An overview- thank the gods for UNRV!
Entry posted by The Augusta
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And so I prepare to compose my first blog. A little explanation is perhaps required about the figs. The blame for this obsession is to be laid very firmly at the feet of our dear Pertinax, who, through posting a video clip taken from Episode 4 of Claudius, has now made figs synonymous with my cyber-personality. It was something that tickled my fancy and I am grateful to our Pertinax for it. I wonder if he knows that the esteemed lady did in fact cultivate her own fig tree at Prima Porta, named 'The Livian'.
I could wax lyrical on my thoughts for the day, of course; I could even post a long philosophical essay about the meaning of life, but I won't. As the subject of my first blog I will take the UNRV itself. The Thanksgiving thread is to blamed for this, as it made me realise that no matter what life throws at us, there is always something to be thankful for. I have many things: two kids who bring me more laughter than tears; an over-attached Persian cat for whom I am very much the centre of the universe; a job that I actually like - yes, a first, and a decent boss. I say decent, but there are one or two reserves. Simon is a Consultant Cardiologist and all-round scientific genius, obsessed with making money. We rub along well together, and after 6 years in his employ, I can get away with murder. Simon, however, has a simple philosophy in life: work, work, work, for it brings money, money, money. So what? - I hear you all say: many people are like that. But in Simon's case it has become so much of an obsession that the old phrase 'all work and no play' aptly applies to make Simon a very dull boy. He extends this philosophy to his children and wife. In vain poor Pamela begs to go on holiday for a whole fortnight each year. No, Simon says: two weeks away from work is a waste. He will, after much bludgeoning by Pamela, consent to a week's sojourn in the Scilly Isles. But come this February - fanfare and drum-roll - the lovely Pamela has finally persuaded him to go away for a week's ski-ing. So that is my boss. A man so brilliant that he has government funding to invent an artificial left ventricle - although funds have dried up at the moment and his research has suffered a setback because he can't get hold of any more pigs. Don't ask! (It is of some comfort that they receive a full general anaesthetic.)
I spend my working day like this: toiling away at the computer and dealing with a hundred very demanding private patients who believe that the world begins and ends with them and Simon is their personal physician. I type 50 plus very long letters a day. There are times when I am on automatic pilot.....
And then I visit UNRV. Truth to tell, I even have the odd quick visit during the working day. This site has become a haven for me. I spend the day- when not typing - listening to my colleagues (charming as they are) chatting on about the latest 'Big Brother' eviction, or who will win the celebrity 'Come Dancing' series. Added to this is the usual office bitching about 'those downstairs' who never do a hand's turn and moan on and on about how much work they have to do. And we must throw in for good measure the usual collection of hypochondriacs, who are always to be found in any medical establishment. I have one colleague who persistently hurls her bowels into the daily conversation at every opportunity; another who has so many ailments that she is a medical phenomenon; and a third who hijacks the nearest visiting consultant to inject her thumb joint, made painful by repetitive strain injury on the computer keyboard. Repetitive strain injury? Ye gods! She should have bashed away at an old manual Remington!
I had discovered Forums on the Internet for almost every sphere of interest over the years, and one day I decided to type into Google 'Roman History Forums' - et voila! I hit the enter key with no great hopes, I have to say. Many Forums (of course it should be fora) are a let down when you get there: filled with trolls and posters whose vocabulary seems largely to consist of vulgarities strung together with the odd 'and' or 'but' or 'innit'. Imagine my joy when I read posts from Primus Pilus, Cato, Ursus, Phil, Decimus, Doc, Pertinax, Wotwotius, Gaius Octavius, all discussing topics of great interest to me - and in beautiful English! Even Andrew Dalby was there! I was in seventh heaven. This is not to say of course that there are no other good Forums out there. Surprisingly enough I am a member of a Chelsea Supporters forum which is filled with well-educated, knowledgeable people who, while biased (naturally), nevertheless write a decent prose. But this one is clearly at the pinnacle. I sometimes feel very humble to be among such company. It is a place where I can exchange knowledge, learn new things, and benefit from the persuasiveness of a decent, well-formed argument, even if it goes against my own views. Everyone is polite and welcoming; no-one is made to feel that they don't belong or are simply being tolerated. However, the troll types are given short shrift, and well done to our Triumvirs for that.
But most of all, this is a place where I can laugh. After a hard day's work and an hour or so listening to the latest traumas and dramas of teenagers' lives, I can relax and come to UNRV. It really is like settling down on the sofa with a glass of red wine and pampering myself. A huge thank you to all of you out there.
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