The Engineering of...the contemporary within the historical

Was a bit under the weather this week, but had to do a presentation of my data to our PI and learn how to use a new microscopy system. The lab has been busy because we have a special visitor coming on Monday… Prince Albert of Monaco! How cool is that?! Think he will autograph my lab coat? Apparently he is giving away some cash and will be touring some of the bigger laboratories on the campus to see what we do.

World Cup hype is stronger than ever. Went to watch the Germany versus Ghana match on a big screen set up at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Quite fittingly, the Tower lights started flickering at the conclusion. Has been nice walking all around the city- each arondissement feels a little different from the next.

French technology has not been treating me well this week. First, because my Internet connection is via the work network, they have been blocking a lot of websites. So, if you tried to contact me through Facebook, I haven't seen it! Please just email! Merci! French TV is also a bit strange. The frequency/frame rate is 50 Hz, but the human eye can detect frequencies as fast as about 65 Hz, so the screen looks like it is flickering!



The weekend has been fun so far…Went to the Centre Pompidou today, a fantastic modern art museum. It is filled with Picasso and Matisse and Kandinsky! My favorites had to be the kinetic art. The outside of the building is seven floors of steel and glass. Its bright pipes are color-coded according to their contents and an escalator climbs up the side. Had a cool exhibit about Coney Island's "Dreamland" and, my personal favorite, the Guerilla Girls! They dress up in gorilla costumes and go out to fight against gender discrimination in the art world (ex. Did you know… "Less than 5% of the artists in the Metropolitan Museum of Art are women, but 85% of the nudes are female"?)



This weekend we are breaking out of the country and heading to Brugges, Belgium: land of the Flemmish master painters. Woohoo! Can't wait to get me some chocolate!

A la prochaine-