Things I've discovered this past week

So a quick review of things I've discovered this week.

(1) The reasons that certain people have not been replying to my emails. Yes you may be now with my ex, but I split up with him. To be honest you're welcome to him.
(2) That I can give a lecture that I have spent not as much time on as I should have, and get away with it. Not an experience I'd willingly repeat, but good to know.
(3) That my house can survive a 5.2 earthquake
(4) That it is easy to initially think a truck had crashed into the house, at the start of an earthquake (despite the fact that there is no probable cause for a truck to be within 50 m of the house).
(5) That despite knowing the theory of what to do in an earthquake I actually stayed on the sofa and thought cool. I'm hoping that if I was somewhere that earthquakes are potentially larger (e.g. LA) I'd do the right thing (drop to the ground/find a doorway or desk).
(6) My undergraduate institution continues to produce a good newsletter, my Mum liked the pretty picture on the front (a 16th Century Indian print).
(7) Not so much discovered, but re-affirmed the joys of Skype.
(8) I am more like my parents than I would have liked to admit 5 years ago.

Moving on, my friends and other animals

So I split up with a long-term boyfriend (3 years) nearly 3 months ago. We met when he joined a society I've been part of since I was an undergrad. As a consequence a lot of my friends became his as well, in one case a good friend of mine became his best friend. So despite the fact that aforementioned personage had been saying to my ex for nearly a year we should split up this person now ignores me totally. OK, so he's being immature and to be honest it shows his true colours. What galls me more is that his girlfriend who I've had a on-off really close friendship with appears to be ignoring me when he's around and not online etc. I went to the pub with this group of people this week and discovered that my ex appears to be seeing someone I had confided in a lot. In no way am I bothered about them seeing each other (she's welcome to him) more that it explains why she hadn't responded to any of my emails. So talking to a certain someone about this tonight, he said in a "divorce" stuff like this always happens and I'm being mature about it. I'm being a lot more mature about it now than a couple of years ago but I suppose I'm galled by the fact that these people who I thought were good friends aren't. All I can say is that I'm very glad that I have a support network outside the society I met the ex at. Even if a large proportion of it is not on the same continent, thank goodness for the internet, IM, skype and email.

Some of the reasons I should maybe relocate to the USA

So when I was 16 we had to set out our plans for the rest of our lives in what they called our "Record of Achievment". Mine went something like get a degree, do a PhD, go and do a post-doc in the USA then decide what to do Well with a changing of degree subject, university and doing a part-time PhD I'm at the same point I would have been if I had gone along with the original plan (formulated by a naive 15 year old who had some other weird ideas, all that are substance for other posts).

In 2001 having switched I taught Summer Camp in the USA, met some amazing people who continue to have a huge impact on my life. I returned in 2003 (post degree holiday), 2006 (for work), 2007 (a: holiday with Dad post job, b: friend from camp's wedding) and each time I go to the USA it doesn't have the sense of other that places outside the UK have to me (including the country in Southern Africa where I've spent over 9 months for my thesis research).

So this week it seems I've spoken more to my friends in the USA than here. Partially because of working late and the joys of instant messaging or skype and email. And I mean really talking, helping me figure out stuff and being supportive in the crappy week I've had. Coming out of a long-term relationship that I really thought was the job really made me evaluate what I wanted and working and living in the USA for a bit is really on the cards. The factor of a potential amazing relationhip is a push/pull factor, but not the only one which makes the pressure slightly less (and thats a whole other set of posts).

First Post

So I figure that seeing as I read so many blogs I should have one of my own. I guess that if I can write for my thesis I can write here, lets see if I manage to keep it up.