Breakfast and Science

This is how it should be.

Det er sådan her det er meningen det skal være.

Yarn for the sweater

I have picked up the yarn for the sweater. Brigitte (the lady at the store) even let me roll up the yarn on her machine and said that I could come at roll up the rest when I need to. Now I just need to start knitting.

Jeg har hentet garnet til trøjen. Brigitte (damen fra forretningen) lod mig låne hendes maskine til at vinde garnet op, og sagde at jeg kunne komme op vinde resten op når jeg havde brug for det. Nu skal jeg bare i gang med at strikke.

Arnold Beckman

The institute where I work is named after Arnold Beckman. There is a whole room dedicated to explaining who he was. I walk through it two times a day, since it is right at the entrance, although, I haven't actually read anything yet. I do, however, know what he looks like, because there is also an Arnold Beckman statue.

Update: I have now found out that he invented the pH-meter. Kind of cool..

Instituttet hvor jeg arbejder er opkaldt efter Arnold Beckman. Der er et helt rum dedikeret til at fortælle hvem han var. Jeg går igennem der to gange hver dag, da det er ved indgangen, men jeg har faktisk ikke læst noget endnu. Jeg ved dog hvordan hna ser ud, fordi der er også en Arnold Beckman statue.

Update: Jeg har fundet ud af at han opfandt pH-meteret. Det er altså lidt cool..

Gadgets

I got new toys for our soon coming trip. Can you tell that I am looking so much forward to it?

Jeg har fået nyt legetøj til vores tur der nærmer sig stærkt. Kan man se at jeg glæder mig virkelig meget?

Beautiful today

This is the campus today. It hasn't stopped snowing yet.

Det her er campus i dag. Det er ikke holdt op med at sne endnu.

Crazy weather

I know I have been posting a lot about the weather, but it is very unforeseeable. Yesterday I went running in a prarie park close to where I live, and as you can see, the weather was very nice. Today, more than 20 cm of snow has fallen.

Jeg ved godt at jeg har skrevet meget om vejret, men det er meget uforudsigeligt. Igår løb jeg en tur i en prærie park tæt ved hvor jeg bor, og som I kan se var vejret virkelig dejligt. Idag er der faldet over 20 cm sne.

Going on vacation

Even going on vacation I give myself homework...

Selv når jeg skal på ferie giver jeg mig selv lektier for.

So cute...

The new postdoc in the group did his PhD in south korea and he brought a little present for everyone.

Den nye post doc i gruppen lavede sin PhD i Sydkorea, og i dag havde han en lille gave med til alle.

Spring break

It is spring break this week. That means that all the undergraduates have the week off and many of them go to a warm place like California or Florida to party. It also means that the town is really quite and nothing is really happening. Quite boring...

Det er spring break i denne her uge. Det betyder at alle bachelorstuderende har fri og mange af dem tager til varmere steder som Californien eller Florida. Det betyder også at byen er meget stille og der sker ikke ret meget. Ret kedeligt...

Such nice weather

Since I know it is snowing in Denmark, and for once I had some nice weather for driving home, I just thought I would share it with you. This is my favorite spot when I drive through campus every day, not just because it is beautiful, but also because it has even road which is in short supply here.
On a totally different note, Søren an I got standby tickets for the filming of the Big Bang Theory when we go to LA in april. We probably have to stand in line for a long time, but it is going to be sooo worth it.

Da jeg ved det sner i Danmark, og jeg for en gangs skyld havde godt vejr at køre hjem i, synes jeg lige at jeg ville dele det med jer. Dette er mit yndlingssted når jeg kører gennem campus hver dag, ikke bare fordi det er smukt, men også fordi der er god belægning, hvilket er en mangelvare herovre.
Noget helt andet er, Søren og jeg har fået standby billetter til at se optagelsen af Big Bang Theory når vi skal til LA i april. Vi skal sikkert stå i kø i mange timer, men det bliver sååå meget det værd.

Oh happy day

I knew my gym had a nice weightlifting area with really nice equipment from Ivanko. But, today I was really happy to discover that they had plates all the way down to 0.25 kg. I didn't actually know you could get that.

Jeg vidst godt at mit fitness center havde et godt vægtløftnings område med rigtig godt udstyr fra Ivanko. Men idag blev jeg virkelig glad da jeg fandt ud af at de havde skiver helt ned til 0,25 kg. Jeg vidste ikke at man rent faktisk kunne få det.

The thrift shop

Nancy and Don go to church every week. Their church runs a thrift shop in an old house right next to the church that was donated by a member of the church. The proceeds of the shop goes to maintaining the house, and to a shelter for homeless women. Nancy volunteers there once a month, and today she took me there to see the shop.

Nancy og Don går i kirke hver søndag. Deres kirke har en genbrugsforretning i et gammelt hus der ligger lige ved siden af kirken. Huset er doneret af et medlem af kirken. Overskuddet går til at vedligeholde huset og til et herberg for hjemlæse kvinder. Nancy er frivillig der en gang om måneden, og idag tog hun mig med hen for at se butikken.

