Two weeks

In two weeks from right now, my sister will be here!...to visit ME!...NOT to sightsee! I'm so excited! I love my sister very much, and I wish we lived a little closer so that we can hang out more.

Two weeks! Let the countdown begin!

In my next life...

I want to come back as an Alvin Ailey dancer.

I say this a lot - "In my next life...". I'm not sure if I really believe in reincarnation (and this will not turn into a crazy philosophical blog), but I would like to believe that everything exists in continuum and that when we die we don't really cease to exist, but that our spirit lives on to try new things. (This probably stems from the fact that there are so many things I want to try and do in life that can't possibly fit into the 90 or so years that I've currently been given). Okay, that said, in my next life (as of today at least) I want to come back as an Alvin Ailey dancer.

We went to see Alvin Ailey perform in Berkeley last night and it was just amazing! I have seen them perform at least 3 times, but this one was my absolute favorite. I loved every piece, and throughout the show, I just wanted to get up and dance with them. I was literally still bouncing with energy, love, and happiness when I arrived home at midnight (and to be honest, even today).

So, bottom line... if you have a chance to see the Alvin Ailey company perform, do so, and you, too, will want to come back as an Alvin Ailey dancer. I guarantee it!

I am so excited....

I spent the summer in a parasite lab course on Cape Cod. It was amazing for many reasons, but some of the biggest things I took away from it were a renewed sense of interest in my PhD project (and science in general) - this is especially big since I was really starting to doubt what the hell I was doing in science, a new sense of independence, and a new sense of ownership about my project and the direction it would/should go. Previously, I and my PI (my academic mentor/advisor) had focused mostly on genetic manipulation and analysis - often with frustrating results. (I mean trying to do genetics in an organism that is not really genetically tractible is just asking to bang your head against the wall). Over the summer I decided that biochemistry was really the way to go. I told my PI this when I came back and she made some polite noises, but didn't really get it. Now, after going to a meeting in Mexico, she is convinced that we need to ditch the genetics and pursue the biochemistry. All I can say is ... thank goodness! I don't know why she couldn't have seen this in August, but I am glad that she has finally seen the light! (I do hope she recognized that it was my idea to begin with, hmmm...). So hopefully, this new path will lead the way to exciting data and to graduation (well in 2 years anyway).

Woo-hoo!

Huh?

I got carded when buying Nyquil at Target.

I did not get carded when I bought a bottle of wine at Safeway....on the same day!

Again, I say....Huh?