In an effort to further procrastinate my whole sleeping endeavor, I shall blog for you. Here goes:
I found out the other day that one of my classmates that I graduated high school with passed away after a severe car accident. While I did not know him well, I know that he will be sorely missed. RIP Dustin Joel Place. Only the good die young...
In slightly lighter news, a bunch of my friends and I are going to Darien Lake next weekend to ride roller coasters and live up the last weekend we can pretend we don't really have too much work. I am so pumped to road trip with my sharkies! :-)
My semester seems to be lulling me into complacency; I think that it wants me to think I don't really have that much work to do, then sick itself on me just when I think I am safe. Look out semester. I am ready and armed for your sneak attack!
Currently reading: The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. And P Chem. Both are fun. The first one is not required.
Listening to: "Summer Girls" by LFO. I'm learning all of the words so that I can sing it with Tom. Because he's really into boy bands...
"Came in the door, I said it before: I think I'm over you but I'm really not sure. When I met you I said my name was Rich. You look like a girl from Abercrombie and Fitch." :-D
- Rachel
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
It's not living if you stand outside the fire.
I had a moment of weakness. It lasted nearly twenty-four hours, but I think I am over it, for now. That's not to say that it will never be back to haunt me or tempt me. I am convinced I will consider it again. Alas...
What was my moment of weakness? You were probably wondering that. Well, here it is: I wanted to drop Honors. This is nothing new; I have considered it as a possibility since the beginning of the program. Now, finished with my 6 credit courses, I have only 9 credits left of the craziness. And yet, it's like this (note that while this analogy is quite accurate to what my situation is, it is also extreme and in no way do I think that Honors is THAT bad): your arms are both broken, and you say, "Okay, now break both of my legs." Like I said, it's rather extreme, but if your arms were broken, would you also want to break both of your legs?
So that, combined with excessive dwelling upon my senior schedule, led me to say, "Listen, Rachel. Is it worth killing yourself over?" And for the first time, I could say to myself that maybe it wasn't. I haven't been able to stop worrying about how I am going to work on my senior thesis when I have so many other things to do, such as, hopefully, another REU. Despite what I wanted to do way back in June, when God was all, "Listen, Rachel, I've got this," I haven't stopped stressing.
You might be wondering how this story ends. Me, too. I can tell you this much. I have two spreadsheets. One is aptly titled, "No Honors" and the other is my current plan if I were to remain in the program. "No Honors" is definitely tempting, though it is only marginally easier than the other when all is said and done.
The title of the post - it sums up how I feel right now, or would feel if I was more well rested. I have to keep putting myself in the fire. It's NOT living if you stand outside the fire.
And, I must default to my old pal Rilke. I try to take his advice, really I do:
"I beg you...to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer..."
The other quote of the day: "Swine flu is like the new SARS, only stupider." ~ a friend. Chew on that for a bit.
Currently reading: The Hundred Secret Senses and Therese Raquin. Both are good, the latter is for school.
Listening to: "Fireflies" by Faith Hill. "Before you met me, I was a fairy princess. I caught frogs and called them prince and made myself the queen...I took mayonnaise jars with holes on top to capture Tinkerbell. They were just fireflies to the untrained eye, but I could always tell." ;-)
- Rachel
What was my moment of weakness? You were probably wondering that. Well, here it is: I wanted to drop Honors. This is nothing new; I have considered it as a possibility since the beginning of the program. Now, finished with my 6 credit courses, I have only 9 credits left of the craziness. And yet, it's like this (note that while this analogy is quite accurate to what my situation is, it is also extreme and in no way do I think that Honors is THAT bad): your arms are both broken, and you say, "Okay, now break both of my legs." Like I said, it's rather extreme, but if your arms were broken, would you also want to break both of your legs?
So that, combined with excessive dwelling upon my senior schedule, led me to say, "Listen, Rachel. Is it worth killing yourself over?" And for the first time, I could say to myself that maybe it wasn't. I haven't been able to stop worrying about how I am going to work on my senior thesis when I have so many other things to do, such as, hopefully, another REU. Despite what I wanted to do way back in June, when God was all, "Listen, Rachel, I've got this," I haven't stopped stressing.
You might be wondering how this story ends. Me, too. I can tell you this much. I have two spreadsheets. One is aptly titled, "No Honors" and the other is my current plan if I were to remain in the program. "No Honors" is definitely tempting, though it is only marginally easier than the other when all is said and done.
The title of the post - it sums up how I feel right now, or would feel if I was more well rested. I have to keep putting myself in the fire. It's NOT living if you stand outside the fire.
And, I must default to my old pal Rilke. I try to take his advice, really I do:
"I beg you...to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer..."
The other quote of the day: "Swine flu is like the new SARS, only stupider." ~ a friend. Chew on that for a bit.
Currently reading: The Hundred Secret Senses and Therese Raquin. Both are good, the latter is for school.
Listening to: "Fireflies" by Faith Hill. "Before you met me, I was a fairy princess. I caught frogs and called them prince and made myself the queen...I took mayonnaise jars with holes on top to capture Tinkerbell. They were just fireflies to the untrained eye, but I could always tell." ;-)
- Rachel
Monday, August 31, 2009
Just not today.
I'm still in a pretty epic state of denial about classes starting. I had all of mine today, minus my labs. I just have to keep telling myself I wanted to be a double major. :-P I think part of my problem is that in the beginning I don't internalize that my schedule is drastically different day to day, and that my ridiculous class load is not the same tomorrow. Once I get that into my head, which will hopefully be soon, I will have a much easier time of it all.
All of my classes seem good so far, which may bode well for the rest of the semester. My tutoring gigs all look promising, which makes me happy. :-)
All in all, a good start to my first real semester as a double major. I'm happy with how everything is going, and I am glad I have the opportunity to take advantage of so many great things.
Oh! I get to give my REU presentation at Science Seminar on Friday. I am doubly pumped to be able to bring back the work I did and show everyone what I learned. The good experiences just keep on coming. :-D
Currently reading: The Hundred Secret Senses and probably some poetry for my French class. Baudelaire to be specific. I'm excited. I can't say that enough.
Listening to: "A Perfectly Good Heart" by Taylor Swift. "Why would you wanna break a perfectly good heart?"
- Rachel
All of my classes seem good so far, which may bode well for the rest of the semester. My tutoring gigs all look promising, which makes me happy. :-)
All in all, a good start to my first real semester as a double major. I'm happy with how everything is going, and I am glad I have the opportunity to take advantage of so many great things.
Oh! I get to give my REU presentation at Science Seminar on Friday. I am doubly pumped to be able to bring back the work I did and show everyone what I learned. The good experiences just keep on coming. :-D
Currently reading: The Hundred Secret Senses and probably some poetry for my French class. Baudelaire to be specific. I'm excited. I can't say that enough.
Listening to: "A Perfectly Good Heart" by Taylor Swift. "Why would you wanna break a perfectly good heart?"
- Rachel
Sunday, August 30, 2009
I know you'd rather we were dancing...
And now, I'm glad I didn't know
the way it all would end,
the way it all would go.
Our lives are better left to chance.
I could have missed the pain,
but I'd have had to miss the dance.
- Garth Brooks, "The Dance"
I know I usually close with a song lyric, and I will close this post with another, but I have been so struck lately (as in tonight) by the truth of this refrain. Allow me to tell you a story.
Three years ago, I was beginning my senior year in high school, taking AP Physics. Columbia High School Physics has never been known to be great, and this year was no exception. I was expecting very little, and indeed, that is what I got. I don't think I could have expected all that much more without being disappointed, but I do think I could have been more positive about the whole thing. Alas, I made it through the class, extremely excited on the last day that I was DONE. Then I came to college.
As a Chemistry major, Physics was required - two semesters. I started with it immediately because I already had the calculus credit from high school, and I honestly just wanted it over with. And so my dance began. In a whirlwind of a first semester, I dropped my education certification in favor of the ability to be in the honors program and potentially complete a Physics minor. By the middle of last semester, I had declared a double major. I don't think I can explain how incredible Le Moyne has been in helping me get to a place that I love.
This year begins my junior year. One of the things I always remember my high school teacher saying was that once you got to third level physics, there aren't any numbers anymore. I will wave goodbye to them, I suppose.
I could have skipped high school physics all together. I probably still would have been a Chemistry major, and I would probably still have come to Le Moyne. Which means I would have still taken the same Physics. I can't say that I would have had such a dance if I hadn't know what it was to feel that pain.
I have a friend, also named Rachel, who switched her major from Chemistry to Biology, citing that she realized the reasons she thought she liked Chemistry were really the reasons she liked Biology. I am thinking I may have a similar problem. Perhaps the reasons I think I like Chemistry are really the reasons I like Physics? We shall see...
Currently reading: The Hundred Secret Senses. Not much to say...
Listening to: "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something. "You say that we've got nothing in common, no common ground to start from, and we're falling apart...and I said 'What about Breakfast at Tiffany's?'" <3
- Rachel
the way it all would end,
the way it all would go.
Our lives are better left to chance.
I could have missed the pain,
but I'd have had to miss the dance.
- Garth Brooks, "The Dance"
I know I usually close with a song lyric, and I will close this post with another, but I have been so struck lately (as in tonight) by the truth of this refrain. Allow me to tell you a story.
Three years ago, I was beginning my senior year in high school, taking AP Physics. Columbia High School Physics has never been known to be great, and this year was no exception. I was expecting very little, and indeed, that is what I got. I don't think I could have expected all that much more without being disappointed, but I do think I could have been more positive about the whole thing. Alas, I made it through the class, extremely excited on the last day that I was DONE. Then I came to college.
As a Chemistry major, Physics was required - two semesters. I started with it immediately because I already had the calculus credit from high school, and I honestly just wanted it over with. And so my dance began. In a whirlwind of a first semester, I dropped my education certification in favor of the ability to be in the honors program and potentially complete a Physics minor. By the middle of last semester, I had declared a double major. I don't think I can explain how incredible Le Moyne has been in helping me get to a place that I love.
This year begins my junior year. One of the things I always remember my high school teacher saying was that once you got to third level physics, there aren't any numbers anymore. I will wave goodbye to them, I suppose.
I could have skipped high school physics all together. I probably still would have been a Chemistry major, and I would probably still have come to Le Moyne. Which means I would have still taken the same Physics. I can't say that I would have had such a dance if I hadn't know what it was to feel that pain.
I have a friend, also named Rachel, who switched her major from Chemistry to Biology, citing that she realized the reasons she thought she liked Chemistry were really the reasons she liked Biology. I am thinking I may have a similar problem. Perhaps the reasons I think I like Chemistry are really the reasons I like Physics? We shall see...
Currently reading: The Hundred Secret Senses. Not much to say...
Listening to: "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something. "You say that we've got nothing in common, no common ground to start from, and we're falling apart...and I said 'What about Breakfast at Tiffany's?'" <3
- Rachel
Friday, August 28, 2009
Divine punchlines take a little time, but I'm getting it.
Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since my last post; I have been quite busy with my life in the "in between." I am now safely settled into Le Moyne, and excited to see the rest of my friends that have yet to arrive. (Even my number one fan!)
A lot has been going on; before I got back to LMC, I went kayaking with Kara at Pyramid Life Center. It was a great, albeit long, day, and well worth the trip. The epic day closed with homemade banana splits and Gilmore Girls, so it was marked down as a success in our books.
Now that I am back at Le Moyne, I was finally able to hang out with Erin's new baby, Ella. She is now three months old, and absolutely adorable. We went to the mall, the three of us, and while I was carrying Ella, we ran into a woman who I am pretty sure insinuated that I was the mother of Ella, and Erin was the grandmother. Don't get me wrong, I love babies and plan to have my own down the line, but I did not want to be pinned as a teenage mother type. It's NOT me!!!
Still simmering on all sorts of things, who I want to be, who I should be, who I am supposed to be. Believe me, those three aren't always the same people. That's my problem.
Currently reading: The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan. Interesting. Good. Got to finish it before classes on Monday. Even though I am still in hardcore denial about the whole school starting thing.
Listening to: "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)" by the Dixie Chicks. "God hears Amen wherever we are..." <3
- Rachel
A lot has been going on; before I got back to LMC, I went kayaking with Kara at Pyramid Life Center. It was a great, albeit long, day, and well worth the trip. The epic day closed with homemade banana splits and Gilmore Girls, so it was marked down as a success in our books.
