16/12/11

I'm home!

Well, actually I came home yesterday afternoon/evening. I contemplated coming back this morning to avoid driving back in the dark evening rush hour but what with the forecast for dreadful weather this morning I played it safe and got home early!

I definitely didn't see any signs of the "big freeze" this morning. A few snow flakes floated down with the rain, but that was about it! I expect it's all the BBC will talk about for the next few days though!

I had a really nice last day of term (well penultimate day of term, but my last day there!), our GSK lecture was on computational chemistry, and how it ties in to drug discovery. I think most people found it quite dull but I didn't, the computational stuff was my favourite day of work experience, and I quite enjoyed the lecture. We got some free chocolate too which is always a bonus! Our official drug discovery project starts next term - we're splitting in to teams and modifying an existing drug to try and make it better. I think it's something to do with an asthma drug although I could be wrong. Not allowed to tell you what we're doing though - I've had to sign my life away for the next 10 years or so incase we actually stumble across something good!

Had an hour to kill after that lecture, was planning on doing some work, but ended up just sitting in the foyer. Had a chat with a couple of lecturer/academic people who walked past - just the usual arm related discussion followed by well wishes for Christmas. Then it got a bit interesting - someone from Estates, a long with someone who turned out to be a plain clothes police officer came into the foyer (and sat right next to me!) with a chap (he looked a bit suspicious) who had been doing something he shouldn't have been. The police guy was making some phone calls trying to verify his identity, but apparently the system was down... They then went outside to smoke so I never found out what it was he'd been doing!

Next was a solid state workshop. That was a bit of a waste of time, didn't learn anything, except that the lecturer who hasn't earnt a good reputation for being all that helpful up to the point, is even less helpful than we thought - we asked what we assumed was a simple question, it wasn't that she didn't know the answer, she gave us one very quickly - it just transpired to be entirely wrong! I think it's just because they don't do well under pressure (they're new so I'll let them off!).

And finally, to end the term was an organic chemistry tutorial. A remarkably good turnout given that lab reports were due in today. I was the only one that had handed in any work (not that it had been marked!), so we just went over all the questions. As there weren't a lot of questions it was decided that we should write te answers up on the board, rather than just copying down and answering the odd question. This plan was very quickly abandoned when we were all far to scared to actually draw any curly arrows on the board in case we were wrong (although I was excused from board writing seen as normal writing is difficult enough!). We had a quick mid-tutorial rant about how we really do need to stop worrying, and that organic chemistry isn't really that bad - it's just the same things over and over again!

Despite really just wanting to go home, I stayed back for a few minutes afterwards cos I had a couple of questions (I normally don't ask, but then I'll never know!), seen as I'd done various things differently to that *actual* answers. The result of 5 minute chat with tutor was that I left very happy :-)

And then, drove home! No idea how I managed to get everything in the car in quite such a tidy manner, but who cares? :P

I've had a nice first day back at home, looking forward to the month ahead! Having started planning my 2012 goals, I though goals for the Christmas holidays might be slightly more relevant for now!

I'd really like to ride my bike again before I go back to uni, properly I mean. As I said the other day, I've got hand therapy in the week so I'm going to speak to my hand therapist about it. Given that it still gets sore even if I don't really do anything (and a lot sorer if I do do anything) I'm not optimistic, but hey I can dream, right?

Obviously need to get lots of work done too. I think I shall abandon the usual question spotting technique, its worked well in the past, but I think I've been lucky. Although I know that I can plan until the cows come home about how many hours a day I'll spend revising and what notes I'm going to make etc. For me, useful revision only happens if I'm in "the mood" whether I't timetabled to be doing any or not! But I'm feeling quite motivated at the moment, so will just have to see how it goes!

Scrubs. I have series 1-7 on boxset (and fingers crossed I might be getting the newer ones for Christmas), I want to watch them all, in order. I think its one program that I'll never want to watch again once I'm doing medicine so figured I ought to get them all watched now while I've got the chance! Grey's Anatomy too, although I'm already half way through season 7 so that shouldn't take too much time to watch the rest of!

I also want to complete Halo (the first one!), typing is still slow and not all that accurate as my fingers still don't always behave, but I can just about play it again now. I think I'm about 2/3 of the way through so hopefully won't take up too much of my revision time to get to the end! Although undoubtedly when I'm done I'll want to go straight back to the start and do it all again on a more difficult level!

All of this needs to be fitted in between reading. I've got Lord of the Rings on the go (have had since September - oops!), I'm also reading various bits of the aptly named "Gray's Anatomy for Students" in an attempt to learn things, as well as "You can trust me, I'm a junior doctor" - this book is really good (if not a little scary!), so good in fact that I stayed up remarkably late to read it yesterday and will probably do so again tonight!

Once again I've entirely written too much and rambled on for far longer than I intended to! Lots to do because it's just me and my dad in tonight (things seem to fall appart when my mum goes out!). Dogs to be taken care of, washing up to do, (TV to watch!), and I need to do my physio stuff too.

I have a grandparent filled weekend ahead (think we're even being treated to a proper Sunday roast!), so I expect I shall bring more blog-ness at some point next week!