I can attend the Textile Forum
I've just spoken with my boss, I am free to attend the Textile Forum the week of 8-13 September 2009. It sounds like much fun--I'll get to camp in an Iron-age style hut! Yay! Anyone want to meet me there? It sounds like a great opportunity for some major Textile geekage, and the things that Katrin has been describing in the way of stuff that she plans to sell at the market (fine silk thread, hand made iron needles, etc...) sound like toys I really want.
The reason I get to go the forum is that by coincidence that happens to be the same week that the rest of my research team are heading off to a national geology conference, and they tell me there is no point in my coming along when I can't speak Italian. I now have a bit of a plan in terms of my work here--basically I've got this month and August to get all of the background reading done and have a *good* understanding of how changes in bulk composition would be expected to change which minerals are present at what temperatures and pressures so that come the first week of September (when my boss will be done with all of his summer travel--both work-related and vacation) I will be ready to start running experiments of my own, using logic when choosing the run parameters rather than just "cook and look". He also tells me that if I want to do any traveling before September that the first 15 days in August would be a good time to do so, as he is away most of that time. So, basically, as soon as I get paid, I'm free to gallivant (so long as I keep up with the reading and learning on my own, of course)!
The reason I get to go the forum is that by coincidence that happens to be the same week that the rest of my research team are heading off to a national geology conference, and they tell me there is no point in my coming along when I can't speak Italian. I now have a bit of a plan in terms of my work here--basically I've got this month and August to get all of the background reading done and have a *good* understanding of how changes in bulk composition would be expected to change which minerals are present at what temperatures and pressures so that come the first week of September (when my boss will be done with all of his summer travel--both work-related and vacation) I will be ready to start running experiments of my own, using logic when choosing the run parameters rather than just "cook and look". He also tells me that if I want to do any traveling before September that the first 15 days in August would be a good time to do so, as he is away most of that time. So, basically, as soon as I get paid, I'm free to gallivant (so long as I keep up with the reading and learning on my own, of course)!