Now that I am back at Le Moyne, I was finally able to hang out with Erin's new baby, Ella. She is now three months old, and absolutely adorable. We went to the mall, the three of us, and while I was carrying Ella, we ran into a woman who I am pretty sure insinuated that I was the mother of Ella, and Erin was the grandmother. Don't get me wrong, I love babies and plan to have my own down the line, but I did not want to be pinned as a teenage mother type. It's NOT me!!!
Still simmering on all sorts of things, who I want to be, who I should be, who I am supposed to be. Believe me, those three aren't always the same people. That's my problem.
Currently reading: The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan. Interesting. Good. Got to finish it before classes on Monday. Even though I am still in hardcore denial about the whole school starting thing.
Listening to: "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)" by the Dixie Chicks. "God hears Amen wherever we are..." <3
- Rachel
Monday, August 17, 2009
I'll make you banana pancakes, pretend like it's the weekend...
So it's been a few days since I last posted, and an epic few days at that! On Friday, Josh and I left for Norwich, NY, home of a one Nancy. We made chocolate chip pancakes and banana pancakes; they were delicious! It was so good to be in the company of LMC friends. :)
Saturday, we woke up early to leave for Bethlehem, PA, location of the wedding of my high school friend, Brighid. I laughed, cried, and danced the night away, well, until just after 5 pm. We had to leave to get back to Syracuse after a long day. Plus, our epic weekend was not over yet!
Saturday evening, we met a one Adrienne at Denny's for dinner and another mini reunion of the sharkies. :) Josh and I got there first, and when Adrienne arrived, there was a big group hug in the middle of the restaurant. I am certain we scared the few people there, but what can I say? I hadn't seen Adrienne since December.
Now I am just lazing around home for a few days. Tomorrow, the nerds will reunite for another epic day of sandcastle building and various other beach activities. When I say "beach" activities, I mean Grafton State Park. Not the most "beachy" of beaches, but it will do. I am pumped! :)
Currently reading: Life of Pi, and Introduction to Electrodynamics by David Griffiths. I figured I should get going on something. And I actually enjoy reading it! (at least for now...)
Listening to: "Perfect Circle" by Katie Melua. I love her. She is my new obsession. "Even when I'm walking straight, I always end up in a perfect circle." <3
- Rachel
Saturday, we woke up early to leave for Bethlehem, PA, location of the wedding of my high school friend, Brighid. I laughed, cried, and danced the night away, well, until just after 5 pm. We had to leave to get back to Syracuse after a long day. Plus, our epic weekend was not over yet!
Saturday evening, we met a one Adrienne at Denny's for dinner and another mini reunion of the sharkies. :) Josh and I got there first, and when Adrienne arrived, there was a big group hug in the middle of the restaurant. I am certain we scared the few people there, but what can I say? I hadn't seen Adrienne since December.
Now I am just lazing around home for a few days. Tomorrow, the nerds will reunite for another epic day of sandcastle building and various other beach activities. When I say "beach" activities, I mean Grafton State Park. Not the most "beachy" of beaches, but it will do. I am pumped! :)
Currently reading: Life of Pi, and Introduction to Electrodynamics by David Griffiths. I figured I should get going on something. And I actually enjoy reading it! (at least for now...)
Listening to: "Perfect Circle" by Katie Melua. I love her. She is my new obsession. "Even when I'm walking straight, I always end up in a perfect circle." <3
- Rachel
Thursday, August 13, 2009
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.
Well, I finished my last full day of work today. I only have cleaning and poster presenting to do. This should be a snap, though I can't say that I am all that excited for the poster. It looks nice, but the whole thing just seems like not fun. People can ask you anything they want, and I will have to be able to tell them something. I don't know; it's just not the same as a presentation. We will see.
I'm mostly packed, and all my stuff leaves tomorrow. This will be the last you hear from me for a few days, as I am going to a wedding in PA on Saturday and won't be really home until Sunday. It's the closest thing I will have to a real vacation all summer. I'll take it.
There's really not much to say. I am going to miss everyone so much. It's been a great summer, and I am so grateful. I won't go into great detail like last time, but to the people who got me here (Dr. O'Brien & Dr. Craig, Dr. Doyle, Drs. Ruhlandt & Sponsler), I am so thankful.
Currently reading: Life of Pi. It's really good. I'm going to try and get to Last of the Mohicans next. Or Great Expectations. My French books are probably still in France for all I know. :P
Listening to: "Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root. "I will run, I will. I will cry. Send me on my way, on my way."
- Rachel
I'm mostly packed, and all my stuff leaves tomorrow. This will be the last you hear from me for a few days, as I am going to a wedding in PA on Saturday and won't be really home until Sunday. It's the closest thing I will have to a real vacation all summer. I'll take it.
There's really not much to say. I am going to miss everyone so much. It's been a great summer, and I am so grateful. I won't go into great detail like last time, but to the people who got me here (Dr. O'Brien & Dr. Craig, Dr. Doyle, Drs. Ruhlandt & Sponsler), I am so thankful.
Currently reading: Life of Pi. It's really good. I'm going to try and get to Last of the Mohicans next. Or Great Expectations. My French books are probably still in France for all I know. :P
Listening to: "Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root. "I will run, I will. I will cry. Send me on my way, on my way."
- Rachel
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Let's see how far we've come...
With only one and a half days of work left, I figured it might be appropriate to "see how far we've come." Recap of the summer, if you will. (An aside: Today at tuesday lunch, Amanda used the word recap, and I finally connected it to recapitulation. Yeah, I'm special.)
Here goes:
1. I arrive at SU, inspired but wiped from the week in Philly. I didn't really want to be here, because I was not ready. Or so I thought.
2. I was greeted by my amazing roommate, who was already moved in, and who helped me move in. We became great friends.
3. I began working. I was able to do stoichiometry and run reactions successfuly, a feat. Well, the reaction running part. I didn't think the stoichiometry was such a big deal.
4. I started to feel comfortable being in my lab; yeah, I broke stuff, but I didn't do anything horribly wrong. Just a couple round bottoms.
5. I made a presentation, and I gave the presentation in front of people. It was a turning point for my confidence; instead of saying, "Can I do it?" I was saying, "Yes, I can." It was also an affirmation of path; I knew I was living it right.
6. I fell so much in love with the REU program that I already had a list of new REU programs for next summer to apply to.
7. It wasn't all work and no play; I read many books, made many friends and went on quite a few adventures. Niagara Falls, canoeing, just taking a walk, all of these experiences shaped this summer for me.
8. Through it all, I missed my Sharkies very much, and I wanted badly to go back to Le Moyne. I had no interest in the work, just the people.
9. As my summer comes to a close, I feel incredibly grateful to have had this REU position, these stories to share, these friends to be with. I will miss everyone, but I will take all of this as another brick in my foundation.
10. I feel like I should have an acknowledgement slide, or list, or something. It is to these people, above all, that I am indebted for shaping me:
- My family, my crazy crazy family, who have loved me and supported me in all of my pursuits.
- My friends: Kara D, my Sharkies and all of my Le Moyne people, my Science Olympians, and anyone I have been blessed enough to call friend. I have made it this far because of you.
- All of the teachers that kept me fired up in school, who showed me that I must remain in some sort of Academia, because that's where my passion resides, especially:
- Mrs. Vlieg, who thought I would enjoy Science Olympaid, and was right
- Ms. Blanchfield, who kindled my awe and wonder in the world in a tangible way
- Mrs. Prout, who told me that I was not allowed to be an English teacher
- Dr. Craig, who helped me to see that Physics was more than just CHS AP Physics, SO much more that it became my second major
- Master Schrippa, and everyone involved in LMC Tae Kwon Do.
- The Choir at Holy Spirit Parish, and all of the music ministry.
- Pyramid Life Centerers.
- The guests of Saint Francis Inn.
- There are so many more, oh so many more. This blog is not sufficiently large to contain all.
I will leave you with one last thing, for now. I found this in my perusal of cyberspace. It is an excerpt from a poem by Neil Gaiman.
Remember your name.
Do not lose hope — what you seek will be found.
Trust ghosts. Trust those that you have helped to help you in their turn.
Trust dreams.
Trust your heart, and trust your story.
The take home lesson from this, from all of this is: what you seek will be found. I am closer to finding it. I don't know what it is, but I can sense the path is near, and whatever it is that I will find is within my grasp. As I would say, "I've got this." :P
Currently reading: Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I know I said I would get to Great Expectations, and I will. I just want to read this one first.
Listening to: "Blessed" by Martina Mc Bride. "I have been blessed with so much more than I deserve." <3
- Rachel
Here goes:
1. I arrive at SU, inspired but wiped from the week in Philly. I didn't really want to be here, because I was not ready. Or so I thought.
2. I was greeted by my amazing roommate, who was already moved in, and who helped me move in. We became great friends.
3. I began working. I was able to do stoichiometry and run reactions successfuly, a feat. Well, the reaction running part. I didn't think the stoichiometry was such a big deal.
4. I started to feel comfortable being in my lab; yeah, I broke stuff, but I didn't do anything horribly wrong. Just a couple round bottoms.
5. I made a presentation, and I gave the presentation in front of people. It was a turning point for my confidence; instead of saying, "Can I do it?" I was saying, "Yes, I can." It was also an affirmation of path; I knew I was living it right.
6. I fell so much in love with the REU program that I already had a list of new REU programs for next summer to apply to.
7. It wasn't all work and no play; I read many books, made many friends and went on quite a few adventures. Niagara Falls, canoeing, just taking a walk, all of these experiences shaped this summer for me.
8. Through it all, I missed my Sharkies very much, and I wanted badly to go back to Le Moyne. I had no interest in the work, just the people.
9. As my summer comes to a close, I feel incredibly grateful to have had this REU position, these stories to share, these friends to be with. I will miss everyone, but I will take all of this as another brick in my foundation.
10. I feel like I should have an acknowledgement slide, or list, or something. It is to these people, above all, that I am indebted for shaping me:
- My family, my crazy crazy family, who have loved me and supported me in all of my pursuits.
- My friends: Kara D, my Sharkies and all of my Le Moyne people, my Science Olympians, and anyone I have been blessed enough to call friend. I have made it this far because of you.
- All of the teachers that kept me fired up in school, who showed me that I must remain in some sort of Academia, because that's where my passion resides, especially:
- Mrs. Vlieg, who thought I would enjoy Science Olympaid, and was right
- Ms. Blanchfield, who kindled my awe and wonder in the world in a tangible way
- Mrs. Prout, who told me that I was not allowed to be an English teacher
- Dr. Craig, who helped me to see that Physics was more than just CHS AP Physics, SO much more that it became my second major
- Master Schrippa, and everyone involved in LMC Tae Kwon Do.
- The Choir at Holy Spirit Parish, and all of the music ministry.
- Pyramid Life Centerers.
- The guests of Saint Francis Inn.
- There are so many more, oh so many more. This blog is not sufficiently large to contain all.
I will leave you with one last thing, for now. I found this in my perusal of cyberspace. It is an excerpt from a poem by Neil Gaiman.
Remember your name.
Do not lose hope — what you seek will be found.
Trust ghosts. Trust those that you have helped to help you in their turn.
Trust dreams.
Trust your heart, and trust your story.
The take home lesson from this, from all of this is: what you seek will be found. I am closer to finding it. I don't know what it is, but I can sense the path is near, and whatever it is that I will find is within my grasp. As I would say, "I've got this." :P
Currently reading: Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I know I said I would get to Great Expectations, and I will. I just want to read this one first.
Listening to: "Blessed" by Martina Mc Bride. "I have been blessed with so much more than I deserve." <3
- Rachel
Sunday, August 9, 2009
And the thunder rolls...
You guessed it! There is a storm a-brewing here in Syracuse. It's been thundering, lightening, pouring. Don't get me wrong, storms are cool, but I have a feeling this one will keep me up a while.
Today was a pretty lazy day. Nothing much to say except how excited I will be to go home. I need a break from all of this so-called "work." Everyone deserves a break now and again...
I made the mistake of checking to see if the final exam schedule was up, and it was. Here it is, in all its glory:
Monday, Dec. 14:
12:00 - 2:30: French Impressionism
3:00 - 5:30: Computational Physics
6:00 - 8:30: Electromagnetic Theory I
Wednesday, Dec. 16:
12:00 - 2:30: Physical Chemistry
Thursday, Dec. 17:
3:00 - 5:30: Inorganic Chemistry
The only really depressing part is that first day, and that such an intense day of testing is on the first day. Oh well. I will deal. I always do.
