Thursday 14 November 2013

Six month checkup

I've just come back from my check up. They take an X-ray to see if there is anything untoward.  There wasn't. Fantastic!

I cannot understand why the system demands that my blood pressure is measured before I go in to see the chest physician.  It's high - it was screamingly high today. I'd been hyperventilating, I was aware of that, and by the time I'd actually negotiated the hospital car park, the X-ray department and was sitting once again in the "pink zone" waiting room I could feel my heart pounding. It's just another useless statistic which no doubt someone has to process.

I nearly cried when he looked straight at me with a very serious face and said that everything was fine. It is after all a very emotional moment to know that you've made it another six months down the road of life which you didn't expect to have. But I still haven't worked out what it is that I was destined to do with this extra time; I'm still waiting to find out.

Thursday 7 November 2013

Thinking first

We're beset at the moment with one cause or another, one proposition to like or not.  And it's so easy to click on a link and pass it on.

I have two internet rules to which I do find it hard to adhere I must admit:

1.  "Never put on the internet - even into an email - anything that I wouldn't want the whole wide world to see."

2. Never forward anything or support anything that I haven't completely understood and thoroughly researched first.

And so it was today when a friend posted something which was undoubtedly just, which was extremely funny but which included personal details sufficient that both a company and an individual could be identified, that I hesitated.

Do you know, I actually asked myself: "can I afford to click on this?" - as in, can I afford the financial penalty should what I'm passing on not prove to be true, is a fabrication and therefore a defamation of character?  It couldn't be checked out so I decided not to share it.

Maybe I'm especially sensitive given that I have in the past received threats of actions for defamation from two of the best personal reputation lawyers in London. Maybe I am sensible. Maybe I'm too cautious. But at least by not getting involved I now don't need to think about that one cause ever again ................ well not until the next person sends it to me.