ex-PhD widow

We got a late-night phone call from Australia last night. My usual reaction to phone calls at midnight is Oh-God-what's-wrong? - but, nothing is wrong. He's done! B2's thesis has FINALLY been accepted and he is now a doctor.
So now I really need to change the name of this blog. And try to convince him to work out a way to take leave later in the year so we can go back for his graduation ceremony. Hardly seems worth all that effort if I don't get to laugh behind my hand at the silly outfit they'll make him wear.

Guitar Hero Goodness

I asked for Guitar Hero for my birthday (well, actually I asked for Rock Band, but I was realistic about what I had any chance of actually getting). In fact, at the time, I got Frets On Fire, which was a lot of fun and had a few advantages over Guitar Hero:

1. It's much more comical. I personally think that the tutorial is one of the funniest things I have seen all year. Most other people find it amusing also (if not quite as much as me), which leads to the next point.
2. It's amusing for other people watching you play. If you think that watching your friends holding a plastic toy guitar and pretending to be Eddie Van Halen is funny, imagine the same thing, but holding a computer keyboard upside down. Classic.
3. It lets you access all the songs, at all levels, right from the start. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage... you can play any song you want, which is a fun idea right up until you accidentally pick a song that is REALLY HARD just 'cause you like it. And did I mention the songs are listed in alphabetical, not difficulty, order? You've got no idea whether a song will be easy or hard to play till you find yourself struggling to hit one note in five.

But yesterday, we actually got actual guitar hero. And an xbox360, the first console I have owned since my sega game gear (which I think is still around here somewhere...). And I am happy. Guitar hero has many, many advantages over Frets on fire, but the greatest advantage has to be the ability to rock out. Rocking out is FUN.

And I'm one step closer to getting rock band, and annoying all the neighbours with my drum solos...

GDC, launches and snow

It's been a busy few weeks. Our company launched it's product at GDC. I saw snow for the first time in over 20 years. And I turned 29 - last year of my twenties...

Firstly, the Game Developer's Conference was awesome. We had heaps of people try out our neuroheadset, and they had good experiences with it. Keep an eye out for Emotiv in the news over the next few months and, if you're in the US, on the shelves closer to Christmas!

For a bit of R&R after GDC, we headed up to Heavenly at Lake Tahoe with a few friends. It was the first time I'd seen snow since I was 6 years old, so I was very excited - and very nervous. I normally don't cope well with cold weather, since I have poor circulation. I was also a little nervous about skiing for the first time - I have TERRIBLE coordination.

As it turns out, the cold wasn't too much of an issue - I just wish that wearing so many layers of clothing were practical for every day use. But skiing just didn't work for me.

We started with the beginners lesson. First they had us run around in our ski boots. Fine. Then we put one ski on and practice some basic skating. No problem. Both skis, skating on the flat, great. Then we tried taking the tow up to the top of the bunny slopes. I fell off, slid backwards down the slope and landed in a snowdrift under a tree, which dropped more snow on top of me.

That was the worst, although probably the softest, fall I had on the skis, but the only natural aptitude I showed with skis was a natural ability to fall over. I'd panic when I couldn't slow down enough when I wanted to, and fall over. I'd panic every time I got halfway through a turn, and fall over. I spent the whole afternoon falling down one of the easiest green circle trails available. My friends helped me out with improving - by the end of the afternoon I could just about take a turn without panicking, or at least without falling over in a panic. They assured me that they were most amused by the experience of watching me fall down a mountain in stages.

So the next day, having decided that skiing really didn't seem to be for me, I decided to try snowboarding. It was awesome! Despite the fact that it was snowing heavily and we had to go inside several times to defrost and get the feeling back in our fingers and toes, I enjoyed it far, far more. I could actually control a snowboard. I could turn reasonably well before we were even halfway through the lesson. It was great, and I'll definitely be back to try that experience again.

wikihow

I've become addicted to wikihow. Some time ago, I added the wikihow of the day to my igoogle page, and I read pretty much whatever comes up there, no matter how strange and irrelevant. And I'll follow the links.

Which is how I came across this one. It has to be the funniest wikihow page I've ever come across, with some of the tackiest ways possible to communicate. If and when the time comes, I don't think I'll use any of these methods to share the news with friends and family. Especially not the movie night one.

I'm back!

