Six strings that drew blood.

[reddragdiva]

arkady got her blood sucked this morning and I went with her. They used to have the phlebotomy centre at Whipps Cross, but now it's been farmed out to clinics across the borough. Thankfully they appear to have merely moved the competent bloodsuckers out to the clinics, rather than just dropping the load on the clinics to save a penny or two. We went to the one near St. James's Street Station. It's a depressing late '60s-early '70s once-modern socialist NHS clinic, with a prominent sign warning to secure one's pram as pram thieves are known to operate in the area. That impressed me. There wasn't actually a queue for blood tests, and the phlebotomist was both very nice with a good manner for patients and ruthlessly efficient. So the patient is treated like a personally processed cheese slice.

In a further salubrious sign, there's a Cash Converters opposite the station. (Yes, Australians, the same chain, except there's no sane local reason for Douglas Mawson in the logo.) Most of the stock is DJ equipment (no hifi turntables, annoyingly) and riceboy car fittings. I had not known until today that they actually make LED valve stems, let alone sell them on plastic bubble cards. Arkady ogled the musical instruments — there's a very nice Fender acoustic in the window for £139 if you're looking.

We also stopped by the pet shop, where they have a lovely fat rat. The guy said he'd sold him and the owner had brought him back a few months later. He's albino and really big and fat (probably about a kilo); Arkady's guess is he's about eighteen months old. Too stroppy to put with other rats, and definitely one for an experienced rat owner (Arkady was so wishing she could take him on — "I could make him cuddly in a week"), but if you're looking for a new lone rat ...

Today is also delivery day. redcountess's new K750i and a pile of linen from John Lewis arrived early, and Liz's G4 showed up just now. I shall drink my coffee, post this and we'll have a play with it. I think the only gadget left is a new camera for me.

This evening we shall be helping allezbleu with her extreme age.

Comments

[kineticfactory.livejournal.com]

Btw, do Palms play nice with the K750i yet? I know that they only seem to like talking to a few phones they know of, and the definitions tend to lag behind the phones currently out by a year or so.

[reddragdiva]

Liz is just checking now! ... The phone has just detected the PowerBook and the Palm (Zire 72s) via Bluetooth, and the Palm has just detected the phone as a K750i. And yes, the Palm has uploaded data to the phone. So it'll work at least a bit!

The PC software is apparently t3h suxx0r (according to the Register review linked above), but the Tiger version of iSync works fine on the Mac.

[redcountess]

My Zire 72s (Palm OS 5.2.something) has a driver for the K700i which must be the same driver as the K750i because the Palm set up went just fine (the contacts transfer that Diva mentions below was from the phone to the Palm, annoying that you have to pair from both sides!)

[seahorsemystic.livejournal.com]

I do so hate processed cheese.

[bootpunk.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping to make it down to Mel's place for a bit. It'd be good to catch up with you down there :o)

[arkady.livejournal.com]

Diva will be there, I shan't.

[zey.livejournal.com]

phlebotomy centre

Now that's a procedure you don't want your doctor to misspell on your chart!