Ramblings

I can't keep the silly grin off my face at the moment, I almost feel guilty about feeling so great. ALMOST, but not quite. I make no apologies for my happiness, we all deserve to feel like this sometimes.

Currently the cat is snorring on my clothes, a rather soothing sound all told.

Plus I have lots and lots of Orks to paint! And when I've done them I've got to do my new Space Marines too. The Battle for Black Reach box set is awsome!

Current Location:	bed
Current Mood:	happy

My sister came to see me on Thursday. She had a job interview in Edinburgh and had a day free, so popped up to meet my new boyfriend cat. I warned him that the first thing she would say to him would be a comment about his height, or his cat. It was the latter in the end.
I took her to my flat where she burbled happily about Luna, and how chubby she is. Luna IS getting chubby, I'll admit, but she can still jump from the floor to the table in a single bound.
Very properly, after being laughed at for being fat Luna proceeded to treat my sister (and my boyfriend) with distain, although she thawed somewhat when he let her lick out his icecream bowl (it saves her having to jump on the worksurface when we are out). Luna lay on her back with all four legs in the air for a lot of the visit (cat sausage), and sat in her box, being far too cute, she also attempted a ferret-like assault on my sisters bag, trying to squeeze her quater-ton butt into a space barely sufficient for a purse.
Then we took my sister to meet Sammy. Sammy is my boyfriends cat, skinny, ginger and very friendly. Sammy yawped for food, then after finishing eating inhaleing it she plonked herself down on my sister and didn't move for the rest of the visit, cue happy burblings from sister and pusscat.

Personally I think Sammy is jelous of me, I'm stealing her human, and her space on the pillow, how DARE I? She has an ingenious, and evil method of revenge however, by marching all over me all night, occasionally pausing to stick claws in  my ear, or to sit on my face. It is excellant, because it keeps me awake, and therefore means I'm less likely to be back in the evening.
Luna snuggles, albiet with claws when I'm in bed, she kittens under my chin, and loveingly rakes her talons down my neck. Sometimes she sits on my chest, or worse stands there, with all her weight in delicate places. I think that she may actually be trying to kill me, or make me go mad. She also knocks my models around in overenthusiastic "helping" mode when I am trying to paint, that is annoying because they get chipped, and I have to re-paint bits. She grins furtivly at me when I throw her off the table, and drinks my painting water when my back is turned. Other favourite Luna tricks are to shed black fur all over my sewing, climb into (and lick) plastic bags in the middle of the night, sit on my computer, and gallop under my feet when I'm carrying a hot drink.
As I say I think they are both trying to kill me!
It must be a conspiricy!

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I'm eating the only Easter egg that I recieved this year, and feeling mildly resentful that my sister, who is living with my father, got lots because of the easy access to parents which means she can guilt them into giving her chocolate.
It is a yummy Easter egg, all chocolaty and sweet.

I've been writing psudoscience over at the PPC posting board. We are trying to come up with a definative history and biology of Mary-Sues (Perfect fan created characters in fan fiction for the uninitiated). It has got silly. Well OK it started silly, and got progressivly worse from there on!

Does anyone else ever get points where they start a project with good intentions, only for it to fall quickly by the wayside? I guess doing that is only human, but I started undercoating my models at 5:30 and ground to a halt about three minutes later. I've not done anything since and it is nearly 10 now. I've got one squad finished (Yay!) and another with three models still to go. Squad three is undercoated, and the heavy weapons team is about half done. Everything else is slightly painted.

I've got an idea for a new fanfic, a Georgette Heyer one no less! Tying up loose ends from Cotillian, a book which ends far too soon for my taste.

Now I shall return to my chocolate!

Current Mood:	chipper
Current Music:	The Macarana

I used to dance with Gaorsach Rapper and Step. I say used because I recieved

To be honest the team dynamic in the nearly 4 years since I joined has never been very good. There started out with two main cliques, but then people moving away, and other people bringing friends in created one small clique and the rest of us on the fringes.
Before xmas I had very nearly decided to quit alltogether, frankly the dancing just wasn't fun any more, and people were quitting (or talking about it) because the team wasn't gelling as it should. Unfortunatly I realised that I DO enjoy RAPPER, just not rapper with Gaorsach. 
I came back to congratulate the team last practice, they won the open competition at DERT. Which is pretty good, it dosn't make them world beating, you have to win the Premier class for that, but it is good. We did a bit of stepping, and some clogging and I realised that I enjoy learning new dances, and improving my dancing in general.

