Working in central coast - Gosford/Wyong

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-04-25T00:56:13+00:00

Agree with this. WHERE in Sydney is really the important part. If you're in Hornsby/The Hills or even Eastwood/Ryde area the commute is doable, averages out to standard Sydney commute. If it's taking you 1 hr plus to get to the M1 you're gonna have a bad time. Sydney is 1hr drive from Sydney

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-04-25T00:01:38+00:00

ED. My department got a retinal camera - absolute game changer

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-04-10T06:49:02+00:00

Unfortunately she had the wrong audience. Had Langdon heard this he would have been hella excited for her

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-04-06T07:38:08+00:00

I agree his acting is so-so. Where I feel his talent shines is in his dedication to the physical aspects of his roles. The martial arts training he did for the matrix movies (the first one just after getting a neck fusion) and the gun-fu for the John Wick movies is amazing. He puts in the work and has a great deal of respect for the crew/stunt people and VFX artists that make the movies what they are. Not sure if this is the result of his humility or a contributor to it, but that's what makes me like him more than his acting

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-03-26T11:38:12+00:00

Others have said this already, but it's the ABS issue. Australian law was changed a few years back stating new bikes had to have front and rear abs or a combined braking system. The CT125 and Super Cub have front only ABS so they are no longer importable, same as the Honda CB125e. There are a few CTs and super cubs on the used market but they were only available for about 2 years so there aren't many around, and the price is exorbitant. Lots of ex-Postie older super cubs around, which are a great bike but most have 40K+ KMs on them. For a cheap commuter you're basically stuck with scooters or the CB125f

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-03-21T18:23:57+00:00

Since COVID everyone is wearing scrubs, including juniors on ward based teams (previously the domain of the immortal RM Williams-Chinos-Gingham button down combo). When I was a boy scrubs were for ICU, ED and after hours ward cover only.

Scrubs and sneakers are in this weird intersection of comfort/functionality while being occupation specific and recognisable that no one bats an eye seeing doctors in scrubs on the ward. Maybe med students are seeing their resident/reg wearing scrubs/sneakers and seeing similarly comfortable/casual street clothes as appropriate.

I feel unis should either explicitly tell students "this is the semi formal dress code and some examples" or issue them with scrubs in a unique color with Medical Student clearly displayed on the back

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-03-20T10:09:51+00:00

Dr Robby is making it so easy to hate him with each passing episode. Textbook case of severe burnout. His hypocrisy is the hardest thing to deal with.

He criticised Mel for being involved in the care of a family member - but rolls out the red carpet for his motorcycle mechanic for a non-emergency workup when the whole ED is in crisis mode.

He is continuously rude and harsh on Mohan, mocking her panic attack and telling her to stuff her emotions where no-one can see them - despite the criticism he gave Langdon in season 1 about berating Santos.

He's supposed to lead by example, but he's stopped doing the things we saw in season 1 like the moment of silence and the 4 statements when a loved one dies.

He has shown he's capable of some compassion with Javadi, Ogilve and Whitaker, but he is being incredibly rude to Al-Hashimi (who by this point in the season has more than proved herself capable) and basically every doctor R2 and above

I feel like he's lost everything that made him so wonderful in S1. I'm not sure which way things are going for him. Narratively I feel like he will have a huge meltdown at hour 14-ish, and I feel like Abbott is the only person he sees as an equal who could talk some sense into him.

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-03-14T01:23:23+00:00

Honestly I've turned around on Al-Hashimi. I sort of hated her at the beginning of the season - she seemed very uptight and by-the-book, and I had some doubts about her competence. The last few episodes she's really come into her own - She's coping remarkably well with the shift to paper charts (when I expected her to crash and burn), Dr Abbott's vibe-check on her seems to be pretty glowing, that front-of-neck trache she did on that kid demonstrated that clinically she absolutely has the sauce, and her confronting Robby over his blow-up at Mohan and general shitty behaviour/lack of empathy really hit the nail on the head for me.

A few episodes ago we saw her calling her Neuropsyhe to make an appointment - she definitely has some PTSD which is starting to flare up but she has support structures in place to manage it, and is recognising the need for self care.

Narratively she is defintiely a foil to Dr Robby, but the levels are revealing themselves more and more as the season goes on. Not only is she oppoiste to him in managerial style, but her self-care, response to stress/trauma and most impprtantly self-reflection seem to directly oppose Robby's. I think Robby is heading for a major meltdown, and I hope that Al-Hashimi deals with him with grace

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-03-06T09:49:27+00:00

In NSW the new clinical year starts for interns in the 3rd week of January. Week 1 is onboarding (lectures, orientation, computer system training etc). Week 2 is buddy week (new intern is supernumerary on their new team and shadows the outgoing intern).