That's all. Life here isn't terribly interesting today.
Currently reading: The Historian. I still have just a little more than 200 pages to go. Which isn't bad considering it's almost 700 pages itself.
Listening to: "Unwell" by Matchbox 20. "I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell. I know, right now you can't tell, but stay a while and maybe then you'll see a different side of me..."
- Rachel
Today was a pretty lazy day. Nothing much to say except how excited I will be to go home. I need a break from all of this so-called "work." Everyone deserves a break now and again...
I made the mistake of checking to see if the final exam schedule was up, and it was. Here it is, in all its glory:
Monday, Dec. 14:
12:00 - 2:30: French Impressionism
3:00 - 5:30: Computational Physics
6:00 - 8:30: Electromagnetic Theory I
Wednesday, Dec. 16:
12:00 - 2:30: Physical Chemistry
Thursday, Dec. 17:
3:00 - 5:30: Inorganic Chemistry
The only really depressing part is that first day, and that such an intense day of testing is on the first day. Oh well. I will deal. I always do.
That's all. Life here isn't terribly interesting today.
Currently reading: The Historian. I still have just a little more than 200 pages to go. Which isn't bad considering it's almost 700 pages itself.
Listening to: "Unwell" by Matchbox 20. "I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell. I know, right now you can't tell, but stay a while and maybe then you'll see a different side of me..."
- Rachel
Saturday, August 8, 2009
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess.
With all of my take home work finished, my free time has become that much more free. Today, I slept until about 3:30 this afternoon, after going to bed at about 1:30 am. I really don't know how. I have never slept that long. I am much more well rested, though!
I did some more cleaning and packing; I am very ready to leave. I have made some great friends, and I will be sad to leave them, but I am done. I feel like I have gotten all that I can from being here, and while I will continue to draw from this experience in the future, I don't think I will get much more from being in this place. But what do I know?
I also watched "The Prince and Me," which was funny and heartwarming. I have seen a few movies this summer now, more than I normally do (I think 7 in all), and this might have been my favorite.
With all of this extra free time, I am not sure what I will do. Finish this book, of course, but I have about 350 pages to go. Probably can get through it by tomorrow. After that, more books, but I will probably start reviewing organic soon too. I have much to relearn!
There isn't much else to say. In six days I will be done. Does that mean the blog, too? Only time will tell. And readership. I doubt there are many readers. Weigh in: should I continue blogging? Leave a comment with your answer.
Currently reading: The Historian. It's SOOOOOO good. I would finish it tonight if I can stay awake long enough.
Listening to: "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain" by Reba McEntire. "I'm gonna take that mountain! Ain't nothing gonna slow me down, and there ain't no way around it. Gonna leave it level with the ground. Ain't just gonna cross it, climb it, fight it. I'm gonna take that mountain!"
- Rachel
I did some more cleaning and packing; I am very ready to leave. I have made some great friends, and I will be sad to leave them, but I am done. I feel like I have gotten all that I can from being here, and while I will continue to draw from this experience in the future, I don't think I will get much more from being in this place. But what do I know?
I also watched "The Prince and Me," which was funny and heartwarming. I have seen a few movies this summer now, more than I normally do (I think 7 in all), and this might have been my favorite.
With all of this extra free time, I am not sure what I will do. Finish this book, of course, but I have about 350 pages to go. Probably can get through it by tomorrow. After that, more books, but I will probably start reviewing organic soon too. I have much to relearn!
There isn't much else to say. In six days I will be done. Does that mean the blog, too? Only time will tell. And readership. I doubt there are many readers. Weigh in: should I continue blogging? Leave a comment with your answer.
Currently reading: The Historian. It's SOOOOOO good. I would finish it tonight if I can stay awake long enough.
Listening to: "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain" by Reba McEntire. "I'm gonna take that mountain! Ain't nothing gonna slow me down, and there ain't no way around it. Gonna leave it level with the ground. Ain't just gonna cross it, climb it, fight it. I'm gonna take that mountain!"
- Rachel
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Fly little bee away to where there's no more rain...
Today was and still is a beautiful day, weather-wise. The sky was practically clear, and it wasn't too hot. And, no rain! Dreams come true, sometimes.
Alas, there remains little more than a week of my first adventure into the wonderful world of research. I just want to be done. Maybe the mood I have been in all day will be gone tomorrow, but right now I am so done. My paper is mostly finished, and I have little to do on the poster. My heart just doesn't feel in it anymore; I don't know why, if it's circumstance or what. All I know is that I "checked out today." I can't say what it means, if it's something I feel about research or merely that my summer was effectively eaten up by this program. It's been a great run, don't get me wrong. I just want to be done. The end.
Currently reading: The Historian. I have a feeling this one's going to take a while.
Listening to: "Galileo" by the Indigo Girls. "How long til my soul gets it right?"
-Rachel
Alas, there remains little more than a week of my first adventure into the wonderful world of research. I just want to be done. Maybe the mood I have been in all day will be gone tomorrow, but right now I am so done. My paper is mostly finished, and I have little to do on the poster. My heart just doesn't feel in it anymore; I don't know why, if it's circumstance or what. All I know is that I "checked out today." I can't say what it means, if it's something I feel about research or merely that my summer was effectively eaten up by this program. It's been a great run, don't get me wrong. I just want to be done. The end.
Currently reading: The Historian. I have a feeling this one's going to take a while.
Listening to: "Galileo" by the Indigo Girls. "How long til my soul gets it right?"
-Rachel
Monday, August 3, 2009
Pushing the needle too far.
Today turned out to be one of the faultiest days of the summer. Here's why: some girl in our building has an active case of tuberculosis. So we all had to get tested. And it hurt. AND I have to have another test done in 1o weeks. Fail, SU. Fail. The whole thing just made me really irritated at people.
The less faulty part of the day consisted of the third floor lab going to MALDI at Suny Oswego. MALDI is a type of mass spectrometry that uses a laser. That's pretty much all I've got. It took a long time, but it was pretty cool.
Nothing much else to report. I am just annoyed at this TB business. :(
Currently reading: The Historian.
Listening to: "Paper Bag" by Anna Nalick. "Someday we'll all be old, and I'll be so damn beautiful. Meanwhile, I'll hide my head here in this paper bag..."
- Rachel
The less faulty part of the day consisted of the third floor lab going to MALDI at Suny Oswego. MALDI is a type of mass spectrometry that uses a laser. That's pretty much all I've got. It took a long time, but it was pretty cool.
Nothing much else to report. I am just annoyed at this TB business. :(
Currently reading: The Historian.
Listening to: "Paper Bag" by Anna Nalick. "Someday we'll all be old, and I'll be so damn beautiful. Meanwhile, I'll hide my head here in this paper bag..."
- Rachel
Sunday, August 2, 2009
God Only Knows.
As I write this post, I really should be writing my REU paper. I can see how this blog would be an extremely enticing form of procrastination if I kept it going through the semester. :P I'm very often glad that I write it, though. It helps to get everything out, or at least the important stuff.
Today at mass, I joined up with Josh and Mark and reclaimed my position as singer. I've been lectoring these past few weeks, and probably would have continued happily doing so. Fr. Linus, however, had other plans, and last week he invited me to sing. Thus, here I was. It felt good to be back in what some would call my "normal" place. I had enjoyed reading, but this was a welcome change.
During the homily, Fr. Linus went on about how we can't expect God to just call out to us and say, "Rachel, this is the path you must take." I knew this, certainly, but perhaps I can't always accept it. I don't like living "unsettled." I still don't know, after all this research, what I really should be doing. I like it, and I like the college life. I think I could be both happy and useful if I were to remain in the college setting. But is that where I should be? God only knows. Literally.
And so my discernment continues...
After mass, I was able to meet up with Kara, one of my best friends from home. We got lunch at Panera (though not before getting a bit lost), and the most delicious ice cream from Carvel. It was wonderful to see her for the first time in over a month, and I think a good time was had by all! :)
I shall sign off to you now, and maybe even get some of my paper done!
Currently reading: The Historian. I haven't read any since yesterday.
Listening to: "Whisper" by A Fine Frenzy. "I've stopped trying to find any peace in my mind because it tangles the wires."
- Rachel
Today at mass, I joined up with Josh and Mark and reclaimed my position as singer. I've been lectoring these past few weeks, and probably would have continued happily doing so. Fr. Linus, however, had other plans, and last week he invited me to sing. Thus, here I was. It felt good to be back in what some would call my "normal" place. I had enjoyed reading, but this was a welcome change.
During the homily, Fr. Linus went on about how we can't expect God to just call out to us and say, "Rachel, this is the path you must take." I knew this, certainly, but perhaps I can't always accept it. I don't like living "unsettled." I still don't know, after all this research, what I really should be doing. I like it, and I like the college life. I think I could be both happy and useful if I were to remain in the college setting. But is that where I should be? God only knows. Literally.
And so my discernment continues...
After mass, I was able to meet up with Kara, one of my best friends from home. We got lunch at Panera (though not before getting a bit lost), and the most delicious ice cream from Carvel. It was wonderful to see her for the first time in over a month, and I think a good time was had by all! :)
I shall sign off to you now, and maybe even get some of my paper done!
Currently reading: The Historian. I haven't read any since yesterday.
Listening to: "Whisper" by A Fine Frenzy. "I've stopped trying to find any peace in my mind because it tangles the wires."
- Rachel
Saturday, August 1, 2009
It's just another day in paradise...
Hey everyone! Today, the group went canoeing in Old Forge, and it was spectacular. The eight mile trip was full of beautiful scenery, and the river made for a refreshing swim! The only part that wasn't so fun was the "portage," where we had to carry the canoe about 0.2 mi through the muddy path. The mud wouldn't have even been so bad, if it wasn't full of rocks, roots and sticks. Plus, canoes are heavier than they look. I'm told that normally it isn't that muddy; we will never know. :P
There remain eight full days of work, and one half day, wherein we must have 3 "Tuesday Lunches" (one will be on a Thursday), and then close with a poster session. Thursday, 12-2 in the life sciences atrium. It's all gone by so quickly. I was thinking today on the river of how conflicted I was. I want, on some level, to stay here. The people are fabulous, my lab is great, and although this is what you might call "crunch time," it's hardly anything in comparison to what I know this semester upcoming will entail. I want, on some level, to be back at school, because I miss all of the sharks, and mass at LMC, and everything that college entails, minus the actual work. I almost even miss the work! I also want, mostly, to just have some time to myself, alone, where I can sleep, read and enjoy the world a little without having to worry about anything. My vacation got cut mad short. The 10 days I will be home after all of this will be jam-packed, and while most of it will be fun things, it won't necessarily be relaxing. Oh well. It's what I get. I wouldn't change a thing. :)
Currently reading: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It's about vampires. Nothing like Twilight, I'm sure, but very good thus far.
Listening to: "Hanging by a Moment" by Lifehouse. "I'm letting go of all I've held onto..."
- Rachel
There remain eight full days of work, and one half day, wherein we must have 3 "Tuesday Lunches" (one will be on a Thursday), and then close with a poster session. Thursday, 12-2 in the life sciences atrium. It's all gone by so quickly. I was thinking today on the river of how conflicted I was. I want, on some level, to stay here. The people are fabulous, my lab is great, and although this is what you might call "crunch time," it's hardly anything in comparison to what I know this semester upcoming will entail. I want, on some level, to be back at school, because I miss all of the sharks, and mass at LMC, and everything that college entails, minus the actual work. I almost even miss the work! I also want, mostly, to just have some time to myself, alone, where I can sleep, read and enjoy the world a little without having to worry about anything. My vacation got cut mad short. The 10 days I will be home after all of this will be jam-packed, and while most of it will be fun things, it won't necessarily be relaxing. Oh well. It's what I get. I wouldn't change a thing. :)
Currently reading: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It's about vampires. Nothing like Twilight, I'm sure, but very good thus far.
Listening to: "Hanging by a Moment" by Lifehouse. "I'm letting go of all I've held onto..."
- Rachel
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Nothing's ever out of reach, so dream, dream, dream!
