þriðjudagur, mars 04, 2008
Busy
There's just so much to DO these days! I've lost count of how often my latte has become cold before I got a spare minute to drink it, or how often I've intended to call someone back in the homeland only to find that... oops... it's past midnight there!
So, don't worry/feel left out/shunned/orphaned if I haven't been in contact much. I'm basically swamped with work and stuff to do here. It's good, though, I'm learning a lot and having fun :)
So, don't worry/feel left out/shunned/orphaned if I haven't been in contact much. I'm basically swamped with work and stuff to do here. It's good, though, I'm learning a lot and having fun :)
laugardagur, febrúar 23, 2008
Moved out
Well, now it's very officially over: I moved out from Shan's place today. My new place is a nice little room in an apartment that I share with 3 other people, one of whom is my friend Louise. It's actually thanks to her that I now rent the room! Thanks, Louise :)
During the week that has passed since I came back several things have happened. I regained my capacity to tolerate cold. I looked for a place to live and found one. I got my samples organized. And (I hope you are sitting) I tricked my adviser into cleaning out the lab with me. This is a historical event that should be duly celebrated, since nothing comparable has (to the best of my knowledge, acquired both through talking with eyewitnesses and keen observation of the layers of trash) happened for at least ten years. Old samples from grad students and undergrad research assistants, defunct lab equipment and loads of other stuff have been piled on top of the counters in my lab, making it hard to carve out even a small clear patch to work on. In three or four historical hours last week about 7 trash bags' worth of this junk was shoveled off the shelves and counters and sent to the dumpster. Now I have ONE WHOLE workbench completely free for my work. There's not even a speck of DUST on it. I should get the Order of Merit for precipitating this change, I so swear.
Ok, gotta go to get some laundry quarters and then go see a movie with my ex. See, even if we're exes we still get along splendidly. Of which I am most proud :)
During the week that has passed since I came back several things have happened. I regained my capacity to tolerate cold. I looked for a place to live and found one. I got my samples organized. And (I hope you are sitting) I tricked my adviser into cleaning out the lab with me. This is a historical event that should be duly celebrated, since nothing comparable has (to the best of my knowledge, acquired both through talking with eyewitnesses and keen observation of the layers of trash) happened for at least ten years. Old samples from grad students and undergrad research assistants, defunct lab equipment and loads of other stuff have been piled on top of the counters in my lab, making it hard to carve out even a small clear patch to work on. In three or four historical hours last week about 7 trash bags' worth of this junk was shoveled off the shelves and counters and sent to the dumpster. Now I have ONE WHOLE workbench completely free for my work. There's not even a speck of DUST on it. I should get the Order of Merit for precipitating this change, I so swear.
Ok, gotta go to get some laundry quarters and then go see a movie with my ex. See, even if we're exes we still get along splendidly. Of which I am most proud :)
sunnudagur, febrúar 17, 2008
Back in Ithaca, missing Hawaii
After a day of traveling I'm back in Ithaca. It's cold but friendly - the taxi operators didn't answer the phone but a fellow traveler secured a ride for me and all my stuff from the airport into town.
My little vacation in Hawaii was fantastic. I didn't do as much as I had planned - no hike out to Kaena Point, no visiting old stone temples or heritage sites, no Bishop Museum. What I did do was a lot of relaxing, meeting fellow travelers at the hostel and hanging out on Waikiki beach.
The absolute highlight of my stay on O'ahu was the surfing lesson I took on Wednesday. I joined two other ladies for a group lesson at a surf school next door to the hostel and boy, did we get lucky! A ridiculously handsome and broad shouldered tanned blond guy took us out to the Queen's Surf and had us riding waves in no time (well, the other two were riding waves in no time). For some reason it didn't come as easily to me as two years ago... but with my usual stubbornness I finally made it :)
The good thing about taking a lesson (apart from actually learning how to do this stuff - and (in this instance) the eye candy factor ;) is that the instructor gives you a push so that you can catch the wave. Try as I might on Friday, when I rented a board and went out by myself on Waikiki to fight for space with the other novice surfers, I could hardly paddle fast enough to catch the wave by myself. My arms were already impossibly sore after Wednesday's surfing, and so were my knees, the tops of my toes, the insides of my arms and (of all places) my pubic bone. Yep, it's a hard life :) But even if I didn't manage to ride a wave it was fun and as beautiful as can be, with Diamond Head in the distance and the white-sand beach stretching for miles.