Then on Friday, out of the blue, I got this email!
I say out of the blue because the week before I had been asked if I was going to dance with them at the Scone Game Fair. I had to decline as, unfortunatly, I will be in Schoten that week.

The bit that amused me most was the Blazin' Fiddles reference, the sheer arrogence of comparing the team to a band like that made me laugh out loud. It also gives me a VERY good idea of who wrote the email, which, as you will notice is unsigned!

A professional team should be just that, professional, but a little humility goes a VERY long way. Sadly humility is one thing certain members of Gaorsach are chronically short of (not all of them I hasten to add), and as a result none of the other traditional dance teams in Aberdeen want to dance with them. It is sad as I have seen this happen a lot, but what can you do.

This does however push me into thinking seriously about an idea I've been having for a while, for a mixed rapper team in Aberdeen. I think I know someone who would leand me some swords.

Anyone interested?

Current Mood:

amused

But I'm back! 

First up My supervisor decided to tell me in Jan that he was leaving the Uni at the end of Feb.

WTF?!?!?

Six weeks notice? Oh thanks very much!

So I'm doing an MPhil insted. C'est la vie, it means that at least I'll graduate in December and can earn some money!

I've written a dance for my friends wedding in July, I'm very pleased with it actually, everyone I've shown it to says they will probably like it. It is being tested either this week or next, it is very unlike my other dances i.e easy.

What else?

Lots of dancing been happening, St Andrews ball last weekend, IVFDF the weekend before (Three words: Blindfold Posties Jig), Glasgow and Edinburgh before that.

I'm sort of needing to get some words out, even if they are trivial and of no interest to anyone but me. My grandmother is ill, not in hospital, but my father and sister are panicking a bit. I'm stuck up here worried out of my mind and trying not to cry. She isn't horribly serious, but I don't want her to go into hospital. My other grandmother died in hospital and I'm scared!

It is at times like this that you really feel like you need your parents. Even though they can't do anything, I want my Mummy and Daddy!

Not much else really! I was roleplaying a drunken sentiant flower on the PPC posting board last night, and half watching Sharpes Regiment. I ADORE the book, but, probably inevitably, the film is a bit dissapointing. On the other hand lots of yummy men to ogle!
I bought the BBC adaption of Tipping the Velvet because the book was so good, not seen it yet but I'm going to put in on soon.

Current Mood:

anxious

I've got results for one whole chapter! PKC alpha, delta AND iota, cytosol AND membrane! It's only taken what... oh yeah 3 years!
But I've got them! Only three more sets to get, and I've got protein for one of them, and the cells are growing for the other two! 
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Ahem.
I'm the only person in the lab currently getting results too. This is good for me, although not for everyone else. Klaus is going on holiday for a month next Thursday so I might even have some more to show him when I get back! Fingers crossed at least.
On the dancing front I attended an advanced workshop for the RSCDS youth team on Sunday, and my advanced class on Monday. It was brilliant, very challanging, and enormous fun! 
We are having a halloween party at Raggies on Halloween, I'm providing the pumpkin pie. It should be good.
The beginners dance in Edinburgh is the weekend before that, with a nice looking program and it will be a good chance to see all my friends.
I'm trying to paint up my squad of Battle Sisters too, I'm hoping to get it finished sometime soonish and move on to my heavy wepons squad. I realise that I'm absolutly rubbish at highlighting so I'm just washing the blue bits with blue ink insted of trying to highlight them properly. I'll have to get some remedial painting lessons sometime.
Teasing cats with laser pointers is enormous fun, Luna has been having a good time with the one we bought for her, running around in circles and occasionally running up the walls. VERY VERY cute, unfortunatly she is also keen on helping me paint, which she does by drinking the paint water and chasing the models around the table (scratching the paint off them in the process).
Not much else been going on reciently, currently it is foggy outside, and its really quite thick! Its also getting colder and darker. Faintly depressing really!

