Snow is falling....

Well snow isn't falling anymore but still need to get into the Christmas mood. We now have a Christmas tree made of lights and that's as far as we go on decorations. Haven't really touched my room either...should put some tinsel up really! Make a bit of an effort. They are talking about snow though this week which would be nice as long as it doesn't make me miss my plane or the likes! I can't wait to go home this time next week!! Yahoo!!! Have some presents bought but need to complete them and have no idea what to get some people ie Roisin Henley! So anyway back to the boring blog...I am in bed at the moment (Sunday) and have decided instead of doing work I will write in this as it is oh-so-important and needs to be done too. Right? Right!
Okay well last weekend wasn't planned like I thought it would be. Went knacker drinking in a park in London as me and Claire were too late for the house party and by the time we would have made it to Pimlico everyone would have been in South Ken. There was loads of snow everywhere so that was really cool but we got drunk really quickly which was strange as we didn't drink that much and then we never made it into the club. We did manage some nice photos outside everywhere we went including the Royal Albert but then we had to go home. Spent Saturday feeling very sorry for myself and just did nothing as far as I remember.....think I ate a lot of ice cream or something....
I should really have gotten rid of the red eye oh well! So then I felt so bad that I spent the whole day on Sunday in the library but got tons done which is what I should have done today. Oh well!!  :)


So the week then started with all the snow gone! No more snow in London but we still had to catch up on classes which was fine. I had a presentation to do for Tues that was set back until Thursday but was okay as the topic wasn't too bad to talk about (snRNP and the over abundance of U1 and why for all those Science nerds!).
So yeah in classes this week we were learning about tons of different virus' which was interesting as it wasn't just about their mechanisms but how each specific one infects etc (Norovirus, HSV, HBV). And then on top of that we carried out a SDS PAGE and Western Blot which was fun as I only got to make a gel last year in Cambridge and this time I got to run it! Looked for photos there and they aren't online yet. Our lab pracs are pretty basic but at least it gets us out of the class room!! We are normally in the basement and people Booles have got nothing on these guys. They are so warm and smell....it's so fantastic I <3 going there every day.....urgh.
So anyway my week was kinda boring other then that. Have a lot of college work coming up. Have a poster rough draft informally due tomorrow and then college apps for next year too.
This Friday though (as in last sorry) we had our international Christmas Binge which meant food, food and more food!! We thought there wouldn't be enough and then there was waaaay too much but everyone was nicely full. My Irish contribution was mashed spuds, carrots and parsnip mashed and hot whiskey's which everyone loved a lot! Party went on until like 5am which was fun!! Which also meant no work to be done yesterday as I was dying again but last swing in London before Christmas so it went down really well! Have no photos of it as I left my camera in the room but there will maybe be an edited version with some? We'll see how techie savie I get....
So yeah short and sweet this time. Gonna have to blog next Sat before I leave and then it's Ireland time!! Trying to get a Colombian friend over for Christmas as he can't go home but he may need a visa so we'll see how that goes. Who needs a visa these days like?!!? ttfn!!

From 1 to London this is.....

So I have the day off again today due to the 'snow' which before today I believed was all made up by the media....Nah only kidding but seriously we were untouched by it until last night and at that the 2cm would not stop anything here. But to start where I left off.... 23rd Nov. My week last week ended with coming 3rd in a quiz! We went along to the postgrad quiz just for fun. There were loads of old people there and lots of 16th century UK history questions so we thought we were goners but turns out they were either really, really drunk or just didn't care! We won 3 Christmas tree ornaments, crisps and an advent calendar! Munched into all of it the next day and the ornaments are up in our lab! Nice and nerdy :)
My weekend then started again with getting up at 4:45am and making my way across London only to hear that Dublin airport was closed. Did get a little worried but that all soon left when Ryanair started weighing bags and making them fit into the stupid cage thing or cardboard box! Thank god they didn't ask me to weigh mine but some poor woman had to pay £35. So I think I'll check a bag for Christmas as I think they will be even worse for it!
Moving onto Roisin's party and the likes. Got to Bruff at about 5pm and started decorating the pub with her pictures on cards which were pretty. Then home for lasagne and getting ready! Roisin looked lovely and things kicked off at 9:30pm (ish).

                            Roisin and the girls (she's second from the left in case you don't know!)
So the pub wound down at 2am I suppose or something like that and then Chuckie (the DJ) said he'd come back to the house party if we wanted. Well....that lead to music until about 5am and me getting to bed about 7am with others pulling all nighters. Up again at 10am coz one of Roisin's friends Orla has no inside voice at all, at all!! AND then we found out the sausages were gone....the inquisition started and Mum popped to the shop. One of Roisin's friends pav'd the sausages and some cheese I think. Don't know why. But Mammy sorted us out. Was wrecked all day but so worth it. Off to the airport at 4am the next day with it being -5degrees! They had to defrost our plane before we left and so we got in late and then had to deal with the tube strike but was all good to finally rest in bed and not move from the house!
That didn't happen though coz Ruth McKeon was in town! We headed to a nice Italian in Soho and I so had to go home coz I was toooo tired!

It won't let me turn it but you get the idea! She's underneath the Reagent Street lights!

 After the dinner they headed to Tiger Tiger where they dance the night away. I met up with them after work the next day.

WORK: Reds Hot 2010 Women of the Year awards. There were famous women there, Sadie Frost, Ramsey's wife, and other people I don't really know but was really really fun except the red lipstick part! But I did like the event a lot so hope to get more! It was snowing when I left but nothing major at all. We went for cocktails at B@1 in Soho. Yes I do believe I have a problem with this place....oh well! :) We went to Pizza Express then for dinner, nom noms. Ronan got a healthy, I'm-fat-so-here's-half-a-pizza-with-lettuce-in-the-middle pizza. Looked yummy though. We then set off on our merry way!
9am the next morning Gatwick was closed. After a couple panic hours, Ronan Swan jetted off from Heathrow to Cork for a really shite price. Good thing though coz it's disrupted today. The girls stayed with me and we walked around Westfield before their ordeal journey home.
Paddington-Swansea 8:20-23:20
Swansea -Fishguard 23:45-01:43
Fishguard -Rosslare 2:34-6:15
Rosslare-Wexford 7:50-8:15
Work at 12:00.
Of course there were delays. Their ferry was delayed over an hour but they are home safe and sound and I finally have some snow to look at! ttfn!