![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pax_athenaUSA, Vienna and now Grenoble ... It's all a whirlwind, still. So much work done. So much work that I did not have time to do but need to have done yesterday. Good food. Bad food. Too much food, always too much food when I travel. Young wine/Federweißer. Laughter and great conversation. Evenings spent alone in the hotel room because too much social interaction otherwise.
And in between - well, I am a magpie. I have to be a careful magpie given how much place there is (or is not) in my "nest", but still. Anyway, here is some stuff I brought home or am about to bring home tomorrow:
* Of course I left my razor in the first hotel bathroom. At least I was in the USA, where they do have my favorite one. (In Germany, it's a different brand name but same razor, btw. ...)
* Hair ties are cheaper in the USA, don't ask me why. Also are getting sold in much higher numbers per package, which yes, I need, because I leave them everywhere.
* Baby powder in travel size also only exists on the other side of the pond. I always feel like I don't want to take the big one with me and end up having to buy some. So: travel size it is.
* And friends convinced me to get this pure shea butter. If your PhD advisor (male!) and another friend spend five minutes singing the praise for this particular brand of shea, you just follow. (So far it's nice, let's see what happens in winter ...)
All prsents!
* Socks for N., bought in the NASA shop. Given that she works in atomic physics, this was just perfect.
* Voyager metal model for my friend F. because she enjoys stuff like this. Also from NASA shop.
* Long ordered, finally picked up: late birthday present for friend D., who is an amazing harpist. (I also remember helping her to carry her full concert harp down the steep stairs in a old Dutch house in Amsterdam after a party that included a performance of science fiction movie music for harp and other instruments ...)
The new book by Naomi Novik. Already read. Nice, but I loved her Uprooted a lot more. Funnily not (only) for the reason I expected.
And off to Vienna where I had to use the chance to buy Zotter chocolate - a mix of very dark chocolates, fruit chocolates and a goat milk one (they seemed not to have sheep anymore?!). If you ever run into their chocolates (whether the pure ones above or the more mixed bars as the one below, I can only recommend them.
♥ also got a chocolate as a present (the name of the bar is a play with German almost homonyms and has also direct connection to one of our insider jokes). And also can with googly eyes [I think I have not made it clear: it contains googly eyes that one can stick to stuff! About a dozen googly eyes pairs!], mainly for his cacti (at least that's what I told him to use them for).
Fruit bar. Yes, I did not need to schlepp them from Vienna. But my next supermarket does not have them and the other ones are too far away to get to without a car (and given my current limited time) and they are my favorite emergency snack to have with me for travel. (The banana one was, however, pure stupidity. I don't like things with banana flavor and I guess I assumed that if I take two boxes from the same pile, they will be the same and did not check ...)
Conference goodies I: booksmarks or things to be used as bookmarks.
Conference goodies II: Bags.
* Maybe unsurprisingly, the satellites on the one from the Chinese space agency have faces. It is a bit tacky and the other side has the logos of all the missions (more than just the ones pictured on this side), but it is actually a very comfortable bag: right size, right format, sturdy material, snap button. In short, I actually use it!
* ESA tote. Because I'm kind of proud of what we accomplish in Europe even if our public outreach is awful - or rather the US-ian one often rather loud and one-sided. Anyway, this particular image that gives an overview over ESA's current astrophysics missions I also often use for my public outreach talks. With special love for INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton.
There also was the conference bag, but I decided I would never use it and had to get rid of it. A pencil, a pen and a writing pad, not pictured but useful. And some sweets, already eaten.
And last but not least Grenoble! (This post written from the hotel room ...)
The whole idea of the trip may have been especially sweetened by the chance to drop by Camaieu where I somehow always manage to find great clothes (my favorite yellow sweater; the red shirt and black jacket that I give talks in; the birdie shirt that makes me feel so me). It should not have been because the trip is great, great, great in every other way, too, but I could not know before. Anyway, less stuff than I would have expected, but good for keeping within my clothes buying limits this year. Grey skinny jeans and a black sweater, normal looking on the front, fancy on the back; a bit out of my comfort zone, but I think it will work.
And two nice smelling shower gels. I don't know why, but I seem unable to find any that would smell of either chocolate or coffee D: This at least is caramel and a very nice, intense smelling one to boot. And since I was already looking, I also managed to stumble over a passion fruit one. And while I don't need any more fruity ones, this one just did not let me go. Plus: passion fruit! Love! (That also started in Paris where I tried them for the first time ...).
(Icon very much related to post title. Kudos to whoever solved how/why.)
And in between - well, I am a magpie. I have to be a careful magpie given how much place there is (or is not) in my "nest", but still. Anyway, here is some stuff I brought home or am about to bring home tomorrow:
* Of course I left my razor in the first hotel bathroom. At least I was in the USA, where they do have my favorite one. (In Germany, it's a different brand name but same razor, btw. ...)
* Hair ties are cheaper in the USA, don't ask me why. Also are getting sold in much higher numbers per package, which yes, I need, because I leave them everywhere.
