Need I say more?Didn't think so.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Night life
Sitting outside, allowing the day's sweat to finally dry, I saw two bats zip over head- their high pitched chirping telling me even if I couldn't see them anymore they were still nearby. Now it's time for bed. I'll close my window and begin my nightly killing spree of all the buzzing insects that would eat me alive in my sleep.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Who needs a lawnmower when you have goats?
I marshaled the troops, (Renee, Monica, Chen, Vishal, myself) and we headed out to Diever, a village NE of Dwingeloo.
I'd been told that it boasted a Hunebed-an ancient mass burial site from the civilization that lived in this area 5,000 yrs ago. All that's left now is a formation of rocks (which, interestingly, are not native to the area. They were carried here during an ice age by a glacier from the north.) The people that come later saw these formation and thought them the resting place of giants. And that's what the name means, Hune is giant. Pretty cool, huh?
Diever also has a windmill! It's not longer in regular use, but every Saturday volunteers come and, if there's wind, actually use it to grind wheat. They produce 200kg/wk and supply some of the local bakeries. We climbed wooden ladders to get the the mill stones and the cat walk outside. Everything was covered in a fine layer of flour.
Then, in Dieverbrug, an even tinier town, they have a canal (pictured in an earlier post). We happened to be passing right as the road was lifted to allow a boat to pass.
Finally we got to back to Dwingeloo and decided to treat ourselves to an icecream :) The soft serve is SO much better here (just as I remembered from when I went to Edinburgh) It actually tasted like dairy, and not just sugar.
The people of Dwingeloo were out in force, enjoying the warm weather and sun. I'm sure it was just a normal summer Saturday, but they seemed so...quirky to me. I saw several people with small dogs in riding in baskets on bikes, children buckled into seats balanced on handlebars or back wheels, old couples riding their bikes together down the cobbled streets. Overall a successful Saturday afternoon I'd say.
I'd been told that it boasted a Hunebed-an ancient mass burial site from the civilization that lived in this area 5,000 yrs ago. All that's left now is a formation of rocks (which, interestingly, are not native to the area. They were carried here during an ice age by a glacier from the north.) The people that come later saw these formation and thought them the resting place of giants. And that's what the name means, Hune is giant. Pretty cool, huh?
Diever also has a windmill! It's not longer in regular use, but every Saturday volunteers come and, if there's wind, actually use it to grind wheat. They produce 200kg/wk and supply some of the local bakeries. We climbed wooden ladders to get the the mill stones and the cat walk outside. Everything was covered in a fine layer of flour.
Then, in Dieverbrug, an even tinier town, they have a canal (pictured in an earlier post). We happened to be passing right as the road was lifted to allow a boat to pass.
Finally we got to back to Dwingeloo and decided to treat ourselves to an icecream :) The soft serve is SO much better here (just as I remembered from when I went to Edinburgh) It actually tasted like dairy, and not just sugar.
The people of Dwingeloo were out in force, enjoying the warm weather and sun. I'm sure it was just a normal summer Saturday, but they seemed so...quirky to me. I saw several people with small dogs in riding in baskets on bikes, children buckled into seats balanced on handlebars or back wheels, old couples riding their bikes together down the cobbled streets. Overall a successful Saturday afternoon I'd say.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Catch Up
It seems I haven't been very good about writing this week, so here's a condensed version of my going-ons. I don't know how it happens, it's not like I'm really all that busy, but some how the day ends before I've gotten anything done.
Saturday:
Rachael, Vishal and I went for a bike ride. We packed a lunch and brought our rain jackets (the weather wasn't the most trustworthy) and chose a direction. Along the way we found a tea house (Thee huiz in Dutch) in the middle of the forest. I'm not joking. We came around a corner of bike path and there it was. No paved roads or anything- just a random tea house with a play ground in the middle of the freaking nowhere. A little bit farther on we stopped and ate lunch even though we really weren't that far from the guesthouse and finished our ride. It started to get cold and misty so I was glad to be back home in warm covers.
Sunday:
Laziness ensued.
Monday:
The weather was gorgeous!! Like wow, amazing. After work we all (Rachael, Vishal, Chen (who's first name is actually Ruwong, but you try saying that quickly) Renee, Dimitri, and myself) decided to hop on our bikes and see where we ended up. Dimitri's a bit more familiar with the area (he was a summer student 2 summers ago) so we followed him to a small town north east of Dwingeloo. There's a canal running through it with house boats and everything.
This is my favorite picture recently though:
For obvious reasons I think.
Tuesday:
Well I tried to do the same route that Vishal, Rachael, and I took on Saturday but backwards (starting out across the heath first and then heading back through the forest) but that didn't turn out so well. I ended up missing a turn somewhere and finding myself all the way in Dwingeloo. But as a consequence I found the pancake restaurant that's nearby. So that's good. All told: 18km. My butt was real sore (Becca, you may make a lewd comment now.)
Wednesday: Bridge Night
I guess it's been a tradition for over 20 years now, but every Wednesday folk from the institute get together to play bridge and have some drinks. So six of the eight of us students got on our bikes and 7:30pm and rode the 7ish km to Pesse, a nearby town. We played bridge until around 10:30pm until it was finally too dark to see well enough. The booze came outside on a tray and a fire pit was started. Somehow we managed to all talk for another 2 hours, well into darkness. The host and hostess were amazing nice, and friendly, and great conversationalists.
We finally decided to head back home, and so turned on our bike lights (powered by peddle) for the magical ride home. A gibbous moon was well above the horizon, illuminating the low clouds. We stopped to take in the amazing scene in the middle of the heath*, about 3km from home. Fog was like icing across the plain, making the clustered trees appear to float. I cannot tell you how absolutely surreal the scene was. The entire night had been wonderful, the bike ride home one of the best parts. I've decided I don't like bridge, but I'll continue to go every week just for the experience.
Thursday:
So today we got the grand tour of the institute, which turned out not to be the snooze-fest I thought it would. We got to see the electronics area of the building, where they design and test all the correlators for the majority of the European radio telescopes. They have a sound proof room with foam spikes and everything! There's also an optical/infrared instrumentation group centered here as well. They're working on the polarizer for an instrument called 'Sphere' which will go on one of the massive telescopes in Chile to directly detect exo-planets. I'll believe when it happens, but it's still pretty cool.
* This is a picture of of a little bit of heath, looking to forest. It's not a very impressive picture, I'll try and take another one soon.
And this is just a random flower picture. These are right outside my front door in a little glade. The little path to the left goes to the telescope. You don't have to hide your jealousy, I understand.
Saturday:
Rachael, Vishal and I went for a bike ride. We packed a lunch and brought our rain jackets (the weather wasn't the most trustworthy) and chose a direction. Along the way we found a tea house (Thee huiz in Dutch) in the middle of the forest. I'm not joking. We came around a corner of bike path and there it was. No paved roads or anything- just a random tea house with a play ground in the middle of the freaking nowhere. A little bit farther on we stopped and ate lunch even though we really weren't that far from the guesthouse and finished our ride. It started to get cold and misty so I was glad to be back home in warm covers.
Sunday:
Laziness ensued.
Monday:
The weather was gorgeous!! Like wow, amazing. After work we all (Rachael, Vishal, Chen (who's first name is actually Ruwong, but you try saying that quickly) Renee, Dimitri, and myself) decided to hop on our bikes and see where we ended up. Dimitri's a bit more familiar with the area (he was a summer student 2 summers ago) so we followed him to a small town north east of Dwingeloo. There's a canal running through it with house boats and everything.
This is my favorite picture recently though:
For obvious reasons I think.Tuesday:
Well I tried to do the same route that Vishal, Rachael, and I took on Saturday but backwards (starting out across the heath first and then heading back through the forest) but that didn't turn out so well. I ended up missing a turn somewhere and finding myself all the way in Dwingeloo. But as a consequence I found the pancake restaurant that's nearby. So that's good. All told: 18km. My butt was real sore (Becca, you may make a lewd comment now.)