Thursday was supposed to be all about snorkeling and cultural exploration on O'ahu's west (leeward) coast. As I was driving to the town of Wai'anae, where the snorkeling boat trip was to happen, I heard on the radio that the season's biggest swells were headed for Oahu's North Shore and that the waves might reach 20 to 30 feet. Being the surfer wannabe that I am I instantly decided to speed over there after the boat trip and watch, ditching all other plans.
The boat trip was fine. The heavy swell/surf had stirred the coastal waters up a lot so that the choice of snorkeling sites had become limited, meaning that all the boats doing this operation let their guests out in the same place. Thus, congestion and collisions were the order of the day during the snorkeling session itself. In the end we managed to put in about 20 minutes of hanging out in the water with all kinds of rainbow-colored fish. I was also lucky enough to spot a sea turtle hurrying away from the 50 or so tourists crowding her living quarters. At another point we saw schools of dolphins in the water and tried to get into the water with them, but they swam away as fast as they could when we started splashing in the water. Another attraction during the trip was a small pod of humpback whales. Very nice indeed although honestly, snorkeling is not really for me. Not enough action, you see.
Getting back to shore I couldn't get to the North Shore fast enough. When I finally made it up there, through the pineapple plantations of Central O'ahu, the traffic jam strung out for several kilometers - I obviously wasn't the only one who'd thought of going north for the day. It was pretty obvious where the action was at: people had parked their cars along the highway in Waimea Bay for the best views, almost reducing the road to one lane. I camped out in Waimea for a while, watching the incredible surf and incredible surfing (check this video to see what was going on), I drove up and down the coast to check out other famous surf spots and finally ended the day by watching the sunset in Waimea Bay.
And now it's back to the everyday life. Do my tax return. Find a place to live. Pay the credit card. Order more lab supplies. And life goes on.
My little vacation in Hawaii was fantastic. I didn't do as much as I had planned - no hike out to Kaena Point, no visiting old stone temples or heritage sites, no Bishop Museum. What I did do was a lot of relaxing, meeting fellow travelers at the hostel and hanging out on Waikiki beach.
The absolute highlight of my stay on O'ahu was the surfing lesson I took on Wednesday. I joined two other ladies for a group lesson at a surf school next door to the hostel and boy, did we get lucky! A ridiculously handsome and broad shouldered tanned blond guy took us out to the Queen's Surf and had us riding waves in no time (well, the other two were riding waves in no time). For some reason it didn't come as easily to me as two years ago... but with my usual stubbornness I finally made it :)
The good thing about taking a lesson (apart from actually learning how to do this stuff - and (in this instance) the eye candy factor ;) is that the instructor gives you a push so that you can catch the wave. Try as I might on Friday, when I rented a board and went out by myself on Waikiki to fight for space with the other novice surfers, I could hardly paddle fast enough to catch the wave by myself. My arms were already impossibly sore after Wednesday's surfing, and so were my knees, the tops of my toes, the insides of my arms and (of all places) my pubic bone. Yep, it's a hard life :) But even if I didn't manage to ride a wave it was fun and as beautiful as can be, with Diamond Head in the distance and the white-sand beach stretching for miles.
Thursday was supposed to be all about snorkeling and cultural exploration on O'ahu's west (leeward) coast. As I was driving to the town of Wai'anae, where the snorkeling boat trip was to happen, I heard on the radio that the season's biggest swells were headed for Oahu's North Shore and that the waves might reach 20 to 30 feet. Being the surfer wannabe that I am I instantly decided to speed over there after the boat trip and watch, ditching all other plans.
The boat trip was fine. The heavy swell/surf had stirred the coastal waters up a lot so that the choice of snorkeling sites had become limited, meaning that all the boats doing this operation let their guests out in the same place. Thus, congestion and collisions were the order of the day during the snorkeling session itself. In the end we managed to put in about 20 minutes of hanging out in the water with all kinds of rainbow-colored fish. I was also lucky enough to spot a sea turtle hurrying away from the 50 or so tourists crowding her living quarters. At another point we saw schools of dolphins in the water and tried to get into the water with them, but they swam away as fast as they could when we started splashing in the water. Another attraction during the trip was a small pod of humpback whales. Very nice indeed although honestly, snorkeling is not really for me. Not enough action, you see.
