Yesterday evening I received three very interesting personal emails. I should point out that I subscribe to four music-related mailing lists so I normally receive anywhere between 30-60 emails a day; interesting personal emails are rare.
The first was from a lady who I met (in the new, virtual sense) via the Robert Silverberg mailing list several years ago. At first, her enthusiasm caught my eye; then I noticed that she was writing from an Israeli email address and so I had to contact her. After a few exchanges of personal email, I invited her to the kibbutz for a harvest festival which she and her daughter enjoyed. We started collaborating on Silverberg related material in Israel when our contact was abruptly terminated: she informed the mailing list that she was ill and would have to cease posting. Putting two and two together, I guessed that she was probably suffering from breast cancer.
Anyway, she has now recovered and whilst she hasn't posted to the mailing list yet, she has written to me and we are renewing our connection. She writes that she was in contact with RS and his wife during the period and that they were very supportive of her.
The second email contained the results of the blood test for Pertussis (whooping cough) which I did on Sunday. Here are the results
| Test | value |
|---|---|
| Bord.Pertussis IgG | 64 IU/ml |
| Bord.Pertussis IgA | Positive |
| Bord.Pertussis IgM | Negative |
What does this mean? I haven't been able to find a suitable reference which explains the above in clear and simple English, but as far as I can gather, the IgA level means that I definitely had pertussis. My doctor may order a repeat test in another week or so; the Ministry of Health might also be interested in these results.
There exists a certain amount of dissatisfaction with the doctor who treated me during July and August: my regular doctor (who ordered the blood test) was abroad for several weeks and so I had to see his replacement. I get the feeling that she (the replacement) had never seen a case of pertussis before (although the kibbutz nurse guessed correctly!) and wasn't too sure what to do, so she covered all the bases. In her defense, I should note that the illness is very difficult to diagnose in the early stages and that once it has taken hold, there is very little which can be done save let nature (and antibiotics) take its course. She could have ordered the blood test which I did on Sunday, which would have at least helped me psychologically (I always maintain that people feel better when they are diagnosed with an illness, no matter how severe, than to suffer from undiagnosable aches and pains). She also wasn't very supportive in her manner, as opposed to the regular doctor who goes out of his way to make his patients feel that he cares.
The third email came from Heriot Watt University. I took my final exam for the MBA degree at the beginning of June and expected to receive the results by the end of July (I tacked on the cubicle wall facing me certificates from previous exams and note that the relevant ones from previous years are dated 19 July and 22 July). All through August, I checked the university's website looking for the results, but none appeared. Eventually I decided to write to the university and ask what was happening - this mail obtained an immediate result, this third email which I am writing about. I was informed (without apology, I think) that my results had not been linked to my file and that I would see the results "tomorrow" (ie today). This, I suppose, is the digital age version of 'the cheque is in the post'. Of course, almost the first thing that I did this morning was to log onto the website and check my mark.
Well, I passed the exam with a mark of 60%. This is lower than I would have liked but as I wrote before, "From the grading guides which I have seen, it is very difficult to
achieve an outstanding mark in this exam. It is also quite difficult to
fail - as long as one uses the analysis format (which has been drummed
into our heads) and one mentions the process method enough times. So
it's clear that I passed although I have no idea what the final mark
will be."
This means that I have now completed all my scholastic obligations and so am entitled to the MBA degree to be awarded in next year. Documentation which I have from the university says that "Students will be contacted about a month after the completion of all the obligations with an information pack about graduation". Theoretically this month has already passed so I shall contact the local college where the lectures were held to see whether such an information pack has arrived for me.
Somehow I feel almost numb about these results; whilst I am pleased that I have passed, it doesn't seem to affect me at all. Maybe I'm starting to worry that my marks aren't good enough to be accepted into the doctoral programme - although I can say that most of the courses which I took were completely divorced from my working life, whereas my proposed doctoral research is something which sits at the centre of my job.
Somehow I feel almost numb about these results; whilst I am pleased that I have passed, it doesn't seem to affect me at all. Maybe I'm starting to worry that my marks aren't good enough to be accepted into the doctoral programme - although I can say that most of the courses which I took were completely divorced from my working life, whereas my proposed doctoral research is something which sits at the centre of my job.
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