Wednesday: Bridge Night
I guess it's been a tradition for over 20 years now, but every Wednesday folk from the institute get together to play bridge and have some drinks. So six of the eight of us students got on our bikes and 7:30pm and rode the 7ish km to Pesse, a nearby town. We played bridge until around 10:30pm until it was finally too dark to see well enough. The booze came outside on a tray and a fire pit was started. Somehow we managed to all talk for another 2 hours, well into darkness. The host and hostess were amazing nice, and friendly, and great conversationalists.
We finally decided to head back home, and so turned on our bike lights (powered by peddle) for the magical ride home. A gibbous moon was well above the horizon, illuminating the low clouds. We stopped to take in the amazing scene in the middle of the heath*, about 3km from home. Fog was like icing across the plain, making the clustered trees appear to float. I cannot tell you how absolutely surreal the scene was. The entire night had been wonderful, the bike ride home one of the best parts. I've decided I don't like bridge, but I'll continue to go every week just for the experience.
Thursday:
So today we got the grand tour of the institute, which turned out not to be the snooze-fest I thought it would. We got to see the electronics area of the building, where they design and test all the correlators for the majority of the European radio telescopes. They have a sound proof room with foam spikes and everything! There's also an optical/infrared instrumentation group centered here as well. They're working on the polarizer for an instrument called 'Sphere' which will go on one of the massive telescopes in Chile to directly detect exo-planets. I'll believe when it happens, but it's still pretty cool.
* This is a picture of of a little bit of heath, looking to forest. It's not a very impressive picture, I'll try and take another one soon.
And this is just a random flower picture. These are right outside my front door in a little glade. The little path to the left goes to the telescope. You don't have to hide your jealousy, I understand.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Confession
My name is Tahlia DeMaio, and I am an addict.
(click here for a soundtrack to accompany this post)
I have a closely guarded secret that almost no one, if anyone, knows: I am addicted to croissants. It's shameful, I know! But I just can't help it! Back home I managed to keep my obsessive impulses curtailed in the following ways: 1) Croissants are expensive! There's no way I could justify spending $2 or more one a single, heavenly, buttery pastry 2.) I know that so much goodness in one little croissant can only mean one thing: BUTTER and butter NE healthy. So my secret was well kept by my frugalness and guilt. But atlas! The same constraints do not apply here! 1) Croissants are so CHEAP and they're EVERYWHERE and 2) Croissants are so CHEAP and they're EVERYWHERE. In France, home of my weakness, a croissants costs 0.70euro, that's $0.88 folks! How can you resist that?! And they're even better here than back home. Softer, and flakier, and buttery-er and not dry or crumbly. My self restraint has been put to it's limits- I may just throw caution to the wind and accept the drain on my limited funds (though not as bad as it could be!) and addition to my waist (reduced by all my excessive biking!) and indulge.
(click here for a soundtrack to accompany this post)
I have a closely guarded secret that almost no one, if anyone, knows: I am addicted to croissants. It's shameful, I know! But I just can't help it! Back home I managed to keep my obsessive impulses curtailed in the following ways: 1) Croissants are expensive! There's no way I could justify spending $2 or more one a single, heavenly, buttery pastry 2.) I know that so much goodness in one little croissant can only mean one thing: BUTTER and butter NE healthy. So my secret was well kept by my frugalness and guilt. But atlas! The same constraints do not apply here! 1) Croissants are so CHEAP and they're EVERYWHERE and 2) Croissants are so CHEAP and they're EVERYWHERE. In France, home of my weakness, a croissants costs 0.70euro, that's $0.88 folks! How can you resist that?! And they're even better here than back home. Softer, and flakier, and buttery-er and not dry or crumbly. My self restraint has been put to it's limits- I may just throw caution to the wind and accept the drain on my limited funds (though not as bad as it could be!) and addition to my waist (reduced by all my excessive biking!) and indulge.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Three Weeks
So it's been three weeks, as of yesterday, since I arrived. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Finally starting to get comfortable with the data I'm working with, which is nice. I think my adviser thinks I'm an idiot- which so long as she still writes a good letter of rec I guess I'm okay with. So for my sciendy readers, here's a description of what I'm doing. (Feel free to skip the next bit for anyone uninterested, sciency or not.)
I'm looking at the nearby starburst galaxy, NGC253, at the 146GHz and 218GHz para-formaldehyde lines. We have seven different pointings along the main axis of the galaxy each observed in the two different wavelengths. My job is to go through all the data (there's a lot), get rid of the ones with bad baselines, fully reduce each pointing to a single, averaged, spectrum and then measure the strength of the formaldehyde emissions. Sounds simple, right? WRONG. Anyway, once both frequencies are reduced and measured, we can then use the two different transitions (these are vibrational transitions) to probe the density and temperature of the molecular gas. New evidence shows that in starburst galaxies like NGC253 the molecular gas near the central region are actually an order or magnitude higher in temperature than previously thought, possibly as high as 150K. This leads to a whole range of consequences such as having to rethink the initial mass function of star-birthing clouds. ie higher gas temperature=more higher mass stars.
ANYWAY.
We have all but the last student here now for the summer, which makes for a much more lively group (which still isn't saying much, and is nothing like the comradery I had with last year's group.) In order of appearance:
-John, from the Twin Cities, undergrad
-Rene, he's from Germany, goes to the Max Planck institude for something or ruther (read: impressive), grad student
-Ruwong, from China, grad student
-Vishal, from India in Mumbai I believe, grad student. (I'm still working up to asking him if he knows Hindi and would practice with me.)
-Francillia, from Indiana, just graduated
-Rachael, from Princeton though origionally from Canadia, Toronto, undergrad
-and we're waiting on an Italian from the university in Bologna
Since Rachael's been here there's been a lot more group interaction. She and I made tandori chicken with rice for dinner for everyone Friday night, which was awesome. Dimitri, a visiting scientist for the summer who's using our kitchen while he's here made potato pancakes as well (he's from Russia) which were soo good.
Every year there's a pancake welcome dinner for the summer students, put on by the institute. Pancakes are a big deal here; there are whole restaurants that specialize in them. And not just the sweet variety either. So Thursday, after the weekly colloquim everyone gathered for drinks and pancakes. I had a cheese and onion one :) After we had eaten, Rachael, Vishal, and I went for a bike ride. When we got back game night had just started- so I played a couple rounds of Bug Bluff (don't ask) and then went to bed. I'd been sick for a couple days and by the end of cards I'd completely lost my voice. My voice is back now, my I'm still a gross, leaky, faucet.
Tomorrow the other students and I are supposed to meet with the big boss, (the director of ASTRON) for drinks in his office. I have no idea what to expect. I've been told it's a casual affair and he does it every year, but still, how strange!
I've started to get into a groove with work and everything. I try to be at my desk by around 9:00am. Some mornings I'll go to coffee break at 10:30, then lunch around 12:30, then colloquim at 3:30 if there is one. I don't know how anybody gets anything done, ever. Seriously, it must be a 30hr work week for most people if you discount the hours spent at coffee, lunch, colloquia, etc. Then after work it varies. I make dinner, chat with friends online, watch Torchwood, read, not study for the GRE (I'm working on that one, sorta), bike ride, etc. It's pretty damn remote, so the options are limited.
We've decided that we'll definitely be going on a day trip to Groningen one weekend and Amsterdam another. Dimitri is very familiar with Amsterdam, so he said he'd show us around, which is awesome. And then I'll be going to Berlin later in July to meet up with some of the people from last summer's REU. It's going to be busy busy and before I know it, the summer will be over. I'm not sure how I feel about that either.
