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| Damien and Bethany's Pumpkin |
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| The Burton Pumpkin |
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| Stephen at work |
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| All lit up |
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Halloween Family Get Together
Bethany is Eight
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| Cupcakes to take to school |
I was glad that we have 2 baths: One for the girls, and one for the boys. One of the boys had to borrow unisex clothing items from Bethany because he hadn't come prepared. Then we ate and had cake. I was glad Bethany came up with this idea because I was flat out busy, and didn't have time for anything too fancy. It was a white mud cake, and WAY too delicious...
It was a wonderful day, and she got some lovely presents too. Plus I got to get to know one or two of the mums better. Damien and I made a great team.
The Royal Hobart Show
We went to the Show with Damien (despite the fact that he was insanely busy).
A little old lady in the craft shed did these biscuits up for the girls.
Hannah got a nasty friction burn on her foot, which meant we then had to go and find some first aid assistance. She was really good about it though.
We let the girls each have a showbag: Hannah loves the little stuffed frog toy that came in her Freddo bag, Leila is still trying to get through 50 million little bags of sherbet, and Bethany chose a fairy show bag, with a really nice umbrella and costume items in it.
It was a great day, but VERY tiring.
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| Bethany sliding |
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| Leila Bouncing |
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| Hannah and Damien going down together |
We let the girls each have a showbag: Hannah loves the little stuffed frog toy that came in her Freddo bag, Leila is still trying to get through 50 million little bags of sherbet, and Bethany chose a fairy show bag, with a really nice umbrella and costume items in it.
It was a great day, but VERY tiring.
Baby chickens at music
Due to the long weekend, one of Leila's music school classmates got to take home some baby chickens. she brought them to her music lesson (on the way home from school). Hannah thought they were absolutely wonderful.
Sidney and a lost Rabbit
I went to Sidney for three days (at short notice) to attend a conference on echocardiography. I enjoyed having my new smart livescribe pen to record the sessions and take notes with (it is really cool) but this was one slide that wasn't on the handout, and I thought I'd blog it to prove that I wasn't just off having a holiday.
I walked for miles (must get my sore knee checked out) and enjoyed the conference food and discussions.
While I was gone Damien and the Girls bought 2 rabbits and a guinea pig.
When we went back to the pet shop to replace it, we were able to buy her sister (from the same litter) which was lovely. She looks just the same, and is really tame. We also got a second guinea pig. It is called The Stig...
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Lectures
I just wanted to record that this has been a really full-on week for me.
I volunteered to do a Friday Morning meeting lecture (usually attended by surgeons, cardiologists, Cath lab nursing staff, junior physicians, etc etc). My talk was about Pacemaker functions that mimic malfunction. I was exited about the topic, because I found it very interesting, and I knew it was very applicable for anyone who looks at ECG's on the cardiac ward. It was a good way to introduce some of the modern algorhythms that offer clinical benefit to patients, but which can also make the surface ECG look confusing.
My favourite slide was this one:
The newer device may not be smaller, and it may not have a longer lasting battery, but it does things the older style device could only dream of. Pacemakers have similarly evolved over the last decade or so.
I started with some very basic and extremely obvious ECG examples of real pacemaker malfunction, which would have been a good review for those watching who had only a basic knowledge. I tried really hard then to introduce the fancy algorhythms in English, in terms of the malfunctions they can imitate. Examples were grouped: pacing when it looked like it shouldn't, not pacing when it looked like it should, pacing too fast and pacing too slow. I mostly showed the ECG's first and got the audience to try and guess what was going on. I was pleased that the cardiologists participated in this. Often they are known to just heckle.
I got some good feedback. the echocardiographers said that they were suprised they could actually understand most of what I said, which is great feedback considering that pacing is quite a specialised area. I got good direct feedback from one of the cardiologists, who said he wished he was more involved with pacemakers. One of the cleaners passed on feedback she had heard. All the registrars gave me a thumbs-up and one of them reported that another cardiologist had said it was exellent. A couple of nurses commented also. For me, feedback is like food. It kills me if I don't get it. I agonise after this sort of effort unless the feedback is positive: it is worse than my pre-presentation nerves. I am writing here that I got good feedback, because it will reassure me later. That's just the way I am.
My talk was complicated by having no laptop and a computer that couldn't do "presenter view". This meant I had to start my talk while a registrar finished printing my presentation notes, handing them to me a few minutes into the talk. I think I coped okay with that, but it was stressful.
