Working on a paper submission and conference work

I feel like it has been a while since I posted. I am working on a conference deadline for a conference which I am helping to organize. It will be in late May in the Netherlands. It has been fun so far to work on organizing it, but it is amazing how much time organizing things (I'm also organizing another conference, and I've taken on two students) takes from your research. It is a major juggling act. I am happy to be gaining experience though, since very soon I would like to move on to become a faculty member where there are a lot more tasks/topics to juggle.

I have some cool photographs from my recent research. I'm working on wrapping up the avatar work so that I can move on to using the avatar for psychophysical experiment. Here are some photographs that my research assistant helped gather for my current experiment:



These two images are when you are looking down at your left hand and right foot, respectively. :) In these images you see a visual representation of yourself within a virtual world.

Scuba Diving in January

While i was home in PA my brother Robert and his wife Jen took me scuba diving. We finished all the book work to be scuba-diving certified. We also went diving twice. So for me, now I have gone diving three times with them and we had a great time. Jen is an excellent and patient teacher- and Rob is also really good at teaching. I felt really happy to have them both teaching me and it was great to spend that time with them. I am working on a sunday and should really get back to work so that this coming week is not so stressful for me- but I wanted to post a photograph of me under water. You can see that I have my new subscription mask and I am not using the water tank, but instead I'm practicing continuously blowing bubbles. It was quite fun! :)

Back in Germany... Home Sweet Home?

I made it back to Deutschland today. Wow the last three weeks were a whirlwind of people, work, and travel. I first went to PA where I was so happy to see my family and catch up with them before going to spend Christmas with Oscar and his family in Oregon. Oregon is such a beautiful place and it was really nice to get to know Oscar's family more and see them when they are together for the holidays. They did a great job of making me feel at home and O's parents can really cook well- so that was also really enjoyable. Mostly, I thought it was great to get to know O's sister better and to see how happy Oscar's father is because he found out that Oscar will return this coming July to sail with him in an annual sailboat race. Christmas was really nice to spend with them. Then I went to Salt Lake City where I was able to catch up with some of my friends- some of my good friends were out of town for the holidays. However, my friend Kristi who we just learned a bit over a year ago had Luekemia- is doing remarkably well and I'm so happy for her and her, now, fiance! :)

Then I returned to Pennsylvania, just in time to celebrate my brother's birthday and the new year! ;) I also returned to PA just in time for the newest edition of our family to come into the world. William, my baby sister's first child, was born early afternoon on January 1st. ;) I was so happy to meet him when he was just a few hours old. Becky and Ryan seem to be settling in to being mom and dad really well. ;) I am also glad to know that she has my mom nearby. My mom has got to be the most amazing and practiced!! mother ever- so I think Becky will get some good advice over the next coming years. ;) Then the week seemed to fly by right up until my grandmother and grandfather's wedding celebration. My grandfather, or PopPop as we say it, surprised my Nanny on her 80th birthday with a huge party and he planned an entire wedding for her (well, for this he had the help of all his children and their children). It was definitely the most romantic thing I ever saw. It is really cool that they have been together for so long and that they look after one another so well.

Then I traveled to Washington DC to visit my friends Milan, Bettina, Mendel and Melushka. That was really nice- though I wish I had been there longer. Then I had to rush back to PA to spend some time with the family and now I'm awake in the middle of the night due to jetlag. ;)

I'll post a few photographs from my trip. I thought I'd say thank you to all the people who made my christmas holidays so enjoyable!!! Also, I'm so glad to be back in my apartment, at home in ways, but being back in Germany makes me realize that Home Sweet Home will always be where my mom and dad are living. :)

I miss all of my brothers, sisters, grandparents, and especially my parents already!

Last days in Lancaster County, PA

I am sitting here with my grandfather and I just got back from DC where I was visiting some university friends. I'll post a picture of them as soon as they send it my way. My christmas and new year's holidays were a lot of fun. I went out to Oregon to be with Oscar's family for Christmas, stopped in Salt Lake City to see my friends from Utah, played poker with my brothers on New Year's Eve. Then the big event occurred. My nanny and pop pop got remarried. I made a movie and I bought my mom and nanny some nice clothes for the event. It was one of the most romantic events of my life. :) They really love each other and my mom is a really good role model. I wish I was as good of a daughter as she is to her parents!! :)

I'm not too ready to leave PA, but I sure am ready to see Oscar. We both fly back to Germany this coming weekend.

:) The photo is me when I was a baby. Also, that reminds me, my sister Rebecca had her little baby. Some photos of them will be posted soon.