General update

[luzula]

1) I've spent five glorious days doing botanical surveying in Dalarna. I really enjoy that kind of work - a five-by-five kilometer square, and you're supposed to spend a day noting down as many vascular plant species as you can. Things I enjoy about it: being outdoors, using skills learned over many years, going swimming in cold water when you're sweaty, making lists and adding to scientific knowledge, that little jolt of happiness when you see a new species for the first time, being with other people who share your interest, learning from and teaching them. ♥

2) Before that I was a week with my family (mom, dad, sister, sister's boyfriend, my niece, my parents' dog) at my parents' summer place. It was good--only one political quarrel and one family quarrel in a week. Especially good to spend lazy time with my sister without having to feel that we have to take advantage of every moment because we only have a short time. Also interesting to see my niece growing and bonding more with her; she is now a little over two.

3) An acquaintance of mine has died while on a trip to the Faroe islands with a bryological society. An 80-year-old man who was also on the trip lost his footing and fell towards him, and they both fell ten meters down into a ravine. My acquaintance broke his neck immediately, and the other man was seriously injured. Also my best friend's dad has cancer, though with a fairly good prognosis. I guess I'm feeling the fragility of life.

Comments

Ups & downs, then

[jesse_the_k]

re (1) how cold was the water you're swimming in? ocean or pond or stream?

re (2) family time without murder is a definite win.

re (3) So sorry to hear about your acquaintance. Cliff-walking in the Faroes is a dangerous endeavor.

further 3.1 I never knew you were a bryologist!

even further (3.2) I checked to see whether the Faroes have a trauma center--their health service is "Heilsutrygd". Google translate doesn't cover Faroese, so I tried a best-guess with Icelandic. The results were delightfully nonsensical. I'm guessing that Faroese "Ískoyti" is a resolutely non-English coinage to mean "facilitation."

http://www.heilsutrygd.fo/Default.aspx?pageid=15599

Ice skating to glasses

Health care provides ice cream for a pair of glasses. To get an ice cream, the characters should be under 16 years, otherwise 67 years old.

Heilsutrygd provides ice cream for one year's glasses of other glasses. In addition, ice cube can be provided for twinkling orchestras annually for children under 16 years of age.

The only thing is that the glasses are bought in Føroyum.

Healthcare provides ice cream at a premium price, some of which are included in the accompanying document in connection with the announcement of ice cream to glasses. Hendan's announcement and the accompanying document could crash down the army .

Ískoyti will be granted by application and receipt, some will be Latin Health Insurance. Tooth collected the cost of the glasses will be goldin and the receipt for the heat sent to Health Insurance, the irrigation ice cream will be provided.

Health care does not provide lenses for lenses.

An application for ice cream to glasses can be downloaded on the right page of this web site.

Re: Ups & downs, then

[luzula]

Heh, that is hilarious. The funniest bit: "In addition, ice cube can be provided for twinkling orchestras annually for children under 16 years of age."

1) Lake and stream, fairly cold, I guess? But I didn't have a thermometer with me.

2) Yes indeed.

3) I will miss him. He was part of the bryology group that I meet with every other Monday in the fall/winter season to examine mosses together, and he was always so enthusiastic.

[seascribble]

I'm sorry to hear about your acquaintance, what an awful accident. D:

[luzula]

Yeah, I'll miss him. He was part of the bryology group that I meet with every other Monday in the fall/winter season to examine mosses together, and he was always so enthusiastic.

[calvinahobbes]

Glad to hear you're enjoying the summer, despite all those truly scary reminders of "the fragility of life" as you call it.

[luzula]

I guess I'm taking it as a reminder to make the most out of life and actually do the things I want to do? Although to also be careful when climbing steep slopes.

[calvinahobbes]

Indeed! o.O

[ride_4ever]

That was very sad about the fatal Faroe Islands bryology trip...it is such a balancing act between doing the things we want to do and staying alive to keep doing them.

[luzula]

It is sad, yes. Most things I want to do are not likely to kill me, though? Although I did go hiking alone in the mountains for five days last year, and I guess I could've fallen and broken something then.