My second talk was to a group of nurses and, unexpectedly, a group of about a dozen students who had no knowledge of ECG's. Whoa, that was fun. Explaining basic ECG's and all the pacing requiring arrhythmias in the most familiar language I could possibly construct takes effort. It is good to be able to do that though, as we all need to talk to patients in a clear and simple way. You can get a lot of complicated understanding across if you use familiar concepts - I compare the heart to a 2 level football stadium and to a car. I got good feedback on that too.
All this required some extremely late nights. There was no way that I was going to front the first talk in particular with anything less than a perfectly prepared presentation. I worked on it for hours. Twice till 2am and once till 3. Worth it though.
I volunteered to do a Friday Morning meeting lecture (usually attended by surgeons, cardiologists, Cath lab nursing staff, junior physicians, etc etc). My talk was about Pacemaker functions that mimic malfunction. I was exited about the topic, because I found it very interesting, and I knew it was very applicable for anyone who looks at ECG's on the cardiac ward. It was a good way to introduce some of the modern algorhythms that offer clinical benefit to patients, but which can also make the surface ECG look confusing.
My favourite slide was this one:
I started with some very basic and extremely obvious ECG examples of real pacemaker malfunction, which would have been a good review for those watching who had only a basic knowledge. I tried really hard then to introduce the fancy algorhythms in English, in terms of the malfunctions they can imitate. Examples were grouped: pacing when it looked like it shouldn't, not pacing when it looked like it should, pacing too fast and pacing too slow. I mostly showed the ECG's first and got the audience to try and guess what was going on. I was pleased that the cardiologists participated in this. Often they are known to just heckle.
I got some good feedback. the echocardiographers said that they were suprised they could actually understand most of what I said, which is great feedback considering that pacing is quite a specialised area. I got good direct feedback from one of the cardiologists, who said he wished he was more involved with pacemakers. One of the cleaners passed on feedback she had heard. All the registrars gave me a thumbs-up and one of them reported that another cardiologist had said it was exellent. A couple of nurses commented also. For me, feedback is like food. It kills me if I don't get it. I agonise after this sort of effort unless the feedback is positive: it is worse than my pre-presentation nerves. I am writing here that I got good feedback, because it will reassure me later. That's just the way I am.
My talk was complicated by having no laptop and a computer that couldn't do "presenter view". This meant I had to start my talk while a registrar finished printing my presentation notes, handing them to me a few minutes into the talk. I think I coped okay with that, but it was stressful.
My second talk was to a group of nurses and, unexpectedly, a group of about a dozen students who had no knowledge of ECG's. Whoa, that was fun. Explaining basic ECG's and all the pacing requiring arrhythmias in the most familiar language I could possibly construct takes effort. It is good to be able to do that though, as we all need to talk to patients in a clear and simple way. You can get a lot of complicated understanding across if you use familiar concepts - I compare the heart to a 2 level football stadium and to a car. I got good feedback on that too.
All this required some extremely late nights. There was no way that I was going to front the first talk in particular with anything less than a perfectly prepared presentation. I worked on it for hours. Twice till 2am and once till 3. Worth it though.
The great flour incident and other messes
We win some, we lose some.
I do not like finding food messes about the house, but I am glad that the new downstairs lounge is leather. I got the girls to help me wipe down the couch. Leila sometimes hides her half eaten fruit behind the upstairs lounge. I do not like it. Sometimes I get on and clean it up myself, but often I leave it and make the offender take responsibility.
The most recent disaster does not come with a photo. Having cut back dancing lessons a little to allow more morning time on Saturdays, the girls were unsupervised for a while while Damien and I had a little lie-in. Beth came into our bedroom covered in flour, and said that there was a bit of a mess in the loungeroom.
What an understatement: About 6 or so litres of wholemeal flour was spread throughout the loungeroom and all over the girls. It was on all the furniture, the curtains, the piano, the TV and Playstation... There was shouting and thumping, and making them take responsibility helping to clean up (it took about an hour - er, the clean up not the thumping). They also had to forfeit 12 soft toys to charity. I had to contain the girls to the loungeroom while I swept up the rest of the house. Every where they went they were leaving floury footprints. Fortunately their beds were due for a change anyway (Damien had initially sent them to their rooms).
Damien did not want me to photograph it in case it sent the girls the wrong message. He had WORDS with me about being too soft. I think the girls got the message though, taking toys was a pretty high scoring punishment (tears, wailing etc.)
