The start of the obsession....

I've put my pictures up on my flickr site for Budapest so you can go there
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42633451@N04/
I just can't be bothered to write up anymore from that, so if your interested look there.

Anyway, I can see that Sunday out and about with the camera might become a habbit (or perhaps a hobby).
for your delectation I bring you Looking towards downtown Sapporo from my apartment. I really love how I can see the hills from my apartment, on a clear day I can see the distant mountains (above), I don't know what they are ...maybe the Hidaka range or even the bottom of the daisetsu range? I'd love to know.

the streets of Susukino in Sapporo.... Its about to get more colourful
I took a walk down the main street in Susukino on Sunday. Susukino is the largest nightlife "entertainment" area outside of Tokyo apparently. The last image is what most people photograph, I did with my other digital point and shoot, but my new baby does make it much sharper and brighter. I'm looking forward to autumn coming properly so I can see how the leaf colours come out with it.

Silver week snoozefest

This week we had 3 days of holidays, 5 days including the weekend. I was gloriously lazy, I slept alot and enjoyed just being around my apartment.
I had to come into work on Monday as I had to revise a manuscript for a journal and the deadline was that day, I'm glad I did as on Thursday I got into work to find my review article has been accepted for publication, big smiles all around.
Its the first national holiday I've had with no plans, I've not gone anywhere or had anyone visiting. I kinda liked it....maybe I should do this more often?
Of course you'd think I'd have written up my post on Budapest-well sorry, it is coming shortly though, I think it will be a photo heavy one too.

Back in the land of efficiency and miso soup

Back, in body if not in mind.... I think thats still somewhere over Russia. My poster had such a good time its hanging around Helsinki airport still (I wish I was there). The last stage of the journey from Osaka to the apartment was a trail yesterday.... I was seriously sleep deprived by that point. Caught up a little now but I think this afternoon in work will be nap time at the desk and its not helping that its so quiet. Anyway when my brain reaches me I"ll write up my trip report and put up some pictures from my snazzy camera.

Pre conference flight plan... 2 days to go

The last week I"ve been working away getting organised to go. Yeah, I know I'm not trekking up Everest or anything, but hey...
All of a sudden on Tuesday, my mini boss looks at my poster properly and we decide to completely re-arrange etc etc. so I ended up working till 10pm.
Finally on Thursday the poster was good to go, I spent an hour cycling round the campus trying to find the print unit, I even walked past the office but didn't realise. The office name is completely in kanji ( i think I was expecting to be able to read print in katakana or something, more fool me!). In the end I came back and made puppy eyes and sad faces at the guys in the lab and got them to ring and arrange a lab pick up. So all being well the poster arrives today.

At the same time as this I came up with the theory of how it all works- I even animated it, I"m pretty impressed with it so far *preens*.

Last weekend I got some old kimono's from this great shop in Otaru- my mum wants some for some friends of hers, however being old and mostly silk, they're pretty heavy, I hope I can fit them in my suitcase....
I also splurged and got me a digital SLR camera (Nikon D300) with 2 lenses, so this week I"ve been getting to grips with the basics and getting a practical sized camera bag. I hope this means that my Budapest pictures will look fabulous.
Yesterday I bit the bullet and got my hair cut. Theres a new salon at the bottom end of the campus, next to my old apartment. I requested (with photos) the Cameron diaz look from "The Holiday" and I"m pretty impressed. Its the shortest its been for a while, but the guys were good- a fabulous head and shoulder massage and the stylist even showed me how to brush and dry into shape. And the shampoo'ing and styling did not turn my hair into grease. Its weird to have short hair again, I keep running my fingers through and abruptly it finishes. The guys in the lab were suitably impressed this morning. *grins happily*
Now all thats left is to pack this evening and pray the typhoon currently coming close to Osaka keeps away.