Getting back to shore I couldn't get to the North Shore fast enough. When I finally made it up there, through the pineapple plantations of Central O'ahu, the traffic jam strung out for several kilometers - I obviously wasn't the only one who'd thought of going north for the day. It was pretty obvious where the action was at: people had parked their cars along the highway in Waimea Bay for the best views, almost reducing the road to one lane. I camped out in Waimea for a while, watching the incredible surf and incredible surfing (check this video to see what was going on), I drove up and down the coast to check out other famous surf spots and finally ended the day by watching the sunset in Waimea Bay.
And now it's back to the everyday life. Do my tax return. Find a place to live. Pay the credit card. Order more lab supplies. And life goes on.
laugardagur, febrúar 16, 2008
fimmtudagur, febrúar 14, 2008
miðvikudagur, febrúar 13, 2008
mánudagur, febrúar 11, 2008
Pictures - by popular demand
Stina asked for more pics. Let me show you what the fieldwork looks like:
First we do the discharge measurements:
Then we take care of the water sampling:
Some of the streams we sample double as the local sewer/trash disposal area, see above, and the local washing machine, see below:
The local kids are always endlessly curious and flock around us to see what we're up to. The drivers, here Titan, are really good with explaining to them what's going on. Usually the grown-ups are around as well but they keep a little more distance than the kids:
Kids, kids, kids:
and more kids:
First we do the discharge measurements:
Then we take care of the water sampling:
Some of the streams we sample double as the local sewer/trash disposal area, see above, and the local washing machine, see below:
The local kids are always endlessly curious and flock around us to see what we're up to. The drivers, here Titan, are really good with explaining to them what's going on. Usually the grown-ups are around as well but they keep a little more distance than the kids:
Kids, kids, kids:
and more kids:
Seventy four samples!!
Fieldwork is all done and I'm heading back to Honolulu tomorrow. As the heading says, this was an extremely fruitful (and wet) field season - I'm now 74 water samples closer to finishing my thesis (not to mention the 24 samples I took while in Hawaii). Which of course also means that I have the lab time equivalent of 98 samples ahead of me. Wow.
If you look carefully you can see the sample labels: PH-08-74. SEVENTY FOUR!! This historical sample definitely merited a picture. I still can't believe that I actually managed to double the number of samples from last year!
All this sampling couldn't have been done without the drivers/field assistants here at NIGS (Nat'l Institute of Geological Sciences) at the UP (University of the Philippines) at Diliman; they are an incredible bunch of guys. Not only do they drive me from river to river in the insane Philippine traffic, they are also happy to stand in the middle of streams for half an hour while we take discharge measurements and then get straight back into the car and go on driving. They're real troopers, these guys!
This is William up to his neck in the Lauis River last year.
Things have gone a lot more smoothly here in the Philippines this time, as was probably to be expected given that when I went here last year I didn't know anybody and had no idea what to expect, whereas now I know quite a lot of people here and also the terrain (a big help when planning fieldwork...). I am very happy with what I accomplished here this time and I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes out of the water back in Ithaca. Oh, and I actually have a lab assistant this semester, whom I'll get to teach the analytical techniques and then have help me with the analyses. That's just too good!
Also, my coworker here is really interested in further collaboration and we're planning to sample over the course of the next year up to 8 streams in various locations around the country. That's really fantastic and I can see it leading to some further interesting work down the road.
So, in spite of my initial misgivings about this field trip I am now very happy with the outcome. Not only do I have a lot of what I hope are really good samples, I also have a nice feeling that my work is actually of interest to someone beyond myself and that I am beginning to become a part of the earth science community here, in whatever small manner that may be. That's probably the result of this trip that is the most beneficial to myself, psychologically speaking, because so far in my thesis work I've felt very isolated and it's been killing me. If I weren't as stubborn as a mule when it comes to my Ph.D., I would have quit a long time ago. Now however, I feel like I belong somewhere again, for the first time since I started my thesis work.
