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It has been a little over a year since my last post. How have you all been? Quite a few things have changed since that last post. I started working in, of all things, a neuroscience laboratory doing, of all things, experiments. Even more strange is that I have been successful at this job. Who knew? Does this make me a NERD? Of course not!
Also last December, on the weekend of my birthday, whilst I was visiting Paris, I asked the mad scientist to marry me in the shadow of Notre Dame at around midnight. Trés exciting! Talk about a bridezilla.
I have traveled to many exciting places in the past 12 months. We fell in love with the canals and gondolas and otherworldly feeling of being in Venice whilst it slowly sinks. We felt the love in Verona, I was amazed by the rabbit ravioli, but underwhelmed by Juliet’s balcony. We went home for a lovely wedding and some time in the sun with our loved ones. Then we flew to Prague for beer, big chunks of meat, a bit more beer, some sightseeing, more beer. Did I mention the BEER! Then we flew to Japan, well the mad scientist was already there for a nerd fest, so I joined her in the land of the rising sun afterward. We had an amazing 10 days soaking up the weirdness and history of Japan.
Unfortunately I had to fly back to Oz under less than optimal circumstances as my beloved mother has been stricken with a terrible affliction that she is still valiantly fighting, proving to me once again that she is a hero in every way.
Once I arrived back from Oz I went on a week long trip into the French countryside with the future in laws and their friends. It was a relaxing week sampling the wine and foods of France and although sometimes it felt like a geriatrics picnic outing, I enjoyed it nonetheless. Then it was off to London for a weekend to meet up with an old school friend, two not so young lads from the Australian countryside wandering around big, bad London town. We did it all; tour of the house of parliament, boat ride on the Thames, cumberland sausages and yes, even the warm, bitter beer the Poms seem to love. Then it was onto San Diego for about 2 weeks as we both, quite unbelievably, presented a poster at the nerd fest of all nerd fests, the 2010 SFN conference. It was 5 days of 30,000 plus nerds in their natural habitat. But that is another post all on its own. We also had a night in Santa Monica and walked along Venice beach, which is just plain weird. Next weekend we go to Berlin for some work and some play and to see one of the greatest capital cities in the world, or so they say. Then at Christmas time it is back to London for a bit of OZ with some lovely friends who love food and good wine, so it is a white Christmas with all the trimmings coming up for us.
In between all that travel we have had a few visits from friends to remind us just how much the Aussie accent can sound like nails scraping down a blackboard if you haven’t heard it in a while. We went into the magnificent Swiss Alps a few times on snowshoe hikes in winter and for a meagre amount of summer hikes. It has been quite unforgivable how much we have ignored the Alps this past year, but we just haven’t been in the country enough to go there. It might be a cliche, but life does get in the way. But as I glance out the window and see the case of beer quietly chilling in the snow that lines our window sill, I think about the snow that is around for our last winter in Switzerland and yet again think that we better go skiing at least once before we leave here.
We are on the cusp of some new adventures next year; getting married and going on a fabulous honeymoon to who knows where; moving cities with the nerd show, Berlin or London here we come; seeing what my next reincarnation will be, as my time in the lab ends with our departure from the land of the Swiss and seeing what dead ends and curve balls and heartbreak life will throw at us.
I know a few people have been wondering what has happened to “Sean in Switzerland” and I am flattered that you cared enough about what I have to write to give me a hard time about not writing. But as this post hopefully shows, my past year has been hectic and I have just been too tired and stressed and above all too lazy to write. I can’t promise that I will keep this up, but I can promise that I will try to keep you updated and write about what is going on and what is on my mind. As much for me, as for you! It actually is tough work being a jetsetting, part NERD. Just part NERD mind you, apparently you need letters after your name to be a full NERD. Thank goodness.
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