When I arrived in lab this afternoon, there was a centimeter of water on the floor, the windows were steamed up, and it felt like a sauna. Pete and Anshul had been in lab since this morning and told me that when they arrived there was twice as much water on the floor. They spent hours mopping everything up with a campus security officer and moving boxes off the floor. A hot water pipe seems to have burst and is still leaking; it's a mixed blessing because it's cold and snowy outside but it feels like an indoor swimming pool in here. We're considering charging admission, as I know at least several students with no source of heat whatsoever in their flat.
On Wednesday evening last week a massive earthquake hit Fiordland in the South Island of New Zealand, triggering landslides and some damage in the ski resort of Queenstown. When the quake hit I was in my room changing. I came out and my flatmates Nick and Estel exclaimed that they had just felt an earthquake. I was sure they were pulling my leg. But later that night it was on the 10:30 news. Since they had been sitting down on the couch they had felt it, but since I was standing up I didn't feel a thing. I was pretty disappointed I missed my first earthquake ever.
On Saturday Kyle and I reported for duty as usual at the Habitat House. Last week we erected the wall frames so it is starting to look like a genuine house. This week we adjusted and reinforced the frames in their precise positions. The roof will be going on soon! Also on Saturday evening I submitted my medical school application to AMCAS, the online common application service. It was tempting to celebrate, but I realized that I've only just started the whole process since I still have secondary applications and interviews ahead. This morning (Sunday) I went for a longish run in preparation for the Dunedin Half-Marathon in September. Completing this race would be a minor miracle after my three knee surgeries. This afternoon I drove out on the peninsula with flatmate Nick. I showed him Sandymount, the Chasm, and Lover's Leap, which all remain beautiful despite the winter chill.
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