This post is prompted by two things that happened to me today. The first:
I was walking back from the gym earlier, and I was considering how happy I was with my presentation. I was glad that I had done well, despite what I had foreseen for myself, and I remembered something I had been told: You have unlimited potential in whatever you pursue. Who had said it? My 8th grade history teacher had written it in my yearbook. I have chosen to believe it, despite the source. I say "despite" because this is the same teacher who told us that Africa was in the western hemisphere, among other things. You can't be wrong all the time, right? Anyway, I had made a little paper sign of that statement as a reminder to myself throughout high school, and it served me well. It has stayed on my cork board; I never took it to college. Perhaps I would have less of a confidence issue. Who knows? My point is that if you don't believe in yourself, you won't go to far. Even if other people believe in you. And if they do, it's probably a good sign that you should, too.
The second:
I was instant messaging a friend, to whom I found it necessary to give the following piece of advice: If you want to catch a frog, you can't worry about getting you shorts wet. It was especially applicable then, but you could put it to anything. If, for example, I want to be a teacher, I can't worry about standing up in front of the class and speaking. It's an occupational hazard that I have to accept, or get another occupation. The choice is always yours. You decide what the cost is, if the temporary wet shorts are worth the frog or not. I promise that your shorts will dry. Maybe I have taken the metaphor a bit far, but your shorts will dry. They can't stay wet forever.
That's that. Coherent or not. I just wanted to share. After all, I am learning about the world.
Currently reading: Nothing per se. I took another stab at Anna Karenina after finishing Run, but to minimal success. I just needed a workout book. Great Expectations is next. And this book called The Historian.
Listening to: "Dare to Dream" by Jo Dee Messina. "Let your heart and soul lead the way. Live, love, seize the day and dare to dream." <3
- Rachel
I was walking back from the gym earlier, and I was considering how happy I was with my presentation. I was glad that I had done well, despite what I had foreseen for myself, and I remembered something I had been told: You have unlimited potential in whatever you pursue. Who had said it? My 8th grade history teacher had written it in my yearbook. I have chosen to believe it, despite the source. I say "despite" because this is the same teacher who told us that Africa was in the western hemisphere, among other things. You can't be wrong all the time, right? Anyway, I had made a little paper sign of that statement as a reminder to myself throughout high school, and it served me well. It has stayed on my cork board; I never took it to college. Perhaps I would have less of a confidence issue. Who knows? My point is that if you don't believe in yourself, you won't go to far. Even if other people believe in you. And if they do, it's probably a good sign that you should, too.
The second:
I was instant messaging a friend, to whom I found it necessary to give the following piece of advice: If you want to catch a frog, you can't worry about getting you shorts wet. It was especially applicable then, but you could put it to anything. If, for example, I want to be a teacher, I can't worry about standing up in front of the class and speaking. It's an occupational hazard that I have to accept, or get another occupation. The choice is always yours. You decide what the cost is, if the temporary wet shorts are worth the frog or not. I promise that your shorts will dry. Maybe I have taken the metaphor a bit far, but your shorts will dry. They can't stay wet forever.
That's that. Coherent or not. I just wanted to share. After all, I am learning about the world.
Currently reading: Nothing per se. I took another stab at Anna Karenina after finishing Run, but to minimal success. I just needed a workout book. Great Expectations is next. And this book called The Historian.
Listening to: "Dare to Dream" by Jo Dee Messina. "Let your heart and soul lead the way. Live, love, seize the day and dare to dream." <3
- Rachel
I'll hide my head here in this paper bag...
The title refers to a couple of my REU friends. They wanted to go to a mask party, and needing masks, they took some paper bags and went with it. I don't really know how it turned out.
Today I added solutions of my compounds to the cells I plated yesterday. Me and biology, we went our separate ways a long time ago. With good reason. I mean, it is cool and all, but not for me. Not until I get better with the repeater at least.
I was going to write this yesterday, but with so much else to say, I left it for now. An away message of a good friend said this: "Sometimes you have to forget how you feel and remember what you deserve." It wasn't the first time I had seen it, but it was an important reminder of something I can forget. Remember what you deserve. How do you even know what that is? Maybe it's one of those things you figure out by process of elimination; somewhere along the way the bar gets set by past experiences. Is there a baseline though? I venture to set one:
1. No one deserves to be in constant pain of any sort.
2. No one deserves to be unhappy with his or her life.
3. No one deserves to feel less worthy because of any arbitrary standard that he or she doesn't meet.
I don't know what it all comes down to, I only know this: we were meant to life this life fully and to help others do the same. Not everyone gets what they want, nor does everyone get what they deserve. That shouldn't stop us from trying.
Currently reading: Run. Yeah, I know.
Listening to: "Good Love Is On The Way" by John Mayer. "You can take all the tricks up my sleeve. I don't need them anymore." :)
- Rachel
Today I added solutions of my compounds to the cells I plated yesterday. Me and biology, we went our separate ways a long time ago. With good reason. I mean, it is cool and all, but not for me. Not until I get better with the repeater at least.
I was going to write this yesterday, but with so much else to say, I left it for now. An away message of a good friend said this: "Sometimes you have to forget how you feel and remember what you deserve." It wasn't the first time I had seen it, but it was an important reminder of something I can forget. Remember what you deserve. How do you even know what that is? Maybe it's one of those things you figure out by process of elimination; somewhere along the way the bar gets set by past experiences. Is there a baseline though? I venture to set one:
1. No one deserves to be in constant pain of any sort.
2. No one deserves to be unhappy with his or her life.
3. No one deserves to feel less worthy because of any arbitrary standard that he or she doesn't meet.
I don't know what it all comes down to, I only know this: we were meant to life this life fully and to help others do the same. Not everyone gets what they want, nor does everyone get what they deserve. That shouldn't stop us from trying.
Currently reading: Run. Yeah, I know.
Listening to: "Good Love Is On The Way" by John Mayer. "You can take all the tricks up my sleeve. I don't need them anymore." :)
- Rachel
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The world is on fire...
So, the world is not actually on fire. We just had another fire drill this morning. At 7:45. I really do not appreciate these alarm businesses. Just putting it out there.
Today I presented my research once again, at Tuesday Lunch. It went WELL. Except for Sponsler waving at me and basically telling me I needed to stop talking, because I ran longer than I thought I would. Other than that, it was great. :)
I started legitimate cell work today. By legitimate I mean I passed the cells, and then I counted them. This is a particularly faulty process for multiple reasons:
1. I have never been very good at seeing the whole field of view with the microscope. I get the whole principle, I just stink at it.
2. The microscope is in a position where I have to bend over to look into it, even when I sit on the stool. This may cause, if prolonged, hunchback status. I could be the star of a Hugo novel. Or a Disney movie.
3. It's probably one of the least exciting things anyone could be doing in a lab. While it doesn't take much skill or anything, it is extremely time-consuming and monotonous. Worse than cleaning HPLC vials.
4. While I like biology, I am far more partial to the more mathematical sciences. I am lucky to have gotten this far without the biology being the main focus; nevertheless, it's kind of important if the goal of my project is ultimately to kill cancerous tumors.
Alas, I am told that cell counting is what undergrads are for. I haven't been able to properly defend myself. Oh well.
Currently reading: still Run. I plan to get to Great Expectations this weekend on the bus ride to Old Forge, where we are canoeing! :)
Listening to: "The Long Way Around" by the Dixie Chicks. "I've always found my way somehow by taking the long way, taking the long way around."
- Rachel
Today I presented my research once again, at Tuesday Lunch. It went WELL. Except for Sponsler waving at me and basically telling me I needed to stop talking, because I ran longer than I thought I would. Other than that, it was great. :)
I started legitimate cell work today. By legitimate I mean I passed the cells, and then I counted them. This is a particularly faulty process for multiple reasons:
1. I have never been very good at seeing the whole field of view with the microscope. I get the whole principle, I just stink at it.
2. The microscope is in a position where I have to bend over to look into it, even when I sit on the stool. This may cause, if prolonged, hunchback status. I could be the star of a Hugo novel. Or a Disney movie.
3. It's probably one of the least exciting things anyone could be doing in a lab. While it doesn't take much skill or anything, it is extremely time-consuming and monotonous. Worse than cleaning HPLC vials.
4. While I like biology, I am far more partial to the more mathematical sciences. I am lucky to have gotten this far without the biology being the main focus; nevertheless, it's kind of important if the goal of my project is ultimately to kill cancerous tumors.
Alas, I am told that cell counting is what undergrads are for. I haven't been able to properly defend myself. Oh well.
Currently reading: still Run. I plan to get to Great Expectations this weekend on the bus ride to Old Forge, where we are canoeing! :)
Listening to: "The Long Way Around" by the Dixie Chicks. "I've always found my way somehow by taking the long way, taking the long way around."
- Rachel
Monday, July 27, 2009
It's gonna be easy from now on.
I presented at group meeting today. Me. Rachel. I gave a scientific presentation in front of other people. And, in spite of my warp speed talking, it went well. I fielded the few questions with the grace of someone who actually knew what they were talking about. Yes, I wish I had said some things differently. Yes, I wish I hadn't sounded like I was the most nervous person in the world. In the end, though, I feel like I can do this. Not without a lot more practicing, for certain, but if this is where I am supposed to be, I will do just fine. It's the start of a new confidence. :) Now I just have to give this same presentation tomorrow. Piece of cake. At least I hope so...
In other news, today is July 27th, and that means that we have officially less than three weeks left. If you want to get all technical about it, we have 17 days left, not including move out day. It's crazy. This is week eight. I've done real research, made some progress, and met some really cool people along the way. I always make sure I include to my immediate lab mates that I think I want to go into physical chemistry, but I wouldn't change a thing about the summer. Not even the biology, which I don't care as much for. Don't get me wrong, Honors and AP Biology with Masiello was a blast, but I just like the math more. I've been lucky to have done mostly synthetic and analytical chemistry since I have been here. We will start cell testing soon, since we finally have a living cell line. Still, like I was told before, sometimes it's better to take the wrong path, because knowing that it is the wrong one often helps you find the right one. This summer has helped me in so many ways to be better suited for finding the right path. I can't say I've found it yet, but I am well on my way.
With such a short time left here, I have been contemplating my return to school, and I almost can't remember what it's like to go to class and have that kind of life. I mean, I know I did it, and I know what is involved, but I can't wrap my head around what I am returning to. I am excited to be back to Tae Kwon Do; as much as I would have liked to practice, it's just not the same without at least one other person. And here there is no one. :( I miss everyone from that place, too. Don't get me wrong, the REUs are cool people, but it's not the same as being able to say something like "Ray Cay, wipe your face" and have a bunch of people burst out laughing. I can't wait to be reunited with my sharkies!!!
Currently reading: still Run. Very good, just haven't had much time with this presentation business.
Listening to: "Defying Gravity" from Wicked. "I hope you're happy in the end. I hope you're happy my friend...As someone told me lately, 'Everyone deserves the chance to fly.'" <3
- Rachel
In other news, today is July 27th, and that means that we have officially less than three weeks left. If you want to get all technical about it, we have 17 days left, not including move out day. It's crazy. This is week eight. I've done real research, made some progress, and met some really cool people along the way. I always make sure I include to my immediate lab mates that I think I want to go into physical chemistry, but I wouldn't change a thing about the summer. Not even the biology, which I don't care as much for. Don't get me wrong, Honors and AP Biology with Masiello was a blast, but I just like the math more. I've been lucky to have done mostly synthetic and analytical chemistry since I have been here. We will start cell testing soon, since we finally have a living cell line. Still, like I was told before, sometimes it's better to take the wrong path, because knowing that it is the wrong one often helps you find the right one. This summer has helped me in so many ways to be better suited for finding the right path. I can't say I've found it yet, but I am well on my way.
With such a short time left here, I have been contemplating my return to school, and I almost can't remember what it's like to go to class and have that kind of life. I mean, I know I did it, and I know what is involved, but I can't wrap my head around what I am returning to. I am excited to be back to Tae Kwon Do; as much as I would have liked to practice, it's just not the same without at least one other person. And here there is no one. :( I miss everyone from that place, too. Don't get me wrong, the REUs are cool people, but it's not the same as being able to say something like "Ray Cay, wipe your face" and have a bunch of people burst out laughing. I can't wait to be reunited with my sharkies!!!
Currently reading: still Run. Very good, just haven't had much time with this presentation business.
Listening to: "Defying Gravity" from Wicked. "I hope you're happy in the end. I hope you're happy my friend...As someone told me lately, 'Everyone deserves the chance to fly.'" <3
- Rachel
Saturday, July 25, 2009
I'll be there for you, 'cause you're there for me, too...
