(no subject)
Hello out there, internets! This would usually be the point I say 'I haven't updated for ages', but if you're reading this, you probably know that :P Actually, reading back, it has been quite a while since I updated with anything coherent/relevant.
So, what am I up to? Well, I'm now working 5 days a week - although there is no money associated with any of it. 2 days in the insects room in the Zoo dept, sorting insects from pitfall traps (which I think is interesting, although anyone else can feel quite free to disagree), for Entomology XP or something. Hopefully I should have a good grasp of identifying basic Orders, and their Latin names, then being able to ID common species of beetles and ants. This is useful, since that type of practical phylogeny is fairly absent from most degree courses, apparently. It will also be highly useful for:
Imperial.
For I have received an offer, and assuming I can fund it - which, if nothing else, is possible via another parent-loan, but also things like career advancement bank loans, possibly funding etc - I can do the MSci I want next year :D Insect Diversity and Conservation, at the Silwood Park Campus near Ascot (which is lovely, and HUGE, and ecology-ful, hurrah). I found this out yesterday, and am still bouncy ^_^
Other activities include a day of active conservation work (which I should be on at the moment, but see the later Tale of Keys), which was mostly cutting down scrub last time. I also slightly set fire to my hair when a large ember landed on me, but it went out fairly fast, and I only have a tiny frazzled bit! Final two days of the week are to be spent in Camborne, being a voluntary officer with the Wildlife Trust. So, policy, how such organisations are run, and hopefully learning how to use GIS competently (which will be really useful, considering how many ecology jobs I've seen that prefer you to know about it). No money in any of this, although I think I'll be getting reimbursed for bus faire to Camborne, so I will only actually lose money at the rate I spend it on food.
Camborne also has a Morrisons. This means that Old Rosie can be purchased, and this makes me additionally happy :D
Specific events
The Calling
Which I made it to this week, although I didn't get to the GE beforehand, because I am bad, and decided to wear complicated gloves that needed a lot of putting together. And I wore my red skirt of red-and-zipness. Unfortunately, the combination of this garment (where I can move my legs about 25 degrees in either direction), knee-high boots of the really-not-designed-for-running-in capacity, and a dash for a bus, meant that I had pranged my knees before I even got there, so dancing would have been an chronically bad idea you see what I did there?.
This was depressing. I'm getting really, really sick of being unable to do thing sbecuase of crap knees; while they are getting better slowly, they still radnimly wig out and decidde to piss me off, make me feel like my body is shutting down, and generally wibble. But thei was recified by there being lovely people to talk to, which din't involve moving around much. Decided to go home a bit earlier than usual - 1.30ish - because there was a lift I could nab, and I was tired/achy/fumigated. Getting home was fine. Getting into my home, was less so.
Keys, porches, and alt.Valentines
'Tis the season to be soppy. Or, in my case, at the start of V-day itself: it was the season to lie in the porch, listening to weird car horns and trying to read a day-old newspaper by the streetlight filtering through the door. My keys, apparently, had not been part of the night's outfit, and Rob seems to have evaporated. I managed to text people before my phone died (grr), but it was still about 3am by the time they could get back from Calling-ing, and I was cold :( Not the typical use of feb.14th.
Although, we are doing Alt. Valentines this evening - smelly food, unromantic music, action films, no coupling. Bitter? Naaaaah :P
Fondue
zarkonnen brought scary Swiss cheese back from the Christmas hols, so last Saturday we finally disposed of it in a controlled dinner. It was tasty dinner. It was also on the driveway, under the car port to keep off the rain, balanced on various odd assortments of furniture, and slightly silly. We were quiet - no annoying the neighbours - but a part of me kind of hoped the police would turn up, because the '….the hell?' expressions at a gathering of youths sitting around drinking wine, mead and eating fondue, would be awesome.
Possibly we are not 'youths' anymore, I'm not sure.
Snow
I went to Camborne. 3 years at Uni - especially doing ecology, we're certain to have the correct boots for Weather - meant I had completely forgotten that businesses and schools etc tend to shut when snow arrives. The WT were on about ½ staff when I got there, so there wasn't much for me to do but sort out what I will do this week. Although |I bought cede, and wandered around Camborne in the snow, which was good. I also made an anatomically (if not size) accurate snow ant whilst at the bus stop. It had a petiole and everything.
Driving
I have now had two driving lessons. It seems fun, I haven't hit anything, and I'm getting better at steering. Now have to learn to stall less.
