Still tired

But this is simply due to a lack of sleep, and not even for a fun reason.

We spent the weekend up at the beach in a bed that was too small and under a duvet that was too hot. Last night, back in my own bed (neither too small nor too hot), my plans for a decent night's sleep were scuppered by a combination of a really quite impressive thunderstorm and corking period pain. When I got to work at 8.30 I asked (and I thought I asked nicely) if it would be okay if I didn't work on the counter because I feeling a little un-customer friendly. Wrong question. So, instead of working on the counter I got sent home with a flea in my ear.

Here I am now, absent mindedly surfing the net and trying to think of a suitable topic for a PhD.

After 3 weeks of Nile madness - an immensely draining 21 days of being asked everything and nothing, cleverly combined with jet-lag, sleep-deprivation and one of worst colds I have had in years - I have been persuaded than pursuing a PhD would be in my best interests.The only problem with this is that I cannot for the life of me think of a research topic. I would quite happily follow on from my MA dissertation, but I've heard that this is not the done thing, and I don't know how viable my other ideas are.

I shall refrain from further discussion of this subject here; it's going to get self-indulgent and rambling without your assistance or involvement. But I only thought it fair that you should be warned that I am somewhat distracted.

I'm sure you'd rather hear about Egypt.

1. It was cold. As soon as it got dark in Cairo you could see your own breath. I spent a large amount of my time wearing at least 3 layers of clothing, which was rather distressing for the people travelling with me because it meant I did the "bloke thing" of wearing the same clothes all the time.
2. Eating nothing except well-cooked (not the same as well-prepared) hotel food for 3 weeks results in bloating and constipation. Why don't hotels provide good local food, instead of generic "European" food that tastes like arse and will probably give you food poisoning anyway? Bastards. You will pleased to know that since my return I have eaten a vast array of leafy vegetabales and salad. Constipation is no longer an issue (pun intended).
3. People delude themselves about their fitness/stamina. I think a few of my tour "guests" will think long and hard the next time they consider a 3 week trip to somewhere more exotic than their corner shop. BUT no one died or had to be sent to a hospital (an airport medical clinic does not count as a hospital in my book), and some of them even thanked me for dealing with their vomiting/pooing and getting them a doctor.
4. If you are ever visiting Egypt on a tight budget attach yourself to a large group and identify yourself as "tour leader". This means you find it almost impossible to pay for anything, as the locals seem to give you credit for bringing them business. I wasn't even allowed to pay for a chocolate bar in a service station. The downside is that you have to accept varying degrees of crap "gifts". At first I tried to argue and pay my way, but then I realised resistance was futile and just gave up.
5. Being a "tour leader" means that you are provided with, sometimes graphic, details of the bowel movements of members of the tour group at various times of the day. In Alexandria I had three such conversations before I'd even had a coffee (approximately 7am) - I only had toast that morning.
6. The only way I managed to get any free time was to shut myself in my room and not do anything, which wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I headed to Egypt. However, they did have "Alias" and "Grey's Anatomy" on the hotel TV, so it could have been worse. The Nile Cruise boat showed "Titantic". I didn't watch it.
7. I got asked alot of slightly useless questions (though I guess they weren't without validity) such as "Where is the cartouche reading Sety I?", erm, well there isn't one that says that, but I can point out Menmaatra Sety (meryenptah), does that help and will it mean anything at all when you get home? I sincerely doubt it.

If you were wondering, yes I am going again. Probably next year. What a glutton for punishment.