Me and baby

I have bought myself some extra happiness. I bought a little black baby. With storage capacity close to 250 GB. And pretty, very pretty.

Playing with "PhotoBooth"

I have finally discovered the fun features of the Mac program Photo Booth, just look how much fun one can have!


Me and my Jodings.

Male love

Party of the Year

I have just woken up after the party of the year. I got into bed with aching legs (after all dancing) and a smile on my face at 5 am this morning.

What a party! Everybody had so much fun, the food was delicious, the events and activites during the party were fun, and so much dancing afterwards! Just check out some of the pictures.
Showing off some serious dance moves.
The cool party people. Check out my dress, isn't it pretty. I made it myself you know =).
The doctor of the day, and her boyfriend.

Table dancing. A party would not be a party without a fire and table dancing. We had both. Thanks for the fire Linda! Careful with those napkins and candles!
No comment.
The doctor of the day, and the doctor to be (in less than two weeks). Good luck with that. Is this a dance move or?

Indirect

Today I am trying out some of the gadgets needed tomorrow at the party, for instance the projector. This and the previous post has been written and blogged indirectly, i.e. through projecting the screen on the wall. Now I have figured out which settings to use - which resolution to use on the projector and computer respectively, and how to make sure the computer understands I want to be able to see the same thing on the computer screen as I am projecting, they should not be separate screens.

All under control. For now. Time to get back to the secret buisness (i.e. the event-gift to sweet Katie from the lab!)

She did it!

And she did it real good to, my dear Katie. What an excellent presentation, with plenty of confidence, presence, and a very convincing attitude. She defended her thesis work with her life, and she did so brilliantly. I'm very proud, and happy for her. Time to relax a bit now Katie!

The party of the year is on tomorrow, her dissertation party. I have made 3.5 batches of spicy beans, and 1.5 batch of whimpy beans for (of course) The Soup, and plenty of stock to go with it. Yesterday I fried 4 kg of rice (it will be boiled tomorrow). And today I baked (in little less than 3 hours) EIGHT chocolate cakes! They will make up the dessert for tomorrow, mmmmm. The batter was delicious, in every cake!! Of course one has to try it out, just to be sure. Only 7 cakes will go for the party, the eight is for the moving-day, which will be on sunday. Soon I'll try to magically make room in the fridge for 8 chocolate cakes. It will be tough. Some milk might have to stay in room temperature over night =). No, I'll do my best, but at least ketchup and mustard and such can stay one day in room temperature. I know several that store them in room temperature all the time, so they should be fine. I just hope Cute Cat won't attack the food. If he attacks the mustard, he has another thing coming. A product with built-in punishment for him.

Just look at one of the eight chocolate cakes, doesn't it look absolutely delicious!

Something to think about

"Beauty often seduces us on our way towards truth"

Something to think about. Said by Dr Wilson in House MD, first season. If you haven't gotten addicted to the House MD series yet, do yourselves a huge favour, and check it out!

By the by, the cell depicted is a breast cancer cell. Beautiful and horrible, all wrapped up in one.

A thing called science

Have you ever wondered about science? About how it works, how much it contributes to the progress made in various fields of research? Well, here is your chance to finally see what this PhD-thing is all about!



Do check out the PhD comic website. I know I've said that before, but it really is hilarious!

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php

As cute as it gets!

I don't think there can be a picture cuter than this! It's just not possible. A picture taken by my brilliant friend, thanks a lot. Do visit his nice pages, the mobile blog and the picture blog. I have printed the cute picture, and hung it on the wall of my office. Just above my computer, so I see it all the time. Which makes me miss Cute Cat a lot! Think I'll go home and see him now.

Tiergarten

A huge park, approximately 3 x 2 km wide, in the middle of Berlin. Pretty lakes, lawns, trees. People out playing, hanging out in the sun, kicking a ball, barbecuing (despite prohibition), and playing with their dogs. We walked randomly, and suddenly found us in a place with men wearing almost nothing. First we saw a guy in speedos, and I laughed and pointed. Then a group of men in their boxer shorts, and a little bit further a head, and old man walking around like God created him, i.e. naked. A bit surprising, we had to admit. But then again, it's Germany, one should not be surprised about anything.

Rain deer

Behind this door at Copenhagen Airport are Santa's rain deers apparently stored for the summer. Or is it a sign saying that door is clean? Or whatever behind the door is clean?

