Number of successful experiments run to date: 0
Number of remaining working days in Paris: 13
[[sigh]]
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Crazy Saturday
You know those days that don't follow the plan? Well, that was Saturday.
The morning was filled with errands (since I found out last weekend that nothing useful is open on Sundays). I did laundry, grocery shopping, and errands. In my errands I walked around Paris and walked all the way back to my apartment from downtown, poking in little shops along the way. I even came across the first store with AC that I've found so far! (It was a lingerie shop.) I picked up some other things in other stores too, but when I got home, I noticed that one of the stores had forgotten to put one of the things I bought in the bag. I wasn't sure that going back and complaining was going to be useful, since I had no idea how to explain any of this in French. So I'll just have to go buy it again later. Ugh.
Then in the afternoon I attempted to get some work done but got distracted online instead. Finally Sungyon asked if I wanted to have a working evening together, so she came over and we lay on my bed and did work. I even got a decent draft of my paper together! Around 8pm, Sungyon decided to head home and that's when she realized that she didn't have her keys. She had managed to lock herself out of her apartment! This led to a 2 hr adventure while we tried to figure out what to do. She didn't have her cell phone, and mine was out of credit. We couldn't figure out how to recharge mine, and I have no landline, so she needed to find another way to call her landlord. We finally went to her fave cafe, where she knows the owner, to borrow their phone. Turns out her landlord is on vacation in Switzerland. Did you know that a locksmith in Paris costs 500-600 Euros? Well, they do. Anyways, after a variety of craziness, the plan became that Sungyon would sleep over at my place and then the landlord's son would give her the spare key the next day. We also figured out how to recharge my phone (yay!) It ended up being ok, but it definitely wasn't the evening I imagined! :-P
The morning was filled with errands (since I found out last weekend that nothing useful is open on Sundays). I did laundry, grocery shopping, and errands. In my errands I walked around Paris and walked all the way back to my apartment from downtown, poking in little shops along the way. I even came across the first store with AC that I've found so far! (It was a lingerie shop.) I picked up some other things in other stores too, but when I got home, I noticed that one of the stores had forgotten to put one of the things I bought in the bag. I wasn't sure that going back and complaining was going to be useful, since I had no idea how to explain any of this in French. So I'll just have to go buy it again later. Ugh.
Then in the afternoon I attempted to get some work done but got distracted online instead. Finally Sungyon asked if I wanted to have a working evening together, so she came over and we lay on my bed and did work. I even got a decent draft of my paper together! Around 8pm, Sungyon decided to head home and that's when she realized that she didn't have her keys. She had managed to lock herself out of her apartment! This led to a 2 hr adventure while we tried to figure out what to do. She didn't have her cell phone, and mine was out of credit. We couldn't figure out how to recharge mine, and I have no landline, so she needed to find another way to call her landlord. We finally went to her fave cafe, where she knows the owner, to borrow their phone. Turns out her landlord is on vacation in Switzerland. Did you know that a locksmith in Paris costs 500-600 Euros? Well, they do. Anyways, after a variety of craziness, the plan became that Sungyon would sleep over at my place and then the landlord's son would give her the spare key the next day. We also figured out how to recharge my phone (yay!) It ended up being ok, but it definitely wasn't the evening I imagined! :-P
Friday, July 9, 2010
Field Trip!
Today I went to Ecole Polytechnique to visit some labs there (and because my former labmate Sungyon works there). I had always heard people joke about the stairs to go from the train station to the university at the top of the hill. Come on, I lived on a volcano in New Zealand, how bad could it get?
Well, this is steep...
Hm, and here are the stairs...
Turned a corner, more stairs...
Still more stairs...
Are you sure we aren't there yet?
But at last!
We arrived! Its a beautiful campus on top of the hill.
We checked out LadHyx, saw cool research, and talked to cool people. (No pictures, Scientists are shy people.)
Then we admired the natural beauty of the school. Sungyon explained that there are horses because its a military school, so horseback riding is a popular sport. (Imagine a bunch of college kids dressed up in French Military dress uniforms cantering across a field.)
