Despite a series of, I hope, statistically anomalous events, I managed to hand in my poster for printing in the very last second. This Monday actually turned out be really miraculous! As opposed to the weekend (the following is what I wrote on sunday, but couldn't send because the internet connection went down):
"After having struggled for a few weeks with my data and the production of a rotation curve with this dutch software I am working on, I finally solved all the problems, just in the knick of time on friday (i.e. leaving me exactly enough time to create the graph, finish the poster and get it printed before leaving on wednesday). So, jumping on clouds of joy, I went for lunch. When I came back, the computer system was down. The home server had decided that was the best time to enter a coma, effectively preventing me from getting any work whatsoever done. Baffled at this just more than amazingly untimely event, I took the expressbus home, to recreate my poster from scratch on my laptop instead, and just hope I'd be able to reach the files and the software later that day. Got stuck on Pembina for an hour on the bus due to construction work. Gnashing teeth now, I finally got home, recreated the poster, and went to dance - nothing else to do really!
Next morning, after a rather intense thunderstorm, I woke up to a powerless apartment. I had also forgotten I was going to go flying with two friends, and I heard someone call my name from down the street, since the buzzer wasn't working. Some fire had killed all the power in half of Winnipeg. Well, now I definitely couldn't work on anything, so I went flying, even more astonished at the development of my getting-ready-for-conference-situation. Luckily, my bad luck didn't reach the airport, and we went for two nice flights. Coming home, I massively needed my bath, so red river coloured liquid came out of the taps. I stared at it a bit, in my intense yuckyness (think having danced all of previous night and 28 degrees heat outside temperature and intense humidity). The power got back after 6 hours (!) and the water turned clear after some time as well. Nice. Came to school after having conferred with sysadmin, because I couldn't reach my computer remotely. And after 2 hours of tweaking and rebooting, I actually could log in as root and reach my files. But I couldn't run the software!!! Again I found myself staring at my situation (well, the monitor) in disbelief, and tried to drown my worries in the saturday dance class and an excellent visit to Fude. The Pickerel was as amazing as ever, and the chocolate sauce chicken defintely got my stamp of approval. As did the mango spritzer (see Jonathan's blog for further description.
Come home in one piece after some more dancing at the Empire, albeit somewhat sleepy, I woke up Sunday morning, missed the bus to church which was early (things back to normal in other words), biked there instead while trying to keep the skirt from getting too close to the wheels (didn't have time to change and was an optimist, still). The sky was getting darker and darker, and darker, and when I got there, (before the skies opened over my head) my skirt decided to get stuck in the breaks. Growl. A massive thunderstorm then happened, with neverending thunder and some nice lightning. Time for sunday school. Time for Theresa to attach the dot over the i in topic "getting prepared for conference": I was going to give a quick review on some chapters, and rising up to stand in front of the class, I somehow tripped over myself while walking out inbetween benches and sprained the foot. Same one I broke half a year ago btw. It is now provided with an extra ankle, in a nice purplish/blue shade. And on Wednesday I'm leaving for Calgary. So I got to renew the "friendship" with one of the crutches I had hidden in the depths of my closet.
What next now? Just bring it on. Oh, the network connection went down. Figures. And I still need to create the graph for the poster before handing it in to the printer place tomorrow. Burning finger on frying pan while frying crepes? Check. I better go to sleep..."
But, come Monday, and early at work, and the sun is shining on Theresa again! :) Everything got dome. Now I am going to go home and make a pie.
3 comments:
My word Theresa, that's quite the series of events. Well, on the postive side, I'm pretty sure you've used up your quota of bad luck for at least the next two years.
I got taken in by the weather too. Looked outside Sunday morning to a bright and sunny day. Decided to walk to church in shorts and a t-shirt and thought nothing of it. Then the next time I look out the window, the sky is black and rain is beating down hard against the building. Yeah, for friends who can offer rides!
Hmm I have not much to comment on the happenings. Seems to me though, that this is the ordinary way of living for you over there. Here in old Onsala it never happens that much in one day.
I'm only going to quote a very wise woman who once said "Theresa, why do these things always happen to you?"
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