Bye bye new device and climbing

Today, I had to say bye bye to the device I was testing. Now that I am really analyzing the results I could think of tons of more test to do. Too bad I can't do them any more. But no worries. I can take on old methods and thus test whether I get the same results. Exciting. I got back to my main line of work today except for writing about the results. The thing with the kind of research I am doing is that is it sort of never-ending. Even if you investigate for months and months, well even years, you could still suddenly find out something new. And you can also get into it really deeply like if you are more interested in one sort of analysis method you could spend just a lifetime making it better for this sort of research (some people do do this). So it just seems quite hard to know when to stop and say "that's it, I don't need more results or better results". Right nowI am just trying to get a better understanding of the most interesting lines of research but it is quite hard to get stuff to work sometimes. Or I know how I can get this one thing to work but is would take like a month and I can't really wait that long. I need to get writing up my thing. I was planning on getting all the experimental stuff out of the way today but not very surprisingly that didn't work out. I will have to do like half a days lab work tomorrow since today all the things did not work out. Tomorrow I was planning on writing the whole day but that will have to wait for next week. At least I can plan what to write about tomorrow. Psychologically getting ready to write is important for me. But enough about work. I think this is the most I've written about work since I started this blog actually.

I'm kind of really waiting for my German classes to end though I know I'll miss going out and seeing people even though I don't really talk to anyone there. I'll have to figure out something else to do next year. The course ends on the 12th and a week from that I will be leaving for Finland so I don't think I will have lots of time to think about what to do before next year. The way things are going I might have to start writing my thesis at home or at least spend more time at work doing it till like 6 pm or so. I have to have some sort of version for the professors when I go see them in January while in Finland and I want it to be a rather good one and not just the stuff I have now. (Ok so this is also about work.)

Climbing is great. Yesterday I did this 5+ wall that I could not get up last time. It was quite a challenge. Just to give you an idea, a wall with a rating of 2 is for kinds and "anyone" could get up that. I got up ratings of 3 on my first time with not a lot of difficulty. I warm up on 3s. Ratings of 4 can at times be sort of tricky and yesterday I did not get up one 4+ wall though mostly they are not that hard. But 5s are really tricky, for me at least, and you really need to want to get all the way up and need strength. The ratings can be kind of off at times of course because people are of different heights and so. Some walls are just more difficult for some people.

My hands are getting sweaty writing about climbing. Actually one night after I had not got up a diffucult part of the 5+ I did yesterday my hands and feet were getting really sweaty in bed half sleeping while I was thinking about it. It is really weird though when I mentioned it to my climbing partner she was like "yeah my boyfriend at least gets that too". And yeah I dream about climbing days I've done it.

Back to the ratings. My friend gets up ratings of 6 but I think I am quite far behind on that. The grabs get a lot smaller and you have to have very much strength. There are these walls made of like elements so that they are sort of like in nature and getting up one of those without the grabs would be like an 8 or so. I think my plan while in Germany is to try to get up all the 5s and maybe I will try out a 6.

So people here stop and hang on the rope half way up or so and then continue and when they get up they say they got up. I say you have to get up in one go with no hanging on the rope. Like if one had no rope hanging on it would be falling. That's like cheating. Cheating one's self.

Gotta go home before German class now with my sweating hands. I really can't help it.

Where was I

I did not come to work over the weekend. This is because we could not get in the building. We did get in the gates and on to the area but the building would not let us in. But no matter. Me and my boss went climbing instead. This was on Sunday. Went out to eat on Saturday. I also went shopping earlier that day. I bought a book. Surprise, surprise. I also found myself winter shoes but they cost 80eur so I think I will have to go buy them today. (Yes that last sentence is quite logical.) I have to also try to buy presents for people other than me. Or I don't have to but I want to.

I've just been testing the device at work. It feels like I should also be writing or something but the actual lab work is just taking all my time or at least my thoughts. But the thing will go in a day or two so I can get back to my "real" work. I even got some results back so now I actually can go on with my work. I "only" had to wait for two weeks. This is not making any sense. I think I am quite busy at work.

