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birdienlBookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. sharing exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they've encountered during the week etc.)
1. Hello everyone, I hope you´re all doing well and enjoying autumn! My life is rather busy and stressfull at the moment (see 2), but here and there I've been finding time to enjoy the beauty of this season, if only during my commute to and from work! Here, have a picture of the view from my livingroom window, it's quite nice if I say so myself!
2. Well, the last few months of my PhD have started. In fact, my original contract would have ended on October 31th, but I got an elongation, so now it ends on January 31th. I´m busy writing, writing, writing down all my findings of the last 4 years into articles and that´s not always easy! Many of you are writing yourself, so you know some days the words will flow from you and some days you spend mostly staring at a blank screen. Those are frustrating days if you´re on a deadline I can tell you!
And, as you know I´m not a native English speaker, so sometimes I struggle with finding the right words as well. One thing I especially ran into lately is when to use ´that´ and when to use ´which´. If anyone of you has a good resource which clearly tells me what the rules for this are, I´d be really happy!
3. Luckily, I can alternate my writing time with time spend behind the microscope (I need lots of pictures to illustrate my findings). I love microscopy, I love how it gives me an insight into how amazingly complex our organs (well, I watch chicken's organs, but you get the idea) are. It's almost like I get to be part of a secret world. Here, have one of my favourite pictures. The bright pink cell is one that I'm studying!
4. In a previous 'Bookish things' post, I told you about my windowsill gardening. I got some tomato seeds from friends and planted them, but it was already rather late (June, I think?), so I was not sure if anything would come of it. But, I'm glad to report, I got a small harvest of tomatoes! I think the sunny weather we've had the last few weeks really helped and the fact that my plants don't have to deal with wet weather. I'm definitely going to try this again next year!
5. Now that the cold season has begun, I started to wish for a rug in my living room. I have a wooden floor and that can feel quite chilly sometimes. So, two weeks ago I bought one and here you can see the result! I was a bit doubtful at first about the colour (too light?), but I'm growing to like it more and more and love how cozy it is.
6. You might know the YouTube channel of CPG Grey, who posts funny and instructive vids about all kinds of subjects. His latest is about English royalty and a real treat to watch IMO. And a question for my fellow period-drama lovers: do you also get most of your knowledge about English royalty from all the movies and series you've watched? Because while I watched this, I was thinking of all my favourite productions that featured these kings and queens!
7. Talking about period drama, I'm enjoying Downton Abbey's last season so much! Only one more regular episode and the Christmas special and it's over.... That's a sad prospect, but I'm happy to say the series really ended on a high, because the writing for this sixth series was very good, much better than series 4 and 5. Dear American friends, you're in for a treat when the series comes your way!
8. Oh, and Doctor Who! I'm really enjoying this season, almost to my own surprise. Since series 5 I've only been so-so about the show, sometimes thinking about giving it up. Then, last year with Peter Capaldi starting as the Doctor, I began to enjoy it more and this series... it's just one great episode after another, I'm thrilled! Anyone else watching?
Oh dear, I just realized there is nothing bookish in this post. Oops.... must try harder next time.
And, as you know I´m not a native English speaker, so sometimes I struggle with finding the right words as well. One thing I especially ran into lately is when to use ´that´ and when to use ´which´. If anyone of you has a good resource which clearly tells me what the rules for this are, I´d be really happy!
3. Luckily, I can alternate my writing time with time spend behind the microscope (I need lots of pictures to illustrate my findings). I love microscopy, I love how it gives me an insight into how amazingly complex our organs (well, I watch chicken's organs, but you get the idea) are. It's almost like I get to be part of a secret world. Here, have one of my favourite pictures. The bright pink cell is one that I'm studying!
4. In a previous 'Bookish things' post, I told you about my windowsill gardening. I got some tomato seeds from friends and planted them, but it was already rather late (June, I think?), so I was not sure if anything would come of it. But, I'm glad to report, I got a small harvest of tomatoes! I think the sunny weather we've had the last few weeks really helped and the fact that my plants don't have to deal with wet weather. I'm definitely going to try this again next year!
