jessica's blog

other people's taste

2009-02-25T11:54:00.000-08:00

At the last count I've lived in 14 different rooms and flats since I left home at 18 (12 years ago - can it really be that long?!) All of them were rented, and most furnished. So I've lived with furniture bought by other people for most of my life, and some of them have had quite strange taste. Take this as a case in point:

This is a framed poster from my current flat - someone apparently thought 'Bert's Bath' would look lovely on the living room wall. I disagree. I think it's hideous, and is likely to give me nightmares. It is currently hidden from view in the spare bedroom.

guess what?

2008-12-21T11:58:00.000-08:00

After another long and rather crazy summer, in which I got married and moved flat in the same week, my life is finally starting to settle down again. There were many weeks of living amongst unpacked boxes. As soon as we were nearly done all our wedding gifts arrived, and we were surrounded by boxes all over again. But now I have some time to spare I can start blogging about my humdrum and rather boring life again. Hurray!

Here's one for starters. Can you guess what this is:

Here's a clue, we just had a parcel delivered from Chris's family in Greece. Yes, it's our next year and a half's supply of olive oil - all 10 litres of it. As well as olive oil we got Greek sweets, Greek honey, pistachio nuts and Mars bars (rather randomly - apparently Chris's family hasn't realised we can buy those in England!). Most of it didn't last long, except the olive oil.

hidden treasure

2008-07-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

I've been living with Chris for almost a year and now, and have found that life with a partner isn't quite the same as living on my own in lots of small ways. For example, as a single girl I used to take great comfort in buying a slab of chocolate, or a tub of ice cream, and eating a little bit every day. If I try to do the same thing with Chris in the house, whatever I buy will have disappeared by the next day. And no amount of manipulation, cajoling or pleading will persuade Chris that it is fundamentally wrong to eat someone else's chocolate. I have decided drastic steps need to be taken, and have started hiding my chocolate stash in my underwear drawer (luckily Chris doesn't read my blog, so he will never know ... ha ha!) I haven't figured out what to do with the tubs of ice cream yet. I wonder if they can be disguised somehow using an empty frozen pea bag. Probably worth a try.

poetry?

2008-06-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

Chris and I went back to Birmingham last week to do more weddingy stuff, like deciding all the readings and declarations we'd like to use in our ceremony. We have to do let the registry office know ten weeks before the wedding so they can make sure we're not trying to sneakily slip some mention of god or religious music into our civil ceremony (... is it only ten weeks now? ... yikes!) We borrowed a book of suggested readings, most of which were horrifically soppy or just plain ridiculous. My vote for the most ridiculous poem of all contained the following lines 'Does love look like a pair of pyjamas or the ham in a temperance hotel? Does its odour remind one of llamas or has it a comforting smell?' ... Huh? ... Coming a close second was the poem that began 'All choices are the wrong choices' - I'd love to know if anyone's ever chosen that for their wedding, and what the audience reaction was.

I am getting lots of training in being decisive - I've never had to make so many decisions in my life. At our meeting with the photographer we had to choose the size of our wedding album, the colour, silver or gold for the writing on the inside page, whether we want it standard or custom-designed, do we want the photos formal or casual, black and white or colour, matt or glossy ... I get dizzy thinking about it all again.

busy busy

2008-04-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

As you can probably guess from the lack of posts I've been really busy recently. What have I been doing? Um ... not quite sure. All I know is I've hardly had a spare minute. I think there were just thousands of little things to do that came along all at once. Easter was mainly taken up with wedding plans - we met up with the florist, my hairdresser, a beautician and the cakeman. I came back with a list of about ten things to do, not one of which I've managed so far. Chris has been working like crazy - last week he was working in Milton Keynes, which meant leaving the house at 8am, and getting back after 10pm. He did that for five days, then worked at the Cambridge branch for another five days. He actually gets two whole days off next week, so he might actually found out what it's like to have a good night's sleep again! So I reckon most of my activity has just been to keep me out of the house when it's empty (and keep me busy when I'm home alone). Like last weekend, I decided it was a really good idea to defrost the fridge-freezer. It took hours of course, but it kept me busy, and now we have a really clean fridge!

like mother like daughter

2008-03-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

My mum often goes shopping at the supermarket at the weekend. She carefully makes a list of everything she wants to buy, going through the cupboards to see what we've run out of, and asking everyone around if there's anything they want. She then forgets to take the list, and ends up buying whatever random stuff she happens to see on the shelves. She does this every weekend. But here's the scary part - I did exactly the same thing last weekend! So this is what I have to look forward to. A lifetime of forgotten shopping lists. Speaking of supermarkets, why is it always the most embarrassing item in your basket that the check-out guy can't scan properly?

