more stuff I've been doing

I went to Lowell Observatory on friday. For those of you not clued up on the world of astronomy, Lowell Observatory is the place where some astronomer type first discovered Pluto (courtesy of a telescope). It's in Flagstaff as well, I never realised that til I got here but I suppose you learn something new every day don't you? Anyway, because my eyesight is shite, I can't really see many stars usually despite the fact the skies here in Flagstaff are really clear. As a result, I was really impressed when I managed to see so much courtesy of the wonderful invention that is the telescope. For $3, we got a talk on stars (that I nodded off during), a look around some exhibit type thing and then to see in three of the telescopes. The first telescope was pointed at some constellation beginning with 'P' (I've forgotten anymore) that is sort of in a triangle shape, not that I can tell these things because to me stars are just loads of white dots. Anyway, the next telescope was pointed at the moon (I got really dazzled looking at it), it was amazing - you could see the craters and stuff like that really well. The third and final telescope was the proper big one in a dome thing (it even got rotated while we were queueing to look - how cool is that), it was pointing at some more stars (I have no idea what constellation though). It was great fun, even for someone like me who has a history of not being very scientific.

I joined a few of my friends for a wiffle ball tournament yesterday. It's like baseball/rounders but with a ball that has holes in it. As with most sports involving hand/eye coordination I was terrible at it but I did manage to hit the ball more than once - yay!

I like lists

Why I have had an unlucky week:
1. I have been set a 15 page research project to complete by the 28th October, yet it is only worth 100 out of 795 points (I get 145 for turning up) and although I've decided not to get too stressed about it, I am still hugely intimidated by the prospect.
2. I have learned to crochet but I keep adding stitches and can't be bothered to undo them all so now my scarf has a slight triangular shape going on.
3. I broke my reading glasses frame somehow and now I am the coolest kid on the block because my glasses are held together with masking tape, how embarrassing (not only that but going to get into huge trouble with the 'rents for this one).
4. I reacquired my random stutter in a class today - highly embarrassing because I didn't manage to say what I wanted to say when I was trying to say it (well that makes sense to me).
5. I owe my Dad rather a large sum of money for my rent yet for some reason, HSBC online won't let me transfer it across to him - grrrrrrrrrr!!!!

Still, I have loads of teabags now so if all else fails and life collapses around me I can always have a cup of tea. Tea makes everything better apparently. An American couple took pity on my tea less state and sent me loads of boxes of the stuff to distribute to all the Brits I know here at NAU. Bless them, very sweet.

news in brief

I went to downtown Flagstaff today. It is so much like those western film towns in some parts except slightly larger and with less gunfights. Anyway, there are loads of really cool obscure shops in downtown so we spent ages browsing around the shops. Some of the shops were quite like the ones in Camden so it didn't feel too strange. I did see the scariest rottweiler ever though and I'm not great around dogs at the best of the time so that did put a slight air of fear on me for a bit - I'm such a wuss!!!