Lemon's Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
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jennypenny
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Re: Crazylemon's Journal

Post by jennypenny »

I'm sorry about your brother. Hoping for the best.

Lemon
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Joined: Sat May 30, 2015 2:29 am

Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

@Jennypenny thank you for your kind words.

Well, it is nasty. Just over 50% chance of cure. Obviously will have a better idea post Radiotherapy + Surgery.
He is taking it rather well given the circumstances but I think it has helped that for the initial period we were all able to be around.

Work

The new job is tough. While there are no night shifts I am much more 'on my own' that in my previous job. I am learning, I hope I will be better for it but it is exhausting and can be totally non stop. It isn't much fun being asked to prescribe medication for one patient, be asked the discharge plans of another, to review yet another, and, clear the c-spine of yet another within 5 minutes of each other. While also having to be aware of everyone else who still needs to be seen and are waiting. You have to prioritise and obviously I do. But I haven't had to do it quite this much for some time.
I don't have the bandwidth to do this effectively enough to not end up slowing down though. Which then makes you feel bad as the queue just gets longer...
Very much in the anxiety part of the skill challenge matrix.
I have been complimented on my work by seniors so far despite only being there for a few weeks but I am not sure I will be able to do this for 6 months. I need to speak to my supervisor but we obviously haven't had time to have meeting, there are sick people to treat!

I could just hand in my notice. But the problem is I like the team. I would feel bad for doing so. I get asked by loads of other juniors why I don't locum for more pay and fewer hours. But for all its failings I like feeling like I belong and have made the commitment to stay. My contract might say I can run away with a months notice but I know that just leaves another gap and then filling in the gap I have created as a locum just feels a bit too mercenary.

Drug errors are in general a major issue in healthcare. Some drugs require complicated formulae in order to dose safely. Where I currently work for certain drugs this must be done by hand. This is also true in many other hospitals. Unsurprisingly this results in errors across the country. As there are systems in place to mean things are checked very few of these end up meaning more than wasted time. But it is a bad system that relies on a sleep deprived professional in the middle of a busy night shift to do complex maths. This has been brought up. The waste of time and risks to patients for this was too much for me to ignore so I have built a simple spreadsheet to work it out in my own free time. It is a bit clunky at the moment but despite my terrible Excel abilities only took me a couple of hours to make. I will polish it and show it to the department. Beyond a 'thankyou' if they realise how useful it is I will get nothing. There is no time in my day job to do this sort of thing because there are sick people to treat! Despite the fact that assuming it saves 10 minutes per patient that needs the drug just in time alone it would be paid back within a week just on that measure alone.

I have no doubt there are similar things within the department and throughout the hospital like this where giving someone who works there a couple of hours to solve the problem could make things massively better. But when a system is run to its limits there is no room to do so. This is what I find most frustrating about my job. I don't have the energy to keep fixing problems on my own time ontop of my work hours for nothing but gratitude in return. I am close to working at my limit as it is. This one was just such and easy win I felt I had to do it. Maybe once I am FIRE I can use some free time to do simple useful things like this...

Any suggestions would be great.

Fitness

I have started to actually notice physical changes as has my partner which is nice. only took 6 months. Not the primary reason for doing things but always a nice plus. The new job has taken a bit of a toll on the healthy eating so I need to bear this in mind and plan a bit better to prevent 'I am exhausted and want food now so pizza'.

Net Worth

Because I didn't work for more than half of February, Had some expenses and the Stock market went down a bit I have had my first (small) fall in a long while. This kinda sucked but was to be expected.
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

Lemon
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Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

This update is entirely my ramblings about my future career. Probably a closer to normal update coming soon.

I rarely feel like I have made a huge difference, let alone saved a life, despite my line of work. Generally because I think anyone suitably qualified would have done the same or similar, repeat after me, ‘I am replaceable’. This weekend felt different. The emails from multiple seniors about it since suggest I am not entirely wrong in feeling this way. In short, doing another team a favour, which I am thoroughly glad I did, I picked someone up before they ended up on the wrong side of the knife edge. It has reinforced one of the reasons I chose to go in to Medicine.