I'm sorry this post is boring. I just have nothing to write about really. Or then I'm just too tired to write. Oh, I think I was just about to put new samples in the device and when I graduate I think I will apply for a job at the company that makes the device. My thoughts are just not off my work yet.

Weekend on the way

The weekend is in the way of me working on the new apparatus so I think I will be coming to work on the weekend too. It sort of feels like being in university when I get to play around with the device. Now I think I am sort of tired though, so I will not put new samples though the ones I have in there are not dilute enough. I should. Oh, I will think about it. It is already four so it's pretty late to be working on a Friday.

I have nothing to share now so this post will end while I go and get something to drink.

Have a nice weekend!

Busy, busy, busy

Been busy today at work. We got a new apparatus yesterday and we have to test whether we want to buy it in like a week. Lots to test. It's fun though. Something other than my boring substance and the boring things I can do with it. Hopefully the apparatus will work well. It might not be the best for our samples but it seems to work quite well at what it does. Very good team work today when our lab "team" all did somoething to plan and execute the first test. Four people all together. It was quite fun doing something together. I just finished putting the last of the experiments running for tomorrow. I hope we get good results. I think me and my boss will come to work with it on the weekend too. Try it out with my compound.

Went climbing yesterday. It was quite fun again though I think I was quite tired. We are most likely going again this weekend so I should have more energy then. I've been walking up the stairs to my appartment now since I decided I would. Hopefully I can keep it up. The way does not yet seem shorter. Eight flights of stairs is quite much.

But I have to get going home. German again. Well first I have to figure out what to do with this experiment I started this morning and sort of forgot while dealing with the testing. I think I'll just turn the heat down and leave it at that. Might get results, who knows.

Right after the presentation

Way hey. The presentation went quite well. I think. I should have maybe looked a bit more at the people but it is sort of hard to do while explaining a crystal structure that's behind my back. I also tried to smile. I don't think my voice gave up at all. The big boss commented on my hand gestures after the presentation. Asked if I play the piano. I guess it is not just me when I think I should maybe lose a bit of the hand gestures at times. But in the academic world it can be seen as just a weird personality. That can't hurt now can it. right now I'm getting my "after the actual cause" nervousness. Lots of adrenaline I guess. I was a bit nervous while my boss was talking. My hands would like to move faster than I can type.

Luckily for me the weather is also clearing up so I might not get wet while biking to German class. It has actually never rained while I've been going there. Very lucky. ("knock on wood")

Going climbing tomorrow. Really waiting for that.

Is it bad if I spend 200 eur on aquarium things? I really need the most expensive of the lot. An external filter. I think I may get an internal one too. ("Might as well get everything new while I'm at it") Maybe I'll order tomorrow. I should have money. I have to go check.

Boring weekend

I had a rather boring weekend. Well it started out nicely since we went climbing on Friday and I went and bought the equipment. I even climbed this really hard wall by just deciding not to give up. Giving up is like falling. Now I just have to go climbing every week. I also have to do something else to get in better shape so I can climb better. I decided to start walking the stairs up to my appartment. It is on the seventh floor. That should help.

But yeah other than Friday I did nothing special. Went shopping but I did not buy anything big. Took a two hour nap. Organized some folders on my computer and fiddled around with some pictures so when the computer is next on the net I can have a new picture on messenger. Read a book. Made some food. Ate some food. Washed dishes like 4 times. Noticed that it was my nameday on Sunday when I got a message from my big brother. Had some coffee and Irish cream liquer chocolates to "celebrate". Thought about the people I would have invited for coffee and cake back home (mmm cheesecake maybe). Played the dancing game. Went for a walk around the block. Cleaned the appartment. Started reading another book. And well mostly I was just bored.

I guess I have to be bored at times to notice when I'm not.

