And once again, I've had a lesson brought home in an unexpected way. Everyone has their own tale to tell that you'll never guess from seeing them in everyday life, their own burdens to bear. Why should riding instructors be any different?
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Even though I won't be performing in the orchestra concerts, it looks like I'll be sitting in as second flute for the september rehearsals until I leave. :) Hooray for being in orchestra again!

And on a related note, I can't wait till these damned wisdom teeth come out. When you can't chew on one side of your mouth because it hurts too much when you put pressure on a canted wisdom tooth, it's just not fun. Only a couple weeks to go...

Oh yeah - flute practice was great tonight. :) I didn't practice yesterday, but a day off often helps perspective - today I felt like the fine muscle control was coming back. Yaay for being able to do smooth octave jumps again... now if I can just fix the rough spots in Cantabile et Presto (Enesco) and Sonata for Flute and Piano (Poulanc), I'll be happy. They're such wonderful pieces... can't really put words to the music in the former. The melody in the latter is gorgeous, somewhat mysterious. I once heard a flutist describe what she saw in the music as "Mimes performing on the streets of Paris"; I can't think of any other way to describe it.
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Lab update: Paola's been cleared of the "assault with a deadly weapon" charges... awwww. It was so much fun, warning people away from borrowing her gel box with "she'll come after you and beat you to death with a pipetman! She's already been charged with assault... she'll do it again!" (Several weeks ago, she received a letter from the Orange County DA, notifying her that a warrant had been issued for her arrest and her court date was set. However, it was addressed to a Paola Oliveras, rather than our own Paola Oliveri... amusing to the rest of us, but not to poor Paola. The Caltech attorneys, it seems, finally took care of it)
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Between sequencing, two in situ protocols, lab meeting, plating bacteria, autoclaving and pouring LB plates and starting liquid cultures, I managed to spend a good 11 hours in lab today (10:30 AM to 11:15, with a 1.5 hour lunch break). Hoping for less tomorrow. But really, it shouldn't be so bad. After all, Veronica isn't my mentor from last summer... she's a good deal more merciful, and actually has a life outside of research. *gasp* What sacrilege!

Yikes it's late. Or early. Anyway, time for sleep...