Monday, September 7, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Technology!
I learned that my camera can take short videos! So I made a 360 degree (okay, maybe more like 240 degree) view from the top of Middle Hare Head, in the Yorkshire Dales.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Oxford
I went to the International DNA Tumor Virus meeting this past week. It was held in Oxford this year.
Oxford is what I imagined an academic town to look like: lots of small, independent shops, bicycles everywhere (some with baskets of flowers on them), winding street, old buildings. The atmosphere oozes elite intelligence.
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, at St. Mary's Hospital in London. In 1940, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain at the University of Oxford figured out how to stabilize and purify penicillin. Unfortunately, Florey was not an attention whore, so he and Chain didn't get as much publicity for doing most of the work. Therefore, to the is day, Oxford resents the fact that Fleming gets most of the credit.
The conference was at St. Catherine's, one of the colleges that make up the University of Oxford. From what I understand, students live and socialize at the colleges, but all of their lectures are at the University. Each day at 1, we were served a two course lunch, and at 6, we were served a three course dinner. This apparently is typical for students at the college. Being the uncouth working class background American that I am, I was never entirely sure which fork to use, and if I was using it correctly.
There is a lot to decipher in English culture dealing with class and privilege. It seems to be a lot less subtle than it is in American culture. It has to do with how you speak (what accent you have), where you went to school, how you eat, how you dress. Tons of little signifiers to indicate where you "belong" in society. It's fascinating, and yest frustrating at the same time.
Oxford is what I imagined an academic town to look like: lots of small, independent shops, bicycles everywhere (some with baskets of flowers on them), winding street, old buildings. The atmosphere oozes elite intelligence.
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, at St. Mary's Hospital in London. In 1940, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain at the University of Oxford figured out how to stabilize and purify penicillin. Unfortunately, Florey was not an attention whore, so he and Chain didn't get as much publicity for doing most of the work. Therefore, to the is day, Oxford resents the fact that Fleming gets most of the credit.
The conference was at St. Catherine's, one of the colleges that make up the University of Oxford. From what I understand, students live and socialize at the colleges, but all of their lectures are at the University. Each day at 1, we were served a two course lunch, and at 6, we were served a three course dinner. This apparently is typical for students at the college. Being the uncouth working class background American that I am, I was never entirely sure which fork to use, and if I was using it correctly.
There is a lot to decipher in English culture dealing with class and privilege. It seems to be a lot less subtle than it is in American culture. It has to do with how you speak (what accent you have), where you went to school, how you eat, how you dress. Tons of little signifiers to indicate where you "belong" in society. It's fascinating, and yest frustrating at the same time.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The Adventures of Decorating
I had this problem. This problem was that my apartment felt like a hotel room for a while. I hadn't really done much with it, I think because I was still considering it a temporary arrangement. I hadn't really accepted that Leeds, and my little apartment DOWN BY THE RIVER (shout out to SNL there) were home.
Oddly enough, staying at Melissa and Jon's in the US inspired me to make my apartment home. So I've been on a mad decorating and straightening mission. Would you like to see the results? I thought so!
Let's take a tour of my apartment, starting at the front door:
This is the front hall. I had some pictures I had taken on my adventures enlarged. I had five done for about 10 GBP.
Next stop- the bathroom:
Very exciting. The rug is lime green. The bathrobe on the door is teh sex. The brown box on the left hides my pads and my Lush addiction.
Living room:
The important part of this picture: the throw pillows on the couch. I made those. Also, another enlarged photo on the left.
My cheap n' easy solution for containing my magazines. I bought cardboard magazine holders, and painted them to match my decorating scheme.
Kitchen:
With more enlarged photos. I'm planning on having some more enlarged to hang up.
My pride and joy: my balcony
This was the area of my apartment that confounded me the most. It was so bare and unwelcoming, and I didn't know what to do with it. However, one day, I finally hit critical mass with plants, and put some cushions on the chairs. BAM! Now it's perfect. I sit out there doing work all the time.
Bedroom:
I saw this duvet set at the British Wal-Mart and I immediately could see it in my bedroom. Instead of keeping my books in large piles (a bad habit of mine), I use my deep window sills (not a euphemism for anything) as bookshelves.
More bedroom:
All told, I spent maybe 45 GBP on new stuff to spruce the place up. It was interesting to mix the apartment's kind of modern minimalist look with my kinda country-crafty style. I think it works, though. Like modern country-crafty.
Oddly enough, staying at Melissa and Jon's in the US inspired me to make my apartment home. So I've been on a mad decorating and straightening mission. Would you like to see the results? I thought so!