In life, there's no one richer
than one who has a friend.
The joy is increased many fold,
divided is the pain.
I can't write anymore poetry. The block is too much. No matter how strong my need is to put fingers to keys and churn out the words, I have no concept of how to do justice to the gratitude I feel for being so blessed with my friends.
Sophomore year was ridiculous. The Sharks, as our group of Le Moyne friends likes to call ourselves, took one hit after another, sometimes literally, as in the case of Kate's concussion. We stayed up late watching movies for one reason or another. I remember Leah stayed up with me when they took Kate to the hospital and we watched either The Fox and the Hound or Robin Hood. A skype conversation took a turn for the long and late when Steph and Ellen needed us in the DR. That is only a small amount of it. I could probably write a book about sophomore year. It was us against the world, and we won. I thank God every day for my Sharks, because I wouldn't have made it without them. And for all of my friends. I can only hope I have done right by all of you.
The road, we pave it as we go.
The bumps will teach us well.
Our strength is from the journey,
for each time that we fell,
we rose again, convinced that we
could make it through the ride.
And, yes, we will, because we have
each other at our sides.
Currently reading: Run by Ann Patchett. I will get to Great Expectations soon, it just didn't make for a good workout book.
Listening to: one of my new favorite songs, "All Will Be Well" by the Gabe Dixon Band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMTU7yNXmpI&feature=related
"Even though sometimes this is hard to tell, and the fight is just as frustrating as hell, all will be well." <3
- Rachel
Friday, July 24, 2009
Home is where the heart is.
I found myself thinking today of how much I didn't want to be here. It wasn't just that I didn't want to be at work, I wanted to be gone. Out of this whole place. But where would I have gone.
I did not abandon my work (although I was not on my A game today); at various points throughout the day I considered where I wanted to be. Home. Where is home? Well, as the title states, where the heart is. So where is my heart?
EG. My hometown will always be special, and I left a piece of my heart there. Some great friends and amazing memories are there. And my family. My crazy family. They made me who I am.
Le Moyne. A sort of obvious choice for anyone who has seen the Sharks hang out. We are one big happy family. The best support network one could ask for. Le Moyne College is probably what made me understand "home."
Pyramid Life Center. Yes, there is a such thing as God Band Camp. I went there, three years in a row. The center centers me; I feel at ease the moment I step out of the car into the parking lot. It's one of those places that hugs you. I know, as if a place could hug. But I swear it does.
Those aren't all of my homes. I have only skimmed the surface. But I should have been to bed long ago.
Currently reading: nothing per se, but I plan to begin Great Expectations as soon as my presentation is all finished. It's one of those books I started for fun, and didn't finish, and now have to start again. I'm excited, though. Hopefully it won't take too long! :)
Listening to: "Everything in it's Own Time" by the Indigo Girls. "What was once your pain will be your home, everything in it's own time."
- Rachel
I did not abandon my work (although I was not on my A game today); at various points throughout the day I considered where I wanted to be. Home. Where is home? Well, as the title states, where the heart is. So where is my heart?
EG. My hometown will always be special, and I left a piece of my heart there. Some great friends and amazing memories are there. And my family. My crazy family. They made me who I am.
Le Moyne. A sort of obvious choice for anyone who has seen the Sharks hang out. We are one big happy family. The best support network one could ask for. Le Moyne College is probably what made me understand "home."
Pyramid Life Center. Yes, there is a such thing as God Band Camp. I went there, three years in a row. The center centers me; I feel at ease the moment I step out of the car into the parking lot. It's one of those places that hugs you. I know, as if a place could hug. But I swear it does.
Those aren't all of my homes. I have only skimmed the surface. But I should have been to bed long ago.
Currently reading: nothing per se, but I plan to begin Great Expectations as soon as my presentation is all finished. It's one of those books I started for fun, and didn't finish, and now have to start again. I'm excited, though. Hopefully it won't take too long! :)
Listening to: "Everything in it's Own Time" by the Indigo Girls. "What was once your pain will be your home, everything in it's own time."
- Rachel
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Hit me with your best shot!
I played softball again today, for the last time. It was playoff game number two; our team actually won the first one yesterday. I was not there, unfortunately, as we had an ACS dinner and talk for the program. Not mandatory, but free food and science. Who could ask for more? :P Anyway, we lost today's game, but it was quite fun, and I am so glad I got to play one last time. :)
The talk last night was on Raman Spectroscopy and Art. The guy spoke about using this non-invasive technique to identify pigments in artwork, which affords us both information on what pigments were used in the work, and whether or not it was a forgery. Certain synthetic pigments present in works purported to be from centuries ago indicate either touch-ups, or forgeries. I still don't know all that much about Raman, but the talk was interesting, and the speaker was engaging.
As I write you, I am in the midst of hardcore work on my presentation for group meeting/REU Tuesday lunch. The first is a 20 minute presentation, and the second, a 7 minute one. They're on the same thing, so I'll just have to cut the first one, but still... I am less nervous about the giving of the presentation, at least for now. That could change once it is finished and I attempt to give it, but right now I feel pretty good about my ability to talk about my project. Not 100%; I'll get there, though. I get far less nervous than I used to. Which isn't to say I don't get nervous. I just used to be awful about it, and now I am only moderate to barely noticeable.
Currently reading: still The Ghost Orchid. Moving slower due to the presentation that I have to make. Still a good book. :)
Listening to: "Closer to Fine" by the Indigo Girls. "There's more than one answer to these questions, pointing me in a crooked line. The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine." <3
- Rachel
The talk last night was on Raman Spectroscopy and Art. The guy spoke about using this non-invasive technique to identify pigments in artwork, which affords us both information on what pigments were used in the work, and whether or not it was a forgery. Certain synthetic pigments present in works purported to be from centuries ago indicate either touch-ups, or forgeries. I still don't know all that much about Raman, but the talk was interesting, and the speaker was engaging.
As I write you, I am in the midst of hardcore work on my presentation for group meeting/REU Tuesday lunch. The first is a 20 minute presentation, and the second, a 7 minute one. They're on the same thing, so I'll just have to cut the first one, but still... I am less nervous about the giving of the presentation, at least for now. That could change once it is finished and I attempt to give it, but right now I feel pretty good about my ability to talk about my project. Not 100%; I'll get there, though. I get far less nervous than I used to. Which isn't to say I don't get nervous. I just used to be awful about it, and now I am only moderate to barely noticeable.
Currently reading: still The Ghost Orchid. Moving slower due to the presentation that I have to make. Still a good book. :)
Listening to: "Closer to Fine" by the Indigo Girls. "There's more than one answer to these questions, pointing me in a crooked line. The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine." <3
- Rachel
Saturday, July 18, 2009
It's like asking Niagara not to fall...
Today our program took a bus to Niagara Falls! Most of the group went to Canada, but 5 of us (myself included) stayed in the U.S. We got to go to Cave of the Winds, an up close and personal walk around the falls. There was a special walkway that brought us right up to the falling water, and it was wicked cool. We got very wet, though; the provided ponchos did little to protect us from the large amount of falling water, once we got really close. The one cool thing they did was give us sandals to wear (well, we paid $11, but...). I'm sure it's a liability thing, but they were really comfortable, and a good break from the sneakers I had. I might have kept them, too, since everyone gets their own new pair. They encourage you, however, to donate them to their program when you finish; they bring the used shoes to impoverished countries where the people need protected feet. Plus, I didn't want to carry my sneakers around all day. I interlocked the sandals, and gave them a quick kiss, a sort of prayer for whatever size 10 gets my shoes. I hope that they help!
My presentations, now just barely a week away (the 27th and 28th), loom ever more ominous on the horizon. I started working on it yesterday, and was reminded of how much I hate PowerPoint slide show making. the program is great. It just takes forever. :( At least I will have the whole thing down before science seminar back at Le Moyne.
Currently reading: The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman. Interesting so far, but I am so tired that I can't bring myself to keep reading. Still recommend it!
Listening to: the song in my head, "Shine" by Anna Nalick. "You're the one to whom nobody verses 'I love you,' unless you say it first...isn't it time you got over how fragile you are?" <3
- Rachel
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Have you seen me lately?
So, last night/this morning, I saw Harry Potter. It was my first midnight movie, and it was amazing. Go see it. It remains to be seen, however, how tired I will end up tomorrow; I did pretty well today, but there is a one day delay, usually. Now that I have been getting regular amounts of sleep, my body can potentially recover from this particular event with little notice. At least I hope.
I noticed a measurable increase in the amount of stupid things I did today - likely the result of my tiredness. It made me feel like I was in first semester organic lab; I never used to sleep more than 4 or 5 hours before going to that class. And I tended to spill things. A lot more than second semester. That lab was in the afternoon. Go figure.
Our group is going to Niagara Falls this Saturday, and apparently we have the 5 hours to spend ourselves. Not really sure what to do with 5 hours; suggestions are welcome! :)
Not much reaction success to report; the thiolation of AZT didn't work as proven by mass spectrometry. :( No worries, though - we're currently tweaking our reaction conditions, and aren't even close to out of options. I am hopeful that something will work for us! :)
It's almost the end of week 6 here at SU, and I am in utter disbelief. I received an email with textbook information in it yesterday; I am not prepared to go back to classes. Don't get me wrong; I like school, but I appreciate my vacations. The 10 days I will be home after my job finishes are going to be the most precious 10 days of the summer.
Currently reading: same books. I wanted to finish Promise Not To Tell, but I am so drained, I don't have the energy. Tomorrow, I will do it.
Listening to: "Someday You Will Be Loved" by Death Cab for Cutie. "You may feel alone when you're falling asleep, and everytime tears roll down your cheeks, but I know your heart belongs to someone you've yet to meet. Someday you will be loved..." <3
- Rachel
I noticed a measurable increase in the amount of stupid things I did today - likely the result of my tiredness. It made me feel like I was in first semester organic lab; I never used to sleep more than 4 or 5 hours before going to that class. And I tended to spill things. A lot more than second semester. That lab was in the afternoon. Go figure.
Our group is going to Niagara Falls this Saturday, and apparently we have the 5 hours to spend ourselves. Not really sure what to do with 5 hours; suggestions are welcome! :)
Not much reaction success to report; the thiolation of AZT didn't work as proven by mass spectrometry. :( No worries, though - we're currently tweaking our reaction conditions, and aren't even close to out of options. I am hopeful that something will work for us! :)
It's almost the end of week 6 here at SU, and I am in utter disbelief. I received an email with textbook information in it yesterday; I am not prepared to go back to classes. Don't get me wrong; I like school, but I appreciate my vacations. The 10 days I will be home after my job finishes are going to be the most precious 10 days of the summer.
Currently reading: same books. I wanted to finish Promise Not To Tell, but I am so drained, I don't have the energy. Tomorrow, I will do it.
Listening to: "Someday You Will Be Loved" by Death Cab for Cutie. "You may feel alone when you're falling asleep, and everytime tears roll down your cheeks, but I know your heart belongs to someone you've yet to meet. Someday you will be loved..." <3
- Rachel
Monday, July 13, 2009
We Didn't Start The Fire!
We had a fire drill this morning. At 7:20. I don't want you to feel too bad for me, because I was already awake, and would have gotten up. The problem was this: I couldn't find my keys. Valerie was under the impression that the ridiculous beeping was my cell phone, and I was all frazzled because I couldn't find it. Wrong. At least it wasn't cold. And at least I was getting up around then anyway. It was still depressing. :(
Research is still going; we're on the verge of cell work! I just have to run one more reaction: the creation of the disulfide bond between the SPDP activated Folate/PEG compound and the thiolated AZT. Soon, and very soon...
Readers, I just want to take the time once again to say how grateful I feel to be here. I have taken so many good things from this experience already, and I still have the better part of five weeks left. That's plenty of time to learn more, oh so much more.
Back in the day, when I was in eighth grade and I thought I was a hot shot, I made the mistake of saying something about how we (the human race) didn't have that much more to discover scientifically. Something really stupid. I was immediately corrected by one much wiser than myself; I was told that there was a whole wealth of untapped knowledge out there. I don't remember the exact words, but I've gone back to that moment in my head a lot lately. Perhaps, subconsciously, that's when I started on my scientific path. Or, maybe not. In either case, I use it as my fuel now. I won't be able to discover "everything," and "everything" won't be discovered in my lifetime, but I want to make some contribution to the known. We talked in AP English about the "collective unconscious;" I want to add to the "collective conscious."
