Run before you can walk

So basically I thought I was going to Nepean Hospital. Then I get an email from the coordinator, saying that due to overlap of students from Charles Sturt University (damn you!) there were too many students at Nepean and someone had to pull the short straw and that was me. I raged a bit here, calmed down and read on to find that for now I would be in limbo with no clinical placement until he could fine me another place. Insert more useless raging.

Anyway, the coordinator got back to me and told me that he has found me a place in Cabramatta. I raged a little since parking is impossible to find in Cabramatta and would have to suffer more training, but its a new place with new shiny equipment. Can't say no to a place with new equipment.

Managed to get a bit of shopping done, my list was clear and definite as I needed a plastic bucket or similar, and two cans of black and silver spray paint. This is for prepartion of my friend's 21st where you have to dress up as a character from music or film or anything really. So I chose the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The plastic bucket was going to be my helmet and today I decided to make a start on it. My inital plan was rather...enthusiastic...yes that's the right word. I was going to cut all the holes and everything would be fine. Except I didn't realise plastic would be that hard to cut. Have a few pictures.

Finished cutting the eye slot, note the jagged edges

The plastic split, so I used super glue to hold things together

Black mark outlines for the overall designYou can see the small black squares I wanted to cut outMassive jagged edges

Long story short it was harder than I thought, and now I might not cut out the 18 smaller squares. I would need to start drilling small holes, then work my way up drill sizes until the hole would be big enough for the jigsaw. And the jigsaw causes the plastic to shake badly and split. I still might drill a bunch of holes for air supply, but it will be groups of small holes. The 'helmet' still requires a paint and extra strips of metal and bolts, but I might leave those out if its too difficult. The important thing is I have the iconic image rather than every single detail correct.

With a bit of luck, it'll come out good. I've never used a jigsaw and my experience in cutting plastic is zero. That's the problem. you don't know what to expect so you come up with an enthusiastic design and think everything is going to work out. Now I'm scaling back already.

When I finish my costume, I'll post more pics.

Get Ready to divide by zero

Been back at uni for 2 weeks now, and have nicely settled back into old routine. Being back with friends, there's nothing better that that I reckon.

New clinical placements have been released and this time I'm being shipping off to Nepean Hospital. Not that far away, but still a bit of a train trip. I don't really mind though since I can still commute there every day and not have to worry about living and surviving in a place far from home for six weeks.

Much shorter uni semester for me this time. I've only got 7 weeks to cram information into my brain before exams bludgeon me. The course only has two subjects this year, so its pretty good being at uni for 2.5 days a week. The exams will be tricky, but I've passed before so I'm half certain that I'll pass again. The practical exam has me worried though. There's always luck involved whether you get an easy projection or a harder one or a easy or hard examiner. It's gonna be tough.

Ohh and LHC went live today, although they just did a test run, not the massive proton smashing to find the Higgs boson. So the world ends in October if all the science nutjobs believe so. During my prac class, the lecturer asked if anyone knew about LHC and its objectives and I was the only one who piped up. My friends sitting next to me were like "Woah! You know this physics?". I always had an interest for physics. It just seem to explain the reality I lived in so well. Probably started when my dad bought me A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. I miss physics back in high school. Those were some fun times right there.

Man I need a drink.