So today, if someone were to ask me, "what are you thinking about right now?" I would say:
I am thinking about what a beautiful day it is outside, and this is making me want to leave work right now and go enjoy it because we really don't get a lot of sunny days here and I should use the opportunity to get some vitamin D and take pictures of the purple shawl that I finished yesterday in the park near by. But also I am remembering that I am moody and morose when it is gray out and I don't like to go in to work, so I should really stay here at work while I am in a good mood and focus on etting as much science done as possible, because I've checked a few simple things off my list today but I came up with another list that looks at the bigger picture of what I am doing and I really need to do that. And I am reading up on Apphot, which is an IRAF package that I can use to analyze my data, and I want to use it to verify some conclusions on the images I am working on, but I also simultaneously want to find out if the lack of flat-fielding for these images caused problems in the numbers I used for calibrating the data that I want to verify, so I don't even know if I can do the verification because it might be wrong and if I am not careful with mistakes then my science could be faulty but no one is here to point that out because I am not in class any more, no one is going to give me a grade for this. I have to figure out if my conclusions are faulty on my own and it's easier to keep them from being faulty than to just charge ahead and try and figure it out later. And I want to go to the market and get milk so I can make mushroom lasagna, which will be fun and a new experience and I'm not sure if that will work in my mini oven. But on the way home I want to go for a walk around the lake and stretch my legs, and I should use the time to go see how much it costs to do laundry at the laundromat cafe because I really need to wash some clothes and I need to know if I need change or a credit card. And if I left now I would have time to go for a walk and check out the laundromat and go to the market AND do some knitting and reading when I got home. I really want to finish up the complicated intarsia of the blanket I'm working on so I can get to the plain stockinette part, and I have that really tricky lace shawl with the really delicate cotton that I want to work on while watching Dr. Who, except I shouldn't watch more Dr. Who because it just makes me feel lonely and miss my cats. And there are thirteen million other projects I want to make like socks and hats and a sweater, and I have yarn and an idea for a sweater now, so I should start that, it will take some time. But I really shouldn't knit and goof off when I get home because I need to work on my master's thesis, it just has a few little blips that need to be ironed out and I should start writing the paper/report that goes with it and make sure I can access the last of the data I need to access, and figure out how to calculate what I should be calculating. But I also need to read papers for the project here, and I have data from November (November, people!) that just needs a bit of poking and a write up and then maybe I could have a finished project, or two, or three, before the big meeting in September. And speaking of meetings, I should really register for that meeting in California and get the paperwork started on that, and fill out my VISA application. I hope that doesn't cost any money. I wish I could buy a bicycle so I could get places faster. These walking sandals really aren't that comfortable and kind of make my heels hurt--maybe they're too big. I miss my cats and my family and I don't know how the hell I am going to make it six months without physical contact because the Danes aren't touchy people and I almost hugged a secretary today and that was bad.
stupid head going in circles and a million directions at once. So many things to get done.
Among them, blogging. But as you can see, I'm too busy and insane to do it. So, here are some pretty pictures for you, with little snippets so it's not too much work to write it all up.
The view out the window of my apartment is simply awesome. I could stare at this all day long. In fact, for a couple of days I stayed home and knit sitting in the window, watching kids play in the street and watching birds over the lake, and didn't leave home at all. It's a bad plan because it makes me feel lonely and I'm always glad when I've gone out, but I like the view.
The lakes by my house are square-ish and pretty clearly manmade, but they have a wide biking/jogging path around them, and lots of bridges, and lots of benchs. I knit on the bench sometimes, because the view is so nice. The breeze is a bit chilly--I can't quite believe how cold it's going to be in winter, and I don't even have my winter clothing. Except for mittens. This lake is a half block from where I live.
They mowed this grass a few days after this picture.
Took the flowers with it. But they were pretty and are already growing back.
Meanwhile, look who arrived late last week!
His name is Walnuts, the Walrus! he is here to keep me company, courtesy of Louise-and-Patrick, and my Twin who mailed him to me and who is one of his favorite people and who has his lover, Wallace, with her in NYC.
Walnuts is very adventuresome and came with a list of demands after traveling all that time in the airtight package. He already got to fulfill some of his demands--he rode the bus with me when I went yarn shopping last weekend. By last weekend, I mean, a week ago, because I am lazy and my thought process works like I described above so I didn't get much written between now and then.
Walnuts has been very busy this past week. He rode the bus with me, and went to the yarn store with me, and helped me eat a Danish.
More updates with Walnuts soon! But meanwhile, I must get some work done, so I leave you with this TEMPTING picture.
walrus in repose.
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