If you look carefully you can see the sample labels: PH-08-74. SEVENTY FOUR!! This historical sample definitely merited a picture. I still can't believe that I actually managed to double the number of samples from last year!
All this sampling couldn't have been done without the drivers/field assistants here at NIGS (Nat'l Institute of Geological Sciences) at the UP (University of the Philippines) at Diliman; they are an incredible bunch of guys. Not only do they drive me from river to river in the insane Philippine traffic, they are also happy to stand in the middle of streams for half an hour while we take discharge measurements and then get straight back into the car and go on driving. They're real troopers, these guys!
This is William up to his neck in the Lauis River last year.
Things have gone a lot more smoothly here in the Philippines this time, as was probably to be expected given that when I went here last year I didn't know anybody and had no idea what to expect, whereas now I know quite a lot of people here and also the terrain (a big help when planning fieldwork...). I am very happy with what I accomplished here this time and I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes out of the water back in Ithaca. Oh, and I actually have a lab assistant this semester, whom I'll get to teach the analytical techniques and then have help me with the analyses. That's just too good!
Also, my coworker here is really interested in further collaboration and we're planning to sample over the course of the next year up to 8 streams in various locations around the country. That's really fantastic and I can see it leading to some further interesting work down the road.
So, in spite of my initial misgivings about this field trip I am now very happy with the outcome. Not only do I have a lot of what I hope are really good samples, I also have a nice feeling that my work is actually of interest to someone beyond myself and that I am beginning to become a part of the earth science community here, in whatever small manner that may be. That's probably the result of this trip that is the most beneficial to myself, psychologically speaking, because so far in my thesis work I've felt very isolated and it's been killing me. If I weren't as stubborn as a mule when it comes to my Ph.D., I would have quit a long time ago. Now however, I feel like I belong somewhere again, for the first time since I started my thesis work.
miðvikudagur, febrúar 06, 2008
From the observation deck
My bank in Ithaca SUCKS. Do NOT under any circumstances do business with CFCU. Ever. I'm taking every last penny out of my accounts there as soon as I'm back in Ithaca. Just thinking about these people makes my blood pressure go through the roof.
Other than that, all's well in the Pearl of the Orient*. It's beginning to feel positively cozy to get into a tricycle, breathe some quality exhaust and bump your head in the roof about 10 times on the 3 minute ride from Philcoa to Makatarungan Street. Já, Manila er ágæt:
Tomorrow I'm taking off with Titan, the gentle giant, for some more fieldwork. This time we're going around Laguna de Bay and over the mountains east of the lake to Infanta. While we're there our lodging is at Titan's uncle's house. I'm excited about that, having never really been in a real Filipino home. Afterwards we're headed for two days in the Mt. Pinatubo area, returning only to deposit me on a plane to Honolulu. Amazeen how time flies when you're having fun. Which is what I'm doing (even if the morons at my bank tried their hardest to ruin my trip).
Am planning on a visit to Iceland this summer. I hope August works for people. While I'm there the plan is to attend the IAVCEI (International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior...) conference and say hi to some buddies there. My work hasn't much relevance to the topics of the conference but I can at least go there to observe... and to drink beer with fun people. That's the primary function of conferences anyway, right?
A hike would be nice too. Anyone up for doing Bárðargata with me??
* That's what they used to call Manila
Other than that, all's well in the Pearl of the Orient*. It's beginning to feel positively cozy to get into a tricycle, breathe some quality exhaust and bump your head in the roof about 10 times on the 3 minute ride from Philcoa to Makatarungan Street. Já, Manila er ágæt:
Tomorrow I'm taking off with Titan, the gentle giant, for some more fieldwork. This time we're going around Laguna de Bay and over the mountains east of the lake to Infanta. While we're there our lodging is at Titan's uncle's house. I'm excited about that, having never really been in a real Filipino home. Afterwards we're headed for two days in the Mt. Pinatubo area, returning only to deposit me on a plane to Honolulu. Amazeen how time flies when you're having fun. Which is what I'm doing (even if the morons at my bank tried their hardest to ruin my trip).
Am planning on a visit to Iceland this summer. I hope August works for people. While I'm there the plan is to attend the IAVCEI (International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior...) conference and say hi to some buddies there. My work hasn't much relevance to the topics of the conference but I can at least go there to observe... and to drink beer with fun people. That's the primary function of conferences anyway, right?