However, it has left me in somewhat of a quandary about what to do. The General Practice training scheme I start in August will be very different medicine, I am now wondering if I should reconsider. This year of Paediatrics has been some of the most rewarding practice I have had. Previously I have decided against it long term because I hate night shifts and it would guarantee another 8 years of night shifts, at least. By which point, assuming my current spending, I would be well past hitting any kind of FIRE number. It also means dealing with acutely unwell patients which while I can do, like this weekend, I find absolutely exhausting. Especially if I have to do it with any sort of frequency. I prefer to help steer things away from rocks long before they get close not that the current system makes that particularly easy.

The project I mentioned a while ago is a case in point, bogged down in, ‘can’t just change it needs to go through review’ with multiple levels of approval required which even if successful will take months. Despite those who have seen it, who work at the coalface, recognizing the value. I find this sort of bureaucracy to be far to frustrating to bother fighting. I know checks are important, but they can when implemented in certain way just kill all enthusiasm.

So I ponder whether to yet again change tact and look again at Paediatrics. The major concern being night shifts and leaving before I ever finish a scheme. Infuriatingly training schemes are so inflexible as to never permit going part time without having kids or being an elite athlete or some other similar criteria I don’t and never plan to meet. But without going through a scheme it isn’t easy to get closer to 9 to 5ish job and ability to go part time just because you want to. I also don’t really enjoy neonatology and would have to do several years of that.

I know I have a huge advantage over most thanks to ERE; I have far more ability to negotiate and within a few years will in all likelyhood have no need to work. In some ways it is good that my feelings of ‘get out as soon as possible’ have faded. But it has lessened the ‘apply own oxygen mask first’ thoughts I was having and so brings the guilt of leaving a system that is becoming shorter and short staffed closer to the forefront. Having options is now making me to fret once again. I am wondering how possible it is to have a totally frank conversation with my manager/mentor about where to go from here…
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

Lemon
Posts: 261
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Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

Been Longer than I intended between updates. Funny how life seems to fly by at times.

Brother is doing will. No positive margins. Back slowly rehabbing at home. Now the years of check ups and scans begin. Hopefully it all stays clear.
It has brought our family closer together than is has been in a while which is nice.

Work

I am, by and large, enjoying it. Good, obviously. The day to day work is satisfying and I seem to be sufficiently good at it that I got publicly thanked on twitter. I don't have twitter but the medical director saw it and eventually it got back to me. One of the best things is getting unsolicited unexpected positive feedback. The interesting bit was it wasn't for a case where I had undertaken heroic feats to keeps someone alive or made a clever diagnosis that others had failed to spot. It was one where I took a careful history, examined, gave appropriate advice, and allayed fears. Nothing more, or less. Which is the stuff I like to do best.

I just wish I could have an extra day off a week...

My new job in General Practice starts in August. I will again be dropped at the bottom of a learning curve. Lets hope it goes well. That pretty much sets me on the track for 3 years after which my training is 'complete' unless I choose to retrain. It results in a near doubling of salary (depending on the job you take). I think I will use that to half my hours and still maintain a 60-75% savings rate.

Fitness/Health

After several months of sick children gifted illnesses my lifts have been again increasing in size, getting properly back on track is satisfying.

Cycling to work continues which is about 40 mins of light cardio about 5 times a week. Not sure if I should extend this with some heavier form of cardio but then that takes more time.

Calorie and Macro logging has helped me get my diet to be better. More by it giving me more of a push to not reach for easy options in moments of weakness. Although I am probably still short of ideal fruit/veg intake (but much better) the only thing I eat regularly that is more than ordinarily processed is the good ol' sliced white. There is still room for improvement but will likely result in more time and/or increased costs to improve at least initially. While I am happy to eat a tomato and bean based dish 4 days in a row my partner is not, so, compromise :P

Friends

Recent excellent weekend with friends I have spent little time with recently. Loved it. Needed to realise unlike my school days I am not mid to bottom of the pack in fitness anymore. Going at my own pace will result in me being to far ahead! I did and ended up having to lead/nav/carry other’s water when the other skilled person had to descend with a friend who was finding it difficult. But the extra challenge just made it more fun.

I organised it and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves which is great. I think I need to do this more often so I get to do things I want to do and enjoy that other people do to but requires more effort to organise than a meal etc. which means most people don't have the time or inclination to do it.

On a similar vein we have been doing a lot of hosting which myself and my partner both enjoy and costs less to pay for everyone’s food than it would for just both ours not to mention the booze ends up being brought by the guests ;) Not that I ever drink much of it. All the more important for me as I don’t really get much/any enjoyment out of alcohol anymore so the started drinks + food out doesn’t really work. I still get surprised sometimes by the push back I get for not drinking more than a glass or so. Not that I ever cave and eventually people accept the ‘I get terrible hangovers really easily’ half-truth.

