Well, after a very long couple of days I have arrived in greece.

And I mean a very long couple of days.
So my third project, the sherd one I've been posting about for what seems like forever was due monday at 12. My supervisor had been away so I was already a bit behind on everything, but I felt that I was at least somewhat on track. I had worked most of Saturday and had about 5 hours of sleep, alright. That's fine. But then I go to layout all of my catalogue images that I drew and _oh my goodness_ did the technology just about kill me. No matter what I did I could not get my images printed out at the correct size (and keep in mind that the whole point is to be exactly correct in all aspects of everything). So I spent the entire day trying to get this right, and to no avail. Finally I gave up... which left the night to do everything else I needed to do ie. get some maps, and finish and redraft my essay part of the project, write my bibliography, and double check my catalogue. This means I slept, oh, about an hour, and woke up without knowing how in the world I would get my images to work out, and still needing to make some changes to my essay. So yup.
Thank goodness the fates gave me something... a friend who offered to layout my images in her much superior program, indesign, while I finished the essay part... and a slight extension. Even with this girl who has done professional catalogue layouts as a job, the images magically resized themselves the first time and she had to do it again. But it finally worked, and though I don't think it is bug free, I handed it in at 1:15, only an hour and a half late.
So then I run the errand that I had been meaning to run and do little things, like eat, that I hadn't had a chance to do. I just miss the 3:30 bus to the airport, almost miss the 4:15 bus because I hadn't realized they changes the location of the stop, but get the the airport in plenty of time.
I arrive in Greece at 2:30 their time (I managed to sleep a little, but was surprised I didn't sleep more since they were playing 'miss potter' as a movie... can you say boring? I should have been sleeping like a baby). I splurge for a cab to take me to the hostel, and without wanting to pay for another night, seeing as it's like, 4 in the morning already, they let me sleep on the couch. I have just now finally showered and checked in and am raring to go...

Alright, so that's where I'm coming from right now. a combined total of around 11 hours of sleep between three nights and 5 of those being on a plane/couch. Yay.

But the potential abounds and I hope that the journey proves worthwhile.

Natural selection

This is the short film that I mentioned awhile back, but as a recap... some of my friends did this with super eight film and submitted it to a film festival. I'm thoroughly impressed.

I should post.
Though I honestly have not much going on here. I'm working, slowly, having trouble getting a hold of anybody in general and my supervisors in particular (being that we are still in easter holiday). I am also having trouble sitting inside working all day when the springy weather outside constantly calls to me. It's telling me that it's okay to go on 4 hour punting excursions or play football all day... the sun hypnotises me into states of non-caring. I can undertand why in edmonton they start and finish earlier because I don't think they could hold us in when spring came full force. Could you imagine going until June? You'd be wasting half the summer studying for exams. Ah well, I'm glad for the time, it'll be crunchy as it is if I keep going at this rate.
(By the way, I hear it is snowing... my honest condolences and hopes that that blasted winter departs, I no longer hope to rub it in because that's so unfortunately absurd)

There is, however, stuff happening at home. I missed two birthdays this month, my sister's and my mom's. Combine this with easter and a random upsurge of internet chatting with my friends and I am missing being home. This is, however, mixed with a feeling that I'm not finished here in Cambridge. I really hope that I get the grade that can keep me here. Not so much for next year specifically, but at least if I get the grade I can reapply for 2008 and really go at it for funding.

Oh, and I just booked a ticket for Athens for the end of the month. I just have to go for a few days to see some of the sculptures I am writing my thesis on, and an exibit that's there right now that's about polychromy. It has a bunch of coloured casts. It's really annoying because I check the websites, make sure the museums aropen on the days I want to go and buy the tickets. Then I find out that the first day I am there is a Greek holiday. Figures. The museums may be closed. I should still have enough time to see what I need to see, but I mean really. one out of 2 and a half days shot. I am so annoyed at myself, but at least I found out before I got there.

You are all going to silently hate me already for complaining that the weather is too nice to focus, so I may as well add in another point. I don't want to go to athens all that much. It's completely necessary for my thesis, it will give me that first hand experience that will make or break the paper, but it's so much effort. I am not looking forward to getting in that plane. It's British Airwas, which is better than olympic, but still. And I am banking on getting funding to go, so I really hope it comes through, but I can't get a hold of my supervisor to write a letter of support for the application so I'll be going first and hoping for the funding later. Besides I am worried that it's going to be taking precious days out of my 90 days allowed in Greece which is the exact amount of time I need to be there for this summer. I hope they don't give me trouble about it.

sorry. I'll stop now. I realise that having to go to athens is most definitely not the worst thing that could happen.

spring!

The baby ducklings have hatched! This of course results in two things: first, an automatic baby voice and desperate urge to cuddle, and second, a guilty joy knowing it's still snowy where you are and wanting to rub it in. Karma may just hurt me soon, but I don't care. Now all I need for the spring transfrmation to be complete is for them to bring back the King's cows.

First, an apology for being so very very lax on the blogging. I'v have, though been working a lot... finally. I am finally at the point in the project that I've been mentioning for awhile now, which makes for a very nice change of pace. apart from a wonderful day in london where I went to the museum and had a great dinner with kate, I've been drawing and cataloguing and inking everything pretty much all day for the past few days.

With that also comes watching way to much Xena: Warrior Princess in the background while fixing up and inking.

Ah, the joy that is the pseudo-Greek world that she inhabits. Fantastically bad. So bad. So bad.

For all of you who ask, why draw pot sherds when one can simply take a photo, I shall explain. Drawing sherds is something that you can do that will show both the interior, exterior, and a profile all in one. It also helps to show clearly the decoration when it is not always easy to see on the sherd itself, or if you need to recreate something, you can. So you draw it like:

then you ink it up and scan it so it looks something like:

Mine aren't fantastic. They are fine, but I need more practice. I don't seem to have developed a steady enough hand for illustrative drawing just yet. You have to be so exact it's disgusting. But still, I enjoy it.