Then we got to admire the lake on campus (and watch some military exercises, once again, no pics.)
And someone was even kind enough to snap a picture of me.
Well, this is steep...
Hm, and here are the stairs...
Turned a corner, more stairs...
Still more stairs...
Are you sure we aren't there yet?
But at last!
We arrived! Its a beautiful campus on top of the hill.
We checked out LadHyx, saw cool research, and talked to cool people. (No pictures, Scientists are shy people.)
Then we admired the natural beauty of the school. Sungyon explained that there are horses because its a military school, so horseback riding is a popular sport. (Imagine a bunch of college kids dressed up in French Military dress uniforms cantering across a field.)
Then we got to admire the lake on campus (and watch some military exercises, once again, no pics.)
And someone was even kind enough to snap a picture of me.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
my town
Today I hung out with friends new and old, from dinner with a new friend to coffee and gelato with some old lab buddies.
As I was walking to meet my lab friends at the gardens, I noticed some unusual activity on one of the tiny streets I normally walk along. I especially liked the faux lightposts (note the bright green paint).
And later, as my friends and I wandered back up the hill with our gelatos, we saw even more action. Thanks to Sofiene's traslating, the rumors being circulated were that it was a new Woody Allen movie being filmed.
But the filming was in the way of me getting home, so we walked a few blocks around and then cut back across to my street. We stopped near the cones that were barricading the road to lick our dripping gelatos and say our long (french) goodbyes. Suddenly the guards in the street started moving the cones and telling us to get out of the way. An antique car came rolling up the narrow road and slowed to make the sharp corner onto the blocked-off portion of my street. It was an old convertible, 1920s style, with beautiful people dressed in period clothes spilling out onto the back of the car. We turned to look but I didn't recognize anyone. "Oh, some indie film," I thought. But then as the car turned I could see the people in the back more clearly and I locked eyes with Owen Wilson. We stared at each other for what seemed like too long to be coincidence. (I think he was jealous of my gelato - it was hot.) Then the car turned. I couldn't help but be so happy in my little neighborhood. I mean, I always thought it was beautiful but sometimes its nice to know that other people like it too. And mostly I was really proud. When I looked at Owen Wilson, I think there was this twinge of jealously. I could have said to him "I live here, don't you wish you did too?" Or maybe he really did just want my gelato.
As I was walking to meet my lab friends at the gardens, I noticed some unusual activity on one of the tiny streets I normally walk along. I especially liked the faux lightposts (note the bright green paint).
And later, as my friends and I wandered back up the hill with our gelatos, we saw even more action. Thanks to Sofiene's traslating, the rumors being circulated were that it was a new Woody Allen movie being filmed.
But the filming was in the way of me getting home, so we walked a few blocks around and then cut back across to my street. We stopped near the cones that were barricading the road to lick our dripping gelatos and say our long (french) goodbyes. Suddenly the guards in the street started moving the cones and telling us to get out of the way. An antique car came rolling up the narrow road and slowed to make the sharp corner onto the blocked-off portion of my street. It was an old convertible, 1920s style, with beautiful people dressed in period clothes spilling out onto the back of the car. We turned to look but I didn't recognize anyone. "Oh, some indie film," I thought. But then as the car turned I could see the people in the back more clearly and I locked eyes with Owen Wilson. We stared at each other for what seemed like too long to be coincidence. (I think he was jealous of my gelato - it was hot.) Then the car turned. I couldn't help but be so happy in my little neighborhood. I mean, I always thought it was beautiful but sometimes its nice to know that other people like it too. And mostly I was really proud. When I looked at Owen Wilson, I think there was this twinge of jealously. I could have said to him "I live here, don't you wish you did too?" Or maybe he really did just want my gelato.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Pastries 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10
You might think that I've been neglecting my daily pastry quest, but really, I've only been neglecting the blogging. Let me catch up before things get out of hand...
