Seeking shade

It's been hot the last couple of days, with frequent thunderstorms and rain showers.

By the way, I think the French word for thunderstorm - orage - is much more onomatopoeic than the English one, or even the German one (i.e. Gewitter). Doesn't "orage" make you just see the rolling clouds?

The thunderstorm on Monday evening was violent enough to knock out the ventilation and the GRCs (Gas Reaction Columns - those sit behind the experiments and burn the toxic gases before venting them to the atmosphere) in the lab. Which was bad, because the GRCs like to be kept at their operating temperature (around 550 Centigrade), and react badly to cooling down. One of them promptly died, and now poor Marina (she of the probe-killer fame) can't do any experiments. Poetic justice, I would say, but I don't, because I am a nice guy. Heh.


The sheep of the EPFL have been surrounding the CRPP lately - I remain to be convinced of their benevolent intentions - but in the midday sun they are seeking whatever shade they can get.

I thought I had written about them before, but a cursory check right now told me I haven't. So here is the deal: The EPFL is full of sheep. Other than the students, I mean. Of the four-legged, not-drunk variety. Ostensibly they are there to keep the grass down, but I have my suspicions. Their ring around the CRPP has been drawing closer each day, and nobody except me seems to notice their belligerent expressions. Their cold eyes stare at me when I ride my bike to the CRPP in the morning, and in the evening I can feel them eying my back. Sometimes, I think they talk to each other, but when I draw near they just say "bahh".

My girlfriend thinks they are cute and wants to come on the weekend and pet them. I can't shake the feeling they are counting on this...