georion23

we moved offices at work a couple weeks ago and i'm starting to settle in to my new place. once i get my new bulletin board hung up i'll take pics of my new space. my desk is nicer than what i had before and i have a bit more drawer space, but less overall work space. so far it's alright, but i've been doing mostly computer work since we moved in and nothing where i need to spread papers out everywhere. i'm anticipating using the floor a lot for that sort of work. i did get a new palm tree, which has been named king richard (he's a majestic palm.), which i wrapped in white christmas lights, and a new desk lamp, so my area looks pretty spiffy. king richard casts all kinds of fun shadows on my desk in the morning. i like it.



downsides. it is so much louder where we are now. my group had our own little area before and were separated from everyone else by a common room, and now we're all on the hallway. and, the walls are much thinner. so i'm going to need to get some noise-canceling headphones because my little earbuds that came with my phone aren't quite cutting it. i am sharing a wall with steph, which is nice because when everyone else has gone home we can just talk through the very thin wall and not mess with phones or getting out of our chairs (god forbid we should actually move.). we also have a small kitchen that's full of just random crap with a very inefficient microwave. steph changed into jeans and a tshirt (which i'm sad i missed while being home today - she's been in jeans several times but wasn't in a tshirt even when we were moving.) this afternoon and cleaned out the fridge and all the cabinets, so that should be better next week. i'm going to bring my microwave that was in my office at rice and is currently gathering dust in our garage up to work so we can have one that actually works. that might happen next week. i'll have to get either andy or em to carry it up for me while my back is healing.

i'm sharing an office with christine, which has been okay so far because she was gone for most of the days that i was there, and then i've been gone almost every day she's been back. i very much miss sharing an office with andy and katy, but i go visit katy in her cube and stop by andy's office several times a day. katy was very upset last week because she found out she would be leaving us to go to meetings sooner than originally planned, so i got her a bunch of flowers and put them on her desk. when she got it she came and found me and said she knew they had to be from me and gave me a big hug. and almost started crying. so she liked them, which was nice. and i took one purple tulip and put it in a bud vase on steph's desk with a note that said, "because embracing the change isn't easy on you either." she's been fighting so hard for us, and especially in trying to keep katy, and i can see in her face that it's been hard on her, even if she won't let it show otherwise. and that was appreciated. and i learned she does not care for roses. steph and i were talking about how the management people running the move weren't taking care of the details, like nameplates, making sure the offices are painted, and cleaning out the kitchen, etc. and that makes people feel like they don't care. and that it's the little details that mean something, like when i brought flowers in for katy, and gave her one. so that made me feel good. we've got a good group of people, and i do care for them very much, and i know they care for me, too. they've all been very supportive of my back issues and asking if they can do anything. andy in particular has been a fabulous friend. he's come over every day since em is in new jersey and brought me food and watched tv and movies with me. he brought us deli food and revenge of the nerds tonight. it was good fun.

1. i love my boss. love love love my boss. she is absolutely amazing and i am very lucky i get to work so closely with her. she makes the days fly by. i can't believe it's friday. i really wish the work week wasn't over yet. she's gone at a conference all week next week (though i'll see her in a video teleconference on thursday) and i'm going to miss her.

2. it is colder in houston, tx than in groznyj, russia. do with that what you will.

I HAVE BEEN HIRED BY THE LUNAR AND PLANETARY INSTITUTE!!! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

i met apollo 17 astronaut harrison "jack" schmitt, the only geologist to ever walk on the moon. we talked about politics and space policy after he gave a talk at the lunar and planetary institute. and i got pictures. it was awesome.