It really is Thursday already...

Time seems to be going by very quickly since I have been keeping myself so busy... It is hard to think that tomorrow will be the end of my first week in Melbourne. I have had so many opportunities and experiences so far, and I can't wait to see what is yet to come!!

I started the day by getting to Anita's house. After coffee and a discussion, Tim picked us up and we made our way into CSIRO. I had to get some samples started, but then I had the opportunity to sit down with Tim to discuss some work that he had done for Linda on the BPS-32 material. It was great to get to talk with someone who is so crazy smart. I don't really remember much about NMR, but Tim helped to explain the results.

The weather in Melbourne is absolutely beautiful today. The temperature is mild and the sun is shining! I had a burger and chips (fries) for lunch. I think 'burger' here does not specifically indicate the meat that will be in the sandwich. The burger that I ordered today was really a chicken sandwich, but it was good and probably better for me - so I'm not complaining.

I have spent most of the afternoon getting caught up on sample analysis. Tim ran aluminum solid-state NMR on one of the samples that I brought with me. It is great to have that capability. There aren't many places in the world where you can do that... Other than that, I've been doing more PALS experiments. I get a kick out of using antimatter to probe the free-volume in my samples. Essentially the experiment is all about monitoring millions of matter-antimatter reactions that are taking place in the sample when you irradiate the sample with positrons (antimatter). It is a little weird to have to constantly be checking samples and lab benches with a Geiger counter to make sure that the radioactive antimatter sources aren't leaking. But things seem to be going pretty well, our 'antimatter containment systems' seem to be holding - haha.

I am looking forward to a more calm evening. I have so many things to do and I am finding that there just aren't enough hours in the day. At the same time though, I feel like I've been taking full advantage of the opportunities available to me since I have been here. I'm sure the busy schedule will continue, but if I continue to have as much fun as I have been having, that'll be just fine!