Finally starting to get comfortable with the data I'm working with, which is nice. I think my adviser thinks I'm an idiot- which so long as she still writes a good letter of rec I guess I'm okay with. So for my sciendy readers, here's a description of what I'm doing. (Feel free to skip the next bit for anyone uninterested, sciency or not.)
I'm looking at the nearby starburst galaxy, NGC253, at the 146GHz and 218GHz para-formaldehyde lines. We have seven different pointings along the main axis of the galaxy each observed in the two different wavelengths. My job is to go through all the data (there's a lot), get rid of the ones with bad baselines, fully reduce each pointing to a single, averaged, spectrum and then measure the strength of the formaldehyde emissions. Sounds simple, right? WRONG. Anyway, once both frequencies are reduced and measured, we can then use the two different transitions (these are vibrational transitions) to probe the density and temperature of the molecular gas. New evidence shows that in starburst galaxies like NGC253 the molecular gas near the central region are actually an order or magnitude higher in temperature than previously thought, possibly as high as 150K. This leads to a whole range of consequences such as having to rethink the initial mass function of star-birthing clouds. ie higher gas temperature=more higher mass stars.
ANYWAY.
We have all but the last student here now for the summer, which makes for a much more lively group (which still isn't saying much, and is nothing like the comradery I had with last year's group.) In order of appearance:
-John, from the Twin Cities, undergrad
-Rene, he's from Germany, goes to the Max Planck institude for something or ruther (read: impressive), grad student
-Ruwong, from China, grad student
-Vishal, from India in Mumbai I believe, grad student. (I'm still working up to asking him if he knows Hindi and would practice with me.)
-Francillia, from Indiana, just graduated
-Rachael, from Princeton though origionally from Canadia, Toronto, undergrad
-and we're waiting on an Italian from the university in Bologna
Since Rachael's been here there's been a lot more group interaction. She and I made tandori chicken with rice for dinner for everyone Friday night, which was awesome. Dimitri, a visiting scientist for the summer who's using our kitchen while he's here made potato pancakes as well (he's from Russia) which were soo good.
Every year there's a pancake welcome dinner for the summer students, put on by the institute. Pancakes are a big deal here; there are whole restaurants that specialize in them. And not just the sweet variety either. So Thursday, after the weekly colloquim everyone gathered for drinks and pancakes. I had a cheese and onion one :) After we had eaten, Rachael, Vishal, and I went for a bike ride. When we got back game night had just started- so I played a couple rounds of Bug Bluff (don't ask) and then went to bed. I'd been sick for a couple days and by the end of cards I'd completely lost my voice. My voice is back now, my I'm still a gross, leaky, faucet.
Tomorrow the other students and I are supposed to meet with the big boss, (the director of ASTRON) for drinks in his office. I have no idea what to expect. I've been told it's a casual affair and he does it every year, but still, how strange!
I've started to get into a groove with work and everything. I try to be at my desk by around 9:00am. Some mornings I'll go to coffee break at 10:30, then lunch around 12:30, then colloquim at 3:30 if there is one. I don't know how anybody gets anything done, ever. Seriously, it must be a 30hr work week for most people if you discount the hours spent at coffee, lunch, colloquia, etc. Then after work it varies. I make dinner, chat with friends online, watch Torchwood, read, not study for the GRE (I'm working on that one, sorta), bike ride, etc. It's pretty damn remote, so the options are limited.
We've decided that we'll definitely be going on a day trip to Groningen one weekend and Amsterdam another. Dimitri is very familiar with Amsterdam, so he said he'd show us around, which is awesome. And then I'll be going to Berlin later in July to meet up with some of the people from last summer's REU. It's going to be busy busy and before I know it, the summer will be over. I'm not sure how I feel about that either.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Phew!
Oh my god, what an amazing weekend!
Saturday morning I got up early, had breakfast at the hostel in Brussel and caught the metro to Brussel-Midi. Found out that all the seat on the train I was hoping to take were gone, so instead I ended up going to Lille, France and catching a train from there to Paris. Surprisingly, I was only two hours later arriving in Paris than planned. Met up with Cameron and Elizabeth (!) and we set off to conquer Paris! This'll be the abbriviated version, if you want all my pictures I took you can find them here. Seriously, it's a pretty amazing album, so GO LOOK AT THEM AND TELL ME HOW AWESOME IT IS.
So first we went to Notre Dame which was awesome, though packed with people.
We went inside and walked around. Talk about some impressive architecture and stained glass. We then found the underground museum about the history of Norte Dame and toured it for a bit. At this point, we were hungry so we walked around and found an awesome alley packed with people and shops and yummy food carts
Then we decided to go visit the Eiffel Tower. So cool.
Then we went to Sacre Coeur, which was probably my favorite part place in Paris that I saw. It's on one of the high points in the city and looks out over Paris' expanse of white, ancient buildings. The church located there is fairly recent (built in the late 1800's) and is absolutely beautiful. The inside is so astoundingly immense and serene- well except for the really christian-y parts that made me a little annoyed.
So then we walked down to the Moulin Rouge which was in a rather red-light sort of district. Seriously, 2 out of 3 shops were sex shops. It was rather impressive that so many could survive so closely together. We'd be walking FOREVER it seems like at this point, so we decided to get some dinner at an India place C&E found when they arrived. The food was great (and pricey). We were hoing to catch the light show on the Eiffel Tower that happens on the hour from 10pm-1am, but we missed the 11pm and were too exhausted to wait/didn't want to miss the last metro runs. Thus, we called it a night.
Next morning I woke up and meet E&C at the Lourve at 11am. We stayed until closing- something like six hours- wandering around. I have to say it, the Mona Lisa was unimpressive. But besides that I really enjoyed seeing all the art. My favorite part was the sculpture garden.
We went back to the alley around Notre Dame for dinner becasue it was 'cheap' and had a gyro. Then we wandered around and lo and behold, we found an all ENGLISH used bookstore! It was amazing!!!!
Then we sat down in a local bar, had a happy hour beer and then went to see the Eiffel Tower do it's light show.
It was amazing and magical and just... awesome. It was a great way to end a perfect weekend in Paris with good friends.
The trip home on Monday was less happy, and filled with my usual dum blunders, but I'm not going to dwell on it. I got home and that's what counts! I mean, hello, I got to see friends and Paris all in one weekend, it was marvelous. Though it did make me realize I miss you all so much.
Saturday morning I got up early, had breakfast at the hostel in Brussel and caught the metro to Brussel-Midi. Found out that all the seat on the train I was hoping to take were gone, so instead I ended up going to Lille, France and catching a train from there to Paris. Surprisingly, I was only two hours later arriving in Paris than planned. Met up with Cameron and Elizabeth (!) and we set off to conquer Paris! This'll be the abbriviated version, if you want all my pictures I took you can find them here. Seriously, it's a pretty amazing album, so GO LOOK AT THEM AND TELL ME HOW AWESOME IT IS.
So first we went to Notre Dame which was awesome, though packed with people.
We went inside and walked around. Talk about some impressive architecture and stained glass. We then found the underground museum about the history of Norte Dame and toured it for a bit. At this point, we were hungry so we walked around and found an awesome alley packed with people and shops and yummy food carts
Then we decided to go visit the Eiffel Tower. So cool.
Then we went to Sacre Coeur, which was probably my favorite part place in Paris that I saw. It's on one of the high points in the city and looks out over Paris' expanse of white, ancient buildings. The church located there is fairly recent (built in the late 1800's) and is absolutely beautiful. The inside is so astoundingly immense and serene- well except for the really christian-y parts that made me a little annoyed.
