So I'm waiting patiently for a the solvent to run through a column(!) so I can load it and leave it alone for a little bit while the sample runs through, so I figured it was now the best time to put together this year-in-review-in-detail that I've been mentioning for the last few days.
2010, as I mentioned in my Xmas family letter that was sent to all of the guests on our wedding list, was pretty dang good overall. We're (relatively) happy, we're (relatively) healthy, and life continues to move along down here. While we didn't get and do everything we would have hoped for, we were still incredibly well-off this year.
Anyway, let's discuss the important topics - running and science.
Running Year-in-Review
2009 was an interesting year for me, because I started the year with a marathon and finished the year injured. How did 2010 differ? It actually went just the opposite as 2009! I started off the year going to physical therapy to figure out the best way to work with my gimpy hamstring, and the PT gave me a bunch of stretches to try and unlock my hamstrings, calves, and IT bands. Rather than a few quick stretches, the stretches were more intense and took more time than I had previously done... and they worked!
While working on my stretching (and running only occasionally) I made some investments in athletic equipment. I spent the first few weeks of the year on my $40 elliptical machine, which allowed me to watch TV while working out. Unfortunately it wasn't the best piece of equipment, and I ended up feeling pretty sore after doing it for a while, but it ended up being a nice transition back to running. I also ended up purchasing a $20 bike trainer, which allowed me to ride my bike down in the basement during the winter. This ended up being a critical piece of equipment, and one of the main ways I ended up maintaining my athletic activity during the months when I couldn't get outside.
After a few months of biking and stretching, I started to test out how I felt on the run in early March. I ended up gaining some weight over the winter, so it was slow going, but I did manage to get out there and not feel too badly about it. I ran a 5K in March (which I mentioned yesterday), and actually ran the race at a less than 8:00 minute per mile pace! I was quite surprised with the result, as I felt quite good on the run (despite a bit of clomping on my part) and my pace was a lot faster than I had anticipated. This race gave me enough confidence to think about running a longer race, and I decided to sign up for the Illinois Half in May.
My training for the half wasn't formal, although I did look into training plans at places like Runners World and elsewhere online. My longest run before the race may have gotten up to 10 miles, and for the most part I felt pretty good. Having spent some time listening to the Extra Mile Podcast Experiment, I dabbled with putting walk breaks into my runs, so as to decrease the amount of wear and tear on my legs. I also felt that the excitement of race day would push me through the last three miles. The race went well (I'm not even going to mention that I dressed like a bee), and I had a good time traversing the town and not feeling as worn out as I had when I ran the marathon the previous year.
Following the race I participated in a scientific study on the effects of caffeine, running consecutive 15K races on consecutive weekends. It was actually pretty fun! My run was best effected by the medium dose of caffeine, although that could have been influenced by the fact that it was really hot on most of the weekends! I followed those runs with a relatively consistent running schedule without a real goal, contemplating running a fall marathon...
Near the end of the summer I decided that I should run a fall race, and settled in on the Indianapolis Marathon, which was nice because it was a smaller race in a relatively close location, and it was cheap. I trained through the summer and early fall using a Runners World plan and taking the walk breaks while doing my longest runs. I participated in the World Wide Festival of Races Half Marathon the weekend before the Marathon, and followed it up with a pretty decent performance in the marathon (reports for both are in the archives). Overall, my training for those races went well! I managed to fit in all of the important long runs, with very few blow-ups and for the most part few problems with injury. I got familiar with the ice bath after my long runs, and spent a lot of time stretching and icing my legs. Never really had to take ibuprofin or anything like that, which was nice.
A few weeks after the marathon I ran the Allerton Trail Race, which was a nice little jaunt through the woods after having run a marathon. I didn't have any more races scheduled at the end of the year, so November and December were spent maintaining a physical base, lifting weights, and getting back on the bike this winter. I covered a little over 1200 miles for the year, a nice average considering how much time I spent riding the bike at the beginning of the year. I ended the year feeling pretty good about my physical health, down ~20 lbs from where I started (before you get excited... I had gained that weight the previous winter) and feeling pretty confident about how my legs hold up. It was a good year!
Science Year-in-Review
The state of my science career is a bit of a conglomeration of 5 years of experience working in the lab. One of the main tenants of my research is that I feel that my experience is "learning how to do research". I am hoping that my experiences will help me build toward being a better researcher and scientific thinker, whether or not everything I do works. While this is not necessarily a good idea in the short term (i.e. I need to get papers published!) in the long term it will be good because it will make me a better and more well-rounded physician-scientist.
I started the year staying back from visiting Spain(!) to work on my Original Research Proposal, a fourth-year project in which the students are asked to organize, write, and present an original proposal (a mock grant proposal) which incorporates some new technique or concept to a preexisting research topic different from the one the student is working on. I chose to focus my efforts on making activators for the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor delta, something that I've discussed previously on the blog. This receptor seems to play a role in diabetes and metabolism, so it looked to be a viable target for study. In January I needed to provide the written version of my proposal, which, while it was finished in a timely fashion, lacked some of the experimental detail that was necessary. I point this out because it came up in my oral defense, which happened a few months later. The main criticism with my proposal (aside from the lack of detail in the written proposal, which they could understand) was that it was almost too ambitious - too many experiments that could probably not be completely finished in the time-frame suggested. That and I probably didn't do enough pre-proposal work (mostly computational work) to justify how the project was laid out. Fortunately, it was clear to my committee that the process did was it was supposed to do - stress me the hell out. No, kidding, it was for me to learn about how to write and defend a proposal. Passing grade, and now I'm thesis research away from a PhD!
As far as the research goes... it's been interesting. I've been sitting at a certain point for a while, and my main goal has been to synthesize conjugates for testing in the splicing assay (go ahead and look up splicing if you want to know exactly what I'm talking about). They're getting made, and I'm working on purifying them now. Now more than ever, this is essentially what I mean by saying that the research is the sum of knowledge I've obtained over the past few years - it's finally at a point where I am confident with all of the techniques and am simply waiting for the materials necessary to do the tests. Sooner rather than later, something good is going to happen and I should have some stuff to publish in the not-too-distant future (fingers crossed). I've also started some collaborative efforts within and outside of the lab, hopefully with some good results as well.
I'm also taking medical school classes. The short of it is that I've finished biochemistry, and am currently at the half-way point in microbiology/immunology. I'm finding that I'm really liking the medical school classes - the knowledge and information I'm getting through the classes is not only relevant to my research, but also to normal life in general - for example, now I'm pretty sure I know why I got sick at Thanksgiving last year! My diagnosis is either a norovirus or a crab salad contaminated with Staph aureus. Either way, not good, but at least I know why it happened!
