tick tock

blah blah blah

Is it friday home time yet?

Gorram computers

You know, I really got a bit of writing done...then I had a bit of writer's block. Then Word crashed to the eternal spinning wheel of doom.  I have a feeling I may have lost my work for tonight.
So yeah... I'm done with the paper for the night.

I'm pumped. We have an architectural photographer on campus to take photos of the new lab building inside and out and I got to "dress" my lab so that me, and two other techies could pretend to be working in the lab for university stock photos. I am now "woman pipetting the red liquid" for all eternity. It was fun. Didn't feel like work at all.
I just enjoyed being in my lab. *my* lab.
All day.
Hooray.
:)

So now I think I'm going to sit with my cat, have some popcorn and a beer.
Tomorrow is a reboot.

Meow.

Ching ching

I am loving the bellydance classes.
Last night was my second lesson in over 2 years and it was a lot of fun. There are a few girls I work with in the class, as well as a few girls I know from when I used to take lessons, so it's a comfy atmosphere. I just love love love love how it feels. I've got aches in ridiculous places today form the hip drops and figure 8 drills we did, but it makes me feel so strong and vibrant to belly dance.
I've had this old favourite song in my head since class ended...:)

How to avoid work

In my avoidance of abstract writing I have gone to the farmer's market, helped a friend move some boxes, ran errands and made lunch. I also discovered a very good wig for a possible Jem and the Holograms costume, striped pants for a potential revamp of my Tank Girl costume, and a kit for making pear cider. All great things. All *not* writing :).
Thing is,  I really almost physically react to having to spend time to put together 3 abstracts to send to a conference to try and present them in the spring. I don't wanna write them, but I *do* want to present them...if I am accepted I can travel, possibly somewhere very cool :) I just want to bake bread and relax, but I must do this today to get to my old TO supervisor by suppertime. First step is getting things accepted.

I will say though - J picked up my bound copies of the thesis yesterday...they're so purdy :)
The blue ones are quite classy indeed. Now I can try and get some paper's published...and some abstracts to present so the world can learn and use what I did. And then I can not deal with it anymore...I can't wait for graduation though. I have this general ennui about work in general at the moment and I wish I'd pop out of it. I just don't want to do or commit to anything for a while. Signing up for weekly bellydance classes was about as much as I care to commit to for the next while.

Time for a beer and some writing.
Sigh.

only at my house...

Last night while throwing in a load of laundry I jumped a foot, thinking I saw a gigantic spider on the floor. Catching my breath I looked closer...it wasn't moving.
What was it?
A giant googley eye.
Yup.
The world is taunting me...

Bad Science

Love this guy. There is so much crap science out there sometimes I get all ranty. Ben Goldacre has taken the time through his Bad Science books and blog to address a lot of false "scientific" conclusions.

Meme reboot

Well it's certainly been a while since I did this...


Current attire: Jeans, brown wool jacket with Mendala on the back, brown shirt, purple Docs

Current mood: A bit tired and nervous. I have to present something tomorrow to a class and I've never done it before. I'm trying to not worry about it...

Current music: "Into the Unknown" by Ekoplex

Current annoyance: I have great data to present at a conference in the US in spring, but now that I'm officially graduated there are no funds available for me to go and present it. WTF??

Current thing: Trying to revert to "normal" and still find the time to reorganize my life. It's gonna take a while. That and not eat everything in sight...

Current song in head: Bottle of Blues by Beck

Current video in player: A tape of the Back to the Future animated series (I know I didn't know it existed either) a friend got J for his birthday. It's terrible in an endearing way...

Current  DVD in the player: Third Season of Harvey Birdman.

Current refreshment: Coffee

Current worry: The lack of worry. That and the thought that once I revert to normal life I will somehow be unhappy with it. There are a lot of things I didn't have to deal with because I was so busy and now...well...I've got time for life again, whatever that is.

Current thought: Is it lunch time yet?? 

Coordination is the key

I managed to mangle my thumb in the corkscrew last night, gouging a big chunk out of it. Not quite sure how...but, Ow indeed.
Sadly, after all that I only cooked with the wine and couldn't have any since I had to go pick up Dad at the airport.
When I get home today this will definitely be rectified...

Yup. It's true...

Thrift store monsters

These artists make me giggle with glee :)

I love the idea - adding monsters to random thrift store paintings.

Erm...Why of course I'm working on my journal article.
What exactly are you implying?
Hey what's that over there?

*whoosh*

Jingle jingle

Tonight is registration for bellydance classes.
Bwaha!
It's been 2 long years since I've had time for classes or lessons, and next week starting mondays is bellydance again. My old instructor is no longer teaching, but a girl that used ot be in classes with me has started up a Tribal Fusion troupe and is offering lessons through a community dance centre that's been made out of an old renovated church. I love LOVE love to bellydance. It's been way too long. I'm going to take up the basic class and ease my way back in.



