ARPA-E

This week, I have been in our Nation's capitol, attending the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, and going to meet some folks at the DOE to discuss our mutual interests.

The conference was at the very posh Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center:


And I thus found myself in the new outlet suburbia development of National Harbor. It's a lovely setting, very picturesque:


But it's also a weird, surreal place. At first, it looks like any other suburban pop-up community. But after a while, I came to realize that although there are thousands of people here, no one lives here! It is a community composed almost entirely of conferences, the hospitality industry, and conference attendees! So there is no grocery store, no coffee shop, no school, no auto mechanic, no gas station, no crime, no children, no dogs, no idle or unscheduled people, no old people, no young people, and no one in jeans or Carhartts. What there are instead are a bunch of people in suits with their noses shoved into mobile computers, and a bunch of people herding them around and feeding them. It is probably the most surreal place I have been in recent memory.

Huge conference:




ARPA-E Deputy Director Cheryl Martin:

My unscientific and unofficial scanning around indicated that this conference was about 1/3-1/4 women.

The DOE booth had a star on Fairbanks:

Of course I had to approach them and ask what it was all about. Did they have a little satellite office in Fairbanks of which I had been unaware? They said, "Ah, yes, our Fairbanks association! We support a professor up there! One David Newman!" So I took the above photo and emailed it to him and informed him that he possessed his very own star on a DOE map. :)

Top o' the Minor News

Local woman sees common bird in a different color.

I once saw a brown moose with blond forelegs. I should have called the press!

Weary

Remind me if I ever attempt this again that working two different jobs while trying to finish a PhD dissertation is... suboptimal.

On the other hand, I don't see how I could have avoided this situation. The timing on my primary job was such that I had to accept it when I did, and it's a great job and a great fit for me, so I'm glad I took it. As for teaching, I am really having fun with it, so I'm also glad I took it. Finally, finishing my thesis... well, I don't enjoy it at all, but after being 95% done with my PhD, I might as well finish the danged thing!

So I'm freakin' busy, but I have several non-negotiables:
1) Sleep. I need 7 hours, min.
2) Doggies and outdoor time. We still do the daily runs and walks, and weekend skis, to the tune of 40 miles a week! That is when I do my best thinking, and it is also the Prescription for Fourteen Year Old Dogs to Remain Acting Like Puppies.
3) Food. No ramen or pizza for me, thanks! I still cook and eat proper meals.
4) Chores that are non-negotiable: Shoveling the driveway, replenishing firewood, laundry, etc.

What has taken a back seat?
1) Leisure reading.
2) Cleaning. I haven't swept my cabin since... mmmm... hmmmmm...?
3) Social life. I had lunch with a few friends yesterday, but other than that and Chinese New Year, I've been pretty much a hermit. It helps tremendously that I am genuinely fond of most of my coworkers. Spending days with them almost feels like I get to check 'socialize' off my list. :)

I also take breaks to fantasize about my post-thesis life and look at stuff on the internet. Until now, I'd never been served well by retail therapy, but now I use it as a basis for fantasies about my "after thesis time". In the past month, I have purchased:

1) A new splitting maul, beautifully hand-forged in Sweden by a blacksmith who stamped his name on the head. This summer, I will order hella green birch and split and stack it nicely and prettily before it gets covered with snow.

2) Peach satin ballroom dancing shoes. Because I will take ballroom dancing lessons!

3) A Steripen. Because when I go backpacking, I don't want to carry around a wet, giardia-infested filter whose components like to disconnect themselves and fling cold water in my face while I am pumping. Harumph!

4) A blue silk blouse, a tan linen skirt, a black wool skirt, and a brown wool skirt. Because when I will be working a mere one job instead of three, I will have no excuse not to look decent!

5) A raspberry pi. Because nerdiness doesn't come free.

6) A new American-made fixed-blade EDC knife for hiking. Because salami and cheese.

I guess I don't get to buy myself a graduation present. I done spent all that money already!

Stress relief...

... cuddling!





I've noticed that racing dogs, even distance dogs, are getting more and more hound in their bloodlines and are getting less and less fuzzy, and that makes me sad. I hope people continue to make fuzzy huskies, too! Not all dogs need to race! We still need farm dogs and recreational mushing!

Top o' the Minor News

Front page breaking news:

Every member of the Minor News staff samples vile-sounding potato chips!

Thanks, Minor News! Thanks! Now I can sleep better at night!

Here is a photo I snapped outside the Department of Natural Resources building yesterday around 2 p.m.:


It was -30F/-34C that morning, but warmed up to -10F/-23C by midday. There comes a point after solstice where it's impossible for the weather to report, "Low: -40, High: -40" because there is too much sun, and it has no choice but to warm us. :)

Adventures wth Flat Stanley and Flat Stella

Just because

I'm supposed to be working on my thesis, but instead, I am crying and shaking and clutching my sides over this:



You're welcome. :)