The Countdown is On!

Things here are, sadly, winding down. I am sad to leave, but also really excited to go home and see Josh!!! And Rufus. And mexican food. And The Spice. And The Cafe since they have a good menu now! :)

My dissertation proposal is getting close to being finalized - woo hoo! That was the main goal for coming out here. I think it's a solid set of studies. I should be able to propose in August.

Johan and I have continued looking at the data from the pilot study. There's actually some really interesting stuff in there. And we got a behavioral measure to work! Amazing! I think we're going to run a follow-up study at ISU, and try to submit the paper somewhere later this year.

Other than that, nothing exciting going on. I leave for Amsterdam on Wednesday morning, and fly out on Thursday. I'm staying at a fun hotel near the airport - citizenM - so I don't have to leave really early on Thursday morning to make my flight.

I get into Chicago around 1:30, and into Des Moines a little after 4:00. It will be so nice to use my iPhone again!! I am going through withdrawal!! I see everyone's iPhones here and I miss mine so much!

Amsterdam trip pictures

Canal boat tour

Streets of Amsterdam

Update on experiment

I've talked to some of you about this already, but it SEEMED like the experiment was a disaster. BUT....we did some different analyses today, and it's quite interesting. I'm working on the simple slopes analyses. Hopefully they will turn out well!! Keep your fingers crossed -- we might be on to something! :)

Pictures from the trip to Belgium

I've posted these pics on Facebook, and here are the links...let me know if they don't work! To see the pictures in full size, just click on a picture. If you press the -> key, you can advance to the next picture [or you can also just click next].

Enjoy! :)

Hotel in Brussels

Ghent

Bruges

Leaving Bruges

Brussels from the tour bus

Trip to Belgium this weekend

Haven't posted much lately. I've been working on revisions to a paper, data analysis, and some other stuff. In good news, it looks like I'll have data from 60 participants by the end of the day tomorrow, so we can see how everything went!

I'm leaving Friday for a weekend trip to Belgium! I'm staying in this hotel in Brussels [be sure to watch the slideshow with the pictures of the atrium on the opening page!]:

http://www.radissonblu.com/royalhotel-brussels

And I will be doing this tour of Ghent and Bruges:

http://www.viator.com/tours/Brussels/Ghent-and-Bruges-Day-Trip-from-Brussels/d458-2200DEB02

based on 63 reviews

Duration: 9.5 hours (approx.)

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Discover two of Flanders' special gems on a full day trip to Ghent and Bruges. No visit to Belgium is complete without a visit to these two beautiful cities, just a short drive from Brussels.

After a one-hour drive through the scenic Belgium countryside you'll arrive in Ghent. Here you will visit the St. Bavo Cathedral, home of the world-famous "Mystic Lamb" painting (optional, closed on Sunday).

During your city tour of Ghent you will see important buildings from the Middle Ages, such as the Belfry, the St. Nicolas Church and the Castle of the Counts of Flanders.

Next, while driving through the Flemish countryside to Bruges, you can hear an audio history of Flanders, Ghent and Bruges via headphones. Upon arrival in Bruges, you'll visit the Lake of Love (Minnewater) and the Beguinage (convent). Take advantage of some free time to enjoy lunch (not included) before you start a walking tour to discover: Our Lady Church with a statue by Michelangelo, the Market Square with the Belfry, and the Town Hall Square (Burg) with the Chapel of the Holy Blood.

After the walking tour you can take an optional boat cruise along the canals. You will depart Bruges at approximately 6:30pm.

Pictures

Here are some pictures of where I live. I apologize that a fair number of them are sideways...I didn't realize I wouldn't be able to flip them when posting them. And some of them are kind of dark... :(

Starting in the kitchen: Fritz's Cookie Monster food bowl


Very nice stove


Kitchen cabinets, standing near patio door


Kitchen patio [there are 4 patios]. There are some big bamboo posts on the deck...they are working on building a canopy.


Back inside - Fritz!


Stove from other side


More kitchen cabinets


Patio off of dining room


Fireplace and mirror in dining room


Built-in shelves with Arnold's CDs in dining room

Dining room from standing in the living room

Dining room from further away


Built-ins in the living room


More built-ins


Patio off of living room


Couches in living room


Dark, but you can see the big window in the living room

Stairs leading to the front door

Downstairs - Arnold's office


Bottom of stairs to the third floor


More stairs

We've made it to the top! :)


Extra room, ironing room, third floor


Skylight, looking into extra room from the bathroom


Nice sinks in the bathroom


Glass-enclosed stand-alone shower


Awesome tub!!!


Bathroom from the doorway


More from my bedroom window


Bedroom window view


Looking straight down from my window

No blow dryer = this hair do

I guess it's kind of hard to see...but I've got my sides pulled back. It might become an everyday look if the blow dryer keeps acting up!!!!!!!!!!!