Ollie is a doctor now :)

Well Ollie is a doctor now- what's more he got an offer from the hospital he wants to work in. We went out for dinner last week in Carlton at Tiamoand then saw Live Forever at the Nova. We really had fun, aided to some extent by the decent glass of red or two... I am such a 2-pot screamer... We went to Vlado's on Friday night too, along with Michael and Pete, to celebrate his success. I think now all the stress of exams is through, he is very excited about his wedding and making plans for where he and Catherine will live. I'm glad things all seem to be working out well for him.

On Friday I also managed to catch Robyn Archer speaking at the Spiegeltent, one of the last few Arts Festival events for this year, though some of the exhibits and shows will continue. It was OK though I was slightly disappointed as it seemed to be more about marketing than anything else... still the beer was nice. Sandy and I want to catch Orifice, as we've heard so much about it.

Dad's birthday lunch (he was 73) yesterday was yummy. I like family events, catching up with my brother and Robby, quality time with my parents and delicious food. I love the way Mum and Dad always laugh at Jo-anne's birthday cards and make a point of showing them around.

I just sent my comments into the APF about a public forum on disclosure of human genetic information that I attended last week on their behalf. I found the entire event fascinating, though I am bothered by some of the issues raised, like family members having a right of access to the results of genetic tests on the tissue of other family members and also, the rights of families having a higher priority than the rights of the individual. The commion law negligence implications of family members not passing over this information to others it may affect bothers me too. I'm also worried by the rise of genetic testing as part of a recruitment process, since laws here are less stringent than those enshrined in health information privacy laws. I haven't come to any conclusions, I just feel a bit uneasy about it all- still the science is in its infancy and at least people are actively talking about what genetic testing will mean to our society.

Well tomorrow I frame the final version of my research question for now. My meetings last week were confronting and really made me think hard. The input I got from a range of people was great, especially the stuff from Chris and Mike. I'm feeling a bit tired of it all at the moment so I'm glad a decision about where to concentrate my efforts is imminent. I think I know where I am headed for the next few months and that has to be good. I noticed some new feedback from my supervisor in my inbox before but I feel to tired to read and process it just now as I've been working since 11 am - it will just have to wait until tomorrow.

Going to see 28 Days Later with Sandy later on tonight.. hope it's good because I am feeling a bit flat...   ¶ 5:57 pm

  It seems like forever since last week...
Between tax returns, family stuff, Tango in the Streets (what a dance, wow) , movies, Yum Cha at the Shark Fin and other yummy places, last week seems an age away.

I managed a quick update to my web page yesterday which was long overdue. I may need to think over the way the ISS links are set out soon as the list is getting quite big.

I also managed to contribute to another article for publication; this one is about ethics and privacy.

This week is another one that's full of meetings about my research topic, so it's all good. I've just finished drafting the Stage 1 document on my project background, aims, significance, approach, methodology etc and have sent it to my supervisor for comment. I'll also take it to a couple of meetings this week so I can get more feedback. Tomorrow I'll start drafting Stages 2 and 3 of the project.

It feels good to have made some progress... I'm feeling well organised if a bit tense and very hungry... dinner soon.   ¶ 6:47 pm

  My head hurts
My head aches... ow... I am trying to sort through my research question and I wish it were more straightforward. I thought I knew what I was doing until I tried to document it methodically into project background, aims, significance, approach, methodology and expected outcomes in terms of contribution to knowledge. As one of my recent email contacts said, the whole thing is bigger than Ben Hur and while I know I can't complete the entire research in a single PhD, I feel the need to document all of it and then take a slice for my thesis. I want to complete all of the research though and so I guess that's the point of this exercise, to stake a claim for myself; plus it will be useful for applying for funding and writing the first few chapters of my thesis.

I'm feeling a little tense about my entire workload really, though I think working out is helping keep a lid on my stress levels. I have 2 articles underway and an idea for a third one based on the document I am writing now about the need for my research area. I know I'm going to be working hard for the next few months and while that excites me, it also frightens me a bit. My web page badly needs an update... maybe I will try and get to that this week end.

I suppose I am scared of failing to meet my deadlines since they feel a bit overwhelming when I conflate them, but the truth is so long as I tackle one thing at a time I should be OK.

Saara came in today to see the doctor's here and I think she is feeling a bit nurtured by the interest I am taking in her at the moment, since I'm not being angry or judgemental, simply interested in her welfare and supportive. I feel a bit confused about it all, but Sue seems to think I am doing fine and right now her affirmation of this is important to me I guess. Sandy is coming in next week, so I feel a little as if home is invading my workspace, but in the long run it's worth it.

Went to Dancing in the Street last night after gym for Bollywood lessons. Dey came too and she filmed it all and is making a copy for me. I went on Saturday and Sunday too and I have to say I loved Salsa. This week I am going to Rhumba, Tango and the Lindy Hop at the very least - it's a blast to learn dancing with 100's of people I don't know in Federation Square.