I can't wait :)

The power of words

For a year now I've gotten to see, through an internet blog, how a young couple who remind me so very much of my J and I have been dealing with how he, "Wash", has been dying of brain cancer. His wife Tashi has posted through it all, for venting, for support, to live and show the world what love and death are like. They married young and only had a year together, as she studied forensic science and he studied to be an architect. They were sci fi geeks, with a deep love and curiosity for life...and then a rare form of brain cancer changed Wash's life, and Tashi dropped her life to be with him and care for him. For almost 2 years...a remarkable length of time.
Last night Wash faded in to unconsciousness and went to hospice end care. Soon his light will be gone and his ashes will be collected and placed in a tardis urn, for his next big adventure. I have never met them...but I feel like I have. It is strange, but I mourn with Tashi, and I am glad that Wash is free from the pain now and free from a body that was keeping him prisoner. I hope that life begins anew for Tashi...in whatever form it becomes. I hope she can find a joy again in her life as time passes.

Rest well Wash King.
We will sing for you.
The universe will sing you to your sleep.

Slow sunday

I would like a holiday. A proper one. I'm ready I think.
A good week off of all things.
It isn't until I have a day like today full of nothing at all but a late lazy breakfast followed by random puttering and hot Earl Grey and fresh muffins after doing mundane lazy yard chores that I remember that this *is* in fact what life is supposed to be like. I was going to attack the front deck, but just don't want to.
It's a bit...well...slow from what I"m used to, but I quite like the lack of "go go go go!!"

My Dad's in for a visit before he flies out in the morning to visit family in BC and we're having a family supper out in Warman, but for now it's just muffins and ale.

I am looking forward to reorganizing my basement to clear out Craftoria, so I can have it free and organized to explore all manner of creativity down there on slow days such as this...it's quite exciting. J is trying to work on some audio stuff, but his gear is suddenly not speaking to itself...so he gave up to read a book. I don't blame him. There's only so long you can bang your head on the wall. I can't help one bit, with the gear so I've stuck to providing muffins. Muffins help in circumstances I think...

Speaking of muffins...

Cute Factor 11

OK, so my nephew and his wife have really done well I think.
I mean just look at this guy! One year old already and he's stolen our hearts.

Happy birthday Gabriel :)

maroon or blue? That's the $30 question

Dropped my thesis off at the bindary today. 5 copies printed and (I hope) all in order -only (ha ha) $30  a piece to have them bound. I swapped in the colour pages into the text copies this morning and I think I got it all back together properly. A few diagrams didn't print off right at the university, so I printed them off at home again this morning in a panic... and they are still not ideal, but look better than they did...and honestly? I just really don't care anymore. The proper good copy will be available online at the university as a pdf once my papers are published, so these are just "polite" copies for the college, my supervisors and me. In the end - not absolutely perfect, but good enough, and (most importantly) done. A photo not perfectly printed will not end the world.... Sheesh, I got all worked up again this morning getting it ready for the bindary and got quite stressed and then stopped and shook my head and took a breath - I realized how I don't have to feel this way anymore. I just decided what I had would have to do and that would be the end of it. I choose to be done with this.

Thankfully, I learned that I don't have to have my personal copy bound in the pukey browny maroon colour they require the university copies to be bound in - mine and Dad's will be navy blue. He heh. Nice, and no extra cost. They'll be ready in 10 days, when they can be submitted on time and then (ha ha) put on a shelf somewhere and promptly ignored. Ah academia.

I am finding it tricky to unwind. I find I am getting worked up over tiny details, if only because I feel I should be anxious about something. I think perhaps it's because I haven't worked out for a couple of weeks. I need my de-stressing sweaty endorphins more than I thought. I'll work out when I get home and see if that makes a difference...I must say, I'm looking forward to cooking long meals just for fun, sipping my homemade ale and starting belly dance classes again this fall.

Remind me again what normal people do anyways? :)

Das boot

Lovely weekend. Time away at Edmonton to relax with J - just the 2 of us. Time to relax, drink our long saved bottle of elderflower wine (thanks again K & N - it was divine), ride some rollercoasters, pick up a few worky costumes for work and some music. Drove the oh so styly borrowed minivan around. Woo.

I am most squeaky that I picked up a pair of dark purple Doc Martens boots. I saw them in Glasgow this spring on a stopover between trains and didn't get them, and regretted it...and so when I had the chance to see how comfy they are I decided to get them. My graduation present for my feet...and my brain... So. Comfy. The ultimate lab workboot :)

I am quite relaxed now. Not entirely sure what to do with all this time...it's gonna take a while to get used to.