Germany: Week 2

Well first of all, I interviewed for a postdoc job in Berlin and I got it! So it looks like sometime in August I will be moving to Germany. Should be an adventure!

But back to the present:
After spending a little over a week in Bremen and experiencing exclusively cloudy weather, I was REALLY happy this Saturday when the sun came out. And it stayed that way for almost the entire day! I was especially glad that Pere got to see the sun since for all purposes I'm just a tourist. But the timing couldn't have been better. We went to the city center again and this time the stores were open and people were out and about.

Roland and Me

Exploring Bremen in the rain

Today was my first chance to explore the city center in Bremen. As we wondered around on a typical cloudy and rainy morning, we got to see the cathedral and all of the old town hall type buildings in the town center. I had a great time despite feeling a little chilly! And I got to see the Bremen town musicians and touch the feet of the donkey for good luck!

To Write A Wrong - Book Review

As I sit eating my cereal (Chex if you are wondering), I'm thinking about the book I most recently finished called To Write A Wrong by Mr. E. Mann. Well Mr. E. Mann is the "author" since this fictional story is an "autobiography", but the real author is my brother Eli Vlaisavljevich. Of course, I'm just a little biased based on my relationship with the author but I really enjoyed the story and I will do my best to explain why without giving away spoilers.

It seems to me that the main question the reader should ask themselves throughout the book is the following: can murder ever be motivated by love? The main character in this book would argue that it can and should be. He is a famous author who takes his writing a little too seriously (in my opinion) and who lives his life trying to make the world a better place. In his view, he is the ultimate humanitarian and philanthropist. This book reveals how he is inspired to write his novels and allows his fans to see his secret life. It also introduces you to the authors closest friends who also do not know his secrets.

The main struggle I had while reading was that I really liked the guy while simultaneously being really angry at him (well he is a murder...). The book posses many deep philosophical questions interspersed with plenty of plays on words and jokes so it's easy to read yet thought provoking. Overall, I found it very entertaining. I would like to write more details about my favorite parts but I'm afraid I'd end up introducing too many spoilers! I would definitely recommend that you check it out.

A Beginning

There must be a first post before there can be anything more. I guess like all first time bloggers, I have an idea of what this will ultimately become. But how do you describe something that doesn't exist yet?

I'm a pretty straightforward person so I am taking an obvious approach. First, they make you pick a title. After choosing something adequately vague and perfect (for me) at the same time, I added some descriptive keywords as an afterthought to avoid being entirely cryptic. Guess I'll start with expanding on those words and see where the road leads from there.

Crafts
I spend a decent amount of time knitting, crocheting, and stitching.  I love working on a project and seeing things come together. It's like a relaxing version of a research project in some ways. I also love to give them away at the end. Over the holiday break I was trying to remember some of the more significant projects I've finished and I realized I have done a pretty bad job of keeping photos of them. This is what really drove me to write this thing in the first place. I don't quilt or really sew at all but I hope to learn in the future. You know, some day when I can dedicate a whole room to it! It may also have something to do with the amount of yarn in my storage locker.

Chemistry
I'm a graduate student studying computational chemistry. I love research and it's a huge part of my life. I will talk about it any chance I get and I think about it all the time. However, I don't intend to write about science but I make no promises that it won't creep in from time to time (especially considering my thesis defense is coming up relatively soon). I see chemistry as a part of my identity and I didn't think it would be fair to exclude it from the list of words that describe who I am.

Travels
I live in Minnesota. My boyfriend is a Catalan living in Germany. We like to travel and eat things he considers normal and I consider strange.

Running
I like riding a bike. Always have and probably always will, but until recently I hated running but it turns out I was wrong. I didn't know that I just had to keep it up for a few months for it to stop being a chore and become really fun. I'm really happy that running has become an important part of my life. It took me a long time to feel like I could call myself a runner. Even though I have always thought that isn't how fast or how far you run but the fact that you do it that makes a person a runner, it's easier to see it in someone else than in yourself. I'm really glad that I've discovered a hobby that provides the perfect opportunity to clear your mind, think about current chemistry questions, or just listen to a good song.

Reading
The title of this blog is obviously inspired by my love of The Hobbit so it's probably not surprising that I'm a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien, Frank Herbert, Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain and more. I probably spend more time rereading my favorite books than I spend reading new ones, a fact I always regret when I discover a new author. Recently my brother has become a writer and I'm really happy to add him to the list of authors whose works I will read over and over again. His first book is called To Write A Wrong (a subject of one of upcoming posts). Here's his website.

I also think penguins are adorable.