| The Friday Five on a Saturday |
[20260221|20:45]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
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When did you last…
- Scrounge for change (couch, ashtray, etc.) to make a purchase?
I honestly can't remember. So many places are cashless now that I often don't carry any. It must have been pre-Covid.
- Visit a dentist?
Five months ago. My next clean is in March.
- Make a needed change to your life?
The most significant recent change was changing to a gym I actually want to use, at the start of the year. I really needed that. I feel so much healthier.
- Decide on a complete menu well in advance of the evening meal?
Most nights, tonight included. We have to plan because of the kids. Most days we eat breakfast and supper at home as a family because we have the luxury of schedules that allow us to do so.
- Spend part of the day (other than daily hygiene) totally/mostly naked?
No idea. I hardly ever do this. It's flippin’ cold here most of the time. For those who say the UK temperatures are mild, okay, maybe to you, but I spent most of my life in the tropics before I moved here and I wasn't wandering around naked there either.
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| Conversations with my father |
[20260206|01:17]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
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[phone rings in my hotel room]
Me: “Hello?”
Concierge, sounding very uncertain and slightly bemused: “Um, hello, is that Nanila, who just checked in with us today?”
Me: “Yes, that’s correct.”
Concierge: “Um…I have a gentleman on the line who would like to speak to you. I…I think he’s your father? I’m so sorry, I’m really not sure.”
Me, chuckling: “That sounds like him. Did he say his name was [Firstname Lastname]?”
Concierge: “I couldn’t understand him when he said his name. I think it’s my phone line.”
Me, drily: “Please don’t be sorry. That will be one of two things: his accent, or he hasn’t got his teeth in.”
Concierge, now relaxing a bit and giggling: “Would you like me to put him through?”
Me: “Please do, thank you.”
*pause*
Me: “Hi Dad, how are you doing?”
Dad: “I tried to call you but I kept getting the prison! Where are you? Are you in XX hotel?!”
Me, patiently: “Yes, Dad, I’m in the hotel.”
Dad: “What room are you in? I need to write it down. Are you sure? Are you okay?”
Me: “Dad. I’m in Room NN. I am fine. And if this is the prison then it’s had a tremendous facilities upgrade.”
Dad: “Oh, okay. Was the traffic awful? Are you very tired? When do you want to meet for dinner? Should we go to the sushi place? Do you remember the sushi place? I need to put my teeth in!”
Me: “Yes, yes, whenever you want to eat, yes, yes, and yes, you do.”
For anyone who has met me in person and has thought to themselves, “This woman has no idea how to hold a conversation like a normal human being,” this is 100% where I got it from. Thanks, Dad. |
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| 1SE for January 2026 |
[20260201|10:35]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
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I went a few days of January without taking videos, apart from when it was snowing or I was on travel, which wasn't very frequently. Consequently there are a lot of cats as well as a few of Humuhumu's drawings. |
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| The Friday Five on a Saturday |
[20260131|18:57]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
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Rejoice, friends, for it is finally the 185th of January, the last day of the month.
How many times a day do you . . .
- Brush your teeth?
Two, morning and evening. Also, before going to the gym, which is a weird quirk I've never bothered to unpack.
- Shower?
Once. Twice if I go to the gym.
- Check your E-mail?
I do not want to count. Near-continuously from waking until bedtime. I cannot keep up with it. It doesn't help that I have work email from two different institutions and multiple personal email addresses.
- Check LJ? (or DW?)
It depends on the week. In non-teaching weeks and during holidays, I can usually read through both once a day. During term time, I do all my f-list / circle catchup at the weekends.
There are exceptions: camping holidays in remote parts of Wales result in zero signal, and grant proposal submission deadlines result in zero personal bandwidth.
- Eat?
I usually have two or three meals a day: just after waking, around noon (if I don't have back to back meetings all day), and late afternoon or evening depending on children's activities and exercise classes. If I have the latter, I'll sometimes eat quite late.
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| The Friday Five on a Saturday |
[20260124|15:41]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
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- What type of hair do you have? (Thin, Normal, Thick, Frizzy, etc.)
Thick, fine, and wavy. There is a lot of it and it grows very fast.
- What color is your hair currently?
Starting from my scalp, the first 5 inches are my natural salt and pepper, which I quite like. Then there are a couple of inches of very faded blue. Then there are another 7 or 8 inches of stripped brassy blonde, from when I was dyeing it at home and then stopped because we redecorated the bathroom and I don't want to mess it up. I mostly wear my hair clipped up or in a tight bun right now. As you may have spotted, I have thus far failed at my new year's resolution to find a new hairdresser.