trials and tribulations

2008-03-08T03:24:00.000-08:00

I went to a really inspiring seminar yesterday, given by Sir Iain Chalmers, who has been (to mention one of his achievements) director of the Cochrane collaboration. He talked about lots of really important topics in healthcare. One that I was particularly interested in, since it is close to my area of research, was his discussion of research synthesis in reports of clinical trials. For a long time he has been arguing that research papers describing clinical trials should put their results in the context of previous research, including a research synthesis (or meta-analysis) to update existing knowledge with the new evidence gained from the trial being reported. To someone not involved in clinical research this may not seem a terribly important matter. But here is just one of the examples (and a particularly heart-rending one) that he gave of how this might have helped in the past. For a long time parents were advised to let babies sleep on their fronts, until evidence came to light of an increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in babies sleeping in this position. Trials were carried out as early as the 1970's, and if a systematic research synthesis had been conducted after each trial this fact would have been recognised much earlier, potentially saving the lives of thousands of babies. Even though the seminar room was packed with people, you could have heard a pin drop at this point. It really brought home to me how incredibly important is all the work being done in this area, and how much I love being a part of that (even a very small one!)

tax arrears

2008-03-06T14:35:00.000-08:00

It is not often that the tax-man brings good news. But this week he is my very best friend (or maybe even she - I am a feminist after all) . It turns out that so far I've been paying the top rate of tax on my whole salary. Basically this means that the amount of money that gets dumped into my bank account once a month is going to be considerably larger in future. Plus I should get a nice lump sum at some point repaying me for all the surplus taxes I've been giving the government. All drinks are on me in future!

And here's a strange thing. For years I've had this feeling I'm constantly tired, sometimes sleeping up to ten hours a night. But now I'm getting better - still sleeping more than average, but sometimes I can get through a whole day with no caffeine! I wonder if it has something to do with Chris's cooking. When I was on my own I would often go days without meat, but Chris's whole family is obsessed with protein, and meat in particular. They even put chopped up meat into his sister's baby food - I guess it had some effect, she ended up representing Greece as a weight-lifter!

And they say good news comes in threes - Chris has found a job at last. He's going to be working in a new restaurant in Cambridge (possibly as a manager part-time).

I'm really hoping this patch of good karma never ends.

a positive vibe

2008-02-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

A new approach on the blog today. Instead of complaining about all the stuff that's pissing me off, I thought it would be good to try blogging about something positive that's going on in my life. The most exciting thing that happened this week was (drum roll please): Chris and I have booked our honeymoon. We're going to Mauritius for ten days, staying at a super-swanky hotel. Of course my mind baulked a little at how much it's all costing, but we got a really good deal, and I figured it's once in a lifetime, so what the hell. The wedding plans are moving forward, slowly but surely ... so many tiny details and so little time!

Cambridge malaise

2008-02-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

I was a student here at Cambridge many years ago, and having returned recently I now remember one of the more unpleasant aspects of living here. To quote my brother, "everyone is ill, all the time". I'm just recovering from my fourth cold/flu of the season, and am keeping my fingers crossed that I don't get any more. I've never figured out what it is about Cambridge that makes it such an unhealthy place to live. My mum was amused to read a quote in a newspaper article from the twelfth century, complaining that people in Cambridge can expect to be ill throughout the whole winter, finally recovering again when spring arrives. Isn't it nice to know that some things never change!

links

2008-02-16T06:02:00.001-08:00

A few new links on the blog today. I recommend looking at David's beautiful photos of Iceland. I've also put a link to my rather more humble efforts, which are under no circumstances to be compared with any of David's! Also new, the saumaklubbur which I joined (fairly) recently, and the blog of an ex-colleague of mine.

a clever sheep

2008-01-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

I heard this story in the pub the other day about a really clever sheep. His flock was confined to their field by one of those cattle grid things that they couldn't walk over. Well, this sheep figured out that he could cross the grid by rolling over it. And once all the other sheep saw him they copied his idea. This got us thinking, how many people have truly original ideas in their lives? Are most of us just copying things that have already been done by other people? I reckon I don't want to be a follower sheep anymore - I want to be a sheep that rolls. Um ... now I just have to come up with an original idea ... any thoughts?

the spiders are fighting back

2007-12-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days I've been noticing tiny, tiny spiders dangling from various items of furniture in different parts of the flat. I'm wondering if this is some spider version of sniper warfare - they're almost unnoticeably small, so there's no way I can get rid of them all. The hoover ain't much use this time. But these spiders will grow bigger. And when they do, I'll be waiting for them.