I got the presentation for the bigger crowd tomorrow. Not nervous. Should be maybe. Have to try to be tonight after German class. I have to practice what to say really. But I should get going home before I have to get going again.

Come as you are

This fall I have gotten more spam in my university account than ever. It pisses me off. (In fact I get more spam in my university mail than in my "trash"-mail which just seems sort of weird.) I finally decided to do something about it. I noticed that there was a filter that deleted all the e-mails that were definitely spam by some criteria that I'm not even trying to explain. Then I noticed that most the spam I do get has some sort of spam rating but is still not definately classified as spam. I then made my own filter in webmail. (I used to use pine but can't at work and I think I did set up a filter on that ages ago.) Had to do a bit of experiments with it to get it to work which was made easy by the fact that while I was fooling around with it I got like 4 spam mails. Now this morning I came to work and checked my university mail like every morning and to my immense satisfaction there was not one spam in the inbox. (All of the not definitely spam but spam however messages in my new spambox.) Mission accomplished. My life will be much happier from now on.

Did not go climbing yesterday. (Will maybe go tomorrow.) Did, however, go to see a Finnish band called Bloodpit. Now it may seem a weird thing to do especially since the band is not really my sort of ensemble. My boss, with whom I was supposed to go climbing, called me after lunch and said that she was going to go see the band with her boyfriend since they had suddenly heard about it from their neighbor. I was quite disappointed about the climbing but since I was invited to see the band I decided to think about it. There was not really much to think about since I don't really get out that often and even though after checking the band out in the internet I totally knew it was not my sort of thing, I decided to go. I even had time to do laundry before the concert so no worries.

So we get to the place and it is like really small. We find out there are 2 bands performing before the finnish group, which I'd really never heard of until my boss called me. The first bands were local. I drank a beer and got a crush on the guitarist on the first band. The second band was not so good (-looking?). The music was more of the kind I like but I didn't like their act. As I went to get a gin&tonic the singer of the finnish band came asking for water at the bar. The girls next to me asked him for autographs. I contemplated doing the same in finnish but decided against it. When the band finally came on I was sort of disappointed. And then the singer was like "you all must know this one" and played what was apparently their hit which did not ring any bells for me. I did however move along with the music and do my "fake" smile thing.

Oh the audience. If you happen to know the band you must guess. Yes, totally a "not me" crowd. Teen goth girls. And I do not mean to be mean but one could not help noticing - fat ones. I thought maybe German teen goth girls would be worse than the finnish versions but these girls looked innocent enough even with their huge amount of eyeliner smothered on half their faces. (Oh I also bought an eyeliner yesterday, which I've been meaning to do for quite a while, and thus could maybe almost fit in to the crowd.) Well the German teen goth (soem punk influences) girls apparently also liked HIM as one "might" guess. One of them had a flag of Finland. I felt so special. I had a fun evening even though nothing special happened though just being out is sort of special and I only had those two drinks in case you are wondering.

Announcement to follow...
---------------------------
Are you perhaps lacking in company for the new year? Or do you already have company but would like to brighted the group with a new face? Here is your solution. By commenting on this blog with an invitation or just writing e-mail to the writer you may be able to get a single blond girl to cheer up (or mess up) your new year plans. She is up for a good party, can get along with most people and will bring her own bubbly wine. So don't hesitate. Act now.

More details on this once in a year offer available on request.
---------------------------

The monkey with a jungle appartment

I had a really nice weekend. It was quite surprising actually. I ended up suggesting to my boss that we go to Luxemburg on Saturday since she had nothing to do either with missing the plane. We were going to go until we decided it was not such a good idea with it raining and all. It is like 200 km to Luxemburg from here. A bit too much for a day trip really. We ended up going shopping. I bought another plant. I just could not resist. Well I could have but did not want to. Now my old and new plant are both also in bigger pots. My appartment is a lot more lovely. My boss bought two big plants. I wanted a big one but that I could resist. We also took the dogs for a walk so I got to do that too. I ended up going home at midnight after watching the Matti (Nykänen - famous finnish ski jumper) movie. I just wanted to see it for cultural reasons. It was quite thought provoking actually.

