In case of emergency (ICE)

Nobody likes to think about the possibility of being in an accident or getting seriously hurt or worse but for quite a long period a thought would pop into my head. That thought was that it would be good to have something on me that would help someone who found me if I was involved in an accident or a paramedic or whoever by having a way of giving them information even if I couldn't tell them myself. Information like the fact I have Treacher Collins Syndrome and I have a narrow airway. I had done a limited search before but had only come across things like medical alert bracelets or necklaces which is a bit over the top in my case and I wasn't fussed on the idea of having to wear a piece of jewelry. I carried out a more thorough search recently and after finding lots of expensive options like jewelry or subscriptions to services with fancy cards with codes you can scan with your phone I came across this brilliant website-https://geticecard.com/.

It is a FREE, SIMPLE service. There is a form on the website, you fill in details such as your own name, mobile number, gender, blood type, two emergency contacts, their phone numbers and their relation to you and whether you want your organs to be donated if you die. There is also a bigger box where you can fill in health information. So in my case I have included the fact I have Treacher Collins Syndrome, a narrow airway, that I require fiber-optic intubation through the throat, that I wear a bone conductor hearing aid, that I have speech difficulties and the antibiotic that I'm allergic to. It then automatically generates a .pdf file with two ICE cards on it with the information you filled in on the form. You then print out the file (make sure you disable scaling or in the case of my printer select the option to print it as the actual size) and cut out the cards. They are credit card sized and can easily slip into your wallet/purse or phone case if you have one with credit card slots. You can also do what I did and get them laminated but you might find you need to trim them a bit to get them to fit in the credit card sized slots.

Obviously I hope they will never have to be used but I think it is a good and sensible precaution to take. One thing that I didn't think about until after I had them printed was that a paramedic or someone else wouldn't be able to access my phone due to the fingerprint scanner/swipe pattern I have set up. The fact is you don't need to have TCS or even a serious condition to get one and given the fact it is a free service you might be better safe than sorry especially if there is anything a doctor or a paramedic might be better off knowing if you are hurt or ill.

Thanks for reading.

2018 begins!

Hello again, you would think with "finishing" my PhD I would have a lot more time/inclination to write but that doesn't seem to be the case! Those who read my second most recent post will know that I found November to be a very tough month. December was definitely better however I did have the recovery from my recent surgery, I also had the frustrating wait to get my list of suggested revisions for my PhD thesis. It was frustrating because I was led to believe that I was definitely going to get them before Christmas only to not get them until the start of January. I had been hoping to make a start on them before Christmas and then be able to enjoy Christmas before resuming work in the new year. It would have been much better if the person dealing with it had just been honest with me and told me that I wouldn't get it until after Christmas rather than leading me on. So the expectation that I would be getting the corrections any day along with guilt about not being productive after doing the PhD for three years wasn't a fun combination.

I definitely think there needs to be more discussion/warning about what it's like to actually submit/be done with the thesis defence. I know I certainly have found it difficult after pushing myself to get it completed and then to suddenly find myself finished, only to then have to prepare for the viva, then to pass the viva to have to wait for corrections and then have a deadline of three months to finish those. It's silly but after focusing on the PhD for so long it's very strange to now to almost be finished it and have the rest of my life ahead of me and not know what I will end up doing next. On the one hand I envy those who already have jobs/post docs lined up, on the other hand I imagine it would be easy to get burnt out going straight from a PhD into something else.

I did enjoy Christmas but as predicted it went by very quickly and it's hard to believe we are nearly halfway into January already. It wasn't quite as enjoyable as previous years because I had been at home so much already whereas previous years I had been working away in the run up to Christmas. I got Horizon Zero Dawn for the PS4 which I've been enjoying as well as various other bits and pieces. My parents are also treating us to a trip to London as a family later in the year and we are planning to see a premiership football match when we are there. We didn't have a white Christmas however we did get some snow in December, unfortunately the snow turned into ice on the footpaths which were not cleared so walking anywhere wasn't fun for a few days. I've included a picture of the snowman I built below along with some other pictures.

My attempt at a snowman

Wintry walk

My traditional Christmas Eve chocolate chip cookies

Picture I took on Boxing Day when we were out for a walk

So recently I've been working on the revisions as well as trying to enjoy the free time I have. Once I am nearly finished the revisions then I will start applying for jobs. In the meantime I will try and write a bit more frequently than I have been.

Thanks for reading.