I'm back from my impromptu trip to Cardiff, but not for long. I'm needed back in Cardiff, permanently. I have six weeks to get my affairs settled here before Jack expects me back.

I'm going to miss this city, and my job, and most of all the patients. But I've got a few weeks at work still, so at least I should be able to make proper goodbyes to everyone.

Like Ianto said, I'm in Cardiff and back at the Hub. I never thought I'd say this, but it's kind of nice to be back.

[Filtered to Torchwood]

Just boarded my flight. If I've got this figured out right, I'll be in Cardiff this time tomorrow.

[Filtered to Hakkai]

I'm glad you've found someone who can help you. I truly wish you all the best.

I won't see you at Piper's tomorrow (I've got to cover the floor and help out with the Halloween party for the kids this year), so I've sent you an email with a code to redeem for some audio books for while you're recovering.

I hope the surgery is a success and that you have a fast (even for you) recovery.

[Filtered to Hakkai]

I know I'm late (though it's just under the wire here), but happy birthday. I hope you had a good day.

Alright, so, I really don't have an excuse. Not a good one, anyway. I've just been busy, and I don't spend as much time in front of a computer as I used to, which makes it more difficult to waste time hanging around.

I'm doing okay, work is busy and interesting, and everything seems to be good. Other than it being freakishly hot here during the day, which I have a feeling I'll never get used to.

Home from Chicago. Classes resumed this week. Hospital is busy.

I'm being sent to a conference in the morning. Hopefully it will be educational and worth it. I'll be in Chicago for the rest of the week. One of the nurses is going to come by and check on my cat.

I've got to finish packing.

I don't know if anyone heard about the fire at the daycare center in Mexico, but several of the children were brought to Sacramento for treatment. Not to my hospital, but several of my colleauges were asked to consult at the Shriner's Hospital in town, leaving me and a couple others to scramble to cover cases. So it's been a bit nuts, but at least the quarter is over (has been for a week and a half, actually) so I'm focusing on work at the moment.

It was great seeing everyone at Piper's a couple (few? I've lost track of time) weeks back. I'll have to try to get into the city a bit more often when I have time - I didn't get to do quite as much sight seeing as I'd like last time.

Everything else is pretty much situation normal here.

Holy hell, where did the week go? It feels like it's been two weeks...

I've been bumped to another case to work with a different lead physician for awhile. It'll be about five more months before they assign me any cases of my own, according the agreement we made when they hired me. I don't mind; it's a nice collaborative environment and it makes it easier to figure out how things work when I can step back and watch. And thankfully, the staff here are great about having a shadow following them around. Whatever gives the best patient care is what they do.

Classes are going well. Things have changed a lot in the last ten years, and I wasn't necessarily keeping up with trends in the field when I was with Torchwood. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. Of course, I haven't had much time for anything but work and studying, but I'm okay with that. I'm getting a bit old to be doing the pub crawling thing, and it seems as if most of my colleagues are well established in their routines and families.

Next week I'll be seeing about getting a driver's license here. I don't have to, since I haven't really become a state resident yet, but it's only a matter of time. Besides, I'm getting a bit tired of the long bus ride to Davis every other day, and it'd be nice to be able to pick up and go somewhere. Like the home and garden store to get something to keep the critters from eating the koi out of the pond in the back yard. I have a feeling it might be a raccoon.

But, as it's a gorgeous day, I'm taking my books, my computer, and a pot of coffee onto the deck to enjoy the sunshine. I have a feeling that it's going to be a miserable summer (for me), but so long as the a/c holds out here and at hospital, I'll survive.

Happy Birthday, man.

Happy Birthday, Sam. I'll owe you a drink if you're ever in my neck of the woods.

Been a long couple of weeks, and I have some catching up to do.

Joey, good to see you're doing better.

Ianto and Lorne: Congrats and good luck with parenthood.

Bella, congrats on getting that cast off. Take it easy though, yeah?

Piper, glad to hear everything worked out in the end.

Did I miss anything else? besides this meme I'm about to do?

( Mulder's - I think )

Everything here is situation normal, for the most part. I was supposed to be off this weekend, but I was asked to stay in the on-call room starting tomorrow afternoon. I can study there as well as at home, so I may as well be useful somewhere. It's a rainy weekend here anyway (reminds me of home), and I didn't have any other plans.

Package to Hakkai

( look inside )

Yesterday was the first full day off I'd had in two weeks, and it was pretty fucking wonderful to get to sleep in and enjoy a cup of coffee, instead of slamming it on my way out the door.

