I'm Still Alive (and criticising and baking)!

Yo! It's been a while! I've been trying to finish a paper for a conference in Dundee. Ok, so it's not the Caribbean or whatever but I'm just happy to be getting my name in print! The conference is by the Crop Protection in Northern Britain people and I'm going to be presenting a poster on my PhD subject. Eeek!

Since the last time I posted (October - wow!) my friend's band Area 11 have had a pretty successful video on Youtube in collaboration with Yogscast. You can see it here, if you aren't one of the 1.4 million who have watched already: http://bit.ly/ts3gdb

In case you missed it, it's just been Christmas! I got an awesome present - a Totoro cushion! I would put a photo here but Ye Olde PeeCee I'm using won't allow it. You'll just have to take my word that it's just the coolest thing! He's all fluffy with a soot sprite on his head ^_^

I also got a recipe book from the Hummingbird Bakery. As I type there's a Lemon & Poppy Seed Loaf baking away in the oven! Pretty sure I've done something wrong though as the recipe says one hour cooking time and I'm already pushing two and a half hours.. Uh oh! Hopefully it will taste ok.

I've just finished watching the 2nd episode of the 2011 Royal Society Christmas Lectures recorded from BBC2 (so I guess it's probably on iPlayer). This series are really interesting, the lecturer, Professor Bruce Hood, is very compelling and it's all about the brain with bits about optical illusions, MRI scanning and senses. It's also pretty cool to see the audiences' minds carefully blown by a number of well-executed illustrative experiements.

Also I watched the new adaptation of Great Expectations (also on iPlayer). It's a fantastic version of the Dickens novel with a perfect atmosphere and lovely sets. It still doesn't make me like the story though. I hate the charater of Pip. I know he's supposed to be arrogant and a pain in the arse and then change his spots towards the end. I know it's a classic tale about the effect of money and influence on an impressionable young mind... But I dislike him constantly and, maybe it's just me, I like to like my protagonist. It's one novel I've not been able to finish because I've been irritated too much by the main character.

Oops, I smell burning lemon sponge! Gotta go!