Minion Visit

Just over a week ago I had a visit from my very first minion. I dragged her to karaoke with Kirsten & Kate & Wibke, then woke her & her friend Belinda up at 5:30am trying to get them to check out the lunar eclipse (they stayed in bed - fair enough), then we went to explore the Mission District. Here's Kalai surrounded my Santas at the BART station:



There's always something interesting & random happening in the city :)

Day 25 - Your favourite book of last year
The Right Attitude to Rain

House Tour

I promised my mom ages ago that I'd put photos up of my new place (so I guess July...). Alright, here we go:

This is the start of my room. Piano, courtesy of all my lovely friends at the PV Centre at UNSW, as well as my access to the courtyard through the glass sliding doors, and my knitting chair:



Desk, where all the thesis magic happens. Dresser, & to the right of the dresser just out of the picture is my first bathroom:



Next: Bed, etc., and to the left of the bed, that door takes you through to my second bathroom. Yup. You heard me right. I have 2 bathrooms all to myself. Oh, the luxury! I only use one though, 'cause 2 is too much work to clean.



Between my two bathrooms, I have a closet, and a mudroom. Yep, I have a room to keep all my text books, sports gear, camping gear, and access to the back porch. So 2 escape doors in case of a fire. Super safe house.



Then in the hall, just outside my bedroom door, is our second piano. Well, really, it's a keyboard, but close enough. Most houses don't even have that:



Rishi nearly bought a baby grand piano for our dining room as an impulse purchase, but then decided against it. Sigh. Three pianos in one house! Can you imagine the awesomeness?

Next: my room is in the back of the house, and this is the hall leading up to the front. On the left there's Rishi's room, then a linen closet, then Amy's room, then Amy's bathroom, then facing us at the end of the hall is another linen closet. Rishi also has his own bathroom, another en suite. Yes, we live in a 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom house :) On the right, those windows look out into the courtyard.

\

The living room. The door is open onto the courtyard.



The games wall. We have 3 Scrabble boards in this house (ok, 2 are mine, but still!), Settlers of Catan, Seafarers, Cities and Knights, Clue, Risk 2210, Ticket to Ride, Twilight Imperium, Six, Yahtzee, several card-based games plus regular cards. You should come over & play. Monday nights are Scrabble nights with our friend Mary :)



Dining room....



Kitchen from Camera 1: laundry room off the end, plus another door to outside.



Kitchen taken from Camera 2:



And that's the house! It's pretty awesome. You should come visit!

Hallowe'en Part Deux

As promised, at least one photo from our epic Hallowe'en party. This is us, the hosts, the housemates: The Hoff, Magnum PI, and Ramona.



Day 24 - Your favourite book as a child
On Beyond Zebra, by Dr. Seuss

High Tea with Alice and the White Queen

"O Looking-Glass creatures," quoth Alice, "draw near!
'Tis an honour to see me, a favour to hear:
'Tis a privilege high to have dinner and tea
Along with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and Me!"

Then fill up the glasses with treacle and ink,

Or anything else that is pleasant to drink:

Mix sand with the cider, and wool with the wine--

And welcome Queen Alice with ninety-times-nine!

Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Agreed to have a battle;

For Tweedledum said Tweedledee

Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew down a monstrous crow,

As black as a tar-barrel;

Which frightened both the heroes so,

They quite forgot their quarrel.

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

How I wonder what you're at!

Up above the world you fly,

Like a tea tray in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

How I wonder what you're at!

On this the White Rabbit blew three blasts on the trumpet, and then unrolled the parchment scroll, and read as follows:--

`The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,

All on a summer day:

The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,

And took them quite away!'

Day 23 - Your favourite book by a non-British author:
War and Peace

Go Epic Or Go Home

Friday night karaoke with current colleagues, former colleagues, and a visiting Aussie friend was indeed epic.



Day 22 - A book you wish was real life:
The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Boston & Occupy Harvard

So work recently sent me out east to do the factory acceptance test (FAT) of our new laser that I picked out a while back. I was staying in Lowell, just outside Boston. It was really nice to be out east in the fall - I'd forgotten how pretty it truly is.

The laser stuff went alright - I was worried at the start of the week, there was a lot wrong with the software, but by the end of the week it was quite good.

We went out for Italian one night - drove in past Boston Gardens, checked out Little Italy, Paul Revere's house, John Kerry's house. Boston is a really nice little city. Friday night I met up with Randy & his girlfriend in Cambridge. We went for Indian, did some catching up, the walked past Harvard. We couldn't go in, because they'd locked the gates due to the Occupy Harvard protests that had happened earlier in the month. This is Randy's gf at the locked gates to Harvard:



Also prevented students from getting out. We could see students on campus walking up to the gate, getting confused 'cause it was locked, then having to turn back, I guess to search for some other way out.