Those danes, I've never understood them.

Summer in Berlin

Kaiser-Willelm Gedächtniskirsche. Slightly bombed.


Siegersäule. Very golden and pretty in the sun. A monument of victory. Victory over what, I don't know.



Sofie in the sun, eating a huge portion of ice-cream with cherries. I had a similar thing, but with strawberries instead. Nice Mövenpick ice-cream, in the sun, mmm.


A pretty church, just infront of the Fernsehturm at Alexanderplatz.


The beautiful Dome.

I recommend you all to visit Berlin a little bit more often!

Germany loves Cute Cat!

Not that I expected anything different from a huge and nice country like Germany, but still. Huge posters of my Cute Cat everywhere, almost too much. But no, it can never be too much Cute Cat.

Obidoo is on the little bag, if you look closely.

On my mind

The official list of stuff on my mind, in no particular order.

1. The packing + cleaning of apartment
2. The process of moving (out+in)
3. What to eat during the moving
4. Who will come help out with the moving
5. My work - what to do, and if it'll ever be good enough to publish
6. Stuff for Katie's dissertation party - the things I will fix, and must remember to bring
7. When I can sleep the next time
8. When I can be alone doing absolutely nothing the next time (without feeling guilty about not packing boxes)
9. When my stupid cold will leave my nose the hell alone!
10. How I can mange not to feel so irritated all the time - and specifically how to not be too annoyed around my Joding. He hasn't done any wrong, just that I am relaxed at home, am myself more, and too tired to control my irritation after a day at work.
11. Why I am annoyed - my cold, the stress?
12. If I should just wait until the annoyment subsides, or if there's something I can do about it.
13. A repetitive loop of things I should remember - or else everything will break down
14. How I want to do crossword puzzles, read books, listen to my audiobook - and when there'll be time for it all
15. How silly I am for all the above thoughts
16. How I should try not to listen to thoughs about how I am silly =).
17. How it would be good for me to avoid formulating sentences containing "should"

Scary

We handled the topic earlier today, me and my friend, during a ride to Nova Lund, the shopping centre in the outskirts of Lund. I was to buy some packing boxes, but that is neither here nor there. The topic, was about how pretty the summer skies can get, when a harsh weather has passed over, and the sun is just breaking out. You get those really blakish blue clouds, rendering a blinding contrast to the sun-lit houses and trees.

We thought we'd have to wait until the summer. But after a rainy day, the sun broke out for a few last rays, and gave a magnificently pretty sky, against the sun-lit trees, and houses of Kämnärsrätten - the place to be.

Eventhough it's the place to be, I'm dumping it for the weekend for even cooler grounds. Your should pronounce it "kuuhler", if you should do it properly. I'm practising my german for the weekend in Berlin.

Aufwiedersehen! Oder, aufwiederhören ist vielleicht besser hier. In diese context.

The fly.

Took seat on my leg
The little fly took a ride.
He stayed all the way.

From work to my home.
If I had brushed him off straight
- there'd be no haiku.

The fly is from wikipedia, where else?

Shurgard - to the rescue!

Yesterday evening it felt like the whole world was on my shoulders, everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) was impossible to solve, but still my very own task to solve. I was devastated. The guy whose apartment we're moving into hasn't returned any of my 4 phone calls, and two voicebox-messages. The rules of clearing your apartment for inspection with our landlord is tricky. The apartment needs to be totally empty and super-clean at 12 noon on the moving out day, and the moving in time isn't until 2pm that same day. With the same landlord. Still it seems impossible to come to some agreement.

This morning, after sleeping hard on the topic and deciding to stay home from work to recuperate, I was ready to follow through the ultimate solution. Covername "Shurgard".

I called them, and no problems were encountered. I booked a storage room of 9 square meters for 8 days, including insurance for up to 100'000 SEK (swedish kronor), for 545 SEK. So cheap, and so easy. Of course not easier than just carrying our things two houses down the road, but the best solution under the stupid circumstances. I took the bus over there, signed all the papers, paid the price, bought some nice boxes to store all our one million bottles in, and saw our little cube. It was cute. You actually had to sign specifically for understanding that you are not allowed to live in your storage room. He referred to it as the "common sense"-line I had to sign. He was kind, funny and made me relaxed. Now it is all settled. Everything but the absolutely necessary things (bed, cat, tv, and some clothes) will be moved out on the 27th of May - sign up for helping out by posting a comment. Please?! And on the 1st and 2nd of June, we'll be moving everything back into the new apartment (from the Shurgard storage room). To sign up for helping out on these dates, also post a comment. Pretty please?!

