...all in the name of Science

As I wade through my data transcribing interviews and the focus group, life is a bit, well tedious that the moment.  It takes me approximately 1 hour to transcribe 10 minutes of audio data.  I'm not going to tell you how many hours of data I need to transcribe.... just let it suffice that I need to take a break every now and again because my brains start turning into mush.

Luckily for me I had several things this week to help break up the monotony. Luckily in that it got me away from my room and computer, but it was not all fun and games.  Let's start with the not so fun, that way, like I told my focus group, we can end on a more positive note, not that any of this can really be rated on a "fun" scale.  So on Monday and Thursday I had appointments with my GP's office.  The first was to take blood samples to try and figure out what is going on with me.  My hearing is normal, but I still have the bumps/lumps on my head. It's plural because now there are more than one and the first one keeps growing.  The Dr decided that maybe he needed to take me seriously on this, and also my muscles ache like I've worked out really hard, except I haven't.  So it was off to be poked by the vampire (aka phlebotomist). I was informed that they would have the lab results back next Monday and to call if I hadn't heard anything before that point.  

Thursday I had an appointment with the Dr. for a steroid shot in my elbow.  I apparently have golf elbow.  How I managed that one I will never know.  Pretty sure typing doesn't strain the elbow in that direction.  Before the appointment the Dr called to tell me he had my lab results back.  My inflammatories are up, but not too high.  But my white and red cell counts are normal.  No sign of infection in my muscles either. And apparently I'm anemic.  He figures it has something to do with my head and that it is some kind of infection.  So when I went in for the shot, he tried to draw some of the "liquid" from the largest lump on my head.  Unfortunately the viscosity is very high and it refused to be drawn into the needle. All the attempted manage to do was give me a horrendous headache and dried blood in my hair and down the back of my cadigan...   So I'm on a two week course of antibiotics this time and if it doesn't clear it up, he will send me to a dermatologist, because he is baffled and out of ideas.  At least he didn't suggest excising it.....  How about an MRI or CAT scan? 

Tues and Fri were guinea pig days.  As in I was the guinea pig for my flatmate's research.  It entailed electrodes on my face and sound stimuli and staring on a point high on the wall.  I'm not going to explain it, if you want to know more you will have to read her dissertation. ;) This wasn't too bad.  After having to do a sleep study it was quite mild in comparison. We chatted as she hooked me up to the equipment and I was happy to know that I actually gave her good data.  Not all of her participants have, so I was glad that I was truly helpful to her.   

So I guess it was the week to be poked and prodded in furthering scientific knowledge....Maybe I should find alternate ways to break up the long hours of transcribing data..... 

In other news I got to visit with Chris and Beth slightly longer than planned.  I picked them up at the docks Thurs morning fed them breakfast (well went to Sprinkles Gelato for breakfast...hey they serve breakfast and crepes and waffles it isn't just ice cream) and put them on the train to the airport, or that's what we thought.  Be the thunderstorms we had Wednesday night with lightning strikes caused power outages and flooding.  So the trains couldn't run some of their routes and they have conductors and drivers out ill..... and on top of that France is having labor strikes and their airplane got grounded in France.  Needless to say it was an eventful trip for them to the airport, at the airport and back again to Southampton for the night so they could try again to fly out the next day.  But hey, I got one more night with them so I wasn't complaining! And they got to be here for the historic referendum voting.  But I'm not going to get into that topic.  Time with my kids more than made up for my being a lab rat most of the week! 

So here are a few sights from the week.... 

So if you can read the door this is an electric car.... 

This was a bride arriving at her wedding in style!

Could somebody British please explain to me what these signs mean on the side of buildings?  I am pretty sure it is not what runs through my head when I see them.....