coffee beaker...

I am in trouble……. my coffee intake has already increased by 3fold since being in France (various reason: work load is HUGE, coffee machine is just down stairs and taste good)

BUT now FC (lab mate here) just came in with a new coffee machine for our lab so it is now…..next to me.

It is great and I will try to take it easy!

Funny thing is we don’t have any mugs so we are using clean Beaker.

Hee hee

I think that is cool. I would love if I had labware instead of kitchen stuff…but maybe that is just me.

I like Tuesdays...in Montpellier

I enjoy Tuesdays here..... It is my mom's day off and we get to have a nice chat!!! (plus this is the day back in Cam when our long long long morning lab meeting is....so here...I can't go...hee hee)


woohoooo

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!!

Here are some wonderful pictures of a Halloween cake that my super talented sister made. Yes this depicts a scene from one of our favorite movies...."It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."






















All of this Charlie Brown talk reminds me of a conversation I had the other day with my mom....I was telling her that my French has improved and well...I should be fine as I had taking French for many years. It is like words just start coming back to me. ....and she said... "Remember when Charlie Brown was in France and he was upset and then started yelling...and he realized the he could suddenly speak French." Hee hee yeah...that is what it is like. You start off thinking everyone here speaks like the Adults in Charlie Brown....WAH WAH WAH WAH...and then it starts to click and you understand.

The Peanuts are very special to my family.....I am known as Lucy, my little sister is of course Sally, and my brother....well he is like a hybrid between Charlie Brown and Snoopy......

Have a Happy Halloween, and here...they celebrate All Saints day tomorrow...(so Thursday and Friday are off)!!! Wohooo

Walking around Montpellier this Weekend....

Some random pictures from the weekend......

Great weekend and a big Thank you!

Thank you Red Sox….for indeed doing it in four straight games….man I would love to be home!

Thanks to awesome sister….who lives in Colorado…who texted me at 5am here to tell me the wonderful news when it happened!!!! And who when asked to make World Series cookies for the bakery/restaurant…. made like 40 Red Sox cookies versus 5 Colorado Rockies cookies …..what did her boss expect….Red Sox Nation is a loyal nation!!!

My weekend was a great one….

It is warm and sunny and I need my sunglasses!!!

I went to a lovely Saturday Market and bought lovely Sunflowers for my place.

Love my place…..

Went see two movies …that are playing in English but with French subtitles….(not the best movies…but still entertaining)

Walked around this lovely city …still finding hidden treasures!!!

Man these people know bread and pastries…..

Had lovely conversations with the family…..

Had lovely chats with M about important things…..

Watched Harry Potter the Prisoner of Azkaban (one of my favorites)on TV in French sooo funny to hear ‘arry Potteur…and the other spell in French accents….soooo cute!

Open Plea

As someone....6hours ahead and out of the loop....left only to catch up the next day via internet reports.........

Please Red Sox....For the love of Leg cramps and chair imprinted knees....from Fenway seats.....(Keeping Fenway alive....always seems like a good idea....that is until you sit down...and everyone tall...thinks...yeah tear this thing down and get me a recliner.).....any way back to the plea......

Please Red Sox do it in Four straight games....
I use to think watching over the years was tough but now ....not having a clue and piecing it together over reports....the day after...well that just sucks.

When I get home or talk to someone from home .....I hate having that feeling of ...."Hi my name is Reb and I live under a rock."

You know......when

You know you are working in a Lab in France.....when you go downstairs to start a reaction and there is a Champagne testing in the lobby......

What the hell....put down our experiment and join in.
Joie de vivre!!!!

Rain drops of roof tops.....

Having an apartment and not living in the lab….makes such a huge difference to my mental state here. I know my way around, my French is ok and the people here make it very enjoyable.

Last night it started to rain and I could hear wonderful rain drops outside of my room on the terrace roof. I was sooo peaceful.