I actually think I'm in love with Shurgard today. What a brilliant buisness idea!

Tired of packing

After all that packing, you deserve a taste of ice-cream, and relax for a while. You and me both, Cute Cat.

A city of taste!

Why not enjoy a glass of extremely tasty champagne in the bar at Grand Hôtel in Lund?

City of pretty things

The old city core of Lund is one of the more beauiful places I know. The cobble stones, the low houses, the flowers, the cozyness.



And I hope, that one time, when I have a reason to buy two huge pots of fresh flower decorations, that I can afford to spend the plentyplenty of money I am sure these decorations have cost to buy. They were off to a wedding later today. Along with a huge box of yellow rose flower-bits. Brilliant taste!

Malplace

Some things, I assume originally intended to be very straightforward and easy to understand, just evokes more questions and puzzles you. At least if "you" is "me".

I was at the film-renting-place earlier this evening. When we were ready to pay, I found this little cup on the counter, with the note "driks", in english "tip". But rather spelled something like "tipp", or at least in a non-ok-way.

So first of all. If you make public announcements, in general, but especially if they are only one word long. Check the spelling!

But secondly, giving tip? At the movie-renting-place? Why? For what?

I guess for the great service of not finding the DVD I wanted, so I had to go pick out another one.

Hey you!

Stop your getting high. And enjoy this lovely picture of Cute Cat.

Pouring rain

But none the less, Lund is absolutely beautiful!

Cold ice.

What other types are there?

Help!

Isn't it nice with lovely friends, forcing themselves upon you, with blueberry pie, ice cream and a followed-through threat about helping you pack down your apartment. Thanks for the nice afternoon!

And of course Cute Cat. Not so helpful. As soon as I fold up a box, he jumps into it, and doesn't leave, even when I start packing in the box. He just pushes the things away, bite them, scratch them, and is being a bully in general. But a cute bully!

Stupid germans!

I now know what is causing the aquarial death currently ongoing in my living room. 10 cardinal tetras have died. On the very same day. Some american suggested it was a maffia settlement between the platy and the tetra clans, producing ten fish bodies. I liked the suggestion, it was fun, and the best I had upuntil 1 hour ago.

This is when I commenced watching the aquarium, and the activities going on inside. The fish have been behaving differently the last few days, and I don't want more to die. suddenly Joding noticed one of the new Platys having white dots all over his fins and body. Just like that tetra I saw, two days ago, just before it died.

I got worried, obviously, and did the only right thing. Googled it; "platy white spot". And came quickly across the disease causing the dots, and the recent fish death in the tank.

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.

Whatever you might believe, I did not just make up that word, or write it randomly. It is a proper word. Latin, of course. A species name of an evil protozoa parasiting on my fish! Apparently the parasites grow on the fins, after a few days the parasites fall off down on the undergrowth in the aquarium, where it rapidly divides in a cyst, which after a few days breaks and spreads up to 1000 new parasites. How disgusting is that?! Apparently there should be a treatment you can pour into the water for a few days, to break the parasite cycle in the only place possible - when the parasites leave the cyst, before getting onto the fins of my pretty fish. Apparently the treatment is also carcinogenic, not only to fish but also to humans. I am skeptical. Should I kill the fish and autoclave the stones, and the log. Buy new plants and clean out the tank with our lovely Virkon-kill-all-solution we have at the lab?

I feel so bad for my sweet little fish.

And do you want to know why the Germans are to blame? The last 5 fish we got two weeks ago is the cause. There was some infection in one of the tanks at Hornbach (very german-decending store), so he didn't sell fish from those tanks. But from the others. And on one page I found the strongly disencouraged you to buy fish from a place that had this Ich (as it is shortened to) infection. Since the parasite spreads with pretty much anything, e.g. the nets they lift fish with. Stupid stupid stupid. Well, I have learnt something now then.

I feel so bad for my fish! I want to sue Hornbach!

Who's the cutest cat?

PhD comics

Don't deny yourself the pleasure of checking out this lovely comic, it is hilarious! Especially if you happen to be a PhD student, but I am sure you can appreciate it anyways!

www.PhDcomics.com