Aren't these cool? I want to grow some gourds at home and use them for this... These gourds were found on the side of a covered road in a little village on a hillside. It was a funny village; no vehicle would be able to traverse the majority of the streets because they were so steep and so uneven, and little old grandmothers lined the ways, selling apples and oregano and (mmmmm) figs, as well as some hand-made things. There was a tiny area with some tourist-oriented shops, and the village was famous for its wine (which was, apparently, very unusual; quince wine?), so quite a number of wine stores were offering tasting. We ate in a restaurant which sold delicious stuffed zucchini flowers. The owner of the restaurant challenged me to a chilli-eating competition, which was fun. :) Small green chillis are hot, though not unbearably so...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
The things one learns...
Yesterday, I found out that a cell line with which we have been working in the lab actually has prostate cancer because of a virus (Xenotropic Murine Leukaemia virus-related virus), and we have not been working with it in a containment level appropriate to this. It's been in the literature for 2 years, but we were only told yesterday... and my supervisor wanted us to keep working with it. I'm not too keen on getting chronic fatigue/prostate cancer, so there's a definite NO from me. It's pretty terrible that he asked us to keep working with it! I just hope that I didn't catch it while the cells were growing.
Ah well... at least it was found out before I started doing heaps of work with that cell line...
On a happier note, my site is now fully up and running; it has 20 prints for sale, at last. It's shocking how expensive it is to actually have something printed at high quality, though; I really want to find a cheaper source! (Other than the really good one in the US that won't ship outside America)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Turkish meat
I don't know what this stuff is called, but it is raw meat, semi-dried. Not dry like jerky, but not that bloody. It's coated in something like flour, which has become soaked in blood. It appears to be kept for months at a time, and is eaten as is... no cooking, no washing, no disinfection. It seems the Turkish are quite used to eating meat that has sat around unrefrigerated for a considerable amount of time; most of the doner kebabs sit around all day, free to any flies, dripping meat juice and fat, until evening comes and the cooker is turned on. Still... the stuff in this photo is worse, eaten raw, as it is. It has a strange smell, too...
Marshaling
In the light of having plenty to whine yet nothing much to actually tell, I'll write on the boring subject of marshaling at the GP Exam.
This is the exit OSCE exam for aspiring GP reg's. While it can be taken at any stage of GP training, most candidates sit for it in their last year... which can be pretty sad for those that I have seen 3 years in a row.
The 14 OSCE stations can range from basic to very challenging; purely Q&A to procedural skills. A marshal's job entails ensuring smooth transition of candidates between each station, bringing them water and escorting them to toilets, and making sure they're not doing what they're not supposed to do. It really is a easy job - therefore not surprisingly boring after the first hour. Apart from looking after an unbelievable number of nerve-stricken candidates, who's cerebrum automatically shuts off and therefore cannot see signs, are unable read their names on the name sheet, and fail to hear instructions, there is not much else to do. And as long as one is vigilant at recognising such lost sheep and provide babysitting service promptly, any drama can be avoided.
Because I've marshaled for a number of times now, I became the lead marshal for Sunday afternoon's session @ RWH. An even easier job, because rather than being stationed at a particular position and watching over that whole area, I was the roamer - which actually means that I don't need to do anything at all. I did attempt to make myself useful, by volunteering for the occasional water jug refills, chatting with the College admin staff, and sometimes strolling around, smiling at everyone and asking "everything cool?" The rest of my time were spent either at my Spanish workbook, which I did pathetically little of, or in front of mountainload of very yummy free food... muffins, yogurt slices, fruit cakes, croissants, biscuits, sandwiches, rolls, puffs, salads, nectarines, apples, pears, bananas, melons, pineapples, strawberries, dried nuts, dried fruits. By the end of 6 and half hours I concluded that GPs, too, are a contributing factor to obesity.
So when this finally ended we counted the marking sheets, mused ourselves with glimpse of not-so-nice examiner comments on candidates who I have seen 3 years in a row. And then as the marshals get their $80 gift voucher, I get $120 for my "additional troubles". Mmm, not complaining =).
This is the exit OSCE exam for aspiring GP reg's. While it can be taken at any stage of GP training, most candidates sit for it in their last year... which can be pretty sad for those that I have seen 3 years in a row.
