Everybody's workin' for the weekend

I like to indulge in the simplicities of life.  To me that defines a good weekend--it is nothing extravagant, but it sure is comfortable.  Thank goodness one of the TAs had to go out of town for the weekend so we weren't stuck grading the students' dang fly exam.  So far, these kids are 1 lecture exam, 1 microbe lab exam, 3 lab reports, 6 quizzes, and 1 final away from being completely donzo with this god awful class.  I've dealt with so many panic-stricken kids in the past few weeks, I'm beginning to feel more like a therapist than a teacher.  This class is like no other I've ever taken before and it still amazes me how much they must endure for one measly 5 credit class.  But like I've been telling my kids, any hardship that you go through, this too shall pass.  And it's true.  Come mid-December, we will all wash our hands clean of Genetics 2810.  Hurrah!

Anywho, the weather (surprisingly enough) has been absolutely lovely these past few days.  I hate how my mood tends to reflect the weather patterns here, but I will take any sunny day I can get, honestly.  Sunday has become my favorite day.  I went to lab in the morning to take pictures of my canavanine assay, went to mass and afterward I grabbed a coffee and sat at the Barnes and Noble to read my book.  People watching is great.  I noticed this old husband and wife (presumably so) browsing the $10 section and debating what Elvis cookbook to buy.  Adorable.  Later, I went for a run and ended the afternoon in lab to deconvolute my microscopy images.

This past week, Aaron Ciechanover came to deliver his Racker lecture and then he visited us in our lab.  Apparently, him and Scott go way back and are pretty chummy.  This guy was hilarious and had a lot of charm.  But he did offer some sage advice which I felt was quite apropos since many of us have no idea what we want nor where we're going in life (well, not completely true for everyone, but I will repeat what he said regardless of where you are in your life): "It's important to study and do what you love.  I mean who knows why a banana curves, but there are people who study it because that's what they love." 



Good night.   



I really like that song too.

Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

Things change, but there are just some things that will always remain the same.  You're so right, my friend, so right.  Whenever I reflect on my past, I always envision myself as this child peeking into a window and through this window are my memories, but this child-like version of myself can't enter this fortress which houses those precious memories, though try as she might.  One mustn't strive to live in a fortress forever because there's beauty and life that exists beyond those walls.  Anyways, I hope everything turns out alright for you, though I know it will no matter what the outcome may be.
 

This was such a productive and fulfilling weekend.  I spotted these enormous marshmallows at Wegmans today and had to buy them because they thoroughly amused me.  Here's a photo to give you some perspective on the sheer magnitude of these monsters.  Spook-tacular, yes?   

And now, I leave you with a song...



Happy Halloween!

Bermuda, Bahama, Come on pretty mama!

I just purchased my tickets to go home!  Wheeeee--I can't wait to leave this place.  See you all so very soon!



December 23-January 4. 

Tomorrow never felt longer, but soon...

Abstract Pumpkins

Some friends and I went on an "art trail" which is basically where local artists showcase their work in their studios and homes.  My favorite artist was this retired physicist who painted with watercolors and gardened during his spare time.

Impressive, no?  I give him props since watercolors are so difficult to manipulate.  I'd like to think that when I retire, I'll do the same: paint and garden.

Despite the chilly temperatures, October through December are definitely my favorite months of the year.  I went pumpkin carving today.  It was good fun, though needless to say, I don't think I should make a career out of this. 

Pitiful.  I'm not sure where I was going here.  I wanted to put glasses on this fellah, but then one thing lead to another and somehow I ended up with a hybrid of Salvador Dalí and a tiger/bear of some sort.  Oh, well, it's..."abstract art."   

The next time somebody extracts DNA, won't he/she be in for a surprise, eh? 

Dance Your Ph.D!

There's this contest that Science (yeah, this is totally legit!) is having where contestants are asked to create an interpretive dance of their Ph.D. research thesis.  Check out my friends' video about human protein phosphatase.  Woop woop...they made it to the finals!

Contestant vids

Cornell's very own

These vids are pretty dang good.  Feast your eyes!

Ugh...there are some obnoxious, drunk undergrads singing Britney Spears outside my window now.  She had some good hits, but come on, let go!  Sometimes the convenience of living so close to lab doesn't compensate for the raucous bar noise that spills into the streets and into my window.  I've contemplated moving so many times, but I've already grown accustomed to the walls of my small, studio apartment and so I renewed my lease.  I imagine I'll live in the same apartment for the next 3 years or at least until I grow tired of it all and finally muster up the energy to just move already.

Anyways, I love Django Reinhardt...well, all manouche jazz really, especially during the autumn season.  Ain't nothin' like a mug of tea, some oatmeal, and Django on a cold, Friday night.  Here are some favorites:






It feels like fall now...

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.