On Sunday we went climbing. Like on walls. I was really afraid I just could not get up a wall at all since I haven't really been doing much with my arms lately and well neither with my feet so much. My fear was really uncalled for. I did great. I'm thinking of starting climbing as a hobby. We are also going tomorrow. I might buy equipment. A starter kit is like 110eur or so. But putting money on excercise equipment is like putting money on my health and well-being. It is always worth it. I'm thinking about it. So who wants to come climbing with me when I come back to Jyväskylä? I'll be needing someone to hold the ropes in case I fall. It's way fun. At least I think so but I was a monkey as a kid so it's really no wonder.

Yesterday when I walked into German class and went to take my seat I was surprised to find the seat next to me, where there is usually this man from Iran (or somewhere there) with whom I do all my pair work, taken by some other new and older man. I was like "uh oh, can I sit there next to him? Will he think it weird that this blond girl just walks in and sits next to him" so I fiddled with my bag and took a really long time to sit down and got my things on the table while still standing and all trying to decide which seat to sit on. It was very weird. I ended up sitting next to him since there are not usually so many seats free and the other seats next to me would probably all be taken. So I sat down and tried to pull my chair a bit further from him without it seeming obvious just to give myself and him some space. After I sit down I start thinking and looking around and can't figure why the teacher is not treating the new person like she usually treats new people. Then she comes over and talks to the man next to me giving him some copies of things. Then it hits me. This is not a different new person. This is the same person I do my pair work with only with grey in his hair. I was way surprised since I though the person was like 30 maybe or could even have been younger than me since one never really knows. But suddenly he has like grey hair and is at least 45 or something. I think he got a haircut. I was kind of embarrashed since I had not greeted him properly being all weird thinking he was someone else. This kind of thing has never happened to me before.

I find myself not having time. Well mostly now it's because I did not do laundry on Sunday like I was supposed to and now the earliest I will be home for two hours without it being before work or after German class at like 9 will be on Friday most likely. Tomorrow I'm going climbing and German class today and Thursday. I can't do laundry till Friday. I actually don't have time to go properly grocery shopping till Friday. I haven't got much more than sandwich supplies at home. (Yesterday I bought fruit for smoothies.) I have to eat something. I'll try to go shopping on my way home again. Where's all my time gone? I gotta hurry now.

Cancel that

I won't be watching the dogs this weekend because the owners missed their flight. I have to say I am very disappointed. I was really looking forward to walks in the woods as well as surfing the net till I got totally bored of it and annoyed with myself for doing nothing else. But I can't really complain since the people that missed their flight must be a lot more annoyed with what happened along with a bride getting married without the maid of honour and such. I don't even want to think about it.

I will have to see if I can think of something else for this weekend. I don't want to waste my time away in my cold appartment. It's weird suddenly not having anything planned.

The coins

I actually got some writing done today. Way hey. Now I have like 20 pages. Some of the pages still contain mostly heading and I will probably rewrite like most of the text but its something none the less. This is for the theoretical part of my master's thesis. It should be at least 50 pages I guess. A long way to go still I guess.

I went to get chips from the junk food vending machine today and got the first Finnish coin for my euro collection. Yes. How grand. I was like "I haven't got one of these yet" and it's true. Well I guess it's sort of silly but I really don't. I don't know if I've written about my collection yet. I must have. The other funny part is that I have not got many Greek coins even though I was just there this summer. I also don't have many Spanish coins though I was there just last year. I guess that's what you get for only starting to collect now. The thing that got me doing it was getting one coin from Luxemburg. Or actually two of the same. So I was thinking if I am ever to start collecting, now would be a good time. Not that I have many other hobbies here anyway. Now I just have to pay for things with the German coins so that I will get as much change back as possible and then when most of it ends up being German, figure out a way to spend it off. I end up having lots of change at times and then again sometimes I spend it all and end up not having money to buy junk form the vending machine.

