Sorry guys
At the request of my sister Rebecca I am obliged to update my blog. I have been meaning to do it for a while, but anyone who casually writes a post from time to time and also happens to have a life will know it doesn’t feature high on the list most of the time. It’s a crying shame.
I’ll make if brief, no one likes a talker.
Science
Good. I am spending far too much time confined to dark air conditioned rooms which means I both fry and squint when I enter the outside world. I have managed to find a pair of goggles that block out both UV and IR, which is handy as I’m working with both. Currently (as in while I write this) playing with Second Harmonic Generation. Simple really, just shine a powerful IR laser at a little crystal and watch the light turn blue right before your eyes. Good lab tip - no goggles at all are better than the wrong ones. Wearing the wrong goggles might lend itself to complacent behaviour (thanks Sven).
Oh yeah, I’ve put my name down for academic tutoring. I will be given a few hours a week to vent my anger on unsuspecting undergraduate physicists (only kidding if any of you are reading this…..).
House
Found one. I’ll post some pictures when I have a camera to take them. It’s just on the other side of the river from main campus, about a 10 minute cycle ride. The place is called Woolloongabba. It’s pretty neat, the room has it’s own balcony (have set up hammock - sweeeeet) and ensuit, but lacks great views from either. I might invest in an air conditioner; it’s possible I won’t survive through February in the heat and humidity of Brisbane. I know what you’re thinking, ‘think about the environment!’. I do, which is why I cycle everywhere, have given up plastic bags and don’t own a car. There that makes me feel much better, although I did fly over to Australia (twice), the CO2 emissions don’t bear thinking about. So I don’t.
Life
Slow. Apart from a week long excursion to Adelaide which turned into a week long party in Adelaide, I’ve been out a few times to house partys, drinks and meals. I’ve not made any real friends outside of the group yet. Although the guys in the group are pretty damn social! Perhaps things will pick up when the dirty undergrads get back… hmmmm dirty undergrads. Perhaps I’m a little hard on myself having only been here for eight weeks.
I went to the Sunshine Coast today which is north of Brisbane about an hours drive away. The waves were huge but no good for surfing. I’ve discovered a new sport however, body surfing. No, actually body surfing. You use your body as a surfboard and swim like usual to catch a wave. It’s fun and sketchy - there were more people body surfing than boarding of any kind today meaning a lot of crashing and banging into one another.
Trivia
I thought it odd that Firefox did not recognise the name, or rather the spelling of it, Rebecca. The list of words it suggests are: Rebeka, Rebeca, Rebbecca and Rebecka. Interestingly non of them are common spellings of the name and they certainly don’t feature in the OED as having a meaning. The name is Hebrew in origin and is a variation of the original forms Rebekah or Rivkah, The name in Hebrew means ‘to bind’. It features in the bible most commonly as Rebekah. Rebekah was the wife of Abraham’s son Isaac and mother to both Jacob and Esau. Altogether there are 54 known variations on the name Rebecca and they can all be found here. A quick google (<– Firefox doesn’t recognise this even!) search of any variation on ‘Rebecca’ soon reveals that ‘Rebecca, my sisters preferred spelling, is the most common in western society.
I’ve now added the name to my Firefox dictionary and urge all those reading this to do the same.
I hope this clears a few things up.