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

This afternoon I got the minutes of the meeting I recently attended in the delightful municipality of Leeds. I went there ostensibly as a representative of the Trust I work for, which was something of an honour, I guess - but on further reading of the specifications of the group, discovered my being there equated to representation of the entire east of England.

Which I have a bit of trouble reconciling with the fact that I live in social housing and WORK IN A SHED, PEOPLE. The meeting next month is at King's College, Strand, London.

Shouldn't I get a Jag or something?

PS - Ed, next time you get a prescription in Scotland, put it under a UV light.

I'm picking one on Friday. But...damn! I've not got a UV light!

What would I see if I had? Some kind of security feature.

btw - did I ever tell you my story about the car full of drugs?

Do tell

It is a security feature. We were shown round the printing works while a load of Scottish scripts were being put together. Put one under a UV light and a Saltire emerges.

keep up the good work

So...we were cleaning out my father-in-law's house when he was going into a (rather nice!) residential home. He had lots of unused medication in his bathroom. We ended up filling a bin bag. I stuck it in my car, intending to take it to a pharmacy for disposal.

It was still in the car a month later. I was parked at work, which is in, let's say, a 'run down' area. I thought,
'Better have a look at what's in the bag.'
I've been driving around for a month with a binbag full of diamorphine in my car.

Lenny Bruce: 'Sorry I was late getting here - I had a little car trouble. The cops found half a kilo of heroin in my trunk.'

My first thought was,
'Commercial opportunity! Lots of passing trade around here...'

A binbag full of diamorphine. How much of it was properly disposed of???

That's a pretty precious commodity. There's talk of shoring up the fields of Afghanistan to meet the medical demand.

It is indeed. The same comment was made by a friend's wife who is a consultant in palliative medicine.

Unfortunately, there's little hope of harnessing Afghanistani expertise in opium production. If I call correctly, diamorphine is not licensed by the US FDA. This also militates against the sensible prescibing of diamorphine to addicts, in place of harmful and ineffective methadone.

Well as long as morphine won't run a car there's no case for it, huh. Why heal the addicts when you can villify them and give the police bigger guns.

I've taken a couple of days off work I've got left over, and found myself watching Ring Of Bright Water by accident (the cycling was off, apparently). I've got a new word for you. Anthropomorphalgia - being so assaulted by the cuteness of animals that it actually hurts.

Is that the version that Stevie Wonder wrote the theme song for?


















Otter Than July.

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