Wow, it's only been a week since I last posted. Feels like much longer for some reason. In any case, here's a sampling of what's been going on in my life (mainly intended for my parents, since I haven't called them in a week - sorry mom and dad):

Last Sunday: Saw Phantom of the Opera with other SURF students. The last time I saw this musical, I was in 8th grade... 6 years later, I find that I'd forgotten a fair amount of the plot. I think I'd missed some of the ulterior motives as well - it's amazing what you pick up the second time around, especially when you're significantly older. So much has happened since then... geez, I feel old. Anyway, the performance was fantastic, and I'm now listening to the soundtrack daily. (To those who knew me in LHS band... remember the All Region rehearsal sessions with Mr. Slatter, and the unintentional "you're pulling out the cape again, phantom!" musical dramatics? Oh, those days... such fun. =^) ) Ah, Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Monday: Lab. Went riding with Yussanne at TES, ended up riding a schizo horse that trips over his own feet and shies at squirrels and rabbits (New Mexico). (I'd ridden him months before, when I first began taking lessons - that time, I wasn't ready when he bolted at a passing squirrel. Going from a nice, easy walk into mad gallop towards a fence isn't a great transition... a quick fall/half dismount saved me from injury. Hurrah for quick reflexes.) Felt pretty darn proud of myself when I felt him tense to bolt and managed to keep my head, keep him in hand and calm him down. Nothing like feeling that you've learned something - ah, success.

Tuesday (entry that never got published): Today was one of the most nerve-racking days I've had all summer.

Y'know those days when every 15 minutes, you manage to make a mistake? A nearly irrecoverable one? And you may or may not catch it in time?

Yup, this was one of those days. When I got back from lab at 6:10, I felt terrible... Days like this have me convinced that I will never amount to anything in biology, and that I should switch to a more suitable area immediately. When my short-term memory is almost completely shot, and absent-mindedness causes me to temporarily forget about this in the centrifuge, where this enzyme is located, this reagent... ARGH. Today was utter frustration, hope tomorrow's better.

(Thankfully, talking to Sangeeta that day really helped... I don't know what I'd do without her practical outlook on everything. One bad day in lab isn't the end of a career; a whole year of them might be ;) )

Wednesday through Friday: Endless washes for in situs that didn't really work, damn them. I get to try them all over again this week - the end product is really cool if they work, but spending three days and >20 hours on something that may or may not work is a little tedious.

Went riding with Yussanne and Andrea at TES on Wednesday - got to ride my current favorite in the stables there (Tennessee). She's an amazing little chestnut mare - a real sweetheart, very responsive to leg and voice cues, with a great temperament. And (after riding her for several lessons straight) she recognizes me! It's not Red by a long shot, but it's comforting to know that she remembers me... even if just for the carrots I bring.

Went swimming after lab on Friday - it's been a long time since I've been lap swimming, and I'm definitely out of practice. For some reason, I'd never been swimming in the Braun-side pool. It really unnerved me to hop in expecting a 5 foot drop, and ending up plunging below the surface. After the initial panic, I had a pretty good swim - even ran into a Lloydie (Chirah, a s'more) who remembered me from the ASCIT formal... "Say, weren't you Joe Jewell's date for the formal?" "Um, yes..." That was somewhat odd. I've been classified many different ways in relation to other people: Jack Welge's daughter, Kat's sister, Adam's (now ex-) girlfriend, but never as someone's date. Bizarre feeling... not bad, just funny.

Saturday: Trail riding! With Yussanne, Andrea, Rebecca, Sam LL, Phil and Mike D. A pretty easy ride after taking lessons for a few months at TES... it felt so odd, not grooming and tacking up before riding, using a Western saddle and bridle (yes, there's a definite difference between Western and English tack), riding a horse that blindly followed behind the wrangler's. Granted, Shenandoah (my horse) was somewhat better, being capable of following the trail on her own. We rode at a sedate pace for most of the ride, though Andrea, Yussanne and I managed to squeeze in a trot before returning to the stable.

While waiting for the horses for the trail ride, we sat around in the Equidome and watched a few classes competing at a horse show - Novice and Amateur Hunter under Saddle, I think. I wish I could make riding look so effortless... *shrugs* If I could, I'd be jumping by now. Ah well, there's time enough for that. I hope I have time to continue taking lessons during the year - it's something to look forward to, like orchestra and history classes, and really makes this place bearable. Of course, junior year should be a cakewalk compared to sophomore year, but with the biology triple threat first term (122, 110, 150) it may get kinda hairy. We'll see.

That night, I went with Sangeeta, Chris, Nora and Chuck to a lab party at Eric Davidson's house. A friend commented that it sounded like a "geeky good time!", and indeed it was. There's nothing like interacting socially with the people you see in lab - I can't think of anyone I *don't* like in this lab. Everyone has so many other facets - a family, an interesting history, odd hobbies, you name it. Another perk, of course, is seeing postdocs and your PI drunk - it's more entertaining than you'd ever believe, though it occasionally turns scary. Or odd. Especially when your PI mentions that your postdoc told him that you were a "ball of fire"... still trying to piece that one out. So far, I've gotten these suggestions:
1) The candy named "Atomic fireball."
2) A tie-died shirt (preferable with reds and oranges)
3) The sun (or the more silvery moon, if you prefer.)
4) Every experiment ends in a fiery explosion, or metaphorically goes up in flames.

If you have any other ideas, by all means IM me. I'm still in the dark on this one.

*Yawn* Anyway, it's time to go collect my laundry and get some sleep before lab. Night all, and take care.

(Aside to Kat: Hope you're having a great time at band camp, kiddo - I'll try to come next summer and help out. Say hi to Mr. Durham and everyone for me, and I promise I'll come to your football game performance the week that I'm home. Love you, and see you in another 6 weeks)