Documentary Style

So, this morning was a bit interesting and new for me. A friend of ours, Martijn (sounds like Mart- eye-n though DH always says Martin), who is a Dutch physicists working at CERN was asked to be a part of a documentary some Dutch filmmakers were making about the Higgs particle. The Higgs particle is an as yet undiscovered particle that is the basis for some theory or another. Part of the goal of the experiment that DH is working on (ATLAS) is to prove the existence of this particle. Another experiment that is to run called CMS is also looking for this particle. The theory being if they both find it then there is definitive proof that it exists. If one finds it and one doesn't then possibly it's a mistake. So, anyhoo, Martijn and his wife Janice (whose American) take Tango lessons with us and also were in ski club with us as well. This Saturday Martijn asked if I would be free on Tuesday morning (this morning) to come down to CERN and maybe be a part of this documentary. I know nothing about this Higgs particle and physics in general but hey why not. I've got nothing better to do. So, this morning I went.

Turns out, though they asked him to bring along someone who wasn't really connected to the Higgs experiment they were looking more for someone who actually works at CERN. So, I dragged my DH into the process. Oh my, if looks could kill I would not be here typing this. He was adamant that he did not, under any circumstances, want to be filmed. But with a little cajoling I got him to do it with me. We were "interviewed" together and he did a fabulous job. He was funny and thoughtful and well spoken. I was, am, so proud of him for doing it. I know that he was really pissed off at me for making him do it, but in the end he said it was alright. He just gets so tense being in front of people. He's so worried about looking bad, but he was great. I do feel a bit bad about putting him in such a situation, but it turned out OK. And who knows, maybe he'll be seen on Dutch television. More likely than not we'll end up on the cutting room floor, but it was a fun experience (at least for me).

Now I have to think of some sort of bribe to get back into his good graces. Seriously, you should have seen his face when I asked him to come and do the interview with me. Because, let's face it they didn't want me. They wanted scientists and people who actually worked in the CERN community. I thought it was nice to have a husband and wife together. It was like straight out of the 50's, my job is to support and care for my husband, blah, blah, blah. Kinda funny really.

I just hope that my wonderful hubby realizes what a great job he did. He was wonderful and I'm so proud of him and I hope he's not too upset with me. It's good to challenge yourself occasionally, to make yourself do something that scares and intimidates you. Hmmm....maybe I should take some of my own advise. Nah, it's much easier to foist upon someone else! Perhaps, tomorrow I'll go out and do something brave - today I have to go grocery shopping (which takes a strength all of it's own!)

Catching Up

Ok, so I feel as though I should play a little catch-up here since I neglected to post much of anything while our visitors were here. We did have a great time hosting out friend JD and CD, although they both got sick- CD worse than JD, but they were troopers. They arrived at Geneva airport right on time at 10:30 a.m. on December 19th. They are going to wring my neck for posting their arrival picture...so, maybe I won't. I don't think they look bad at all after an 8 hour flight overseas, but they may disagree. hmmm...ok, JD and CD if you read this and you would like me to take your photo down I will. On the other hand, if you don't read it what you don't know can't hurt you, right? I'll post some goofy pictures of myself - actually most pictures of me are totally goofy so that should make them feel better. Let me tell you, these two look fantastic after such a long flight. I always look like a total bum. That could also be because I almost always were my most comfortable pair of sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt and or sweatshirt when I travel long distances. I just don't get how those women I see at the airport deboarding could possibly have been comfortable on an 8 hour flight in their cute little mini-skirt, heels with pointy toes (or more recently tall boots with pointy toes and spiked heels) and their tight little fitted shirts and jackets. Geeze, is it really possible to take a nap on an airplane in that? It's hard enough to curl up and nap when your wearing sweats (as close to pajamas as I can get without wearing my actual pj's in public). You will see in the picture to the right, entitled: Exhibit A, just how I look on long flights. Note the messy pulled back hair, the glasses -not contacts, the greasy gleam on my forward, and the crossed eyes. Yes folks, that is what I look like when traveling. My fellow passengers must love me. Especially those young women bound up in their tight clothing, running to the teeny tiny potty to make sure their make-up is perfect before they got off the plane. I find it much easier to just look like a slob and not care who you offend with your travel-worn look.

Oh, the best thing happened at the airport while we were awaiting our friends arrival. There was a group of Swiss people with their trumpets and Swiss flags gathered around anxiously awaiting the arrival of someone. We were intrigued, who could this be that deserves a trumpet fanfare upon arrival the waving of flags? Eventually a young man came through the gates pushing his cart full of odd shaped baggage ( I didn't get a picture but I wish I had) the trumpets blared to life, singing and clapping began. A tearful mother ran up and hugged her bemused son. I have no idea who this guy was, but my bet is some athlete who just won something big. But that's only a guess. Bulbs flashed as pictures of the returning son were taken, a bottle of something alcoholic was pulled from some hidden place and shots were passed around to the tight-knit crowd surrounding this returning hero (hero of what? who knows) He was toasted and patted on the back and they were still carrying on when our friends arrived. Josh wanted to pay the trumpeters to play when our friends arrived, but alas we didn't have much cash on us and we needed that to pay for parking. Besides JD and CD probably would have been so tired they wouldn't have realized the fuss was for them.
Once they found us we hauled their luggage outside and started maneuvering it into our little ford fiestas itty-bitty trunk. I can't believe we got it all to fit. My DH can sometimes amaze you with his packing abilities.

Now, to be fair their suitcases weren't all full of clothing. One of the smaller suitcases was filled entirely with books for me! What great friends. I'd read all the books I'd brought with me and was ready for some new ones. And buying English language books is not cheap. Granted, I should be trying to read more French books, even if they are Children's books, but I just made that resolution yesterday, so back off.
Despite the fact that JD and CD felt like they were going to drop into sleep while standing they were troopers and managed to fake some mild excitement as we toured CERN at 2 p.m. the afternoon of their arrival. We are so cruel, aren't we? To be honest, that was the only time my DH could get us on a tour because CERN closed the next day for a 2 week holiday vacation. So, it was either then or never. We did give our guests the option to not go, but they wanted to...or so they said. And it was good for them to stay awake as long as possible in order to adjust to the time difference. Still, I think they deserve a gold star for going on the tour. It's hard enough to understand and appreciate physics when you haven't been awake for, like, 24 hours straight! Note the forced smiles and glazed eyes. I mean, I usually look that way when physics is the topic of conversation, but I think these two are feeling the stress of sleep deprivation more than the mind-numbness that comes along with physics! On a more serious note the tour is very cool and it's amazing to see what these scientist and engineers can do. For anyone interested in learning more about CERN there is a great podcast you can download. It's done by one of the physicists working at CERN who is working on ATLAS (the same experiment DH is working on). The podcasts are made for people like you and me, or at least like me, who don't really have a clue about physics (except knowing that they absolutely hated taking physics in highschool). Their are very interesting and entertaining and I actually feel like I have some grasp on what is going on down there in that big pit/tunnel they call the LHC (Large Hadron Collider). Click here to go to the CERN podcast web page. It really is quite enjoyable - I often listen to it on my morning walks with Ally.

Back to our visitors. After we forced them on a tour and made them some food, it was about 4 p.m. and they crashed. Pretty good considering JD wasn't feeling too great - she had the beginnings of a vicious cold. That was pretty much it. Josh and I made a roast chicken for dinner, which we overcoked so were thankful our friends were snoring soundly and not hungry for a big, delicious meal!
I'll post more of our adventures with JD and CD later. Ciao!