Reporting from an undisclosed location

Just like Dick Cheney! Nah, I kid, I'll disclose. I'm in Oak Ridge, TN, doing some work at the national lab here for the week. I won't get into details (we don't want anyone shooting themselves in the face out of boredom), but it involved a back-room type deal where I make a bunch of samples during 2nd and 3rd shift type hours, and the person I make them for gives me a bunch of data. We'll see if it actually pans out that way. Mad scientists are one thing, but some of them are just not what you'd call "team players" (not that I'm referring to who I'm working with *cough*).

Travel started in the wee hours of the morning, and after checking in at the lab I was anticipating an epic nap at the hotel. I entered my room to a noxious and overpowering odor and some strange glass container on the desk full of ash--"What the...?" I can now say I've tested all but one of the hotels in Oak Ridge, and am crossing this one off of my list. You may laugh, but I didn't know that smoking rooms still existed ('smoking rooms' sounds weird, like they're on fire--would it be a non-non-smoking room?). They got me switched to a non for the first three nights, but couldn't guarantee the fourth; I'm bitterly awaiting my stay in the chamber of stank. Maybe I'll just sleep in front of the instrument I'm working on all night. Speaking of what I am planning on doing with all of the down time:


My ever faithful traveling companion, Murray, guards my stash.

I can say, without hyperbole, that half of the stuff in my suitcase was knitting related. Now of course, I could be reading journal articles and working on a paper in my downtime, but seriously? Between the stash and Season 11 of Top Gear that my copilot put on my hard drive, I'm going to have a good time down here if it kills me damn it! Now if you'll excuse me, Murray and I need to have a nap.

Also: I'm back to the point-and shoot-camera for the week, so I apologize in advance for the crappiness of future photos. And no tutorials this week. Sadness...