anti-climax

2007-12-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

I have a TV for the first time in three years, so I figured I'm allowed to indulge my telly addict tendencies a little. I've been watching the Tudors, which conveniently started around the time I moved in to my new flat. The series has been building up magnificently, covering the period when Henry VIII seeks a divorce from Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, and all the political intricacies surrounding it. I stayed in for the last episode on Friday night. The build-up continued, but instead of really reaching a climax, the show ended suddenly, skipping straight to a sex scene between Henry and Anne, leaving me feeling rather high and dry. Which, funnily enough, is exactly what happened to Anne in the final scene. Maybe that was the point. I guess I'll just have to wait for the next season.

missing Reykjavik

2007-12-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

I only left four months ago, and I've had to have a trip back already. I'm missing Reykjavik so much. For the purposes of my blog I've managed to narrow the key things I'm missing down to three. Number one, the cafes - I really used to enjoy walking in to the centre of Reykjavik of an evening and nipping into one of the many unique cafes for a coffee with a friend, or just on my own with a book. My only option here is the 24 hour Tesco's cafe - not quite the same atmosphere! Number two is the swimming pools - the most relaxing thing in the world must be a quick dip in a heated outdoor pool, steaming because the temperature's below freezing, followed by a long soak in the hot pots. Number three is the mountains - round here it's just way too flat. I miss looking up at Esja every day, seeing if there's more snow than the day before. But of course the biggest thing I miss is all my friends over there - I miss you guys! Can't wait to see you all again.

heaven is ...

2007-11-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

sitting in bed solving kakuro while my boyfriend makes me a hot lemsip. Am I getting old?

on the buses

2007-11-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

I have recently become reacquainted with the delight that is the British public transport system. I have been taking the bus to work. Some improvements have been made since I was last here. There are now signs at most stops that tell you when the next buses are going to arrive. Unfortunately most of those buses get lost in the Bermuda Triangle that apparently exists in the centre of Cambridge, and never show up.

I saw a sweet little boy on the bus who stood at the front pulling Michael Jackson moves while his mum was buying a ticket. It got me thinking, why do we all become so inhibited when we grow up? I mean if I did that people would think I was crazy. I guess it would be a bit chaotic if everyone on the bus was pulling Michael Jackson moves. Chaotic, maybe, but more fun.

update

2007-11-14T12:39:00.000-08:00

Things are looking up! Chris can finally walk again. The flies have disappeared from the kitchen (that probably had something to do with the totally rotten back of potatoes I removed from a cupboard) and the mould has been scrubbed away (thanks to Chris). The spiders had gone, but one has taken up residence again in the hall. This means war. And I am armed with a hoover!

blogging dilemmas

2007-10-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

I have been very quiet on blogger recently. But my life hasn't. So I've come up against what I guess must be a common blogging problem. My life has been so hectic these past couple of months that I've had plenty of blogging material, but no time to blog. On top of that I've been staying most of the time at my parents house, which hasn't joined the 21st century yet, and has (shock, horror!) no internet connection. It's strange how disorientated that made me feel - I never realised just how much I relied on the internet til it wasn't there.

What have I been doing all this time? I've been on holiday in Iceland, moved from Iceland back to the UK, been on holiday to Greece, moved to Cambridge and started a new job. On the positive side I love my new job so far - really nice people, loads to do, and I'm feeling pretty useful for a change. But where would we be without some balance in life? On the negative side my boyfriend has broken his toe and is stuck in Birmingham, and since I moved into my flat in Cambridge I've been battling spiders in the living room, mould in the bedroom, flies in the kitchen and a strange smell in the bathroom. I think the hallway has remained trauma free, but only because I got my neighbour's friend to remove the spider that was living there. Still, I retain my Icelandic sense of optimism, and am hopeful that all will be well soon. I'll keep you posted ...

Esja

2007-07-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

It's not every day that you can say you've climbed a mountain. But yesterday I did just that. And I have proof:

The mountain in question is Mount Esja, the one across the bay from Reykjavik. My friend, who is considerably more experienced in the hiking department than me, decided it would be too boring and crowded to take the main path. So we studied a map, and picked out a couple of likely-looking trails. I'm not sure if we ever found those trails. Our route up followed the ravine of a small stream. Which was fine, until we came up against a very inconvenient waterfall. To avoid actual rock-climbing we scrambled up a very steep slope on our left. I have never done this kind of thing before, and nearly gave up several times (newspaper headlines running through my head - Stupid Foreigner Plunges to her Death ...) But with a few helpful suggestions of promising foot and hand-holds I made it, overcoming my slightly bizarre fear of having a steep drop behind me (bizarre because I don't feel so bad if it's in front of me - only if I know there's one behind.) It was all worth it for the breath-taking views from the top. And on the way down I invented a new method of rock-climbing, which consisted mainly of finding a firm foothold, and sliding on my bum towards it. From the number of bruises on my bottom this morning, this is not a technique I would recommend to anyone. In total it took us over eight hours to go up and down - last night I slept like a baby!

