Leaving Party/Birthday

OK so as you should all be aware I am leaving at the end of January for a new job at the University of Warwick. This does mean that I am leaving behind a good number of friends. I even admit that over the last few months I may not have been much of a friend myself but I hope you can understand the importance of getting this thesis completed, getting a new job and getting married is to me.

So in light of all this I am hosting a leaving/birthday party at my place on the 9th of January. I know some of you have already got plans in motion for things for yourselves but I would really like to see you there, even if it is for a few moments to say hi etc. Plus I will be 26 on the 18th of Jan, the day before I start my new job, so I think the 9th would be a good time to celebrate.

Start Time:	09 January 2009 at 20:00
End Time:	10 January 2009 at 11:00
Location:	Flat 305, Market Buildings
Street:	17 Thomas Street
Town/City:	Manchester, United Kingdom

Hope to see you all then. Details above. If you need more info on where then give me a call/email/comment.

Have a Happy New Year.

[1.] What did you do in 2008 that you have never done before?
Been to Venice, got engaged

[2.] Did you keep all of last years resolutions?
Did I have any?

[3.] Have you any resolutions for next year?
Enjoy my new job, make Sam proud, have the best wedding ever

[4.] What countries did you visit?
Italy

[5.] What would you like to have in 2009 that you didn't have in 2008?
More security and fun and happiness.

[6.] What date in 2008 will remain etched in your memory?
28th Jan... my engagement to Sam

[7.] What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting my new job in Warwick, getting engaged

[8.] What was your biggest failure?
Loss of trust between myself and Sam

[9.] Did you suffer any illness or injury?
Maybe just stress

[10.] What was the best thing you bought?
My new jacket which I wore to my Warwick interview.

edit: Oh... and of course Sam's engagement ring, the wedding rings, and all her new jewelery for xmas.

[11.] Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Friends who didn't seemed to express real understanding when things got bad.

[12.] Where did most of your money go?
Living, surviving

[13.] What did you get really really really excited about?
Venice

[14.] What songs will always remind you of 2008?
Spectra Paris - Mad World
Diary of Dreams - Bladerunner 2001
VNV Nation - Joy


[15.] Compared to this time last year are you :
[A] Fatter or thinner? Fatter. Not by much but it helps with the cold. It's healthy weight.
[B] Happier or sadder? Happier. I have a new job, my thesis complete and I'm getting married in Venice to the most wonderful woman in the world. Who else has any of that?!
[C] Richer or poorer? Poorer, but only in the short term.

[17.] What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being angry and stressed.

[18.] How will you be spending Christmas?
Spent it with my fiancee.

[19.] Which LiveJournal users did you meet for the first time?
Ermm.... Oh Kirsty is coming over soon so I guess that's one.

[20.] Did you fall in love in 2008?
I already was.

[21.] How many one night stands?
0.

[22] What was your favourite TV show?
Tudors

[23.] Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No. I just pity them.

[24.] What was/were the best books you read?
Not had much time to read stuff but Chung Kuo is still great. Can't wait for it's re-release.

[25.] What was your greatest musical discovery?
Spectra Paris

[26.] What did you want and get?
A new job! Support of my family when I needed it most.

[27.] What did you want and not get?
Nothing. I don't ask beyond my means or those of others.

[28.] What was your favourite film this year?
Umm... The Dark Knight.

[29.] What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I was 25 and went to Negresco for absinth.

[30.] What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?
If I hadn't been a fool before this year and that I had put more effort into the PhD to get it done on time.

[31.] How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Etherpunk

[32.] What kept you sane?
My fiancee, family, work.

[33.] Which celebrity did you fancy the most?
Ummm.....

[34.] Which political issue stirred you the most?
Credit Crunch, Barack getting to power.

[35.] Who did you miss?
My mum when things got really difficult.

Warwick

Ok so the last post was really quite brief. So I was meant to hear about the Warwick postdoc on Friday lunch time. Instead, after a half hour chat with Paul on Thursday evening about work, the thesis and papers, I returned to my desk to pick up my stuff to go home. I sat down to check my emails first and then there in front of me was the offer of the position.