A hike would be nice too. Anyone up for doing Bárðargata with me??
* That's what they used to call Manila
sunnudagur, febrúar 03, 2008
Still on the road
Just a quick sign of life here, over instant coffee and spaghetti for breakfast. We're thundering through the Philippine countryside, sampling lots of rivers, measuring discharge with soldiers on their day off (and wearing only their underwear, or what looks like it anyway) towing us through the raging torrents and whatnot. Very exciting, all in all.
More later.
More later.
miðvikudagur, janúar 30, 2008
My winter days:
Family outing on the bay:
What is all this stuff???
My field assistant Boy works the crowd:
Right now I'm in Naga (you may want to consult Google Earth for this one) in a very spiffy coffee shop with free wireless (!!!), minimalist leather couches, Alicia Keys playing and sub-freezing air con. I might as well be in the USA. Except that outside, tricycles and jeepneys still rule supreme. All's going well and I'm having a really good time. How can it be otherwise, on a day when you got the honor of being the first white person a bunch of village children EVER saw?!?!
What is all this stuff???
My field assistant Boy works the crowd:
Right now I'm in Naga (you may want to consult Google Earth for this one) in a very spiffy coffee shop with free wireless (!!!), minimalist leather couches, Alicia Keys playing and sub-freezing air con. I might as well be in the USA. Except that outside, tricycles and jeepneys still rule supreme. All's going well and I'm having a really good time. How can it be otherwise, on a day when you got the honor of being the first white person a bunch of village children EVER saw?!?!
laugardagur, janúar 26, 2008
Fieldwork galore
The last few days since arriving in the Philippines have been busy. My adviser and I arrived in Manila on Wednesday afternoon and already by Thursday morning we were on our way to the Zambales mountains to sample some streams. Now it's 14 samples and many many hundred kilometers later and we're staying at this fancy schmanzy resort on the shores of the South China Sea (apparently in this neck of the woods the only places that have hot water are fancy schmanzy resorts on the shores of the South China Sea). It's been too busy to read email or anything, but I hope to be able to pick up the slack on Tuesday or Wednesday.
þriðjudagur, janúar 22, 2008
mánudagur, janúar 21, 2008
sunnudagur, janúar 20, 2008
föstudagur, janúar 18, 2008
miðvikudagur, janúar 16, 2008
sunnudagur, janúar 13, 2008
Leaving town
The trip starts tomorrow and I can't say that I'm ready. My flight out of Ithaca is at quarter of six in the morning, i.e. in six hours and a half. If I had any sense I'd be done packing and snoring in bed by now but instead I'm buying the fourth season of Grey's Anatomy on iTunes and syncing it to my iPod so that I have something to pass the time with while in the outland.
One thing that I'm glad about is that this will be my last field trip as a Ph.D. student. As exciting as field work is, I've had enough for now. All I want to do now is make enough sense of the data I already have to get my degree. I really don't want to spend months on end in the lab again, processing the samples I'll bring home from this trip. Guess I don't have a choice, though.
Ok, I'm off to Hawaii, then!
One thing that I'm glad about is that this will be my last field trip as a Ph.D. student. As exciting as field work is, I've had enough for now. All I want to do now is make enough sense of the data I already have to get my degree. I really don't want to spend months on end in the lab again, processing the samples I'll bring home from this trip. Guess I don't have a choice, though.
Ok, I'm off to Hawaii, then!
þriðjudagur, janúar 08, 2008
fimmtudagur, janúar 03, 2008
New Years Resolution(-s)
I read somewhere that New Year's resolutions are bad for your health. Therefore, I didn't make any.
Or so goes my excuse. Honestly, I didn't make a single NY resolution. Is that bad?
Or so goes my excuse. Honestly, I didn't make a single NY resolution. Is that bad?
Administrative assistant in the tropics
The New Year has taken off and looks set to be an interesting one. For starters, it's cold in Ithaca
and the ground is covered in snow. If that isn't a reason to party, I don't know what is!
