Network

Okay that's the last blind date I'll ever do. He spent half the dinner trying to mansplain computer programming to me.

My life is a confusing mess. On one side, I love my job, and staying up late isn't a problem for me to get my research done. Yet, my staying up late is probably killing me. I keep having HORRIBLE dreams when I DO finally sleep. Just... WEIRD and TERRIBLE dreams.

I'm being subjected to a movie about a talking rabbit.

I'm taking a long weekend this... weekend. And by long, I mean an entire week. I'm getting away from my place in Oxford and staying in a hotel in London for the duration, just to kind of get away from work and work thoughts. Not that work is all that stressful, mind you, because it isn't, but I need some sort of change of scenery and routine because my dreams are getting weird and I really have no idea how to deal with them.

I've tried warm milk, that's hogwash; I've tried binge watching Netflix, and that helps in the sense that I've gotten through 3 seasons of Bob's Burgers and all of Archer, but hasn't even remotely helped in actually helping with sleep.

On the bright side, I'm 1% closer to finding the cure for cancer! Well, at least a potential breakthrough into the potential possibility of finding a road towards the cure for cancer--I've managed to isolate the gene allowing mole rats to fight off cancer cells. Now... to clone that gene and blast it with every cancer known to man.

I always sorta forget that I live in England except on days I get texts from my parents telling me their plans are to visit graves this weekend for Memorial Day, and that they're going camping. Then it's suddenly, "Right, not a big camping weekend here, that's why it's not busy when it totally should be."

I need to stop Netflix binge watching so many shows late at night while working. I swear it's affecting my dreams. They're getting weird, oddly disturbing too... still, not to worry, I doubt I'll be sleeping much in the next 24 hours anyway.

I can't seem to break what it is I'm looking for, and find myself wishing I had access to some more tech.

A fellow faculty member attempted to ask me on a date yesterday.

I left the poor man weeping.

I've done it! I've done it! By George I've done it!

I finally cooked my own meal for myself and it wasn't complete garbage!

This calls for celebration.

Metal Gear Solid V is hard. I mean, it's fun, and easy, but also hard. And yes it can be both.

So I've given up for the day (though it remains rainy and miserable), and have begun more research on my mole buddy Holy Moley. Don't worry, nothing harmful, just an extraction of DNA as moles have a substantially powerful way of keeping themselves 'immune' to cancer (a word that's a bit brash to use). So I get to stare at mole rat blood all day today to decide how to use it to help develop ways to fight cancer.

I know my life sounds super exciting--how are all of you doing?

So, I gotta ask. Has anyone else had vivid memories about things that couldn't possibly have happened? Or am I going totally mad?

So I was out and about in London today, doing the touristy thing where I was taking pictures of everything. I wasn't doing too much of the touristy sights, though I did snap a few shots of Big Ben and the Palace because of course I did. But I did see a guy walking a team of stuffed goats, and holding a real baby goat in his arm. I guess they were walking the stuffing off.

And then saw a man in his underwear, outside in the street, yelling up to his dog in the flat's window, telling him to bring him his keys or to open the door. Not crazy like, I got the distinct impression he was trying to train his dog to do this. I didn't ask though, and that's a failure on my part.

Now I'm hungry, but should probably be getting back home soon too. Not sure I have anything to eat there though.