The end of Summer

(picture from Indexed. Too funny).

Well, it's getting to the end finally, the end of the PhD. A month left of experiments. I have about half the thesis written. Doing experiments and writing at the same time is hard. I'm so tired. Two weeks ago it was headaches in the lab and unable to focus on my writing, last week it was decent work but not much writing. This week I'm fantasizing about a broken rib and punctured lung. You know, something I could heal from but would require some time in bed. It would be a bit like on a cruise vacation, I'd just have to sit around, watch tv, get fed. Hot damn that would be nice. I'm so tired.

Nothing much has happened during the rest of my month after my grand adventure up Baker (closes eyes, remembers sitting in a t-shirt in the sun on the glacier eating chocolate and no one asking me where to find the BL21(DE3) competent cells). My motorcycle is in the shop - I think the carb jets just needed cleaning. I haven't ridden a horse all month because my riding stable is no longer offering lessons and I haven't changed stables yet. Money goes from one ride (single horsepower) to the other (mutiple horse power).

I read the first two books of the Twilight series (coming to movie screens this Christmas). It's a teen fic beach read and covers the fantasy of a powerful, strong, rich, handsome boyfriend who's also a little bit dangerous (vampire) combined with the ideal romantic love of a 13 year old. The idea is pretty standard - I mean, Pride and Prejudice had the same rich, handsome, strong, powerful man with the happy ending that continues to inspire today's chick lit, but at least Lizzie had some personality. Bella of Twilight is as plain and boring as they come. It would be easier to ignore if they weren't calling the author the J.K. Rowling of America. That's shameful, sure HP is YA-Fic but at least there was some depth to the characters. And they grew up. Anything that Bella is, is because of the man.

My knee was hurting after Baker so no hiking plans for the long weekend. My bike comes out of the shop tomorrow so there will be some motorcycling. And filling my freezer up with food again because I anticipate a lot of dinners in the lab....