As I may have mentioned before, my life as a grad student sometimes resembles that of a secretary or an administrative assistant more than anything. Sometimes I think that if I ever get this bloody degree, it should be in online shopping for airline deals (and dishwashing, let's not forget). I've spent most of today and yesterday shopping for airfares between Ithaca, Honolulu and Hilo, hunting down bargains on rental cars, and looking for hotels and applying for permits for lodgings in state parks. In between, I've been to the supermarket buying dishwashing gloves and brushes, so that I can continue the dish washing required for my research, and, erm, I also did some dish washing. Yes, science really is an uninterrupted string of landmark discoveries and intellectual bliss. Or not.
However, I'm not one to complain (ehemm...). From January 14th to 22nd, you'll find me on the Big Island of Hawaii. On the 22nd the dateline will be crossed, into the 23rd, on a Philippine Airlines flight to Manila. After three weeks of fieldwork on Luzon I'll return to Honolulu, spend 3 nights on O'ahu and then return to Ithaca on the 16th of February. This should be interesting. I'm especially excited about the days on O'ahu; they'll be all mine. North Shore, here I come!!
and the ground is covered in snow. If that isn't a reason to party, I don't know what is!
As I may have mentioned before, my life as a grad student sometimes resembles that of a secretary or an administrative assistant more than anything. Sometimes I think that if I ever get this bloody degree, it should be in online shopping for airline deals (and dishwashing, let's not forget). I've spent most of today and yesterday shopping for airfares between Ithaca, Honolulu and Hilo, hunting down bargains on rental cars, and looking for hotels and applying for permits for lodgings in state parks. In between, I've been to the supermarket buying dishwashing gloves and brushes, so that I can continue the dish washing required for my research, and, erm, I also did some dish washing. Yes, science really is an uninterrupted string of landmark discoveries and intellectual bliss. Or not.
However, I'm not one to complain (ehemm...). From January 14th to 22nd, you'll find me on the Big Island of Hawaii. On the 22nd the dateline will be crossed, into the 23rd, on a Philippine Airlines flight to Manila. After three weeks of fieldwork on Luzon I'll return to Honolulu, spend 3 nights on O'ahu and then return to Ithaca on the 16th of February. This should be interesting. I'm especially excited about the days on O'ahu; they'll be all mine. North Shore, here I come!!
sunnudagur, desember 30, 2007
Yarn hike
As some of you may be aware, I'm a great fan of knitting and such. Yesterday I finally gathered the courage to make an inventory of my stash, i.e. my yarn collection. Guess what I found out: If all the yarn in my closet were strung out, one skein after the other, it would stretch for over 17 kilometers! I have a feeling I should be mildly embarrassed ;) but honestly, the more yarn in the apartment, the better I feel :)
föstudagur, desember 28, 2007
In the upstate
Well well me, here I am in the upstate, having all but abandoned my loyal reader.
Where to begin? I'm downloading the second episode of the second season of Grey's Anatomy so you all will have to take second place once the download finishes. I have every intention of becoming a total GA fanatic and I think that some strategic planning might convert Shan too... he did watch 4 (yes, that's four!!!) episodes with me last night.
Anyhow. Christmas this year, spent in Delaware, was lovely. Highlights include a fancy Christmas party at the Whitham mansion (kind of a similar affair to the Lindal-clan get-togethers on Christmas Day that I like so much), Christmas Eve dinner at a steakhouse and an invigorating discussion about the death penalty and immigration with a staunch Republican over Christmas dinner. No, no one got hurt...
Coming back to Ithaca from Houston was also lovely, especially since a) I did not get thrown off an overbooked plane or fall victim to mindboggling delays and b) my luggage arrived safe and sound in Ithaca with me, all three pieces! I was flying US (Sc-)airways and therefore both a) and b) must be regarded as absolute miracles.
Gee, how exciting my life is! Stay tuned for the next installment!!
Where to begin? I'm downloading the second episode of the second season of Grey's Anatomy so you all will have to take second place once the download finishes. I have every intention of becoming a total GA fanatic and I think that some strategic planning might convert Shan too... he did watch 4 (yes, that's four!!!) episodes with me last night.
Anyhow. Christmas this year, spent in Delaware, was lovely. Highlights include a fancy Christmas party at the Whitham mansion (kind of a similar affair to the Lindal-clan get-togethers on Christmas Day that I like so much), Christmas Eve dinner at a steakhouse and an invigorating discussion about the death penalty and immigration with a staunch Republican over Christmas dinner. No, no one got hurt...
