It's Friday Y'all

Yesterday was kind of weird, but good and different from other days here. Waking up in the dark is not a strange thing for me to do...but toward the end of my days there in Hawaii, darkness was coming earlier and earlier so I rarely met it on any given day. But here darkness lasts til 7:30 and then the light is just eeking into the world from the northern mountain shadows. Sun doesn't crest the hills until 8:30 or something.

See, getting up in the dark used to mean having a cup of coffee and riding my bike down to Waikiki for the morning exercise routine. Here getting up in the dark means deciding if it's too cold to take a shower. But, today like yesterday, I did it...braved the cold damp darkness and started the day. There was no coffee though...so today I left the house with a thermos full of tea.

This morning Ian and I took the car into the shop for some maintenance before our road trip next weekend...well, the trip will actually last for what is seeming like two weeks. Some of it is a working trip though. We're driving from here up through the lovely S. Island wilds and to the coastal tourist town of Kaikoura. I bet it will look a lot less summery than it does in the photo to the right. We'll stay there for a couple of days before making out way to Picton and then onto the ferry to the N. Island and to Wellington. I'm looking forward to it all...and definitely to Wellington. I'm looking forward to seeing some more of the fun and interesting people I met while in Washington DC at the NSF meeting...these crazy other grad students who are going to be in NZ. We'll get to see the inner workings of The Royal Society of New Zealand (which is essentially the scientific funding agency down here) and meet some more people...yes, rubbing noses and making connections. All good, I suppose...

But wait...I was talking about yesterday wasn't I?

Yes, yesterday...woke up...came to work...started blog...worked...finished reconnecting broken bubble walls for one sample (via photoshop...amount and volume of bubbles speak to degassing and ascent history of magma)...and ran the images through the image processing program...figuring it all out...working...good.

Then there was lunch at the cutest vegetarian trailer ever! Check it out...and look at the cute chairs that match the trailer...ah...these Kiwis. The food was awesome...the company great. We ate with a friend P and her friend H. H is researching the treatment of queer youth in public high school in Dunedin...very cool and interesting. She's had good success and there seems to be a lot of organizations out there who are interested in increasing awareness and understanding in young people. It's nice to see someone doing research that actually means something! ah, bubbles...


The evening Pilates class was good, but a bit on the beginner side. I'm ramping things up in that regard though. Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will take "intermediate" classes from the same woman...her studio is cute and warm and has lots of equipment and props. Pilates here will be a different and good experience I think. I hope to attain some new goals in that arena. So, Fridays class is at 12:15 (hooray for today) and I'm going to run down there...it's about 1.5 miles away or so...not too far. But a run there and then back will be good. It's nice and sunny again today so it should be pleasant.

After Pilates I went home and was encountered by "band practice". It's a good thing...for sure a good thing that the boys with whom I live get their music studio in house, but I took it as an opportunity to go out and explore. What did I discover?? That there are no decent bars open on a Thursday night within the first 8 blocks into town...had I walked one more I would have gotten to one. So, instead of drinking alone, (awww...poor me...) I came back to school and worked for three hours! Who's a loser!? But, it was warmer here than in the bedroom at home...I had internet...I had my bubbles... And, I chatted with goodest friend and found out about some breaks that I will hopefully be dancing to tonight... I haven't danced to breaks since San Francisco people...and I mean since I LIVED in San Francisco. It's about time.

Happy Thursday to everyone behind me. It's Friday and the weekend is here! And, I may buy a road bike!! woot!