So then we walked down to the Moulin Rouge which was in a rather red-light sort of district. Seriously, 2 out of 3 shops were sex shops. It was rather impressive that so many could survive so closely together. We'd be walking FOREVER it seems like at this point, so we decided to get some dinner at an India place C&E found when they arrived. The food was great (and pricey). We were hoing to catch the light show on the Eiffel Tower that happens on the hour from 10pm-1am, but we missed the 11pm and were too exhausted to wait/didn't want to miss the last metro runs. Thus, we called it a night.
Next morning I woke up and meet E&C at the Lourve at 11am. We stayed until closing- something like six hours- wandering around. I have to say it, the Mona Lisa was unimpressive. But besides that I really enjoyed seeing all the art. My favorite part was the sculpture garden.
We went back to the alley around Notre Dame for dinner becasue it was 'cheap' and had a gyro. Then we wandered around and lo and behold, we found an all ENGLISH used bookstore! It was amazing!!!!
Then we sat down in a local bar, had a happy hour beer and then went to see the Eiffel Tower do it's light show.
It was amazing and magical and just... awesome. It was a great way to end a perfect weekend in Paris with good friends.
The trip home on Monday was less happy, and filled with my usual dum blunders, but I'm not going to dwell on it. I got home and that's what counts! I mean, hello, I got to see friends and Paris all in one weekend, it was marvelous. Though it did make me realize I miss you all so much.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Safe! (and on time)
YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE LOVING GOD????!!!!!! Oh, wait, I did get to Brussel just fine, didn't get lost once, or start freaking out because I might not get to my hostel in time for checking and be homeless for a night...maybe I should exclude safe and timely travel from the list of 'Reasons why there might be a god'. But yeah, here's the break down:
14:00 Got a shuttle from the hotel
14:20 got to Assen station, validated my Eurail no problem and was going down to the plat forms to figure out where to wait when the guy I rode the shuttle with said 'hurry! there's the train!' And I'm like 'Whaaaa?', 'cause my train wasn't supposed to come until 15:00. He goes yeah, hurry, get on! And I'm like WHERE DOES IT GO. All he says is south and change trains to Rotterdam in Amsersfort. So I get on. And like clock work I get off at Amersfort and walk over to the next platform to the front half of the train going to Den Haag/Rotterdam. Wouldn't know it though, I arrive in Rotterdam 5 minutes too late to make the connecting train to Brussels so I have to wait an hour. Oh well. Saw some interesting creatures too- had my first murse sighting and there was a guy with a mellet but with dreads in the back (Becca, come up with a funny name for it) Anyway, I get to Brussel-Zuid station and find the metro and get off (HEYO) at my atop and find my hostel. It was like clockwork- confusing clockwork.
I put my stuff in my room and since it was only 8:00 and there were at least two more hours of solid daylight I started walking. Here are some pictures:
There's more, but the internets are being dum. I'll update later.
14:00 Got a shuttle from the hotel
14:20 got to Assen station, validated my Eurail no problem and was going down to the plat forms to figure out where to wait when the guy I rode the shuttle with said 'hurry! there's the train!' And I'm like 'Whaaaa?', 'cause my train wasn't supposed to come until 15:00. He goes yeah, hurry, get on! And I'm like WHERE DOES IT GO. All he says is south and change trains to Rotterdam in Amsersfort. So I get on. And like clock work I get off at Amersfort and walk over to the next platform to the front half of the train going to Den Haag/Rotterdam. Wouldn't know it though, I arrive in Rotterdam 5 minutes too late to make the connecting train to Brussels so I have to wait an hour. Oh well. Saw some interesting creatures too- had my first murse sighting and there was a guy with a mellet but with dreads in the back (Becca, come up with a funny name for it) Anyway, I get to Brussel-Zuid station and find the metro and get off (HEYO) at my atop and find my hostel. It was like clockwork- confusing clockwork.
I put my stuff in my room and since it was only 8:00 and there were at least two more hours of solid daylight I started walking. Here are some pictures:
There's more, but the internets are being dum. I'll update later.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Appel Mania and Hungry Sharks
The day went exactly as I expected. Got up, went to a buffet breakfast, and then sat for 8 mind numbing hours of science talks punctuated only by lunch. I was glad to get the hell out of there at 6:30pm. And with nothing better to do, I went for the gym for a bit. I've always scoffed at it before, but TV's on the equipment=genius. I did 10km (6miles) without even realizing it (minus the gross sweat pouring from my brow. I felt like Becca I was so grossly sweaty). Maybe I'll go buy some overpriced hotel dinner after I finish this post.
It's everywhere! (P.s. This goes out to Matt, so damnit MB, get him to follow my blog or at least read this post) There's 150 people at this conference, so we all fit in one large conference room and a good 30% are on their laptop at any one time during the talks. THEY'RE ALL APPLES. It's almost creepy. I was sitting near a table and of the four around it, there were three white laptops like mine and one macbook pro. I look to the left and see two more pros, a head of me- some early generation pros. There have even been a couple ipads. And the 0.5% who don't have an apple? They have netbooks- which hardly count as computers at all. I bet you Apple makes a lot of money off the astronomy community. I'd really like to give them enough for a new macbook pro myself... oh well.
During the AAS conference in December I didn't go to many talks so I didn't get any exposure to the astronomy community in a science-y way (which was dumb of me, but there you have it) But today I realized that scientists can be mean, criticizing, hungry sharks! A guy was giving a talk about the Era of Reionization and how it'll be possible to get observations with the new low frequency arrays that will be coming on line in the next decade. During the questions portion another old white guy (OWG) mercilessly shot him down, essentially proclaiming that his hopes were completely far fetched and he was wasting his time and should never have been given money for his research. That was awkward. So then the next speaker gets up and talks about a related subject, and the same OWG does the same thing! How freaking rude. I understand why so many recent studies show women leaving/not being encouraged in the sciences. Of the 90 bazillion (=24) speakers today only 3 were female. I look forward to when the dominate scientific attitude is no longer just that of OWG. *cough* Shull *cough* Stocke *cough* Duncan *cough*
Anyway, I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight. Pretending to listen to weird accents talking about science way over my head has worn me out. Plus, it's a long day tomorrow. After (free) lunch I'm headed to Assen proper to get my Eurail pass validated to get to Brussels. Wish me luck! Or at least that I find my way when I get lost without too much trouble. kthnxbai.
It's everywhere! (P.s. This goes out to Matt, so damnit MB, get him to follow my blog or at least read this post) There's 150 people at this conference, so we all fit in one large conference room and a good 30% are on their laptop at any one time during the talks. THEY'RE ALL APPLES. It's almost creepy. I was sitting near a table and of the four around it, there were three white laptops like mine and one macbook pro. I look to the left and see two more pros, a head of me- some early generation pros. There have even been a couple ipads. And the 0.5% who don't have an apple? They have netbooks- which hardly count as computers at all. I bet you Apple makes a lot of money off the astronomy community. I'd really like to give them enough for a new macbook pro myself... oh well.