Currently Reading: Promise Not To Tell by Jennifer McMahon, and still Lisey's Story. But I finished Wicked!!!!!!!!!!!! I have mixed feelings about that one, but I am glad to be finished with it. I liked the musical better.
Listening to: Reba McEntire on shuffle. <3 "Somebody that you look at, but never really see - somewhere out there is somebody..."
- Rachel
Research is still going; we're on the verge of cell work! I just have to run one more reaction: the creation of the disulfide bond between the SPDP activated Folate/PEG compound and the thiolated AZT. Soon, and very soon...
Readers, I just want to take the time once again to say how grateful I feel to be here. I have taken so many good things from this experience already, and I still have the better part of five weeks left. That's plenty of time to learn more, oh so much more.
Back in the day, when I was in eighth grade and I thought I was a hot shot, I made the mistake of saying something about how we (the human race) didn't have that much more to discover scientifically. Something really stupid. I was immediately corrected by one much wiser than myself; I was told that there was a whole wealth of untapped knowledge out there. I don't remember the exact words, but I've gone back to that moment in my head a lot lately. Perhaps, subconsciously, that's when I started on my scientific path. Or, maybe not. In either case, I use it as my fuel now. I won't be able to discover "everything," and "everything" won't be discovered in my lifetime, but I want to make some contribution to the known. We talked in AP English about the "collective unconscious;" I want to add to the "collective conscious."
Currently Reading: Promise Not To Tell by Jennifer McMahon, and still Lisey's Story. But I finished Wicked!!!!!!!!!!!! I have mixed feelings about that one, but I am glad to be finished with it. I liked the musical better.
Listening to: Reba McEntire on shuffle. <3 "Somebody that you look at, but never really see - somewhere out there is somebody..."
- Rachel
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The little ole willow is laughin' at me...
That's me. Hugging a tree. It's how I roll now.
I went to church today, and who do I run into, but Brother Marsh! Haven't seen him at all this past academic year, what with his sabbatical and everything. But he's back, which I knew, and it makes me even more excited to go back to Le Moyne. Steph's countdown said 46 days...
More science this week upcoming - I have my first presentation of my work here at SU in just over two weeks. July 28 to be exact. My first ever real presentation of research. Many more to come I am sure. I'll stop thinking about it for right now, though. No sense in drumming up unnecessary nerves.
Nancy did indeed visit Friday to Saturday, but Shakespeare in the park was canceled indefinitely due to the economy. Which I guess I can understand. Plus, we got to walk, talk and swing for a solid hour and a half after our picnic! :) I love that girl. Don't know what I would do without her, really. She's the one that got me to hugging trees. :P
Currently reading: Wicked. Yeah I know it's the same book. I am working really hard to finish it. It's not my favorite, either, which makes it more of a hassle to finish. I'll get there.
Listening to: Frank Sinatra on shuffle. "Let's fly, let's fly away..."
- Rachel
Thursday, July 9, 2009
I do what I have to do...
Today, I ran the HPLC. All day. The many 22 minute runs were only exacerbated by the fact that one of the peaks from the column came off in like 6 vials of about a drop each, causing me to go through vials like crazy. I had to keep emptying them and washing them, and the vials are the the worst to clean. I have to finish cleaning some of them tomorrow before we go to the theoretical chemistry workshop (about which I am wicked excited because it is my first real intro to Physical Chemistry, which is where I think I ultimately want to go).
Nancy is coming to visit tomorrow, and we are going to see the Taming of the Shrew in the park. I've never read it, but Bill Shakespeare and I are BFFs. :)
Currently reading: Wicked and Lisey's Story. Not much headway made, sadly. But Wicked is getting better.
Listening to: Set this Circus Down by Tim McGraw. "I guess that's just the cowboy in me..."
- Rachel
Nancy is coming to visit tomorrow, and we are going to see the Taming of the Shrew in the park. I've never read it, but Bill Shakespeare and I are BFFs. :)
Currently reading: Wicked and Lisey's Story. Not much headway made, sadly. But Wicked is getting better.
Listening to: Set this Circus Down by Tim McGraw. "I guess that's just the cowboy in me..."
- Rachel
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
I'm thirsty anyway, so bring on the rain...
Today I went to X-ray safety training - maybe one day I will be able to use the X-ray machine at SU, and if not, Le Moyne is getting one soon, so I will be all prepared! I'm so proud of us. :) (Well, Drs. O'Brien, Craig and Tanner, anyway...)
http://echo.lemoyne.edu/NewsFlash/displaypage.asp?NewsNo=4480
It was at this safety training that it started to pour, and then there was hail. The cloudburst was short, but the lightening was severe - a bolt of it hit the building! This triggered an alarm, and we were sequestered to the basement in more or less "fire drill" fashion. It was so odd, but everyone is safe, and all is well. That's the most important part.
I passed my safety training with flying colors, and I am now ready and raring to go. I can't wait to use another cool machine. The more I do here, the more I get a feel for what I want to do later on, where I want to go with my own future research. Perhaps, more importantly, I learn where I don't want to do.
Our reactions are going well; I took the proton NMR of our latest product, the attempt to turn the chlorine in the AZT-Cl to a thiol group (-SH). I am still not sure if the reaction worked or not, as there are two peaks that have appeared, each integrating to 7. Basically, there is at least one new proton source, and there are two new sets of 7 equivalent protons. I have absolutely no idea where this is coming from, but that is the nature of research: discovery. I realize more and more every day how little I actually know in the grand scheme of things, how little is known by the scientific community. We know a lot, and yet there is so much more out there waiting to be known. I hope that one day, I can make some contribution to the pool of understanding.
I get to play softball again tomorrow. I am very excited; now that I more or less know what the rules are, I think I will be a bit better. I shouldn't speak too soon, though. After all, I was the one who fell the first time I was at bat, three feet from home plate, attempting to run to first base. That was yesterday. I am 20 years old, and I am probably one of the most uncoordinated people you will ever encounter.
Currently reading: Wicked, as well as Lisey's Story by Stephen King. Not very far into that one yet; I'm trying to use it as my workout book. As for Wicked, I am finally to a part where I can sort of start to see what the musical was based off of. For any soundtrack addicts, I've made it through about the first four songs as far as plot is concerned.
Listening to: "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp. "Life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone..."
- Rachel
http://echo.lemoyne.edu/NewsFlash/displaypage.asp?NewsNo=4480
It was at this safety training that it started to pour, and then there was hail. The cloudburst was short, but the lightening was severe - a bolt of it hit the building! This triggered an alarm, and we were sequestered to the basement in more or less "fire drill" fashion. It was so odd, but everyone is safe, and all is well. That's the most important part.
I passed my safety training with flying colors, and I am now ready and raring to go. I can't wait to use another cool machine. The more I do here, the more I get a feel for what I want to do later on, where I want to go with my own future research. Perhaps, more importantly, I learn where I don't want to do.
Our reactions are going well; I took the proton NMR of our latest product, the attempt to turn the chlorine in the AZT-Cl to a thiol group (-SH). I am still not sure if the reaction worked or not, as there are two peaks that have appeared, each integrating to 7. Basically, there is at least one new proton source, and there are two new sets of 7 equivalent protons. I have absolutely no idea where this is coming from, but that is the nature of research: discovery. I realize more and more every day how little I actually know in the grand scheme of things, how little is known by the scientific community. We know a lot, and yet there is so much more out there waiting to be known. I hope that one day, I can make some contribution to the pool of understanding.
I get to play softball again tomorrow. I am very excited; now that I more or less know what the rules are, I think I will be a bit better. I shouldn't speak too soon, though. After all, I was the one who fell the first time I was at bat, three feet from home plate, attempting to run to first base. That was yesterday. I am 20 years old, and I am probably one of the most uncoordinated people you will ever encounter.
Currently reading: Wicked, as well as Lisey's Story by Stephen King. Not very far into that one yet; I'm trying to use it as my workout book. As for Wicked, I am finally to a part where I can sort of start to see what the musical was based off of. For any soundtrack addicts, I've made it through about the first four songs as far as plot is concerned.
Listening to: "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp. "Life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone..."
- Rachel
Monday, July 6, 2009
Put me in, Coach. I'm ready to play!
Today I ventured where no other REU this summer has ventured before me (at least I think so). I played on the Chemistry department's softball team! Each of the departments can field a co-ed team, and ours was short a girl. I was invited to play, and we had a great time. We lost, but I guess that's par for our course. Our team, Chemical Addiction, has only won one game legitimately; the other win was a forfeit. Hey, you can't have everything, right?
I didn't post yesterday, but I guess now is as good a time as any to bring this up: the "What now?/Bring it on!" Jesus from the Alibrandi Center. Let me explain. During both of my visits to the center, I was struck by the appearance of the crucifed statue on the wall in the front of the chapel. This Jesus, instead of looking dejected and broken, is in a sort of "What now?/Bring it on!" pose. His arms are a bit more bowed, but the expression is all in his face. It gets me every time. He carried his cross, the cross of the world, and then died, for us. And then he rose from death to new life. He can do anything, and with him, we can do anything. If you think you can beat him, you're wrong. He'll get you every time. It's kind of comforting, actually.
Currently reading: Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Not really sure how I feel about it, but since I loved the musical, I had to read the book. Jury's still out on the book, but go see the show. It's spectacular!
Listening to: "Say" by John Mayer. "It’s better to say too much than never to say what you need to say..." <3
- Rachel
I didn't post yesterday, but I guess now is as good a time as any to bring this up: the "What now?/Bring it on!" Jesus from the Alibrandi Center. Let me explain. During both of my visits to the center, I was struck by the appearance of the crucifed statue on the wall in the front of the chapel. This Jesus, instead of looking dejected and broken, is in a sort of "What now?/Bring it on!" pose. His arms are a bit more bowed, but the expression is all in his face. It gets me every time. He carried his cross, the cross of the world, and then died, for us. And then he rose from death to new life. He can do anything, and with him, we can do anything. If you think you can beat him, you're wrong. He'll get you every time. It's kind of comforting, actually.
Currently reading: Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Not really sure how I feel about it, but since I loved the musical, I had to read the book. Jury's still out on the book, but go see the show. It's spectacular!
Listening to: "Say" by John Mayer. "It’s better to say too much than never to say what you need to say..." <3
- Rachel
Saturday, July 4, 2009
She lit up the sky that fourth of July...
Happy Independence Day everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the festivities, celebrating our freedom, and doing so responsibly! :)
I just spent the day watching my sister's softball games; they are currently 3-0, so hopefully that bodes well for the single elimination tomorrow.
Yesterday, Valerie and I ventured out on her first Centro (bus) ride, and we went to Carousel Mall to see UP and do some impromptu shopping. As if I needed any more, I bought 3 more books (on clearance). We met Josh for lunch and the movie. UP was really cute. :)
Currently reading: Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson. Well, I have read the first page, but it looks really good! And, I finally finished Agnes Grey. Thank goodness. That was also a really good one, and brought my SU book total to 8 books. Onward, ho!
Listening to: All I Ever Wanted by Kelly Clarkson. Valerie's current favorite CD, and really good workout music. Almost as good as my favorite workout CD, Have A Nice Day by Bon Jovi. I do love him. :)
- Rachel
I just spent the day watching my sister's softball games; they are currently 3-0, so hopefully that bodes well for the single elimination tomorrow.
Yesterday, Valerie and I ventured out on her first Centro (bus) ride, and we went to Carousel Mall to see UP and do some impromptu shopping. As if I needed any more, I bought 3 more books (on clearance). We met Josh for lunch and the movie. UP was really cute. :)
Currently reading: Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson. Well, I have read the first page, but it looks really good! And, I finally finished Agnes Grey. Thank goodness. That was also a really good one, and brought my SU book total to 8 books. Onward, ho!
Listening to: All I Ever Wanted by Kelly Clarkson. Valerie's current favorite CD, and really good workout music. Almost as good as my favorite workout CD, Have A Nice Day by Bon Jovi. I do love him. :)
- Rachel
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
If you see him...
