Marcus D. Hanwell's Blog

What a hectic few months it has been. This year has been really tough on many levels but also very rewarding in other ways. I never really got chance to write up my final thoughts on my Google Summer of Code project and will hopefully get the time to do that soon. Still working on it adding new functionality and fixing bugs where I can.

I completed my thesis over the summer and did my viva which went very well. Managed to hand in the final library copy of my thesis the day after my viva before leaving for a two week diving holiday. Louise won the holiday at the London International Dive Show in March of this year. It was an awesome week away in Curacao and a second week in Bonaire with some amazing diving, although I sprained my ankle really badly at the end of the last week.

Then we returned home for a couple of days before leaving for Pittsburgh via JFK. Got to Pittsburgh on 26 September to start my postdoctoral position at the University of Pittsburgh on 1 October (or October 1 as they say over here). Louise came out with me on the first week and helped me look for a place to live and everything.

Life has been amazingly hectic and I am still feeling very displaced and missing many of the creature comforts I am used to such as money, a car, furniture, good beer... I did get cable, internet and phone on Monday and brought my laptop out with me so things are picking up a little. Hopefully I will be able to write more soon about the dive holiday, my new job, GSoC and continuing work on Avogadro.

For now I am going to hobble to the shops to find some dinner - still not used to eating out alone... Lots of work to get on with that will keep me occupied at least!