Hmm, yet another long interval between blog posts winding their way out of my brain. I seem to have ridiculous problems with procrastination these days – the other day I had to set a timer to force myself to reply to a few e-mails! Anyway, this is what I’ve been doing since my last entry:
- Attended ESOF 2010 in Turin – from which I learned that Nobel Prize winners aren’t necessarily pleasant people, how not to give a scientific talk, and no Italian whatsoever (sorry, Italy, I tried)
- Went to CERN for a week and had the best time – in September I’m going to apply for next year’s Summer Student Program, I enjoyed it that much!
- Got my results – I was happy with the 93% I got for the summer project, and most of everything else was sort of okay ish, but I have a couple of resits to do in the subjects I had to teach myself/the exams in which I fell completely apart (and even now feel anxious about them!)
- Started a Facebook group for the department newspaper-blog-thing (newsblog, perhaps, if that’s not too Orwellian) that will be worked on more after September the 8th
- Various writey and editey things (or, more accurately, putting off said writey editey things until next month)
I just got an e-mail saying I’ve been awarded the Gloucester Research Prize (and £100) by the physics department. Nice! I didn’t even know there was such a thing… not that I’m complaining 
Apparently it’s for academic excellence, though the last thing I’d call my results is excellent – I don’t really want to write to them and ask what on earth they were thinking though. Hrm.
Unfortunately a great deal of my days are spent doing nothing. If only I were as interesting as the other bloggers! I wish I could get motivated, but as I mentioned earlier it’s a struggle to even reply to e-mails. I promise to write the Freshers blog posts soon though (and I do mean Freshers 2010, not 2042) – I haven’t had anyone demanding them, but I would hate to disappoint the two of you everyone who reads this!
I shall leave you now with the best piece of advice I got while I was at CERN: Do particle astrophysics – you get everything for nothing!