On new classes (and stress)

Hi there, new semester! My stress level at the thought of new classes, labs and exams is surprisingly low at the moment, but I’m afraid it’ll build up soon. First lab day is on the fifth of February, and I’m anticipating some minor panic attacks over having to write laboratory logs every other week. Oh, well, I’ve begun to get used to that by now.

This semester, I’ve decided to spend more time with friends, exercise more (it helps both my mood and the previously mentioned stress level) and, just, do more of the things I like. Last semester sort of drowned in studying, or stress over lack of studying, and I don’t want that happening again.

It helps that one of my classes this semester is quickly turning into my favourite ever, and that’s even before the lectures have started. It’s called “Molecular Driving Forces”, and I know that doesn’t exactly sound like fun, but I’ve always been interested in why things happen. In this subject, it’s all about the whys: why diffusion, pressure, elasticity, etc… happen. I just hope my lack of advanced maths knowledge won’t be a problem. The (awesome) textbook has a lot of “Math Tool Kits”, but those chapters aren’t on the syllabus, and I’m not that good a student that I read outside what I have to.

In other news, I decided that this was the semester I would colour my lab coat red, a long standing plan of mine. But then the washing machine decided to go on strike. As I was trying to colour the coat. It came out looking like I’d killed someone, and after an attempt to bleach it, it’s now spotted pink. Which is not a look I want to sport. So I’m currently hoping my boyfriend will let me use his washing machine to colour it again. And if Murphy decides to rear his ugly head once more, I’m going to punch him in the face.

Going to Britain!

So last year, my mother took my sister on a one week trip to Santorini in Greece. This year, she wanted to travel somewhere with me. But because I didn’t want to go during the semester, and going to Southern Europe in the summer can be a sweltering experience, I talked her into going to Britain for a week in the middle of June. More precisely, we’re going to The Pig’s Foot, a.k.a. Cornwall.

Standing Stones in Cornwall
Image from timetravel-britain.com

It’s still in the early planning stages, but I’m really looking forward to it. I am, after all, a bit of an anglophile. We’ve decided we want to visit Tintagel Castle (King Arthur!), The Eden Project and to hike in the countryside. I hope my spoken English is a bit less rusty than I think it is.

This will be my fifth visit to Britain, but only the second after I became old enough to actually care about the sights. My dad has a nice story of how my sister (five) and I (seven) were more interested in ice cream than seeing Stonehenge. And later, at ages seven and nine, more interested in ice cream than seeing Westminster Abbey.

I think I need to do an Amanda and tour England by myself at some point, seeing all the stuff I missed. But Cornwall first.

Concerning the New Year

It’s the time for New Year’s Resolutions, but I really only have two. I’m going to see the doctor to find out if iron deficiency or just plain laziness is to blame for the fact that I’m tired constantly, and to see the dentist to check for cavities and other nastiness.

I actually have to make resolutions to do this, because I’ve been postponing both visits for ages. The first because I’m just not used to going to the doctor (my mother is a nurse and she’s usually been more than competent to figure out what’s wrong), and the second because I’m terrified of the dentist. I had a really bad experience when I was ten and had to have a tooth pulled (sufficient to say, the anaesthetic didn’t work and the dentist was an unfeeling bitch), and since then every visit to the dentist have been accompanied by days of anxiety beforehand. So, not really looking forward to that. At the same time, there is a large probability that I will be able to keep these resolutions, in difference to resolutions about eating healthily and exercising more…

Anyway, I’m starting to look forward to the New Year’s Sales. Students get an extra big scholarship at the start of the semester, and though some of it has to go to books and other necesseties, I’m also hoping to do some shopping. I’m currently eyeing this:

The Canon Powershot E1. My old camera is dying, and I really like the look of this one. Plus, it’s 10 megapixels and has some nice functions (and it’s not that expensive either). Maybe I’ll add another resolution, namely to take more photographs in the coming year.

I wonder what will happen in 2009. New Year’s Eve always leave me with a mix of anticipation and worry, but I hope everyone else has a nice celebration.

Christmas Day

Norway is one of the least religious countries in Europe (ironic, since we still have a State Church), and so Christmas (or Yule) has become less a celebration of the birth of Christ, and more about family. We’re atheistic/agnostic, so yesterday’s celebrations were all about spending time with loved ones.

When my mother came home from work, she and I went to the graveyard to light candles on the graves of family members. I wish I had brought a camera, because the graveyard on Christmas Eve is truly beautiful. There are no electric lights, so all the light comes from candles lit by people remembering their relatives. I always go with my mother to the graveyard on Christmas Eve, because I think it’s such a nice tradition.

Afterwards, I lit torches around our house, to welcome our relatives to the evening celebrations. We totalled ten people at the Christmas table this year, which meant everything took longer than usual – from the meal to the gift opening. Not that that’s a bad thing, because I think everyone really enjoyed themselves.

Under the cut is the annual photo of my sister and me in front of the Christmas tree, where you also get to see why the gift opening took so long. And there’s a photo of what I got for Christmas, since I’m just that obnoxious.

I hope everyone is having a great Christmas Day, and I’m jealous of all the UK residents who get to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special.