So I've never been the best at keeping my posts regular and frequent, but I have a few great excuses this time:

1. Moving halfway across the world. Working out what to pack, what to sell off, and what to put into storage. Inevitably realising that you've left behind something important. Finding a new place to live (trying to make sure it's reasonably cheap, has a low crime rate, is less likely to fall down during an earthquake and is reasonably accessible for all the places we want to get to, especially while we still don't have a car). Oh, did I mention selling off the car? Yes, SaVvY BII is gone :(. Settling in to aforementioned place to live. Buying all the appliances we need that we couldn't bring with us because they won't operate at 110V/60Hz. And furniture, because lugging all of your furniture halfway across the world is EXPENSIVE. Putting all said furniture together (of course we went the IKEA option). Oh, and somehow manage to establish somewhat of a normal social life in a new city at the same time. This would probably be a good enough excuse in itself, but I do have another:
2. Facebook. It's just too easy to jump onto facebook and update your status message to let your friends know what you're up to. With the added advantage that you can also quickly check out what your friends are up to as well.
3. We've had some problems posting on the server :(. This'll go up as soon as that's fixed though.
   

So enough with the excuses. Our new place is awesome - a brand new apartment in Potrero Hill, the sunniest part of San Francisco city.

And best of all, Bhautik has received his thesis review, and once he completes the revisions, he'll be done! Any suggestions for a new name on this blog?

We're moving!

So I was going to let B2 comment on it first, but...he got a fantastic job at Industrial Light and Magic, so we're moving to San Francisco. For a few years. At least. Lucky I'm getting used to the oatmeal thing and am still liking the fog. And I've managed to find some very good local cheeses.

Actually, it's a pretty cool city. My general experience has been that people are very friendly, and I like the climate. On the down side, I haven't found a bartender yet who knows how to make lemon, lime and bitters, and ginger beer is hard to come by, let alone Vegemite... but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

On another note, I have previously commented on the inaccuracy of first aid/medicine on television. Here's a story about the relationship between medical facts and the need to entertain. - and an example of when the information was actually enough to help save a life. So I guess even a little knowledge is better than nothing, but you'll notice the article also comments on how poorly CPR is often presented...

Life in San Francisco

It's midnight. I am about to leave to go out to a party. San Francisco life is CRAZY! That's my excuse for not blogging in so long.

In other news, B2 is arriving next week! And visiting for a full week and a half! Hooray!

Oatmeal just ain't porridge

On my second night here, I went to the supermarket for essential supplies. One of them, of course, was breakfast (the most important meal of the day folks - a cup of coffee just isn't enough!).

The range of cereals on offer was a bit much to absorb in my befuddled, jetlagged state, but I espied a box of oatmeal. "Ah!" think I. "That's just like porridge isn't it? Well that'll do me, I love porridge".

Oatmeal ain't porridge. Porridge has more texture, less glugginess, and, paradoxically, more of a feeling like it's sticking to your ribs and cushioning your body against the demands of the day. The stuff I got sticks to the tongue, yes, but not the ribs. I should have been warned when I read the preparation instructions - just add boiling water. You have to cook porridge for at least 3 minutes before it's ready to eat.

Maybe it's just cause I've never bought easy-to-cook porridge at home, but if this is what all oatmeal is like, it's really not the same thing. Oatmeal is porridge's poor, weak cousin.

P.S. Even wikipedia thinks they're the same thing, however, look at the picture of the "instant oatmeal". Porridge shouldn't be shiny like that. I think there lies my mistake - I'll know better next time. So many traps for foreigners...

In San Francisco

I like fog. Which is lucky, since it's a daily occurrence here. But it is cold, and I'm finding it harder to wake up in the mornings without sunshine. Mind you, that might just be the jetlag.

I've been here for three days, and I'm slowly getting more adventurous. On the first day I went to work, and the apartment I'm staying at - a full 15 minute walk away. Plus the drive from the airport to the apartment, but I don't think that counts.

On the second day I went from the apartment, to the office to (gasp) Trader Joe's, where those who know me will probably be amused but unsurprised to learn that I bought a basil plant (plus pine nuts and parmesan cheese - yes, I intend to live on basil pesto). I liked Trader Joe's, and would thoroughly recommend it as a shopping experience for any visiting the U.S.

But the highlight of my week so far was definitely last night, when Mariko took me to a Yelp party. Thanks Yelp for the free Guinness! I spent a happy forty-five minutes chatting with Mariko, Kqm (pron. Kim) and Matt while we were queuing for the free beers (Matt was wearing an Australia jumper, turned out he'd visited in March, and Kqm had been over for the Sydney Olympics).

Then Mariko and I found a corner (can't say a quiet one, there was nothing quiet about the place), where we chatted happily for an hour and nearly finished our pints of Guinness (which was pretty impressive since I normally struggle with a half-pint) before Marc showed up. Not having eaten much that day (and not being much of a drinker), I was feeling pretty light headed by now, so Marc and Mariko took me off to a very nice cafe which I can't remember the name of. On the way we picked up a copy of The Onion - it's in print here! For Free! I had some yummy Nachos and a great time. Thanks guys!

PhD widows on facebook

Thanks to Tamar Wilner, we've got a place to get together and whinge:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2453604453