I enjoy my time here….I think taking time out of my Cambridge lab and well Cambridge in general is good for me. It makes one feel nomad-ish but really it makes you become alert and to appreciate your new surroundings and maybe reflect on the surroundings you have left behind. I am lucky that I have a great memory and make lots of mental notes so I amaze the people in my lab as I wander around as if I have worked here forever. I am used to just being put in the middle of a place and finding my way around by myself …it is really heartwarming to be here where people want to give me maps and draw out things for me like I am a little girl.

My parents believe in being prepared when you can be …as life shows you that there are plenty of times that jolt you out of your comfort zone. They always would do “a dry run” …so the day before we would drive to make sure we could find the place or even just check it out. …..I remember for my first interview (involving a proper science job)….My mom and dad said, “Why don’t we go and find where you are suppose to go.” This always gave such comfort and calmed any nerves. I never understand how more people don’t do this.

M is great at this…..he visited me in Cambridge right before I left to come here. He had an interview before and after his trip. He had left one of his suits at my house and was planning on leaving it further for his graduation in December. The night before he was leaving he said, “You know what, I am NOT going to leave that suit but wear it on the plane and pack my other one, that way if my luggage is lost then I will still be ok for my interview the next morning.” I said that sounds like a great idea…….and sure enough that is what happened. M’s bag was misplaced and so he just went and bought a new shirt and tie…as M is a big man, finding a suit is not an easy task….. This is Brilliant and he rocks in my book. Cleverness and planning to me are sooo sexy!

A year ago….yesterday was when he and I first met…… I know this as I was the rowing team captain and he was showing up for his first outing…...and I have a bizarre memory……

Back dans Labo.....Montpellier.....this time is much better!

I am back in Montpellier working in the lab for 6weeks. Things are good….my French is ok, the people are thrilled to have me back…..and this time I am staying in an apartment…and not living in the lab. The protocol has been modified to make it easier and not sooo time consuming so all and all things are good.

The weather here is nice and sunny and I am trying to walk around and not work such long hours.

I warned the people in my lab that since I am here for my two favorite holidays….Halloween and Thanksgiving….they are forced to celebrate these, which they are really thrilled to do!

My problem with having Thanksgiving here is that the apartment has no oven and a very tiny grill…I mean tiny a pizza could not fit in…..

Any way….I will think of something….SAJF is going to come here to visit and that will be sooooo great!

Here are some pics….of the apartment….

I have a cute terrace....(doesn't photograph well....)

Easter in Labo

Worked all Easter weekend......but it was quiet and productive. In France it is not the Easter Bunny but flying bells from Rome..... I saw both and they told me to go to the vending machine and buy a Snickers Bar....

Premier weekend dans l'apartment

First weekend in new apartment was very good. I love the location and I got to cook in a kitchen and walk around in the sun! GREAT!!! It is really cute and nice; I just wish I could have people over to visit.....d'oh! M is coming in week and a half for a little bit so that will be great.

This weekends highlights....... (in random order)
a) Big TV....yes it is in French but I understand it and it helps that it is movies (Oceans 11) and LAW and ORDER.....was on like non-stop......( I had seen a few already so I could just listen to the French and understand it....)
b) Sitting in a park seeing these two adorable little sisters saying good-bye to their dad in French and then walking off with their mom speaking English with her. ......this gives me hope. They are sooo cute!
c) Buying groceries for my cute blue fridge and fresh bread!!!
d) Meeting my apartment owner to pick up keys and meeting her whole family....who tagged along to see the apartment. They were all sooo funny and we all ooooooohhhhhed and aaaaahhhed around the place.
e) Making my first proper dinner!
f) Making my lunch for today!!!
g) M's adorable love letter-like texts messages. I need to work on my love letter text writting mine are always short and cute....his are long and sweet and make me gush and giggle. ....And I am suppose to be the Native English speaker here.....hmmmmm
h) Call from SAJF who misses me (and his France) and I miss him and I really wish he was here to see me living in his country....
i) Great calming talk with Mom and Dad about my upcoming sailing trip with M. I was a bit nervous as they both know I can get. I just don't want to be seasick for a week!
j) Buying ICE CREAM and storing it in FREEZER.....MY house in UK doesn't have a FREEZER and this drives me NUTS!

here are some pics

You know your in France when......

