Robin Heinen

She made me kill it

A couple of years back, Heike and I traveled around the Yucatán Peninsula, with several weeks spent in Mexico, and several in Belize. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the trip. To be honest, the media do not really paint a fantastic picture of Mexico (druglords, kidnappings and the like), although Cancún and PlayaContinue reading “She made me kill it”

I may have to quit…

When I was 18 years old, I worked at an accountancy firm. God, I hated that job. It is where I developed repetitive strain injury, which over time became chronic, and still is my loyal companion today, 16 years later. It is also where I got into the habit of ridiculous coffee consumption. One ofContinue reading “I may have to quit…”

Germany you should – a series (part 4)

Ever since the first time I have driven a vehicle through Germany, there have been a several things that stood at to me as quite remarkable. And I’m not even talking about the highway situation… But seriously though. Sort that shit out. Make a decision. Repair them, or don’t, but choose something. Don’t just startContinue reading “Germany you should – a series (part 4)”

(Un)welcome guests

For people that love cooking as much as we do (and we sure do love cooking!), Germany, or perhaps just Freising, is not fantastic. Herbs here are a big and boring disappointment. I don’t have a clue why, but fresh herbs here (1) are either all parsley, chives or not available, or (2) when theyContinue reading “(Un)welcome guests”

Gift advice from Hugh Jackman

Since a couple of months I have started (again) listening to podcasts. I used to do this a lot, especially before my boy was born. Before then, I often listened while driving, especially while driving alone. Podcasts also accompanied me on walks, during the more braindead parts of my job (watering plants, weighing biomass, etc.Continue reading “Gift advice from Hugh Jackman”

Time will tell

The start of my postdoc position at TUM was not really as I had expected it to be. Most postdoc positions that I was aware of at the time were project positions. In such positions the goals were usually quite clear and I thought that this was somewhat similar to what I was walking into.Continue reading “Time will tell”

I gave up…

Yes, it’s true. I gave up on the daily blog format. That is, I gave up on the 200 word format that I originally came up with. It was a good practice for as long as it lasted. It’s dead now. After about one month of writing 200-word posts every day, I started feeling increasinglyContinue reading “I gave up…”

The Covid-19 hiring hassle…

This pandemic has had a huge impact on many lives over the past year. So many people, including some people close to me, have lost their jobs due to Covid-19. I am in the lucky position to have reasonable job security – at least for the coming few years. My livelihood and family situation areContinue reading “The Covid-19 hiring hassle…”

You have to find pleasure where there is none…

Alright, I’m just gonna say it. Grading student exams sucks donkey balls. It is probably one of my least favourite things to do out of all things academic. It is of course a necessary evil, and therefore it needs to be done, and needs to be done with care and attention. The switch to onlineContinue reading “You have to find pleasure where there is none…”