spider

2007-07-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

This little guy has decided to set up home outside my kitchen window. I've started to grow rather fond of him, he's the closest thing I have to a pet. Recently I saw him catch a daddy-long-legs in his web - it's wings were frantically buzzing up and down. But my little spider had no mercy, he sped down his web and curled it up into a tiny ball to savour later. It was fascinating to watch. Unfortunately I am an extreme arachnophobe, so the minute he steps foot in my flat I will have to either suck him up with a hoover, or maybe just scream until someone comes to my rescue and squashes the blighter. But for the time being I've learnt to put up with his little quirks. As he has learnt to put up with mine - every time I open my window his web vibrates up and down. After a few mishaps, including once when he was catapulted off his web, I've noticed he has learnt to brace himself whenever he hears me moving the window. So here we are, living in a happy state of symbiosis, with just a touch of mutual suspicion. My spider and me!

distance

2007-06-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

Today is an anniversary of sorts for me and my partner. It is exactly three years since we moved apart, and our relationship became long distance. Our situation often makes me sympathise with those who suffer from bipolar disorder - I imagine it to be a similar experience, with some days of intense joy here and there, separated by weeks or even months of darkness inbetween. I have heard it said that some people with bipolar disorder prefer to be that way - that the ecstasy of the good times make up for the depression. Me, I want to be cured! I'm moving back to the UK in August, and can't wait.

surprise!

2007-06-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I travelled back to England for the wedding of an old schoolfriend. The wedding was beautiful - very romantic setting:

where I proved myself incapable of taking any photos without official photographer or bright red mini-golf flags lurking somewhere. I met up with lots of people I hadn't seen for years. But you know how weddings are - you start with a glass of champagne, then a few glasses of wine over dinner, then champagne toast, then more champagne for the evening reception. But because you start so early you don't realise how much you've drunk. I only realised the next morning around 6:30 am, with my head suspended above the toilet. Surprise hangover! The worst part was I had to check out of my B&B by 10am and catch a train to Birmingham (although the B&B owner was very kind, and said not to worry if I was a bit late). I managed to force a couple of cornflakes down, and packed very slowly. I made it back to Birmingham without any accidents (but with a couple of plastic bags in my handbag, just in case!). Next time I will remember the wise words of my mum - always drink a glass of water for every glass of wine.

sleep required

2007-06-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

As from yesterday anyone passing my bedroom window will instantly know that a foreigner lives here. Why? Because I have plastered my window with aluminium foil:

Have I gone crazy? Yes, slightly. A few weeks ago we reached the stage here where it barely gets dark at night. This is very nice when you're on a short trip to Reykjavik with your friends, and whatever time you choose to go home after a night out it's still light. What a novelty! It's not so great when you have to live here, and you end up feeling bloody exhausted all the time. The problem I have is not insomnia - I'm sleeping 8 to 9 hours a night, it's just not the right sort of sleep. I noticed it especially when I went back to the UK last weekend, and woke up feeling refreshed after sleeping for 11 hours (well, okay, I didn't feel so good that day. Actually, I felt lousy. But the next day I felt just great). The result of all this is that my window now looks like a poor imitation of some futuristic design, and I've said goodbye to the idea of having any natural light in my bedroom for the next couple of months. But I feel this is a small price to pay for a decent night's sleep.

a little politics

2007-05-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before last was an important day here in Iceland (and no, I'm not talking about Eurovision!). There was a national election for althingi, the parliament - they're held every four years. The governing coalition, composed of two parties on the centre/right side of Icelandic politics, had been in power for twelve years. A swing to the left was very much expected. The results were somewhat surprising I think; the largest party actually gained a few seats, while their coalition partner suffered heavy losses. The coalition was left with a majority of one, which isn't enough for a stable government, so a new coalition is expected to be formed consisting of the main party, and one of the more left-wing ones. It will be interesting to see if this changes anything in the decisions made by the government. For more details try this article on the Grapevine's website.

Myself, I just hope that they go easier on all the construction work that's been going on all over Iceland - aluminium factories, big dams etc. It doesn't even make economic sense to me - tourism is the second biggest industry in this country, but people won't be excited about coming to Iceland any more if they build over everything. When I first visited Iceland three years ago, the coach ride from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik was really something special. Now it's a string of building sites. And this is the one stretch of road that almost every visitor to Iceland is guaranteed to see!

On a more trivial note, we had an amazing day here last Saturday. Sunny, clear skies, and the temperature rose to all of 10 degrees celsius! At this point everyone gets really excited, saying finally summer is on it's way. Two days later, and it's snowing. I'm never going to understand the weather in this country.

a national tragedy

2007-05-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Don your most spectacular costume, wheel in your most powerful wind machine, and dig out your extra large cheese knife. Yes, it's Eurovision time again. And once more Iceland is in mourning because our entry did not make it through to the final. Cue the shaking of heads, and general bemusement about the randomness of the voting system (or lack of it - by a curious coincidence every nation that went through is located in the eastern half of Europe).