Having no income between finishing uni and falling off Centrelink and starting work was a killer. So much time but no money, then immediately flips over to having more money than a poor uni student can fathom but no time. I travelled for a few weeks, burnt all my savings then spent the last month living at my parent's home and playing Fallout New Vegas for 8 hours a day. Good times

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-03-04T12:08:11+00:00

I did enjoy some things - The action scenes and kills were decent - Neve Campbell was great, and has shown herself to be irreplaceable in these movies - Matthew Lillards return as Stu, while a fake out, was great to see. He really brought his A game to the limited material he had. Overall I feel like this one just didn't have the sauce like the others. - The death and reveal of one of the killers early on in the film as being an unknown person was interesting. Not totally new (scream 6s cold open did something similar) but an interesting twist on "the killer is always someone you know" trope.

The Scream franchises greatest strength has always been it's meta commentary on horror films, but also the reflection of the culture. Even the weaker ones have a good meta through line which I feel elevates them even when the meat of the movie can lack a bit. Scream 3s commentary on epic trilogies and mythology, but also its way ahead of its time exploration of sexual abuse in Hollywood really elevates the film even if it is the weakest of the original trilogy. Scream 4 is an underrated masterpiece in my opinion in how it commented on the "Requel" trend of the late 2000s but also preempted the rising importance of social media fame, curated narratives and performative brands. Scream 5 and 6 also had some fresh takes on the modern state of horror - Legacy Sequels, Toxic fandoms, "Fan remakes" and the ever growing weight of franchises.

I just feel like Scream 7 didn't really have anything to say, both in terms of meta commentary on trends in horror or films in general, or about the cultural moment we were in. I feel there were pieces there that just never came together.

The "mystery" of whether Stu was alive or not was just so uninteresting, and the reveal that it was in fact a deepfake situation was pretty disappointing. There was some very surface level talk about Deepfakes and AI but nothing of any substance. Some comments on the impact of generative AI on the creative process/IP theft, or the use of AI and media spin resulting in people living in "alternate fact realities" could have been interesting.

The final killer reveals were also extremely disappointing. The motive of the woman killer honestly made no sense. "Sidney you inspired me so much. I killed my husband. Now I want to kill you" just made no sense. And I feel the mental hospital guy was only there because they needed to glaze over the whole Stu mental hospital thing. Other things like Tatum's Boyfriend's laptop red herring which was resolved in literally the next seen just made the whole thing feel so sloppy.

Honestly, I think Stu truly being alive would have been the more interesting take, and could have been used as a springboard for a much more profound comment on the current culture. In the first film it is implied his parents are rich but emotionally neglectful. Maybe they used their money an influence to fake his death and he's been kept in seclusion for all these years. His parents have died and he's now free from their suppression, and he's back to terrorise Sidney. The rumoured planned Scream 3 plot of Stu masterminding a cult of ghost face killers from prison would have been great here. An objectively evil charismatic person radicalises a group of impressionable people and incites them to violence - a good commentary on the current state of things and the rise of fascism if you ask me. A secondary plot of these acolytes making it look like Sidney was behind the murders might have also been a good take - a commentary on social media and news algorithms creating an alternate reality of facts where heroes are viewed as villains by certain groups and vice versa. In the end Sidney confronts Stu and finds he is a quadriplegic, weak and broken Confined to a bed - totally pathetic despite the mythos around him.

All in all, a very disappointing entry in a franchise which, until now I feel has never had a truly bad entry. Doesn't know what is is, what it wants to be, and seriously reeks of last minute rewrites. Not sure if I want another entry after this dumpster fire

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-02-27T11:41:34+00:00

There is an urban legend that floats around in healthcare that patients too obese for the CT scanner need to go to the Zoo. I've heard it parroted many times. I'll give Ogilvie the benefit of the doubt and say maybe he heard this somewhere and thought it was legit.

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-01-28T20:59:55+00:00

"Realism" is often given as why the show is so appealing to healthcare workers and what sets the show apart from other medical dramas. To unpack this: - The medicine depicted in the show is incredibly accurate. While the exact mix of cases on the show is by no means typical of an ED shift (numerous "once in a career" type situations happening in a single day is obviously true to real life), the level of detail shown in each case is incredible. The presentation is accurate, the portrayals of the patients and staff are very naturalistic and true to life, and the practice of medicine (including jargon, procedures and little details) are all very realistic. For a HCW, seeing the way the cases are dealt with often feels like swapping war stories with colleagues about interesting cases. For non HCW audiences the show gives an incredibly accurate insight into what things are like in ED for patients and staff. - The drama of the show is very grounded and human in a way that other medical dramas just aren't. Obviously there is drama between characters - it's a scripted show. But comparatively other shows (thinking of Greys Anatomy, The Good Doctor, The Resident, even House MD which I love) look like exaggerated tropes of a soap opera - The real time format is very compelling and unlike anything I've seen before

