renate.nu

I just took a quiz about Harry Potter, and got 15/15 correct. The quizmaker named me an expert and “sorted” me into Gryffindor, whereas you’re sorted into Ravenclaw if you get between 9-12 points.

I am so offended right now.

I’ve been worrying the last, well, year or so. Two years. Or so. Maybe three. That I’ve stopped being FUN. And when I say “stopped being fun”, I actually mean “stopped going to parties”. Because I have. I don’t know. At one point I didn’t find it at all that entertaining anymore, so I just stopped going. And then I started studying again, so that started taking up all my spare time. But you know what? I can still be fun.

Granted, I only give myself to be fun, in the meaning “going out for drinks” when I’m not home, because then, you know, I have my excuse. I couldn’t study because I wasn’t home. I was out with coworkers. The wine was free. They were all there. And you know, serious studies show that if you socialise with your coworkers, not to mention your boss, you’re more likely to get promoted. So it’s all quite legit, you see.

And I know, that doesn’t sound like fun, does it? It sounds like FORCED fun, but I swear, it wasn’t. It was just pure, crazy fun. Or you know, not too crazy. I didn’t dance on any tables. Or on the floor, for that matter. I didn’t fall over, or down any stairs. I didn’t spill anything on myself, or on others. I didn’t say anything that I regretted later. I didn’t sing. I did:

• Have a few too many drinks.
• Stay up too late.
• Talk to Ian from Aberdeen. Apparently he’s been looking for me.
• Openly talk to one of my coworkers about how I was sort of threatened by her when she first started working with us.
• Talk to my department’s only ph.d. (except the dean, obviously he has a ph.d.) about the master’s thesis I want to do, and how I want to keep my options open for a ph.d. later. He was all for it, and didn’t hate my thesis proposal. Now if only my advisor will be as supporting, this might go places…
• Eventually make it back to my room.
• Get 4 hours of sleep before I had to get back up and endure 6 hours of group sessions, although I spent the first one chugging down water and not talking.
• NOT get too badly hung over. Wow. First time in years.

All in all, a very successful outing, and I really can’t wait to go out again. I’ve made somewhat loose plans with a friend, we just have to find a good time. And we better! ;)

First of all, the January goals and how I fared with those:

• Go to the gym once a week. – Yep! Except for that one week where I was in pain.
• Finish reading Leonardo to the Internet. – Nope. Two chapters left. I had to focus on other readings.
• Read one other book OR article pertaining to my studies. – Check! Two articles and almost one book – I’ve got 20 pages left, and plan on reading those tonight.
• Read one fiction novel. – Yes, I read the first part of the third book of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.
• Make one dinner and one dessert from the recipes in Nigella Express. – Utter fail.
• Finish the redesign of Renate.nu. – Obviously, I didn’t do this.

On to the February goals!

• Finish reading Leonardo to the Internet.
• Do proper research for term paper #2.
• Make my way into a project at work, about making a process chart. It was my idea, and I want to see it through.
• Catch up on my class reading.
• Prepare notes for my master’s thesis proposal, to present to the professor I want as my counsellor.
• Go to the gym once a week.
• Replant some of the bamboo.

Ok then! Most of it is related to my studies, but that’s what’s keeping me occupied a lot these days, so it’s only natural.