Zoom zoom

Mom's asleep and I don't want to turn on the telly and wake her.  I escaped to my bathroom to read my book, but my back aches now from leaning against the door so I started perusing my old photos more out of boredom than anything else.

Hard to believe these were taken exactly 2 years ago when we (Mavis and the gang) embarked on our journey to CHESS.  And now...I live here.  Yowzahs, the mind does reel.  I'm finding that I'm having trouble distinguishing between years.  Sometimes 2 or 3 years ago feel like just weeks ago...days even.  But I suppose that's the nature of the beast--the beast being time.  Yesterday commingles with tomorrow and pretty soon your life is just one big stew.  Hopefully there will be some tasty bits in there though.

I tend to organize much of the music I listen to in an autobiographical manner so Andrew Bird is a good throwback to 2009. 

Tomorrow, I'm planning on taking my mom out for waffles and ice-cream.  There's a Friends of the Library book sale so maybe we'll check that out, but I know she's been itching to see Contagion. 

Have a lovely weekend, my friends.

Apples, but no apples!

I went to Ithaca's Apple Fest yesterday and today and contrary to what the name may suggest, there was surprisingly not an abundance of apples or apple baked goods.  Needless to say, there was still a lot of tasty, albeit heart attack-inducing, treats to choose from.    

My friends and I petted some goats.  Aren't they adorable?  They remind me of my pet goat I had as a kid which to my horror we later had for dinner at a party.  We're savages, I know.     

Temperatures dropped to the low 40s over the weekend and there's talk that we might receive our first snowfall.  My mom's coming to town this week so hopefully we won't get any of that terrible weather.  Fingers will be crossed.  I am so not mentally prepared for another 7 months of cold.  Snow is overrated.

Been listening to a lot of Motown recently.  I think this has to be my favorite genre of music because most every song tends to have this sunny, animated beat even if the song is about heartbreak.   

A Day in the Life

In case you were wildly curious about where I spend my time these days...

This is looking down 4 stories.

Our break room.

Lab and my workbench.

My very messy desk.

We actually have windows!

And of course, Herbert Eggbert, my plant.  It still amazes me that I've kept him alive for this long.

The Windmills of Your Mind

I've never been a proponent of change and yet ironically enough, autumn, the quintessence of transition, is my favorite season.  While I may whine and complain about Ithaca (yes, too much I know), I do love fall here and being engulfed in color--the reds, oranges, yellows, all of it. 

A friend of mine expressed her concerns over losing touch with people.  Communication between friends sometimes wanes over time because life just happens.  I used to lapse into these horrible bouts of depression because I missed people and my life when things seemed simpler.  I'd smile, but I was really a facade of what I was--happy.  I would live in a yesterday.  Nothing could compare to Florida (and perhaps nothing ever will to me), but the truth is, you (and myself as well) have to keep moving forward.  Let the proverbial tide carry you to shore and when it gets really tough just hold on because tomorrow is in the palm of your hand.  Maybe months and years will go by and saying "hello" after the silence will seem strange, but that's alright.  I'll still be here.

I really like this cover of "Hey Jude."  I tend to listen to a lot of Beatles (more notably "Hey Jude) when I'm feeling nostalgic for Jeanne's pre-Ithaca era.  I'm actually not very fond of the "na nas" at the end of the song, but the melody leading up to the end is my favorite.
   
    

Weddings, museums, and Homecoming...

One of my lab mates recently got hitched.

 Somebody took lead, while we all followed...

 I don't care much for extravagant weddings, but if I were to ever get married, as long as I had a tasty cake and a rockin' playlist to dance to, I think happily ever after my love and I would be. 

 

Here is an Emr lab family portrait.  Well, half of the Emr lab family at least.  There's my boss featured in the center.

 After spending the morning doing tetrad dissections, my lab friends and I decided to visit the Museum of the Earth.  They had quite the spread of fake dinosaur bones.  Not to mention my favorite exhibit:

...the "Ancient" plants (courtesy of our local grocery store, Wegmans).




After returning to work, we were greeted by a throng of screaming Cornell football fans.

Though we came purely for the gallimaufry of free goods (shirts, food, stickers, food, etc).  Oh, the food!  "Free" anything meant gluttony never felt so good.  The life of a starving grad student ain't too shabby sometimes.

Moon Festival was also this week, but because I was almost trampled to death from reaching out to grab a sliver of moon cake), I couldn't take any photos.  The mad rush for a meager 2 inch by 2 inch slice of moon cake was the equivalent of your Black Friday. 

 Overall, not a bad weekend...

 

Sunshine on a cloudy day

I like to listen to The Temptations when I get to work in the morning.  More often than not, I'll catch a nice sunrise like today.

Doodles

When I was about 9, I had a Bob Ross paint set.  My "happy trees" are still hanging on the walls of my parents' office.  Here are a couple sketches I did recently.