I think my reaction was half disbelief and half stunned. This was just what I needed since Wednesday evening I had felt so down about jobs, especially what with the forth coming wedding.

I got home and gave Sam the tick stub from my train journey to Coventry. She didn't know what to say at first, fearing that it wasn't what she thought it meant. But then it dawned on her that it was true and that in the next month we would be moving down to Coventry/Warwickshire. Pretty good timing I feel as it naturally coincides with the wedding.

However, there was also the hope that UMIP would come through and that the university of Manchester would be able to fund the postdoc up here. But, as I found out yesterday morning, this wasn't to be. So I emailed Warwick back to confirm I would be taking the job. It also means that at this end my current supervisor will pay me for January to tie up loose ends and finish of/start papers and plan work and train PhD students.

It's and end of an era, having spent the last 7 years in Manchester. Getting to Manchester was the easy bit. Staying was harder as I got more and more annoyed at my degree not living up to what it should have been. But getting through the undergraduate years and reaching PhD had been worth it. Now I am able to start taking the next steps along the path to becoming a researcher of my own. Also in that time I have had my heart broken once, and found myself again, plus found Sam during these last two years of PhD, a woman I feel is my perfect match and soul mate. Someone who without I don't think I would have been able to have stayed quite so sane during these last few months. I honestly can't wait for the wedding now as it is an overdue holiday and also what I really want most right now, to be with Sam. Also I have realised that my family, though I don't see them as often, always come through when I need them most.

So there you have it. Later in January I will have moved to Warwick and started research there into the  molecular modelling and simulation of transition metal complexes. It's not the far removed from my own work right now so the change should be too much of an impact.

Too all you guys I have met in Manchester, especially these last three years, I will miss you all. But then I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to meet up again at places like Wendy House, Whitby etc.

Other than that I think I have said everything. So if I don't see you before I move then have a Good Yule and and Happy Gregorian Calendar New Year.

So I got the Postdoc at Warwick!!

Yep, so that means I'll be doing research at that end for two years as of the end of January.

I have a paid month up here finishing off loose ends before I move down to Warwick/Coventry area.

I have a leaving party on the 9th for all you guys to come to. It be great to see you all as you've all been there for me in some way over the last 7 years in manchester.

Oh and the thesis will be finished I think on xmas day.... huzzah.

Merry Yule to you all and have a happy new year.

Right I'm off for pizza.

I have an interview tomorrow

Hopefully it should all be good.

So the parents have met!

Well what has the last week involved?

To start I still don't have confirmation on the funding to stay here for postdoc. Basically we have to wait for another external review of our work. Hopefully it will be more specific in order to resolve the conflict of opinion in the two reports we already have. Sigh.

Then I got information on the Essex job. I wasn't first choice. It really sucks as I thought I did really well on that interview. All I can hope for is that I am at least second choice and the position gets passed on.

Friday we went to the new pizza restaurant, Dough. Twas awesome again and this time I didn't go for the wheat base pizza. This meant I could actually finish the whole thing.

Saturday, with Sam and her mother, we went to Hereford on the train to go and meet my parents. Yeah this is the first time they met before the wedding. It went really well. I don't know why I was nervous. I think they all got on really well. My dad works on the town council, and Sam's mum works for the Manchester council, so there was much conversation. We all helped my mum pick out something for her to wear for the wedding. I am really pleased how well Sam and my mum get along. Plus we showed off the pictures from Sam's photoshoots and gave mum and dad some chocolates from hotel chocolat. We also too a trek to see the cathedral in Hereford, which is pretty impressive even though Hereford is a tiny city. We do have some pictures from the day but it requires the old man to get them off the camera.

Yesterday we joined up with the guys for Cat's birthday ice skating. Seems like everyone is job hunting/postponing xmas. It was good to see that everyone isn't too stressed/crazy with everything right now.

later we went to Carnival Divine, which again is a great burlesque night. This time not only did we have great puppets (Frosty the snowman apparently is a snowy twat with no heart and is just made of frozen H2O who should piss off before he gets fucked up), but grim/hilarious side show act that involved stuff going up noses and fitting a body through a tennis racket. Oh and there was awesome burlesque opera. Wow.