During the AAS conference in December I didn't go to many talks so I didn't get any exposure to the astronomy community in a science-y way (which was dumb of me, but there you have it) But today I realized that scientists can be mean, criticizing, hungry sharks! A guy was giving a talk about the Era of Reionization and how it'll be possible to get observations with the new low frequency arrays that will be coming on line in the next decade. During the questions portion another old white guy (OWG) mercilessly shot him down, essentially proclaiming that his hopes were completely far fetched and he was wasting his time and should never have been given money for his research. That was awkward. So then the next speaker gets up and talks about a related subject, and the same OWG does the same thing! How freaking rude. I understand why so many recent studies show women leaving/not being encouraged in the sciences. Of the 90 bazillion (=24) speakers today only 3 were female. I look forward to when the dominate scientific attitude is no longer just that of OWG. *cough* Shull *cough* Stocke *cough* Duncan *cough*
Anyway, I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight. Pretending to listen to weird accents talking about science way over my head has worn me out. Plus, it's a long day tomorrow. After (free) lunch I'm headed to Assen proper to get my Eurail pass validated to get to Brussels. Wish me luck! Or at least that I find my way when I get lost without too much trouble. kthnxbai.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
5 Star Whaaaaa???!!!
Change of plans: RAIN
So I didn't bike to Hoogeveen...it was raining and was like 'Oh hell no, bitches!' (Actually, I was like 'Okay, try to stay positive. This will be an adventure. It's okay. Things will work out' etc) So after much running around calling people (Esprect ew Engels? (not actual dutch, that's just how you pronounce it)) to figure things out, I decided to just ride with the other students to Assen for the conference (for free) and just figure out how I am getting home for Paris Sunday/Monday later. I figure, fuck it, I'll eventually somehow manage to get back home. Maybe.
So we got to the hotel, Hof van Saksen, and I think my jaw hit the floor. I was like '5 star say whaaaa?' This place is like it's own little, extremely schmancy, village. It has a main building with 3 or 4 restaurants and conference rooms and then a ton of cottages. And we're talking some NICE cottages. I have photo evidence:
And these don't even show the bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. Holy shit. So yeah, I'll be living in style on ASTRON/JIVE's dime for the next couple days days. Breakfast is included (normally 17euro) as well as lunch and coffee and all my dinners will be reimbursed. I love it. There was a reception thing-er for the conference which started almost right as we got here with appetizers and an OPEN BAR. Me like red wine :)
Here's me and Natalie (? I think that's her name....) She's from Turkey and has pretty broken English, but we chat a lot. She's been living in Dwingeloo since February and hates it. She says it's 'so boring.' Her accent is cool.
And here's a freaking SNAIL! It was the coolest thing EVER. I've never seen one before- the little suckers move fast. I wanted to touch it, but didn't want to contract an incurable disease...
So yeah, that's the first part of my adventure. Tomorrow I have to wake up early :( to get breakfast and start a day of lectures and stuff. I hope there's vendors of free stuff like at AAS...
So I didn't bike to Hoogeveen...it was raining and was like 'Oh hell no, bitches!' (Actually, I was like 'Okay, try to stay positive. This will be an adventure. It's okay. Things will work out' etc) So after much running around calling people (Esprect ew Engels? (not actual dutch, that's just how you pronounce it)) to figure things out, I decided to just ride with the other students to Assen for the conference (for free) and just figure out how I am getting home for Paris Sunday/Monday later. I figure, fuck it, I'll eventually somehow manage to get back home. Maybe.
So we got to the hotel, Hof van Saksen, and I think my jaw hit the floor. I was like '5 star say whaaaa?' This place is like it's own little, extremely schmancy, village. It has a main building with 3 or 4 restaurants and conference rooms and then a ton of cottages. And we're talking some NICE cottages. I have photo evidence:
So yeah, that's the first part of my adventure. Tomorrow I have to wake up early :( to get breakfast and start a day of lectures and stuff. I hope there's vendors of free stuff like at AAS...
Headaches and Logistics
I leave this afternoon for a long weekend at a radio astronomy conference in Assen followed by a weekend in Paris. My life is so hard. But the logistics of this trip are ridiculous:
Wed, 9(today):
3:00pm bike to Hoogeveen (10 miles)
4:00pm get train to Assen
5:00pm get to hotel for start of conference
Thurs, 10:
Conference (see here for details. It's a really cute hotel, I'm excited.)
Fri, 11:
9-12:30pm morning session of conference
1:00pm catch bus to Assen
2:00pm catch train to Brussels
before 23:00 check into Hostel
SLEEP
Sat, 12:
Wake up early, eat breakfast
Train to Paris, arrive around 10:30
Do the tourist bit, then check into hostel for SLEEP
Sun, 13:
Wander Paris for morning until around 2pm
Catch train back to Hoogeveen, arrive before 9pm
Ride bike back to ASTRON
There are so many places in this plan for things to fall apart. I will be amazed if it all goes smoothly. I'm definitely worried about the bike rides. It's been kinda rainy here (read: it decides to mist and then pour and then go back to misting) for the past couple days. I've got my fingers and toes crossed that I don't get caught in a downpour- that would just ruin my hair.Oh, and I forgot a weekend trip size bag to pack, so I had to figure out a way to get four days worth of conference/travel stuff into my timbuk2 messenger bag. AND I DID. I'm so proud of myself. For my trip to Berlin later in July I'm definitely going to buy a duffel bag and request that I take Monday off. Traveling takes more time than I thought.
As for the 'work' I've been doing... I've finally started getting into the spectra. I'm working on getting the calibrations reduced and happy, which is pretty much done. I just have to track down Stephanie (which is nigh impossible) to talk with her about where we go next. That'll probably have to wait until Monday when I get back is my bet.
There are a lot of functions throughout the week here, be it meetings or colloquia or conferences. I'm surprised anyone gets anything done. So sitting in another colloquim yesterday, I was thinking about how Europe has so many languages and cultures and how varied the people are here. I've heard more accents and more languages in the two week that I've been here than I have in years of living in Boulder. It made me think of Marybeth and her ability to slip into accents and this youtube video I found a couple days ago. The speaker had a gorgeous accent that reminded me heavily of Alan Rickman (Snape) in Harry Potter. It was glorious. And then after he was done speaking it was opened up for questions. So a Scottish guy asks a few, then a Dutch, then an Irish man. It's been an hour and there are at least four distinct variations on the English that I call my native language. It's so awesome.
So anyway, I'm going to go pretend to work while I wait for Stephanie to get in today. Promise I'll take lots of pictures over the next couple days. This should be epic.
Wed, 9(today):
3:00pm bike to Hoogeveen (10 miles)
4:00pm get train to Assen
5:00pm get to hotel for start of conference
Thurs, 10:
Conference (see here for details. It's a really cute hotel, I'm excited.)
Fri, 11:
9-12:30pm morning session of conference
1:00pm catch bus to Assen
2:00pm catch train to Brussels
before 23:00 check into Hostel
SLEEP
Sat, 12:
Wake up early, eat breakfast
Train to Paris, arrive around 10:30
Do the tourist bit, then check into hostel for SLEEP
Sun, 13:
Wander Paris for morning until around 2pm
Catch train back to Hoogeveen, arrive before 9pm
Ride bike back to ASTRON
There are so many places in this plan for things to fall apart. I will be amazed if it all goes smoothly. I'm definitely worried about the bike rides. It's been kinda rainy here (read: it decides to mist and then pour and then go back to misting) for the past couple days. I've got my fingers and toes crossed that I don't get caught in a downpour- that would just ruin my hair.Oh, and I forgot a weekend trip size bag to pack, so I had to figure out a way to get four days worth of conference/travel stuff into my timbuk2 messenger bag. AND I DID. I'm so proud of myself. For my trip to Berlin later in July I'm definitely going to buy a duffel bag and request that I take Monday off. Traveling takes more time than I thought.
As for the 'work' I've been doing... I've finally started getting into the spectra. I'm working on getting the calibrations reduced and happy, which is pretty much done. I just have to track down Stephanie (which is nigh impossible) to talk with her about where we go next. That'll probably have to wait until Monday when I get back is my bet.
There are a lot of functions throughout the week here, be it meetings or colloquia or conferences. I'm surprised anyone gets anything done. So sitting in another colloquim yesterday, I was thinking about how Europe has so many languages and cultures and how varied the people are here. I've heard more accents and more languages in the two week that I've been here than I have in years of living in Boulder. It made me think of Marybeth and her ability to slip into accents and this youtube video I found a couple days ago. The speaker had a gorgeous accent that reminded me heavily of Alan Rickman (Snape) in Harry Potter. It was glorious. And then after he was done speaking it was opened up for questions. So a Scottish guy asks a few, then a Dutch, then an Irish man. It's been an hour and there are at least four distinct variations on the English that I call my native language. It's so awesome.
