Who's bed side tables are these?

More from Córdoba

Ok, so after a short and great 2 hours journey with my parents we arrived to Córdoba. As the sessions started on Tuesday, I had the whole Monday to spend with my parents after I checked in at the Congress. We had lunch together and then they left to continue their journey.
I stayed at a veryawfull hotel, but as I was with two more funny girls, the quality of it was anecdotic.
I was prettynervouss considering that I was presenting my work, not in an oral session but in a poster. Somehow if someone came over to ask for it, I'd had to explain it, and it is known my rejection to speak in public!!.

Here I am, smilingnervouslyy besides my poster.



A friend staring at it



To those who are still curious of what I do exactly, I thought this would be a good moment to explain a little bit of my work.
As most of you know I earned a grant to perform my PhD thesis at the University of Buenos Aires. I must say that I was kind of lucky (not to say that I worked that much!!),becausee the combination of this particular grant and the place of work it is the best combination possible for someone who wants to do research here in Argentina.
My research main theme is to record the palynoflora of the Devonian period here in the North of Argentina and South of Bolivia.
The palynoflora is the remains of spores;pollenn; microscopic ancient algae; fungus; and things with non actual affinities like the chitinozooans. It is amazing how these things can tolerate diageneticprocessess such presion and high heat during 300 my and still be extracted from the rock with a cocktail of acids.
After we process the rock, we mount the extracted material on microscope slides and my job basically is to sit and photography what I see.
With the specific literature I recongize the elements and then the association which it would give me an approximate age.
The fun part is to put all the information together: the palynomorphs found; the geology setting and try to reconstruct the environment of those times!!.

I hope this gives you a more accurate clue of what is what I do!.

The rest of the week was OK. I was inside the University, where the Congress took place, for 12 hours straight.
There were a couple of interesting Conferences (to specific to refer) of some people from the UK; Australia and the US.




OK, it is true that it was not all about that. I had the chance to try thishugee ice cream covered with chocolate and to try some regional food with some of mycolleaguess!!.



Thursday night my parents came over to pick me up and we departured to Montes Grandes and then in the next morning we came all the way to Buenos Aires with my mom to assist to my cousin's wedding.

We can smell Spring coming...

Hi everyone! I'm back!. This have been a really crazy week. Non stop!.
It started at Montes Grandes (the family farm, where my parents live). So Friday night I convinced Scott to come up with me for the weekend. We arrived Saturday morning and we went straight to bed considering the fact that we did not sleep that well on the bus. The weekend was all about relaxing. Walking, reading, watching tv and specially eating was part of the program.
It was kind of sad to see the lack of rain at the campo, even though it is amazing how plants can still find their own resources. We had such a good time that I don't know why it is so hard for us to take the decition to go over more often.
Monday very early in the morning, my parents and myself departured to Córdoba, 'cause as I have told you before, I had to assist to a Paleontology Congress. My parents organized this little tour of 3 days to La Rioja and Merlo (2 little villages near by) and the idea was to pickme up on Thursday, to come to Buenos Aires to my cousin's wedding.
Scott took a bus to Rosario where he was going to stay for the day working and then he would come back home.

Some views of the evening from the car





The "Ombu" (Phytollaca dioica) fighting the last colds of the winter...



The common "Espinillo" (Acacia caven) from these forests



These are the thorns of a native tree called "Palo Borracho" (Chorisia speciosa) which means drunk stick, becouse its trunk has the form of a bottle. Has lovely flowers, not blossomed yet.



A wind mill covered with nests of a bird similar to a parrot which invaded pretty recently the area.



Soy grains the most common harvest in Argentina


Some pics of the doggies and Scott playing with them





More from Córdoba coming soon...

So this is 'till...

a week?... I hope. Hi everyone!, this is a short goodbye, cause I'm off for a week. I am going to Córdoba (center of Argentina) to assist to a Paleontology Congress next week. So next week is about to be all about work!.
Anyway, I got to go to "el campo" this weekend to see my parents, which whom are taking me to Córdoba on Monday morning.
So it will be nice to be surronded by the great "monte", considering the fact that it has been almost 7 month since I've been there for the last time, for at least two days!.(I promise photos!)

