the first of summer

Today is World Aids Day and I guess it is somewhat appropraite that today I am asked for the first time if I have any reason to believe I could have Aids. It is a standard question that comes with a standard apology for having to ask it and to which my answer is no. Another day another visit to a medical practitioner. Today it was a neurologist at Bondi Junction. I'd read a bit about him and his breakthrough work with MS sufferers and I was surprised when I got to his rather shabby office, met his rather old receptionist and then met an unassuming, kinda shuffling doc. He seemed a little detached and not friendly as he put me through some tests - blood pressure, walk heal-to-toe, knock on the knee to test reflexes, read numbers in coloured dots - colourblindness style - and so on. Nothing too hi-tec. He did not seem concerned but referrred me for an MRI scan - on Monday - because, well, these things can be to do with the brain. Could be simply to do with the eye, mind you. At least I'll know a bit more about MRI by the end of Monday. No food from 13:00, into the tube at 17:00. I could not get over how old and run down his office was and how old and crappy his furniture was. His chair, a very basic padded one had rips in the arms that padding was coming out of. Weird. But he had lots of certificates on his walls and the opthamologist rates him and that is good enough for me. I have more tests with him in a couple of weeks. Handy hint. Don't do an internet search for optic nerve and neorologist. Not a good idea. Leads to all sorts of nasty shit. I think I'll stop looking for background info on medical matters from now on.

From the doc I headed to the Bondi Junction Medicare office to get some of my money back. In Aus you pay in full for your treatment and then claim back from either your health fund or from Medicare. I got $604 back. Can't complain about that. On the way to the office I'd glanced up at the big screen on Oxford Street and saw that England were wo wickets down for under 60 runs. Bugger.

Then it was down to Bondi beach to catch up with Chad, who had been swimming at Icebergs, and collect my new back pack. We headed up to a damn fine laid back French cafe named Le Paris Go. Food was good, Chad had a burger and I had the nachos. From our table we were able to watch the world go by and the world that was going by seemed to be a procession of young ladies on their way to a Paris Hilton lookalike contest. One of them even had the stupid little dog to complete the look. Yes, welcome to Bondi on the first day of summer, bold and blonde. Chad was on typically good form and I always enjoy our conversations, honest, open, typically flowing and no artifice.

Back at the flat the girls were wrapping Christmas presents. Sal told me that we owed Kate, who is moving in when we move out, $260. And could she have $50 for her hair, and another $40 cos she was going out to a play. Add to that me buying Chad his burger and paying for the bag and I had, in a matter of about 2 hours, gone through over $500. Ah well, easy come, early go. But at least England got to the end of the day with only three wickets down and Collingwood on 98. And the Camelbak Transformer is a work of backpack art.

Other news of the day. Seems they may have found the body in Farm Cove. And rather worryingly if you are a Tasmanian Tasmanian Devil, Devil Facial Tumor Disease threatening to wipe the little fellas out. Like it did on the mainland. Warning that may be too late; there is a grim pic behind that link.