In case you're wondering, I do not want to feel your love-power, nor do I want to shake it up and shake it in (some of the more dodgy lyrics on offer on Thursday night). But I am looking forward to having a really good laugh tonight.

needles

2007-05-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I had a blood test taken - the first I've had for a while. As usual the experience left me feeling totally pathetic, ashamed that I leave the surgery shaking, dizzy, and cannot even contemplate removing the little piece of cotton wool for a good 12 hours after the event. I am absolutely terrified of needles. I have convinced myself this is all down to a bad childhood experience, when a doctor couldn't find the vein in my arm, but searched for it in vain for what felt like an eternity. Later on as a teenager I had another test done, anxiously waiting for the nurse to remove the needle, and flooding with relief when she did so. She smiled at me kindly. I'm sorry, she said. I couldn't find the vein in that arm, I'm going to have another go with your other one.

I had a holiday nightmare last summer in Greece when I picked up an infection on the beach. I was driven to hospital at 11pm by my fiance's (Greek) family. They took a blood test from a vein in my forearm. I felt the needle go in. Then the nurse started fiddling around with something. What are they doing, I asked Chris, who was holding my hand. I don't know, he said. Moments later I was horrified to find myself attached to a drip. With the trauma of suddenly finding a needle permanently wedged in my arm, I sat up too quickly and nearly fainted. The doctors used this as an excuse to keep me in under observation for two nights and put me on a water based diet (this turned out to mean a bowl of rice/noodles left in the water they were cooked in, with a dash of oil, and lemon if you were lucky). My infection had cleared up as soon as they administered some antibiotics. After the second night, if I had been able to speak Greek, I would have pointed out that the only thing making me unwell was having been on a drip and eating nothing but gloop for two days. Fortunately my father-in-law took matters in hand and asked them to discharge me. Most people with the condition I had are sent home immediately with a few antibiotics. Enough said!

guinea pig racing

2007-04-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Funny video on youtube. Enjoy!

Icelandic stories

2007-04-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

Take any guided tour here in Iceland, and your guide will regale you with old Icelandic stories. There is a long history of story-telling here, the most famous examples are the sagas. I like to think of these guys as modern day minstrels, keeping the old traditions alive. Here's one I was told that sticks in my head. Can't think why.

Once there was an old farmer with a beautiful daughter. One day he was visited by two foreign travellers who fell in love with his daughter. They told him they wanted to marry her (both of them apparently. Not quite sure how that would work!) He was unhappy because he didn't want to lose his daughter, so he visited the wise man for advice. I have an idea, said the wise man. Tell the visitors they can marry your daughter if they manage to ... (fill in impossible task of your choice here). So the farmer goes back and tells the young guys this. But they manage to complete the impossible task. Upset, the farmer goes back to the wise man. What should I do? He said. I've promised these guys my daughter's hand. I have another idea, says the wise man. Take a really big axe, creep into their room in the middle of the night, and chop their heads off. So he did. The end.

I think this is the Icelandic version of a happy ending.

sheep!

2007-04-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went on a trip with some friends to a summer-house near geysir. We visited a farm on the Saturday to watch the sheep-shearing there. Here's a (incredibly bad, sorry!) piccie

The ones on the right are waiting to be sheared, and the rather pathetic looking things on the left are the sheared sheep. I'm a city girl through and through (probably the only person in history ever to have been thrown off an Icelandic horse), so I kept my distance from the sheep (except the ones that came up sneakily from behind and started nibbling my jeans). But one of our party impressed us all by straddling a sheep, grabbing it's horns and wrestling it towards the shearers. We were greeted there by an incredibly friendly sheep dog who insisted on going up to each person in turn and placing his paws on their chest while wagging his tail furiously. This would have been a lot more enjoyable for us if he hadn't been covered in sheep muck. The whiff of sheep followed us round the rest of the weekend, but what the hell!

We had perfect weather the whole weekend. That is to say, it rained the whole time, which gave us the perfect excuse for just sitting around chatting, knitting, reading, drinking etc without having to feel guilty about it. Very relaxing!

mispronunciation

2007-03-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

My mum came to Iceland for a visit last weekend. When I was picking her up a Danish girl stopped me and asked me if I knew the way to a certain street. Oh, it's near my street, I said, why don't you hop into the taxi with us (apparently the Icelandic helpfulness gene is contagious!) I told the driver to take us to Ranargata, dropping the girl off at Aegisgata on the way. So we set off. We're taking a funny route, I thought. Eventually the driver stopped the car. I realised what had happened - no, this is Egilsgata, I said, we want Aegisgata. So we set off again. In the wrong direction. You're going the wrong way I said. Eventually he stopped the car again. Here is Eggertsgata, he said. After a certain amount of confusion the driver found his reading glasses, and looked at the roadname on the map. Ah, Aegisgata. Third time lucky, we made it to Aegisgata. The moral of this story is, when in Iceland don't even try to pronounce the placenames.