Reading

Just finished 'Ready player one'. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Read it in one day, which has reassured me that my ability to concentrate is still there despite the existence of the Internet.

On More serious matters recently finished 'The Secret Barrister'. Bit scary how dysfunctional parts of our justice system are. Has me looking at criminal court legal insurance as it is a potential wipeout event should I ever be so unlucky given I would not qualify for any legal aid. A potentially nasty black swan. Which brings me to...

'Skin in the Game' loved it. Think it gives a very interesting mental model for the world that I have applied to several situations so far to good effect.

All that enjoyment from the library for free. I am amazed at how few people use it.

Internet

I have got better at limiting this. Mainly by increasing reading. So yay!

Net worth

Broke $100,000, which is nice. But I don't think it really has the kick that £100,000 will have.
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

Lemon
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Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

Had some contract related drama with my (now old) job. This was unpleasant but it has been sorted in a manner which I hope is not going to cause longer term issues. Mea culpa to an extent.

In the new job I have been 9-5ish for 2 weeks. It feels weird. I have free time. I can go to the gym in the morning. I have weekends to meet people. I have time allocated within my job for personal development (related directly to the job but still good). This is all rather nice although the volume of sitting is less than desirable for me. Turns out I like running around like a madman as part of my day job.
Everyone at the new place is also pleasant. I think General Practice will be a good fit long term, although not for that long. 2 more years with hospital jobs at points to go then I can say good bye to night shifts forever.

Partner has now started to cycle to work! Only taken him a year to get there :P but he is enjoying it. The slow change continues...

Fitness/Health

Going well continuing the lifting. Progress is slower than I would like but it is forward
Need some idea of what cardio to add in as new place of work is only 5 minutes away by bike (even more free time!).
Getting to the point then unhealthy processed food really doesn't have an appeal anymore which is good.

Bike

Local area was doing free bike checks which told me what I already knew: I need to change the cassette, chain and brake pads. This is the next job.
Learn by doing.

Friends

Going well.
New and old

Internet

Major step back while having contract stress but this is now beginning to improve again.
I have decided also to limit my news as much as possible from rolling news sites/channels etc. because I find they contain precious little context or analysis (the medical/health news sections I find worst for this largely because of my field but I release this is likely the same in every single domain for the respective experts). Trying to move towards more deep reading instead.

Net Worth

I goes up, still not hit a milestone


Brother is also doing well and nearly back to baseline post treatment. So in general life is slowly getting better through small incremental changes. Hopefully this continues even if it isn't exciting to write about particularly. I currently feel in the slightly weird limbo place where everything is rather nice but I know it is also transient hopefully towards something better. I need to spend more time building my non-work life.
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Chris
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Re: Crazylemon's Journal

Post by Chris »

Crazylemon wrote:
Fri Aug 31, 2018 2:03 pm
Need some idea of what cardio to add in as new place of work is only 5 minutes away by bike (even more free time!).
Is there a more scenic route you can take that might be longer?

Lemon
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Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

@Chris I did look at that but nothing heading to work is pretty and in the winter with rain no way I will do it. Sadly I think more Gym visits will be the short term solution unless I can pick up a group sport/activity. Sigh

Work

Generally liking the new work but way more stressful in a different way to before. Much more responsibility and this is long term responsibility. Not sure I would be able to do this for my whole life. But this could just be it is new and there is a ton to learn as you are responsible for basically initially recognising any potential diagnosis and managing/referring it.
It also requires a lot more soft skills approaches than my last job which I need to develop further.
The sitting is still annoying. I have to get up and walk between patients.

Fitness /health

Continues slowly heading in the right direction with the hiccup before.
Multiple wedding have meant sub optimal food choices. This now needs to be corrected

Bike

So I screwed up trying to fix. Didn't realise it was a freewheel. Currently have no functioning bike while part is on order. This sucks. Annoyed at myself for the 'jump in' attempted before looking at things. Should get the part next day or so so not the end of the world. Learning by doing!
Borrowing partners bike last few days because they have had evening Dos making cycling non viable. It is a road bike. I don't like it as much as mine. This is partly because being in the ride position with a heavy rucksack full of medical equipment is NOT FUN. I was also off site so actually had to cover distance. Plus his seat post was set too low (despite being taller than me no wonder he has been complaining of a sore back). It is faster than mine. Only redeeming feature. But I know my next bike isn't going to be a road bike now!