Current Location:	home
Current Mood:	brrrrrrr
Current Music:	BBC-7 again

an age between postings. Its not that I haven't got anything to say, it's that I can't be bothered to say it!
I got more results last week!
A whole total one for my PKC iota too!
Now I'm trying to make the PKC delta work....
its being reluctant....
it isn't out of date....
the conditions worked last time...
my conclusion is that it is just being EVIL!!!!
ah well!
Was supposed to be seeing a friend this evening, but he had to pull out as his mother turned up unexpectedly. I'm unbelievably glad that my mother dosen't do that! I do however feel a bit blah now.
Term has started again, bringing undergraduates crawling all over the place,.We also have scaffolding all around our office, acting like a faraday cage and blocking all phone signals.

Belgium was fun, despite being two months ago, although there were a few dodgy spots for me, but it wouldn't be a trip away without them.

Halloween this month too. I might even have enough money to make myself a cloak now, I need another £12 ish for lining and velvet. I found some lovely dark purple velvet from www.efabrics.com at £7.50 a metre! Bargain!

Current Location:	home
Current Mood:	bored
Current Music:	Dave Swarbrick

The answer is a resounding YES! 
I was worken on Saturday morning by a huge crash and flash of bright light, the crash was a huge cherry tree, giving up its fight against rot and falling over. The flash was the sudden influx of sunlight as the trees shadow was re-located away from the window. 
Very scary, I HATE sudden, loud noises, and couldn't stop shaking for ages.

In other news, ducks are funny! Saw a mummy mallard and her little seedlings surfing over a small waterfall. One of the most adorable sights I have seen in ages!

Stonie FF was this weekend. Went to a few fringe bits. Gaorsach did some hit-and-run rapper, which went very well (we got sparks from the swords! yay!). Also went to the Aqua ceilidh on Sunday.
It was FANTASTIC! The pool is outdoors and heated, it was a little chilly, but very nice, if the weather is hotter next month then I'll go back and just swim. The band was very good too, when they had finished they dived in to the pool as well!

Monday evening I was dressmaking, we cut one whole dress, cut and sewed a lining together, and set out the pattern for my dress. On the down side we were up until 1am doing it. Our next session, next Monday, will be shorter.

I've also, hopefully, got a result, but we will see tomorrow.

Am off to York on Thurs to see my sister Graduate, first time I have seen her or either of my parents since xmas too. Should be a nice weekend!

I know, I did mean to try to update this blog every week, but I havn't even been to this site for about 7 weeks. I'm a worryingly lazy cow!

I've come up with a comedy step hornpipe routine, done lots of dancing, had a cold, done even more work, and am currently trying not to release my inner bitch.
Usually that wouldn't worry me of course (It does a gal good to be a bitch occassionally!) but I'd be releasing it on this one girl and it would just confirm her worst opinion of me. Mind you she IS trying to hijack my boyfriend, and trying to snipe at me to him (it dosn't work of course, he laughs and forwards all her nastyness to me, usually with comments about how stupid she is etc) but still I should try to be nice.
I will try!
I WILL try!
I will TRY!
Am currently LOVING Pandora and alluc.org, radio which plays stuff I want to hear, and TV nostalgia, all good things in my book.

Decided to post a piece of my fan fic. Written about 4 years ago it is just some silly fluff based off Neil Gaimins Sandman comics.

Silly, I know, but I was quite pleased with it. It is archived on www.fanfiction.net under the penname CrystalPhoenix1 along with some of my other stuff.

Am off to Rapper in a little while, hopefully we are going to do some position moving soon, and tumbling practice, I want to tumble!

Current Location:	Home
Current Mood:	bitchy
Current Music:	Folk

I had a VERY good week last week! 
All my experiments worked until Friday when they went a bit wrong, but not totally wrong.
I now have the basis for a paper! YAAAAY!!!!! I'm REALLY excited about this, it is a bit sad really, but it is so nice when stuff goes right.
The experiment didn't go so well today, but I think I know why, my membrane has too much protein, so the stain is going crazy and preventing it from working. I'm trying again tomorrow.
I had a fun weekend this weekend. Friday night was a dance in Stonehaven with Pelorus Jack on the program (and Autumn in Appin and The White Heather Jig), Saturday was the morris tour of Dundee and St Andrews. I did the Durham Waltz in St Andrews because we were dancing on a slope and it was exhausting. It actually went really well. Sunday was the Castle Ceilidh and Torchlight Procession. I got up to the top of the pier with my torch (which promptly blew out) which is a first for me. I had to be helped along by a girl from St Andrews called Katie admittidly, but I was quite proud of myself (after I'd stopped shaking). Thank You Katie!
To be honest I thought I would have more to say, but I havn't. Very odd.  

