a few thoughts

I've got lots of homework to catch up on before I leave on my next interview (Wednesday night already! yikes!) so I thought I'd procrastinate for a few minutes and post some of the highlights of the past week... anything to put off tackling my huge neurobio take-home exam.

• I just made my flight to MI, but it was close, due to yucky road conditions. Ten minutes later and I probably would have been closed out of the flight... boarding began less than a minute after I made it to the gate! (I did make it, though. Jen is awesome.)
• Leaving your wallet at the restaurant on the first night in town is pretty stupid. It's not so bad, though, when you actually remember the name of the restaurant (or at least recognize the logo in the yellow pages,) call them and learn that they already found it, and know a guy in town who will drive you out to collect it again. Marc is also awesome.
• Interview weekends are fun. Meeting the other program candidates was really cool, even though we're technically competing for a limited number of spots. It's neat to talk to budding young scientists about their work and their goals. Same goes for the grad students and post-docs, whom I saw a lot more of this time.
• Professors are the most fun to talk to when you probably won't end up in their lab, but are interested in hearing about their work anyway. It's slightly more stressful to talk to someone whose lab you'd like to work in but aren't specifically passionate about. I'm sure there's an entirely different category for the amount of pressure that builds up when you talk to someone with whom you are desperate to work... but as nice as it would be to feel very strongly about my future in a particular lab, it's at least equally nice not to have to deal with that angle. We'll see what next weekend holds...
• Early flight cancellation+not knowing how I'm getting back to Gambier+lost luggage+missing an important event for a friend+an 18 hour day=kind of crummy. On the bright side, I slept very well last night, my friend is very forgiving (and maybe has a recording of his recital, hint hint?), my luggage has since arrived, I got a free taxi voucher to get back to campus (actually saving $20) and in general things are looking up. Yay for having my digital camera back (and I will post those limo pictures!) not to mention my toothbrush!
• MIKE IS COMING TO VISIT! AND I GET TO KEEP HIM FOR A WHOLE WEEK! If you see me between Tuesday, March 22 and Tuesday, March 29 and I have a big stupid grin on my face, now you know why. There will be dancing, and merriment, and MUCH rejoicing.

So much for a quick recap! Now I have to sequester myself with this exam and try to finish it before class at 9:40 tomorrow. Whee!

The most astounding week of my life

there's an important caveat to the title: "so far, anyway!"

Where to begin? Hmmm... Not much happened until Wednesday. In the first half of the week I got started on my HPLC work in the lab, running standards and learning how to work the instruments, and began preparing for my actual protein analyses, which start as early as next week. I wrote two paper proposals and didn't get enough sleep. Pretty normal week, overall.

So, Wednesday...

I went to the post office and checked my box. Inside was an important letter regarding an opportunity that I had all but relegated as a lost cause. I opened the other letters first, steeling myself for confirmation from IIE that my Fulbright application had been read, assessed, and finally rejected. At last that beast would be laid to rest, and I'd move on with my life. Right... it's a bit too thick to be a rejection letter, though. No, I shouldn't start thinking along those lines. I've known this was coming, and to get my hopes up all over again is to start a rollercoaster ride that I don't have time for right now. It's time to know.

So I opened it. riiiiiiiip...

I've made it past the national stage and on to the international review board. Somewhere in Germany, my proposal is being read. Pending their approval and the presidentially-appointed board's final decision, I could be on my way next year. My heart skipped a few beats, of course... Back on the rollercoaster, hold on for dear life!

So then Thursday. I'm heading out of town shortly after my latest class, flying to Indiana for my first grad school interview. My ride doesn't e-mail me back to verify departure time and location, and a phone call reveals that she'd forgotten all about it, or hadn't gotten my 2 or 3 e-mails. Yeesh. A close one. A few short hours later, I finish my frantic packing with all of two minutes to spare, and we take off. A couple of turnarounds were required to get our bearings, but we made it in time for me to waltz right onto the already boarding plane. One more missed turn and I could have missed the flight entirely, although I marvel about how easy and leisurely my stroll through the airport was. Not having to sit around and wait to board is downright delicious. Not that I'd aim for that every time... but it's nice.

So the flights are uneventful. Stopover in Detroit (which has a very nice airport) just long enough to grab dinner. My luggage made it, and I go to meet my ride. Now, in my interview invitation they said something about a Limosine service. I figured it was a fancy synonym for slightly upscale car service... um. Black. Stretch. Leather interior. The works. I have pictures... can't put them up until I get back to campus since the hotel wireless is too cagey... oh yes, did I mention the hotel? The private room? Amazing.

So today... I talked with a whole bunch of faculty members, and students (grad and undergrad) working in various labs. Overall impression is highly favorable. I could see myself working here and being quite happy doing so. It's nice to have some reassurance that among my dwindling list of schools, I have at least one very strong option. We'll see how the rest of my life falls into place...

It's going to be a wild ride.

Phling is Phlung!

And I have the photos to prove it! This year's theme was "A Night at Gatsby's," and totally classy. (Okay, a huge portion of the attendees were rather smashed, but other than that it was a great time!)

First a nice dinner at Ruby Tuesday's in town:


The dinner crew


The dinner crew from the other side


Roomies

Then some photo-ops back at our room:


Bosom buddies


Rachel & Angela in front of my awesome brain poster


Rachel & Uri looking very cute

And upstairs in the lounge:


Rachel & Uri again


how sweet! (can you tell they're newleyweds?)


Self-portrait... they always turn out rather hideous, unfortunately.


The whole lovely group... me, Angela, Rachel, Uri, Jen, & Marc


Awww...


Roommates


How very dashing!


What a great angle, guys.

And then, off to the dance itself:


I call it "Friends descending a staircase"


Me with "twinkletoes" aka the fabulous dancing Stu


A handsome couple


Gil - what a cutie!


Gil and Celeste looking darn sexy


Emily & Gil


The lovely Bethany made her own dress


Gil & Bethany


Allison & Frankie, looking good


This is what happens when you tell Ife to "look photogenic!"


Gil & Megan


Kate, looking great!

And then off to the casino to win some raffle tickets:


Ex-roomies! Grace & I


You gotta know when to hold 'em...


... know when to fold 'em!

Maybe I'll win a bad DVD or another hot pot! Yay!