I have been working as a sort of freelance webmaster at the Dark Cosmology Centre for a couple of years now. But as the amount of work varies a lot and I like to spend money, I have been on the lookout for an additional job for some time. A couple of weeks ago two job opportunities suddenly presented themselves to me and I accepted them both without hesitation. So now I suddenly find myself having three jobs.

The first of my new jobs is just an ordinary secretary-like adminstrative job at the Dark Cosmology Centre.

The second one is much more interesting. The Niels Bohr Institue (NBI) is about to launch an almanac on their home page with daily updates about when the Sun and Moon rise/set and what you can see on the night sky. They needed a student to write these daily updates and asked me if I wanted to do it (they had apparently heard good stuff about me ). I like that job. I get to write about astronomy and I can – within reasonable limits – write what I want. Also, a part of what I write will be broadcasted on huge plasma screens all over NBI.

In 2008 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) will arrange an symposium dedicated to Bengt Strömgren’s one-hundredth anniversary. Via my job at the Dark Cosmology Centre I was hired to do some work on the web-site of the event. My biggest assignment was to create a script to handle grant applications. The script gathers information about the applicant from a simple html form and creates a pdf-file which is both shown in the browser, e-mailed to the applicant and saved on the server. I have never worked with the pdf-functions in php before, but I think it turned out all right. So did the people in IAU. In fact, they asked me if I would give them the code behind the script along with a manual so that they could use it for all their future meetings! I happily did, of course. My work is now being used by a cool, international organisation – whoa!

About a couple of months ago I was hanging around at the Niels Bohr Institute and I accidentally heard a rumour that The Dark Cosmology Centre might soon be looking for a student helper. Without hesitation I hurried upstairs to the office of the centre’s head of communication, and five minutes later I found myself in the middle of a job interview. Apparently they would soon be needing someone to help them with their web pages, so I tried to convince them that I was their girl. I think I did it pretty good. Well, today they called me in to tell me I got the job. Hurray!

I will be making web pages for special occasions (yearly events, anniversaries, conferences, etc.). I will start by making a page for The Internal Year of Astronomy 2009. I don’t really know any details about the work I’ll be doing yet, but I am so looking forward to be working with something relevant to my studies. Also, I will be getting my own (shared) office with a desk and computer and everything. In one of the university’s buildings, mark you. I am so happy!