Things That Make Me Happy (or Evidence of Completed Projects)

Although it is January, it is not all gray and gloom at my house. We just finished my team's biggest project, a conference for 1500 people, which was (of course) virtual this year. My summary: everyone had a good time and learned a lot, and I hope I won't have organize another virtual conference for a very long time to come. So here are all the good things that are happening.

A selfie with Millie Dresselhaus for the conference webpage.

Another frozen bike ride. I have fairly good cold-weather gear, except for my feet which are ice at the end of a three-hour ride. I am getting some wool socks to see if sheep have solved this problem.

Part my project, and part my father's project: I have successfully installed a bike rack so that I no longer have to cram the bike inside the car. My father designed and welded a the license plate holder  onto the bike rack, and I learned how to drill out rusted bolts and tap threads. 

Darwin the dog has recently taken up residence with my brother's family, far from his original birthplace of Turkey. Seen here, Darwin demonstrates that street dogs learn skills quickly. That stuffed toy didn't stand a chance. 

 

Ups and Downs

 I have a job that is pretty meeting-heavy. In a typical day, I have between three and ten meetings. Today, all three of my meetings were cancelled for different meetings and I had an entire day to work without needing to talk to anyone. This hasn't happened since April 10th of last year! (I had to go very far back in my calendar to find that.) It was delightful, and I hope it happens to me again in another eight months. 

I am glad that work is going well because my DIY life is going terribly. I keep starting projects, and then when I get utterly stuck, I take a break and start a different one. Currently I have a car to which I cannot attach a license plate, a nearly-complete blouse that is sewn for someone two sizes larger than me, window blinds that do not attach to the window, and the car back seat that is detached from the car. Stay tuned for next weekend to learn if I actually solve any of these problems, or just start something else...