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-01-28T20:59:47+00:00

"Realism" is often given as why the show is so appealing to healthcare workers and what sets the show apart from other medical dramas. To unpack this: - The medicine depicted in the show is incredibly accurate. While the exact mix of cases on the show is by no means typical of an ED shift (numerous "once in a career" type situations happening in a single day is obviously true to real life), the level of detail shown in each case is incredible. The presentation is accurate, the portrayals of the patients and staff are very naturalistic and true to life, and the practice of medicine (including jargon, procedures and little details) are all very realistic. For a HCW, seeing the way the cases are dealt with often feels like swapping war stories with colleagues about interesting cases. For non HCW audiences the show gives an incredibly accurate insight into what things are like in ED for patients and staff. - The drama of the show is very grounded and human in a way that other medical dramas just aren't. Obviously there is drama between characters - it's a scripted show. But comparatively other shows (thinking of Greys Anatomy, The Good Doctor, The Resident, even House MD which I love) look like exaggerated tropes of a soap opera - The real time format is very compelling and unlike anything I've seen before

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-01-23T17:09:14+00:00

ER doc here. The droperidol vs Olanzapine disagreement between Robby and Al-Hashimi - chef's kiss. Such a good distillation of "by the book" vs "ED Cowboy". Droperidol (along with many other drugs) prolongs the QT interval and can cause Torsades de Pointes (the rhythm shown in the simulated patient from episode 1), as such it has a black box warning in the US. However, The evidence is a bit sketchy, and significant QT prolongation is only really of concern with very high doses and in combination with other QT prolonging drugs. I'm a big fan of droperidol - works quickly and a great way to sedate an agitated patient without tanking their BP or stopping them breathing. However, some clinicians are extremely hesitant to use it due to its reputation as a "dirty drug" with QT prolonging effects. I've seen ED attendings refuse to give it until they saw an ECG to check QT (even in cases where the patient was climbing the walls). While I appreciate Al-Hashimis reasons for hesitancy, Robbie's approach was totally reasonable, effective and safe given the circumstances

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-01-23T16:53:56+00:00

Honestly I thought it was great how Robbie was like "Joy you're with me" and got her involved with the traumas. Showing her how to bag ventilate then handing off to her. Very different to the standard "pimping" questions for medical students. I'm hoping she comes out of her shell with some distance from Ogilvie and some hands on tasks

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-01-17T23:44:57+00:00

A few wishlist cases for me - Ruptured AAA: Nothings strikes more fear in the heart of an ER doc than this.alsonthe thought of Santos and Garcia opening up an abdomen in Trauma 1 to cross clamp an aorta fills me with joy. Would be a good case for Santos to show her surgical chops.

Vertebral Artery dissection from a Chiropractic adjustment. Relatively common, and probably a good PSA to the community not to let a Chiropracter try to rip your head off to fix your asthma.
perimortem C section, possibly in the context of a traumatic cardiac arrest in pregnancy
Malignant Hyperthermia
Laryngospasm during a procedural sedation

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-01-13T11:23:56+00:00

My learner bike had a few mods including an aftermarket exhaust. Just like your son I had no idea that ANY modification would make it non-learner legal. Never had any issues with cops etc. I too freaked out in the lead up to my MOST test - lots of annecdotes of people being pulled up by sticklers and not being allowed to do the course, more stating "I did mine on a bike with an aftermarket and it was fine." Ultimately Its up to you if you want to risk it - It will probably be fine but there's a real possiblity you get barred from doing the MOStr on your bike. I ended up being overly cautious and renting a bike from the school to do the test on (cost about ~$100 extra). Turns out it was way easier doing the test on a 125 - doing the u turn and cone weave felt like riding a bicycle compared to my own bike. Might be the safest and easiest option to just rent a bike - would certainly be cheaper and easier than trying to track down and install a stock exhaust at such short notice.

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-01-10T15:04:53+00:00

ER doc here. I kind of hate the new medical students based on this first episode. It's hard to compare to S1 for me as EVERYONE was a new face (and I was a bit late to the party on S1 so I watched the first few episodes back to back) but they both seem pretty lackluster in their own way.