Coming back to Ithaca from Houston was also lovely, especially since a) I did not get thrown off an overbooked plane or fall victim to mindboggling delays and b) my luggage arrived safe and sound in Ithaca with me, all three pieces! I was flying US (Sc-)airways and therefore both a) and b) must be regarded as absolute miracles.
Gee, how exciting my life is! Stay tuned for the next installment!!
miðvikudagur, desember 12, 2007
þriðjudagur, desember 11, 2007
mánudagur, desember 10, 2007
Polar news
The world's oldest polar bear was just found. Furthermore, my old buddy Jason Roberts was apparently involved in filming "The Golden Compass". Obviously, Svalbard (and everyone on it, dead or alive) still rocks!!
sunnudagur, desember 09, 2007
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Hah! Looks like I'll be able to sport my new wellies this week!!
Not resisting temptation
Why is there a Banana Republic store right next to my favorite (Starbucks) coffee shop?? This is what I came out with today...
föstudagur, desember 07, 2007
And I hereby present...
... the worst-prepared presentation I've ever given!
Yesterday I gave a draft presentation to one of the groups I've been working with here at Shell. It was... to put things mildly... not well prepared. The reason: My project was changed a month into my internship and I completely (and utterly. And completely. And utterly) missed what was expected of me. In my naivité, I thought I was supposed to do and deliver one thing, whereas it turns out I was supposed to do and deliver that thing, and then all these other things as well. This is entirely my fault, for not communicating effectively with the people I'm working for and for not thinking carefully about things and asking myself questions such as: "Well, why would Shell be interested in this product if it's not accompanied by these other products?" But coming from academia, I'm trained to want to know all kinds of different things without always needing a solid reason for wanting to know them. Knowledge for knowledge's sake. I implicitly assumed that's what I was dealing with here. I wasn't expecting the Business Applicability to pop up. As I said, naive.
So. Now I have ... let me count... Saturday, Sunday and Monday to prepare for the Final Presentation. And a truckload of things to do before then, that I should have dedicated, say, 2 or 3 weeks to. And at the same time I'm so tired that I zombied around all yesterday afternoon and have spent most of today sleeping.
Well, what the hell. As my friend Paula says, you can't do any better than your best. And I'm too old for allnighters anyway :)
So, to kick off the flurry of activity that will surround me the next few days, I'm heading for a) Starbucks, for a coffee and a 5-pm lunch, and b) my LYS, where I'll meet the regulars over knitting and pizza for one last time. Mildly pathetic, that's me ;)
Yesterday I gave a draft presentation to one of the groups I've been working with here at Shell. It was... to put things mildly... not well prepared. The reason: My project was changed a month into my internship and I completely (and utterly. And completely. And utterly) missed what was expected of me. In my naivité, I thought I was supposed to do and deliver one thing, whereas it turns out I was supposed to do and deliver that thing, and then all these other things as well. This is entirely my fault, for not communicating effectively with the people I'm working for and for not thinking carefully about things and asking myself questions such as: "Well, why would Shell be interested in this product if it's not accompanied by these other products?" But coming from academia, I'm trained to want to know all kinds of different things without always needing a solid reason for wanting to know them. Knowledge for knowledge's sake. I implicitly assumed that's what I was dealing with here. I wasn't expecting the Business Applicability to pop up. As I said, naive.
So. Now I have ... let me count... Saturday, Sunday and Monday to prepare for the Final Presentation. And a truckload of things to do before then, that I should have dedicated, say, 2 or 3 weeks to. And at the same time I'm so tired that I zombied around all yesterday afternoon and have spent most of today sleeping.
Well, what the hell. As my friend Paula says, you can't do any better than your best. And I'm too old for allnighters anyway :)
So, to kick off the flurry of activity that will surround me the next few days, I'm heading for a) Starbucks, for a coffee and a 5-pm lunch, and b) my LYS, where I'll meet the regulars over knitting and pizza for one last time. Mildly pathetic, that's me ;)
miðvikudagur, desember 05, 2007
þriðjudagur, desember 04, 2007
þriðjudagur, nóvember 27, 2007
Goin' to the Moon
It's bizarre to think that this thing took humans to the moon. Well, at least most of the way there:
According to reliable sources, when this thing took off it used 0.5% of all the power being generated on the entire planet at that particular moment:
Each of these engines is tall enough for me to stand inside it. Wow!