I even figured out a genious place to keep my collection - a box that used to contain Irish whisky and cream liquer chocolates. Ten palces for ten countries that I had (no Finland and no Irland). Now I have to figure out where to put my collection of Finnish euros and the Irish ones I will collect when going there. I must still be missing a country but I can't figure out what it is.

Oh but it's off to the store now. Maybe I'll get some new coins. I have tons to buy since it's my once-a-week wednesday grocery day. I need to get tons of fruit for smoothies.

Birthday trip booked

Yesterday I booked tickets to go to Ireland in February. For my birthday weekend that is. I've been meaning to go all this year or at least the whole time I've been here in Germany (or actually for the past five years since I was there last. Oh can it really be that long ago.) It was sort of a spurt of the moment thing really. I've been thinking how I don't want to spend my birthday all alone in my tiny appartment looking back on the great parties me and Elina, and me alone also, have trown before. Now I can party with my big sis. (No pressure. I don't need a party. I may want a cake though. Or a lemon maringue pie. Mmm.) Or at least as I am giving myself the trip as a birthday present I can at least say I got a good one. And what better reason to go crazy shopping than just "buying a few presents for me". ("Oh how did I guess I wanted that just in this green." "How did I know I've been meaning to buy something like this for ages." "Thank me.")

Ok so I like birthdays. Well at least my own. I also like Christmas. In the end I don't think me liking either has much to do with presents (as unlikely as it may seem). I just like having a day just for me (my twin and loads of other people on the planet). It's just one more reason to be happy for a day even though it means I will be getting older. The reason I like Christmas has a lot to do with the food. Lots of food and good food. It may also have even more to do with the fact that the whole, or most my family, is together with nothing else to do but cook, eat and play games.

Oh but I am waiting forward to the trip for reason that have nothing to do with my birthday. I will get to see new places and my big sis and her husband. I will also have a short vacation which may be what I will need at that time of my stay here, as it is then drawing to a close. I get to be excited about something though the actual thing is three months away. It makes me spontaneously smile at odd moments when I let my thoughts wander. I like it when people suddenly catch me smiling or laughing.

Another Monday

I had a really nice weekend. I got to do lots of cooking and baking. I felt I was using my weekend for something usefull for a change. There was also a dinnerparty that was lots of fun. Nice people, interesting conversation and good food. I had a little something to do with the food part. I also partook in the conversation. I may also be a nice person among the others. So all in all it was nice.

Also went to Ikea on Saturday. I bought a reading lamp. I just had to put it in place when I came home around 12 on Saturday night. I was so excited about it. Then of course I had to read a bit just to try it out. I worked like a wonder - there was light and I did not have to get out of bed to turn it off. And all this for only around 10 euros. I also have like 3 extra light bulbs for it since I could not just buy one.

Friday was not a very successfull day for shopping. No bag and no shoes wanted to go home with me. Two books did. It was weird being in line at the cashier at the book store and the person in front of me asking for the books to be packed. As in Christmas presents. It's the beginning of November for Pete's sake. Buying present at this time would be smart and all but the stores actually packing them this early is just stupid. The cashier even asked me if I wanted the books packed (gift wrapped). I was like "Nein" and most likely gave her a face like "does it look like these are for anyone but me". It looked like everyone but me was either out for Christmas present or sweaters. There were tons of sweaters on display and tons of people buying them. I think it might be that time of the year then though I've never noticed such a rush of people out buying sweaters.

Ok, so I should still be working. I just don't know what to do. Or I should write for sure but don't feel like it. I was just supposed to do these solutions today but they took less time than expected. Then I put this other experiment running but that took less time than expected. Now I just don't feel like starting to write since I could not do it for long anyways. I have also planned a few experiments I could do. I should think of more but I feel stupid just sitting and thinking. Besides if I just sit and think my thoughts have a habit of going places that have nothing to do with the experiments. Though I think I can kind of think about two things at the same time. Or make my brain think it is thinking of the experiments but at the same time let my thoughts wander about. So this might not have made any sense. Excuse me for writing while thinking about the experiments.

