it's Fall!!

Tuesday April 15th 2008 540pm
It is cold here! Cold, rainy and windy. The wind is steady and just brings a chill right to your bones. The weather, besides the drizzle of rain, is ok...but the wind! it just grabs you!

It is fall here and i have seen one tree. One that has decided to bring me a taste of home.

Its leaves are beautiful colors. red, golden yellow, green, brown. They are even dropping to the ground in a rainbow of fall colors, creating a beautiful autumn blanket beneath it. But thats it. just one tree. I bet there are more somewhere.

There are also bats. tons of bats! the photo below was taken at the botanical gardens in Sydney by the opera house. This is just one of the trees with bats. all of the trees in the garden area have tons of bats in them. you can hear them squeaking and clacking as you approach.

There are also bats in my neighborhood. i havent taken a picture because it is not as amazing as this. you can see them flying overhead and they hang in a tree down the street. you can also hear them. they sound like you are twisting two pieces of glass together. its something i have never really heard before. and they are large! ive seen a small bat back in syracuse who perished by the back door of the loading dock at SU. these bats have huge wingspans. They must be the ones people write about...getting caught in your hair, sucking your blood, all that jazz.

Speaking of bats, there is also a rumor here that there is no rabies. i have not confirmed this with any research, but it is interesting. so i dont have to worry about any rabid animal approaching me.

Here it is also customary to purchase 3 ply toilet paper. in my opinion if they just made the 2 ply better you wouldnt need 3 ply. it is definetly a waste. the 1,2 or 3 ply lack any good quilting.

Everyones work day ends at 5pm too. no one really stays late, no one really comes in early, 10am maybe. the doors to the building downstairs lock at 5pm, so i need to use my card to get in. i find that interesting. they are very nonchalant here. come in late, leave early. eh, whatever. its kindof nice! but as you can see i will be here after 6pm.

the only downside to leaving after 5 is it starts to get dark here and i have to walk home. so today i will be walking home in the dark. i am ok with it. it is very safe. actually i am more concerned with walking along the uneven sidewalks and breaking myself than anything else!

research is going ok. my synthetic abilities have escaped me and i cannot make any porous formates. its frustrating, but i will continue trying. also, i have to use a bunch of different programs to visualize and work up data. which is fine, but not only am i working on a new project, but now i have to take the time to use all these different programs! argh! i better learn fast. GSAS is my new best friend...i only wish i was good at it!

tomorrow at group meeting i have to give my defense talk. that should be fun...

well, happy end of tax season and i hope you all get mad loot back from the govt!
Happy Birthday to Alex (april 11)! hope your weekend was super awesome!

miss you guys!
xoxo
Sharon