This year is not a normal year. That is no surprise to anyone reading this from 2020. I haven’t worn my watch in months, because of a workplace rule called “Bare below the elbows”. In the past I have just worn a watch anyways. I love my watch and it’s waterproof, and I wash it with soap and water every time I wash my hands, so it doesn’t seem much different than a bare wrist. But this year I’ve felt the need to lead by example. This little quirk stands out to me at how much this year is not normal.
I have no idea how long this thing is going to take. When or if life will be normal again. I doubt it will be the same, but I think we will feel normal again. Just like it’s normal to take your shoes off at the airport, or drink your water bottle before security…
I should have written more when it was happening. This year has been a lot of things, notably by missing out on a lot of things. Right now it’s August. Australia is in the middle of their second wave of the pandemic with a new surge wreaking havoc and killing people in Victoria. Queensland is largely sitting this one out, but could spend some time in its own wave in the future. This year has been a stressful roller coaster, oscillating rapidly between worrying about my fellowship exam looming and the possibility that I might be killed by a virus at work. Not the best, to say the least. Right now, my friends and family and really everyone I know has been safe and healthy, and I’m so thankful for that. I hope it stays that way.
I don’t have much groundbreaking revelation to put here, but just thought I would acknowledge where we are right now. I am learning a new way of walking through the world one step at a time.
Again, time flies past. Lots has happened, lots has been lost. I’ve moved to the Sunshine Coast, continued my registrarship and broken my arm.
In 2016 I took a trip down to Tasmania to check it out. Tasmania has a reputation that reminds me of the types of things Canadians like to say about Newfoundland. Depending on your backgrounds you may or may not understand what I mean. What I found was a gorgeous, rugged territory filled with rolling hills, rugged rocks, windswept trees and lovely people. Not to mention great food and clear cold water.So I came back to see it again. This time for a bit shorter escape. It’s summer here nowand it reminds me of home. The temperate summer is something magical. You can feel nature going full out to take advantage of the season. I love it. I’ll take every chance I can to come back.
On a flight to Melbourne recently, we had a close encounter in the air… Pretty cool to see. Don’t worry, the pilot announced it… They were on top of things.
These are a few snaps from flying around the local area.
Things have been very busy for the last year. And finally, thankfully, I’m coming home. It’s been way too long between trips. When I moved here so long ago, I told myself that I needed to come home at least once per year. But by trying to focus on exams and study and putting leave time on the back burner, I have gone 2.5 years without being home. I miss everyone very dearly and I’m excited to be pointed north… way north. See you all soon.
So… a little while ago now, I bought an airplane. It’s a Quad City Challenger that I bought from a man in NSW. It’s the physical fulfilment of a dream I’ve had for decades. It’s the start of the dream becoming real. I’ve always dreamt of being a pilot, and knew that I needed to make it happen. When I was younger it seemed so far away that I needn’t worry about it, just dream. But then later on, I started realizing if I don’t start this, it might not happen. So, after finishing medical school and realizing I would one day have a paycheck again, I started to look into it again. I did training with the General Aviation flight school in town and got a good foundation on the principles. The problem is that it’s very expensive building time in a rented airplane, and for good reason, airplanes are not cheap. So I started to look around. Private rentals can be a bit cheaper, but many have a minimum experience of over 100 hours. That’s a lot if you’re renting them all. Enter Ultralight Aviation… the time goes in your log just the same, an hour is an hour. And they’re a lot more affordable. It’s a different style of aviation, that’s for sure, but it’s still very exciting and provides me with a chance to leave the ground way more often than before. There’s something quite amazing about flying in your own machine, too.
So without further ado, here are some videos of my newest crazy plan.
This post is back dated about 4 months. It’s one I’ve been thinking of but for a number of reasons has just been delayed. My life changed a lot around this time in a lot of areas. One of which is work. I’m no longer a resident doctor. I have moved on in the stages of training to be a full time emergency trainee. I won’t rotate out into different fields or teams, except for a few elective rotations. From this point on, I’ve got about another 5 or 6 years until I’m fully trained. It seems like a long haul, but I suppose the start of med school is further back in history than that is ahead. So here we go… headlong into the future. I’ve got a lot to figure out, and a lot to do, but that’s what makes things great in the end.
Yesterday I was sitting in Magnetic Island clinic office and got a call that instead of spending the rest of the week on Maggie, I would be driving or to Richmond first thing in the morning. It made for an early start and a late finish but I’m here… So different! It was 42 degrees here today.
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