It's Going to Be A Good Trip

We arrived this morning at 7:30am after an overnight flight from Boston. Breakfast was quick, then we got to work. Lunch for today was a buffet with soup, salads, sides, bread, cheese, fruit, and all manner of entrees - from sushi, to reindeer pate.

After work for the conference was done, I went to dinner with friends at a place called The LobsterHouse. Appetizers were smoked Pacific salmon served beside celeriac foam, and the bread was fresh gingerbread slices. For an entree I had catch-of-the-day salmon, served with lobster tail, puree of yellow beets, green onions, and locally brewed Koldt beer. My friends ordered dishes such as whale sashimi, tenderloin of horse, and garlic lobster tails. Delicious, delicious!

Then after dinner, we relaxed in the naturally fed hot springs swimming area. With a waterslide. The waterslide was cold water (the other girls wimped out), but the guys and I thought the ride was very worth it!

Tomorrow, let the conference begin!

Flight Delay Due to WHAT?

Tomorrow I leave for Iceland for a conference I helped to organize.

Today also there is this lovely item in the news: Volcano Erupts in Iceland. That eruption has been diverting US flights. It's supposed to be back to normal by tomorrow, but we shall see.... Usually from Boston to Iceland in March you have to watch for blizzards, not volcanoes!

I have left the girls in my dorm fresh fruit and brownies (can't let those spoil while I'm away, you know...). I did the laundry, I cleaned my dishes. I wrote a list of things to tie up for research tomorrow, and I should be on my way.

Another stamp on the passport, coming right up!

Trying Desperately to Stay on Top of Grading

I was just about to take off a good chunk of points while grading a test, then realized the student had a point and my solutions for the exam may be wrong. Shoot! And I've already done 3/4ths the grading....

I'm giving up and going to bed...

Whirlwind Update

Have been swamped. SWAMPED I tell you! But I have managed to accomplish an amazing amount, including the following:

- completed first draft of my PhD proposal (although it needs much revision)

- found out that a journal paper of mine accepted for publication (with NO revisions - woohoo!)

- taught a robot to operate my machine for research (hoping it won't replace me as cheap labor... wait, nothing's cheaper than grad student labor...)

- took a cooking course at the culinary school, called "South of the Border" where we cooked Mexican food. I got put on the dessert category - the teacher must have known my type.... :)

- attended a John Mayer concert. Fantastic!

- got tested for allergies at the dermatology clinic, which involved not showering for three days while test strips were affixed to my back... lovely. Found I am allergic to nickel and lanolin (wood alcohol, found in various cosmetic items).

- listened to entire conversation between a bus driver and a very twitchy passenger with insider knowledge about the drug underworld (industry? trade?) here in Boston, and the associated jail stories.

- entered myself in a lottery for Red Sox tickets. Fingers crossed!

- ended my stint as Treasurer of the student club, and took a minor Officer role for next year. Mostly because the cute boy asked me to.

- organized a conference call between Boston, San Francisco, Cambridge UK, Canada, and Iceland. What an amazing thought to have all those people connected across continents, timezones.... the conversation was fascinating.

- wrote my very first exam problem as the TA for a class. I just finished writing solutions, and now I am answering the desperate emails flooding in from students ahead of the exam tomorrow morning. I'm taking internal bets on the time stamp of the last email I get tonight... I expect I won't be awake to see it.

- was complimented sincerely by THREE business people on my presentation skills. Score for the engineer!

I miss blogging, because I have some really good stories I haven't been able to properly get out. If things calm down (possibly) or if I become more efficient in my time management (one can dream) I hope to share more adventures with you.

And with that, to all a good night!

Chocolate Tasting

Having completely enjoyed both wine tasting and scotch tasting, when I saw a local chocolate shop offering a chocolate tasting - well, my attendance was assured.

And then I remembered last summer, when I invited a bunch of girls out a couple times to enjoy an evening of fun and relaxation. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for something similar. So I sent out an email to the girls I know, and wouldn't you know it turns out girls are nearly universal fans of chocolate - group of eight of us RSVPd for the tasting.

Man, with this along with dinner club, I'm feeling very social these days! I am blessed with a plethora of activities, an enjoyable set of of friends, and a few extra hours in my week to pursue both of those things.

It turns out that I was slightly mistaken about the event - it was actually a chocolate and TEA tasting. The chocolate shop teams up with a fine tea shop, and they present carefully edited pairings - much like you would expect wine and cheese pairings.

It was fantastic! The chocolate:

Figure: Hello, my lovelies.

Each sample was intensely flavored, beautifully balanced. In fact at one point, my friend sitting across from me leaned back in her chair and sighed, "Well I'll just need a moment here, I'm having an out-of-body-experience...." Laugh!

And the tea was also fantastic, although I didn't get pictures. I never realized the depth and variety of teas out there - I've now been inspired to move beyond my little Lipton Green Tea bags...

I was intending to buy a few of my favorite type of chocolate at the end of the event, but then I couldn't decide, so I bought samples of three different types. The other girls also had a hard time deciding. But it turned out in our favor - our group of eight were the last ones to leave, so they sent us all home with tea! The tea guy had brought a package of each type of tea, and he can't sell opened packages, so we got to split the six (nearly full!) packages amongst us. I nabbed the Chai tea, my favorite, and I am sipping it as we speak!

Cheers!

A Diversion from School Life

There is something incredibly sexy about a man working elbow-deep in grease on an engine.

Guys with pink popped collars? Eyeliner? Mere silliness. I'd take any day instead that guy I know in the automobile lab, scruffy chin and worn-in jeans, waving a wrench in the air as he explains the details of piston architecture to undergrad students. (Did you know each of the three rings on an engine piston has a specific purpose and design?)

He's whip-smart, friends with everybody, social and outgoing, and works like a real man. He's interested in entrepreneurship, flies planes, drives motorcycles, and is a natural leader. I've known him for two years, enough to appreciate the depth of his character.

I wonder if he'd go for a girl with a Craftsman toolbox in her room?

Flowers!

I love plants. I used to be a horticulture major, actually, before I became an engineer. I realized I liked gardening more as a hobby, and less as a career. But I do my best to keep green things around. For instance, my windowsill in my room looks like this at the moment:

It's much more colorful in the summer, as unfortunately I do not have things which flower all year long. But happily, look!

Tulips! Beautiful! My loving family sent me flowers for Valentine's Day. Thank you! Seeing these made me happy every time I looked around.

I split them up into two vases, so I could have one at home on my table, and one to take to my office. Because did I mention, my office windowsill looks like this:

See? Plants everywhere. I would also like to show off this beautiful vase my brother got me for Christmas: 

The colors, the shading, lovely! It wasn't the right shape for the tulips, but I will find a chance to use it. This summer I have signed up again for a farm share, and this year I am getting a share of vegetables, fruit, AND flowers. I can't wait.

Yay for color and a reminder of home during the dreary winter!