The Blog - The Archive

   And to round out a reasonably good day...

Catherine came home to mail tonight.
I like mail.
It wasn't mail containing my results, as I thought it would be, but rather, it was mail from the higher degree research unit at macquarie (again).
Unfortunately, they weren't writing to offer me a scholarship (I wish).
However, the mail did have this to say:

Dear Catherine,
Higher Degree Research - Offer of Admission
I am pleased to offer you admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Physics in the Division of Information and Communication Sciences at Macquarie University commencing in First Half Year, 2004. This offer is subject to First Class Honours (see previous post) or Honours 2:1 from your Bachelor Degree study in 2003.
Please note the details listed below of your offer of candidature as a research student:
Commencement Date: 10-Feb-2004
Attendance: Internal / Full Time
Maximum Period: 4 Full-time years
Supervisor: Dr Mark Wardle
Tentative Thesis Title: Star Formation and the Hall Effect.
...
Congratulations on your offer and a very warm welcome to Macquarie.
Professor Jim Piper
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research)

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   *happy happy HAPPY ninja dances*

For indeed, as it is written in the book of eStudent:
Listed below are your released results.
2003 - Second Half Year - PHYS490 - Physics Honours FT - 86 - H1 - Honours First Class
Bow before me, disbelievers! For I, indeed, do rocketh.

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   I probably shouldn't be laughing...

Since the abc has been known to make it difficult to post links by changing them periodically as things fall off the front page, I'm going to copy out the entire article here. It seems fair enough, but if you doubt the accuracy of my copy-pasting abilities (hey, it happens, but james thinks it was a cache thing, having attempted to see if he could do a mock-up of the website I was seeing in the time it took me to make a screenshot, which I think is pretty bastardly cause I believe him when he says stuff that sounds dodgy without trying to prove if he is dodgy but that's not the point) the original article is here.

Swashbuckling Crowe sparks 'terror' alert
The new Russell Crowe film Master and Commander is proving more realistic than audiences expected.
An Adelaide cinema was evacuated last night after four people reported feeling sick, one of whom was taken by ambulance to hospital.
Authorities suspected a gas leak and evacuated the cinema and part of Jetty Road for two hours.
Spokesman Richard Gray believes the film they were watching proved too realistic and the audience became sea sick.
"We have all the gas detection equipment that will allow us to detect almost anything that we can come across but certainly nothing to detect the effect of a film," he said.
"It's just one of those things, one of those funny stories in life that we can tell our grandchildren about."
When Fire Service crews donned breathing apparatus and used gas monitoring devices to investigate the incident they found nothing.
Cinema manager Paul Besanko says it turned out the people became sea sick and nauseous because the effects were so real.
He says it caused a panic among the 150 patrons.
"It was a shock when a couple of people started fainting, it spread through the auditorium, it was a bit of mass hysteria," he said.
"People started pouring out and the ambulance arrived and the word 'terrorism' was mentioned and then all of a sudden the fire brigade and the police [turned up] and on it went."

Okay, the fact that people were fainting was unfunny. My Aunt got seasick in Titanic while pregnant and has never been able to watch that movie again. But the fact that the first thing all those people thought was 'terrorism' says something about the modern world that I find amusing. And sad too.

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   Well, crap, eh?...

Got a letter in the mail today. I'll transcribe it here for you all.

Dear Catherine,
RE: Postgraduate Research Scholarship
The Higher Degree Research Committee of Macquarie University has now selected applicants for the Postgraduate Research Scholarships allocated to the University in 2004 and offers have been made to those nominated.
I am writing to inform you that you have not been included in the first round of offers. Your name has, however, been placed on a reserve list. Should any of those offered awards decline, offers are then made to reserve applicants. Your rank on the reserve list is indicated below for your reference.
Please note that scholarships may be offered anytime in 2004 and it is difficult to predict if or when an award may become available. It is usual that a number of reserve applicants receive offers, and it is expected that further offers will be made in mid-January 2004. I will advise you as soon as possible should a scholarship become available.
... (contact me if your details change or you decide to go to a different uni) ...
Yours Sincerely,
Professor Jim Piper
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
Applicants rank on the reserve list: 4
Total number of reserve applicants: 22

What would have been really useful would be a list of the peoples who did get scholarships, so that I'd be able to pick four off and kill them. Oh well.
I've got a terrible cold at the moment. I think I'll go back to bed.

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   And there goes my faith in humanity...

It's a carebear, just like I remember from my childhood. Just like I have a small collection of. Only this is a special new carebear, which never appeared on the original set of greeting cards.

This is America Cares Bear, friend of Cheer Bear and Good Luck bear, representing those people who are out there for you, day and night. Guarding you and protecting you. Making sacrifices to keep you safe. America Cares Bear is a loving and huggable bear who knows a lot about showing someone you care for them. By helping people show they care, America Cares Bear helps spread love and appreciation for people who care for you. Send one to an Iraqi child this Christmas and show you care.

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   I'm not sure what to make of this...

Clickie here.
I'm really not sure what to make of it. For those who aren't going to read the article, what it says is that people with asthma are more likely to suffer from mental illness, most especially anxiety and panic attacks.
In case you don't know, I have asthma, though it isn't actually a big thing in my life, I just have to remember to use my puffer every few days when my lungs start to feel tight. So, this article seems curious to me. On one hand, sometimes I do find myself on the way to a full-blown panic attack, on the other I don't think I've ever had a name for it before. It's just one of those things. Some times I flip out for no reason at all and find myself flinching into my seat on the train.
But I don't think that it's at all related to my asthma.
People just do stress out, right?
I'm not acutally insane, right?
*smiles*

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