So anyway, I'm going to go pretend to work while I wait for Stephanie to get in today. Promise I'll take lots of pictures over the next couple days. This should be epic.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Late Night Musing(s)
Things I REALLY DON'T LIKE here:
1.) Deno is not here (or friends (I can't list you all, sorry) or Mom)
2.) The milk is strange*
3.) BUGS
4.) Weird food
5.) I can't sing as loud as I would like to :(
6.) ONE pillow, and it's down too. gross.
7.)
Things I DO like here:
1.) I live in a national preserve
2.) Biking is totally accessible, bike paths are everywhere, and I happen to be good at it
3.) All the dyke-y hair cuts everyone seems to have (No, that's not PC. I get it, but I don't care.)
4.) Weird food
5.) The cool/nerdy guys who work in the correlator room, they're hysterical
6.) Not having to grocery shop/pay rent/pay for gas/etc
7.)
*Exhibit A: Strange milk
On a side note: I'll be drinking a lot of juice from juice boxes. I'm not sure how I feel about that...
1.) Deno is not here (or friends (I can't list you all, sorry) or Mom)
2.) The milk is strange*
3.) BUGS
4.) Weird food
5.) I can't sing as loud as I would like to :(
6.) ONE pillow, and it's down too. gross.
7.)
Things I DO like here:
1.) I live in a national preserve
2.) Biking is totally accessible, bike paths are everywhere, and I happen to be good at it
3.) All the dyke-y hair cuts everyone seems to have (No, that's not PC. I get it, but I don't care.)
4.) Weird food
5.) The cool/nerdy guys who work in the correlator room, they're hysterical
6.) Not having to grocery shop/pay rent/pay for gas/etc
7.)
*Exhibit A: Strange milk
On a side note: I'll be drinking a lot of juice from juice boxes. I'm not sure how I feel about that...
Sunday in the Middle of Nowhere
There was a market today in Dwingeloo. I went expecting a farmer's market or something like that. Instead, it was more of a giant garage sale or flea market. It was rather hysterical actually. There were boxes and boxes of wooden clogs, a table stacked high with sausages, knock-off purses, tons of books in Dutch, records/cd's (Michael Jackson, anyone?) and so much other junk. It was great and reminded me a lot of home. I wasn't interested in anything to actually buy, so I just walked around. I didn't say a word besides a muttered 'allo to some of the stall owners which made me realize that moving to a foreign country with a different language can be like taking a vow of silence.
Anyway, here's a picture of the market. I only took the one because I didn't want to be rude. I don't think the guy in the foreground of this one was pleased with my photo-taking as it was...
The weather was rather cloudy, resulting in a hot, humid day. There was a warm, stale breeze which helped a little, but I was definitely pretty sweaty. Biking made it better though as I'd get to ride through regions of shade which were a lot cooler. Here's a picture of the road heading out of Dwingeloo. It was fairly populated today (mostly with older people. On a side note, I've noticed that the majority of people I see out and about on my rides are older. And I wonder, where are all the hot, bodacious babes? No, but seriously, where are the young people?)
Anyway, here's another expansive vista for you. I feel like I can actually see farther than what the camera can capture. For instance, there was a actually a tower or crane or something in the distance that was actually taller than the tree line!
I had to fight off the GIANT bumble bees to get close enough for this photo. Gorgeous though, huh?
Peek-a-boo!
Finally, here's a photo of a portion of the guess house. Those windows belong to some of the rooms (mine's on the opposite side of the building). There are rose bushes (or something like that) outside that smell amazing. The bees like them too, which I'm not so fond of.
Now I'm off to finish the reading Stephanie gave me to do. I'm lucking if I understand 30% of it (admittedly, most of it is highly specific jargon. At the very least I get the main science ideas and that's what's important, right? right?!)
Here's a bilbiography:
-Dense gas in nerby galaxies X. H_2CO and CH_3OH: molecular abundances and physical conditions
-Dense gas in nearby galaxies XV. ammonia in NGC253, Maffei 2 and IC 342
-Formaldehyde as a tracer of extragalactic molecular gas: para-H_2CO emission from M82
-Stellar mass spectrum in warm and dusty gas: deviations from Salpeter int he Galactic centre and in circumnuclear starburst regions
-Molecular Superbubbles in the starburst galaxy ngc 253
(If you actually want any of these articles, let me know...not that you ever would)
Anyway, here's a picture of the market. I only took the one because I didn't want to be rude. I don't think the guy in the foreground of this one was pleased with my photo-taking as it was...
The weather was rather cloudy, resulting in a hot, humid day. There was a warm, stale breeze which helped a little, but I was definitely pretty sweaty. Biking made it better though as I'd get to ride through regions of shade which were a lot cooler. Here's a picture of the road heading out of Dwingeloo. It was fairly populated today (mostly with older people. On a side note, I've noticed that the majority of people I see out and about on my rides are older. And I wonder, where are all the hot, bodacious babes? No, but seriously, where are the young people?)
Anyway, here's another expansive vista for you. I feel like I can actually see farther than what the camera can capture. For instance, there was a actually a tower or crane or something in the distance that was actually taller than the tree line!
I had to fight off the GIANT bumble bees to get close enough for this photo. Gorgeous though, huh?
Peek-a-boo!
Finally, here's a photo of a portion of the guess house. Those windows belong to some of the rooms (mine's on the opposite side of the building). There are rose bushes (or something like that) outside that smell amazing. The bees like them too, which I'm not so fond of.
Now I'm off to finish the reading Stephanie gave me to do. I'm lucking if I understand 30% of it (admittedly, most of it is highly specific jargon. At the very least I get the main science ideas and that's what's important, right? right?!)Here's a bilbiography:
-Dense gas in nerby galaxies X. H_2CO and CH_3OH: molecular abundances and physical conditions
-Dense gas in nearby galaxies XV. ammonia in NGC253, Maffei 2 and IC 342
-Formaldehyde as a tracer of extragalactic molecular gas: para-H_2CO emission from M82
-Stellar mass spectrum in warm and dusty gas: deviations from Salpeter int he Galactic centre and in circumnuclear starburst regions
-Molecular Superbubbles in the starburst galaxy ngc 253
(If you actually want any of these articles, let me know...not that you ever would)
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Saturday in the Middle of Nowhere
I am so lazy that sometimes I amaze even myself.
I went into Dwingeloo again today because I thought there was a market. Turns out that's tomorrow. But while there I figured I'd wander around again. I found the most amazing little new age shop just across the street from the discount grocer. There was some beautiful jewelry- I've got my eye on a ring that might take me the whole summer to save up for (or longer). The two ladies working there were amazingly kind. One spoke English very well, though the other spoke more haltingly. We chatted about where the owner got her jewelry (India, mostly. Though there were some awesome contributions from Egypt, Norway, and of course there were some local Dutch creations.) The store had a pet cat as well, whom I lavished some love on. If I ever own a store, it will have a pet. It also decided me that I will get a cat where ever it is I end up for grad school.
My butt is so sore from all the biking I've done lately that the thought of going anywhere besides town today is highly unappealing. So at a loss for things to do, I have surfed the web (stumbleupon.com) and watched Under the Tuscan Sun in snip-its as it very slowly streams to me. It's 6:30pm, though with how high the sun is you could've told me it was 2 and I'd have believed you. My stomach is starting to grumble (or is that the boredom?) and I want to make something good for dinner but I'm at a loss of what to put together. So, for all of you faithful blog followers, I challenge you to think up some easy dinners that I can make with a basic pantry while I'm here. There usually always some fresh veggies and fruit and stuff. And there's ground beef and chicken and even some fish. But no pasta suggestions- if I ate as much pasta as they keep the kitchen stocked up with I'd get fat. If I could somehow convince myself to not eat whatever I want whenever I want I might actually get fit(er) this summer. Now there's a novel idea.