Little reminders that I am in France…..(aside from hearing the French being spoken)……

Vending Machines having

1. Cans of Perrier……hee hee I love this stuff and it cracks me up.
2. Coffee in the machine is brilliant…..(sure I prefer the Cafes but when you live in the lab you have to make do….and it is well the best I have ever had from machine)

This list will grow......

...did I say brilliant.....like UK-ism....hmmmm
note to self return to US soon for a visit.

Living here......

Who am I?

I was talking to some people during lunch the other day and they are happy to hear I am moving out of the lab.

Me: “Well I couldn't take living in the lab and to make things worse....there is NO Boulangerie in this area!”
I mean I can’t live like that…..and everyone nodded there heads……..then I thought....what the hell am I saying……….I have lived for 29 years with out a Boulangerie in my area. HAHAHAHAHAHA …but seriously ....there is none near the lab….and that stinks! I freaking love french bread and pan au chocolate!!!!!!

Being here has been funny......I am a talker and like to interact but I am so Rusty in French so I have lame or strange conversations.

My oddest-lame conversation dictated by my French …..occurred when on the way to the Airport to meet/greet M for our lovely weekend here. It was 7am and I was not “on” a-la translation mode, when the driver started speaking really fast. I asked if he spoke English but he did not and I said ok…..and spoke French saying I wanted to go to the Airport. Then we sat in silence and I thought …. “this sucks, I suck….errrrr” and I told myself OH just F-ing speak! So here is my lame conversation…..to the airport…..I will write it in English.

French Me: “Excuse me, Do you know what the weather will be like this weekend?”
Taxi Driver: “Very bad, Lots of rain, very bad.”

French Me: “Oh I am staying near the sea at Palavas. Lots of rain huh? Well I live in UK so I am used to lots of rain.”
Taxi Driver: “Oh UK bad weather huh, they have lots of rain?”

French Me: “Yes. So….Having lots of rain here will effect the wine/ vineyards…. No?”
TD: “Ah yes it can, we are dry over summer so we need rain sometimes. You like wine?”

FM: “Yes my favourite is Muscat and I did not know that this region is known for it here, until I arrived. It was a nice surprise.”
TD: “Yes did you go to the vineyards?”…he names some

FM: “Yes I went to ….(one that he names) that was lovely.”
TD: “Your French is very good, I should learn English.”

FM: “Thank you, I am having an easier time understanding the people here, I understand their
French for some reason. I understand your French very well. I have a hard time understanding the French spoken in Paris.”
TD: “Eh really? I am from Paris.”

FM: Oh and here is the Airport…just in time…….hmmm….. clearly I don’t know what I am talking about then…..but how cool is it to put your foot in your mouth in another language…..I was pretty happy about that.

YIPPEEE!!!...... VIOLA!!!

I am a happy girl!!!

I have found a great apartment for me to stay in here (Montpellier) as I work. I will have it for March and then figure out April but I am soooo happy. I found the ad on internet yesterday and my French Boss called for me and took me to see it today. It was sooo lovely and great. The area is wonderful right in the heart of the city centre and in a great neighborhood. 5minute walk from the Tram! Everything is perfect. It actually sleeps 4 so I wish I could have visitors. I am sooo excited. It is sooo cheap cause I got a deal too!

The people in my lab are going to come over for some dinners and M will be visiting soon. It is sooo great there is a Market outside in the square, a cute cafe, wonderful little restaurants!!!! Everything.

I am soooo happy.

Mad Scientist-like

There was a point this weekend when I thought....I might become Mad Scientist-like here....for some of these reasons....

a) I have lots of work to be done while here and will be flying back and forth for two week intervals and there is WAY more work than I had realized.....(it is good but I didn't know what I was getting into.) Lots of this work is also surprisingly needing me to speak and understand French...which I kind of do but still....who new? (Note The people in the lab are the best thing and are great..and have given me lots of props for my fastly improving French....I did take if for an long time...but was rusty)

b) My housing (if you can call a small baren room...with a nice bathroom.....housing) is located just off of the lab....so this is like 20 meters away........so I walk down the stairs and out the door to leave the lab building and OH wait what is right there?..... as I turn left...yup MY ROOM. I am living in the lab.

c) No phone or internet connection in the room sooooo if I want to talk to the world I need to go back inside to the lab.....which oh yeah lucky me I have all the required keys. (this means finishing work but returning late night to talk to people.....late night lab....creepy at times). (another thought....I am constantly staying up late to talk with people in other time zones but no-one there ...aside from sister and mother ....is getting up earlier to talk to me.....hmmmmm now as a programed rower I would much rather get up earlier to talk with people...but alas that is not how it is, over a year and a half into this move and I am still the predominant caller...I have studied and found vast ways to make it cheaper for me and others..SKYPE people!!!....)

d) The research institute is located out of the city centre ...quite a bit. There is walking to public transportation which then takes you to civilization....I need to do this more as I feel like I am becoming crazy.

e) I think I am being referred to as the "girl who sleeps in lab".....well this statement in French by the security guards....this is sad.

At the moment when I thought ....surely I have snapped.....I was brought back to sanity by two nice long phone calls back to back....(as I think they were both worried) by my wonderful sister and brother.

I think wonderful sister called my brother before calling me and said....."OK I think it would be good if we called Reb. She needs to talk." Five minutes into my conversation with my brother...he said...."um,You might becoming a Mad Scientist there Reb." To which I went bug-eyed and said "Oui Oui...I mean YES YES...that is what I think too...YES YES Oui "

Those talks were really wonderful and soooooooooooooooo helpful. They are sooo great and are the two people in the world I really can't imagine my world without. They know me really, and no matter how much time or how far away we are....the connection and knowledge is sooo strong.

Thank you both for spending a million dollars and dialing 20+ digits to call my French Cell phone! I really needed it! My amies in the UK have been great and checking in on me and sending cute emails but sometimes it is those that reach you from farther away that you are really closer too.

M spoke to me before these conversations and I was ......out of it. I said "Hey look M, you know when you started dating a Scientist there was a time I would become a Mad Scientist." ...to which he just calmly said.."Um OK you are going to be alright...I will be there next weekend."

Then M and I spoke the day after the my wonderful sister and brother called and it was like I was a new person.

Yeah

Back log Blog--Written on a Slow Train

Back-log blog Written on a Slow Slow moving Train (Feb8th)

Will I ever get there??????

I was suppose to go to Montpellier to work on a collaboration on Feb7th. (well actually I was suppose to start in November….but things were not ready….)

Attempt 1

I missed my flight the other day. Something I never do! I had been away at a lab retreat three days previously and returned at night only to have to fly out for 2-3weeks the next morning. I really thought my plane was leaving at 6:55am. BUT no 6:00…..not good….we still would have been ok if.

A) I wasn’t a few minutes behind.

B) Didn’t miss the airport exit on highway (Road sings suck here!!!) ,

C) there was a closer exit after this missed exit for us to correct ourselves. (why is it when you make a mistake you do it when the next exit is sooooooooooooooooo far away….rrrrr)

D) when correcting our mistake someone else told driver to go down the wrong road …this wasn’t that bad and I screamed to correct this….

We are driving back to airport and SAJF is stressed that we are going to miss flight and I said…”Oh relax” SAJF was amazed and said, “I can’t believe you are calm about this.” Me: “We will be fine our flight is at 6:55am we are ok.” SAJF: “ NOOOOOOOO our flight is at 6.” ME: WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!! You are kidding….why didn’t you correct me.!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Yes folks I messed this time up.

We got to the airport and SAJF RAN I mean RAN!!!! To the desk…which was closed I went to another open one….and the lady called the gate….they closed at 5:20am. We were talking to this lady at 5:21am…NO JOKE!!!! I begged, I pleaded, I said we would not check bags….BUT NO!

I started crying at this point …not because I was not going…but because people would be waiting at the other end for someone not showing up. The woman I am collaborating,with, CB, is 8months pregnant….and I don’t want her waiting around an airport for NO one!

I go and change my flight for the next day!

I am crying and sooo upset and SAJF held me together.

The big problem is finding a way of contacting France to say….I am not coming.

Luckily SAJF is French and ROCKS and he went on and started looking up ways of getting their contact info. Once we got back to my room/computer. SAJF did the calling of the Group leader at his house for me …as I was a mess and he speaks French. Once I got the contact number of CB

Attempt 2

Leaving the next morning at 11:25am. I get to airport at 8:30am and I go even though it has snowed (maybe an inch total) BUT THINGS here are brought to a stop!!! And the Airport is reported shut and the morning flights have been cancelled.

I stand there waiting ….luckily before I left I emailed CB in France to warn her of all the craziness and my boss here in UK and I have been texting back and forth. (which is cute cause she just got a new mobile phone and is new to the texting thing)

I look up and our flight is told to check in at desk 91…..so we all try to manoeuvre through all of the stranded travellers. Then we wait for a while there….the girl is at the desk but not checking anyone in. Surprise Surprise they cancel it.

I leave the airport……and go to airport train station and wait for my train…..then they say it is cancelled….so I talk to a conductor and come up with another way to get home. I get on the train to London and will get off at next stop. Cross over to other platform and then wait for Cambridge train. …..I do that…..and Cambridge train is delayed 30min. Ok fine….during this time I am making all the necessary calls reporting that I am not leaving again. Then the train comes and I get on and the conductor explains what is happening. Something is wrong with train and they have to travel at half speed…plus it is the train that stops at every stop.

WOOHOOOO

All I can do is laugh.

For the last few mornings I have travelled sooo much to end up back in my room with my luggage being dragged behind me.

CB and myself agree that this is not meant to be my week of flying to France and I will now go on Sunday.

M is secretly (although he told me sooo secret is out) happy that I am still in Cambridge and we get to spend more time together. As our SAJF, CC and SM.

Will I get there……

So I am in France Blog Entry for ARAG

Ok
So I have been in France for just less than a week and it is going well.

Pros:
--The weather is beautiful and sunny here in the south of France.

--The girl I am working with is soooo pregnant (8+ months) and soooo cute as well as her hubby. She picked me up when I landed and drove me to a bakery to get some breakfast and then I got to go with her hubby and her to the beach for a nice day! The next night her hubby took me food shopping, where I sorted out computer-plug-adapters. (it was a huge Supermarche......reminding me of Walmart)

-- The people I work with are really nice and I get to practice my french (which is better than I thought).

--The project is better than I thought and I am doing most of it myself with some guidance. So I feel like this is my project and I have some ownership over it despite being away. I have also realized that I will be coming back and forth here to Cambridge more than I thought.

Cons:
-- The project is better than I thought so I am working Beaucoup hours in the lab and barely seeing the area.

-- I am staying in a room just off of the lab (So i really live here). It can be creepy at times but they have lots of security so I feel safe. My room is bare (with a nice bathroom though!!) there is no phone or internet so I need to go into lab for connections. (Good thing is I am reading Wicked which I wanted to do before seeing it in London.) I mean I don't think I am making it clear I walk out of the lab down the stairs and outside of the door is my room. SERIOUSLY!!

--I miss M more than I realized I would. Leading up to this he kept being the rationale one and saying it is only a few weeks.....but he misses me a lot.




So that is that.....this weekend should be nice and I will relish this alone time to sort through the data and other projects. The weekend following this one...M is flying here to visit me and we will have a Romantic weekend away at the beach. He has rented a car and we will visit a vineyard....as my favorite wine is Muscat and this is the place to get it.

Take care everyone......this is Reb reporting from France.............