Day 21 - The book that made you look at life in a different way:
The Alchemist

Start of Random Updates

It's been a busy month, and I have some random catch-up that I will do via random photos that I took, mostly with my camera. One bit of random awesomeness: string-quartet in the Mission District BART station.



Day 20 - The saddest or most emotive book you have read:
Things Fall Apart

Hallowe'en Part 1

I don't have any photos from my party here yet, but Dad also did an awesome costume for Hallowe'en at work. Which one is he? I don't know, I can't tell.

Partial completion

The ball is now in your court, Yael:



Day 19 - The most romantic book you have ever read
Quo Vadis

Edmonton!

So just got back from a weekend with Sue in Edmonton. As promised, mom, here are some photos of their new place:







We hung out, walked around St. Albert (town just outside Edmonton where Sue & Brock actually live), tried to go the the market, but it wasn't there this weekend so went to an art show instead, plus the library. Then met up with Mary Hocaliuk and walked around in the river valley for a bit:



There's heaps of awesome parks for running and dog walking, and Sue's area will be excellent for cross country skiing in the winter. We also went by the parliament house, where they have an eternal flame, a totem pole, and a lawn bowls pitch. Random.





We also met up with Phil for dinner on Saturday night, which was cool, and I realize now I don't have any photos of Phil. But Phil should have some of Suley's defense party, which happened after dinner and which Mary and I went to as well, so those may turn up on his blog if he ever updates it.

Day 18 - A book you have that belongs to someone else
The True History of the Kelly Gang (sorry Ra)

Finished!!!!!

Not my thesis. Don't be silly. I finished the puzzle that Yael gave me for Christmas nearly 2 years ago! Yay! 4 moves + eaten by 2 cats + the help of my co-workers = 1.75 years to finish the puzzle, and only lost 2 pieces. Not bad.



Day 17 - The most over hyped book you have ever read
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

First Dance!

Yay! I think I got it this time. Check out the video for Nicole & Joel's awesome first dance :)

Nickel Copper & Rusty Jupiter Tie The Knot

I've journeyed back to Australia for a couple weeks for a few reasons. 1) To spend some quality time with my PhD; 2) Play a bit of soccer with the soccer ladies and get back into some semblance of fitness; and 3) the wedding of Nicole Kuepper and Joel Russel.

Nicole Kuepper (a.k.a. Nickel Copper) is the darling of the UNSW PV Centre. Two massive murals featuring her glowing face and an inspirational quote from her grace the scaffolding of the new Energy Technology Building currently being built on lower campus. Here are John & Cath hanging out with our friend Nicole:



Nicole & Joel are a true power couple. Joel's dad is a diplomat, so somehow he's in diplomat training now and the two of them are living in London. Nicole's also been working full time there, and writing her thesis at the same time. Friday she went for the trial make-up & hair-do, got the OK from Stuart to submit her thesis, went down all done up to submit, then and hour and a half later was down at City Hall getting her marriage licence! Life at 100 mph.

The wedding was great. It was at a botanical gardens, so beautiful, if somewhat cold. Here's a bit of a blurry shot of the ceremony:



After the ceremony there was champagne & nibblies, a double-rainbow graced the sky, then it started to rain a bit and we all headed indoors for more food & drinks. The guys watched the NRL grand final. Dinner & speeches were fantastic. And then we danced until 3am. Great night.

Top of the World

Hiro, Hanne and I after mountain biking up to the top of Russian Ridge.

And Day 16 - A book that is a guilty pleasure
The Blue Castle

Turns out, lots of stuff has happened

I wasn't updating very frequently 'cause I didn't feel much was happening in my life, but now it feels like something exciting has happened nearly every day recently.

So Labour Day I was in the Desolation Wilderness with Mai and Oleg. Photos:









I also went mountain biking with some people at work. Last Friday Hiro, Hanne and I went and did the Alpine Road-Russian Ridge trail, and even though I'm a bit slow, it was amazing! Hanne's got an awesome photo that I'll have to put up next time.

Kate Fisher, my UNSW lab manager predecessor, was out in San Fran for a few days, so we explored the city a bit. Went to a street party on Filmore, where you could borrow out roller skates for free. There was lots of stuff for kids, lemonade stands, live music & people dancing in the streets. The weather was gorgeous and sunny. Went to check out the Golden Gate bridge, had some amazing Greek food for lunch, and followed it up with a bbq at my place with Dan Inns & my housemates. A great weekend. More photos from the City:









And check out the solar panels!!!



And news! Susan & Brock are engaged!!!!!!!!! Woot! Super excited for them!

