17th Grade Orientation

Today was the last day in the plant lab, and thus the last day as "not yet a grad student." Moving upstairs for the rest of the summer isn't much of a physical change, although it means getting used to the techniques used by a different set of people, a new lab manager with a new style, and the biggest one, being much more proactive about my own work. Not like I don't suggest things to try when screening primers in the plant lab; there wasn't as much pressure to understand exactly how a particular experiment fit into the larger picture. And definitely no pressure to read as much primary literature as possible and do critiques.

I'll miss a lot of the things that come with working in Chris's lab, like...

• the lab candy
• coming into lab and realizing that Hope just bought a gazillion pairs of primers...that all need to be diluted...
• ...and tested
• the "toxic room" (aka electrophoresis room)
• swapping dumb stories with Hope, or with anyone who has a story to share
• the centrifuge story (which is partially my fault)
• Sandra's singing
• Shalene and Susana singing along to Sandra's ringtone (yeah...)

So we'll see how tomorrow (technically today, in a few hours) goes. It almost feels like the first day of school...back in kindergarten.

half a month

...before the start of lab rotations. I've been so lazy; in mid-May I made this half-assed promise to myself that I'd read several papers a week to get background information, jot down questions, and get possible inspiration for thesis projects. And the reality? I think I read quite a few, but only enough to make up for the month of May, at the rate of "several" per week.

As a lame attempt to justify my laziness, I've been trying to squeeze in as much time as possible to see people who are going to be leaving AA before they actually do. It seems like most people are leaving at the end of June, if not, then the end of July... and scattered all over the place too. One of my friends is seriously considering taking up a teaching job in DC; another is moving to Ohio, taking a trip to Spain, then starting her grad degree in psych in September. A few more will be in med school, others are traveling the world, coming back, then scrambling to get their first "real" job.

Makes me realize how much I need a road trip of some sort...just as a last hurrah. :-)

At this point I have mixed feelings about starting grad school. In a way, I'm looking forward to it, since it's in something I've loved for the past 5 years, but I'm also a bit nervous. There's that worry about "what if someone else gets to my thesis idea first" or "I can't narrow down a project because everything sounds cool." But more than anything is... am I ready to let science consume my life?