What are you doing right now?

[EndOfTheEarth]

Besides posting on here and replying to this thread. Original credit for this goes back to Fate and Nathan on MX.

[Contradiction]

I have really soft hair. It's pretty damn short now, too.

 

Yaaay.

Now for Doctor Who and homework.

[Omega]

Update on what Omega does for university:

 

Stab people with needles.

 

I love my degree. :)

 

Yeah, I've been doing venepuncture training - learning how to take blood outta people's veins so we can test it. We did a little bit last year, but then we were only taking blood off each other, simply because a) we were allowed to, and b) no point in bothering the nurses! This year, I've done actual, real, live, just-walked-in-off-the-street patients. Woah, don't like messing that one up!

We use vacutainer tubes - which are pretty much test tubes with a vacuum inside, so that when you hit a vein, and then plug the tube into the other end of the needle, blood gets pulled out of the vein and into the tube. Really neat to watch!

If you've ever had a blood test, you'd know that we like taking blood out of the area where your elbow creases. This is because there's generally good veins there - usually two are good, but because everyone's veins are unique, some have only one visible, or some have more. One guy today had four visible, blood-gettable veins. The elbow's also good because the veins have to come to near the surface to get around your elbow joint - but so do the nerves and arteries as well, so you have to be careful. You've also got to make sure not to hit tendons, which sometimes feel a lot like veins when you're trying to find them.

There's a pretty specific order for doing things, and specific orders for taking tubes of blood in, based on what they want them for, and the anticoagulant used. Sometimes I feel like I need three hands just to manage it all!

[nathan_p]

Cooool.

 

Is it better/easier if someone is really pale?

[Omega]

Actually, it can be.

Sometimes it means you can see the veins easier. But it's always better to feel for them, because sometimes really tiny veins can look like big ones. And you kinda have to know what direction the vein goes in so that you don't put the needle into it, only to go out the other side. That causes some wicked nasty bruises!

Of course, you can't find veins in some people at all, because they're old or really fat.

And some people (chemo patients, long term kidney patients and IV drug users) have shit scarred-up veins which are just nasty.

[Nighthawk]

Then there are people like Scott and Cody whose veins are actually three-dimensional from their arms. XD

[o0_flying high_0o]

Apparently being dehydrated isn't great for finding veins either >.>

[Contradiction]

I could never do that.

 

Veins disgust me. Needles frighten me.

 

I'm so glad that there are people in the world who find it fascinating. xD

[EndOfTheEarth]

BioShock movie officially in Development Hell. Chances of being filmed now at slim-to-none.

[EndOfTheEarth]

Also, Gary Shore hired to co-direct MR film.

 

We finally have an unknown. I can't find any directing credits for the guy.

[Omega]

1) Why do I do this to myself and procrastinate? Gotta find 1400 words in about 3 hours. And reference. Shudder.

 

2) Flatmate is a complete harpy. She's been screeching at her boyfriend for real and imagined slights. It's like a soap opera, only more annoying because I can't turn it off.

 

3) Headache due to microscope use. urgh. Remind me to tell you guys about promyelocytes and why they suck.

[o0_flying high_0o]

*offers tea*

I've been very bad with that this semester v.v 

 

But you can do it! :D And music to drown out the room mate?

 

Look forward to hearing about promyelocytes, too!

[Omega]

Heh, thanks.

 

Procrastination is fun, up until the point where you're kicking yourself for being a bit of a dumbarse.

Up until now I haven't been too bad - usually got most of my essays/assignments done so that I only have a bit to do the day before. This time I did very little before, well, yesterday, and it's due tomorrow. I can get away with ~4000 words minimum, but wordcount's not really a problem.

Flatmate and boyfriend have now made up, and disappeared for about an hour to, well, i don;t actually know. But at least they were somewhere else. Le sigh.