In two weeks, I'll be either on or recently finished the Kokoda Challenge; all the planning is done, and the rest of the team and I have made our minimum donations (read: entrance fees). It's just a case of stretching out the legs regularly and taking it easy up 'til then. There's been some talk of carbo-loading. I'm inexperienced in these matters, but I guess it equates to doing a wee bit more than having a bowl of spaghetti the night before. Mmmmm. Spaghetti.


As you may have guessed, this post isn't really about Kokoda. It's about a guy in my class who has twice now weirded me out just a little bit too much.

The first 'incident' was last year during an antomy prac. It was the first prac in the year where we were able to do actual human dissection, and hey put this prac far enough into the year that people who are generally a bit soft and/or get queasy with the rawness of cadavers have had time to adjust before actually slicing someone up, and there's no actual compulsory cutting. Just give it to the baby-surgeons in the room.

I had joined another group because I had to work at the time my group was doing the prac, so I had been slotted into this one, and didn't really know anyone. The demonstrator was indicating correct technique on the cadaver's thigh, being the area of focus for the prac, and at this point it's all pretty normal stuff, ie. don't go to deep, take it in steps etcetera. I notice out of my eye, that one of my classmates, whom I've noticed before but never heard speak, is touching the cadaver's nipple. With his scalpel. He's flicking at it, trying to lift it up and see what's underneath. He does this for a full five minutes, before being asked a question by the demonstrator. He shrugs his shoulders indicating that not only does he not know the answer, he also doesn't want to speak. The prac finishes and I think 'Weirdo!'

Fast forward to Tuesday. The groups have of course been reshuffled, and whilst I don't share a group with Nipple Guy, we now are in the same Pathology Tute of about 45 people. He was teamed up with three mates of mine for an practice quiz that was to last about an hour. They'd not met him before, nor had I told them the story I've mentioned above. Anyhoo, as one does, one of my friends introduced herself. Here's how the conversation went:

Spidergirl: "Hi, there, I'm Spidergirl".... extends hand.
Nipple Guy: "Hi, I'm Nipple Guy". Shakes hand, awkwardly.
Spidergirl: "Cool, nice to meet ya. This is Flash Gordon and Wond..."
Nipple Guy (interrupting) "Look, I don't think introductions are necessary for just one tutorial."

Okay then. Eyebrows are raised, and the quiz begins. At the first station, Wonder Woman isn't certain about the answer to a question and she asks Nipple Guy if he know the answer. He repeats the information in a direct manner. Not in the "hmmm, I'm thinking" kind of way, more in the "It's this." kind of way. The answer stays the same, no stress. At the end of the station, a meagre ten minutes into the quiz, Nipple Guy quietly walks out.

I don't know what's going on with Nipple Guy, but it's pretty unfortunate that he doesn't appear to have anyone in the class he talks with regularly. I appreciate that it's not always easy to chat to new people in a class of 400+, but seriously, we're more than 18 months into the course. Safe to say, if he's such a hoplessly ineffective communicator now, he's gonna get torn limb from limb by the nurses and consultants in the clinical years.