the Pacific

Last sunday we went to Sweet Tomatoes, an all American restaurant. You get to load your plate with salad, then you pay and after that you can get as much soup, pasta, pizza, fruit and icecream as you want. The working week was spent on building the new experimental apparatus. I first tried to do it with all the stuff that was just laying around, hiding in all kinds of different boxes and drawers in the lab, but since I seemed to miss key-parts with every different aproach I decided that I was being silly to try to do it with old junk and went out to buy some new materials. That was apparently a good decision since everything was a lot easier with the new stuff. So I build our adjustable restraining box that was supposed to keep our mouse from turning around and mess up recordings, screwed it to our vestibular stimulation platform and.... discovered our little pen-motor was not strong enough to move the entire construction... So now we have to build a new motor as well, with all new kinds of "problems". Keeps you busy though.

On thursday night I went to the recreation centre and swam 2 km. Ouch, that's a lot, I know. And all the time I was fighting against the memory of how easy it used to be. For all of you that don't know; I did competitive swimming for about ten years, but stopped about six years ago and didn't really swim during those years. So at my thursday night attempt I was getting tired so incredibly fast..... But still, I took my time, did a fair distance and took a short stay in the sauna afterwards. Pretty nice altogether, but the pain in my arms and shoulders made it clear they weren't used to something like this anymore. But it' s a nice kind of pain...

Friday afternoon I took off a few hours early because we were going to the beach! We would be at the Inn at Spanish Head in Lincoln City for the weekend, were we would meet my parents again and get our fair share of Pacific breeze. At the moment I'm sitting in our living room, posting with the wireless connection the Inn provides and I'm looking straight at the ocean. This picture is the view from our balcony. We're on the seventh floor and if you take the elevator down to one you actually get out on the beach; fabulous!


Yesterday we went to Newport to see the Oregon Coast Aquarium; Otters, sea lions, stingrays, sharks, jellyfishes turtles and many more. The biologist in me enjoyed himself thoroughly, but hardly as much as Max and Bella, who had a fantastic day (we did too, but you just can't beat the enthousiasm of a 1 or 5 year old). We had dinner at Mo's were they sell the world famous (their own claim) Clam Showder, my dad's so lyrious about. And I must admit; it was GOOD!
On our way home we also stopped at Otter Crest, from which you have a great view over the Pacific and Devil's Punch Bowl.


My stomach has almost recoverd from the champaign brunch my parents just treated us on. An incredible amount of delicious food and they keep filling up your champaign and coffee (or something Americans like to call coffee, but is more like warm coffee lemonade). In an attempt to taste as much I could, I kind of overdid it but now, after an hour of easily digesting I am fine again.

Counting the days right now. Not that I am getting bored with the USA or life around here, not at all, but it's only three weeks before Sita (bird girl :P) gets here!! Wow, looking forward to that...

By the way; I added some very nice pictures to my photoblog. Check 'em out!