It is quite boring starting a week of work and German classes after a fun weekend. At least I have watching the dogs to look forward to for the weekend. It should be a change again. Yes, I will get bored with the internet and it's ability to entertain me again over next weekend. I will also have a tv to stare at and a radio to listen to.

The problems with shopping

Way hey. Presentation done. It went quite good. The audience was interested and at least said it was a good presentation. I'll be doing another presentation on the same subject to different and bigger audience around at the end of this month so that should go nicely too. It's good to get some experience hearing my own voice. It's jsut funny talking about desolvating solvates to get the solvent out. I get mixed up with them sounding so much the same. But I think everyone does that and people probably don't even notice if I don't.

I think I will have to go shopping after work. I need to get a new bag. The zipper on my old one is practically falling appart. I'm just of course having big difficulties deciding what sort of bag I want. I might just get like an Eastpack. One of those normal old fashioned ones. In green of course. But then I've been thinking I might need a bigger one to take on short trips and maybe even one where I could put my laptop. But then again I want a small one just to take to German class and work. Maybe I should jsut separate these two things and decide that I actually "need" two new bags. And I'm not even getting into handbags here. Then of course I'm thinking I don't really want an Eastpack or like a Jansport since they are big brands and I was thinkin of taking the tags off anyway. Then again they are sort of signs of quality though the zippers on Jansports always seem to fall appart or not work in the end. Though this might be since they are actually used longer than other bags. And the thing is my current bag is a Jansport and it is just crooked. First I though my shoulders were weird or something but luckily it ended up being the bag. That's not quality.

I could also get new shoes. I don't really know what sort though so that's quite a difficulty. I don't know whether I want to look more sophisticated or if I just want to get sneakers of sorts. Like Converse winter sneakers. Then again I don't know if the Converse style is quite me. Yes, simple things can be made quite difficult. I just don't want to waste my money. I'd like to think the things I'll buy will suit me for at least a year or till I wear them out.

I'll have to decide if I want to go across the river or not. If I really want to find something it is a good idea to go further. I'm just a bit lazy. Though I think I could take the tram. I'll have to take the tram. Actually I feel a little bit like taking a nap. I think I'll just head on home and think on my couch instead of making you read all about my plans for my boring Friday.

Decisions, decisions.

Have a nice weekend! I should also do the same. I actually have plans for tomorrow.

The presentation tomorrow

I've got my presentation tomorrow. I only got nervous yesterday when I was actually looking at the slides at home and thinking about what I'm going to say. It was weird having my hearth beating faster and feeling nervous right at home at "my" desk. (It might also partly have been the coffee I had earlier that day.) Today all I did was draw structures for the show till lunch and time passed really fast. After lunch though I have not gotten much done. Though I don't really have anything to do but practise what to say and doing that in the lab seems weird. I think I shall go home a bit earlier and try to practice before German class.

I was talking with Maria on the phone yesterday and thinking I should open my voice up before the show just to not have any voice problems. As in with the muscles and everything. As a singer she told me of a good exersice I tried out yesterday. It worked. I'll have to do lots of "rrrrrr"-ing tomorrow morning. The thing I noticed that I've actually noticed myself having more problems with controlling my voice. As in it comes out too quiet. I was thinking about this yesterday and came up with the probable reason. I don't use it. As in my voice. I mostly just talk to myself and that does not require loads of volume and if I did do it loud other people might think me weird. Maybe to combat this problem I will talk louder to myself at home. The neighbors might just think I have visitors. Of course the other thing to do is to talk to other people. I may have to work on trying this out too.

But yeah. Wish me luck.
(Oh for the people that care, here is some places and times: Turku harbour 23.12 morning, again Turku harbour 4.1 evening.)