Going to see Gettin' Square at the George tonight, then dinner at Chinta Ria I think.. they do the most yummy noodles.

I should really get back to work now....  ¶ 2:00 pm

  This week has been amazing so far.

The SCERCH meeting on Tuesday was extremely interesting and also very tiring- it went for nearly 4 1/2 hours. One issue we are looking at is quite sensitive and so we have been given 2 weeks to go over the research proposal, along with a copy of the relevant sections of the NHMRC guidelines to support us with making an appropriate recommendation. The members of the committee were really nice and I felt very comfortable participating in the proceedings.

Yesterday I had a meeting with various people to firm up my research, and although I feel a bit daunted, I also feel very excited about starting work. I really believe it's worthwhile research and I hope it will make a difference to health workers and patients alike. Today I began collating and organising information so I can prepare a kind of summary to guide me and keep me focused - its so easy to get sidetracked.

Also, I have been accepted as a member of APF and have been invited to attend a public forum on disclosure issues in human genetics for them since others can't go and they think it might be useful for my work.

I also did my tax today.... what pain!  ¶ 5:42 pm

  Just got back from gym.. my strength must have increased because I can now do a couple of cycle-based aerobic training programs completely. In fact I can do almost all of it now and it feels fabulous... I never thought I would ever be able to achieve even half of what I've done. In fact on Saturday, after going to gym I rode about 15 kilometers into a slight head wind and wasn't even breathing heavily. The pay off is I am beginning to feel very buff and the endorphins are wonderful... in fact my overall mood has changed and I feel really cheerful most of the time. My energy levels have also increased which means I am doing more and I feel good about that too- actually as I read this I think I am in danger of becoming sickeningly virtuous.

I picked up a program for the Speigeltent when I was out for dinner last Saturday night (at the River). I'm going to make a point of going to the session featuring Robyn Archer, as I've always wanted to hear her speak and have missed out a few times before. Actually the entire program looks pretty interesting so I might make a point of routinely checking what's on for the next few week of the Melbourne Festival.

I had coffee with an old mate today and she edits a peer reviewed journal. She has suggested I submit an article, which is pretty exciting, and I'm still working on a couple of other articles. I'm going to send her a link to my web page so she can see what I've been doing. Actually, last week I got some nice feedback on it from a professional contact. She told me she found the information on the site interesting and the links useful and that really pleased me heaps given what I'm trying to achieve with it. Her feedback also helps to keep me motivated about updating it with useful links. Its been about a month since I added any new links so I might do some work on it during the week.

I had to submit a plan of goals and the dates by which I intend to achieve them for 2004 today. It was a pretty full on exercise but in the end it gave some more form to the research and where I am headed. I need structure to keep me motivated at this stage, even though I am happy to be flexible about change in the future.

Dinner now..... yum   ¶ 6:51 pm

  I received my supervisor's comments back and have edited chapter 1 as far as I am able to at this stage. I think it's looking pretty decent for now.

I'v also organised a meeting with various CIOs, my supervisors and other academic staff to formulate my research objectives as to the 3 questions I am interested in following up. Over time I will follow all of them up since my field is pretty wide open.

I wrote a description of all three research questions so they'd come to the meeting with a bit of information about where I am headed. I am in the throes of writing 3 different research plans so that I'll have mapped the stages of each of them, including definitions, theories and other points of reference. The proposal are in draft form, so they are also full of questions which should be interesting to explore at the meeting next week. I've drafted the first 2 proposals and am up to my ears in the third of these now.

I also have my first SCERCHmeeting next week and so am trying to absorb the minutes from the last meeting and go through the research proposals for slated for ethics clearance there. I'm finding the reading quite riveting, if tiring. I'm excited at the prospect of the meeting and feel happy that I am making a real contribution to ethical human research outcomes. It seems I may also be involved at some level in helping to develop a set of privacy guidelines for the committee, which will be fascinating and a valuable practical learning experience.

My industry partners have gotten in touch so a breakfast meeting with Mike (and maybe Saul too) in Camberwell is on the cards... the food I saw there last time looked delicious so there's no way I will eat before the meeting like I did last time.. yermmy yermmy... The added bonus is they understand everything I am on about and are interested in what I'm doing, so all in all, they are fun meetings even if rarer than I'd prefer.

Last night I joined my first meeting of BPA at the Prahran Hotel. It was fun, the food was good and the company was really stimulating. I can seem me wanting to get involved in a whole range of projects and learning heaps from the other women there. They are involved in a range of enterprises supporting women all over the world, but also local womens' groups like Positive Women or WEL. The idea is to create an environment where women can realise their full potential and be respected for their skills and contribution to society. There was lots of professional networking and mentoring too, which will be really rewarding, but mainly I just appreciated their friendliness, warmth and openness. When I joined up, they made a big fuss and announced it to the table, which was very cute.

  ¶ 3:06 pm