Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Winterpeg part 2

Yep, it's still cold. Either one can go into hibernation (very tempting), or, defy the forces of nature and take a nice bath in a hot-tub, watching the stars and get a helmet of frozen hair. There's actually proof to this claim, and I will post it shortly. It was "only" -16 that evening though. There was something else I intended to write about, but forgot. Next time... because right now, I am tireeeed...zzz....

Oh! plans! Yes! Calgary in february, Utah in the end of March, and possibly Baltimore some time in the summer. Ontariox2 in June (conferences). August Quebec?? And in December, Hawaii.... Last year was pretty ok too. I never wrote one of those fancy year-overviews. I will, but the year was a little bit too cool to just be written down without some time taken to it. The outer layers look as follows though:
Vancouver in February (LTS-conference). Turned 30! Oh, the dread - but it turned into relief. And I started taking flying lessons, which turned out to be an excellent idea. Moved to Balmoral in April. Then spring was work, and double conference in Alberta (Calgary), to be followed by 10 days in Albuquerque. Summer was dancing (actually all year) and wasps (no stings though, and no mosquitos!), and birds - Merry and Pippin. And a little bit of homesickness, cured by a trip home in the end of august and beginning of september, plus a full day of London sightseeing. Then not so much more of travelling until December 19 when I went with D to Holland 2 days, via Stockholm (and managed to cure the jetlag immediately once again, by walking in the sunshine in the old town), and then Christmas at home with Cassie (and the rest of the family.. ;)

Saturday, January 13, 2007

winterpeg

From superwarm (just below zero during most of the winter) to -38 yesterday.... Coldest I've felt since 2004, when I moved here. My ibook can listen to me when I speak... And today I managed to find a driver (macam) to make it possible to run my webcam. My Ibook, my precious... It is saturday, and I cleaned the apartment, for which there was a dire need. Aaaand... I got an email from a person I have longest to hear from - and he is willing to become a collaborator to my proposal. I am pretty sure that means that the proposal will get time, since he is the expert on the technique we're using, and just recently used the same technique for the same kind of galaxy I'm using it on, meaning that it IS feasible to do this project. And if so... I'll be the happiest person ever... :)
My dangerous radiator that I don't dare turn on, for several reasons: a) it most likely will explode in my face b) it will turn my apartment into sauna/tropics (not entirely unpleasant of course), woke me up at 3 this morning. Because it WANTS to be turned on, all the hot steam is whining where it's closed, in a most annoying manner. I have 3 radiators in my apartment, one in the bedroom (off), one in the livingroom (the one I just described) and a tiny one in the bathroom, that is on when it's really cold outside. This tiny one is so incredibly hot, that it manages to keep the entire apartment at a pleasant temperature (albeit with a distinct gradient out to the living room). That pretty impressive, considering leaking windows and extreme outside temperatures.
Anyways. I have more cool news, but that will have to wait until another time. Meanwhile, let me give a link to my friends Steve's awesome webalbum from the Christmas holidays in Sweden. Mine is coming up any time soon.