Learning the language of *%@#**

Oh hell, I know I've not been very good at blogging. Its been hard to find the energy and something to write about too. Truth be told I've not been very good at getting anything going recently. I think I've been caught up in getting used to my new job and learning the ropes of all this new job entails, as well as catching up on friends, family and carrot cake.

Part of this is learning the business side of research and the language that apparently goes with it. And boy has it been frustrating at times.

The research side I love and really enjoy, already I've learnt some new things and I think I've nearly got the whole working with other people down pat (I'm almost surprised how easy that's been), but my funding is part university, part company and part government and this means I have to attend courses and fill out many forms along. Things like personal development plans, forcefield analysis, executive reports- things that take me far from my comfort zone. I'm happy in my world of PCR, western blots, shRNA, siRNA and transfections etc. (I'd explain, but that would take hours- so try the font of all knowledge known as wikipedia for an overview of those terms should you wish to know more;or bore yourself to death)

Now I have to take on a whole new world of language, and I've found it kinda frustrating because so much of it seems like rubbish. So much of it seems like stupid terms which hide what are in fact simple things; executive summary? Actually just a summary of work:forcefield analysis- nothing to do with Star trek, is just a list of people or things that influence the progress of a project. I think its this whole perverting simple ideas by wrapping it in crap terminology that has me bugged.

Unfortunately, I've got to embrace this language to complete this project; I'm off to a course in a couple of weeks which will will involve all of this so I'd best start embracing this sooner rather than later. The only consolation is that this course will be in a luxury country house hotel with pool and spa.

Wordless, but not soundless Wednesday

Wanderlust weekends

Phew...I'm having day 2 of resting up and its so good. I feel like I haven't really stopped for the last couple of months, moving flats, getting to grips with work and then I've been out and about visiting friends and family. I popped to Edinburgh at the beginning of April to meet up with my friends, who were across from Sweden on a conference and a fresh arrival out from Sapporo to here to wait for their work permit to head to Sweden. O was in Tokyo getting his visa for the UK on the day of the March 11th earthquake so it was good to see him.The weather was a lovely early spring day

From there I decided to pay a surprise Mothers day visit on my family- another 4 hours north of Edinburgh. It paid off, she had no idea and was grumping at the lack of card before I arrived unexpectedly; of course later she says she knew I was coming...

It was a lovely trip up and down, through some of my favourite scenery. Parts of Hokkaido always reminded me of parts of Scotland (maybe thats why it was easy to live there...). The following weekend, it was party time at the racecourse in Newcastle, where I managed to bag a prize from the prize draw, not the tickets to New York, but still very much appreciated.

A couple of weekends at home and then I was off travelling for Easter- down to London to meet up with some more friends for a trip to see the fantastic Legally Blonde musical and chill out in pre-wedding, heat wave tourist infested London.

Well, after all that its been nice to be a tad lazy, although when I say lazy, I have spend most of my weekends popping into the lab with various experiments to do and paperwork to try and catch up on. I think its all the work thats been keeping me really, really busy recently. and I still feel like I've got loads to catch up on and get to grips with...still, but more on that later (if I have time).

Golden weekend

Yes, I'm still around. I'm enjoying the super extended weekend, thanks to a certain wedding (what! you mean you haven't heard about it? or seen the highlights repeated or the special edition newspapers/magazines/mugs or chocolates? have you been in a coma?).

I should be able to catch up on all of my recent travels, this being the first weekend in well over a month that I'm not somewhere else or having people over.

Wordless Friday

Thank goodness its Friday...Chill out in front of the TV

100th post from the new pad

Well apparently I've written 100 posts, or maybe thats written but not posted 100. Anyway Woo hoo! go me.

I've been a bit quiet on the old internet recently, due to moving out of the temporary uni accommodation into my new spacious flat of loveliness. This place didn't have internet...something I really find I really do need. My new place also has a flatmate , but she has no computer and no need for internet access...something which I and the guys in work find almost an alien concept. She's not old and is working at a perfectly modern job, but has no need for internet access.

Anyway, as of last Tuesday there is now glorious broadband installed in my lovely Edwardian Era flat, it took the poor old engineer 4 hours to get it in as the phone line seemed to have been installed in the Edwardian Era as well. I am glad to be able to freely check my emails of an evening or surf you tube, catch up on blogs and friends far away and finally free to watch UK TV and start re-discovering who's in and what crap there is to watch too.

I think about 10 days ago though I was very glad of my non-existent internet, the panic inducing, over reacting, constantly updating news from Japan was really getting to me. It was terrible listening to the news in the UK, according to them the WHOLE of Japan was at imminent risk of meltdown, foreigners fleeing and deserted Tokyo streets and stores, which I couldn't help feel really took away from those genuinely suffering in there smashed and swamped towns and was also really creating a panic here for those who have friends or relatives out in Japan. Watching the NHK news and reading the blogs of you lot out there painted a somewhat less over-reacting scene that the news painted over here- thankfully I might add. Added to this I was playing at Japan expert around the lunch and coffee tables in work as everyone asked about where I was and what was happening. The news I did get to watch left me disturbed and I had quite a few disturbing dreams. It was a relief to get to last Friday when the whole Libyan thing overtook the earthquake and tsunami news here. Not really sure what's happening in Libya and why we're there, but apparently no-one is minding at the moment (well maybe a certain Colonel and his cohort is...).

Aside from that life goes on here, work is pretty good- the boss seems happy with our progress anyway. I've already been learning new techniques, even been to a few talks too. I've even been to a Wedding reception; one of the post docs in the department got married out in a lovely country hall up near Morpeth and we all got an invite to the evening reception. It was a lovely night out, I even managed to get some dancing in (good ol' wedding disco music- 60's music for the parents and uncles, pop for the youngsters and some random stuff for the groom and his friends).

I'm looking forward to having a quiet weekend to really unpack and sort out the place properly, though not this weekend- I'm off to Edinburgh to meet up with S and her fiance O (fresh from Sapporo) for the day before a surprise Mother's day trip up home. Nor the next weekend, when I'm off to a ball up a the racecourse. Hopefully soon though. And shortly I will post some piccys- they're taken, they just need uploading, but as its now 1am and I have a western blot to run tomorrow I'd probably should get some sleep.

Night night for now

Not shaken, but stirred

Stunned and horrified by the images I'm seeing on the internet, I'm glad I don't have a TV yet, because I think I would be seeing worse and wouldn't have been able to get to work at all yesterday. Last night the images replayed in my mind, along with the trip I took in that area last year.

I have spent the last day and half checking all the blogs, facebook, skyping friends, sending emails just to make sure, even though I know at the same time that everyone should be fine, that they don't live in (or even near) the Tohoku region, but when you see that almost unreal video of a black tide of burning debris racing over fields, villages, houses, cars, people you want to make sure, because its all you can do.

My family are profoundly happy I'm back in the UK, I'm glad too, although at the same time I feel like I should be there as well. All that tiny shakes I experienced in Sapporo I know were probably nothing like what happened on Friday, I can't imagine what it felt like even though I try.

I'm so glad everyone that I know or read are all fine; happy that my friend who had travelled to Tokyo could contact me. I hope it stays that way.

I'm not very religious but what ever peace there can be for those caught up in this I hope it comes quickly.