As I walked through the atrium, back to my dorm to get some lunch, I looked outside to my left. I saw someone I was certain I knew, one of my Le Moyne friends, though I couldn't see his face. I was about 99% certain on this one, and thus decided to take a short detour. Sure enough, "it was Nick!" (I thought you might appreciate that, Leah. :P) He had wandered over here from ESF to find a professor who knew about yeast, but to no success. We got to talking; both of us seem to be having scientific, but rewarding and fun-filled summers! That's all anyone could hope for, right? :P
Still making more starting materials, still analyzing them. Next week, Tony says we will begin the cell work; we will actually test some of the stuff we made on the cells! It's the moment of truth...
Currently reading: The Face by David St. John. It's a novella in verse, a very moving narrative of a failed love. Read it. I also just finished the full text of Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, translated by Stephen Mitchell. Amazing, a must read. And I am still making my way through Agnes Grey. Yeah, I know. I could have, and probably should have finished that first. What can I say, I guess I am an ADD reader.
Listening to: All That We Let In by the Indigo Girls. Great Album! :)
- Rachel
Still making more starting materials, still analyzing them. Next week, Tony says we will begin the cell work; we will actually test some of the stuff we made on the cells! It's the moment of truth...
Currently reading: The Face by David St. John. It's a novella in verse, a very moving narrative of a failed love. Read it. I also just finished the full text of Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, translated by Stephen Mitchell. Amazing, a must read. And I am still making my way through Agnes Grey. Yeah, I know. I could have, and probably should have finished that first. What can I say, I guess I am an ADD reader.
Listening to: All That We Let In by the Indigo Girls. Great Album! :)
- Rachel
Monday, June 29, 2009
You make me smile, please stay for a while...
I used to be best friends with public transportation. No longer! My bus home friday night left 45 minutes late. The train I took back here arrived in Syracuse 70 minutes late. :(
I did have a great weekend home! I got to hang out with a bunch of my family and friends; we had much fun. Highlights of the weekend:
1. Mr. C speaking at graduation. I love him. (For those who don't know who Mr. C is, he was my gym teacher in elementary school. A big proponent of the Green Meadow motto: "It's all in the attitude.") Now retired, and soon to be remarried, he is still doing very well, and he gave the best speech the whole day. Hands down.
2. Whiffle ball at David Dickie's graduation party. The fun was compounded exponentially by the fact that his backyard was really wet and pretty muddy, which made sliding easy and stopping difficult. I was the first to fall, and it just got muddier from there, for everyone.
3. Seeing my second cousin, the littlest Allen Eugene Sicley IV. Now three, he has abandoned the headbutting he was known for at my graduation party and we had a grand old time on the playground at the park. He's adorable.
4. When I arrived back at SU, at about 11 pm, I found my towel on my bed. Tired and distressed from the fact that my stupid train was 70 minutes late, I inquired with Valerie what was going on. She informed me that she had decided to do laundry and needed some more things, so she washed my towel for me. I had meant to do laundry before I left, and I hadn't gotten around to it. I was so thrilled by this little act of kindness.
Everything in the lab is going quite well; I have been making the target compounds successfully, minus the IUdR chlorination (which we hadn't tried before anyway). Not much to note; all I did today was run the chlorinated AZT through the HPLC to purify it. That took most of the day, and then there was group meeting, where Tony gave a literature review.
Currently reading: Agnes Grey, still, but also started Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult (which is why AG is not finished). I know Picoult's books are almost a formula, but I have read them all, and they get me every time. Read one!
Listening to: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2. Great song. The end.
- Rachel
I did have a great weekend home! I got to hang out with a bunch of my family and friends; we had much fun. Highlights of the weekend:
1. Mr. C speaking at graduation. I love him. (For those who don't know who Mr. C is, he was my gym teacher in elementary school. A big proponent of the Green Meadow motto: "It's all in the attitude.") Now retired, and soon to be remarried, he is still doing very well, and he gave the best speech the whole day. Hands down.
2. Whiffle ball at David Dickie's graduation party. The fun was compounded exponentially by the fact that his backyard was really wet and pretty muddy, which made sliding easy and stopping difficult. I was the first to fall, and it just got muddier from there, for everyone.
3. Seeing my second cousin, the littlest Allen Eugene Sicley IV. Now three, he has abandoned the headbutting he was known for at my graduation party and we had a grand old time on the playground at the park. He's adorable.
4. When I arrived back at SU, at about 11 pm, I found my towel on my bed. Tired and distressed from the fact that my stupid train was 70 minutes late, I inquired with Valerie what was going on. She informed me that she had decided to do laundry and needed some more things, so she washed my towel for me. I had meant to do laundry before I left, and I hadn't gotten around to it. I was so thrilled by this little act of kindness.
Everything in the lab is going quite well; I have been making the target compounds successfully, minus the IUdR chlorination (which we hadn't tried before anyway). Not much to note; all I did today was run the chlorinated AZT through the HPLC to purify it. That took most of the day, and then there was group meeting, where Tony gave a literature review.
Currently reading: Agnes Grey, still, but also started Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult (which is why AG is not finished). I know Picoult's books are almost a formula, but I have read them all, and they get me every time. Read one!
Listening to: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2. Great song. The end.
- Rachel
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Who Says You Can't Go Home?
Hello Everyone!
Almost three weeks in already! Time sure flies when you're having fun. :)
I'm packing tonight, and tomorrow I will be boarding the bus to return home for the weekend. My brother is graduating from high school on Saturday; it makes me feel old. He will join me at Le Moyne in the fall in the 3-3 Physical Therapy program at SUNY Upstate Medical. Yup. It will be interesting...
We were able to successfully chlorinate AZT, but with IUdR (another nucleoside analog) I believe we were not so lucky. The Mass Spec returned some interesting data that I have yet to entirely decipher. At least the AZT worked; that's all we really need.
I mentioned to two of the grad students in my lab today, for the second time, that I think I want to go into Physical Chemistry. Which has absolutely nothing to do with my current research, and at that point, they asked me to leave. Not seriously, of course. Don't get me wrong, I like my current research; I'm learning a lot and I am having a great time. I just think that, down the road, I see myself in P Chem. In my retreat journal, I wrote (perhaps quoting someone, I honestly don't know and apologize for not having a source if I should), "If you end up taking the wrong path, you're more likely to end up on the right one." If you take enough wrong paths, in theory, you should end up on the right one eventually. Even if merely by process of elimination. (Here I'd make an Organic Chemistry joke about E1 or E2, but I doubt anyone would find it all that amusing. Especially if you don't know anything about Organic Chemistry.)
As I am going home for the weekend, I will be on a brief hiatus from posting, but fear not! I will be back Monday (or Sunday night if I have some extra energy). It will give my self-titled "# 1 fan" a little less to have to catch up on with her commenting, as she has been away this week. :P
Currently reading: Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. The least known of the sisters. Good book, too!
Listening to: "Top of the World" by the Dixie Chicks. :) Sad, but great, song.
- Rachel
Almost three weeks in already! Time sure flies when you're having fun. :)
I'm packing tonight, and tomorrow I will be boarding the bus to return home for the weekend. My brother is graduating from high school on Saturday; it makes me feel old. He will join me at Le Moyne in the fall in the 3-3 Physical Therapy program at SUNY Upstate Medical. Yup. It will be interesting...
We were able to successfully chlorinate AZT, but with IUdR (another nucleoside analog) I believe we were not so lucky. The Mass Spec returned some interesting data that I have yet to entirely decipher. At least the AZT worked; that's all we really need.
I mentioned to two of the grad students in my lab today, for the second time, that I think I want to go into Physical Chemistry. Which has absolutely nothing to do with my current research, and at that point, they asked me to leave. Not seriously, of course. Don't get me wrong, I like my current research; I'm learning a lot and I am having a great time. I just think that, down the road, I see myself in P Chem. In my retreat journal, I wrote (perhaps quoting someone, I honestly don't know and apologize for not having a source if I should), "If you end up taking the wrong path, you're more likely to end up on the right one." If you take enough wrong paths, in theory, you should end up on the right one eventually. Even if merely by process of elimination. (Here I'd make an Organic Chemistry joke about E1 or E2, but I doubt anyone would find it all that amusing. Especially if you don't know anything about Organic Chemistry.)
As I am going home for the weekend, I will be on a brief hiatus from posting, but fear not! I will be back Monday (or Sunday night if I have some extra energy). It will give my self-titled "# 1 fan" a little less to have to catch up on with her commenting, as she has been away this week. :P
Currently reading: Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. The least known of the sisters. Good book, too!
Listening to: "Top of the World" by the Dixie Chicks. :) Sad, but great, song.
- Rachel
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A Real Fine Place To Start!
We used the HPLC to purify the product from the AZT chlorination, and, our preliminary results look good! NMR and Mass Spectrometry will tell us for certain in a day or two, when we get to them. We also used the LPLC (low pressure liquid chromatograph) to resolve our attempts at conjugating folic acid to polyethylene gycol (PEG). The product was indeed there, but I haven't looked closely at the results yet. All I know is that, because the PEG has an amine on each end that can react with the activated folic acid, I was supposed to add the folic acid to the PEG to prevent PEG from reacting both of the amines with folic acid. According to Tony, though, we still got our product, so all is well. And, since I am a pro at running that reaction (this was time three), I could always make more. No screw ups this time, I hope. I make no promises.
The suite that I live in will finally be getting its other two residents; Julia and Lisa arrive from Austria sometime tonight. I am excited to meet them and the other Austrian students, nine in total. One of them will be in the lab with me upstairs; it should be interesting.
Currently reading: Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. Hilarious, perfect for those who mourn what grammar and punctuation have become in this day and age.
Listening to: The Middle by Jimmy Eat World. Love it!
Catch you later!
- Rachel
The suite that I live in will finally be getting its other two residents; Julia and Lisa arrive from Austria sometime tonight. I am excited to meet them and the other Austrian students, nine in total. One of them will be in the lab with me upstairs; it should be interesting.
Currently reading: Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. Hilarious, perfect for those who mourn what grammar and punctuation have become in this day and age.
Listening to: The Middle by Jimmy Eat World. Love it!
Catch you later!
- Rachel
Monday, June 22, 2009
I have confidence in me!
Sometime around the end of this past semester, Dr. Craig, my physics advisor, and I were talking about scientific maturity - a sort of being comfortable with what you are doing in lab. I felt as though, by the end of the year, I had a certain level of "know how" in Organic Lab that prevented me from some of the worrying I used to do. For example, a little extra solvent wasn't a big deal. Lab started making a bit more inherent sense. I don't really know when it happened, or when I noticed it, but it's great when it finally happens. It gave me a new measure of confidence. Not a lot, but more than I had, which is always a good start.
And then I came here. All of that confidence went out the window. I was certain I would fumble and, not exactly fail, but, perhaps not do as well as I could or should. After all, I break things. I spill things. And I'm afraid to fail, because that's not what I usually do. I don't let failure become an option. But here, it has to be.
I've broken something. I've spilled something. I've failed (that was today, when I added the reagents the wrong way). Failure is okay. My partner in crime and birthday buddy Thomas Edison knew that better than anyone. It's okay to fail, as long as it does not stop you from continued attempts at success.
And, as Greg informed me on the retreat in April, "you will break more beakers." All too true. It's a good thing glass is recyclable. :)
- Rachel
And then I came here. All of that confidence went out the window. I was certain I would fumble and, not exactly fail, but, perhaps not do as well as I could or should. After all, I break things. I spill things. And I'm afraid to fail, because that's not what I usually do. I don't let failure become an option. But here, it has to be.
I've broken something. I've spilled something. I've failed (that was today, when I added the reagents the wrong way). Failure is okay. My partner in crime and birthday buddy Thomas Edison knew that better than anyone. It's okay to fail, as long as it does not stop you from continued attempts at success.
And, as Greg informed me on the retreat in April, "you will break more beakers." All too true. It's a good thing glass is recyclable. :)
- Rachel
Sunday, June 21, 2009
I've worried about life, if it's arriving right on time...
As per the advice of a one "Andrew," I have decided to make every attempt to not worry about my future. I make no promises. But I will try.
In that spirit, I went on a photo adventure with Valerie (my roommate) around the SU campus. Some of the most beautiful buildings ever! BUT, that was not the most important part.
I was standing on the hill next to a gorgeous building, one Valerie has nicknamed "Girlfriend" because it was the Women's College, or part of it, I think. Anyway, the sun was shining into my face, and I decided to see how it looked on camera. And it looked like a cross.