Well my mum had a very nice stay, apart from the taxi tour at 1am the night she arrived, and the pleasant stroll out to the lighthouse one morning which turned into an endurance test on the way back due to the Icelandic weather. We enjoyed a tour of the south coast, stopping off at some waterfalls and things. If you've ever wondered what the edge of a glacier looks like, this is your lucky day

cream bun day

2007-02-20T14:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was cream bun day here in Iceland. This means everyone eats as many cream buns as they possibly can (we had some very good buns which were homemade by a student in our group). Today it is explosion day (that is the literal translation). The idea is to eat so much food you explode (if you haven't done so already from all the cream buns the day before!). Although not just any food, apparently. It's supposed to be some pea soup with salty meat. Still, I like the idea.

physicists have eyes too

2007-02-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time it was easy to spot the physics/maths department on a university campus. You just found a decent vantage point, looked for the ugliest building you could see, and there you go. One (nameless) department I visited was not only ugly, but so dusty that I spent my whole visit with my nose streaming, my eyes watering, and sneezing every few minutes. The people there commiserated with me on all the flu going around that winter. I didn't have the heart to tell them I felt fine until I walked into their building, and sure enough an hour or two after leaving I was back to normal.

But things are changing. Last week I was at a conference at the Alba Nova Centre in Stockholm. On a good day this building could do a passable impression of a (modern) art museum. Here's a piccie of the interior

Nice, but as a colleague pointed out, it does bear a passing resemblance to a prison block. Another cool building I've been to is the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Canada. This place is equipped with a gym, squash court, and even a snooker table (I guess it helps when a multi-millionaire hands over a huge wad of cash!). Here's the back view

The summer I was there a duck decided to raise her young ones on the pond, and very cute they were too. There was an unfortunate incident when some of them fell into a shaft thing sticking out of the pond, but some enterprising soul managed to hoist them back up by constructing a duckling elevator device out of a CD and some string (eat your heart out Blue Peter!)

Where was I? Oh yes, physics buildings. I was lucky enough to be at Cambridge when the maths department there first moved into their new buildings. They were supposed to be of the intelligent sort, with blinds that closed automatically, lights that switched themselves on and off, that sort of thing. But in the beginning they were having a few teething problems. So you would be sitting in a seminar, and the blinds would randomly decide to start moving down. Then back up a bit. Then down again. Eventually they found a position they liked and settled down, only to begin the whole process again ten minutes later. Very spooky!

Okay, so it's going to be a while before a physics or maths department wins an award for architecture. But at least we're moving in the right direction.

South of the Border ...

2007-02-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading South of the Border, West of the Sun by the Japanese author Haruki Murakami. A couple of years ago I tried reading another of his books called A Wild Sheep Chase - I have to say, I didn't really get it. I mean it started okay, but kept getting more and more surreal, until it was so utterly bonkers I couldn't see the wood for the trees, so to speak. But I was looking for a new book in my second home, Heathrow airport, I spotted this one and decided to give it a go. A big theme of the book is reality, and the way we perceive reality - that reality is distorted by the person observing it. Okay, I'm saying this like I'm oh so clever, but I admit it helps that Murakami actually points this out in the book, 'To what extent facts we recognise as such really are as they seem, and to what extent these are facts merely because we label them as such, is an impossible distinction to draw.' It seems strange now, but somehow it never occurred to me before that a book doesn't have to stick to one true version of reality. Maybe I should reread A Wild Sheep Chase in my more enlightened frame of mind!

flying solo

2007-01-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of travelling on my own recently. Last week I was at Heathrow on my way to Geneva, and ordered a burger from the Garfunkel's restaurant there. It arrived along with a nice, shiny brand new bottle of ketchup. I can't eat chips without ketchup, so I held it upside down over my plate and started to whack the bottle hard with my hand. Several minutes later I was still going, and there was no sign of any ketchup. A kind man at the next table felt sorry for me, and lent me his bottle of ketchup to try. After several minutes of thumping the new bottle there was still no response. Eventually I managed to flag down a passing waiter and ask for a clean knife which I used to shovel the ketchup out of the bottle. Now, I consider myself an independent woman. I can happily haul suitcases weighing 20 kilos plus up and down long flights of stairs, and on and off luggage belts. But getting the ketchup out of the bottle without making a fool of myself? I need a man for that!

