Bank Holiday

Bank holidays are always a bit strange in the lab. All the people who are sallaried seem to regard it as an unalienable right to take a day off, despite the fact that many of them will regularly work on Saturdays and/or Sundays out of personal choice. Most of the D.Phils were in, except those who have boyfriends/girlfriends who are in paid employment.

I was somewhat frustrated that my supervisor wasn't in, since my paper is sitting in his pigeon hole waiting for him to OK it for submission. At least it is dated 28.v and I hope he'll take the point.

I spent most of the morning thinking about rhodium catalysed hydroboration reactions and the rest of it looking for Rh(I) catalysts which seem to have been scattered around the stock system in a bizzare mixture of systematic, semi-systematic and trivial catalyst nomenclature. D's stock of catalysts are all kept in one dessicator but I'm not sure that works unless all the catalysts are kept there.

The afternoon was divided between trying another titanocene reaction, columning some old stock contaminated starting material, and brushing up my biochemistry in anticipation of teaching it to my sister next weekend.

The weather is playing some serious tricks on us, changing from blue skies to stormclouds in the space of 20 minutes and then back again. This evening has been beautifully clear. The setting sun falls on the oak opposite our house and makes it glow with a warm radiance that transforms it from an ordinary tree to a thing of beauty, and reminds me how much I like living in my house, and how blessed I am to be able to stay here for another year.