Monday, January 30, 2012

Geeks for president

My friend Heather just got our tickets for this year's comic con in Calgary. It's in april this year, instead of June and my friends and I are all geared up for a weekend of nerdy goodness. This time I don't have to rush back for anything...I can stay the whole weekend and enjoy. Jay is covering it for work so he'll be there somewhere (likely with backstage press passes...lucky sod). I will be geeking out with my good good friends. Last year was a blast and I can't wait for this year: Adam West. Cast of STTNG. Starbuck. Billy West. George Perez. Dave Prowse. Adam Baldwin. Should be a howl and a half...the costumes and the steampunk stuff last year blew my mind.

This gives me a solid goal to work towards. I'm hoping to have my thesis completed by the time I go to this. THIS is my reward. This will get me going...I need goals. Deadlines that matter to *me*. This will do nicely.

I've finally started picking away at my thesis. Got a solid chunk of work done on saturday and now feel like since I've started I can get at it. Time to buckle down. Get busy on the writing and get it done.

Then a holiday trip to nerdsville...:)

Friday, January 27, 2012

Um...OK???

Received this box in the lab today.
Yup, didn't make any sense to the courier either...

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Sunday, January 22, 2012

I'm falling a part I tells ya

Good lord I hope this isn't a sign of the oldiness to come. I've been mincing about and favouring my bad knee for the past week . An attack of random bursitis has made stairs rather painful, and I"m pretty much back to normal on that regard. Haven't been able ot work out or anything...just rest up. And yesterday I awoke to a pinched stiff *something* in my shouldery backish parts. Like I'm stiff in one really specific spot, only I'm not. Just enough to intrude on my consciousness but not enough to hurt good an properly. I've been rocking the heat pack and trying to avoid my thesis as actively as possible...hoping it will fade soon. I miss the morning workouts...I"m falling apart before my eyes...

Yesterday was lovely, despite being rather unproductive. I've been working at being more present in my life. I really need to be taking the time to focus on whatever I am doing and feel and experience it all..not just a means to an end to fall exhausted into bed and do it all over again. There was a little too much of that...it got to be normal. This weekend has been a reversal of that. Yesterday was a day of life with J. Random errands. Baked oatmeal with bananas. Even took an evening to relax and watch Voyage of the Dawn Treader...a book I read a zillion times as a kid. Loved it thoroughly. There were also lovely tasty things. I made pizza from scratch that was, quite honestly and randomly, the best pizza I've ever made. Add in some espresso vodka martinis and finally tasting some of the lemoncello I'd hidden away with a vanilla bean infusing into it (heavenly) and it was a tasty relaxing evening. Yes. Good show everyone.
Today we wandered out to a new little hole in the wall with a friend which we will definitely return to...the Hollows. Had breakfast poutine. Oh my...it had bacon...and a runny poached egg...cheesy curds. Add some peach rooibus tea and it was a tasty way to start the day. I'm currently working on some fresh cheesey spiced rolls (with the help of my bread robot) and will whip up some pumpkin peanut soup for supper to go with them eventually. Precious little thesis getting done I must admit, but strangely, I am not as concerned about it as I could be (should be?). Truth is, I had to step back from it a while...to stop giving it power over me. Working on it made me tense...and dread that "november" would return. That crazy evil month that I somehow survived and thrived in but would never ever on this earth wish to repeat for my own sanity really did a number on me...I didn't realise it at the time. After a bit of time away I finally feel like I can work on my thesis without imploding or being an asshat to the ones around me out of sheer worry or stress. I feel like I am *living* again...with bits of life and everyday things in their more proper place of attention. With J right by me cheering me on, instead of being waved off into a corner in a cloud of stress. I really do need to get to it and write more. And I will.
But, I think I may figure this life thing out yet...

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Winter is Coming

Well, winter has arrived finally after many false attempts.
After a nice unseasonably warm winter so far and a toasty warm christmas (seriously, there wasn't any snow and it was +5 C!) it's back to seasonal norms as of this week. Sad to see it back really, but it is what it is here on the frozen prairies. This AM it was -37 before the windchill, which made it feel like -45ish. I dug out my skipants to wait for the bus...

I am always amazed that life goes on on days like this. The school buses aren't running today (for obvious reasons) but the rest of us come in to do our thing. I am glad I don't have to drive in this weather...I mean my bus broke down this morning from the cold. I was happy to be properly dressed while I waited for the next one - a lot of people were not and I wanted to shake them...I mean wearing just running shoes and a bunnyhug in this weather? Positive thinking is one thing, but losing your fingers to frostbite is not my idea of a good day...at least wear a hat! Jeez...this happens every year. We always have difficulty at work explaining to the new grad students form the middle east why they need a warm coat until the weather actually arrives and they experience it themselves...this kind of cold really is unfathomable until you live through it for a season...

It will take a bit getting used to...it's all rather sudden.

It sure does make me want to stay inside and work on my thesis tho. No going out unless it's absolutely necessary. Think I'll hunker down the next while and get some writing done.
That and drink lots of tea with the help of my new tea robot.
Me hee.

Stay warm people.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

WAKE UP ALL YOU APPLES!

Apparently, today is Apple Howling Day in Henfield, West Sussex. In Gill Orchard, always on Epiphany Eve, horn blowing and howling at the trees is said to wake them up and yield a good crop.
I think I'll spend a while howling at the raspberry bushes in the back yard and see what happens...or maybe the neighbour's crabapple tree. I bet they'd love that huh?

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

First neat thing of 2012

Today I stumbled across this little short film: Zombie in a penguin suit.

Yup.
It's gonna be a good year.
I can feel it already :)

Monday, January 02, 2012

the last of the holidays



Today is my last day off before I go back to work.
I plan on sipping wine and reading and enjoying it to the fullest...tommorrow brings back the thesis madness. But for now...it's naptime :)

Happy New Year to all of you!

Cunning Plans

 Life is wierd ya know. It seems a lot of things have been hitting me hard lately. Been distant from people, including my partner who is dea...