mad_andy

First things first:

Gacked from screwthedaisies and hector_rashbaum...

Comment with two characters I write, and I'll write about their first kiss.

That done, I'm almost out of another week of nights, yay!

( But then, next week? Also busy. )

( News from the practice, and why cats are astonishing creatures. )

Eleven inpatients last night.

Eleven.

The practice record is thirteen. With seven on drips. Last night I had six.

Still, one went home at 7am, one more was about to go when I left and two more will definitely be going home during the day, so with any luck tonight will be considerably quieter. Unless every other animal that didn't have a crisis yesterday decides to do it today, of course...

Still. On the plus side, the night went very quickly, and it was very satisfying getting the place from bombsite to neat, clean surgery, all ready for the day's onslaught!

I wanted to write, but all I want to do now is sleep. *Yawn* Jeez. Am I tired.

Well, here we are again.

Eleven at night, I'm at work, listening to a cat complaining about the accomodation and...

...it feels like I've never been away. So easy to fall back into routine; most things are the same, I've soothed one nervous client over the phone already and done the floors and, well, so far so good.

And yet I am different, in so many ways. It's so strange, but I can't really describe it. Still, looks like most of the nursing itself is like riding a bike - guess you never really forget it!

Lovely quiet night. Got plenty of sleep. Patients (almost) behaved themselves.

I say almost because one of them is a chocolate labrador puppy, and they are genetically unable to behave themselves. I really don't know why people bother. I loathe chocolate labs with a passion. (Strawberry ones, on the other hand...*hahahaha*)

This one has had a little bit of breakfast, wants more and is thus screaming the place down. In a minute I shall put Slayer on very very loudly to cow the damn thing.

Nothing like a brief blast of South Of Heaven to shut a dog up ;)

(I am kidding, before anybody hammers me. What I am actually going to do is ignore it.)

Now, why can't I write?!

Having the night shift from Hell. Walked in to see a dog being prepped for surgery, a cat that had tried to stop a car with its face being given oxygen and the unmistakeable smell of dogs with haemorrhagic diarrhorrea.

Unable to run away screaming, I had to stay.

About half way through the cleaning process. Need tea and stuff, so stopped.

Heard somebody getting mugged in the carpark next door - called police, they weren't interested. Marvellous.

So, since it looks interesting, here is my interpretation of the Friday Five:

(Nicked from various on the Flist.)

1. Are you named after anyone? I am. A friend of my mum's when she was out in Singapore - thought my name was unusual so went for it. And my middle name is after the wife of one of dad's friends, also out in S'pore. They liked the spelling. *Snort* Thanks guys.

2. Do you have your children's names picked out already? Do get real. No breeding here, ta.

3. If you were born a member of the opposite sex what would your name have been? Caleb, apparently. Gotta love my parents.

4. If you could re-name yourself what name would you pick and why? Do you know, I have no idea. For years I preferred my middle name, but these days...? I like the shortened version of my current name. Andy works for me, it's nicely ambiguous and short enough to carry if yelled across a room!

5. Are there any mispronunciations/typos that people do w/ your name constantly? Sometimes putting an extra 'i' in my first name, but rarely. Even my surname usually gets spelled right ('Slaymaker' is so unusual people almost always ask how it's spelled). My middle name, however...ha. 'Catharine' is an unusual enough spelling that very, very few people ever get it right....

(And now you know my middle name ;) )

Right, back to it!

At work - first of *five* night shifts, not four. Cock up. Oh well.

Busy as fuck. Still haven't done floors, lots of very sick inpatients. And now it's thundering. Marvellous.

Half past midnight, having first cup of tea since seven!!! Will finish thius then get back to it. If you're lucky you might catch me on MSN, which is the only messenger prog I have here at work.

*Looks over shoulder*

Gotta run.

One down, six to go.

Well, it's 0712. The place is clean, the washing is all done, the inpatient is dry, clean and comfy. And didn't try to bite me this morning, always a bonus. Just kind of hanging around now, being very very bored. I even caught up with the scanning and insurance forms - which I didn't get to do last night because of battling with the blood machine and trying to print a farking document...

I loathe Word. Hate it.

I'd do that meme mayqueen517 came up with - but my memory isn't brilliant, and I like to have my music list onscreen so I can double check stuff - lyrics, song titles, that sort of stuff. No good if I type 'oh you know, that one that goes da-da-diddle DUM dum dum de-DUM...'

Whatever.

Slay has the brilliant idea of wizzing up to the trader's fair today, up near Coventry. It's a twice yearly beano where all the people that sell to the various periods of re-enactors get together all in one place and bring all their goodies. You can get stuff from Roman glassware to second World War Jackboots... taking in swords and muskets and clothing and buttons and ceramics and fabric and--

It's a lot of fun, I'll grant you that. And it's a good place to bump into people you haven't seen for ages. Not to mention overspend horribly! The last time we went I ordered a new musket...

*Note to self: you don't need any more guns.*

Trouble is, I've just done this hideous run of three nights and I really don't want to spend a couple of hours on the road each way. listening to beloved husband cussing out other road users, then struggle round a crowded hall no matter how nice the pretties are. *Thinks about the armour stalls and weakens*

Mind you, I could sort half my christmas present worries there. Not to mention pick up some nice bits and pieces for Rockfic Asheville. Argh! All I want to do is curl up on the sofa - after editing a couple of kick ass fics. Spending the day crawling between sofa and screen works for me but as Slay will whinge if I don't go, then I guess it isn't going to happen. Drat the boy.

0722. And I am bored.

Catch you later, people...

I'll finish the Man Raze writeup, I promise.

However, I've just completed one of a set of four nightshifts, and I'm knackered. Fried. You see, we now (we being the nurses, not the vets) take the emergency phone calls. So, somebody's dog gets a hangnail at three in the morning, they ring the vet in a panic they get - me.

I tell them to go to the out of hours service, which is in Oxford, or to make an appointment for the morning. But it's up to me to decide which needs seeing and which can wait - albeit with the advice of the vet on the end of a phone, once you've woken him up. It's a bit nerve-wracking, that. Never mind that we do it every day; that's during the day when all you have to do is holler loud enough and a vet will answer you, if only to shut you up.

This is... I dunno, proper triage? Feels like it.

So as I'm too paranoid that I'll miss the phone ringing I didn't sleep.

I hope that isn't a repeating pattern, or I'll be dead come Tuesday. Wednesday morning, whatever...

And they want me to do another seven night stint later this month. I said I'd see how this lot went first...

I think sleep would be a good idea, don't you?

(And no, kraftpistole and xeviscerax, I have not forgotten your fics that I'm supposed to be doing a beta on. I'm trying to do that too, OK? But I haven't forgotten. Promise.)

And it's over...

...until the next time. Which is the first of October, but that's just a measly four nights. *Snort* I'm such a putz!

Now I have to try and reset my body clock - hopefully with the aid of two beta (sorry Ev) projects (from arrys_girlie and mayqueen517) and a new one shot. Which was spawned from a bunny thrown to me by arrys_girlie during a Yahoo chat session. Cheers babe, I needed another project like I need a hole in the fucking head. Hey ho, 'tis just a one shot... in the Journeyman universe. Yeah, I know, I'm supposed to be writing the next chapter of that - blame bloody Fiendy, say I.

Okay. Must be off...