Large Dark Spaces

Check out New Scientist's spooky space pictures for Halloween...

A bit bitter

There are lies we live by. One of mine has been that if I work hard at the things I believe in, if I am true to my morality and as brave and strong and honest as I know how to be, if I share my passion and enthusiasm for my goals, then the people around me will come to share my goals and somehow everything will turn out okay. This wasn't true in my marriage, it sure as heck ain't true for my politics, and it turns out not to be true in my career either.

Gut-wrenchingly, heart-breakingly, it is starting to look like my career as a research scientist is ending. My contract was due to end (spookily) on Halloween, but they were "pleased to be able to offer an extension to our employment relationship"... 20 hours a week until Christmas (how great is that?)... With redundancies pending, I am not anticipating a reprieve.

On the up side, I've got an interview next week for a job managing one of the lab facilities to facilitate other scientists' research... so hey, I might be given the opportunity to observe science. I can't say I'm entirely sure how this will feel...

Houses on the sand

Not so trivial

There's a quiz on the BBC website that tests your knowledge of extinction trivia. I only got 6/10...

I made Labour win the election twice

Okay… so this is not sophisticated humour... but boy was it therapeutic bopping that smug hypocritical smile!