I'm enjoying being back in hospital and working with patients again, but I'd forgotten how grueling the experience of school plus practising medicine could be. The hours aren't too much different from what I kept with Torchwood, but there's an enjoyable lack of shooting at things and runninf for my life that I quite enjoy.

My one case right now is a young burn victim. He's seven and extremely upset that he had to miss the Easter Egg hunt this year, though hopefully he was able to participate in some of the activities the hospital staff put on yesterday. He's going to need several surgies to repair the damage, but he's mostly in good spirits about the whole thing, and I think he's kind of enjoying the prospect of having cool scars to show off when he gets back to school next year. Sometimes the resiliancy of kids surprises me; especially from ones like him. They're so easily able to find something positive about things. There's something about that level of innocence we lose as we get older, which is a shame. I think that's why I've always liked working with kids - to get to experience that again, even second hand.

I'm off again today, which has been nice, so far. But I'm going to have to venture out of the house eventually, because I'm out of everything, and I'm not sure I can survive another week on frozen meals or cafeteria food (which isn't that bad, compared to some) and I think I saw one of the nurses with fresh strawberries the other day.

Classes for me start on Tuesday, and Wednesday is my first shift at the hospital to do my shadowing. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little bit anxious about stepping back into regular practice again.

I've gotten settled into the house. I'm getting comfortable here, and Splot seems to like it, as well. She's having fun prowling around and exploring all the nooks and crannies. My kitchen is much bigger than the flat in Cardiff, and I'm having fun getting everything organized and it's nice to be able to use some of those cooking lessons I got for myself again.

Care package sent to Bella Swan:

( see what arrives in her hospital room )
And a ( note )

I signed papers on the new place on Friday, but I spent the rest of the weekend sleeping, since that trip out to the realtor’s sapped what little energy I had left. I’m finally feeling better, though, which means I can get started on everything else that needs to be done.

I have two weeks until classes resume and I get started on this ‘visiting physician’ thing the hospital got set up for me to refresh some skills and brush up on current trends. Don’t think I’m not aware of how lucky I am to have gotten this position (on so many levels)– if I start bitching about things, remind me, please.

I get moved in next week. I bought a three bedroom two bathroom home in Sacramento that I pretty much fell in love with. There’s a barn out back, though I’m not exactly sure what I’ll use it for, and I’ll have to learn how to maintain the landscaping, but I’m looking forward to having the space. I need to go furniture shopping, since I left most of mine behind in the flat in Cardiff. Maybe I’ll look into hiring a decorator, at least for some advice. I like the look of the house as it is, but I could use some advice with artwork and whatnot.

It’s within walking distance of the hospital, which is very convenient, and there’s plenty of shopping and such around the area. I’ll have to get a car eventually, but it’s going to take me awhile to feel comfortable with that again – both with the driving on the wrong side of the road and getting used to the feeling of driving again. It’ll probably happen sooner than I think – I’m going to get tired of being driven everywhere.

I’ve got a meeting with various people at the hospital tomorrow afternoon, to do paperwork and such. For now, I’m online shopping for a few essentials to be delivered to the house and arranging for my items to be shipped from storage.

[Private Entry]

Missing them before was nothing compared to this. I feel it so much more now that I actually feel. It hurts so much, and I’m not sure it’s ever going to ease. Part of me thinks I deserve this, part of me just wants the ache to go away. I knew it would be lonely, moving and starting over, but I didn’t expect this. I still love them and part of me always will, like Sue. Trouble is Sue died, and I betrayed them, in the most hurtful way I could. I can’t blame Sanzo for asking me not to call him by his name anymore. I lost that privilege. But I can be their friend. I just have to figure out how, since it seems like lately all I do is hurt them.

I refuse to let myself fall into the patterns I did after Sue died, but it’d be so easy. I don’t want to live like that again. I’ve got a second chance and I can’t waste it. I’m hoping that once I get settled into a routine again, I’ll start making some acquaintances and friends within the program and hospital.

How is it possible that within a week, I've managed to contract flu?

It's almost enough to make me miss being dead.

Anyway - I'm in Sacramento. I was out with an estate agent - realtor, I guess they're called here - looking at properties yesterday. I found a couple of places that I like that aren't too far from the office and within walking distance to shops and such. It'll be awhile until I'm driving again, I think. I've hired a driver for the more long distance trips. There's also a pretty good pubilc system here.


The agent's going to check on a few things for me, and hopefully I'll be getting papers signed by the end of the week, and I can get resettled into my own place. Room service is overrated, especially when you don't want to drag your arse from the bed to answer the door.