The 14 OSCE stations can range from basic to very challenging; purely Q&A to procedural skills. A marshal's job entails ensuring smooth transition of candidates between each station, bringing them water and escorting them to toilets, and making sure they're not doing what they're not supposed to do. It really is a easy job - therefore not surprisingly boring after the first hour. Apart from looking after an unbelievable number of nerve-stricken candidates, who's cerebrum automatically shuts off and therefore cannot see signs, are unable read their names on the name sheet, and fail to hear instructions, there is not much else to do. And as long as one is vigilant at recognising such lost sheep and provide babysitting service promptly, any drama can be avoided.
Because I've marshaled for a number of times now, I became the lead marshal for Sunday afternoon's session @ RWH. An even easier job, because rather than being stationed at a particular position and watching over that whole area, I was the roamer - which actually means that I don't need to do anything at all. I did attempt to make myself useful, by volunteering for the occasional water jug refills, chatting with the College admin staff, and sometimes strolling around, smiling at everyone and asking "everything cool?" The rest of my time were spent either at my Spanish workbook, which I did pathetically little of, or in front of mountainload of very yummy free food... muffins, yogurt slices, fruit cakes, croissants, biscuits, sandwiches, rolls, puffs, salads, nectarines, apples, pears, bananas, melons, pineapples, strawberries, dried nuts, dried fruits. By the end of 6 and half hours I concluded that GPs, too, are a contributing factor to obesity.
So when this finally ended we counted the marking sheets, mused ourselves with glimpse of not-so-nice examiner comments on candidates who I have seen 3 years in a row. And then as the marshals get their $80 gift voucher, I get $120 for my "additional troubles". Mmm, not complaining =).
Photo schmoto
Cupcake doodles > James' arty farty shots.
Only kidding. Can you tell my mind is wandering? If only my feet could too.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Columns
Greek/Roman ruins in Turkey... they're everywhere. Actually, Turkey has an amazing amount of history attached to it. It's been the home of the Lyceans, the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, the Ottoman empire, the modern Greeks, and now the Turkish. All over Turkey, very extensive ruins of all these civilisations may be found. I'll have more photos from an absolutely enormous ruin we visited in Pamukkale, as well as the beautiful travertines there.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Pensive Cat
I thought I'd break my Turkey post into a number of (disjointed) posts based on some photos that I am processing. Please tell me what you think about this idea, if anyone except me still reads this. :P
Cats are everywhere in Turkey, and I mean /everywhere/! The funny thing is that they're not malnourished, and nor are they scared of humans in the way wild cats in Australia or England are. In fact, I was so surprised when I got back to London and saw a cat running away from me, because I had just spent two weeks with very friendly and obedient cats. All cats in Turkey seem to have an intuitive understanding that "tss tss" means "Go away" and a sound I can't represent with letters (that is made by creating negative pressure in the mouth with the mouth open but the tongue at the roof of the mouth, then pulling the tongue downwards, making a click-kind of sound) means "look this way".
I met a range of cats, from very boisterous kittens to slow, stately older cats. One particular kitten would not stop moving, and hunted everything that moved, including one's feet as soon as one dared to lift them. Tying my shoes with the cat attacking both my hands and my shoelaces was a rather amusing experience, and I only managed by diverting its attention to my mother's shoelaces.
Funnily enough, with cats everywhere, dogs would probably be expected, but except in the rural areas they are completely absent. I think this has to do with the fact that dogs are haram for muslims. Even in rural areas, they are quite rare, though we had an interesting experience in one town where we were adopted by a dog for part of a walk, until we came to a blind corner (in a ruined Greek village). Around the corner was a man with a slingshot and a large rock, attempting to ambush an kill the dog. The dog had clearly met him before and refused to round the corner, whereupon the man came around and, disregarding our party, began shouting at the dog and attempting to shoot it. Fortunately the dog was clever enough to get away and we were spared the sight of an injury or death... Talking to a local later it turned out that man was a bit strange, and that he and the dog have quite a history. It seems quite propitious for the dog that the man was a poor shot with his shanghai!
(oh, this photo has my new watermark... I thought I should start adding that since I'm starting to sell them, though I don't know whether I should make it more obvious. I don't want it to get too much in the way, but I want to prevent people from taking the photos without permission...any comments?)