* Baby powder in travel size also only exists on the other side of the pond. I always feel like I don't want to take the big one with me and end up having to buy some. So: travel size it is.
* And friends convinced me to get this pure shea butter. If your PhD advisor (male!) and another friend spend five minutes singing the praise for this particular brand of shea, you just follow. (So far it's nice, let's see what happens in winter ...)
All prsents!
* Socks for N., bought in the NASA shop. Given that she works in atomic physics, this was just perfect.
* Voyager metal model for my friend F. because she enjoys stuff like this. Also from NASA shop.
* Long ordered, finally picked up: late birthday present for friend D., who is an amazing harpist. (I also remember helping her to carry her full concert harp down the steep stairs in a old Dutch house in Amsterdam after a party that included a performance of science fiction movie music for harp and other instruments ...)
The new book by Naomi Novik. Already read. Nice, but I loved her Uprooted a lot more. Funnily not (only) for the reason I expected.
And off to Vienna where I had to use the chance to buy Zotter chocolate - a mix of very dark chocolates, fruit chocolates and a goat milk one (they seemed not to have sheep anymore?!). If you ever run into their chocolates (whether the pure ones above or the more mixed bars as the one below, I can only recommend them.
♥ also got a chocolate as a present (the name of the bar is a play with German almost homonyms and has also direct connection to one of our insider jokes). And also can with googly eyes [I think I have not made it clear: it contains googly eyes that one can stick to stuff! About a dozen googly eyes pairs!], mainly for his cacti (at least that's what I told him to use them for).
Fruit bar. Yes, I did not need to schlepp them from Vienna. But my next supermarket does not have them and the other ones are too far away to get to without a car (and given my current limited time) and they are my favorite emergency snack to have with me for travel. (The banana one was, however, pure stupidity. I don't like things with banana flavor and I guess I assumed that if I take two boxes from the same pile, they will be the same and did not check ...)
Conference goodies I: booksmarks or things to be used as bookmarks.
Conference goodies II: Bags.
* Maybe unsurprisingly, the satellites on the one from the Chinese space agency have faces. It is a bit tacky and the other side has the logos of all the missions (more than just the ones pictured on this side), but it is actually a very comfortable bag: right size, right format, sturdy material, snap button. In short, I actually use it!
* ESA tote. Because I'm kind of proud of what we accomplish in Europe even if our public outreach is awful - or rather the US-ian one often rather loud and one-sided. Anyway, this particular image that gives an overview over ESA's current astrophysics missions I also often use for my public outreach talks. With special love for INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton.
There also was the conference bag, but I decided I would never use it and had to get rid of it. A pencil, a pen and a writing pad, not pictured but useful. And some sweets, already eaten.
And last but not least Grenoble! (This post written from the hotel room ...)
The whole idea of the trip may have been especially sweetened by the chance to drop by Camaieu where I somehow always manage to find great clothes (my favorite yellow sweater; the red shirt and black jacket that I give talks in; the birdie shirt that makes me feel so me). It should not have been because the trip is great, great, great in every other way, too, but I could not know before. Anyway, less stuff than I would have expected, but good for keeping within my clothes buying limits this year. Grey skinny jeans and a black sweater, normal looking on the front, fancy on the back; a bit out of my comfort zone, but I think it will work.
And two nice smelling shower gels. I don't know why, but I seem unable to find any that would smell of either chocolate or coffee D: This at least is caramel and a very nice, intense smelling one to boot. And since I was already looking, I also managed to stumble over a passion fruit one. And while I don't need any more fruity ones, this one just did not let me go. Plus: passion fruit! Love! (That also started in Paris where I tried them for the first time ...).
(Icon very much related to post title. Kudos to whoever solved how/why.)
no subject
Date: 2018-09-15 03:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 07:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-17 01:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 08:16 pm (UTC)The bags are cool. Especially the left one.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-17 03:25 pm (UTC)I'm cautious about their filled bars - they are so good but they also tend to disappear far too fast XD
no subject
Date: 2018-09-19 09:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-19 07:45 pm (UTC)Finally I had time to look up Naomi Novik and she's on my list now. Perhaps I'll manage to finish one book this year. Although I'm reading a lot but most of those books are for children. Although some of them are really great and lots of fun.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 08:20 pm (UTC)Und wieso gibt es auf meinen Konferenzen nie so tolle Beutel, was mach ich falsch?!
no subject
Date: 2018-09-17 03:29 pm (UTC)Eeeeh ... Falsches Fach?! Aber dafür fähst du an viel coolere Orte für die Arbeit als ich mit coolerem Essen :D
no subject
Date: 2018-09-24 12:39 am (UTC)I liked Uprooted for the most part, though I have some minor issues with how it ended- how'd the new book hold up compared to it? Premise seemed a bit grounded, but also like it'd be messier?
Love the tote bags! Extra reasons to go to conferences- the free stuff they hand out.