Cloudy day

Two unusual things happened yesterday.

1. It was cloudy here. 

Strange to say - but every other day has been cloudless and getting into the 70's. Yesterday it was windy, cloudy, and cool. It feels like fall here.  The clouds weren't ominous - or threatening of rain - just grey - and pervasive - and preventing sun.  Today is the same. I hope we see sun again soon.  

2. I finished two novels in the span of a week. 

I don't remember the last time I've done that.  After six here it's pitch black out - and there isn't much of a night life - so I've been staying in most evenings. I guess that's how one finishes two novels in a week.  I'm only on week 2 - and I am already half done with the books I brought. Hmmm... 

I'm anxious to get this project started. It's been a week and a half of prep work - paper work - office time. We still don't have local ethics committee approval - which means I can't even go into the hospital to pilot tools.  I've been talking to lots of people working in this field - and I am starting to get the impression that Active management - what I'm looking at - is being done pretty routinely in Lusaka.  Yesterday I went to a grand rounds at the hospital here - on the topic of a garment they are piloting to reduce death from hemorrhage - in their presentation they mentioned that they've seen lots of preventative measures being taken (ie: active management) and sort of brushed it off.  I have this fear that I won't find much of anything interesting at all.  I guess, stepping back, that 100% compliance is interesting - it means that the trainings worked. That there is a shift in culture.  

Oh well, hopefully with more prodding and nudging and bugging this IRB thing will go through and I will be able to get started. Data collection is scheduled to begin on Monday. We'll just see about that...