What to knit

I went to the yarn store yesterday to give back the pattern I had translated, and she said that I could choose any yarn that I whished. But first, I have to figure out what to knit. I have found some patterns, which do you think?

Jeg tog hen i garnbutikken i går for at aflevere mønstret som jeg havde oversat, og damen i butikken sagde at jeg kunne vælge hvilket garn jeg gerne ville have. Men først skal jeg finde ud af hvad jeg gerne vil strikke. Jeg har fundet nogle forskellige mønstre, hvilken synes I det skal være?

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/katrines-sweater

Mmm... Chocolate!

I have never seen this before, 100% chocolate. How do you even use that? If there is a place to find out, it has to be in this book I bought in San Diego.

Så har man set det med, 100% chokolade. Hvordan bruger man overhovedet det? Hvis der er et sted man kan finde ud af det, så må det være i denne kogebog jeg købte i San Diego.

Boys boys boys... and girl

For the first time, I saw a girl using the weight training equipment in my gym. Usually, there are only guys, and then me...

For første gang har jeg set en pige i vægttræningsområdet i mit fitnesscenter. Normalt er der kun en masse fyre, og så mig...

Rajesh Koothrappali

I just got my very own Raj... A new post.doc. started in the group today, and initially we will be sharing an office. He is from really nice and from India, probably that is the only two things he has in common with Raj, but I do love his accent.

Har lige fået min helt egen Raj... Der er lige startet en ny post.doc. i gruppen i dag og her i starten skal vi dele kontor. Han er rigtig sød og fra Indien, det er sikkert det eneste han har til fælles med Raj, men han har virkelig en nice accent.

San Diego

San Diego was just full of experiences. The day before yesterday we went to a farmers market to taste all the locally grown fruits and bought freshly made greek yoghurt for your dessert. Then we had freshly made thai food from the market and went to a large park area which is a bit like central park, but it also has around 25 museums. We went to the museum of modern photography which was not very impressive, and then. We saw an exhibit about chocolate at the museum of natural history. It was the last day for the exhibition yesterday, so there were large discounts at the gift shop, and I bought a book about french chocolate pastry. In the evening we cooked good food and had drinks at Julie and Bjarkes apartment. While the food was cooking in the oven we sat in the hot tub with mojitos and melon.
Yesterday, we went to see some really beautiful nature and had local sushi for lunch. In the afternoon I met with Anne who is also living here for some months with her boyfriend. We went to the beach in the afternoon, and I had my feet in the pacific oecan for the first time. It was very cold. We all went out to dinner and a duelling piano bar later. This was really fun and is definately worth revommending.
It was very nice weather saturday and sunday, so it was nice to spend the days outside.
This has been three very eventful days. I am glad I came here, and I am not looking forward to going back to Illinois with all the snow.

San Diego har været fuld af oplevelser. I forgårs tog vi på farmers market for at smage på alt den lokalt producerede frugt og vi købte frisklavet græsk yoghurt til vores dessert. Så fik vi frisklavet thai mad til frokost og tog hen i en stor park der er lidt ligesom central park, men den indeholder omkring 25 museer. Vi tog på et museum for moderne fotografi hvilket ikke var særlig imponerende, og så tog så vi en udstilling om chokolade på naturhistorisk museum. Det var den sidste dag for udstillingen i går, så var udsalg i hele gaveboden. The udnyttede jeg og købte en kogebog om fransk chokolade konditor-kunst. Om aftenen lavede vi god mad i Julie og Bjarkes lejlighed. Imens maden bagte i ovnen var vi i spa med mojitos of melon.
I går tog vi ud for at se rigtig smuk natur og fik local sushi til frokost. Om eftremiddagen mødtes jeg med Anne som er her sammen med sin kæreste i nogle måneder. Vi tog på stranden og jeg havde me fødder i stillehavet for første gang. Det var ret koldt. Vi tog allesammen ud og spiste om aftenen og bagefter på en "duelling piano bar". Det var ret sjovt og helt sikkert anbefalelses værdigt.
Det har været rigtig dejligt vejr både lørdag og søndag, så det var rart at være udenfor nogle dage. Det var været nogle begivenhedsrige dage. Jeg er glad for at jeg kom herover, og jeg glæder mig ikke til at komme tilbage til Illinois og sne.

Sea World and everything else

We first went to see the campus where Julie works, and then we went to Sea World. It was "raining" all day. By Denmark standards it would be dripping at intervals, but by California standard it was really bad weather. So there were no lines at Sea World at all, for anything. It was great.

In the afternoon we went down to the shore to watch the sealions while we had an ice cream. Then Jesper and Amy came to have dinner with us at a restaurant which makes their own beer. It has just been a really great and eventful day, and now I am very tired. I think tomorrow will be just as great.

Vi tog først hen og så campus hvor Julie arbejder, og så tog vi i Sea World. Det "regnede" i dag. Efter Danmark standard kom der nogle byer i løbet af dagen, men efter Californien standard, så var det virkelig dårligt vejr i dag. Så der var ingen køer i Sea World, til noget. Det var fedt.