Let's take a tour of my apartment, starting at the front door:
This is the front hall. I had some pictures I had taken on my adventures enlarged. I had five done for about 10 GBP.
Next stop- the bathroom:
Very exciting. The rug is lime green. The bathrobe on the door is teh sex. The brown box on the left hides my pads and my Lush addiction.
Living room:
The important part of this picture: the throw pillows on the couch. I made those. Also, another enlarged photo on the left.
My cheap n' easy solution for containing my magazines. I bought cardboard magazine holders, and painted them to match my decorating scheme.
Kitchen:
With more enlarged photos. I'm planning on having some more enlarged to hang up.
My pride and joy: my balcony
This was the area of my apartment that confounded me the most. It was so bare and unwelcoming, and I didn't know what to do with it. However, one day, I finally hit critical mass with plants, and put some cushions on the chairs. BAM! Now it's perfect. I sit out there doing work all the time.
Bedroom:
I saw this duvet set at the British Wal-Mart and I immediately could see it in my bedroom. Instead of keeping my books in large piles (a bad habit of mine), I use my deep window sills (not a euphemism for anything) as bookshelves.
More bedroom:
All told, I spent maybe 45 GBP on new stuff to spruce the place up. It was interesting to mix the apartment's kind of modern minimalist look with my kinda country-crafty style. I think it works, though. Like modern country-crafty.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Having a Rosalind Franklin Moment
Rosalind Franklin was the scientist that took the crystal pictures of DNA that Watson and Crick "borrowed" to figure out the structure of DNA. She also sewed her own clothes, and was a great hiker. Every time I go hiking, I now think "I'm having a Rosalind Franklin moment!".
My first Saturday back from the States, I went hiking with a professor from work (Hi Miriam!). We went to Malham, then on to Grassington. Of course, my camera battery died before we got to Grassington, so I only have pictures of Malham. This means that I'll have to make another trip to Grassington. Oh darn.
Rain across the Dales.
We didn't end up hiking the whole area because it rained. And by rain, I mean real rain, not that mist we get a lot around here.
Janet's Foss. Foss is old Norse for waterfall; Janet is the queen of the fairies. The pool was traditionally used to wash sheep to get their wool to grow better.
Gordale Scar
Limestone pavement above Malham Cove. The limestone pieces are called clints; the gaps between them are called grykes.
Malham Cove, one of the most impressive limestone formations in England (or at least, that's what the sign said).
Sheep. There were lots of them.
More pictures at my Flickr page. There are also pictures from my jaunt to Temple Newsam. Those are mostly flowers.
My first Saturday back from the States, I went hiking with a professor from work (Hi Miriam!). We went to Malham, then on to Grassington. Of course, my camera battery died before we got to Grassington, so I only have pictures of Malham. This means that I'll have to make another trip to Grassington. Oh darn.
Rain across the Dales.
We didn't end up hiking the whole area because it rained. And by rain, I mean real rain, not that mist we get a lot around here.
Janet's Foss. Foss is old Norse for waterfall; Janet is the queen of the fairies. The pool was traditionally used to wash sheep to get their wool to grow better.
Gordale Scar
Limestone pavement above Malham Cove. The limestone pieces are called clints; the gaps between them are called grykes.
Malham Cove, one of the most impressive limestone formations in England (or at least, that's what the sign said).
Sheep. There were lots of them.
More pictures at my Flickr page. There are also pictures from my jaunt to Temple Newsam. Those are mostly flowers.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Manchester City Walk
Two days before doing the Yorkshire Three Peaks Walk, I did a 12 mile hike around Manchester, because I needed to do a blister check on my new hiking boots. And because I am crazy.
I started in the city, at Piccadilly Station:
Walked along the Ashton Canal, which is lined with decrepit cotton mills
But didn't stop for fish n' chips
Continued through Philips Park, then rambled around the woods for a while. Saw some interesting grafitti:
According to the guidebook I was using, at the top of this ridge I was supposed to see some "impressive views". What I saw was power lines (aka pylons) and a factory:
An overgrown canal
Park Bridge, a former iron works turned into a, well, park:
A stile
It had rained a lot the week previous, so many times I felt like Elizabeth Bennett. My petticoats may not have been 6 inches deep in mud, but my pants certainly were.
Hartshead Pike, 247 meters above sea level:
The structure was built in the Victorian era, but the site has been used as lookout since Roman times.
Finally, I ended up here, at the Billy Goat pub in Mossley:
And a celebratory beer:
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