Networth

95k Getting closer
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

Lemon
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Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

Work

Levels of stress have decreased in some respects due to familiarity and experience. The longer termish aspect also has its perks, some patients are already a bit upset I won't be around for much longer, I can see the appeal of actually becoming part of the community. I have also of late had a few days where I have left work looking forward to comping back the next day which is pretty atypical for me from prior experience.

Fitness/Health

Getting better. Slowly. Also solution to not cycling as much commute wise is I think going to be doing home visits on the bike. Well and given I am back in the hospital before long normal service will resume. Also started trying out climbing.

Bike

Break pads, freewheel and chain all replaced. It is amazing how easy this stuff actually is. Also helped partner with his bike sorting out a pannier rack. He isn't going back to heavy rucksacks now converted!

Friends

Lots of meeting up but much of it has been in hedonistic spendy ways that would never be my own choice but I have gone to meet up with good old friends. I enjoyed the company but the events/venues themselves just seemed so unnecessary and, well, wasteful. I would much prefer inviting people over, cooking, chatting, and playing boardgames. I could also easily feed everyone for the price of one meal out. Or even one cocktail in some cases :?
Having said that at least half the time has been things more to my liking. Sadly the nature stuff has very few takers in cold/wet weather.
New friend who I have tried climbing with for the first time in a long time. Very much enjoyed and while not the cheapest thing to do in a city it isn't all that bad and can then hopefully lead on to more interesting things. We will see. It could also just as well fall by the wayside like various other hobbies after a year or 2

Sadly none of my friends have any sort of ERE/MMM tint as far as I can ascertain thus far. Definitely nothing about Climate change/peak oil/resource depletion/environmental degradation beyond thinking it is bad and 'we' need to do something or that technology will solve it or it is all corporations's faults and if we could just turn in to a socialist utopia it would be perfect. Nothing about how fundamentally business as usual or anything close is just not going to work. This at times feels a little isolating.

Internet

I have been semi-successful in cutting down by installing things to force me off certain sites. It helps, I get more done and I spend more time actually thinking rather than just going through the motions. Gradually fighting back from my equivalent of the TV and it seems to be winning for now.

Reading

Finished Infinite Jest. Sort of glad I read it in the same way I am sort of glad I read War and Peace. Not going to be re-read though. I get enough first hand experience with addiction and the consequences at work, so I am not sure I got as much of it as some people seem to.

Networth

Down due to a poor savings months and sad markets. Ah well.
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

Lemon
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Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

Expenses

Been quite a while since I posted anything on this despite tracking it monthly. Monthly breakdown:

Groceries £80.01
Eating Out£70.03
Travel £45.85
Phone £7.50
Clothes £18.00
Gym £29.95
Gifts £13.97
Rent&Bills £625.87

Not a particularly bad month other than eating out which is really the only category there with much room to go down. Only that high because of meeting friends who like eating out. Despite my best efforts I can't get everyone to come round and be home cooked for (as last month). At least I enjoy the time with friends. Travel is only as high as that because it includes a train ticket home for the holidays.
Bills slightly elevated because of a quarterly bill. My share of rent is ~£500
Total of 2/3 of income saved post pension, tax, and student loan. So not bad.

Work

New job in less than a week. Sad to leave where I am now, especially as I am just getting in to the groove, patients have been apparently signing my praises to the other staff with one of the permanent staff commenting I already have a entourage! But new place, new skills to be learnt, gonna be a new steep learning curve. Bummer it has less social hours. Yay for working nights over Christmas (although I have to admit it isn't all that bad and generally is, workload wise, not too bad a shift). I might be back to where I am currently in a year and a half, would like to be.
It means a transient pay rise (because of those longer more antisocial hours) which might push me in to higher rate tax, I need to do the maths because with me pension contributions I might just stay below. If it looks like I am going over I need to open a SIPP because 40% income tax + 10% NI + 10% Student loan means the tax break is too much to ignore even if it does come with more strings attached than my liking.
I have to buff the portfolio for the 6 month review soon. A process I dislike as I hate self promotion.

Also confirmed I don't need a car for one of my future jobs so I can once again postpone getting a car for another 1 1/2 years at least. Success!

