for the problem I've been having.
3) I went to another conference in San Diego last week. That was a very cool conference with around 30,000 people there are around 6,000 exhibitors. What was even cooler was that my company chartered a yacht, which I got to go out sailing on a couple of times.
So that's the last couple of months summarised. See next post for something more... amusing!
Saturday, 26 April 2008
PhD Nightmares
I was telling my colleagues at work that I still have dreams/nightmares about my PhD. They are usually quite similar - it turns out I have to do just one more viva then I have my PhD, or I just have to re-write one more chapter to finish, or I just have to do a few more experiments to get done. My supervisor usually features...
They're quite anxious dreams, but I do wake up with quit a sense of relief when I realise I've done it all. Bear in mind I finished the PhD nearly three years ago. It would seem I have trouble recovering from stressful situations. I occasionally have dreams that I agree to do one more shift at Burger King, and that ended over ten years ago!
Well, this weekend W "persuaded" me to clear up some of my papers. I didn't really know what I had in the boxes, but in one of them I found all my old PhD notes. There were methods, and notes from seminars, and thousands of "scores" from when I had been counting yeasties on the microscope. I must have counted tens of thousands of the wee buggers over those four years.
I think the PhD notes might have been giving out some negative energy, so I have cleansed the flat by putting all PhD related notes in the recycling bin.
I figure I should hang on to the thesis though...
They're quite anxious dreams, but I do wake up with quit a sense of relief when I realise I've done it all. Bear in mind I finished the PhD nearly three years ago. It would seem I have trouble recovering from stressful situations. I occasionally have dreams that I agree to do one more shift at Burger King, and that ended over ten years ago!
Well, this weekend W "persuaded" me to clear up some of my papers. I didn't really know what I had in the boxes, but in one of them I found all my old PhD notes. There were methods, and notes from seminars, and thousands of "scores" from when I had been counting yeasties on the microscope. I must have counted tens of thousands of the wee buggers over those four years.
I think the PhD notes might have been giving out some negative energy, so I have cleansed the flat by putting all PhD related notes in the recycling bin.
I figure I should hang on to the thesis though...
Saturday, 12 April 2008
India
I recently spent two weeks in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India for work. I did get the chance to take one day sight-seeing.
I went to see a crocodile park and some ancient temples, but the most impressive sight for me was Krishna's Butter ball. Nice bouldering challenge. V. diff?
I've been trying to find out some info about this huge boulder, but all I kind find is similar tourist photos. I presume it was dropped by a glacier. Or a giant. I was told that the British tried to move it with 14 elephants during the Raj, but failed to budge it. Good. Why would you want to move it? I love it - it looks like it's about to start rolling toward you Indiana Jones-style. Depending on the angle of the photo you can see that it is beautifully balanced. In fact, in some photos you can see that it is in fact chopped in half. I wonder if the other bit is lying around there somewhere too.
See some of my Indian photos on Flickr.
Scotland is quite good at...
...curling!
Wow - possibly the only sport that we are consistently good at. Not quite up there in terms of Football and Rugby in terms of global impact, but hey, at least it's something.
The Scottish Men's team is through to the final of the World Curling Championships.
Good luck to the boys for today's final!
I've tried curling a couple of times on the winter rink at Lochgoilhead Hotel. Great fun, but I never could get used to the slippy shoe!
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Gammy knee
As I mentioned at the start of the year my gammy knee has been flaring up.
I decided to take advantage of my work's private healthcare insurance and see if I could get it sorted out.
It's actually slightly more involved to get an MRI scan privately than through the NHS as they insurers want you to be referred by a consultant rather than the GP. From those I've spoken to, the main difference is that getting that first scan appointment is much faster once you go private.
Anyway, I've now had the scan, and the consultant has taken a look and can't see a thing wrong with any of the structures in my knee.
The next step was to try a cortisone injection in my knee to see if that would stop whatever was getting inflamed in my knee.
So on Wednesday I went in to the hospital and got a mixture of anaesthetic and cortisone injected in my knee.
Soon as I got home from the hospital I thought I would go for a run to test my new steroid enhanced knee...
YOU DID WHAT?!
...is what everyone has said to me when I tell them that.
However, the idea is that the anaesthetic acts immediately where it is injected, therefore I needed to go for a run to test whether the injection had been in the correct place. If I felt no pain then the anaesthetic was in the correct place, therefore the steroid would also be in the correct place.
Well, it's fair to say everything expect my knee hurt during the run. Mainly my lungs. I was missing my little W pace-setter!
As the anaetheic wore off in the afternoon I could feel my knee a little bit, but nothing bad (remember last time I went for a run I couldn't walk in the afternoon).
on Thursday, however, I was in a fair bit of pain and was limping about in the office.
This meant one of two things: the steroid probably was in the right place but had made no difference, or this was the initial reaction to the steroid injection (which, I was warned, meant my knee might hurt for 24h).
So now my knee feels fine. I will probably try another run next weekend to test it again. Fingers crossed... then my international rugby career can recommence.
On Monday I go off to India for work for a week. Should be interesting!
(pic above is not my knee!)
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