And Margot update: Tumour was removed, no problems, however yolk cells were found in it so it was found to be malignant. Poor little tyke is going to be undergoing chemo now for the next few months. Good news is that the success rate is high, bad news is they'll have to watch out for cancer recurrences for the rest of Magoo's life, and she won't be able to be an astronaut :( But on the whole, she should be alright, so that is good news.

That is all for now.

Day 15 - A book where you wish you were one of the characters
The Northern Lights

Adventures!

Half Dome pic!



I went mountain biking for the first time ever last week, up in the peninsula mountains. Did fall off my bike. Did not crash head over heels into a tree. Did not get poison oak. So all in all, a successful first outing! (One of the former girls who used to work here did all of those things on her first outing on the same trail).

Next weekend Oleg and Mai and I are going camping out in the Desolation Wilderness up near Tahoe. We have one more spare permit. Anyone interested in joining?

Day 14 - An author of a book you just don’t get
Sophie Kinsella

Half-Dome, Jack & Margot

It's been an eventful few days. Over the weekend I went to Yosemite with Oleg, Mai, Vlad and Hanne and hiked up Half Dome. It's one of those iconic national park hikes - over 16 mile round trip, 12 hours, near vertical climb up a granite dome at the end that requires the use of metal cables and wooden planks that have been drilled into the side of the rock. We did it, it was amazing, and my quads are still aching a bit.

Carolina is back in the Bay Area (my last flatmate), and she doesn't know I know yet, but I hear from Amy that she's now engaged to Thad. We're meeting up tonight, and I'll have to act surprised.

But also when I got back on Monday morning, I heard the news that Jack Layton has died, and that little Margot has a major tumor that needs removing.

Jack Layton's passing actually surprised me and moved me more than I expected. I never really voted NDP, but always admired their goals. And Jack was certainly an excellent leader. He would have made an excellent Prime Minister some day. Here's a link to his last letter to Canadians. I know it's been posted so many times over the last couple of days, but I'm going to quote it again because it's so lovely:

"love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." - Jack Layton

And then poor little Margot! Children are remarkably resilient, and luckily the tumour isn't cancerous, but it's still quite scary. Poor Mat and Justine! At least they're in Canada, and Toronto Sick Kids is probably the best place to be for Margot, so hopefully tomorrow everything will go alright.

That's the news. Will be keeping the Saccorudels in my thoughts and prayers over the next 24 hours.

The Awesomeness of the New House

Check this out. It's a bit dark, but awesome. This is me and my new housemates, Rishi and Amy, playing Settlers of Catan in our backyard, by candlelight. With a fire. And Christmas lights.



And here I am in my backyard again modelling a t-shirt designed by James!



House indoor pics to come later.

Day 13 - A book that disturbed you
The Road

Stories from the Crystalline Si Workshop

So what else have I been up to? More traveling, of course! So after getting back from Bob & Nat's wedding, I spent a few days at work then went off to another workshop, this time in Colorado.

The workshop was really good, but one of the highlights was this amazing Swiss restaurant that we found. After an evening poster session + hors d'oeurves, the snacks really weren't tiding us over so we decided to hit the town for some food. Breckinridge isn't exactly a booming metropolis - it's a ski town. Like hanging out in Whistler in the summer. So hitting the town doesn't have too much in the way of food other than sports bars. We walked past this one promising looking restaurant, that turned out to be restaurant on top level (which was closed) and Absinthe bar on the bottom level.

This was THE most awesome find of the week! Absinthe bar and the restaurant above are owned by this most amazing Belgian fellow. We arrived at the bar at 10pm, only to learn the kitchen was closed. But the wonderful man said "Don't worry, I can fix you up something. I can do a salad, some meats and cheeses. Here, sit down, I will take care of it," and up he went to rustle us up a dinner.

Down in the bar there was an impressive range of foreign beers, with an excellent Belgian section. I asked what the bartender recommended, and his response: "Well, that beer there is the best beer in the world." So Richard ordered that one, and I then asked what the second best beer in the world was, which everyone found hilarious for some reason.

When the food came down, it. was. amazing. Also, the music was fantastic. And the ambiance.

It was so good that Andrew wanted to go by one more time before we left, for lunch, since it's actually supposed to be a Swiss restaurant specializing in fondu. It was just after noon, and the restaurant was closed once again, but the owner happened to be there once again to put a delivery of cheese that had been left on the step into the fridge. Once again, he told us not to worry, to take a seat an make ourselves at home, he would fix us up something. So we had the restaurant to ourselves, sat out in the sun on the patio, while he served us up another fantastic salad, and a cheese fondu with some wonderful bread, apple, pear, and kirschewasser. "Easiest thing in the world". Fantastic end of the trip.



Day 12 - A book you think should be made into a film
The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs

More wedding photos!

Phil took some photos at the wedding for me, so more wedding! Yay!





















Day 11 - Your favourite book that has been made into a film
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy