Routine

I love our secret letter game; we play it every time Weng leaves for Southampton. It started out as a spontaneous expression of affection, but now it's evolved into something much more.

It usually involves writing a mushy note and hiding it in the other person's possessions for them to discover later after they've left. It takes a lot of skill because some secret letters have proven too difficult to find, so you have to strike a balance between keeping them entertained and making them wholly annoyed. Timing's always key as well. And finding the time to write the note in the first place is always challenging. Knowing us, we've turned it into a gently competitive game - straining our brains to think of original ways to say 'I love you' while looking for clever hiding places so that they'll discover it at the right moment.

So while I was sad to see him leave this morning, I was thrilled to find a new note tucked away in my jeans' pocket. It's the little things that count.

I'm so glad to be home after what has to be the most disturbingly pointless lab ever. I started out knowing nothing and came out knowing bits and pieces that I don't really understand, would never be able to explain, and will never know how to apply. An honest endeavor to finish the lab on our own turned into a kind of staggered copying chain with people gathering various parts of answers from other groups to take back to their own desk and piece together.

Monday's done.