Flood!

[zotz]

When I left work the nearest entrances had been sandbagged again. the cricket pitch was partially under water and had geese swimming about on it. I suspect the carp are escaping as we speak. An enterprising ecologist should do a survey to find out how many get away.

In other news, I'm having trouble with (probably) a new processor. Fun fun. Once it's resolved, I'm going to rationalise my 6 or so CD drives into no more than two machines.

The Calling on Tuesday went well. I've made a cash bet with razornet that I'll be out of Cambridge by August

Comments

[reddragdiva]

What are you going to do for a living? Take on the income of an itinerant post-punk guitarist?

[zotz]

That'd be . . . no money at all, wouldn't it? Tempting, as long as it's well clear of the Fens.

[reddragdiva]

Perhaps you could start a tribute band. Half Graham Half Biscuit.

[nisaba.livejournal.com]

Would that make him a graham cracker? :)

*ducks and runs*

[zotz]

Hmm. Can I now say that she thinks I'm a cracker?

Probably not if I value my gonads. Never mind, then.

[nisaba.livejournal.com]

Given that I'm not entirely certain what being a cracker would entail (I know something 'cracking' is good, but being 'cracked' is mad, or do you break into government servers for a living, or do you just generally get a thrill from being likened to a bland crumbly biscuit?), your gonads are safe.

I do find you cracking though, and only mildly cracked. You do hang out with bloody goth types, after all :)

I think I've just reached my limit of tolerance for the word 'cracker'...

[wechsler.livejournal.com]

Race you :/

[zotz]

Sure. Tenner on it?

[ant-girl.livejournal.com]

Where are you going to go? And what will become of the Calling when you're gone?

Oh, and hi, by the way... remember me? Well, I guess you probably do, because I last saw you in August, and you seemed to then, so perhaps the question should be whether or not you recognise me from this photo...

Jo

[zotz]

Hi. I didn't realise you had one of these. How're things in sunny Yorkshire, then?

Where are you going to go?

Somewhere in the general direction of Away. By at least 50 miles, and possibly much more. I don't have strong opinions on this, but I figure that six years here will have been more than enough.

And what will become of the Calling when you're gone?

It will be in the tender care of Sarah and whoever she cares to work with, I suppose. It's been through loads of pairs of hands since . . . '94 or '95, when it was started by a bloke called Alan that I think I vaguely met once. It'll be fine.

Good photo, btw.

[ant-girl.livejournal.com]

Hi. I didn't realise you had one of these. How're things in sunny Yorkshire, then?

I do now... since Tuesday! Decided I had to get with the in crowd. Besides, it seemed like a good work-avoidance tactic.

Sunny Yorkshire is indeed sunny today. :-) And unlike Cambridge, I don't think it's flooded, although I haven't been into town for a while so I could be wrong. Life in Yorkshire is plodding along OK, if you disclude the disasters that are my PhD and my love life! But I'm having fun, because I've recently joined Mister_Ed's band, replacing their old backing singer, so this is keeping me both very busy and very entertained.

How are you? (Other than desperate to leave Cambridge...)

[zotz]

since Tuesday!

So I see.

Why ant_girl? Entomological predilections you've not been telling us about?

And unlike Cambridge, I don't think it's flooded

I don't think Cambridge itself is. Flow through town is throttled, I believe, by some sluices downstream of here. There's less up here that'll be hurt than in the middle of town.

disasters

Ouch. I'm sorry to hear that.

I've recently joined Mister_Ed's band,

Good. What sort of thing are we talking?

How are you?

Fine, I guess. Not much changes around here. The house is very quiet at the moment, but looking less cluttered since I caved in and bought some bookshelves. I have my desk down, finally, which is very pleasing. Work seems to be going OK. We're wrapping The Project in a few months, so there are various urgent bits kicking about. Fish and Mouse are progressing disquietingly fast - We're already only a few months away from having whole chromosomes finished for each, and it seems like only a few months since we started on them. Various other people seem to have decided that this is a good time to bow out too, though - quite a lot of the team look to be leaving or have already moved. The Calling's still at the Kambar. It's much as you saw it.

Things are toddling gently onwards.

Re:

[ant-girl.livejournal.com]

Why ant_girl? Entomological predilections you've not been telling us about?

It was something Andy used to call me. Because I'm small and can lift more than twice my own weight in luggage. I kind of like it.

As for the band, it's kind of goth-y punk-y type stuff. I believe there are some MP3s on the website (although none of them feature my vocals, yet). Ed would never forgive me if I didn't take this opportunity for self-publicity, so go take a look if you're interested:

http://www.bansheeaircrew.net-goth.com

I think it's going to be updated soon to have some pictures of me on and stuff.

The house is very quiet at the moment, but looking less cluttered since I caved in and bought some bookshelves

I need bookshelves too... got to find someone with a big enough car and bribe them to take me to Ikea, the nearest one being in Leeds. The trouble is trying to fit all the stuff that I've had stowed in Andy's house in Newcastle for the past few years into the tiny little room I have here in York. It's a teeny bit crowded!

We're wrapping The Project in a few months

And then what?
And when you have the fish and mouse genomes, are you going to use the information to take over the world? ;-)

[zotz]

can lift more than twice my own weight in luggage.

That's an image I'm going to have trouble shifting.

As for the band, it's kind of goth-y punk-y type stuff.

Sounds good so far.

I believe there are some MP3s on the website

Yet another band I've heard of but not heard anything by. I'll have to check those out, and soon.

I need bookshelves too... got to find someone with a big enough car and bribe them to take me to Ikea

Does the word "Billy" feature in this at all?

And then what?

The Japanese are pushing the idea of doing a great ape genome, which prospect I'm sure has the neuroscience community all moist with anticipation. There's a project to find somewhere between a hundred thousand and half a million volunteers, sequence what we think are the important bits, and try to correlate individual variations with ther unfolding health over the next two or three decades. Big project. Big implications. Big privacy concerns.

And when you have the fish and mouse genomes, are you going to use the information to take over the world?

Well, obviously. Although I'm hoping to have been let out early for good behaviour by then.

Re:

[ant-girl.livejournal.com]

Does the word "Billy" feature in this at all?

Indeed. :-)

Although I'm hoping to have been let out early for good behaviour by then.

Well, good luck with it.

[razornet.livejournal.com]

I did?

Erm, care to remind me what the terms and amounts were?

I was very drunk at the time etc etc..

[zotz]

I said I was going to be gone this year. You scoffed on the (admittedly justified) grounds that I've been saying roughly this for as long as you've known me. So I said "Tenner on it?" and we agreed. By August.