- What colors have you dyed/highlighted your hair?
Black, brown, red, green, blue and purple. When I had dreadlocks, I often had synthetics woven in in bright colours.
- If you could dye your hair any color, what would it be?
L'Oréal Blue Mercury is my current favourite.
- What is your hair's length?
It's down to my shoulder blade, which is longer than I'd like it to be. I prefer it closer to the tops of my shoulders.
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| The Friday Five on a Saturday |
[20260117|16:22]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
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- If you could change one life-changing event in the life of someone important to you, would you?
I know there's a philosophy that experiences make you who you are and you shouldn't wish them away, but I have a few friends who have been through what I feel is a disproportionate and unfair amount of tragedy in their lives. Partner suicide, early death of parents, sudden loss of physical health, financial hardship, homelessness. I don't think any one person should have to go through all of those before the age of thirty. And yet. Here we are. So yes, I absolutely would change that for certain people if I could.
- Which do you think is easier to do, being friends for many years, or being life partners for many years?
Uh, neither? Both take work! You have to listen and try to empathise and forgive and communicate. All relationships require effort, and if they don't, someone is being used.
- Have you ever walked away from someone you considered a friend?
Yes. It's not very pleasant. But occasionally necessary for the sake of self-preservation.
- If you had to choose between telling the truth and hurting a friend or lying and making them happy, which would you choose?
Barring a handful of exceptional circumstances, most of which involve an immediate threat to life, lying and making them happy. Life is difficult enough without intentionally causing pain.
- Which would you rather hear--the truth which will hurt, or the comforting lie?
The comforting lie, if it comes to that. I'd hope it wouldn't, most of the time. I'd like to believe that truths can be delivered kindly, most of the time.
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| The Friday Five on a Sunday |
[20260111|22:21]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
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- Do you have a favourite cause that you support?
I support multiple causes through charitable donations, but one of the most important to me is the Abortion Support Network, which does exactly what it says on the tin: It helps people in the UK and Europe to get abortions, particularly those who live in areas with restrictive laws.
- If so, how do you support it?
I give them as much money per month as I can. When they have fundraising drives, I donate more. When they ask for comments they can use in their promotional materials, I provide as much detail as I can.
- Have you been an active member of an organization (attending meetings, volunteering, etc)?
Yes. I was a school governor for a while, and I’ve also volunteered for Parkrun, as well as other charitable organisations.
- Have you ever led any group?
No, I’ve never had the capacity with either full-time work or academic study to lead a volunteer group.
- If so, how was your experience with it?
See above. I’m sure I’d find it very fulfilling, but it’ll have to wait until I retire (or go part-time).
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| Snow, but no Snow Day |
[20260109|20:28]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
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Remember how I was being salty about our lack of "significant" snow? Well, it all arrived at once last night. We got hammered. The picture is my view as I stepped off what would transpire was the final service to arrive at my home station last night. All the trains were cancelled today.
However, the children were furious this morning because despite the high school and the other middle school in the area being closed, their school was...open. And, cruel parents that we are, we made them attend. A third to half of their classes were missing, some of whom we know live within walking distance of the school. (Our children don't.)
I'm not sure how long we can expect to be in the doghouse, but I suspect it's going to take more than a packet of Haribo to get them to forgive us. |
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| Book fortune-telling meme |
[20260105|15:08]
Mad Scientess Jane Expat
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via antisoppist
- Grab the nearest book.
- Turn to page 126
- The 6th full sentence is your life in 2026.
The first book nearest me is Metallurgical Assessment of Spacecraft Materials and Parts by Barrie D. Dunn (1996).
The sentence is: "Special fibres giving more options in strength, stiffness, light weight, and endurance against heat have been developed (Klein 1988)."
The chapter containing it discusses composite materials and ways to control their properties. The thing that makes me happiest about that particular sentence is the use of the Oxford comma.
The second book nearest me is The political diaries of a chief whip by Simon Hart (2025).
The sentence is: "It feels like authority is ebbing with every hour."
The chapter containing it is titled "April 2021-January 2022" and I think we probably all remember painfully well the fiasco that was the handling of pandemic restrictions to which this sentence clearly relates.
Cue hollow laughter as I realise the sentence is applicable to both work and home life. Particularly with a teenager and a tweenager incessantly challenging boundaries. |
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