still alive
Jul. 18th, 2018 09:22 pmI still haven't found time/energy to post about Cudgel War, which is a shame, since it was so much fun. But since mom likes it when I check in now and then I shall procrastinate on doing yoga a bit longer and say something...
This is a typical Durham week for me (if one can call the third such week in my life "typical"). I spend the day on campus, this time around in the lab behind one of my advisor's office, where I first turned 25 samples into powder:
* cut or break off a bit (1.5 to 2.5 g) of rock
* wrap in grease proof paper
* insert bundle of paper and rock into a plastic bag
* gently and lovingly hit it with a hammer till the rock is either in tiny bits, or it has torn through the paper
* extract paper-wrapped rock bits from bag
* carefully pour the rock bits onto a square of the paper one uses in a lab to weigh stuff on
* if there are any pieces left bigger than about 7 mm wide pick them out with tweezers and put them onto a fresh bit of grease-proof paper.
* repeat from the hammer bit till all the bits are less than 7 mm wide
* pour the rock bits into a ball-mill and grind it for five minutes
* pour the powdered rock onto the weighing paper, fold it into an envelope, and insert it into a numbered sample bag.
That took all of yesterday. Today we analysed them on the XRD:
* Put the ring-shaped sample holder onto its base.
* pile rock powder into the middle of the ring
* use the metal cylinder to press the pile of powder flat into the space in the middle of the ring
* add yet more rock powder to the pressed pile of powder and press again
* with the metal cylinder in place to hold and cover the pressed powder, use the brush to remove any excess powder that may have landed on the ring instead of within it
* snap the flat disk onto the ring to cover the powder
* turn over the entire assembly and remove the part that had been the base (thus exposing the nicely flattened powder in the middle of the ring)
* carry it upstairs
* remove the last sample from the XRD
* insert the new sample
* enter the new sample number into the computer and press start
* while it runs empty the last sample ring, clean it and fill it with the next sample
After work (normally 17:00, but today I stayed till 18:00 to finish up all of the analyses), do the half an hour walk "home" (technically![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
aryanhwy's home, but it feels like mine too when I am here), eat something and then do acroyoga with Gwen till it is time for her to go to bed (~19:30), then either do uni work on the computer (which I haven't had a chance to touch all day) or relax with FB/e/mail, etc. (or both) till time to do my normal yoga and go to bed.
Tomorrow, however, I will need to bring my luggage with me to work, as I have a train north at 14:25. Normally I would stay withsismith42 in Edinburgh, but they are out of town just now, so instead I will meet Master Duncan at the train station and head home with him for the evening. Then on Friday morning his wife will drop me off at the train station on her way to work and will head back to Luleå.
This is a typical Durham week for me (if one can call the third such week in my life "typical"). I spend the day on campus, this time around in the lab behind one of my advisor's office, where I first turned 25 samples into powder:
* cut or break off a bit (1.5 to 2.5 g) of rock
* wrap in grease proof paper
* insert bundle of paper and rock into a plastic bag
* gently and lovingly hit it with a hammer till the rock is either in tiny bits, or it has torn through the paper
* extract paper-wrapped rock bits from bag
* carefully pour the rock bits onto a square of the paper one uses in a lab to weigh stuff on
* if there are any pieces left bigger than about 7 mm wide pick them out with tweezers and put them onto a fresh bit of grease-proof paper.
* repeat from the hammer bit till all the bits are less than 7 mm wide
* pour the rock bits into a ball-mill and grind it for five minutes
* pour the powdered rock onto the weighing paper, fold it into an envelope, and insert it into a numbered sample bag.
That took all of yesterday. Today we analysed them on the XRD:
* Put the ring-shaped sample holder onto its base.
* pile rock powder into the middle of the ring
* use the metal cylinder to press the pile of powder flat into the space in the middle of the ring
* add yet more rock powder to the pressed pile of powder and press again
* with the metal cylinder in place to hold and cover the pressed powder, use the brush to remove any excess powder that may have landed on the ring instead of within it
* snap the flat disk onto the ring to cover the powder
* turn over the entire assembly and remove the part that had been the base (thus exposing the nicely flattened powder in the middle of the ring)
* carry it upstairs
* remove the last sample from the XRD
* insert the new sample
* enter the new sample number into the computer and press start
* while it runs empty the last sample ring, clean it and fill it with the next sample
After work (normally 17:00, but today I stayed till 18:00 to finish up all of the analyses), do the half an hour walk "home" (technically
aryanhwy's home, but it feels like mine too when I am here), eat something and then do acroyoga with Gwen till it is time for her to go to bed (~19:30), then either do uni work on the computer (which I haven't had a chance to touch all day) or relax with FB/e/mail, etc. (or both) till time to do my normal yoga and go to bed.Tomorrow, however, I will need to bring my luggage with me to work, as I have a train north at 14:25. Normally I would stay with
sismith42 in Edinburgh, but they are out of town just now, so instead I will meet Master Duncan at the train station and head home with him for the evening. Then on Friday morning his wife will drop me off at the train station on her way to work and will head back to Luleå.