I sort of wish I had got up earlier today, despite the tiredness. I got into the lab at 1 and was there till 8, not that late really, but I'm tired now, and the day feels like it has been much longer than it really was. On the plus side though I had a really nice stroll by the beach just as the sun was setting, and got plenty of work done.
I also bought Ciaphas Cain: Duty Calls by Sandy Mitchell a week before it is officially due out. I LOVE the Cain books, they are Flashman in space basically, and very funny. At least it means I'll have something to read at the doctors tomorrow.

I am also getting an eye appointment on Friday so hopefully I will have new contact lenses in time for the 60th to wear with the new dress. Well there is no point dressing nicely if the head on top of the body looks vaguely reminiscant of a gargoyle is there?

In work news it looks like the Claudin-3 may not be as useful as we hoped, never mind, whatever happens it is a result which I can write up and discuss. I now have a 9499 word thesis introduction too, but work has slightly stalled as I can't find any papers about Beta Actin. I'm still feeling hopeful about it all though, and not looking forward to my meeting this week with anything like the trepidation I have approached past ones with.

Maybe, just maybe it is all going to work out OK!

Current Mood:

exhausted

Have had a nice quiet weekend, very relaxing and I am now feeling on top of the world! 
Well almost.
I got my new Foundation paints to paint my Sisters of Battle with. Have almost finished my Seraphim Sister Superior in snazzy dark blue and silver. I'm really quite pleased with the result, I'll probably post a picture when it is finished. It isn't perfect, but I think it is looking pretty good.
Apart from that I've not done much, I went to a party with a friend last night, I knew no-one there and was feeling rather shy, I prefer parties where I at least know a few people there. Am looking forward to Emmas 25th next month, Cocktails WOO-HOO.

Currently I'm reading Sarah Waters  "Tipping the Velvet" which is a great book, very good story.

In work news my Claudin-3 antibody works!!! It needed a 1:10,000 dilution of secondary antibody to reduce the background which works out as 1ul of antibody per 10ml of buffer, I use my beta actin at 1:30,000 though so it isn't THAT high really. All we need to do now is get it working with the beta actin, when I first tried it I got a smear, but nothing as definite as a band! Ho-Hum.
Will work on it as soon as we have more methanol, so probably Tuesday. I'm sure it will work!

Have started playing Adventure Quest, it is rather fun really, I can see it taking up a lot of my free time!

Current Location:	On my Sofa
Current Mood:	relaxed

Had a meeting with the Statistics consultancy yesterday.
I am still a clueless as before, on the plus side so is the consultant, he dosn't get that my experiments have built in variability depending on the day I do them.
He is having a think!

Had a very nice four day weekend for Easter, unfortunatlly I was just getting relaxed and into holiday mood when I went back to work! BOO HISS! However we have a three day weekend this coming weekend too! Aberdeen local holiday means that the uni will be closed on Monday. I'm not complaining!

I made hot cross buns on Monday morning, they were quite yummy really, I might give bread making a go soon, more because I can than anything else, especially if I can get some bran. My grandmother used to add a handful of bran to her bread and it was wonderful! Mine won't be that good, but I can try.

Current Mood:

hungry

This IS yummy ice cream!

The week has been rather dull really, but I did reduce the background for my PKC alpha antibody, a simple matter of changing the blocking buffer from milk to BSA and washing for longer.

OOOH Raspberry swirls! This is basically just posh raspberry ripple, but scrummy!

The only other noteworthy thing to have happened was the trying out of Changing Horizens, my newest dance, at Aurora on Thursday, it went well, it needs a little tweaking though, I'll probably post the revised version here again when I get the time.

Will finish my ice cream now (so nice), am a quarter of the way down the tub already, I probably ought to eat some real food too at some point, but not at the moment.

Current Mood:

chipper