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A Miserable Old Bat

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:06 am
by Angela Woodford
midget wrote:As an AOB (ancient old blue) the thought of anyone calling me a girlie is hilarious. I do know a number of young women who would take offence at being called "girlies", but it's better than being a miserable old bat!
Maggie
I feel I'm now approaching the age where I can look forward to being a MOB! After spending most of my life doing my best to be Bright and Cheerful, perhaps I can relax in future years and be in a really bad mood sometimes.

Yes, it's all ahead. I will rattle my walking stick along the railings. I will start glaring at hoodies. I will growl back at dogs. And if I ever meet that appalling Laboratory Manager who called Caroline a girlie...

Grrr! :evil:

Oh well, time to make tea for everyone.

Munch

Re: A Miserable Old Bat

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:17 am
by icomefromalanddownunder
I feel I'm now approaching the age where I can look forward to being a MOB!


What about being a Grumpy Old Woman? I was somewhat concerned that I had become a Grumpy Old Man after watching the episode about mobile phones, but then along came GOW :D


After spending most of my life doing my best to be Bright and Cheerful, perhaps I can relax in future years and be in a really bad mood sometimes.


Like Shirley MacLean's character in Steel Magnolias (Louisa?) - 'I'm not crazy. I've just been in a very bad mood for forty years'. :lol:

Yes, it's all ahead. I will rattle my walking stick along the railings. I will start glaring at hoodies. I will growl back at dogs. And if I ever meet that appalling Laboratory Manager who called Caroline a girlie...

Thanks Munch! I'm guessing that you met your fair share of bullying medics over the years?

Love

Caroline

Oh yes!

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:05 am
by Angela Woodford
Funnily enough, I have never met a bullying physician. Physicians are nice.

But surgeons! I can remember some really obnoxious ones.

Way back in the 70s and 80s, there was the system called The Ward Round. It was considered a terrific privilege for a student nurse to go on the Round. There would be a terrific flurry of activity as the notes trolley was put in order - housemen, registrar, pharmacist, Sister, the whole gang would be there waiting for the Great Man to sail in. What if he would ask one of his retinue a trick question over an overawed patient? Such a gratifying way to make somebody look a fool! :roll:

But I could go on and on....

"Boy"! ISTR it was a popular nickname in the 1930s. My godmother's brother was called Boy, another elderly gentleman we knew was even called "Boysie". And then there's Nancy Mitford's appalling literary creation Boy Dougdale from Love in a Cold Climate.

Love

Munch

Re: Oh yes!

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:05 am
by jhopgood
Angela Woodford wrote:"Boy"! ISTR it was a popular nickname in the 1930s. My godmother's brother was called Boy, another elderly gentleman we knew was even called "Boysie". And then there's Nancy Mitford's appalling literary creation Boy Dougdale from Love in a Cold Climate.

Love

Munch
Boys was a common name in my family. (sometimes written Boyce)

Taken from our family bible the front page has hand written

Robard Hopgood, His Book

and then

Extract from the Register of Marriage in the Parish of Plumstead in the County of Kent in the Year 1824

Boys Simmons Hopgood
Louisa Dalton
by Samuel Brett Shirreff

We then have Boys Simmons Hopgood born 14th January 1829

Mine of information this Bible and great from looking at the family tree.

My uncle was always known as Sonny and I didn't know his real name was Albert until after he died.

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 11:14 am
by Mid A 15
My Father in Law (now aged 82) is called "Boy" by members of his family some of whom are considerably younger than him.

I have always assumed it was because he shares his christian name with his late father.

Re: Oh yes!

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:37 pm
by J.R.
Angela Woodford wrote:But surgeons! I can remember some really obnoxious ones.

Love

Munch
I think many surgeons AND consultants can try to rise too far above their station. I was threatened with expulsion from the Royal Surrey Hospital, Guildford after pointing out to a very young neuro-surgeon that her department was worse than useles when they lost all Jan's neuro scans for M.S.

All I asked was that she telephone the Royal Marsden and confirm the scans were in fact there. You would think I'd asked her to sh1t a golden egg the way she re-acted. My written complaint to the hospital didn't even warrant a reply.

Re: Oh yes!

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 11:31 pm
by icomefromalanddownunder
J.R. wrote:I think many surgeons AND consultants can try to rise too far above their station. I was threatened with expulsion from the Royal Surrey Hospital, Guildford after pointing out to a very young neuro-surgeon that her department was worse than useles when they lost all Jan's neuro scans for M.S.

All I asked was that she telephone the Royal Marsden and confirm the scans were in fact there. You would think I'd asked her to sh1t a golden egg the way she re-acted. My written complaint to the hospital didn't even warrant a reply.

My first degree is in Pharmacology. We spent three years studying the subject. Medical students spent one term, but were, at the end of that term, considerably more knowledgeable than us (in their opinion).

I used to ponder whether only arrogant to%%ers became medical students, or whether studying medicine turned them into said species.

I must modify this by saying that I have met some truly empathic and humane medics over the years (even some surgeons). I have also come to realise that the great unwashed actually want medics to be on a pedestal, and willingly treat them as objects of worship. My deduction is that they cannot cope with the idea that a mere mortal, just as prone to errors as anyone else, is dicing with their lives.

Did anyone else watch 'Bodies'? It was only recently shown on Australian TV, and, apart from the inyerface rumpy pumpy, raised some serious issues and concerns.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:25 am
by AndrewH
I had key-hole surgery attempted by an ex-front row forward – he would refer to me as “boy”, as in “You’ll be alright boy” when talking about the outcome. But he is from Neath. I think that the “I know everything” attitude of the medical profession is partly due to not wanting to have the (vast) holes in their knowledge found out, either by the public or their colleagues!

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 3:33 pm
by midget
What's going to happen if and when the 5-yearly knowledge MOTs for medics start to bite?

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 5:32 pm
by Katharine
My cousin married a Czech who had escaped communism, sadly his sisters had not got out when he did. One of them qualified as a doctor, as she refused to join the Communist Party she had to sit the equivalent of medical finals every year to be able to continue to practice. She was one of the best loved doctors in the area, everyone knew she really knew her stuff.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:27 pm
by midget
My father was known to everyone, including my mother, as Son. To make matters worse, he had a relative known as Cousin Son.