Christmas

2007-01-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

I flew back to the UK just before Christmas to spend the hols with my family and fiance. I was unlucky enough to fly into Heathrow during that really foggy spell (a bit scary coming in to land when you can't see the land!). I arrived only an hour late, but my luggage didn't. This was of course the perfect excuse to go on a massive spending spree the next day, the result of which was this

Here's a fun game to try at home - see if you can guess how much money I spent from the bags strewn across my parents' living-room. My suitcase finally turned up a week later, having spent a brief sojourn in Madrid. Apologies to all those members of my family who haven't received their Christmas presents yet. I'll put them in the post. I promise.

We were joined for Christmas by my neighbour's cat, who is the master of the unusual sleeping position

She has been freaking us all out by staring for long periods of time into the ventilation grate in my parents ceiling, leaving us to wonder what kind of vermin she finds so interesting up there. Not a pleasant thought!

LA

2006-12-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

Back in cold, dark Iceland - it's nice to think back to the three weeks I spent in LA, trying to remember what the warmth of the sun feels like, and how easy it is to get up in the morning when the sun rises before 11 am.

I've heard LA is a city of illusion; I soon found this out for myself when I spotted a very alarming Beware of the Dog sign on a garden gate, and looked down to find a cute little pup staring up at me with soulful eyes. There is so much more to the city than just movies, in fact whatever you're looking for you can probably find it in LA. Here are a few of the things I got up to.

The Saturday before thanksgiving I was lucky enough to catch the Doo-Dah parade in Pasadena. It was described to me as the antidote to the very wholesome thanksgiving parades that happen all over the US. I've never been to one, but I can imagine - heavy emphasis on marching bands, drill teams whirling batons and the like. The music in the Doo-Dah parade is more likely to be accompanied by electric guitars and drums, their drill teams more likely to be dancing to YMCA. All in silly costumes. In fact the sillier the better,

On my last weekend in LA I took a walk through Griffith Park up to Griffith Observatory. The place was heaving - it was great to see so many people excited about the cosmos. Plenty of families of course, but also some young couples and some gangs of teenagers checking out the displays

On the walk back down a guy walking in front turned round to me and pointed a coyote on the trail ahead. Big excitement for me, coming from a country where the most dangerous wild animal can maybe give you a nasty nip. Soon enough the coyote made its way back into the undergrowth, and we went ahead waving our arms about all over the place to make ourselves look big. We saw no more sign of him (can't say I blame him - if I saw a couple of people waving their arms around like loonies I'd probably steer well clear myself).

To wrap things up I'd like to thank Clifford for providing me with one of the more surreal moments of my life - driving through LA with Madness on the stereo, trying to stop an apple pie sliding into my lap. Great times!

the preacherman

2006-11-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

I had a truly American experience the other day. I was on the bus on my way to work, when a man got on and stood right next to me. When the bus moved off he started preaching. Very loudly. The usual Jesus loves you kind of stuff, with some hell, fire and brimstone thrown in for good measure. I don't think he had thought about what to say beforehand, but just shouted out whatever random thoughts came into his head. He seemed particularly keen on the idea that we might all get killed in an earthquake next year, and was really thrilled that his prayers were working, because look he wasn't in a wheelchair yet. (At which point I was far too intimidated to point out that being an agnostic for many years hasn't done me much harm either!) The response from the passengers on the bus was pretty unanimous. A few smiles at first turned into some uncomfortable looks, and when he still didn't get off people started moving to the other end of the bus. But more seriously, I do get mildly offended when people try to convert me to their religion. I am quite capable of deciding for myself whether or not to believe in God, thank you very much, and no amount of yelling at me on a bus is going to make me change my mind.

a dramatic accident

2006-11-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

The other day I was sitting at the food court of a university here in LA, eating my lunch. I heard a crash behind me. A child had tripped up some stairs while carrying a glass bottle which smashed as he fell, covering him in glass. Fortunately, as someone helped him up, it became apparent that he wasn't hurt except for a scratch on his finger. He was a bit shaken, but his father was there to comfort him, and soon he was absolutely fine. So far, so not very dramatic. The drama came later. One of the staff at the food court informed a security guard what had happened. Having spoken to the kid he whipped out his walkie-talkie. "There has been an incident in the food court", he barked. "We have a minor with a small scratch on his finger." He convinced the father to make a formal report. Pretty soon another security guard came along to add to the general excitement. He was followed soon after by two others, one to take photos and another to take the report. Call me unsympathetic, but the words mountain and molehill spring to mind.