Going back to the Congress, I am presenting some preliminary results of my first approach to my PhD thesis in a Poster session.

and this is how it looks!



well, it is nothing like this... I mean the colors, but...
So I have a lot of things to do yet for tomorrow, print some stuff, pack, etc.

Goodbye!, Thank you so much for all the comments. It is so fun to read them, we are really thankful!

This blog is brought to you, with help from...

We thought we would pass along a short clip to show our support for TNT/Deprisa who help provide funding for this blog, furniture for the house, rent, and or any other extraneous expenses. Enjoy! Keiko if you don't understand, look closer!

Weekend

Starting on Friday night with a great asado. ( I give all the credit to Nico, who was the one to create this great photo story. You should not miss it!.

Saturday, tea with home made chocolate chip oat meal cookies at home, just Scottie and I.




Saturday night: Emiliano's birthday party. Fun fun fun...


Isn't funny how these pictures look together?






We crowned this busy weekend with a big brunch in the terrace



So nice Monday everyone!.
Thanks Kelly for the comments!.

Working at home

So here is my beloved one sitting on his brand new chair bought in an auction the past week.
He is one of the lucky ones that has the opportunity to work at home. He started a couple of months ago, and he is basically on our new US telephone line and on his laptop all the time. He is in charge of training the argentinian team to sell a software package called Pro-Engineer.
As he is working for an american office he is doing the San Francisco's hours. We are 4 hours ahead, so he is starting almost at noon everyday and he is finishing at 10 every night!!!. So we get to eat pretty late and we go to bed even later!.
Anyway we are doing good with this new timetable. It gives me more time to do stuff for me, like going to the gym and watching the shows that I want on TV!!!...well until he gets downstairs and he steals the remote control from me...

Love u all!. Loved the comments! (gracias ma!!, y sí se publicó!!)

How could I deal with these argentinian girls????!!!...God, help me!!!!


Comfy office



Do u like my chair??!!!

Ohmmmmm

Hi everyone!...here I am again.
I must say that I had a couple of horrible days the past two. Just stuff at work, not sleeping well, not having enough time to do what I like to do and the list continues.
Anyways, the week is about to end and I hope my "bad luck" so let's move on.

I want to share with you a few pics from the yoga class that I took with my sister Luli at home every Tuesday evening. Time to relax, time to think about just now...

Namaste, paz!! (peace)

Baby Valentín joined us the first 20 minutes until his dad came over to pick him up



The face tells it all...



My beautiful sister

Some reading

I just finished this novel from the writer Hella J. Haasse. She was born in Java and then she had moved to the Netherlands.
The novel's title in english is "The Tea Merchants" (Los señores del te, en español). It is supposed to be a fiction novel, nevertheless it is based on true stories, letters and official documents on numbers harvests at India were the novel takes place. The interesting thing about it, is how getting into the characters you can get a better perspective of what was going on in India by the end of the XIX century.
So a brief introduction to the wild and humidity of India and the "starchy"manners of the ducht people at the colony.

Sunday afternoon

Day to catch up with stuff around the house. We needed to organize the cables all around the office and the almost abandoned terrace. I felt so guilty today while I was cutting off the dead leaves from the plants, which were a few!.
We bought a new scratching toy for Thai and some grass so he could bite it without being punished by us, but of course non of them worked that well. He did not pay attention to the toy at all, and he kept on biting all the plants while I was doing my work!.
Now it is pretty late, we just finished our dinner next door with my sister, Nico the little Valentin and my mom, and we are about to go to bed. So good night everyone, have a nice start of the week to those in Argentina and France and keep enjoying the long weekend, you lucky ones, in the States!.

Wedding party

Last night we went to my cousin's wedding reception, we arrived after 1 in the morning and we stayed over 'till 4.30!
So some colorful pics from the party...enjoy!!!

We loved talking to u Kellbell and Chris!!...We want new photos of the doggies!

Just my nephew...