According to reliable sources, when this thing took off it used 0.5% of all the power being generated on the entire planet at that particular moment:
Each of these engines is tall enough for me to stand inside it. Wow!
mánudagur, nóvember 26, 2007
Long time...
.. no blogging here. Oh well, such is life.
So, what's been going on? First, my house has been Internet-deprived for the last week and I'm going nuts. Fortunately I can use my cell phone to read my gmail, but that's about the extent of my internet usage during the holidays.
Speaking of the holidays, I had a visitor over Thanksgiving week. My beloved boyfriend Shan came down from frosty Ithaca and we had a nice time. We went on a road trip to Austin where we had coffee at a sidewalk cafe while listening to a live country bluegrass band. We also went to the Johnson Space Center and visited the old mission control and almost froze our ears off in the cold (it was 11°C and windy in Houston that day). Last but not least we had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with my friend and co-worker Paula and her husband and our friends Patricia and Pascale.
Shan escaped the worst weather of the year by heading back to Ithaca on Friday afternoon. On Saturday it didn't really get light until ~2 pm, such was the heaviness of the clouds. It rained cats and dogs all day and all plans for outings were cancelled in favor of snuggling up in bed with books and knitting. The same applied, more or less, for Sunday.
And now, the last weeks of being an intern. Better roll up them sleeves...
So, what's been going on? First, my house has been Internet-deprived for the last week and I'm going nuts. Fortunately I can use my cell phone to read my gmail, but that's about the extent of my internet usage during the holidays.
Speaking of the holidays, I had a visitor over Thanksgiving week. My beloved boyfriend Shan came down from frosty Ithaca and we had a nice time. We went on a road trip to Austin where we had coffee at a sidewalk cafe while listening to a live country bluegrass band. We also went to the Johnson Space Center and visited the old mission control and almost froze our ears off in the cold (it was 11°C and windy in Houston that day). Last but not least we had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with my friend and co-worker Paula and her husband and our friends Patricia and Pascale.
Shan escaped the worst weather of the year by heading back to Ithaca on Friday afternoon. On Saturday it didn't really get light until ~2 pm, such was the heaviness of the clouds. It rained cats and dogs all day and all plans for outings were cancelled in favor of snuggling up in bed with books and knitting. The same applied, more or less, for Sunday.
And now, the last weeks of being an intern. Better roll up them sleeves...
mánudagur, nóvember 12, 2007
6 pm
and I'm leaving work. It's been one of those days when all you do all day is sit in front of the computer with things happening veeeeerrrrrry slowly... but still happening.
Am headed for the first installment of the Hula program. I wonder what it'll be like. I have to admit I'm a little nervous. What the hell did I get myself into??
Update, 11/13 @ 1 am: Well, I got myself into some seriously sore butt muscles, that's what! Of course the class was fun. I learned to wiggle my arms very gracefully (ehemm...) and do a figure eight with my hips (in theory, at least). I also learned how to tell my lei that it's wonderful fragrance was coaxing the sun into shining on me. Is there anything not to love about this??
Am headed for the first installment of the Hula program. I wonder what it'll be like. I have to admit I'm a little nervous. What the hell did I get myself into??
Update, 11/13 @ 1 am: Well, I got myself into some seriously sore butt muscles, that's what! Of course the class was fun. I learned to wiggle my arms very gracefully (ehemm...) and do a figure eight with my hips (in theory, at least). I also learned how to tell my lei that it's wonderful fragrance was coaxing the sun into shining on me. Is there anything not to love about this??
fimmtudagur, nóvember 08, 2007
miðvikudagur, nóvember 07, 2007
Penetration talk
Well well. All is well. Oil well, that is.
Funny how geologists like to penetrate things. Isn't there's something decidedly phallic about the whole drilling business:
Very phallic, I dare say.
Funny how geologists like to penetrate things. Isn't there's something decidedly phallic about the whole drilling business:
"This was the first penetration of the Kimmeridgian in Alabama"...
Very phallic, I dare say.
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