Happy belated New Year! The end of 2021 was a busy one!
Since I last posted, I am still loving my job and have started demonstrating anatomy for the medical students. I love both. The medical school got Anatomage tables, which I had never seen before and was like a kid in a candy store the day I got to use one. They are very interesting tables, not only showing humans, but animal anatomy too. They allow you to 'dissect' whole bodies, sections, and organs and go through clinical cases. My thoughts: they are good, but not as good as cadavers. There is nothing like actually putting your hands on a heart or a femur- and for future doctors, I feel that is really important. Outside of work, I joined the local leisure center and started Zumba 2x a week and Pilates (when it doesn't interfere with work). Pilates is a bit better than at the uni but for some reason this country doesn't seem to do it in the order or speed that I am use to/taught. I have fallen in love with Zumba though.
October was my boyfriends birthday! He got a nice surprise stay a seaside town. We walked around the town, saw the castle, had a nice dinner, and went to the cinema for the first time in over a year! We saw the second Venom film- it was very good. The next day we went to Belfast and spent the day walking around there. I think I can say he was very surprised and I was shocked I kept it a secret for over a month! :) I loved seeing his face and the shock. It was so fun! We also carved our first pumpkin! We carved baby Yoda! And he turned out quite cute.
In November, my first friend I made here, had a baby shower! She and I were flat mates back in 2015 and have stayed friends since. My first NI baby shower. :) She did give birth to a healthy baby girl in December and I cannot wait to meet the little one. I also found a new sofa! Why is this such a big deal? The other one I had when I moved in, I broke about 6 months after I got it (opps) and we have been sitting on it ever since. So when my boyfriend spotted this one- I claimed it and got it delivered. The old one folded out to a bed- foam mattress, when I was sick with strep and trying to write my thesis, I accidently stepped on the seem and ripped it. So to fold it back to a sofa and have it stay was never quite the same. It was causing so much hip and back pain- it was time to get rid of it. The new one- a large 3 seater recliner. Not broken, comfy, and no pain. :) We also celebrated Thanksgiving, a few times. Pilates and Zumba were on Thursday so I went to those. After Pilates I treated myself to a Thanksgiving coffee like I do every year on that day. I did some work and then went to Pilates. When I came home, I was surprised with a Thanksgiving dinner my boyfriend made for me. It was such a lovely, thoughtful surprise. We then celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday while skyping my mom.
December, I think was my favorite part of the year. Back in October it was announced that this CPD course I follow online has limited spaces available due to COVID and will be running this year. So I jumped on it. What was it? A day in London dissecting the upper limb on cadavers! Happy days! So my boyfriend and I planed a few days before and a few days after the course to travel to London. My first time in London! And what is better than going to London for the first time than getting your hands on cadavers?! I don't know! London was amazing! So many people though! Oh gosh. As a kid I wanted to live in NYC. As a 30+ year old moving to a rural town to do a PhD, I wanted to move to a city like NYC, but I have grown to love this town I am in and London has far too many people for me. We did so much in London, I will give the highlights. We went to the Doctor Who store, saw Phantom of the Opera- both AMAZING! I absolutely loved it. I want to go back and watch it again! If you haven't seen it as a play- go see it! The movie doesn't do it justice! We went to Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Tower Bridge, Cafe in the Crypt, Hamley's, Regent Street, and so much more. So my favorite places in London, so far, The Theatre Cafe (We had a Charlie and the hot chocolate), Nathalie's cafe, and Grom. Cotto was lovely, Cafe on the Crypt, Whole Foods, and Honest Burger. Those are just the food places. I loved walking around seeing all the sites, especially Leister Square, Piccadilly, and Trafalgar Square- I loved the movie statues and seeing all the theatres. The Theatre cafe was an accidental find on our part after Phantom. We happened to come across it and the fact that everything is theatre based, the drinks, the décor, the music in the background- I was in Heaven! Nathalie's cafe served the best coffee I have ever had! Yes, you read that right. That mocha was the best mocha ever! I want to go back just for those 2 cafes! And then there was Grom. This place was recommended by a Gluten free blogger- everything in this ice cream place is gluten free- biscuits, cones, ice cream with biscuits- 100% GF! Although I was stuffed from dinner, when do I get the chance to have a 100% GF ice cream dish from the cone to the topping?! It was so good! My course was fantastic. I admit I was a bit disappointed that there were no scalpels involved but, to learn on cadavers again- even if it was for a day was well worth it. As an anatomist, I have found that when I think of the upper arm, I think of it as a whole. The wrist, hand, forearm, etc are made up of many muscles, bones, but I found myself thinking of them as one unit. It is hard to explain. I know my arm can pronate and supinate, but this course reminded me to think of all of the muscles as individuals that make my arm pronate and supinate- not just one large muscle group. I also met two new girls who have become instant friends. To this day we have kept in contact, sent each other anatomy (and normal) notes, tips, and jokes. Who knew there were others like me that lived for this thing?! After the course we met up with my boyfriends brother and his girlfriend. We went to a pub, saw a few sights, and went to Cotto (Another place recommended to me). The laughs and memories were amazing. We finally found Cotto, and they accommodated us even though we did not have a reservation. It was amazing GF food from a lovely Italian family. I was even given GF rolls before my pizza! I was included! :) The memories, laughs, photos, new friends, and new food from London were amazing. Even though I fell the last night we were there, it was still a magical place. And what can I say- what holiday is it, where I do not get injured in some form?! :D I think it is fair to say, I miss London. I spent another Christmas and Boxing Day with my boyfriend and his family. We played Bingo, Charades, and Who Am I. I love spending time with their family and getting to know them. It was so much fun. I rang in the new year with my boyfriend and his dad. We celebrated by doing a Marvel puzzle, skyping my best friend, and my mom. It was a nice way to bring in the new year.
That leaves us to January. Its been a fairly quite month. This weekend we went to see the Best of the Westend and Broadway at the same theatre we had our first date. :) Would you believe it will be 3 years in February?! It has been an amazing 3 years. We are also going to some anatomy events! I am so lucky my boyfriend doesn't mind coming/being dragged to these events. :D
Graduation is finally happening as well, which means mom is coming! I am excited for both- finally get to graduate with my PhD and finally get to see my mom. I haven't seen her since December 2018.
Here's to graduation, mom's visit, plays/talks, and who knows what else 2022 has in store!