Pastries 6 and 7: Two Tartes
One is a chocolate-pear tarte, the other is a chocolate-raspberry tarte. Both are from the little restaurant Mouffe-TARTE down the street. Don't worry, I didn't eat both, my undergrad and I each got one and split them. They are DELICIOUS. Chocolate-pear is a flavor combination that we definitely need more of in the States.
Pastry 8: Pan au lait
Nice flavorful breadroll. Eaten with cheese, prior to the orange juice incident. Yum.
Pastry 9: Sable amande
A large crisp butter cookie covered with toasted almonds. I was expecting more almond flavor in the actual cookie but I guess it was just the topping.
Pastry 10: Opera
This was one of the ones that I'd been admiring for a while! The selection of perfect, precise rectangles is impressive. I chose this one because the name was easy to remember. It was actually chocolate and coffee flavored and super-rich. I could have easily split it with several people and still be satisfied. YUM.
Pastries 6 and 7: Two Tartes
One is a chocolate-pear tarte, the other is a chocolate-raspberry tarte. Both are from the little restaurant Mouffe-TARTE down the street. Don't worry, I didn't eat both, my undergrad and I each got one and split them. They are DELICIOUS. Chocolate-pear is a flavor combination that we definitely need more of in the States.
Pastry 8: Pan au lait
Nice flavorful breadroll. Eaten with cheese, prior to the orange juice incident. Yum.
Pastry 9: Sable amande
A large crisp butter cookie covered with toasted almonds. I was expecting more almond flavor in the actual cookie but I guess it was just the topping.
Pastry 10: Opera
This was one of the ones that I'd been admiring for a while! The selection of perfect, precise rectangles is impressive. I chose this one because the name was easy to remember. It was actually chocolate and coffee flavored and super-rich. I could have easily split it with several people and still be satisfied. YUM.
A Win for the Underdogs
Tonight underdog Spain beat Germany to advance to the World Cup final on Sunday. Sometimes the people you don't expect to win have a good day too, you know.
My week got better. Well, sort of. We will aren't going to discuss work. But I definitely live for Wednesdays. I even started another sock. (I'm sure my honey would prefer a pair, not just one when I get home.)
And so I retreated to the happy, welcoming, friendly knitting evening at the L’OisiveThé. I decided a little shopping therapy was in order.
This is just part of the damage. In the end, its enough of this blue yarn for a sweater that I've been admiring for a while, plus a few presents for the important knitters in my life. Luckily for me, Aimee received this yarn (SweetGeorgia Silk Crush) in the mail today so I got first dibs! :-D
My week got better. Well, sort of. We will aren't going to discuss work. But I definitely live for Wednesdays. I even started another sock. (I'm sure my honey would prefer a pair, not just one when I get home.)
And so I retreated to the happy, welcoming, friendly knitting evening at the L’OisiveThé. I decided a little shopping therapy was in order.
This is just part of the damage. In the end, its enough of this blue yarn for a sweater that I've been admiring for a while, plus a few presents for the important knitters in my life. Luckily for me, Aimee received this yarn (SweetGeorgia Silk Crush) in the mail today so I got first dibs! :-D
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
it wasn't just Monday
If I thought yesterday was bad, well, I shouldn't have been so excited for today.
Today I spent 9, count them, 9 hours in lab. If I get the camera to record, the motor controller freezes. If I get the motor controller to start, I can't start the camera without it losing connection with the data acquisition card. The current solution is "jiggle the cables, reboot, and try again" and I wasn't able to get a single run all day where everything worked. This does not bode well for the remaining 17 days.
Directly after a (thankfully) peaceful lunch, I was in lab when I heard my UROP drop something. "Uh-oh," she said. Dylan (the French student who works for another advisor in our lab) and I murmured something like "what?" when my undergrad piped up "Uuuuh, I think this is bad." "Is it on fire?" I asked. Don't forget, I lived in EC, unless its a fire or major chemical spill, not much phases me. "Um, no, but its bad," replied the undergrad. Suddenly you could hear the sounds of glass cracking, as if you dropped a plate, but it didn't stop. Dylan and I got up and went over to the lab bench. A small metal block had dropped onto the table and now the compressed tabletop was fracturing under its own compressive stresses. "Uhoh," I said. "I'll call someone," said Dylan. Thank goodness for his French and in no time the professor whose bench it was appeared to investigate. Luckily everyone was totally ok and very "don't worry, accidents happen" but it was still kind of stressful. For the rest of the day professors kept stopping by to see the mess we made. And it was still cracking more than 6 hrs later when we left lab. Ugh.