5. Now that the cold season has begun, I started to wish for a rug in my living room. I have a wooden floor and that can feel quite chilly sometimes. So, two weeks ago I bought one and here you can see the result! I was a bit doubtful at first about the colour (too light?), but I'm growing to like it more and more and love how cozy it is.
6. You might know the YouTube channel of CPG Grey, who posts funny and instructive vids about all kinds of subjects. His latest is about English royalty and a real treat to watch IMO. And a question for my fellow period-drama lovers: do you also get most of your knowledge about English royalty from all the movies and series you've watched? Because while I watched this, I was thinking of all my favourite productions that featured these kings and queens!
7. Talking about period drama, I'm enjoying Downton Abbey's last season so much! Only one more regular episode and the Christmas special and it's over.... That's a sad prospect, but I'm happy to say the series really ended on a high, because the writing for this sixth series was very good, much better than series 4 and 5. Dear American friends, you're in for a treat when the series comes your way!
8. Oh, and Doctor Who! I'm really enjoying this season, almost to my own surprise. Since series 5 I've only been so-so about the show, sometimes thinking about giving it up. Then, last year with Peter Capaldi starting as the Doctor, I began to enjoy it more and this series... it's just one great episode after another, I'm thrilled! Anyone else watching?
Oh dear, I just realized there is nothing bookish in this post. Oops.... must try harder next time.
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no subject
Date: 2015-11-07 09:14 pm (UTC)Good luck with your paper. this might help,it does not get into the real technical stuff but for the most part it should help
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/which-versus-that-0?page=all
no subject
Date: 2015-11-08 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-07 10:14 pm (UTC)Just finished today's ep of Doctor Who. Loved it. I hope Jenna loved playing Bonnie, because I enjoyed watching it.
Hmm, that vs which. I'm sure I've pondered that before, but I can't give you a rule for using them. Can you give me an example sentence that stumped you?
Ok, I cheated and Googled. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/which-versus-that-0?page=1
no subject
Date: 2015-11-08 03:08 pm (UTC)One of my colleagues, who is also co-author of my paper, gave me my paper back after looking at it and he had changed a lot of 'which' to 'that' and I was like: 'huh, what?'
Thanks, I'll have a good look at that link!
no subject
Date: 2015-11-08 01:23 am (UTC)Best of luck with your last few months! I hope it all goes well for you and you manage to find time to breathe throughout all of the madness!
That is so impressive that you are writing it in your second language! I'm not sure if it would help but I found this resource: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/which-versus-that-0
What a pretty microscopic shot! That is so colorful and amazing!
Yay for your tomatoes!
I love your new rug! It really adds another layer of cosy to the room. :)
Ooh, that sounds like such a neat video channel! I will have to watch it one of these days!
I have not yet caught up on this season of Doctor Who but I imagine I will eventually. My love for the series has really dimmed down the past couple years... :(
no subject
Date: 2015-11-08 01:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-08 07:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-08 07:57 pm (UTC)It's funny, you start to think of the cells under the microscope as actually being that colourful in reality, while ofcourse it's the staining we do and in our (or the chicken's body) they're probably just brownish!
I totally understand your feelings about Doctor Who, so I'm really curious what you think of this series. I just watched episode 8 and I was so impressed, especially by the Doctor's speech. Capaldi does very good impassioned speeches!
no subject
Date: 2015-11-08 11:37 pm (UTC)Oh, that's true! It's kind of like creating artwork then.
Yeah, I am curious too! It's just a matter of finding the time to watch them all now!
no subject
Date: 2015-11-08 03:49 am (UTC)"Which" joins the main clause to the subordinate clause and is almost interchangeable with "that".
For example "The house, which I used to live in, is more modern than the one I live in now."
You can also use "which" to begin a question" WHich way is the station?"
no subject
Date: 2015-12-07 02:09 am (UTC)As for "which" and "that", Grammar Girl is a good place for easy but good explanations :) In this case it's really easy though, if you can leave out the words following the word, it's "which" otherwise it's "that".
And I just realized you posted this a month ago so you probably found out already ;)
no subject
Date: 2015-12-07 12:35 pm (UTC)Yes, I still have to think quite deeply every time I use 'that' or 'which', but I try to remember that rule!