That's all I can think of at the moment. There may be picspam of some of the above events when I locate a) My camera, and b) the lead that makes it talk to my pc. For now - food buying!
So, what am I up to? Well, I'm now working 5 days a week - although there is no money associated with any of it. 2 days in the insects room in the Zoo dept, sorting insects from pitfall traps (which I think is interesting, although anyone else can feel quite free to disagree), for Entomology XP or something. Hopefully I should have a good grasp of identifying basic Orders, and their Latin names, then being able to ID common species of beetles and ants. This is useful, since that type of practical phylogeny is fairly absent from most degree courses, apparently. It will also be highly useful for:
Imperial.
For I have received an offer, and assuming I can fund it - which, if nothing else, is possible via another parent-loan, but also things like career advancement bank loans, possibly funding etc - I can do the MSci I want next year :D Insect Diversity and Conservation, at the Silwood Park Campus near Ascot (which is lovely, and HUGE, and ecology-ful, hurrah). I found this out yesterday, and am still bouncy ^_^
Other activities include a day of active conservation work (which I should be on at the moment, but see the later Tale of Keys), which was mostly cutting down scrub last time. I also slightly set fire to my hair when a large ember landed on me, but it went out fairly fast, and I only have a tiny frazzled bit! Final two days of the week are to be spent in Camborne, being a voluntary officer with the Wildlife Trust. So, policy, how such organisations are run, and hopefully learning how to use GIS competently (which will be really useful, considering how many ecology jobs I've seen that prefer you to know about it). No money in any of this, although I think I'll be getting reimbursed for bus faire to Camborne, so I will only actually lose money at the rate I spend it on food.
Camborne also has a Morrisons. This means that Old Rosie can be purchased, and this makes me additionally happy :D
Specific events
The Calling
Which I made it to this week, although I didn't get to the GE beforehand, because I am bad, and decided to wear complicated gloves that needed a lot of putting together. And I wore my red skirt of red-and-zipness. Unfortunately, the combination of this garment (where I can move my legs about 25 degrees in either direction), knee-high boots of the really-not-designed-for-running-in capacity, and a dash for a bus, meant that I had pranged my knees before I even got there, so dancing would have been an chronically bad idea you see what I did there?.
This was depressing. I'm getting really, really sick of being unable to do thing sbecuase of crap knees; while they are getting better slowly, they still radnimly wig out and decidde to piss me off, make me feel like my body is shutting down, and generally wibble. But thei was recified by there being lovely people to talk to, which din't involve moving around much. Decided to go home a bit earlier than usual - 1.30ish - because there was a lift I could nab, and I was tired/achy/fumigated. Getting home was fine. Getting into my home, was less so.
Keys, porches, and alt.Valentines
'Tis the season to be soppy. Or, in my case, at the start of V-day itself: it was the season to lie in the porch, listening to weird car horns and trying to read a day-old newspaper by the streetlight filtering through the door. My keys, apparently, had not been part of the night's outfit, and Rob seems to have evaporated. I managed to text people before my phone died (grr), but it was still about 3am by the time they could get back from Calling-ing, and I was cold :( Not the typical use of feb.14th.
Although, we are doing Alt. Valentines this evening - smelly food, unromantic music, action films, no coupling. Bitter? Naaaaah :P
Fondue
zarkonnen brought scary Swiss cheese back from the Christmas hols, so last Saturday we finally disposed of it in a controlled dinner. It was tasty dinner. It was also on the driveway, under the car port to keep off the rain, balanced on various odd assortments of furniture, and slightly silly. We were quiet - no annoying the neighbours - but a part of me kind of hoped the police would turn up, because the '….the hell?' expressions at a gathering of youths sitting around drinking wine, mead and eating fondue, would be awesome.
Possibly we are not 'youths' anymore, I'm not sure.
Snow
I went to Camborne. 3 years at Uni - especially doing ecology, we're certain to have the correct boots for Weather - meant I had completely forgotten that businesses and schools etc tend to shut when snow arrives. The WT were on about ½ staff when I got there, so there wasn't much for me to do but sort out what I will do this week. Although |I bought cede, and wandered around Camborne in the snow, which was good. I also made an anatomically (if not size) accurate snow ant whilst at the bus stop. It had a petiole and everything.
Driving
I have now had two driving lessons. It seems fun, I haven't hit anything, and I'm getting better at steering. Now have to learn to stall less.
That's all I can think of at the moment. There may be picspam of some of the above events when I locate a) My camera, and b) the lead that makes it talk to my pc. For now - food buying!