This morning at mass, Father Jeffrey said that the greatest act of faith is that "God knows what he is doing with my life." God knows. He sent me that cross because he wanted to make sure I heard. And I did. :)
I have no idea where I'm going, but God brought me here, because HE DOES. One day, I will know why. For now, I just have to be okay with waiting. And doing the best that I can with what I have.
All of this reminded me of two things: first, a Thomas Merton Poem/Prayer -http://koti.mbnet.fi/amoira/merton1.htm
and second, a card that I got, one of the ones with the quotes on it, from Rilke.
"I beg you...to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer..."
I need to get this framed or something. I just have to deal with the questions and live my way into their answers. STOP WORRYING RACHEL! I'VE GOT THIS!!! I think that was God's overwhelming message to me today.
Okay, God. I will try.
- Rachel
There's not a man today who could take me away from my God!
If you're wondering, yes, I just watched Sister Act. Both of them. Yesterday. But that is hardly the topic of my post. Even if they were hilarious.
This morning, I ventured out to mass at the Alibrandi Center, since I have no practical way of getting to the Chapel at Le Moyne. It's about an 8 minute walk from my building, the Center, so it's quite convenient. I left around 1o so as to give myself plenty of time in case I couldn't find it (but I had no trouble at all!). I was the first one there, minus the two music guys (there was music!!). Ellie, the sacristan, was looking for a lector, and I volunteered. That always seems to be how these things go...
All in all, it was a good service; I won't mind going these next few weeks. I miss Le Moyne mass, though (the during the semester kind, with all of the singers and musicians).
Weekends here aren't terribly eventful, what with so few people being here. As such, I have spent even more time thinking about my future. And the GRE. Because applying to grad school is like applying to college all over again. :( Hopefully I will find stuff to do so I stop thinking about it, as it just makes me more stressed every time.
Catch you later!
- Rachel
This morning, I ventured out to mass at the Alibrandi Center, since I have no practical way of getting to the Chapel at Le Moyne. It's about an 8 minute walk from my building, the Center, so it's quite convenient. I left around 1o so as to give myself plenty of time in case I couldn't find it (but I had no trouble at all!). I was the first one there, minus the two music guys (there was music!!). Ellie, the sacristan, was looking for a lector, and I volunteered. That always seems to be how these things go...
All in all, it was a good service; I won't mind going these next few weeks. I miss Le Moyne mass, though (the during the semester kind, with all of the singers and musicians).
Weekends here aren't terribly eventful, what with so few people being here. As such, I have spent even more time thinking about my future. And the GRE. Because applying to grad school is like applying to college all over again. :( Hopefully I will find stuff to do so I stop thinking about it, as it just makes me more stressed every time.
Catch you later!
- Rachel
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Sometimes you win, sometimes you're losing...
On Tuesday, I attempted the first step of a reaction (activation of folic acid) and it did not work. Today, I repeated the process, and it worked! The small success was accompanied by small failure - I spilled the reaction as I attempted the next step. I am told that I only spilled about a dollar's worth of reagent, if that, and I should consider myself lucky. After all, I hadn't added in the expensive stuff yet. :P
The third dissertation in three weeks from our group was heard today, and now there are three new PhDs! :D Congrats Nerissa, Tayo and Amanda!
Not much else of note - I learned to count cells today, a tedious, but necessary, task.
Stay tuned for more science!
- Rachel
The third dissertation in three weeks from our group was heard today, and now there are three new PhDs! :D Congrats Nerissa, Tayo and Amanda!
Not much else of note - I learned to count cells today, a tedious, but necessary, task.
Stay tuned for more science!
- Rachel
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Every word is nonsense, but I understand it all...
Today I spent some quality time reading up on how to chlorinate nucleoside analogs. Fun, I know. at least 50% of the text were the IUPAC names of various compounds and they meant nothing to me. They were too intense for me to say, "oh, I could draw that." Because that would have been a lie.
I also found out that thionyl chloride, the chlorinating agent we used in our reaction, was the chemical name of the compund SOCl2. True story. I obviously missed that when I learned organic this year.
I got to play with glass today - I made three colored pendants! One of them is even heart shaped! I am extremely grateful to be in this program; it has afforded me so many great opportunities. :)
- Rachel
I also found out that thionyl chloride, the chlorinating agent we used in our reaction, was the chemical name of the compund SOCl2. True story. I obviously missed that when I learned organic this year.
I got to play with glass today - I made three colored pendants! One of them is even heart shaped! I am extremely grateful to be in this program; it has afforded me so many great opportunities. :)
- Rachel
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
And just like that - the chemicals react!
I wrote my first post-organic chemistry lecture mechanism today. I was slightly amused by the usefulness of the Mullins lines - "you add the nucleophile to the carbon of the carbonyl because it's polar, planar and prone to attack." I was able to take that, plus some other conceptual stuff and make a mechanism of the reaction. Who knew organic chemistry would come in handy? :P
Whatever it might seem like as you read my posts, I actually have quite a bit of free time, and have once again begun attempts at teaching myself the guitar. Today was practice day two. I just want the callouses back so that it will be able to extend my practice time, or at least make it hurt less. I am working on some basic stuff right now; suffice it to say that I am much better at Chemistry than the guitar. But maybe someday...
Off to bed soon - I sleep more here, which is good, because I need it. Perhaps I can continue this in the throes of the upcoming fall semester...let's hope so!
- Rachel
Whatever it might seem like as you read my posts, I actually have quite a bit of free time, and have once again begun attempts at teaching myself the guitar. Today was practice day two. I just want the callouses back so that it will be able to extend my practice time, or at least make it hurt less. I am working on some basic stuff right now; suffice it to say that I am much better at Chemistry than the guitar. But maybe someday...
Off to bed soon - I sleep more here, which is good, because I need it. Perhaps I can continue this in the throes of the upcoming fall semester...let's hope so!
- Rachel
Monday, June 15, 2009
A Place In This World
Hello Everyone!
If you haven't noticed, I am trying to make my titles song lyrics or song titles. I will keep this going as long as I can, so stay tuned!
It's now week two, and I am starting to settle into this new world. I won't say I'm comfortable, but I am not uncomfortable, and that's "a real fine place to start."
At this point, I am making compounds and analyzing them, a lot of repetition as far as using machines. I am a self proclaimed expert at the intricacies of the Schlenk Line and the Rotary Evaporator (RotoVap), and I have been able to use some other cool instruments as well. The repetition has been helpful as far as finding my feet goes.
I'm bound and determined to become the best scientist possible, because ultimately, that is my place in this world. Whether it be to discover something, or teach someone who will discover something, I am meant to use my science to help the world. However that happens. I realized that when I was on my service trip in Philly. And I wasn't even doing science there. So if I seem even more crazy than before, more bent on science than I ever seemed to be, just know that I proceed with purpose. Originally, I just wanted to learn because it was fun and I wanted to teach. I enjoyed helping people understand things for the sake of understanding. Now, I know that I need to learn and to teach. If I don't make some profound discovery, I still can help someone toward that path. I aim to learn and teach for the sake of the greater good. But I still maintain that science is fun.
I apologize for my ramble. I hope it makes sense. It did in my head at least...
- Rachel
If you haven't noticed, I am trying to make my titles song lyrics or song titles. I will keep this going as long as I can, so stay tuned!
It's now week two, and I am starting to settle into this new world. I won't say I'm comfortable, but I am not uncomfortable, and that's "a real fine place to start."
At this point, I am making compounds and analyzing them, a lot of repetition as far as using machines. I am a self proclaimed expert at the intricacies of the Schlenk Line and the Rotary Evaporator (RotoVap), and I have been able to use some other cool instruments as well. The repetition has been helpful as far as finding my feet goes.
I'm bound and determined to become the best scientist possible, because ultimately, that is my place in this world. Whether it be to discover something, or teach someone who will discover something, I am meant to use my science to help the world. However that happens. I realized that when I was on my service trip in Philly. And I wasn't even doing science there. So if I seem even more crazy than before, more bent on science than I ever seemed to be, just know that I proceed with purpose. Originally, I just wanted to learn because it was fun and I wanted to teach. I enjoyed helping people understand things for the sake of understanding. Now, I know that I need to learn and to teach. If I don't make some profound discovery, I still can help someone toward that path. I aim to learn and teach for the sake of the greater good. But I still maintain that science is fun.
I apologize for my ramble. I hope it makes sense. It did in my head at least...
- Rachel
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Walking on Broken Glass
As you may have guessed by the title, I broke a piece of glassware today. A 15 mL round bottom flask. I was trying to clean it, and I was nearly finished when I dropped it in the sink. Today was day three in the lab; I'm surprised I lasted this long without breaking anything.
Yesterday, I ran a couple of reactions, and today we began the analysis of the product. I used the High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) to separate the purified reaction mixture into three fractions for each reaction. They are drying on the vacuum of the schlenk line overnight, and we will take the NMR of the unknowns. At this point it is safe to say that we got what we wanted, which is a good start. But we've got a long way to go.
Tomorrow, one of the group members is defending her thesis, so I get to see my first doctoral defense. A preview of coming attractions, I suppose.
The strawberry festival is also tomorrow, so I hope I get to go out there for a bit and enjoy some shortcake!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Right Now I'm Going To Work!
Hey Hey Hey!
So today was my first day on the job. I got to meet with Dr. Doyle, the "leader of the pack" you could say, and then my grad student, Tony. He explained some of my project to me, and I got to read some related articles. Later, we dried some of the product Tony had made, and I even got to pour the liquid nitrogen!
A bunch of the REUs are going to play kickball in a bit; we are all getting along really well. I count that as one of my many blessings from this summer.
Catch you later!
- Rachel
So today was my first day on the job. I got to meet with Dr. Doyle, the "leader of the pack" you could say, and then my grad student, Tony. He explained some of my project to me, and I got to read some related articles. Later, we dried some of the product Tony had made, and I even got to pour the liquid nitrogen!
A bunch of the REUs are going to play kickball in a bit; we are all getting along really well. I count that as one of my many blessings from this summer.
Catch you later!
- Rachel
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Easy Day...
Hey everyone!
I'm finally moved in at SU - got here yesterday. We had a welcome picnic for all us REUs at Dr. Sponsler's house, and then it was back here for more unpacking. I'm mostly done, but it was a long day - still have to organize my desk...
My internet was a bit dysfunctional for a while, thus the delay in my posting, but all is well after an extended visit to IT.
Today, we got the Chemical Hygiene info and the Waste Management info. During lunch I got to meet Dr. Doyle, my "boss" you could say. I will be working with one of his grad students. My first real 9 to 5 job - what a way to make a living! (I'm sorry if you didn't get that, and perhaps even sorrier if you did :P)
Everyone seems really nice, and I am excited to get going on my project. More soon!
- Rachel
I'm finally moved in at SU - got here yesterday. We had a welcome picnic for all us REUs at Dr. Sponsler's house, and then it was back here for more unpacking. I'm mostly done, but it was a long day - still have to organize my desk...
My internet was a bit dysfunctional for a while, thus the delay in my posting, but all is well after an extended visit to IT.
Today, we got the Chemical Hygiene info and the Waste Management info. During lunch I got to meet Dr. Doyle, my "boss" you could say. I will be working with one of his grad students. My first real 9 to 5 job - what a way to make a living! (I'm sorry if you didn't get that, and perhaps even sorrier if you did :P)
Everyone seems really nice, and I am excited to get going on my project. More soon!
- Rachel
Thursday, May 14, 2009
First Post!
Hello World!
Well, this is my first blog. My friend Christina wanted me to make this so she could read all about my adventures this summer. So, here I am.
This summer, I will be doing research at Syracuse University in the REU program (Research Experience for Undergraduates). My research is in biochemistry.
I don't start until June 7th, so there won't be much to say before then, but I am very excited to meet my fellow REUers and get into researching.
This might be implied in the fact that I have an REU position, but I should mention:
"I like science!"
That's all for now. More soon to come!
- Rachel
Well, this is my first blog. My friend Christina wanted me to make this so she could read all about my adventures this summer. So, here I am.
This summer, I will be doing research at Syracuse University in the REU program (Research Experience for Undergraduates). My research is in biochemistry.
I don't start until June 7th, so there won't be much to say before then, but I am very excited to meet my fellow REUers and get into researching.
This might be implied in the fact that I have an REU position, but I should mention:
"I like science!"
That's all for now. More soon to come!
- Rachel
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