Shadowing has been interesting as well this year, with two different experiences with different physicians in the same clinic in the same department. The variety of patients and the interactions with those patients have suggested to me that working with patients is something I would be interested in doing. While research is nice because it's a little less demanding of time (in that I don't have to be in a specific place at a specific time, for the most part), I like the interaction with people! We shall see how further experiences help shape my goals and in what direction they point me.
For the time-being, I am in the lab until the spring semester starts, when I will begin my second semester of immuno/micro. I have a few more shadowing dates coming up, and a whole lot of lab work. Hopefully something good will come of it!
For the last time, I hope that you have a great New Year and that 2011 is at least 2.76 times as good as 2010!
Some resolutions will be coming up soon... for now have a look at these (via I Can Has Science?).
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
2010 Year-in-Review, Part II
Here's the second in a series of "Year-in-Review" posts, this time in pictures!
Hopefully they're chronological...
In July one of our lab members graduated! We had a party! And, again, it was hot out. And I turned 27 too.
August had us attending the Urbana Sweet Corn Festival, where we sampled chocolate bacon... yum.
In September we visited Chicago to help the wife's younger brother move into his dorm, and had the opportunity to do a number of things, including having a pancake flight at Orange. It was pretty tasty!
In October my brother and I road tripped to my cousin's wedding!
I also ran the Indianapolis Marathon!
At the end of November we went back to Chicago since part of the family couldn't get back home for Thanksgiving...
And then it was December and Xmas!
Hopefully they're chronological...
At the beginning of this year, I bought an elliptical and a bike trainer on Craigslist... guess which one got more use!
In February, I was able to go to a live taping of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
In March, I ran my first race of the year, the Earth, Wind, and Fire 5K. Suffice to say, I was coming off a running layoff and not looking very thin!
We also went to my cousin's wedding - guess what table we were sitting at??
In April the wife and I attended C2E2, the comic and entertainment expo where we met a number of sci-fi celebrities, including Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and a whole-host of my webcomics heroes. Oh, and I also passed my original research proposal, which means that I'm only a thesis away from a PhD!
On May 1st I ran the Illinois Half Marathon... dressed as a bee. It was good enough to get me on the local news. Unfortunately, I didn't win the race, but I'm sure there were a lot of people who were disappointed by losing to a big guy in a bee costume!
We also went to the Bahamas in May, where I got horribly burned by the sun (totally worth it, though).
My good friend, who I've known since grade school, also got married in May! I was in the wedding!
In June the wife and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary by going on a camping trip to Fox Ridge State Park... on probably the hottest weekend of the summer. It was awful. Minutes after this picture was taken I was covered with mosquitoes and sweating profusely. Ugh.
As you can see, it was a busy year!
Coming up next (New Years Eve?) will be a more in-depth analysis of science and running!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Christmas Recap / Why I Am Probably the Xmas Pig
Each year my family designates one of the members the "Christmas Pig", the person in the family who ended up getting the most expensive/largest number/best gifts. Most often it's someone other than me, since I'm usually in the market for socks and underwear (running gear) and some other sort of gear pertaining to running. Occasionally I'll get the nice piece of electronic gear from the wife, but for the most part I'm usually behind someone else who needs something bigger or better. In fact, I'm actually having trouble recalling any specific gifts from Xmas past, not because I didn't appreciate them, but because they usually don't stand out against the background compared to other people's gifts (a trip to Spain; a new laptop; an electric piano; etc.).
(I just checked last year's Xmas post - definitely lots of socks).
Well, this year I think I took the prize. Unlike previous years, I ended up making a request not for socks, but for some more expensive and (relatively) adult-themed items... and no, not that kind of adult, the kind that an adult would have. I'm talking in particular about a new suit and a new winter topcoat to go over the suit. Yes sir, I actually look like an adult when I dress up now.
The way it worked out, the wife and parents got significant discounts on both the suit and the coat (the coat is a whole different story...) but they were still very expensive (by my standards), meaning that on Christmas day I was dressed in clothing worth more than the money in my bank account. And that's saying something (not sure about what).
If that wasn't enough, there was even more in store for me, including a gig bag for my guitar, some guitar books, socks, running underwear, t-shirts, a whole mess of miscellaneous items and gift cards, and a bottle of Tuaca, which I will definitely be enjoying this holiday season.
How did I stack up against the rest of my family? Well, for the most part I think I was the big winner, but the others put up a good fight... my wife ended up getting a nook and a new watch from me among other things, as well as some workout clothes for her upcoming kickboxing class (watch out!); mom ended up with some Nordic walking sticks and a Lladro direct from Spain; dad got a new leather couch and an MP3 player; my brother got new clothes and action figures; my sis-in-law got an electric piano; my in-laws ended up getting a lot of nice gear and a bottle of macadamia nut liqueur from us; and my wife's siblings got a lot of gear and some money from us.
Okay, perhaps I wasn't the Xmas pig after all...
Moving on from this list of why we are doing pretty well this holiday season, the weekend itself was a pretty decent one, albeit a short one. We had the chance to catch up with different family members over the course of about 48 hours, which included several different parties, time along with our immediate families, a lovely church service (both my parents had solos!), an online chat with my brother and sister-in-law, and some time with friends before heading back to IL. It wasn't nearly enough time (and we missed a lot of celebrating) but I'm happy for the time we had.
The only problem, of course, is that now it's back to work for us and I didn't have any time to exercise over the holiday weekend. So...
There will be some big plans again for running, science, and the like next year!
I'm going to devote a post to the year-end review (detailing my running and research foibles for the year), and following that (probably at the beginning of 2011!) I'll throw out my resolutions and plans for the upcoming year. There will be a lot of things going on next year and it's time to get ready for them!
We here at the blog (i.e. me) hope that you had an amazing holiday, whether it was celebrating Xmas or any other holiday, and that you have a blessed new year.
As for me, it's time to work up a reaction.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas!
What's the Christmas all about, anyway?
Anyway, I hope that you and yours have an amazing holiday weekend, whatever you are celebrating, and that the next year brings you even better things than 2010.
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
2010 Year-in-Review, Part I
Holy cow, the year's almost over. As I wind down the year, it's been an annual tradition of mine (since the days of my first blog, which no longer exists, thank goodness) to do a "year-in-review" meme in which I post the first line of the first post from each month. I've found it actually acts as a pretty good representation of what happened during the year! Next week (or whenever I feel like it, could be earlier) I'll do a more in-depth review of how the year went, focusing mainly on two areas - school and running, of course.
Here we go.
January - A Happy New Year to all of you, whether scientists, runners, undergrads, grads, faculty, staff, family, friends, or simply someone who stumbled upon this blog by accident.
