Monday, September 18th

I feel itchy, I have felt very itchy ever since I walked in the front door and L told me that big dog had arrived back at the house but unfortunately has fleas. Big dog + house has been treated so it is highly unlikely I have more than a psychological itch. I did say hopefully "oh but I thought you said you would not keep her if she had fleas". Big dog will stay here and I am back to guilt runs again (e.g., tomorrow evening, have not been for 3 days).
Played tennis with grad student this evening. He enjoyed it a lot, I thought it was OK. Got a bit of a shock when he was so enthousiastic he wanted to play again this week ( I mean I like winning 6:1/6:0 but once a week, or a month, is enough). Tomorrow I have my tennis try-out at 11 am (horrible time, have a lot to do..). Am looking forward to that. Tomorrow I also get my IRB back the IRB person e-mailed me today (very kind of her, she realized I am worried). I have instructed my research assistant to work on the questionnaire and piece everything together. I did that because they are supposed to take work off my hands and learn this, but to be quite honest, I prefer to do it myself. Perhaps I should, she kept saying, should I change this. And I kept saying "NO, don't change anything" but what if she does and I don't realize. Student supervision is difficult, I never know whether i am doing it right, and they sit there looking so serious I keep thinking I am boring them and then I explain (too) quickly and then I worry whether they have understood my explanations.
No supervision tomorrow, just (hopefully) IRB work and my stats course. Hope to hear back from J, realized problem with phrasing of one of the main scales of the experiment. It was also inconsistent. Potentially I should be able to solve these problems myself but when it concerns important scales, and it means deviating from the phrasing of this standard scale, I don't have the nerve to decide that on my own. Am I being too dependent, or am I being sensible? Or will he send me back to Leiden as soon as he gets back because he is so fed up with me :-))
Apparently L sent him an e-mail about his overhanging trees (they have all started hanging, probably missing him). He said to go ahead and cut them down if they were hanging into her property and causing damage. At which she sent an e-mail back saying that the only damage had been to me because I backed the car into it. And I had already mentioned to J that the only accidents I ever have in cars is backing into things. he may have had a bit of a giggle at that one... I don;t giggle though, I can't listen to the radio anymore, poor me - and I have to change my cds at incredible speed because the radio comes on (and antenna goes up) whenever I do this. L's friend has offered to mend it this weekend, now I really have to get baking with some Dutch cakes (because I can't cook them I decided to make the ever famous and delicious "Tanhouse biscuits" instead - just need to ask my mother for the recipe.
Time to switch to the TV screen again....