The evilness that is tonsilitis

Yes, I'm fairly certain that I've got tonsilitis. I thought I'd gotten over that stage in my life but apparently not. My throat is swollen, it hurts to swallow and it's even affecting my ears. Where are a nice packet or three of strepsils when you need them? I eat them almost like sweets when I've been like this in the past, and yes I am aware that that is technically an OD but it hasn't done me any damage so far.

I'm only moaning on here because if I moaned to a particular mate of mine, he'd make me try some of the foul smelling cough syrup he has. It appears to be Russian in origin and looks like a bottle of cough syrup, but the fun begins once you look at the ingredients list. The list begins with some nasty sounding chemicals, I can't recall their names off-hand but trust me, they don't sound edible. We then move on the ingredients that worried me in particular; chloroform is in there, something that people will probably recall as a film noir method of incapacitating someone (or as an old anaesthetic), but is also a toxic substance. A nice little sentence on Wikipedia states "Chloroform once appeared in toothpastes, cough syrups, ointments, and other pharmaceuticals, but it has been banned in consumer products in the United States since 1976." Anaesthetic ether is also listed amongst the ingredients, another anaesthetic. I do remember using this stuff in a lab practical, for knocking out fruit flies.

None of these ingredients make me want to get near to the stuff, although I did ask him what he thought about it and apparently one gulp of the stuff is enough to stop you coughing for hours. Somehow I'm not surprised.

Edit: After a night of tossing and turning with a fever, I'd gladly take the health hazard cough syrup just so long as I got to sleep peacefully (no doubt I would with the chloroform).

I did sleep well in the end but only after a dose of co-codamol and only for two hours. Now I have the hours drive to work...

Edit Edit: Scratch what I said earlier, I don't have tonsilitis, I have the flu. Owww, I'm so achy! Well I hope it's the flu because if not it could be meningitis. Mum is standing with her trusty, freezing cold glass at the ready in case I get a rash.

Random job stuff

Remember back in July, when I first got the job I have now, and said it was a four month contract? Well it should come as no surprise that my contract is due to finish at the end of this month. However my lovely team leader knew this and upon overhearing that another department on site was looking for a temp, he suggested me for the role. It's only to Jan 31st but anything right now is better than nothing. To cut a long story short, today I found out that I have this new contract for definite. It is in analytic technology, and is more so involved with drugs that the company is developing.

Along with this change of scenery comes a better job title. From the 4th of December I shall no longer be an Analyst, but a Scientist. I feel quite excited, I may have to change this blog to Lola's Cherry Cola Laboratory, although it doesnt quite have the same ring. I'm excited about this move, but at the same time, absolutely petrified. I think I'll be expected to know things that I don't really know. All this previous job has taught me is how to follow a method step by step, and sometimes I couldn't even manage that... We'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

Speaking of work, the other day I heard something that surprised me, and then made me titter. The company I work for is apparently still producing aerosols with CFCs, although this is the last year they will be produced. It surprised me as the company is otherwise very engaged with trying to be an eco-warrior, persuading us not to print out unnecessary things, to print two pages to a sheet where appropriate, to turn off lights, equipment and computers when we are not using them, and starting off a big recycling quest. One of my co-workers said that apparently when it was first discovered that CFCs were harmful to the environment our company stock-piled a hell of a lot of CFC propellant, so they could keep using it long after it had to be stopped being produced. That was what made me titter, I could just imagine the board room conversation...

Underling: Have you heard about our CFC propellant damaging the environment?
Managers: No. Quick, lets buy some more before it runs out!

Oh dear.

As for today, work didn't like me. I made stupid mistakes and then a sample set was playing up so I can't process my results until monday. But coming out of the carpark I saw my first robin for the winter, and he cheered me up. Yes I'm easily pleased, but then again if I wasn't I'd be walking around in a foul mood constantly. Be happy that I'm easily pleased.