Cats are everywhere in Turkey, and I mean /everywhere/! The funny thing is that they're not malnourished, and nor are they scared of humans in the way wild cats in Australia or England are. In fact, I was so surprised when I got back to London and saw a cat running away from me, because I had just spent two weeks with very friendly and obedient cats. All cats in Turkey seem to have an intuitive understanding that "tss tss" means "Go away" and a sound I can't represent with letters (that is made by creating negative pressure in the mouth with the mouth open but the tongue at the roof of the mouth, then pulling the tongue downwards, making a click-kind of sound) means "look this way".
I met a range of cats, from very boisterous kittens to slow, stately older cats. One particular kitten would not stop moving, and hunted everything that moved, including one's feet as soon as one dared to lift them. Tying my shoes with the cat attacking both my hands and my shoelaces was a rather amusing experience, and I only managed by diverting its attention to my mother's shoelaces.
Funnily enough, with cats everywhere, dogs would probably be expected, but except in the rural areas they are completely absent. I think this has to do with the fact that dogs are haram for muslims. Even in rural areas, they are quite rare, though we had an interesting experience in one town where we were adopted by a dog for part of a walk, until we came to a blind corner (in a ruined Greek village). Around the corner was a man with a slingshot and a large rock, attempting to ambush an kill the dog. The dog had clearly met him before and refused to round the corner, whereupon the man came around and, disregarding our party, began shouting at the dog and attempting to shoot it. Fortunately the dog was clever enough to get away and we were spared the sight of an injury or death... Talking to a local later it turned out that man was a bit strange, and that he and the dog have quite a history. It seems quite propitious for the dog that the man was a poor shot with his shanghai!
(oh, this photo has my new watermark... I thought I should start adding that since I'm starting to sell them, though I don't know whether I should make it more obvious. I don't want it to get too much in the way, but I want to prevent people from taking the photos without permission...any comments?)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
It's feeling a bit empty in here...
Hi everyone... It's feeling a bit empty here! We need to get some more posting going. I will try to write up a post about my Turkey trip in the next few days, but it would be great to see something other than my rambling. :P If you would like to be subscribed to the blog and/or comments in your email, then just reply to me in this post and I can add you to it. Then, in the rare event that anyone posts or comments (:P), it will be sent to your email so that you don't have to visit the site to know that it's there. :)
In other news, I've started up my own websites, http://enlightened0ne.com and http://enlightenedphotography.net. Currently they both redirect to the same temporary website. I am working on learning how to make a decent site with proper paypal and credit card payments etc. If anyone needs some hosting space, I have plenty! :)
Oh, and just so that there's a picture on the front page, here's one of the Turkey photos that's passed muster:
Again, comment here if you want to receive blog posts and/or comments in your email. Hope AMS is going well! :D
Thursday, October 15, 2009
BATTLE!
Okay, so this post is also quite late, but many weeks ago (5th to 6th of September), I hired a car and drove from Cambridge to a town near the border of England and Wales called Leominster to watch a re-enactment of The Battle of Mortimer's Cross. The car I hired was a Vauxhall Corsa, and the only good thing I can say about it was that it took me 350 miles and was still 1/3 full. It was terrible to drive, though, both because of its complete lack of power and its poor design. For one thing, the indicator was on the left-hand side of the steering wheel. This doesn't make any sense, since in a manual car one has to operate the gear stick to shift down at the same time as indicating one's intention to turn. My first hour in the car was plagued by the wipers being turned on at every corner...
My second discovery was about English drivers. I have encountered impatient drivers in Australia, but never like this. While travelling at the speed limit on the motorway (70mph), if someone travelling at 85mph is forced to slow down in order to change lanes and overtake, as they pass they will lower the window, shout obscenities, and often raise the finger as well. I couldn't believe how frequent this occurrence was, often despite there being two free lanes to my right in which to overtake me. I always laugh at people becoming so impatient that they feel the need to shout their frustration at being slowed down to the speed limit for a couple of seconds... particularly when they accelerate right into a speed camera.
On the topic of speed cameras, the system here is quite interesting. Instead of straight speed cameras, average speed cameras are often used. I don't know how effective the implementation is, but if it works it would be a lot better than the single shot cameras, at least for people who do obey the speed limit. I'm always worried that I'll be hit for a ticket when I am accelerating to overtake someone, so average speed would make that less of a worry.
