Miles and Moments_20250412

I'm so happy today—I made big progress on my 3D printing experiment! After a 10 km run, a full afternoon in the lab, cooking dinner, and video calls with my family, I’m finally winding down. It’s been a long, full day, and now I’m feeling that good kind of tired.

I didn’t explore a new route on my run today. I stuck with my favorite path along the river. There’s something comforting about it—the familiar trees, blooming flowers, and little animals that always seem to pop up. I’ve come to really love that environment.

While walking along the riverside, I discovered a fascinating plant that I’d never noticed before. It’s called horsetail, or Equisetum. Its tall, slender, jointed stems look like green bamboo or drinking straws. In spring, it grows cone-shaped tips that resemble little flower buds or tiny pinecones. The plant has an almost prehistoric vibe—and for good reason. Equisetum is considered a living fossil, with ancestors that date all the way back to the age of dinosaurs.

Apparently, it also grows in China, but I’d never paid attention to it there. Seeing it here for the first time, in the fresh air of a Belgian spring, really caught my eye. It felt like meeting a new friend from a very old time.