| | I had just spent 5 hours working in the lab and was about to hop onto our microscope to wrap up "quickly" and get home when I remembered Austin laughingly reprimanding me that any kind of work, be it research, writing, whatever, should have breaks aplenty- to get some fresh air, clear one's head, and have a good time romping outside. Austin correctly observed that not only does one's day become infinitely better afterwards, but so does one's work. Yet though I heartily agree with this, in putting it into practice I remain pretty abysmal. So tonight I left the lab and wandered outside through our (3 inches?) of snow to the Ryerson observatory, was surprised that my ID let me into the building, and wound my way up the |
dark spiraling staircase to the top- luckily for me, the key hadn't been changed, and I emerged onto the Observatory deck, the white dome housing the telescope covered in layers of silky snow. The sky was cloudy and I couldn't see the stars, but I had a perfect view of the Christmas-lights decking the quad-trees. It was gorgeous and just what I needed. The wind was blowing south-east and bringing fog along the coast-line; Chicago was reduced to a lighted blur. A few people wandered along the quad (I resisted the temptation to throw snowballs at them), but for the most part everyone was gone, home. There's nothing as refreshing or beautiful as a normally hectic place reduced to a quiet winter landscape, blanketed in snow.
Just taking the time to walk outside and look at the white campus was the best part of my week. Thank you, Austin.
Just taking the time to walk outside and look at the white campus was the best part of my week. Thank you, Austin.
RSS Feed