Feeling affectionate, do not have (and never will have) an acceptable way of dealing with such emotions...

Spent the whole weekend writing an ultra-fast-track paper on a really interesting astronomical object one of the students in my group found earlier this month - but despite working nonstop for three days it was a lot of fun getting it together! (Vague preview below...)

Yesterday a visiting speaker gave a talk to our department about his work developing an AI system to write (bad) scientific papers, and the only thing our PhD students are talking about today is how AI is terrible and must be razed to the ground. The kids are alright

The sadness is never far away

Back home again. Straight into the teaching whirlwind - the semester starts tomorrow!

We really lost out on something when we stopped putting gargoyles on observatory domes

Finished illustration for @Procyon of their raccoon character waiting out the storm as it passes overhead! http://wolf-ink.co.uk

Time for another trans-Atlantic trip! This time I'm going to... Wisconsin. (Somewhere different, at least?)

Cheers to S. D., our recently confirmed Associate Professor in Engagement for Biofouling and Environmentally Friendly Antifouling

On the plus side, walking your lambanana on a pride leash still seems to be allowed

Liverpool City Council getting ready to... ban fursuiting in the city centre (where I live)?!?

Had a great time this weekend, hope to be back next year!

Berlin beer cruise

I am visiting an Official Fancypants College™ for a few days

Loch Ness

Ben Nevis was too easy so now we are doing... this

Ben Nevis, highest point in the UK

Scottish Highlands!

Road trip time!!

I momentarily misread the word "manual" as "mammal" and the visuals were so cute I am choosing to continue misreading it indefinitely: Product safety mammal Software installation mammal Furniture assembly mammal Navigation system operation mammal Computer troubleshooting mammal (tag yourself?)

Back home after 25 days of travel! No other big trips planned for quite a while, so I'm looking forward to enjoying the rest of the summer closer to home :3

On my way home, via a detour to London to drop by the furmeet! Anybody I know going to be there? :3

Visiting East Anglia for the first time - which has the distinction of having the highest density of hilarious British place names of anyhere in the UK I've been to date. A small collection of my favourites so far:

Another one of those sad, sleepless transatlantic flights east...

So nice that many airports are now offering gender neutral restrooms (as long as you are a dog)

Flying back to England today... this visit was almost four weeks but still felt too short! At least I have a few fun things lined up for the next few weeks when I return (including this weekend!)

In Santa Fe this evening to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. They're still in great health and I'm incredibly lucky to still have them, even if I only can visit a couple times per year.

Short New Mexico hike (in the rain!)

Also, looking further ahead (and much much further east), this raccoon now has a ticket for next Saturday's LFM...

Landed in Albuquerque! (I've been slowly working my way east this trip.) I'll be on vacation for a week in New Mexico, seeing friends and family.

The conference has an official cocktail, amazing

In Tucson for a few days for a conference. It is Very Warm (but at least the scenery is pretty)

Another place from my past! It's been 15 years since I last came to use the telescopes at Lick Observatory, and while they're far from the state of the art now, it is great that we can still do useful science from this mountain.

Bay view

Back visiting some familiar territory from my past today!

Time to start my big summer US trip! Flying to the SF Bay Area today and will be there through the weekend (and then after that: LA, Tucson, and Albuquerque). Will return in about three weeks!

It's a big day for me today, my second PhD student is defending his thesis! (And my first student's defense was in 2020 during covid, so this will be the first time I can actually celebrate when it happens... assuming he passes, which I'm sure he will!)

In Durham for a couple days, it's very pretty!

Out enjoying the beautiful British summer

Giving an exam today instead of being a silly animal in Pittsburgh, sigh

... cursed

At a conference in Cork! There is a pretty river here and this campus is super old school, I love it

It would be nice to be able to get more than 5 hours of sleep most nights...

In Berlin this weekend! It is very very very warm but it's good for biergartens and outdoor activities, at least!

Visited York again today! Nice day and pleasant company. I also saw some weird underground animatronic Vikings

Happy pride month, everyone. This will be a tough one: I often feel that my own identity is more often a source of awkwardness, loneliness, and lost opportunity than anything to celebrate... and that's a feeling that's been particularly acute for me lately.

Not much going on at the con for me this evening so just milling about in the lounge for now, feel free to come say hi!

TF'd into a dog and lost the item that allows me to un-TF! But it's okay I was rescued eventually...

I'm at Confuzzled! Check out this amazing view from my hotel room

Yet another five-hour evening teleconference to survive today... but then off to Confuzzled! (Hoping to arrive by midnight!)