Winter is here

"So for data cleaning we still need to... look guys, IT'S SNOWING!!!" shouted my aussie boss during our research meeting today. Tiny little dots of white were falling from the sky - not quite as gracefully as one is accustomed to with snowflakes, but since they were on their first public appearance this year, I think we can forgive a bit of clumsiness. I'm sure they'll improve their performance as we get further into the season. Speaking of which, I have been enjoying the winter performance season to the max, as we finally made it to Lyric Opera for Ernani not long ago, and are planning to go to the Nutcracker at the Joffrey Ballet before B and I both leave for Christmas.

Lyric was a really exciting experience. On Sunday evening after a relaxed and prolonged cup of coffee in our neighborhood, I told B to not forget that we were going to the opera on Tuesday..? oh wait, when is the 23rd? Uh oh! It's Monday! Uh oh - that's tomorrow!! What followed was a hectic rush back to the shops to find shoes and the rest of the evening spent trying out a million different outfits (well no, I really only have a few :) ). I did find shoes - but they are the kind that cut my walking speed in at least half and have a high risk of resulting broken ankles and more :) The performance was scheduled to start at 7:30, and there was a free pre-performance lecture starting at 6:30 that we wanted to attend, so there was no time to go home and change. So, we took our dressy outfits to work and at 5:30 as we boarded the bus that takes employees home after a day's work, we were the dressiest people around. Not so much when we got to the opera. People in jeans!! Now I'm not saying that you need to put on a gown or anything too fancy, but at least make an effort! The majority of people did dress up at least a little though. The building is unbelievable. From the orchestra seating you can't really tell how many levels it has, but I'll just say that as we got to our balcony for the performance, I suddenly felt really dizzy and was extremely happy when I got to my seat - and despite all that, we could see everything and could hear everything wonderfully. The performance, Ernani, was also amazing - although I must say I was quite happy to see Ernani (the main character) die at the end... the character wasn't very bright and he had kind of asked for it (what a deep analysis of opera! :) ). On the other hand, I really liked the bass' interpretation of Silva, the negative character, and his part was definitely a lot more engaging and exciting. Obviously, the men's choir was also a big hit :) So, come January, we're going to the Merry Widow :) Until then though, I look forward to a classic Christmas ballet and a Christmas choir...

Very Christmasy indeed. I'm getting there - on Saturday we went to the Christmas Market downtown, had the bratwurst and the gluhwein and honey gummybears, and stared at the many different shiny decorations and Christmas ornaments. And then on Sunday we went to see "A Christmas Carol" in 3D - and no, I'm still not tired of 3D :) Loved it and definitely brought up the Christmas mood :) I am semi thinking about doing something to decorate my place a bit more christmasy, but I'm not quite sure it's worth it since I won't have too much time to enjoy it before I leave.

Oh yes, and there was also Thanksgiving, which was a whole day spent in the kitchen dicing veggies and videoconferencing with mom trying to make sure my dumplings looked ok. They turned out ok :) And although I thought the leftovers would last me for a week, somehow they were pretty much gone before Monday. I don't know how that happened...

Anyway, work is pretty intense as I'm trying to get everything done before I leave (which clearly won't happen, but I can try); it's also really exciting, as the brain scans seem to be in line with our predictions (and in research in general, not just neuroscience, any results that are in line with predictions are really really exciting), but that's all still preliminary. We've just conducted another scan this week and now we have a whole array of researchers and researchers-to-be who are very curious to see the results. Fingers crossed.

So now I finished my cuppa tea and my eyes are closing (and this could also be due to the fact that my room is boiling hot and it's SO nice!) and I think it's time to stop typing and move on to my final task for the day: sleep :)