Why Can't Computers Be More Like Star Trek?
You know, they’re everywhere and can just automatically record what you’re saying, so that when you have a thought you want to record, you don’t have to try to record it later? If that was the case, I’d have updated ages ago.
I’m perfectly aware that I’ve been the biggest cyber-slacker on the planet when it comes to my LJ recently. Truth be told, I just don’t have the time to sit and dedicate to it the way I did when I started it. Some day I may, but being a PhD student is, shall we say, a wee bit time consuming. And honestly, there are other things to do than spend all my time at my computer.
I mean, I started this when I got PAID to sit at a computer and amuse myself for 2 hours.
Ok, so, an update on my life (the big points (we don’t need a novel here)).
My 26th birthday was on July 8. My co-workers were all super nice and got together and got me a silicon whisk and a silicon muffin tin (umm…pan? It isn’t exactly MADE of tin) and 2 birthday cards (one from the guys, one from the girls). Separately from that, I got SCRUBS season 1 on DVD and a couple wooden cooking spoons (I like wooden cooking spoons) from Emily, a nifty storage box thingy (hard to explain, easier to show) with a picture in the lid from Meegan, and a UMass baseball cap from my parents (as well as the early present that I’d already negotiated out of them (best pair of sandals on the planet (only problem is that they get little rocks stuck in them that you can’t kick out, as the front is closed))). Overall, birthday was a good thing.
Moving along to August (and everything after?), I went up to Mission Beach (in all likelihood the LEAST friendly small town I’ve ever set foot in on any continent (no, I’m not even KIND OF kidding about this; I can count the people who were nice to outsiders (Aussie or foreign outsiders, mind you) on 2 fingers)), way up north in Queensland, to attend and present some of my work at the annual meeting of the Australian Coral Reef Society. Before anybody asks, I didn’t fall asleep in any of the presentations, thankyouverymuch (honestly, you do this a few times (per month), and everyone thinks it’s a habit).
My presentation went very well and was blessedly early, so I got to do it and move along to the “sit back and watch everyone else” phase. Lots of good presentations, and about equal numbers of fantastic and less than thrilling talks. Only one of them (that I saw) was truly awful.
RiverFire was a couple weeks ago now (eep! Time flies when you’re sick and psychotic having fun). Let’s say this now. There’s lots of things I like about Brisbane, and there’s lots of things that drive me absolutely up the wall (and down the other side). Having said that, this city knows how to do fireworks. They put on some of the best displays I’ve ever seen. There are 3 major sets put on by the city each year: Australia Day (January 26 (it’s Oz’s day of independence)), RiverFire (sometime in August), and New Year’s. I’ve never seen that last one, but they always do so well with the other 2. And of the 2, RiverFire is the better. This one was one of the two best display of fireworks I’ve ever watched. The other (for those in the crowd who are wondering (I know you’re out there)) was when I got tickets for the passes-only section of the Super Bowl display when San Diego was hosting it in 2003.
Also, the RiverFire includes a (very, very close) fly-by of a couple jet-fighters doing fuel dumps.
Twice.
And then there’s the massive display all the way up and down the river, set to music. The pedestrian bridge to South Bank even had a sparkler water-fall going on. Oh, and for the first time ever, they were launching some of the fireworks from on top of buildings in downtown.
Have I mentioned I love fireworks in general? I mean, what’s not to like about big, bright, colourful explosions?
I think that’s about it. Most of the rest of it is the usual combo of work, running errands, and trying to relax a bit.
I know I say this every time, but I’ll try not to go so absurdly long again before posting.
Also, this entry started on DMB’s “Louisiana Bayou. We’re now on one of the best cover songs I’ve ever heard: Authority Zero doing “Mexican Radio.”
So there.