Fitness/Health

Been at a plateau with the strength training for some time. I need to try and push through but while also trying to lose a small amount of weight this is really difficult. I have been doing Starting Strength but it is about a year now since I started. Not sure if I now need to look at modifying things.
Eating has been better (other than the few restaurant meals.

Internet

Been using Selfcontrol on the Mac and the new screen time features on my phone. Helping.

Reading

4 books this month Plus various Medical Journals. Though Animal Farm is rather short and bumps the figure up. Slowly getting through an Econ Text.

Networth

Back heading in a positive direction.
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Chris
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Re: Crazylemon's Journal

Post by Chris »

Crazylemon wrote:
Thu Nov 29, 2018 3:44 am
... patients have been apparently signing my praises to the other staff with one of the permanent staff commenting I already have a entourage!

...

I have to buff the portfolio for the 6 month review soon. A process I dislike as I hate self promotion.
Have your patients do it for you. Problem solved 8-)

Lemon
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Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

@Chris ha I wish I could. Although having said that they do actually help if they send any sort of thank you note - goes in the portfolio (suitably anonymised as necessary) and actually looks really good. One of the nicest things to get is a personal thanks.

Unfortunately the portfolio isn't just about making patients feel good, it is about progressing clinically and as part of the team. I have previously included fun things like emails about how delicious home made bakes I have brought in have been under the guise of 'team building' because having it all be about clinical cases, procedural skills or papers/guidelines you have read etc. is sometimes a bit too dull for me and I can only do it by bringing in a little bit of humour.
It is probably just as well that because of how our medical system works I have only once had to actually produce a CV to apply for a job...
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

Lemon
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Re: Crazylemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

Working nights over Christmas.
Alone in my flat for the next 5 days or the on call room (which at least has a bed so a step up from 'random chair' as a place to get some sleep compared to my last job with nights).
Other than at handover I won't see any fellow doctors from my team (unless there is a sufficiently severe emergency I have to call the boss in).
Because it is a new job I don't really know the nurses either.
All my friends have also headed home for Christmas.
Going to be a long 5 days.
Hopefully I can use it for some self reflection.

Merry Christmas everyone.

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jennypenny
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Re: Crazylemon's Journal

Post by jennypenny »

I'm sorry your holiday will be a little dreary. We had one christmas season we spent in the hospital with DS and didn't see any friends or family. It's a weird kind of loneliness when you feel out of step with everyone at the holidays.

Remembering that Christmas, I was so appreciative of the hospital staff who went out of their way to make things [at least seem] cheery. I only mention it in case you get the chance to do the same for someone. I didn't thank them enough at the time but it made such a difference. Maybe it would make you feel better, too.

Merry Christmas Crazylemon :)

wolf
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Re: Crazylemon's Journal

Post by wolf »

Merry Christmas Crazylemon! :) Thanks for updating. I enjoy reading your journal.

prognastat
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Re: Crazylemon's Journal

Post by prognastat »

Sorry to hear, you have to work over Christmas, if it makes you feel any better I'm right there with you working Mon-Fri this week. Here's to hoping it's a relatively quiet and easy week. Merry Christmas.

Lemon
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Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

@Jenny, @wolk @prognastat

Thankyou, yeah it is this weird sort of loneliness being out of sync with everyone. I was lucky in that I discovered some of my friends were covering other specialties. A 3am chat in the mess with friends isn't the same as family but sure beats a rather uninviting on call room alone. Patients did get the christmasy treatment, especially the kids. Although I no longer wear a Santa hat having had to previously do CPR with one on; being hit in the face with the Pompom repeatedly while doing chest compressions is rather distracting. Being a patient/family over Christmas does suck although we do try to make it as pleasant as possible. Fortunately most of the people I saw I could treat and send home which people are SO more thankful of when it comes to the Christmas period.
In general it was pretty easy workload wise, Christmas normally is because people only come in normally if really sick or in a lot of pain, more chronic stuff tends to wait it out. I did end up seeing two of the scary life threatening presentations that are common in my current specialty though. Fortunately manageable without having to call the cavalry in. I did sort of forget to eat though and so managed to end up losing 2kg in 4 days because I was probably managing 20-30k steps rounds the hospital plus cycling in. Not the most health way to do things, accidental warrior diet?

I hope your week was quiet too prognastat.

