Sunday 15 August 2010

What I did this August by me aged 32 and half...

These last two weeks have brought new cinema trips- the sauna like heat drove me indoors to the airconditioned places. I went and saw the new Ghibli movie The Borrower Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ, Karigurashi no Arietti). I'm pretty impressed that could follow most of the dialogue despite my crappy Japanese, though I guess it helps that it is a kiddies story.
It was really beautifully animated and the story was easy to follow with really nice music- in ENGLISH! well sung by a french woman in English at least. I also saw The Sorcerers Apprentice (suprisingly enjoyable even if its horribly cliched).

I also survived my friends hen party- kept the peace between competing chiefs at the event,well attempted to at least.

I spent most of last week with swelling, pain, itching and eventually antibiotics. The blasted heat and humidity addled my brain and I stupidly left the screen open overnight so that a maurading mozzie enjoyed a feast whilst I slept. The resulting bites were not pretty.
The evil bugger even got my little finger which swelled up and turned purple with a scary red line advancing down the back of my hand. Fortunately being in a lab in a medical school means that my neighbours are doctors with boxes of free drugs so within 2 minutes of showing my hand a pack of superstrong antibiotics were given to me which stopped me from indulging in my hypochondria of tetanus and amputations.

I have been working to. I wrote a fellowship application so that I can get 2 years of money and stay in Japan. This would be great, but recently new complications have come along which are causing me some small worries.
Firstly, my mini boss got promoted, which means he's moving off down south where the big bugs roam. It took him by surprise, on account his interview was waaaaaaaaay back in February. And they want him to start in September so he's reaching new levels of stress at the moment trying to do everything. This means that the money for our research is about to also head south so we've been on frantic spending spree's to see us through to next year. Also non of us (probably not even the mini boss) knows whats going to happen to our group. Who will be the next head of the lab? what happens to the technicians, students and me???? is this fellowship for here or the other university. I don't know, he doesn't know....
We would ask his highness, but he's been away on his summer hols and hasn't appeared back when he should... so with an AWOL department head things are feeling abit unsettled for me and the application deadline is rapidly approaching.

2 comments:

umebossy said...

Ooh your poor bites! I went through a totally paranoid phase when even though the windows were shut and the anti mozzie plug-in on, I would spray myself with insect repellant each night before bed... haven't seen any at the new place though so calmed down a bit ;)

Sorry to hear that things are a bit up in the air at work at the moment - hope that your department head turns up soon and you can get a bit of clarification on how things will be going forward...

Heather said...

The plot thickens with His Highness as apparently he's in hospital for the next 2 months, but no-one knows or saying what it is. At least my mini boss is going to help us out with the application though so something is happening at least.

Meanwhile there was another mozzie yesterday, I guess its just been so hot up here they're spreading.