the best complaint letter ever?

It must be pretty high on the list, apologies I've no idea if this is doing the rounds in the UK but it's the first time I've seen it and it's bloody brilliant.

read me

still here

Just. Newcastle issues all sorted and rescheduled for mid Feb interview which is good. Still to hear from Nottingham (have an interview but no date.....) and went to London last week to sit interview for St Georges. It seemed to go ok I felt I fielded most questions well, they're interesting most of the time which helps-no general time filler throwaways here.

"Imagine you're a GP and you've misdiagnosed a 50 year old patient and he has died as a result, what would happen and how would you feel?"

Ahem. I think I answered this one ok, I was certainly expecting something like it to appear and to be honest it's a scenario I know is entirely possible. A terrifying thought and if I were to practise medicine I hope one I would never encounter. Anyway overall seemed ok but feel in my gut something was missing, no idea what or why but still felt a bit empty afterwards. I did ask the 2 best interviewee questions I've heard (courtesy of John one of my London hosts) as well as my own specific med school one:

- Is there anything I've said you'd like me to expand upon?

-What reservations would you have about me working/studying here?

Brilliant. Sadly they said they couldn't answer the latter, though they seemed to like it! Ballsy for sure but what the hell.

Check out my flickr, over there on the right. No higher, yup that's it. Got an SLR for chrimbo (joint pressie with Carla) and adore it, lots more practice needed but love it so far.

unfuckingbelievable

Got home from a mixed bag of a day at around 9 to find an email from Newcastle Uni subject line: interview. Nice one I was thinking when the sledgehammer blow that is my luck (boiling hot or freezing cold I have yet to experience anything between feast and famine) struck me with the words:

Dear Mr McCrear,

You were scheduled to attend an interview at Newcastle University this afternoon at 3.30pm. It has come to my attention that you did not attend. Please contact me regarding this matter as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,


What....





......the.......





FUCK!

read and re-read it's still reverberating in my head, how is this even possible? I had called Nottingham whilst at home over Christmas to avoid a similar fate, why can these people only email after the event? Must stop seething as need to sleep and call them first thing in the morning, well first thing for the UK which is about lunchtime here (thereby missing more work) I'm starting to think if I don't make it in it was never meant to be. And if I do it better be bloody brilliant.* In other news, a bus wouldn't let me off at my stop today because I hadn't rung the wee bell (despite me standing at the door waiting to get off, making eye contact with the driver and being pretty obvious at the stop being the one I wanted off at) and then later a bus stopped to let me on then thought better of it and drove off! I also nearly broke my neck after sliding on ice whilst saying hello to some of my students at school and was given a cracking bottle of red wine by one of my students' parents. Like I said I don't fuck about when it comes to luck, when it rains it's a bloody monsoon.





*I think it will so fingers crossed, eh?

back

Well I had intended to write at length about my trip but as it's now lunchtime and I've frittered away an entire morning I'll keep it brief: it was lots of fun.

It's now snowing in Madrid which is weird but cool (eh, see what I did there)

In other news my latest obsession is the Fisher Superfly, after riding Chris' at Drumlanrig I'm hooked! In negotiations with my old work about the possibility of getting one...

peddlers v pedlars

Rolled out the front door Sunday morning to hear my mobile screaming that someone was calling me. Downed tools and answered it to find that Alex and Sandra had had their bikes taken. Someone had broken into the locked cupboard they use to store them (and pretty much the only people who knew where to find them are the neighbours) and made off through and over a variety of obstacles such as doors, gates and steps. Hmm lucky chance?

Anyway the real heartening moment was when Alex discovered one of the bikes for sale on a local website! A day later 4 police officers were cocking their guns (honestly! They wear polyester uniforms and carry revolvers, fucked up) and preparing for the sting. Weapons not needed as the thief/seller knew the game was up and his mates melted into the background. Later the guy folded when pressed and told them who he sold the other bike to. So one bike back the other hopefully not too far away. Incredible, never heard the likes before but couldn't have happened (the return not the theft) to nicer folk.

Funes, Pamplona and Monopoly..

time charges ever onward

Still really busy here, doubled the amount of private classes I'm doing in the run-up to Christmas which means a nice cash boost but a time drain compounded by a 5th weekend of business. Still not bought any presents, need to pack, need to take photos of bike kit to sell and the washing machine just died. On a positive note I was in a hospital here shadowing some ward rounds yesterday which was awesome if a little intense- listening to medical jargon in Spanish was pretty hard work. I've also just been set an interview date for St. Georges in January which is excellent but means doing my homework over the holidays. Not much else to say, went to Eric and Jamie's for a superb meal last night, got to do some shopping today, out to watch Barcelona play Real Madrid tonight, hopefully pedal in the morning, meet mates in the afternoon and write lesson plans in the evening. Still, it beats being bored all the time.