My drive across England took about 3 hours, and I reached the battlefield at about midday. There were heraldic flags denoting the location, and I parked right next to the entrance. There was a rather anachronistic ambulance tent by the entrance, but beside that was a tent demonstrating traditional surgical techniques. Unfortunately, this was where I realised that this particular fair was a little more focussed towards the younger audience than some of the others. There were a large number of toy wooden weapons etc. on sale, and not too many serious forged ones. There were however 3 tents which catered to reenactment enthusiasts, and those were quite interesting. One could buy all manner of armour and weapons, as well as bows and arrows, though being for the enthusiast crowd they were less decorative and more functional; not what I was after.
During my wandering around I came across an interesting tent run by one Dave Hodges, an interesting man with whom I had an extended conversation. It turns out that he is the person upon whom the Terry Pratchett character "Hodgesaargh" is based. He was also the owner of Lady Jane, a falcon which appears in Lords and Ladies and Carpe Jugulum. It was fascinating to talk to him about his Falconry and Pratchett and all sorts of things. He's a very talkative man, and really is a living TP character.
Another aspect of the show was the living history area. All participants in this spend the weekend living as a medieval army on the move would have done. They spend their nights in authentic tents, cook over fires using medieval ingredients (including hand-milling their wheat), and avoid modern tech. Many of them were quite keen to be photographed, so walking around with a camera gave me plenty of opportunity to talk to many of them. I made some contacts with the British Plate Armour Association, who have a branch near Cambridge, and I intend to go and visit their training at some point. That should be fun...
The battle itself started in the late afternoon, and I will post the photos soon. (I have about 1000 photos in my backlog that need sorting and editing!) It was interesting to watch, and they were certainly attacking with vigour! Someone fighting with a pick completely destroyed his opponent's shield, while another fighter was showing a bruise that extended from his wrist to his elbow caused by a swing that he had failed to block. This bruise was caused despite the full plate armour he had been wearing.
Anyway, the day was quite enjoyable, and I took a leisurely walk around the nearby Leominster, before driving to my B&B for the night. The owners of the B&B were an elderly couple. They were quite the unintentional comic duo; the wife was much taller than the husband, and the husband had a very high-pitched voice, so it was almost a role-reversal. They were very friendly, and my room was large, well-appointed, and comfortable. It also had the best 3G strength I have found anywhere outside of London, which was surprising on the border of Wales, outside a tiny town.
The next morning I met with two older couples over breakfast. One couple was American, and were in England searching for various lost relatives, with a peculiarly American lack of sensitivity; going into people's houses when they weren't there with the justification that "this was my family's house in the 1740s". The absolute doggedness with which they were pursuing this family tree was quite impressive, however.
I spent the morning visiting Hampton Court Castle. Note: Castle, not Palace. The castle is quite small, but on very beautiful wooded grounds. It's still inhabited, but parts of it are available for viewing, and it was an interesting experience to visit a place that has been inhabited by aristocracy for so long; there were artifacts from British colonial times (lions' heads, ibeks, Boer war memorabilia), as well as Saracen battle standards and many many suits of armour. Wandering in the gardens and eating in the locovore restaurant were very pleasant too. I'd love to go back there at some point. After leaving I drove straight home and left my car with someone who may or may not have merely been pretending to be affiliated with the hire-car company. Judging by the fact that I have not been receiving calls about the fact that my car has gone missing, and the fact that my bank account seems okay, he probably was, but he really acted like he could have been a scammer. Ah well... it would have been their problem and not mine if he had been.
If you've got to the end of this, I'm certainly surprised, since it's been a fairly long entry. Well, not as long as it might have been had I actually typed it out once I got back instead of a month or two later, but still quite long, so well done. Photos are due up soon, just as soon as I can get time to edit them and upload them. My flickr address is now www.flickr.com/photos/enlightened0ne, so I'm easier to find. I don't know why I couldn't find the setting to change that before. I'm thinking about setting up a site to sell art prints of some of my photos, since that might bring in a little money. I've also started selling stock photography, so we'll see how that goes. As far as AMS goes at the moment, I'm writing a review with a couple of others in the lab, which should be submitted for publication by the end of Oct! Scary stuff...
Feel free to comment on how long-winded and boring this has been... I can try to make my Turkey post shorter, or serial, (or absent) if you would prefer.
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