I'm not dead
Oct. 24th, 2008 14:12![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
torquillI'm about two weeks behind on my friends list, without a lot of hope of catching up; if there's something important in your life that you haven't spoken to me in person about yet, please let me know.
Quite a bit has been going on, but I haven't had much chance to post. School is good, labwork is good, home is good. The garden is slowing down after a patchwork year. Free time is at a premium. Some highlights:
The two-hour commute is taking its toll -- I tend to be tired and pressed for time in the evenings. My weekends are still my own, but they are often taken up with resting(!), laundry, basic gardening, and making food. I leave the house at 6:50am and return at about 7pm most days.
On the other hand, I'm a much stronger bicyclist now that I bike nearly 8 miles every day.
Bacteriology is not to my taste, being smelly and unpleasant much of the time. We seem to be using a lot of the same molecular tools I use in the lab, though, and I don't mind that. We'll see how the midterm on Tuesday goes.
I have a plant at work, and permission to add a fish if/when I desire. I miss keeping bettas.
I met with the director of Impact yesterday morning, and we went over the trainer's notes, how we wanted to move forward, and what the class structure at Impact looks like at the moment. I feel much better about my status in the organization, somewhat more enthusiastic about the gigs I'm being offered and my own future prospects, and how I'm viewed by the people up top. I'm crossing my fingers that maybe I'm done with trying to prove to the higher-ups that I can actually do what I say I can.
I did a PCR and a gel today at work and uncovered an oddity in the result, then found out that there are more primers I can (and should!) be using on this beastie. More PCR in my future, and an ELISA panel next week. It's getting interesting.
I got several good melons out of the garden, along with many volunteer squash of uncertain breeding. The tomatoes never took hold, except for one bed with two plants that grew to about 7' (go figure). The corn did quite well as it often does, and I'm praying things stay reasonably dry long enough to stave off severe kernel splitting in the plants still out there. The ears I've already harvested are looking good, though I need to backcross again to try to pick up the burgundy tassel genes. It's getting to be time to plant peas and garlic again.
I'm keeping up with the blogs for the Presidential race -- it's much more heartening this time around. I was one of those who lost my taste for it with the unexpected loss in 2004, and I'm remembering why I liked it. Some people follow baseball, I follow the political horse races. :)
Greg and I are doing well, and we celebrated his latest birthday on Wednesday by taking a lazy day and dinner at a good buffet.
How is everybody?
Quite a bit has been going on, but I haven't had much chance to post. School is good, labwork is good, home is good. The garden is slowing down after a patchwork year. Free time is at a premium. Some highlights:
The two-hour commute is taking its toll -- I tend to be tired and pressed for time in the evenings. My weekends are still my own, but they are often taken up with resting(!), laundry, basic gardening, and making food. I leave the house at 6:50am and return at about 7pm most days.
On the other hand, I'm a much stronger bicyclist now that I bike nearly 8 miles every day.
Bacteriology is not to my taste, being smelly and unpleasant much of the time. We seem to be using a lot of the same molecular tools I use in the lab, though, and I don't mind that. We'll see how the midterm on Tuesday goes.
I have a plant at work, and permission to add a fish if/when I desire. I miss keeping bettas.
I met with the director of Impact yesterday morning, and we went over the trainer's notes, how we wanted to move forward, and what the class structure at Impact looks like at the moment. I feel much better about my status in the organization, somewhat more enthusiastic about the gigs I'm being offered and my own future prospects, and how I'm viewed by the people up top. I'm crossing my fingers that maybe I'm done with trying to prove to the higher-ups that I can actually do what I say I can.
I did a PCR and a gel today at work and uncovered an oddity in the result, then found out that there are more primers I can (and should!) be using on this beastie. More PCR in my future, and an ELISA panel next week. It's getting interesting.
I got several good melons out of the garden, along with many volunteer squash of uncertain breeding. The tomatoes never took hold, except for one bed with two plants that grew to about 7' (go figure). The corn did quite well as it often does, and I'm praying things stay reasonably dry long enough to stave off severe kernel splitting in the plants still out there. The ears I've already harvested are looking good, though I need to backcross again to try to pick up the burgundy tassel genes. It's getting to be time to plant peas and garlic again.
I'm keeping up with the blogs for the Presidential race -- it's much more heartening this time around. I was one of those who lost my taste for it with the unexpected loss in 2004, and I'm remembering why I liked it. Some people follow baseball, I follow the political horse races. :)
Greg and I are doing well, and we celebrated his latest birthday on Wednesday by taking a lazy day and dinner at a good buffet.
How is everybody?
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no subject
Date: 2008-10-25 04:41 (UTC)It sounds like you're managing to keep on top of things, which is good. I hope that trend continues.