So then I went to the Patisserie on my way home and picked up some treats to try to improve my day. My favorite girl wasn't there and they were shorthanded so the line was long. Of course by the time I got to the front of the line I had forgotten what I wanted and had to do a lot of pointing to get my desired pastries, which I always feel bad about because its slow and awkward. At last I retreated to the quiet heights of my apartment and opened up the little bit of cheese I had left from the weekend and unwrapped some bread from the bakery. And then I turned and knocked over the full glass of OJ that I had put on the table. It went right off the side and spilled directly into my row of shoes that I have lined up neatly next to the door. Every single one of the shoes I brought to Paris is now filled with orange juice. And people who know me well will know that (1) I love shoes, (2) I picked only my MOST favorite to bring with me, and (3) I have a crazy sized foot so I can't just buy new ones. Oh, and I'm a cheapskate so I didn't buy paper towels at the grocery store. I used up 3 rolls of toilet paper cleaning up the mess, and I'm not sure the shoes will recover.
I know I said yesterday that I would watch the soccer game with other people, but there is no way I'm leaving my apartment tonight. I'm going to bed.
Today I spent 9, count them, 9 hours in lab. If I get the camera to record, the motor controller freezes. If I get the motor controller to start, I can't start the camera without it losing connection with the data acquisition card. The current solution is "jiggle the cables, reboot, and try again" and I wasn't able to get a single run all day where everything worked. This does not bode well for the remaining 17 days.
Directly after a (thankfully) peaceful lunch, I was in lab when I heard my UROP drop something. "Uh-oh," she said. Dylan (the French student who works for another advisor in our lab) and I murmured something like "what?" when my undergrad piped up "Uuuuh, I think this is bad." "Is it on fire?" I asked. Don't forget, I lived in EC, unless its a fire or major chemical spill, not much phases me. "Um, no, but its bad," replied the undergrad. Suddenly you could hear the sounds of glass cracking, as if you dropped a plate, but it didn't stop. Dylan and I got up and went over to the lab bench. A small metal block had dropped onto the table and now the compressed tabletop was fracturing under its own compressive stresses. "Uhoh," I said. "I'll call someone," said Dylan. Thank goodness for his French and in no time the professor whose bench it was appeared to investigate. Luckily everyone was totally ok and very "don't worry, accidents happen" but it was still kind of stressful. For the rest of the day professors kept stopping by to see the mess we made. And it was still cracking more than 6 hrs later when we left lab. Ugh.
So then I went to the Patisserie on my way home and picked up some treats to try to improve my day. My favorite girl wasn't there and they were shorthanded so the line was long. Of course by the time I got to the front of the line I had forgotten what I wanted and had to do a lot of pointing to get my desired pastries, which I always feel bad about because its slow and awkward. At last I retreated to the quiet heights of my apartment and opened up the little bit of cheese I had left from the weekend and unwrapped some bread from the bakery. And then I turned and knocked over the full glass of OJ that I had put on the table. It went right off the side and spilled directly into my row of shoes that I have lined up neatly next to the door. Every single one of the shoes I brought to Paris is now filled with orange juice. And people who know me well will know that (1) I love shoes, (2) I picked only my MOST favorite to bring with me, and (3) I have a crazy sized foot so I can't just buy new ones. Oh, and I'm a cheapskate so I didn't buy paper towels at the grocery store. I used up 3 rolls of toilet paper cleaning up the mess, and I'm not sure the shoes will recover.
I know I said yesterday that I would watch the soccer game with other people, but there is no way I'm leaving my apartment tonight. I'm going to bed.
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