Its that Friday Feeling again

Playing with powerpoint to make a montage of Sapporo from the top of Maruyama

I think Friday should be declared a permanent national holiday. I'm sure large parts of the world will join me in wanting this too.

I actually managed to do some work this week. I think the fact that I've got 3 weeks left till I'm at my conference has been a great incentive for work. That and the practice run through, poster check that will happen next wednesday.
My mini boss returned from his conference in the states in one piece, despite having to run the gauntlet of bears between his cabin and the conference site! It certainly makes for a more interesting conference, maybe they can throw those who over run on their presentations out for some bear mauling. Since I'll be in Budapest, I think the chances of me meeting a bear will be much lower- I'll just have to run the gauntlet of not being able to speak any hungarian.

I got some random (read: ARggggghhh why is it like that??!) results and so I've spent this week trying to repeat and see if it was real (which means much more complications if it is). I loathe real-time PCR at the best of times, but today I nearly had a hissy fit at the damed machine.
The real-time PCR machine is several floors below me in the main lab and so I trotted off with my USB drive to pick up my results from the overnight run, thought it all transferred so closed down the ancient laptop. Back up at my desk I discover that the file of results is blank, despite being able to see them on the laptop previously. This is the second time its done this trick, the last time it took 3 goes up and down and then eventually I gave up and had to copy the data by hand off the laptop (which with 60+ samples is not fun). Apparently it objected to my file name this time so fortunately I was able to pull the data from it second time around.
The results aren't ideal still so I guess this means a morning in the lab tomorrow to run some more experiments and pin it down..... SIGH!

Another lazy Friday

Well the end of another week. My motivation levels are pretty low still. This week I've also not got so much sleep, its got all hot and sunny and me being the weakling that I am doesn't do so well with nights that are hot (20C- see how much of a weakling I am). I even had a little nap in my favourite hiddy hole in work- the cell culture room with its gently drone of the extractor fans and sunshine and extremly comfortable chair. That was after I cleaned out the crap that some previous user had left behind. Someone doesn't seem to clean up their spills which gets me gnarky, but I shall zen and not say anything for now.....
Disappointly, I have decided that I can't get to Fujisan this year. Stuff happens- work has gotten in the way of the weekend I was going to go and I've got work that I should be doing hanging over me too. Also, its pretty expensive to fly off to Tokyo for a weekend and then not to be able to climb because the weather is crappy or something. So next year then- by which time I'll be amazonian- woman- like with my fitness (ha ha).
My mini boss is off to a conference next week and we're into the Obon quiet time in the lab, so hopefully I can sneak an afternoon off work undetected.
I think this evening is time for a "pamper me" session in the bath. I have some onsen bath salts from Kyushu to try out. Have a good weekend

Friday loafing

I'm stuck in the lab when I'd rather be outside enjoying another summer day in Sapporo (2 in a row!-miracles will happen). Thank god for my ipod and the guilty pleasure of S club7 and facebook.
I have attend a lecture at 6pm this evening- it will be very medical and the only reason I'm going is that its in English, that and the email which came a few days ago suggesting I go. I've realised when they email in english its usually it means "you will go" as opposed to "could go". I should be reading papers, preparing my poster or something, but heck its Friday and I was at the beer garden yesterday so I'm all mellow.
I love the beer garden in Sapporo- there was a good crowd of us foreigners and we had an excellent time, but the locals around us were really in the party spirit last night- up on the tables dancing at one point. It's so refreshing to see everyone relaxed and informal for once.
Lets hope the weather keeps up for the weekend so I can get to the beer garden.
Have a good weekend!

Messing around with format- whaddya think?

Ohh pink is much better I rekon....

right time for lunch I think- I need to pop back to the apartment and load up on my anti-moz stuff since its time for the annual departmental BBQ today (and its not raining for once!!)

A monthly summary

July has been knackering...It was super busy at the beginning submitting abstracts for meetings and sorting out accommodation for another meeting in September. Then I was put on registration desk duty at an international meeting our department held. Mostly for english language support- though I found myself speaking alot of Japanese. I couldn't stop bowing to everyone, including all the Aussies who were there (score one for loopy foreign behavoir- I think I need to escape Japan for a bit). It was punishingly hard days though- smart and heels for 4 days and smiling and helpful from 8am till 10pm at night. I was a little miffed at being called "secretary" by the department head when he introduced me to the delegates- though I suppose thats what I was actually mostly doing at the conference.
Thank god the following weekend was umi-no-hi holiday weekend. I was incredibly lazy for the whole weekend and it was great, shame that the weather was wet and cold. Though I ended up with a sore throat and fever off that weekend. My hypochondriac brain went into overdrive as I though maybe it was the dreaded H1N1... however a day off work sorted that out. Last weekend I went on a full on Japanese tour up to Rishiri and Rebun island (off the north of Hokkaido), which I will post about at some point.
This week has been a bust on productive work though as I"m fighting off a cold I got when I was up there and I just can't seem to find motivation at the moment. Probably its this god awful weather we've had this month. Not as bad as the south of Japan admittly but still, grey and cool and rain almost everyday- so very different from the last 2 summers I"ve been here.


Okay lets be positive to finish
1. I'm leveling up in my tennis this weekend!- I will no longer be lowest of the low (newmon), but will be at the beginner stage which means an extra 30mins to the lessons (up to 1 and half hours now).
2. I think in the next week I will be able to eat my first ever homegrown (by me) tomatoes last weeks first fruits

3. Finally booked my flights for the meeting in September in Budapest, managing to squeeze an extra days holiday out of it too.

And the title for worst blogger goes to....

Yes, I suck at blogging. I don't know, sometimes I get these ideas that such and such would be wonderful to do, and then give up.
Work has got in the way along with life and I have had no motivation to write anything, especially after reading other blogs and getting major blog envy.
Maybe I'll see if I can stick to just writing small update instead of essays and pictures.
So this post is me trying look busy in work at 7pm at night as the lab is still buzzing with people and I don't want to be the first to leave as I usually do, especially after sneakily taking Friday afternoon off to fly to Tokyo for the weekend.
I should be probably doing some experiments or writing that weekly report or trying to get my figures into my manuscript, but my brain is not functioning at 100% today.

Hibernation blues

This weekend I've been in full hibernation mode- its much nicer to watch the snow showers from the warmth of my fleecy blanket and toasty apartment than being out in them. I realised I've been very bad at updating my blog- I barely got started and my friends arrived from the UK and  I went on holiday round Japan. We had a great time visiting the sights, a busy 2 weeks. I got back to work and found I had been missed. So I've spent the last 2 months catching up and making up for taking 10 days holiday. I don't think it bothered me last year, but this year the small amount of holiday has been hard. Anyway, lurking round my apartment I figured I may aswell update this blog. 

Its gone from Autumn to winter in the past week. All the last remaining leaves fell with the first snow last week and this week, we got our first good snowfall.  The first picture is on Hokkaido University campus (where I work) about 3 weeks ago. The Ginkyo tree avenue is one of the popular photograph spots in Sapporo (for Japanese anyway). 

This is the view this week. 

I'm glad its thawing a little  now, so I've got chance to get more prepared for the long winter months- I've a pair of ice grips now for crossing the streets.  My ski gear is being sorted, I started to learn to ski last year so I'm looking forward to learning some more.