I went into Dwingeloo again today because I thought there was a market. Turns out that's tomorrow. But while there I figured I'd wander around again. I found the most amazing little new age shop just across the street from the discount grocer. There was some beautiful jewelry- I've got my eye on a ring that might take me the whole summer to save up for (or longer). The two ladies working there were amazingly kind. One spoke English very well, though the other spoke more haltingly. We chatted about where the owner got her jewelry (India, mostly. Though there were some awesome contributions from Egypt, Norway, and of course there were some local Dutch creations.) The store had a pet cat as well, whom I lavished some love on. If I ever own a store, it will have a pet. It also decided me that I will get a cat where ever it is I end up for grad school.
My butt is so sore from all the biking I've done lately that the thought of going anywhere besides town today is highly unappealing. So at a loss for things to do, I have surfed the web (stumbleupon.com) and watched Under the Tuscan Sun in snip-its as it very slowly streams to me. It's 6:30pm, though with how high the sun is you could've told me it was 2 and I'd have believed you. My stomach is starting to grumble (or is that the boredom?) and I want to make something good for dinner but I'm at a loss of what to put together. So, for all of you faithful blog followers, I challenge you to think up some easy dinners that I can make with a basic pantry while I'm here. There usually always some fresh veggies and fruit and stuff. And there's ground beef and chicken and even some fish. But no pasta suggestions- if I ate as much pasta as they keep the kitchen stocked up with I'd get fat. If I could somehow convince myself to not eat whatever I want whenever I want I might actually get fit(er) this summer. Now there's a novel idea.
Friday, June 4, 2010
On Getting Lost
Since Stephanie was out today I decided to play hooky. Ate a quick breakfast, showered, and gathered my maps and directions to Hoogeveen. I started out at 12:45. Initially I was extremely confident. I knew where I was going, I'd been in this area before, and even though my directions to Hoogeveen were for driving, all the roads have bike paths next to or nearby, right? WRONG. I got to a junction with a larger road and 50m later the bike path stops. WTF?! I think, and cross the street to the information center that happens to be nearby. The map is useless/I can't figure out how to read it. So I go back to the junction and look at the map there. I'm like, 'hey, I can do this. Just follow this path to here and then go over here, then head south...' In reality it was more like 'Hey, here I am on this bike path. Wow it's pretty here. Oh look, a cow. Hmm, I wonder where that next turn is? Oh look, another cow.' I finally got to the next junction, but I choose the wrong path (not surprising) and didn't figure that out for another couple km. Turned back and got going in the right direction.
I pass over a highway. Good, I think I know where I am. WRONG, again! Somehow I've ended up junction of paths that I've been to before on my meanderings. This junction happens to be NOWHERE NEAR where I want to be. le sigh. Finally, I figure out which way to go and I head off. Before I know it, I find myself in Pesse! Success! Keep going along that route and wouldn't you know it, there's Hoogeveen! I wandered around for a couple minutes, but decided to head back fairly immediately. The time is now 2:45. Yes that's right, two hours have passed.
I find a little grocery store in Pesse and buy an apple and run into an elder gentleman and we talk for a few moments as I eat my apple. He worked in England for 15 years but hasn't spoken English in the 15years since he moved back to Holland. We talk about how anything worth doing requires practice- which is how he approaches English. He was really very kind.
Anyway, I head out of Pesse, and wouldn't you know it, I miss my turn. Or do I? Being that I have NO sense of direction, I doubt myself about having missed the turn. I keep going and going and the surroundings get more and more unfamiliar. Yeah, I should've taken that turn. But the highway is on my left, just as it should be, so I kept going. And going. Low and behold, there's the overpass for the highway (the biggest hill I've seen so far) and I'm back to knowing where I am. A few bumpy forest paths later, I'm finally home. The time is 4:00. Here is the map of my ride, I had to kinda guess about some of the paths, since there's no actually 'roads' through the forest. I didn't take many photos as I was focused on not getting lost, as much good as that did me, but here's what I got.
Forest path bike route
Very strange trash 'can' outside of Hoogeveen
Mansion. You know, the usual.
BUG. I sat down to figure out where I was (out side of Spier was the answer) and GAH, there is was.
You can hire a horse drawn cart and have a leisurely afternoon seeing the Dwingelderveld. How awesome is that?!
So all told, I went between 22-27 miles (can't be exactly sure since the paths I used aren't on the map) I'm exhausted and my legs feel like jello-raspberry flavored. Sadly, I couldn't time the trip to Hoogeveen because I got lost both there and back, but I'll assume it's about an hour. Hopefully I won't have any problems next Friday when I need to get to the train station to leave for Brussels....
I pass over a highway. Good, I think I know where I am. WRONG, again! Somehow I've ended up junction of paths that I've been to before on my meanderings. This junction happens to be NOWHERE NEAR where I want to be. le sigh. Finally, I figure out which way to go and I head off. Before I know it, I find myself in Pesse! Success! Keep going along that route and wouldn't you know it, there's Hoogeveen! I wandered around for a couple minutes, but decided to head back fairly immediately. The time is now 2:45. Yes that's right, two hours have passed.
I find a little grocery store in Pesse and buy an apple and run into an elder gentleman and we talk for a few moments as I eat my apple. He worked in England for 15 years but hasn't spoken English in the 15years since he moved back to Holland. We talk about how anything worth doing requires practice- which is how he approaches English. He was really very kind.
Anyway, I head out of Pesse, and wouldn't you know it, I miss my turn. Or do I? Being that I have NO sense of direction, I doubt myself about having missed the turn. I keep going and going and the surroundings get more and more unfamiliar. Yeah, I should've taken that turn. But the highway is on my left, just as it should be, so I kept going. And going. Low and behold, there's the overpass for the highway (the biggest hill I've seen so far) and I'm back to knowing where I am. A few bumpy forest paths later, I'm finally home. The time is 4:00. Here is the map of my ride, I had to kinda guess about some of the paths, since there's no actually 'roads' through the forest. I didn't take many photos as I was focused on not getting lost, as much good as that did me, but here's what I got.
Forest path bike route
Very strange trash 'can' outside of Hoogeveen
Mansion. You know, the usual.
BUG. I sat down to figure out where I was (out side of Spier was the answer) and GAH, there is was.
You can hire a horse drawn cart and have a leisurely afternoon seeing the Dwingelderveld. How awesome is that?!So all told, I went between 22-27 miles (can't be exactly sure since the paths I used aren't on the map) I'm exhausted and my legs feel like jello-raspberry flavored. Sadly, I couldn't time the trip to Hoogeveen because I got lost both there and back, but I'll assume it's about an hour. Hopefully I won't have any problems next Friday when I need to get to the train station to leave for Brussels....
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Welcome to Hell
I know what hell would be like if it existed.
Here's the scene: You're in a small, windowless conference room. There's maybe 30 other people there, people you don't know but want to impress and can't afford to offend. The chairs are uncomfortable, and spaced too closely. You're being talked at about a subject you've never heard of (ever) and have no interest of learning (ever). You listen very hard to those speaking because they talk with a heavy accent. Thus when they actually say words in a foreign language your brain doesn't pick up on it at first because it sounds just as weird as their English and struggles for long moment to make sense of it despite the impossibly of actually understanding. The speaker says 'umm' roughly 1 word in 5. Your eyes are heavy, but you mustn't sleep. Time drags on. And on. And on. People actually keep asking questions, as if they know and care about the subject. You want to rip their tongues out to prevent their encouraging the speaker from elaborating. Your back aches desperately, and every attempt to alleviate the discomfort brings the speaker's attention to you, you whose eyes are glazed from his inability to interest you. THIS IS HELL.