February - Most of you (I'm guessing) have to deal with people on a regular basis, whether it be labmates, co-workers, students, children, parents, classmates, even online friends.
March - I feel like a jerk for not giving you any substance yet this week, but I have an exam on Wednesday that I have avoided studying for until just recently (kids! DO NOT DO THIS.) and thus I must focus on it until Wednesday.
April - Back in 2005, I trained for and ran my first marathon, the Twin Cities Marathon up in good ol' Minnesota.
May - I'm feeling pretty good after running a race this morning - the Illinois Half Marathon in Champaign-Urbana, IL. Here's a glimpse of how it went down...
June - Let's start the month off with a bang...
July - Hello friends! I have a few minutes in between things this weekend, so I thought I'd give you some semblance of what's going on this weekend.
August - To heck with this, I'm going to keep running.
September - Don't get me wrong... I'm a big fan of August. It's the heart of the summer (after July, which I like better), the best time of the year to get outside and enjoy the sunshine (and lack of rain for my lawn...), when you're not working in the lab.
October - Well, it's Sunday and here we are again. It's been quite an interesting weekend - my brother called me earlier in the week and asked if I wanted to road trip up to Minnesota for my cousin's wedding, which we recently decided that neither one of us could attend
November - I was having this discussion today with a person in my lab, and realized that, as she so aptly put, it has to be this way or else we'll never cover all of the material by the end of the semester.
December - I have been slowly recovering from a long holiday weekend and trying to get all of my different accomplishments accomplished, so it has been slow-going here in the blog.
So, I don't know if that tells you anything about the year, except for the fact that it was pretty busy! Between experiments, classes, running, and trying to be an adult and fit everything into the day, there was a lot going on! I'm hoping that the next year brings more of the same, with the addition of perhaps some good results. We shall see!
More detail and other interesting things before next year!
Here we go.
January - A Happy New Year to all of you, whether scientists, runners, undergrads, grads, faculty, staff, family, friends, or simply someone who stumbled upon this blog by accident.
February - Most of you (I'm guessing) have to deal with people on a regular basis, whether it be labmates, co-workers, students, children, parents, classmates, even online friends.
March - I feel like a jerk for not giving you any substance yet this week, but I have an exam on Wednesday that I have avoided studying for until just recently (kids! DO NOT DO THIS.) and thus I must focus on it until Wednesday.
April - Back in 2005, I trained for and ran my first marathon, the Twin Cities Marathon up in good ol' Minnesota.
May - I'm feeling pretty good after running a race this morning - the Illinois Half Marathon in Champaign-Urbana, IL. Here's a glimpse of how it went down...
June - Let's start the month off with a bang...
July - Hello friends! I have a few minutes in between things this weekend, so I thought I'd give you some semblance of what's going on this weekend.
August - To heck with this, I'm going to keep running.
September - Don't get me wrong... I'm a big fan of August. It's the heart of the summer (after July, which I like better), the best time of the year to get outside and enjoy the sunshine (and lack of rain for my lawn...), when you're not working in the lab.
October - Well, it's Sunday and here we are again. It's been quite an interesting weekend - my brother called me earlier in the week and asked if I wanted to road trip up to Minnesota for my cousin's wedding, which we recently decided that neither one of us could attend
November - I was having this discussion today with a person in my lab, and realized that, as she so aptly put, it has to be this way or else we'll never cover all of the material by the end of the semester.
December - I have been slowly recovering from a long holiday weekend and trying to get all of my different accomplishments accomplished, so it has been slow-going here in the blog.
So, I don't know if that tells you anything about the year, except for the fact that it was pretty busy! Between experiments, classes, running, and trying to be an adult and fit everything into the day, there was a lot going on! I'm hoping that the next year brings more of the same, with the addition of perhaps some good results. We shall see!
More detail and other interesting things before next year!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Exam Today!
I made this in anticipation of the exam.
It's a bunch of Giardia intestinalis, protozoal parasite that can cause intestinal problems. When it's in its trophozoite form, it has a little face!
(Kinda going crazy)
Once the exam's over, I can go back to focusing on research! Hooray!
It's a bunch of Giardia intestinalis, protozoal parasite that can cause intestinal problems. When it's in its trophozoite form, it has a little face!
(Kinda going crazy)
Once the exam's over, I can go back to focusing on research! Hooray!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
How Much Do I Need to Know?
It's a question I have been asking myself this week in anticipation of my final (10:30 am tomorrow!), given the broad spectrum of different pathogens and conditions I need to have at least familiar to me by tomorrow. Good news, each of the chapters in the text contains an outline at the end, and I've also taken advantage of chapter exams to sharpen my skills in identifying which of four choices makes the most/least sense.
Today's discussion stems from yesterday's final Riboclub of the year, which I was unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) unable to attend because of work and studying obligations. As I have mentioned previously, this is our biweekly journal club in which people from different research groups (primarily in the Molecular and Cellular Biology department) discuss journal articles relating to RNA. Given that we're chemists and most everyone else is not, we are often in the realm of misunderstanding simply because they topics other groups choose tend to focus primarily on the cellular biology associated with some RNA function, and not on the RNA itself. To a certain extent this is useful, because it allows us to learn something new, but at the same time it's annoying because no one is remotely close to us in terms of our interactions with RNA. Thus, we are often left in the dark until the topic is explained in more detail by the presenter.
Cut to yesterday, and again there's a topic that we're not exactly familiar with (something to do with the activity of an influenza virus polymerase...). Interestingly, however, the techniques used by the authors of the paper were fairly familiar to our group, most importantly band shift or electrophoretic mobility shift assay, so I think those of us who ended up going were fairly prepared to discuss the paper, for once.
Turns out the presenter was not. She seemed to have little understanding of why the assays were being run, and what the assays required to be run. Thus it ended up falling upon "the biochemists" from our group (none of those who attended from our group are biochemists) to explain the assays and discuss the results, a pretty large departure from previous presentations in which the other professors were the ones going back and forth about the techniques. Heck, even the professors didn't know much about the techniques! It was hard to believe, considering how central some of those techniques are to our work.
The question I have is how prepared should that presenter have been with regard to the techniques that she didn't understand? I feel as though, in this day and age, it should be pretty easy to at least obtain a rudimentary understanding of a technique, whether or not you actually learn it in detail. Most techniques these days can be found via internet, most often in simplified form on Wikipedia. Those wishing to go into greater detail can also go the Current Protocols manuals, which include detailed descriptions of pretty much every technique you can think of today. It should have been a pretty straightforward process of reading the paper, saying "huh, I've never heard of that technique before", and then looking it up so you can at least have a basic understanding of it before discussing it. If anything, it will provide a starting point for discussion and perhaps even an opportunity to look at the results from the paper and say "well, they base their conclusions on this technique, but what they should have done...".
I personally, having done a presentation for this group before, tried to stick with an area with which I was somewhat familiar, if only because I could then have a decent understanding of the techniques that were used. I'm not saying what the presenter did was wrong (in fact, I think the point of the exercise was for everyone to step somewhere outside of the box and present something with which they were less familiar) but at the same time it seems that a little more preparation was in order before this talk was given.
What do you think - how responsible should someone be for learning the background information before giving a talk on that topic? Should we be making special efforts to get intimately familiar with things we'll probably not do in the lab, just for a presentation?
Today's discussion stems from yesterday's final Riboclub of the year, which I was unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) unable to attend because of work and studying obligations. As I have mentioned previously, this is our biweekly journal club in which people from different research groups (primarily in the Molecular and Cellular Biology department) discuss journal articles relating to RNA. Given that we're chemists and most everyone else is not, we are often in the realm of misunderstanding simply because they topics other groups choose tend to focus primarily on the cellular biology associated with some RNA function, and not on the RNA itself. To a certain extent this is useful, because it allows us to learn something new, but at the same time it's annoying because no one is remotely close to us in terms of our interactions with RNA. Thus, we are often left in the dark until the topic is explained in more detail by the presenter.
Cut to yesterday, and again there's a topic that we're not exactly familiar with (something to do with the activity of an influenza virus polymerase...). Interestingly, however, the techniques used by the authors of the paper were fairly familiar to our group, most importantly band shift or electrophoretic mobility shift assay, so I think those of us who ended up going were fairly prepared to discuss the paper, for once.
Turns out the presenter was not. She seemed to have little understanding of why the assays were being run, and what the assays required to be run. Thus it ended up falling upon "the biochemists" from our group (none of those who attended from our group are biochemists) to explain the assays and discuss the results, a pretty large departure from previous presentations in which the other professors were the ones going back and forth about the techniques. Heck, even the professors didn't know much about the techniques! It was hard to believe, considering how central some of those techniques are to our work.
The question I have is how prepared should that presenter have been with regard to the techniques that she didn't understand? I feel as though, in this day and age, it should be pretty easy to at least obtain a rudimentary understanding of a technique, whether or not you actually learn it in detail. Most techniques these days can be found via internet, most often in simplified form on Wikipedia. Those wishing to go into greater detail can also go the Current Protocols manuals, which include detailed descriptions of pretty much every technique you can think of today. It should have been a pretty straightforward process of reading the paper, saying "huh, I've never heard of that technique before", and then looking it up so you can at least have a basic understanding of it before discussing it. If anything, it will provide a starting point for discussion and perhaps even an opportunity to look at the results from the paper and say "well, they base their conclusions on this technique, but what they should have done...".
I personally, having done a presentation for this group before, tried to stick with an area with which I was somewhat familiar, if only because I could then have a decent understanding of the techniques that were used. I'm not saying what the presenter did was wrong (in fact, I think the point of the exercise was for everyone to step somewhere outside of the box and present something with which they were less familiar) but at the same time it seems that a little more preparation was in order before this talk was given.
What do you think - how responsible should someone be for learning the background information before giving a talk on that topic? Should we be making special efforts to get intimately familiar with things we'll probably not do in the lab, just for a presentation?
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Crunch Time
A month.
I had a solid month to study for this thing.
About a month ago, I said to my wife "okay, done with the lab exam, now I have a whole month to study for this final". I was prepared - I would take an hour or two a day to read a chapter, review some slides, do some practice questions, read a few case studies, etc. I would be prepared, giving my exam studying the loving attention that it deserved. No more of this "I had no time" and "I just had to get this thing done first" and "man those internet videos are really calling my name and I think I'll watch just one more...".
Things get in the way, of course. There's a group meeting presentation here... a presentation to Riboclub there... Thanksgiving weekend was a big wave of activity... and the weekend after that we had to visit Chicago. There's tutoring, which is usually not too busy... but all of the students have tests! Friday night, I think I'll take a break... and Saturday night... and Sunday I would normally study but I need to do the Christmas shopping... and now I have lab work to do.
So now it's the Tuesday before the exam on Friday, and I still feel relatively unprepared. Sure, I have gotten to everything at some point, but going over some of the questions from last night I still feel like there's material missing. I could spend the whole week focusing on it, but it's just one test and I have lab work to do and there's Facebook and Youtube and... the blog... and all of a sudden it's 11:30 pm and I don't have much to show for it. I think I've done a better job than in past campaigns (well, some of them, anyway) but I could have done more. It's hard to change that, but every experience is a lesson learned for the next time that experience comes around. Suffice to say I am (slowly) making my way toward a better understanding of how I should plan out my studying so I'm not frantically cramming at the last minute.
Hindsight, as they say, is always 20:20, right? Of course it is.
Luckily for me, my vision is better than that. With glasses, of course.
Back to studying...
I had a solid month to study for this thing.
About a month ago, I said to my wife "okay, done with the lab exam, now I have a whole month to study for this final". I was prepared - I would take an hour or two a day to read a chapter, review some slides, do some practice questions, read a few case studies, etc. I would be prepared, giving my exam studying the loving attention that it deserved. No more of this "I had no time" and "I just had to get this thing done first" and "man those internet videos are really calling my name and I think I'll watch just one more...".
Things get in the way, of course. There's a group meeting presentation here... a presentation to Riboclub there... Thanksgiving weekend was a big wave of activity... and the weekend after that we had to visit Chicago. There's tutoring, which is usually not too busy... but all of the students have tests! Friday night, I think I'll take a break... and Saturday night... and Sunday I would normally study but I need to do the Christmas shopping... and now I have lab work to do.
So now it's the Tuesday before the exam on Friday, and I still feel relatively unprepared. Sure, I have gotten to everything at some point, but going over some of the questions from last night I still feel like there's material missing. I could spend the whole week focusing on it, but it's just one test and I have lab work to do and there's Facebook and Youtube and... the blog... and all of a sudden it's 11:30 pm and I don't have much to show for it. I think I've done a better job than in past campaigns (well, some of them, anyway) but I could have done more. It's hard to change that, but every experience is a lesson learned for the next time that experience comes around. Suffice to say I am (slowly) making my way toward a better understanding of how I should plan out my studying so I'm not frantically cramming at the last minute.
Hindsight, as they say, is always 20:20, right? Of course it is.
Luckily for me, my vision is better than that. With glasses, of course.
Back to studying...
Monday, December 13, 2010
And You Thought You Had It Bad...
We complain about the weather down here sometimes, especially during winter. I complain mostly because we tend to get a relatively small amount of snow, followed by sub-zero temps and high winds (driving around last night and feeling as though I was going to tip over was exciting). Suffice to say I was complaining mightily when I heard that my home state of Minnesota was going to be getting a blizzard of proportions equal to the infamous Hallowed Blizzard of '91. (two points - first, they should call it Minne-SNOW-ta [ha]; second, they have a Wikipedia page for the Blizzard of '91!)
While the rain and wind pounded down on us this weekend, I daydreamed about the mounds of snow I could have been wading through if I still lived in my home state. I heard reports from my folks about 2 ft snow drifts and saw pictures friends posted of them walking through the snow, in their neighborhoods and on the trails. I was jealous.
And then I saw this:
That there is the Metrodome (I think they call it Mall of America Field or something now) where the Vikings play (and the Twins used to play, until they got a shiny new stadium). All of the snow (at least 17 inches, I've heard) on the stadium caused it to collapse under the weight at about 5 am on Sunday morning. There's actually a video of it - it looks more like a movie than actual footage of an actual event!
Now, friend and family have surmised the reason for this collapse - could it be that God hates the Vikings? That Brett Favre plays for them? My thought is that it's proof God is no longer a fan of what some have called "The Big Inflatable Toilet" and wants the Vikes to get a new stadium.
In any case, a pretty scary/hilarious moment for the folks of Minnesota this winter. Hopefully by now they've dug themselves out and are back to normal life... I myself had to deal with some wind chills this morning, but otherwise relatively normal weather.
Hopefully the snow remains until Christmas in a few weeks!
While the rain and wind pounded down on us this weekend, I daydreamed about the mounds of snow I could have been wading through if I still lived in my home state. I heard reports from my folks about 2 ft snow drifts and saw pictures friends posted of them walking through the snow, in their neighborhoods and on the trails. I was jealous.
And then I saw this:
That there is the Metrodome (I think they call it Mall of America Field or something now) where the Vikings play (and the Twins used to play, until they got a shiny new stadium). All of the snow (at least 17 inches, I've heard) on the stadium caused it to collapse under the weight at about 5 am on Sunday morning. There's actually a video of it - it looks more like a movie than actual footage of an actual event!
Now, friend and family have surmised the reason for this collapse - could it be that God hates the Vikings? That Brett Favre plays for them? My thought is that it's proof God is no longer a fan of what some have called "The Big Inflatable Toilet" and wants the Vikes to get a new stadium.
In any case, a pretty scary/hilarious moment for the folks of Minnesota this winter. Hopefully by now they've dug themselves out and are back to normal life... I myself had to deal with some wind chills this morning, but otherwise relatively normal weather.
Hopefully the snow remains until Christmas in a few weeks!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Less Than a Week Until Exam Time...
Hmm... well, it's Saturday night.
I guess there's not a whole lot going on here lately. I'm closing in on my final for microbiology next Friday, which will probably end up being a list of different pathogens and what they cause when ingested, inhaled, etc. In case you're unaware, there's a lot of nasty stuff floating around us - in our food, water, air supply, and so forth - that we're getting into our bodies on a daily basis. Luckily for us, we have pretty good immune systems! Sloughing off cells, mucus (my favorite), cilia, macrophages, PMNs, neutrophils... lots of different things to protect us from harm. And I'll need all of those things to keep myself in good condition before the exam happens.
Like I've said before, it's the time of year to reboot, so I'm working on it. It'll happen in full-force once the studying is over!
What else... oh, got the bike back inside and starting riding a little in the morning. I have a friend who's training for an Iron Man who's offered his basement space to have someone else to ride with, but I'm not entirely sure I want to do it, if only because a) my bike and trainer need some help (he did offer to help me fix them up) and b) they're loud. Also I suppose it would mean I would have to go over there to ride, but it is only a block or so away... hmm...
Oh, if you haven't read it Megan put up an excellent post about buying gifts for endurance athletes... in case you're wanting to get me anything... ;-)
Something else - it's getting to be the point where everyone is starting to look for/accept/leave for jobs. One of our good friends (who moved to a job in MINNESOTA yay) came back to visit this weekend, and another one recently got a job offer to be an undergrad professor our in California. More and more, people are getting interviews and starting up careers, and I'm kind of stuck here for a long time. Relatively speaking. It's something that I thought about a lot more earlier in my time here - one of the MD/PhD things is that when you are still working on one thing, everyone else will have finished it up and moved on. You start off with the med students, and when you stop to do the PhD they go and finish. In my case, they finish their PhD's and I go on to med school. Sad that they're leaving... and sad because they're going on to different jobs while I'm still stuck here.
How do I feel about it? Well, I guess it's fine. It's part of what happens here - people come in, do their thing, and go onto something different. I knew from the get-go that I would be here longer than anyone else, and luckily no matter what happens, as my Dad says, when I'm 30 I'm going to be 30 no matter what I'm doing. Some people may be doing lab work, some people may be teaching, some may be working in industry... but we're still going to be as old as we are and where ever we are. I'm sad that they're all going to have to leave and do something different, but the good news is that I'll still be friends with them and, through the power of internet, it will be quite easy to continue sending them stupid internet things.
Okay, enough waxing poetic. There's a blizzard going on in Minnesota and I've got to spend the rest of the night being jealous of the people who live there.
I guess there's not a whole lot going on here lately. I'm closing in on my final for microbiology next Friday, which will probably end up being a list of different pathogens and what they cause when ingested, inhaled, etc. In case you're unaware, there's a lot of nasty stuff floating around us - in our food, water, air supply, and so forth - that we're getting into our bodies on a daily basis. Luckily for us, we have pretty good immune systems! Sloughing off cells, mucus (my favorite), cilia, macrophages, PMNs, neutrophils... lots of different things to protect us from harm. And I'll need all of those things to keep myself in good condition before the exam happens.
Like I've said before, it's the time of year to reboot, so I'm working on it. It'll happen in full-force once the studying is over!
What else... oh, got the bike back inside and starting riding a little in the morning. I have a friend who's training for an Iron Man who's offered his basement space to have someone else to ride with, but I'm not entirely sure I want to do it, if only because a) my bike and trainer need some help (he did offer to help me fix them up) and b) they're loud. Also I suppose it would mean I would have to go over there to ride, but it is only a block or so away... hmm...
Oh, if you haven't read it Megan put up an excellent post about buying gifts for endurance athletes... in case you're wanting to get me anything... ;-)
Something else - it's getting to be the point where everyone is starting to look for/accept/leave for jobs. One of our good friends (who moved to a job in MINNESOTA yay) came back to visit this weekend, and another one recently got a job offer to be an undergrad professor our in California. More and more, people are getting interviews and starting up careers, and I'm kind of stuck here for a long time. Relatively speaking. It's something that I thought about a lot more earlier in my time here - one of the MD/PhD things is that when you are still working on one thing, everyone else will have finished it up and moved on. You start off with the med students, and when you stop to do the PhD they go and finish. In my case, they finish their PhD's and I go on to med school. Sad that they're leaving... and sad because they're going on to different jobs while I'm still stuck here.
How do I feel about it? Well, I guess it's fine. It's part of what happens here - people come in, do their thing, and go onto something different. I knew from the get-go that I would be here longer than anyone else, and luckily no matter what happens, as my Dad says, when I'm 30 I'm going to be 30 no matter what I'm doing. Some people may be doing lab work, some people may be teaching, some may be working in industry... but we're still going to be as old as we are and where ever we are. I'm sad that they're all going to have to leave and do something different, but the good news is that I'll still be friends with them and, through the power of internet, it will be quite easy to continue sending them stupid internet things.
Okay, enough waxing poetic. There's a blizzard going on in Minnesota and I've got to spend the rest of the night being jealous of the people who live there.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Lunch Time - What's a Grad Student to Do?
A few nights ago I was watching the movie Waiting... - for those of you who are uninitiated, it's a (fairly cynical) look at working in a chain restaurant, both "waiting" tables and "waiting" for something better to come along (see, it's got double meaning... fascinating...).
The particular scene that got me to thinking was a scene during the lunch hour - a particularly snobby and, well, rhymes with "witchy", customer ends up crossing the line with her server and gets what she deserves. That part isn't the important part - the important part is that these were business-women having a lunch hour. It got me to thinking about my random decision making when it comes to lunch. As a grad student, I'm simultaneously overwhelmed with the lunch choices while being limited in my ability to afford purchasing them on a regular basis. I want to talk briefly about what to do regarding lunch as a grad student (using particular examples from here), so that you too may be better prepared for your days as a grad student when you're looking for something to eat on a budget.
The easiest solution to this problem is to pack a lunch. Most of us, having spent years in high school and college purchasing our lunches, may be ill prepared for this option. In general, there are two ways of going about it - the sandwich route and the leftover route. The sandwich route is straightforward - make a sandwich (peanut butter, turkey, a wrap, etc.), then add the appropriate sides (pieces of fruit, small bags of chips, granola bars, small candy bars, etc.) and bring some money for a can of pop or bottle of water. Most academic locales have a vending machine close by, so side items and drinks are easily accessible (and some are now taking credit cards, of all things, so there's really no excuse not to get them). As far as sandwiches go, if you're looking for healthy options places like Eating Well have excellent suggestions for relatively cheap and healthy lunch choices.
The other "bring from home" option is the leftovers route. This one requires you take a day or evening preparing a large dish and "aliquoting" it into lunch portions for the rest of the week. The crock pot will be your friend here, as you can prepare many dishes to serve 5-10 people and have those people be you 5-10 times. The only caveat, of course, is that you have to eat the same thing every day, but if you really like it then why not? You'll have a delicious meal every day. On a number of occasions, we've made crock pot dishes like pot roast, barbecue pork, and soups and stews that have been excellent dishes for a week's worth of food. Eating Well again has some good choices, and if you are local, local food blogger Champaign Taste has published a number of good-looking recipes that can be made once and consumed all week.
If you're forced to go out, obviously money can be an issue, and you want to make sure that you're not spending $10 a meal five days a week (it can add up quickly!). At the same time, it's important to not limit yourself to the same three food groups (burgers, pizza, and Subway), so that you get some variety in your meals and that you take the opportunity to support local businesses. It's often the case, too, that the local businesses will have better prices and better lunch deals, as compared to the chain restaurants that are tied to whatever the corporate office is telling them.
What's the best way to go about this? If you've been a grad student for a while, you're probably familiar with the local fare, but if you're not, it's usually a good idea to consult an internet website that lists the local restaurants. Here in C-U, websites like CampusFood are a good place to start, as well as Champaign Taste again. A little exploration on a day when you're not too tied up in lab work can yield dividends as well - many restaurants may not do the same amount of advertising as the corporate chains, making them difficult to find unless you're looking. Worst case scenario - get out of your building and start walking to see what you can find!
Personally, I like to add a little variety to my eating so I'm not eating the same thing every day when I have to go out. My usual stops are the Krannert Intermezzo Cafe, which has a rotating menu of hot and cold items, combos with a side and drink for around $6; Sandella's, a flatbread sandwich shop, again with combos around $6; Za's, which serves custom made pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and salads, again around $6-7; Q'Doba, which is like Chipotle serving burritos and tacos, $6-7; and recent startup Doodles, which serves Ramen noodles with fresh ingredients and sushi for real cheap (I just got my lunch today for $3 and I'm still full 2 hours later). There are a number of places around town where I will go for an extended lunch (i.e. not within walking distance of the lab), which still price in the same range, meaning I can get a great meal for a relatively inexpensive price. I usually try to limit my lunch outings to 1-2 times per week, leaving the remainder of the week to homemade lunches, both sandwiches and leftovers. Crock pot meals require a little extra planning, but when they're made, making lunch becomes a lot easier!
So, if you're a grad student on a budget, there are a myriad of possibilities available when it comes to lunch. With a little preparation, you can have healthy and cost-effective meals every day of the week.
The particular scene that got me to thinking was a scene during the lunch hour - a particularly snobby and, well, rhymes with "witchy", customer ends up crossing the line with her server and gets what she deserves. That part isn't the important part - the important part is that these were business-women having a lunch hour. It got me to thinking about my random decision making when it comes to lunch. As a grad student, I'm simultaneously overwhelmed with the lunch choices while being limited in my ability to afford purchasing them on a regular basis. I want to talk briefly about what to do regarding lunch as a grad student (using particular examples from here), so that you too may be better prepared for your days as a grad student when you're looking for something to eat on a budget.
The easiest solution to this problem is to pack a lunch. Most of us, having spent years in high school and college purchasing our lunches, may be ill prepared for this option. In general, there are two ways of going about it - the sandwich route and the leftover route. The sandwich route is straightforward - make a sandwich (peanut butter, turkey, a wrap, etc.), then add the appropriate sides (pieces of fruit, small bags of chips, granola bars, small candy bars, etc.) and bring some money for a can of pop or bottle of water. Most academic locales have a vending machine close by, so side items and drinks are easily accessible (and some are now taking credit cards, of all things, so there's really no excuse not to get them). As far as sandwiches go, if you're looking for healthy options places like Eating Well have excellent suggestions for relatively cheap and healthy lunch choices.
The other "bring from home" option is the leftovers route. This one requires you take a day or evening preparing a large dish and "aliquoting" it into lunch portions for the rest of the week. The crock pot will be your friend here, as you can prepare many dishes to serve 5-10 people and have those people be you 5-10 times. The only caveat, of course, is that you have to eat the same thing every day, but if you really like it then why not? You'll have a delicious meal every day. On a number of occasions, we've made crock pot dishes like pot roast, barbecue pork, and soups and stews that have been excellent dishes for a week's worth of food. Eating Well again has some good choices, and if you are local, local food blogger Champaign Taste has published a number of good-looking recipes that can be made once and consumed all week.
If you're forced to go out, obviously money can be an issue, and you want to make sure that you're not spending $10 a meal five days a week (it can add up quickly!). At the same time, it's important to not limit yourself to the same three food groups (burgers, pizza, and Subway), so that you get some variety in your meals and that you take the opportunity to support local businesses. It's often the case, too, that the local businesses will have better prices and better lunch deals, as compared to the chain restaurants that are tied to whatever the corporate office is telling them.
What's the best way to go about this? If you've been a grad student for a while, you're probably familiar with the local fare, but if you're not, it's usually a good idea to consult an internet website that lists the local restaurants. Here in C-U, websites like CampusFood are a good place to start, as well as Champaign Taste again. A little exploration on a day when you're not too tied up in lab work can yield dividends as well - many restaurants may not do the same amount of advertising as the corporate chains, making them difficult to find unless you're looking. Worst case scenario - get out of your building and start walking to see what you can find!
Personally, I like to add a little variety to my eating so I'm not eating the same thing every day when I have to go out. My usual stops are the Krannert Intermezzo Cafe, which has a rotating menu of hot and cold items, combos with a side and drink for around $6; Sandella's, a flatbread sandwich shop, again with combos around $6; Za's, which serves custom made pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and salads, again around $6-7; Q'Doba, which is like Chipotle serving burritos and tacos, $6-7; and recent startup Doodles, which serves Ramen noodles with fresh ingredients and sushi for real cheap (I just got my lunch today for $3 and I'm still full 2 hours later). There are a number of places around town where I will go for an extended lunch (i.e. not within walking distance of the lab), which still price in the same range, meaning I can get a great meal for a relatively inexpensive price. I usually try to limit my lunch outings to 1-2 times per week, leaving the remainder of the week to homemade lunches, both sandwiches and leftovers. Crock pot meals require a little extra planning, but when they're made, making lunch becomes a lot easier!
So, if you're a grad student on a budget, there are a myriad of possibilities available when it comes to lunch. With a little preparation, you can have healthy and cost-effective meals every day of the week.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Winter is Finally Here
The wife commented on the fact that it was "finally winter" at work last week, to which her boss replied "it's not winter until December 21st!", all in a huff. Which, technically, is true if you celebrate the winter solstice.
And then this happened:
Well then. I suppose winter is here in full force now, isn't it? Hmm? The 4F weather is helping the case for calling it "winter" now as well, I would imagine.
So, it's officially winter in our neck of the woods, meaning that we have to adapt to the frosty mornings, the darkness of the evening, and that we need to find the motivation to get going during the daylight and not just curl up in bed, waiting for spring.
The semester is essentially finished for me, with classes ending this week. Finals are next week, and I will be diligently studying for my microbiology exam (i.e. memorizing pathogens and how to treat them), which is next Friday. I'm at my low point in research, since I just gave my most recent group meeting last Friday. Winter, especially X-Mas break, has traditionally been a time for me to regroup, reorganize, and re-clean up my bench and desk. Coming on the heels of giving group meeting, this has started somewhat early, and I will be spending the next few days/weeks getting everything arranged for a big push following the break and into next year. It's go time, research-wise, and I need to be ready for it.
Running is also in a state of re-evaluation. One of the ways I've traditionally kept myself motivated is by listening to others discuss running on shows such as The Extra Mile and The Runners Round Table... but I'm going to admit to you that my heart's just not in it right now. Maybe it's the weather, maybe the lack of a real goal at this time, but I've been wanting to spend less time listening to those shows and more listening to science or news-based podcasts. Oh well... just the ebb and flow, I guess. Running-wise, though, I am being consistent, if not too dedicated - ~20 miles per week, spread over 4-5 days, with lifting and stretching associated with those workouts. I want to try some different things, though - getting my bike back on the trainer for the winter, getting to the gym to train for a possible Alaska hiking trip next summer, thinking about doing some trail running for potential Ultra next year (there, I said it again...). Also probably running marathons, like always. If I'm motivated enough, helping to train first-timers at the Illinois Marathon this spring again. Might be fun...
Otherwise, things seem to be going fairly well. Having traveled to Chicago this weekend to visit with the family and get out of town for a day without having to go all the way to Minnesota, I'm finding that we're in a pretty good situation down here. The goal is to not get complacent and to be willing to put in the effort to get some good results. My sister-in-law had a very special opportunity this weekend to try out for a big show (coming off a recommendation from one of her professors) and we all think she nailed it... but the biggest this was that she took the opportunity and made the most of it. No matter what happens, she got the exposure that will put her in a good position later. I think we need to follow that example, not get too comfortable with what we have, and strive to achieve more.
With that, back to work. So many spectra to analyze and organize...
And then this happened:
Well then. I suppose winter is here in full force now, isn't it? Hmm? The 4F weather is helping the case for calling it "winter" now as well, I would imagine.
So, it's officially winter in our neck of the woods, meaning that we have to adapt to the frosty mornings, the darkness of the evening, and that we need to find the motivation to get going during the daylight and not just curl up in bed, waiting for spring.
The semester is essentially finished for me, with classes ending this week. Finals are next week, and I will be diligently studying for my microbiology exam (i.e. memorizing pathogens and how to treat them), which is next Friday. I'm at my low point in research, since I just gave my most recent group meeting last Friday. Winter, especially X-Mas break, has traditionally been a time for me to regroup, reorganize, and re-clean up my bench and desk. Coming on the heels of giving group meeting, this has started somewhat early, and I will be spending the next few days/weeks getting everything arranged for a big push following the break and into next year. It's go time, research-wise, and I need to be ready for it.
Running is also in a state of re-evaluation. One of the ways I've traditionally kept myself motivated is by listening to others discuss running on shows such as The Extra Mile and The Runners Round Table... but I'm going to admit to you that my heart's just not in it right now. Maybe it's the weather, maybe the lack of a real goal at this time, but I've been wanting to spend less time listening to those shows and more listening to science or news-based podcasts. Oh well... just the ebb and flow, I guess. Running-wise, though, I am being consistent, if not too dedicated - ~20 miles per week, spread over 4-5 days, with lifting and stretching associated with those workouts. I want to try some different things, though - getting my bike back on the trainer for the winter, getting to the gym to train for a possible Alaska hiking trip next summer, thinking about doing some trail running for potential Ultra next year (there, I said it again...). Also probably running marathons, like always. If I'm motivated enough, helping to train first-timers at the Illinois Marathon this spring again. Might be fun...
Otherwise, things seem to be going fairly well. Having traveled to Chicago this weekend to visit with the family and get out of town for a day without having to go all the way to Minnesota, I'm finding that we're in a pretty good situation down here. The goal is to not get complacent and to be willing to put in the effort to get some good results. My sister-in-law had a very special opportunity this weekend to try out for a big show (coming off a recommendation from one of her professors) and we all think she nailed it... but the biggest this was that she took the opportunity and made the most of it. No matter what happens, she got the exposure that will put her in a good position later. I think we need to follow that example, not get too comfortable with what we have, and strive to achieve more.
With that, back to work. So many spectra to analyze and organize...
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Obvious?
This morning I was informed that I need to put up signs indicating areas in which there are not radioactive isotopes (as opposed to the signs that are currently up indicating that there are radioactive isotopes).
Here's what I made:
Here's what I made:
Perhaps it was a little bit of overkill, but come on. The signs had to be near the desks that are in the lab next to the hot room. Why would anyone want to put radioactive isotopes on their desks?
Clearly someone, or else this wouldn't be an issue.
I made an alternate sign that says "Isotopes use back door", which is hanging at my desk. Clearly I don't like isotopes.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Time Management and Other Business
Hi folks! I have been slowly recovering from a long holiday weekend and trying to get all of my different accomplishments accomplished, so it has been slow-going here in the blog. Fear not, however! The end of the semester looms not far over the horizon, and with it the opportunity to think about things other than group meeting, exams, and all of the bacteria crawling all over everything. Instead, I'll be able to focus on research!
As what seems to be a common theme lately, I'm still working with my prioritization and time management skills. Surprisingly enough. I have been making decisions that have had me choosing between attending lecture or setting up those important gels, necessary evils that I must work with in order to further my research goals. Just today, I had to skip a lecture in order to set up two different gels in a row, a process taking several hours and a good amount of my mental capacity. Well, not especially the mental part (I've been doing them for some time, so it's pretty much second nature to me) but definitely the time part!
So, prioritizing - what should I have done? In any case, it's necessary to weigh the pros and cons of your choices - while missing class makes me less aware of the material being presented by the professor, I was also aware of the fact that this particular professor doesn't deviate very far from the info on the slides, meaning I wouldn't get a lot extra out of being there. Not only that, but most (if not all) of the lectures are available in podcast form, meaning I can go back to them later. On the other hand, it's often easier to familiarize myself with the material by being in the lecture... but I think I made the right decision.
That decision shapes other ones, though. It means I have to spend more time elsewhere on examining the material... like right now. More reading and scanning the slides in order to cover for the fact that I didn't go to the lecture. Like I said, prioritizing. I make research #1 while I'm at the lab, meaning that I need to make reading and studying #1 out of the lab.
Outside of other things, like running, blogging, researching travel info for X-Mas and otherwise, of course.
In other news, running has been fairly steady. I haven't been doing any especially long runs (I've maxed out at about 5 miles) but have been doing 4-5 runs per week, more than enough for someone not focused on training. I would like to do some sort of race in December (perhaps an X-Mas or New Years run??) and am still planning on doing the annual trail race in the second weekend of January (or whenever it is). I've been thinking about whether or not I want to do a spring marathon next year... and I'm about 50:50 on it. I'd like to do some other types of races, like a long trail race (30K, 50K?), so perhaps I'll do the half this spring and try to do a longer run during the summer/fall. Or I'll just do a few marathons. Whatever works.
Oh, and my Thanksgiving break was pretty great - lots of food, family, friends, and free time. Nice, relaxing free time. We didn't get too rushed to get to different gathers and events, and split up our travel into two days both ways, making the whole ordeal of driving 500 miles much more reasonable. It was the longest we've been in Minnesota at a time since 2009, and I was really glad we did it!
Now, however, it's time to get back to work. Hopefully the next few weeks will go quickly and go well!
As what seems to be a common theme lately, I'm still working with my prioritization and time management skills. Surprisingly enough. I have been making decisions that have had me choosing between attending lecture or setting up those important gels, necessary evils that I must work with in order to further my research goals. Just today, I had to skip a lecture in order to set up two different gels in a row, a process taking several hours and a good amount of my mental capacity. Well, not especially the mental part (I've been doing them for some time, so it's pretty much second nature to me) but definitely the time part!
So, prioritizing - what should I have done? In any case, it's necessary to weigh the pros and cons of your choices - while missing class makes me less aware of the material being presented by the professor, I was also aware of the fact that this particular professor doesn't deviate very far from the info on the slides, meaning I wouldn't get a lot extra out of being there. Not only that, but most (if not all) of the lectures are available in podcast form, meaning I can go back to them later. On the other hand, it's often easier to familiarize myself with the material by being in the lecture... but I think I made the right decision.
That decision shapes other ones, though. It means I have to spend more time elsewhere on examining the material... like right now. More reading and scanning the slides in order to cover for the fact that I didn't go to the lecture. Like I said, prioritizing. I make research #1 while I'm at the lab, meaning that I need to make reading and studying #1 out of the lab.
Outside of other things, like running, blogging, researching travel info for X-Mas and otherwise, of course.
In other news, running has been fairly steady. I haven't been doing any especially long runs (I've maxed out at about 5 miles) but have been doing 4-5 runs per week, more than enough for someone not focused on training. I would like to do some sort of race in December (perhaps an X-Mas or New Years run??) and am still planning on doing the annual trail race in the second weekend of January (or whenever it is). I've been thinking about whether or not I want to do a spring marathon next year... and I'm about 50:50 on it. I'd like to do some other types of races, like a long trail race (30K, 50K?), so perhaps I'll do the half this spring and try to do a longer run during the summer/fall. Or I'll just do a few marathons. Whatever works.
Oh, and my Thanksgiving break was pretty great - lots of food, family, friends, and free time. Nice, relaxing free time. We didn't get too rushed to get to different gathers and events, and split up our travel into two days both ways, making the whole ordeal of driving 500 miles much more reasonable. It was the longest we've been in Minnesota at a time since 2009, and I was really glad we did it!
Now, however, it's time to get back to work. Hopefully the next few weeks will go quickly and go well!
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