THE GRASS WIDOWER REPORTING

Hello!

Dolly left for Austria a month ago, and will be there until late August. So here I am, home alone for a few months!

But rest assured, your grass widower is not wilting away. Actually, it's been a blessing in disguise that Dolly hasn't been here lately. I've had plenty to do, more than Dolly would have liked.

First and foremost, I'm temporarily full-time employed at the Hormone Laboratory where I'm doing cell culture experiments. We're working on a publication and we're hoping to submit the manuscript within a few months. A publication will greatly increase my chances of receiving a PhD stipend. I recently applied and was ranked 15 out of about 55, and the 7 highest ranked applicants received stipends. So I might just cut it with a (sharp) publication.

In early June I completed the temporary teaching position at Bergen College as examiner (oral exam in nutrition). The students did very well! And good news: I applied and was chosen for a temporary full-time teaching position this coming semester, with the possibility of a one-year extension. I will be teaching nutrition to students taking Bachelor Public Health, and it seems I will be instructing some in the kitchen as well!

I was also recently asked to write an article about diabetes in children, which I finished last week. The article will be part of a booklet of about 100 pages addressing health promotion in kindergardens. The booklet will aid kindergarden employees create a healthy environment for the kids.

My main project at home has been laying new floor in the living room, which I almost finished today. It's a great improvement. I took out the old fireplace, and we're getting a new one with a glass plate underneath. It will look a lot better, it will be more energy efficient, it won't reek into our face and room like the old one, it won't require extra small pieces of wood, and it won't make our hands, furniture, walls and ceiling sooty. What a relief!

Finally, I've spent several joyful hours compiling the many pictures and videos from the USA trip into an edited four-part video series. You may watch the videos by clicking HERE!

With all these projects accomplished, I might start missing Dolly a little more in the coming weeks. But I'm looking forward to going to Austria on the 20th of July to see her for a couple of weeks! We'll celebrate our 3rd engagement anniversary, 2nd wedding anniversary, and the birthdays of Dolly and our friend Heidi (Dolly's PhD colleague), in a span of 4 days!

After a couple of refreshing weeks in Austria I return to Bergen to prepare for a new semester... Dolly will return in September some time, after trips to Finland and California.

Have a great summer!

Simon