Finally geting back home last night I checked my emails to find that I have a new interview. I made it to the final five for the postdoc in Warwick. It's next week so I have a week to read up on the work and make changes to my presentation.

Present - need opinions!

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Image 5

 


Or suggest another from her collection

Rainbow

Your rainbow is shaded violet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is says about you: You are a creative person. You appreciate beauty and craftsmanship. You are patient and will keep trying to understand something until you've mastered it.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

Belief

1.	Neo-Pagan (100%)
2.	New Age (91%)
3.	Unitarian Universalism (90%)
4.	Mahayana Buddhism (83%)
5.	Liberal Quakers (82%)
6.	Theravada Buddhism (72%)
7.	Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (69%)
8.	Taoism (66%)
9.	Secular Humanism (60%)
10.	Scientology (57%)
11.	Hinduism (56%)
12.	New Thought (56%)
13.	Reform Judaism (55%)
14.	Jainism (51%)
15.	Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (49%)
16.	Sikhism (48%)
17.	Orthodox Quaker (48%)
18.	Baha'i Faith (42%)
19.	Nontheist (33%)
20.	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (30%)
21.	Orthodox Judaism (29%)
22.	Seventh Day Adventist (25%)
23.	Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (24%)
24.	Islam (21%)
25.	Jehovah's Witness (18%)
26.	Eastern Orthodox (15%)
27.	Roman Catholic (15%)

Click for test

Another update on the work front

Well it's Monday and I am anxious. I really do want Thursay to roll on by. But I do need to finish off some more work.

Today I did a tally of how far I have got with the thesis. Right now it stands at 64,000 words and just over 250 pages. I need to do a bit of editing to get a few pages back. I have just two sections to finish, the last part of chapter 3, the research part, since the simulations are still running on the computer and the output from that will make up paper 6 (yes that's 6 papers in total). Paper 4 is almost done, paper 5 is a freebie and paper 7 is now planned and I will have a stab at it tomorrow. Today I finished off chaper 5, the future work chapter, and outlined about 3 projects that could be done off the back of my work (in fact our MChem student is actually already working on one of the ideas). So that leaves chapter 4 which will contain my conclusions.


The weekend has been good. On Friday we dined in Dough, a new pizza place that is just oopposite our flats. They have a good selection of pizzas, including healthy options. Whole wheat pizzas are great. Mine was covered in sausage but it was a bit of a beast to eat and was very filling. All in all a good restaurant. We now need to try out the associated bar next door, Apotheca.

The Saturday we spent in Liverpool. Sam had bought tickets for the ballet. The show was The Sleeping Beauty, a favourite of Sam's. The pacing was just right, and the seats in the theater did not mean that I suffered from any stiffness after. The show was great, teh costumes were excellent, and the wicked fariy and her rude goblins were amusing. A particular bit of interest was the vision scene where they had a brilliant bit of effects where dry ice simulated the oceans and the Prince was aboard a small ship. The finale was also quite glorius to watch as the costumes were again excellent to look at and inspired me, I think I have already a host of ideas for many Carnivales to come.

This week as of yet I have no other ideas as to what we are getting up to. But this weekend we are off to Hereford so that Sam's mum can meet my parents! Hopefully I should have good news by then.

I would ask that you all wish me luck but I will just trust in the All as if it is to be then it will be so.

Hmmm..... taken from

copied from glittersavvy

On the twelfth day of Christmas, kris_ether sent to me...

Twelve icklepurklegirls drumming

Eleven narcotics piping

Ten cronos a-leaping

Nine eris dancing

Eight vampires a-milking

Seven computers a-writing

Six metaphysics a-programming

Five cha-a-a-aos

Four zeppelins

Three martial arts

Two quantum mechanics

...and a chinese in a philosophy.

Get your own Twelve Days: