My birthday is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, and other sundry news...

Arrr! We be talkin' lyke pirates, we be!

September 19th: TLAP day. Read all about it. Arrrr.

First I knew about this was finding, last Friday, that the Cambridge Graduate Union web site's front page was written in Pirate for the day. Weirdly, I had coffee with the person responsible, but he wasn't forthcoming about it. Mysterious.

Until today, that is, when thanks to this post on catamorphism's LJ the mystery was revealed.

Arrr. Avast. Shiver me timbers. Tie me to the garboard strake, and poke me with a turnbuckle, why don't ye...

Galliana's Interview

galliana just bounced into the room with news of a job interview on Monday. Go galliana!

She's also found a replacement weasel for her laptop. Another story for another day, that one...

Party aftermath

Saturday's party went very well, I thought. Loads of people came -- thanks all! It helped make it a great day. I feel less bad about being 36, and more 'sent off' to Cambridge for it all. As hoped, no one burnt down the house, lost a cat or drew on the paintings. Which was nice. What was nicer was that the conversation was brilliant. There was quite an odd assortment of (quite odd?) people, but it did seem to 'click' really well.

Thanks for coming, all!

Cambridge Countdown

2 days to go, then I move into my room at St. Edmund's. Eeep. Scary.

I'm looking forward to it, but I'm not looking forward to missing everyone I'm leaving behind in Purley. It is going to be sooooo hard to leave this place. As Bat pointed out, due to medical advice I'd have to leave soon anyway, but that doesn't stop me feeling bad about it anyway.

Medical Advice

Outcome of yesterday's much waited for hospital visit:

1. Doctor was very nice -- oldish fattish Indian woman, very friendly.

2. She thinks our suspicions about the cat allergy are probably right, at least as regards why I got worse recently.

3. She praised my attempts at trying the gluten free thing, and for noticing that things improved in Moscow.

4. She thinks I may still have one or more other allergies, probably food allergies, and has given me a diet sheet. The idea of this is to basically cut out almost everything, leave it a couple of weeks to see what happens, then add things back in one at a time.

5. I suggested that I probably shouldn't try that straight away, and should as far as possible maintain my current diet in Cambridge, in order to try just changing one thing at a time. She agreed. I think I'll give it a month, then start fiddling with diet.

6. To be sure, she sent me along for blood tests. She had most of my existing ones redone, and asked for a whole load more. They took five tubes of blood from me, so I'm a little sore now! They won't write unless they find something scary, in which case they will write to Kingsdown and call me back in on an urgent basis, or refer me to Addenbrooks if appropriate. Otherwise, I'll just get the results at my follow-up appointment.

7. I stand about zero chance of a blue badge, just as I suspected. You really do have to be pretty much totally unable to walk before they will give you one these days.

... and on the way out of the hospital ...

A (very) short nurse of probably Chinese descent (her head just about reached my hips!) came up to me and said, "Why you so tall?". I grinned and replied "Why you so short?". All burst out laughing, much mirth ensued...