Tell me why I don’t like Mondays*

The thing is I think that it should be socially acceptable to have blogging breaks, like tea breaks at work. To clear your head, to process, to chat in appropriate forum. To quote quotable quotes, to share websites, to reconnect with your online posse. To procrastinate, sure, but to do so in a creative and literary way. To prove this point I am now indulging in one.

Snap, Aunty B! Snap Mermaidgrrl! I was also doing my share of leafing through bad magazines in a waiting room today. I had injections today for my trip – youch sore arm now. I take the ‘c'mon, tell me straight, what do I absolutely have to take and what is really just for people trekking through the jungle in short shorts and patting stray dogs?’ approach to travel medicine. And I mostly do it just so that people can’t say ‘what?? You have typhoid?? Didn’t you get vaccinated??’. Is that bad? I do it not for my health, but just to avoid ‘I told you so’ should I actually get sick. I’m possibly overly optimistic about my body’s natural ability to fight infections. Maybe if I worked in malaria treatment wards of African hospitals I’d take it all more seriously. Possibly just delusional about my own mortality, but hey, aren’t we all mostly?

I always feel a little nervous going to medical centres, hospitals or doctors. I talk to much, making cheery conversation. The smells are strange, the lighting is far too bright, the colours are jarring. the people that work there exude efficiency, they wear pale blue and have neat bobs or slicked back with side parts. I read all their notices from the state health department on their walls – partly because I’m a quick reader and partly because I am insatiably nosy. I always half suspect that I will glean some useful information related to my visit (‘Medical Circular 1057 relating to work trips to SE Asia and vaccination for lazy girls who leave it to the last minute’ ahhuh! That’s me!). The mismatched drift of old educational posters about random topics freak me out – like some loud cacophony of fonts and messages and eras and attitudes to medical priorities. Medical centres are very loud and busy (I imagine that you also wouldn’t approve Betty Sue? They are after all loud with lots of flashing things).

You’ll also be pleased to know that I did my washing today (no mean feat when juggling Sydney’s spontaneously rainy weather which likes to keep us on our toes, fierce competition for line space in share house post weekend, and a whole weekend of no clothes line due to party rearrangements of the back yard). I may not have a visa or flights yet, but I have clean knickers! Yah!

(*Yes it’s Wednesday, but that was the song I was listening to on my little music thingie as I started writing. The Tori Amos cover of all things. Wacky.)