surveys LA-style

2006-11-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

So I managed to escape the Icelandic winter for a few weeks, and am currently enjoying the sunshine and palm trees in Los Angeles, on a visit to a university in the city. A wierd thing happened to me here the other day. I was on my way back home, waiting to cross a road when I was stopped by a young man who asked me if I would mind answering a few questions for a survey. I agreed, wondering if I should point out that I don't live in LA, so any questions about shopping habits and the like wouldn't be very relevant. So, here's my first question, he said. What do you think is distinctive about my appearance? Rather taken back, I floundered for a while, my mind totally blank. I find nothing distinctive about your appearance seemed a cruel thing to say. Oh, just say anything, he prompted. Eventually I managed, rather feebly, your hair? Fortunately he didn't seem too offended. He moved on to his other three questions. What do you think of the environment? Do you believe in past lives? What do you think people can do to make the world a better place? I answered the questions, trying to work out whether he wanted to chat me up, convert me to Buddhism, or convince me to recycle more often. Apparently none of the above. He just wrote down my answers and moved on. Another of life's little mysteries.

catsitting

2006-11-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

For the past week I've been staying at my friends' house, looking after their four cats while they were away. There's Darius, in my friend's words the grumpy old man of the house, who likes people to watch him while he's eating (the number of times he's chirruped at me to follow him, then led me straight to his food bowl and started tucking in). There's Bianca, the quiet one, who likes to sit in the bath after I've had a shower and let the drops fall on her head. Then there's Scruffy and Leo, the aggressively affectionate young'uns, who have been having enormous amounts of fun with my furry gloves (don't tell my boyfriend - he gave them to me for Christmas. I don't think cat toy was what he had in mind when he bought them!). I'm all stroked out - four cats and only one lap! (And if anyone saw a crazy girl running around after a cat on Njalsgata around midnight last night, yes that was me. I think Scruffy had just discovered girl cats, and had no intention of being lured back inside) .

eighties nostalgia

2006-10-31T13:02:00.000-08:00

I found these on the top shelf on one of the labs at work. That little logo on the right says British Broadcasting Corporation. Yes, they're BBC computers. I haven't seen one of these since the eighties! Brings back good memories of playing Space Invaders, Pacman and the like. I also remember a curious little game called Frak - you controlled a caveman wielding a yo-yo which he used to kill all the baddies. Surreal, huh?

airwaves

2006-10-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last week was another busy week - the Iceland airwaves festival was on in Reykjavik from Wednesday til Sunday. It started off badly for me, nearly getting crushed to death in Gaukurinn on Wednesday night, then having to stay in on Thursday with a headache. But Friday and Saturday were a lot of fun. I'd been looking forward to seeing the Kaiser Chiefs for months and, well what can I say, they didn't disappoint. I took loads of photos, but owing to my utter incompetence with cameras didn't get a single good one. Well, alright here's one,

I know, I know. But I think you can just about recognise the singer. Anyway, there were lots of other bands playing. I also really liked the Islands and Patrick Watson from Canada, and local boys Mugison and Tarnus Jr. I probably would have enjoyed We Are Scientists as well, but I couldn't really concentrate on the music - I was too busy trying not to get crushed. Looking forward to next year already!

napoli

2006-10-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged for a while cause I spent the whole of last week attending a conference in the lovely city of Naples. They say it's the most beautiful city in the world. I can't comment on that because I haven't seen all the cities in the world. But it's certainly very easy on the eye. There wasn't much time for siteseeing, but I managed a quick tour of Pompeii and a stroll around Naples itself. One thing I noticed was how carefully arranged all the shop window displays are. For example the display below shows knobs for drawers (no innuendo intended!)

Wig anyone?

Or, seeing as this is Italy, how about some pasta?

nice idea ... shame about the weather

2006-10-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday they turned out all the street lights in Reykjavik for half an hour in the evening. The idea was to cut down on the light pollution so people could gaze at the night sky and see exciting things like stars, Northern lights etc. Well, I took a walk down my street to take a look. I saw one star. The problem was, this being Iceland, the whole sky was covered with clouds. Still it was kind of fun to walk down my street in the spooky darkness. There were lots of people milling around and chatting. So if nothing else it probably did a lot of good for the community spirit!

a new sport?

2006-09-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

The other day I saw a group of men skiing down the road. That's right, I said they were skiing down the road. Okay, the things on their feet weren't actually skis, being considerably shorter and with little wheels attached. But they were definitely skiing, moving in the same way that skiers do. They were even using those stick things that skiers use (must be a proper word for them, but I'm sure I don't know it). So is this kind of thing common in Iceland/Scandinavian countries? Or is this some exciting new sport that I'm the last one to catch on to (as usual)?

obsession

2006-09-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, having nothing better to do, I decided to do a spot of cleaning. 'I'll just give the sink a quick clean' turned into 'I might as well do the toilet as well' turned into 'actually the base is quite dirty too' turned into 'oh my god, how much dirt is there round the back of my toilet?' What I want to know is, is this normal behaviour? Or am I turning into an obsessive compulsive cleaning freak, and in need of therapy? Answers on a postcard please.