My adviser sent me an email saying she'd be in late (again) today. So instead of having them pay me to surf the web researching hostels and train tickets and reading blogs I had them pay me to go into Dwingeloo. I found the camping/hardware/toy/kitchen store and bought myself an overpriced compass. I then went to the bakery and got a croissant. I stopped at the library to see if they had any selection of English books, but they were closed, sadly. Found this building though:
And this shaggy, horned cow on the way out of town:
Stephanie (adviser), also told me she won't be in tomorrow and gave me a bunch of papers to read for Monday. I can read them no problem by then, so I'm taking the day tomorrow too. Instead of vapidly staring at the computer screen I'm going to ride down to Hoogeveen. This way I can time the ride for when I have to catch a train. And the compass should come in handy when I get lost. (When I say, not if.)
Here's the scene: You're in a small, windowless conference room. There's maybe 30 other people there, people you don't know but want to impress and can't afford to offend. The chairs are uncomfortable, and spaced too closely. You're being talked at about a subject you've never heard of (ever) and have no interest of learning (ever). You listen very hard to those speaking because they talk with a heavy accent. Thus when they actually say words in a foreign language your brain doesn't pick up on it at first because it sounds just as weird as their English and struggles for long moment to make sense of it despite the impossibly of actually understanding. The speaker says 'umm' roughly 1 word in 5. Your eyes are heavy, but you mustn't sleep. Time drags on. And on. And on. People actually keep asking questions, as if they know and care about the subject. You want to rip their tongues out to prevent their encouraging the speaker from elaborating. Your back aches desperately, and every attempt to alleviate the discomfort brings the speaker's attention to you, you whose eyes are glazed from his inability to interest you. THIS IS HELL.
My adviser sent me an email saying she'd be in late (again) today. So instead of having them pay me to surf the web researching hostels and train tickets and reading blogs I had them pay me to go into Dwingeloo. I found the camping/hardware/toy/kitchen store and bought myself an overpriced compass. I then went to the bakery and got a croissant. I stopped at the library to see if they had any selection of English books, but they were closed, sadly. Found this building though:
And this shaggy, horned cow on the way out of town:
Stephanie (adviser), also told me she won't be in tomorrow and gave me a bunch of papers to read for Monday. I can read them no problem by then, so I'm taking the day tomorrow too. Instead of vapidly staring at the computer screen I'm going to ride down to Hoogeveen. This way I can time the ride for when I have to catch a train. And the compass should come in handy when I get lost. (When I say, not if.)
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Follow-up
Well I had myself some of those Dutch beans 'n weenines.... There were several things that were not quite right about them. 1.) The sauce the beans were in was basically tomato soup-which is good, I just don't usually put white beans in my tomato soup and 2.) The bockworst was...different. It tasted the same as a hot dog, mostly, but it was less plasticy and more ...the texture of aged cheese. I don't know how else to describe it. So I made some toast and had some S.O.S. (shit on a shingle). I probably won't do it again.
Observing tonight got canceled. I guess the guy who organized it wasn't here today or something. But there'll be plenty of opportunities, so eventually I'll get to it.
Besides that, today was rather boring. Stephanie, my adviser, is setting a rather slow pace. I still haven't seen any of the data I'll actually be working with. And unless she's going to sit me down and actually teach me thermodynamics and radiative transfer, I've learned as much as I can on my own on the subject. I'm hoping it'll pick up in the next couple days. Thankfully though I've had planning a trip to Paris to keep me busy :) Let me just put it out there, traveling in Europe is EXPENSIVE. I don't even want to think about how much food and the like are going to cost me on top of it. Anyway, I'm supposed to meet up with Elizabeth and Cameron, who have been backpacking through Europe since May 24th next weekend, June 12-13. Should be an great fun- plus I'll get to at least see Brussels- I'll be spending a night there on my way to Paris. (The hostels were WAY cheaper there.)
So...that's the update for today I guess...No awesome pictures of the scenery or bugs or Dutch food packaging. So instead here's me :)
Too egotistical? Did I cross a line? Well then, it fits my character.
Observing tonight got canceled. I guess the guy who organized it wasn't here today or something. But there'll be plenty of opportunities, so eventually I'll get to it.
Besides that, today was rather boring. Stephanie, my adviser, is setting a rather slow pace. I still haven't seen any of the data I'll actually be working with. And unless she's going to sit me down and actually teach me thermodynamics and radiative transfer, I've learned as much as I can on my own on the subject. I'm hoping it'll pick up in the next couple days. Thankfully though I've had planning a trip to Paris to keep me busy :) Let me just put it out there, traveling in Europe is EXPENSIVE. I don't even want to think about how much food and the like are going to cost me on top of it. Anyway, I'm supposed to meet up with Elizabeth and Cameron, who have been backpacking through Europe since May 24th next weekend, June 12-13. Should be an great fun- plus I'll get to at least see Brussels- I'll be spending a night there on my way to Paris. (The hostels were WAY cheaper there.)
So...that's the update for today I guess...No awesome pictures of the scenery or bugs or Dutch food packaging. So instead here's me :)
Too egotistical? Did I cross a line? Well then, it fits my character.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Beans and Weenies
Aha! The Dutch have it too....it's beans 'n weenines!
Haven't tried it yet. I'm a little skeptical about the 'Bockworst' in a jar....
Went on the same bike route today through the park as yesterday. There were more people out than last time (meaning I actually saw people), and more bugs. The entire ride I was being comakazi-ed by flies and beetles and other insects. I didn't want to open my mouth for fear of getting bugs in my teeth. Also, there are these caterpillar like things that hang down from the trees by the silk they produce and when you go sailing past them on your bike they cling on you. Gross-o. Besides the bugs, it was a nice ride. I learned two new Dutch words during it too:
Veerooster- meaning either cow or sheep or cattle guard or something like that...
Fietspad- meaning bike path
So that brings my Dutch word count to what, four? Also, I found out today that I've been saying every city's name wrong.
Hoogeveen-Hoag (as in hoagy)- vein and you gurgle the 'h' too
Dwingeloo-Dwing-u (as in up)-low
Lhee-lay
ooops...
Anywho, here's a picture of the radio dish from the backside. It's no longer used for science purposes by the institute so amateurs get to use it for fun. So guess who's helping observe tomorrow night? Yup, that'd be me :)
Anyway, hopefully I'll have a more interesting post tomorrow.
Haven't tried it yet. I'm a little skeptical about the 'Bockworst' in a jar....
Went on the same bike route today through the park as yesterday. There were more people out than last time (meaning I actually saw people), and more bugs. The entire ride I was being comakazi-ed by flies and beetles and other insects. I didn't want to open my mouth for fear of getting bugs in my teeth. Also, there are these caterpillar like things that hang down from the trees by the silk they produce and when you go sailing past them on your bike they cling on you. Gross-o. Besides the bugs, it was a nice ride. I learned two new Dutch words during it too:
Veerooster- meaning either cow or sheep or cattle guard or something like that...Fietspad- meaning bike path
So that brings my Dutch word count to what, four? Also, I found out today that I've been saying every city's name wrong.
Hoogeveen-Hoag (as in hoagy)- vein and you gurgle the 'h' too
Dwingeloo-Dwing-u (as in up)-low
Lhee-lay
ooops...
Anywho, here's a picture of the radio dish from the backside. It's no longer used for science purposes by the institute so amateurs get to use it for fun. So guess who's helping observe tomorrow night? Yup, that'd be me :)
Anyway, hopefully I'll have a more interesting post tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)