Senere om eftermiddagen tog vi ned til kysten for at se på Søløver og spise en is. Så kom Jesper og Amy for at spise sammen med os på en restaurant hvor de bryggede deres egen øl. Det har været en rigtig hyggelig dag, og nu er jeg virkelig træt. Jeg tror at det bliver lige så fedt i morgen.

Julie and Bjarke

It is so cosy. And they have ryebread!

Det er så hyggeligt. Og de har rugbrød!

San Diego, here I come...

Going to San Diego tomorrow to visit Julie and Bjarke. :-) So excited.

Jeg skal til San diego i morgen for at besøge Julie og Bjarke. :-) Glæder mig så meget.

Lovely Blizzard

It is snowing... again... So, ditching my plans of going to the gym because they don't clear the bikepaths before it stops snowing. What is this uncivilized country I am in. I have to take the bus home, and that doesn't run past 6 pm, otherwise I have to walk quite a bit from the bus stop. I am really looking forward to some nice spring weather!

Der sner... igen... Så jeg er nødt til at droppe mine planer om at træne fordi de ikke rydder cykelstierne før det er holdt op med at sne. Hvad er det for et uciviliseret land jeg er kommet til. Jeg er nødt til at tage bussen hjem, og den kører ikke efter kl. 18, ellers skal jeg gå ret langt fra stoppestedet. Jeg glæder mig virkelig til noget bedre forårsvejr!

What a coincidence!

I went to the a yarn store today after work. It was a great store, very cosy. The lady who owned the store was german, and was very nice. I had my head-band on, which Iben made for me before I came here. She thought it was very pretty, and we started talking. I told her I was from Denmark, and she was extremely happy about it. Apparently she had just started knitting a sweater for her granddaughter from a danish pattern. Being german she thought that she would be able to read the pattern with the help from google trsnalte, but she was having trouble. So she said that someone must have sent me, and asked if I would help her translate the pattern. Of course I would, and then she offered me some yarn in return. It wasn't too difficult, and it took me about an hour. I am really looking forward to giving her the pattern.

Jeg tog hen til en garn butik i dag efter arbejde. Det var en fantastisk forretning, meget hyggelig. Damen der ejer butikken er tysk, og hun var utrolig sød. Jeg havde mit pandebånd på som jeg fik af Iben inden jeg tog afsted. Hun syntes det var fint og vi begyndte at snakke. Jeg fortalte at jeg er fra Danmark hvilket hun blev utroligt glad for. Åbenbart var hun begyndt at strikke en trøje til sit barnebarn fra et dansk mønster. Eftersom hun er tysker, tænkte hun at hun kunne læse opskriften ved hjælp fra google translate, men hun havde nogle problemer alligevel. Så hun mente at nogen måtte have sendt mig, og hun spurgte om jeg ville hjælpe med at oversætte mønstret. Selvfølgelig ville jeg det, og så tilbød hun mig noget garn til gengæld. Det var ikke særlig svært, og det tog omkring en time. Jeg glæder mig virkelig til at give hende mønstret tilbage.

If you're going to San Francisco...

In April, Søren is coming to visit, and we are going to travel around for two weeks. First in Chicago, and the on to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Today, I was planning the trip and searching for places to stay on AirBnB. This is a site where people can rent out bedrooms or whole apartments. This is much cheaper than staying in a hotel, and you can be lucky to meet some local people. If you are going travelling you should check it out.

Søren kommer og besøger mig i April, og der skal vi rejse rundt i to uger. Først i Chicago, så videre til Las Vegas, Los Angeles og San Francisco. I dag har jeg planlagt dele af vores rejse, og ledt efter steder at bo på AirBnB. Her kan man leje ekstra værelser eller hele lejligheder. Det er meget billigere end hoteller, og man kan være heldig at møde nogle søde lokale folk. Hvis I skal ud og rejse, så check det ud.

Game day

I went to a basketball game with Don. It was the last home game of the season, so the arena was filled. I borrowed an orange t-shirt from Don so that I would fit in, although I still don't understand why they have chosen the orange color instead of the dark blue in that is in their logo. It was a close game until the end, luckily the Fighting Illini won against Nebraska.

Jeg har været til en basketball kamp med Don. Det var den sidste hjemmekamp i sæsonen, så arenaen var fyldt. Jeg lånte en orange t-shirt af Don så jeg passede ind, selvom jeg stadig ikke kan forstå hvorfor de har valgt den orange og ikke den mørkeblå farve der er i deres logo. Det var en tæt kamp til det sidste, heldigvis vandt Fighting Illini over Nebraska.

Sct. Patricks day

It is early sct. Patricks day here in urbana-champaign. This means that a lot of young people from the surrounding area are coming to party. I met three girls in the lobby of my gym. They came in to get warm, because they actually went outside in the snow dressed like that.

Det er tidlig sct. Patricks day her i urbana-champaign. Det betyder at der kommer en masse unge mennesker fra området til byen for at feste. Jeg mødte tre piger i lobbyen af mit fitnesscenter. De kom indenfor for at få varmen, fordi de rent faktisk udenfor i snevejret klædt sådan der.