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The last few days have been spent trying to deal with the pain and especially trying to find out what's causing that pain. I got a brain MRI done wednesday morning and that wasn't really the most relaxing experience of my life... It's incredibly noisy, like being in a night-club with bad techno music... And there is definitely a reason why they ask you if you're claustrophobic or not: you're in a tube with the walls like 2 cm away from your nose... for about 50 minutes.
Anyway, this is done and it seems that everything looks ok from the brain perspective. I thought it would have made more sense to do a spine MRI but doctors here are following a logic that I don't really understand. The only thing I'm sure about is that I still don't know what's going on and what should be done. And obviously I'm still in freaking pain, have difficulties to rest and focus on my work. I'm seriously considering flying back to Switzerland for a week or two and have this taken care of overthere. So to make it short, I'm giving the neurologist here another month and after that I'm gone.
And I'm leaving for the week-end too, but to a more tropical destination. Cyril and I are heading to the ocean, somewhere South of Atlanta. I wasn't really enthusiastic about leaving for the week-end, given that I'm late on a bunch of stuff, but eventually got convinced that it was the right thing to do. So it's gonna be surf for Cyril and reading and relaxing on the beach for Olive. I can't wait for the time I'll be able to stand up on the board too... Happy Labor Day week-end to all of you!

Random thoughts on a Friday night

I'm really not in the right city and I don't think I'm on the right coast either. Since I came back from OR I'm trying to push the walls. Some of the things that were making me happy over there, besides the great people, is the fact that I could take my bike and, within 5 or 10 minutes, be lost in the countryside or that I could go diving or hiking during week-ends. I was feeling safe and relaxed too. Sooooo I need to make Atlanta livable because I like the work here and may end-up staying here longer than required for my PhD. I just haven't figured out yet how I'm going to do that. I finally accepted the fact that working 100% of the time is not good. But I'm not the kind of person to sit in front of the TV when I come home either. Biking or running at Piedmont Park is nice but I'm getting tired of it. Going to Stone Mountain every now and then would be nice if the traffic wasn't so bad and the cost to get in the park wasn't so ridiculously high. Sports right now is pretty limited as I can barely lift my left arm or leg. I have been reading quite a lot during the summer and enjoyed it a lot. It helps me fall asleep, shut my brain off and escape. So I'll definitely continue the Borders wandering and reading thing. I'd like to go back to playing the guitar at some point too. Just need to find the time (make the time for it sounds more appropriate though) and a good beginner class. My extra-work activities require some more thinking but I'm sure I'll come with something I'll enjoy doing after work.
Other than that, today has been spent dealing with my back issues. I should get a MRI done in the coming days and I really hope I'll be offered solutions that don't require surgery. The good news is that it seems to be a "mechanical" issue (so much for robust design and staying quiet during the summer) and that I should fully recover afterwards. I can't wait to be able to dress up in 5 minutes again and not having to cover myself with ice-packs to be able to sleep!
And to finish on a high note, I went to see Bourne Ultimatum tonite and Oh My God it was so GOOD!! A lot of people have been complaining about the camera moving all the time but honestly I didn't find it annoying at all. It was just pure pleasure ;) Can't wait to see the 4th one!

End of summer, kinda

It obviously depends if you look at the temperatures or at the school calendar. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to school starting in August... So yes, summer is over and went really fast. I haven't accomplished half of what I was planning on doing but it goes like this every year. Do I feel ready and pumped up for the Fall semester? I guess so. I wish I could have vanished in the nature for some more days but I already feel lucky for my 6 days in Oregon and the wonderful friends I have there. It's "weird" each time to fly back to Corvallis because it brings back tons of memory but it makes me feel so good. People are so different, even the air and the light are different. The whole place inspires peace. Everybody is relaxed, you feel safe... I guess I forgot about those feelings. I spent two days on the Coast, alone, walking on the beach for hours, thinking, looking for shells, and watching the ocean and the kids playing in the sand. I was falling asleep rocked by the sound of the waves. I so wish it could be like this every day. And I so wish I could see my friends there more often. It's funny how you can feel lonely in a city that counts millions of inhabitants here in Georgia and not lonely at all when surrounded by just a couple of people over there. I don't think I would be living here if it wasn't for work. Tough when you look at the big picture, everything is not that bad. I have some good friends, a comfy place, wheels to take off when I can and I'm doing research I like in a great lab and a very good university. So I guess that, just like for everything else, I'm being too perfectionist. But I know that there is still something missing, and I know what it is. I just haven't found it yet, or maybe I'm too scared or shy to go for it. Man, life sometimes feels like rocket science ;) Anyway, the pics of my crazy 6 days back in the West are here. Enjoy!