Busy!!

Good news--we found a new place to live! We will be moving to south Ames this spring, though we're not 100% sure on our move-in date. The couple is closing on a house and will be out by May, though they could be out in April. Anyway, we're excited. It's a really nice place, new, pays for everything except electricity... Not too shabby. I wonder what it will be like to have the Internet at home again.

I ran into a funny scenario yesterday. To fully appreciate it, I will have to introduce you to my laboratory. Aside from my PI (principle investigator--the professor who runs all the research a lab), there is a lab tech, a vet tech, a post-doc, two PhD students, several hourly undergrads, and me. One of the PhD students and I share all the same classes except I don't have to take English. Both are in my molecular biology class. Now that the scene is set, you may appreciate my story.

Yesterday I was showing one of the PhD students what I was working on in the lab when the other came in saying our latest homework grades were posted. She insisted we check them and see how we stacked up. Not really what I call fun, but she insisted (literally--it was a little awkward). I knew that I had done better than both of them on the first test since they had approached me with the happiness in their scores, but with their eager eyes peering to see how I had fared on the latest homework we all saw that I was doing well. Not that I want to brag, but so far I've missed 4.5 points out of 140. Not too shabby. The weird thing was they asked me how I studied and how I prepared and how I was doing well. It should be noted here that neither of them have missed more than 20 points total, and possibly not even 10. I bet if English was their first language, they'd be mopping the floor with me. But it was so strange. I've never been much for studying until grad school and I don't ever remember being asked about my study strategies (which is good, because I don't think I ever had any before). Anyway, I left the lab yesterday feeling good about classes and school in general. Even though I was incredibly overwhelmed.

I've been so busy. I've been given more responsibility around the office/lab which I am assuming is good. I used to spend hours just reading journal articles and now I'm constantly tending to my experiments in the lab or helping someone else out with their experiments. It's crazy. And until next Wednesday, I'm going to be studying and reading and doing my homework and preparing for a presentation... Uff da. I'm glad I'm only taking one graded class right now.

Everything else is going well. Dad is driving now (you can't keep a busy man down!) though he's still running around with his walker. Allyson planned a conference for soon-to-be graduates that was held this past weekend and I think it went well. She asked me to speak on a panel for potential grad students and I had fun. Rick's been fighting off possible sickness, though he talked about coming home early to sleep. Other than that it's just been studying, reading, driving, cursing the weather, repeat.

I remember when I used to get really bored after work just sitting around. I sure miss it.