One interesting thing to note is that flour is not good for the vacuum cleaner. When flour whirls about it creates it's own little thunderstorm. The static charge kept arcing across the handle/shaft of the vacuum cleaner. Bethany got a shock, and then she was too scared to use the vacuum cleaner. There was a bit of discussion about fire risk with clouds of flour about, and I think they understood why I was getting them to sweep up the flour ahead of me as I vacuumed. We half filled a 10 litre nappy bucket with cleaned up flour. There were quite a few more shocks in the process. Most of them didn't hurt too much, and nothing exploded, so we all lived to tell the tale.
I managed to clean the hallways and kitchen, the loungeroom and the girls (hair had to be washed etc) and got them to Dancing (late). Shoes were left behind again, so I ended up making 2 trips. Damien played a gig that morning, so he helped out in the afternoon using a rotary brush to vacuum again over the apparently clean carpet. It was not an experience I wish to repeat, but I will add it to my list of "in the trenches" parenting war stories.
I do not like finding food messes about the house, but I am glad that the new downstairs lounge is leather. I got the girls to help me wipe down the couch. Leila sometimes hides her half eaten fruit behind the upstairs lounge. I do not like it. Sometimes I get on and clean it up myself, but often I leave it and make the offender take responsibility.
The most recent disaster does not come with a photo. Having cut back dancing lessons a little to allow more morning time on Saturdays, the girls were unsupervised for a while while Damien and I had a little lie-in. Beth came into our bedroom covered in flour, and said that there was a bit of a mess in the loungeroom.
What an understatement: About 6 or so litres of wholemeal flour was spread throughout the loungeroom and all over the girls. It was on all the furniture, the curtains, the piano, the TV and Playstation... There was shouting and thumping, and making them take responsibility helping to clean up (it took about an hour - er, the clean up not the thumping). They also had to forfeit 12 soft toys to charity. I had to contain the girls to the loungeroom while I swept up the rest of the house. Every where they went they were leaving floury footprints. Fortunately their beds were due for a change anyway (Damien had initially sent them to their rooms).
Damien did not want me to photograph it in case it sent the girls the wrong message. He had WORDS with me about being too soft. I think the girls got the message though, taking toys was a pretty high scoring punishment (tears, wailing etc.)
One interesting thing to note is that flour is not good for the vacuum cleaner. When flour whirls about it creates it's own little thunderstorm. The static charge kept arcing across the handle/shaft of the vacuum cleaner. Bethany got a shock, and then she was too scared to use the vacuum cleaner. There was a bit of discussion about fire risk with clouds of flour about, and I think they understood why I was getting them to sweep up the flour ahead of me as I vacuumed. We half filled a 10 litre nappy bucket with cleaned up flour. There were quite a few more shocks in the process. Most of them didn't hurt too much, and nothing exploded, so we all lived to tell the tale.
I managed to clean the hallways and kitchen, the loungeroom and the girls (hair had to be washed etc) and got them to Dancing (late). Shoes were left behind again, so I ended up making 2 trips. Damien played a gig that morning, so he helped out in the afternoon using a rotary brush to vacuum again over the apparently clean carpet. It was not an experience I wish to repeat, but I will add it to my list of "in the trenches" parenting war stories.
Sunset
Just a cool picture.
I am enjoying daylight Savings: I love the longer light hours after school, and somehow I get to notice the evening sky more often. It is especially nice to stop and notice a beautiful sunset if one is having a hard day.
Cross Dressing
We never know what Leila is thinking. At Bedtime recently she decided she had to mustache up and kiss her little sister on the lips. ???
Hannah had to dress up for the occasion, but then she wanted a mustache too.
The moustache is black paper. The whiskers are left-over smear from performing at the spring festival.
Hannah had to dress up for the occasion, but then she wanted a mustache too.
The moustache is black paper. The whiskers are left-over smear from performing at the spring festival.
Spring Festival (Tiggers again)
Here is an article from the Mercury about our Tigger group's performance at the Botanical Gardens.
We got into trouble about missing dancing shoes, and were very much a family in the bad books, but the photo is still a happy one. It is hard to keep track of all the Dancing gear.
After Saturday's performance Damien and I let the girls enjoy the food and fun. Hannah liked the jumping castle and Bethany and Leila loved the "Velocity" rig, where they got to swing and bounce about in a high harness.
They also had a turn on the Carousel and ate weird little balls of icecream with a spoon.
We missed church on Sunday to do the second performance. I didn't want to let the group down because the choreography is very dependent on the right people being in the right positions.
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