My Gran died over the period which sucked. Especially when I got the notice she had taken a turn for the worst and immediately did the mental calculation that no matter what I did there was no way I could get there and back before a shift and no way I could get cover at the sort of notice on Christmas eve. Fortunately I spent a good amount of time with her only 2 months ago for which I am glad.

Expenses

Groceries £22.75
Eating Out £25.11
Travel £20.00
Phone £7.50
Gym £29.95
Gifts £22.02
Rent+ Bills £582.19


Pretty good month with 73% Savings rate. Now that food number looks stupidly small but it is partly because I pay all the bills for mine and my partners share of internet/counciltax/water/electric/heating and so he then pays for more of the food to even out to 50:50. As a result my bills and food numbers are a little off.

Fitness/Health

Lifts slowly starting to rise again but I think while calorie restricting there isn't going to be much improvement here.
I have noticed I have no interest in alcohol at all these days and gradually options are starting to default to healthier ones with less willpower input. Which is good.

Internet

Erm not so great.

Reading

Going on a bit of a sci-fi binge which I am thoroughly enjoying while I wait to get to the front of the queue for more productive books on order at the library.

Networth

Despite the great savings rate saw a decline. Thankyou markets. Nearly 50% in Cash again, not sure when to start adding again to the investment side
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

prognastat
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Re: Crazylemon's Journal

Post by prognastat »

Glad it wasn't too busy, though sorry about your grandmother passing and not being able to be there. Things here calmed down a little over the holidays so that was nice.

Good job on achieving 73% savings rate. Though the networth might have dropped your savings are buying more right now so that's a plus.

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jennypenny
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Re: Crazylemon's Journal

Post by jennypenny »

My condolences on your grandmother.

I'm glad Christmas wasn't as bad as you were expecting at work.

Lemon
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Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

Thank you jenny and prognastat

Work

Going really well. Had the 6 month review, supervisor was happy with progress said 'I wish all my trainees were like you'. Which was really nice, although it wasn't like I did much towards it. I looked at what we were told we needed to do did it and then slightly more than the minimum. Which apparently because I have selected a not very competitive specialty is all I need to do. I have done no CV padding but given there is such a shortage of Primary care doctors that isn't going to get better until at least 5 years after I complete my training (assuming drastic political measures which are not happening and we are -1000 GPs compared to the government wish for +5000) getting a job isn't going to be a problem and not caring about career the job doesn't exist.

Fitness/Health

Everything thing has slowed to a crawl with respect to starting strength. I am now thinking of starting on more research and needing to develop a new training program. I have just got in to a rut of doing the same thing every week, which is way better than before but could be better.

Life

Generally going well. Met up with some old friends. Most of their views and my views are becoming more and more divergent as I end up further down the ERE rabbit hole. But it is good to have smart people with different views to challenge you actions. Although one of them saying I have 'just enough hustle' amused me. Ah well. Different life goals.
I am trying to plan more trips around the UK to visit my more dispersed friends with some success but this has all been up in the air with funeral planing etc. All should stabilise a bit more by the end of the month.
Still no IRL people who have anything close to an ERE mindset which does suck.
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

Lemon
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Re: Lemon's Journal

Post by Lemon »

Brief expenses mainly update

Expenses

Groceries £142.22
Eating Out £47.28
Entertainment £17.00
Travel £117.70
Phone £7.50
Clothes £60.99
Gym £29.95
Dental £51.60
Rent + Bills £595.35

Bad month for expenses resulting in a 61% saving rate. Bah. Admittedly this is in part travel to funeral and the grocery bill inflated as may partner was ill for a fair part of the month meaning solo grocery shopping. As a result further months will be lower as he pays for more of the groceries/other stuff. So those months will look artificially good which will be nice :D

Internet

Decided to have a Facebook purge of friends. Simple test of, 'if this person was to reach out and want to meet up would I want to?' So a combination of good friends and interesting acquaintances were kept. Interestingly got down to pretty much a Dunbar number. It has reduced my use of the site as my remaining friends don't generate enough content for FB to push at me so I got loads of ads/promoted posts. This has helped cut unhelpful internet use.
Still difficult as I have to use the internet for quite a lot of work related things. Easy to get distracted.
I am managing to reduce phone use with screen time though so that is also good.

Networth

A positive move this month. Hurrah!
Last edited by Lemon on Sun May 31, 2020 12:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

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