h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My swedish housemate helped me find a job at a bar run by the same company as he works for, and I've now done 2 evening shifts there. It's rather more classy than the old place, and the tips are pretty good - last night I got 13.50 We do table service so I'm gradually getting the hang of carrying trays of glasses and stuff. So far I haven't broken anything altho I did lose balance of a tray of empty beer bottles and dropped a couple. Champagne glasses are the worst - bloody stupid long stemmed things... The other staff seem nice tho, and I think it will be fun learning more about the wines, and about making cocktails

A random discovery - most who know me will have noticed that my hands shake - this is called central, essential or benign tremor. I've never thought anything of it, but apparently it's associated with a very high incidence of alcoholism. Alcohol reduces the tremor - I guess this is why my pool playing is better after a few beers - but people with this condition often end up drinking more and more to control the shaking... It never occurred to me that it was a problem (never really wanted to be a brain surgeon anyway), but I read that it "develops insidiously and progresses slowly" and increases with age, and can eventually be quite disabling. The association with Parkinson's disease really fills me with joy...

Caffeine makes it worse (so do amphetamines, pseudoephedrine - sudafed, prozac, haldol and ritolin) but it can be treated with a beta antagonist (or blocker) like . If I'm going to keep carrying trays of precariously balanced glasses I may have to look into it.

Otherwise life is good, I've settled into my new flat and am getting on well with my housemates, and am looking forward to going to Oslo for Christmas

Love to you all