As August rolls around and most of the locals head out of town on vacation… some place sandier, sunnier, and less full of computers, I’m going to remain at my post (working hard posting :-)). This isn’t to say that I’m spending all my time slaving away in front of a computer. The past 3 weeks the world’s premiere cycling race was going on in my backyard. The Sunday before last some friends and I decided we were going to wake up insanely early, camp out on a mountain top, and cheer on these elite athletes participating in The Tour de France. Now before you think that professional sports are way to cool for the likes of us, I’d like to make you aware of its true geekiness. Really anyone who can appreciate aerodynamics, dry British humor, and grown men wearing polka-dots should be excited about the world of professional cycling. And this year, arguably the most famous cyclist of our time, Lance Armstrong staged his 2nd comeback (the first being after his bout with cancer) and placed an impressive third behind teammate Alberto Contador who won overall. I was lucky enough to witness these guys for a few seconds as they flew by while climbing up to the mountain top town of Verbier.
Cyclists at the Tour
Other than enjoying the Tour, I’ve been busy wrapping up and continuing to work on a couple of studies – one I’ve already blogged about (the one involving cosmic rays) and the other maybe once I’ve gotten a little farther. In a week the Department of Energy is reviewing our group, so everyone is trying to pull together their analyses to present. But, I’d be lying if I didn’t have other things on my mind. At the end of August, I return to the United States. One month to go and I’m filled with a mixture of emotions. I was supposed to come out for the first year of running: last September to this September. Unfortunately things don’t always work out as we planned. My first thought was to extend my stay, but with news that the accelerator wouldn’t start until first the summer, then September and now mid-November. I decided it was probably best to wait in New York, where my husband is, for the machine to start. Luckily, with the power of the internet, I can do most of the same work there as I can here (like blogging :-)), but I’m always going to feel like there’s work to do on site. I’m just very lucky that I have supportive friends, family, and colleagues.