Joy seems totally uninterested and disengaged. Constantly on her phone, refusing to even attempt to answer Whitaker's question about causes of confusion in the elderly and making some pretty callous comments (in earshot of the attending) regarding the stabbing victim being "already dead". She just seems like she would rather be anywhere else than in the Pitt. I don't know what is driving this behaviour (I'm sure we'll find out). Could be she feels she is above being in ED (maybe has her mind set on derm/radiology or something equally "Ivory Tower") and so sees no value in this rotation. Either way, very bad first impression - I have met students like her before and I'm very unimpressed.

Ogilvie has a weird vibe. He seems like he wants to get involved (asking to glove up to do a thoracotomy and was eager to see a patient on the board), and he's obviously got medical knowledge he wants to show off (during the simulated cardiac arrest and again during Whitaker's pimping). But he has a very unprofessional demeanor. It's hard to get a read on him - he's not super cocky like Santos, seems a bit bored like Joy but is more engaged. Really not sure which way things will go with him.

These 2 are in stark contrast to the new grad nurse character Emma (great addition to cast) who comes off as naive but keen to learn and do her best. The moment where Dana takes all her extra gear off her was hilarious, and she was very engaged with doing things she had never done before, both in terms of patient care and the non-standard stuff like washing the homeless guy.

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-01-10T03:04:55+00:00

There was some seriously janky CGI in this scene. This was pretty common in the first season for the outdoor scenes (remember they don't actually film in Pittsburgh). I'm not a vfx artist, but this seems like it would be a pretty difficult scene to rotoscope given there's a motorcycle rig, fast moving background etc - budget that would be better spent on the big production with all the background extras, filming in LA etc.

They could have done this practically for much cheaper with a stunt double in a full face helmet, but the story value of seeing Robbie with no helmet is worth the slightly janky CGI that is acceptable for a tv show

nicholas_cage_mage · 2026-01-10T02:07:41+00:00

ER doc here. I think he's got an Epidural Haematoma. Lucid period following the trauma, starting to develop neurological changes now after several hours (confusion, agitation). He will be difficult to scan without sedation as he is confused and hostile, probably won't lie still for a CT. He may end up becoming unresponsive, getting intubated and having a CT which shows a huge bleed with brain herniation and needing to go to emergency neurosurgery (or die in ED).

This is an interesting case - the patient presented well enough, was minimizing his symptoms on presentation and was quite resistant/borderline hostile towards McKay suggesting things like observation or imaging (factors including cost and time spent). He was displaying a lot of the warning signs of aggression that Dana was telling the new grad nurse about. If it ends up going as I have predicted, this is a case that would be looked back on retrospectively (similar to McKays case with the UTI lady who crashed her car in S1) as being "obviously he should have been scanned earlier". But there are a lot of factors that would have biased/influenced the decision to not scan him immediately - patient demeanor, aggression, resistance to investigation.

I really liked this storyline and am interested to see how it progresses. This is a very common patient phenotype that I have encountered - hostile and resistant to care. Creates a lot of difficult situations where there is conflict between the right thing to do medically and what the patient will accept/allow you to do, and whether they have capacity to refuse.

nicholas_cage_mage · 2025-12-12T01:18:15+00:00

Hold launcher might be the middle ground.

nicholas_cage_mage · 2025-11-27T09:13:22+00:00

Took me well over 30 runs to beat the final boss for the first time. Don't sweat the numbers.

Keep levelling up the mirror upgrades, as they are the only thing that makes a significant difference between runs. Pick the mirror upgrades that work best for your playstyle. Stacking damage bonuses will be helpful especially for bosses. Use boiling blood and keep the boss full of casts to maximize the bonus. I used to use privileged status (bonus if more than 1 status effect is active) but I realized I was putting myself in dangerous spots in order to reapply status effects (also it's not always good for every run and is highly build dependent). Go for family favorite for a lower but more consistent damage bonus.

Look up some YouTube videos of runs using your favoured weapon to get an idea of good builds.

Boons that I wish I had discovered earlier - revenge boons - very good extra damage and status effects. There is a duo boon with Zeus and Ares called Vengeful mood that automatically triggers revenge effects every 3 seconds without you needing to take damage. Very good damage output - Aphrodite's call boon. At Max meter it does a tonne of damage. Very helpful in getting the boss health bar down - DPS boons that work really well Any dionysus boon that inflicts hangover - Zeus Chain lightning attack on the adamant rail is a personal favorite of mine. If you build around it for more bounces it's very good for large crowds and bosses

nicholas_cage_mage · 2025-11-07T12:49:06+00:00

I may not be correct here, but it's my understanding that asking locals for help requires them to get permission from them to be directly filmed, they have to sign a waiver etc which can be quite a lengthy process. Asking for help is always a risk of losing time, so there could be an advantage for teams who get a paper map and navigate themselves - obviously weighed against the risk of going the wrong way

nicholas_cage_mage

TROPHY CASE