Bachelorhood is overrated.

So I'm sitting in the office at work, and I'm pondering why I haven't updated the blog in [INSERT APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF TIME HERE].  It's been forever, and I missed writing on here, but somehow I never seem to get around to it.  I was politely reminded by a few of my relatives (side note: "relative" is the word that knocked me out of the third grade splling bee...I got second place) that I hadn't kept this even remotely up to date.

One of the biggest things that has happened lately is that I am totally finished with grad school classes.  No more sitting and trying to learn nonlinear spectroscopy, viral biology, or mechanics of ribozymes.  No sir.  Now that doesn't mean I walk out with a PhD yet, I've still got to finish up 3-4 years of research (or more, but hopefully 3-4 years).  Then I can graduate, and fulfill the dream that Ben and I had Sophomore year at SAU...walk into a crowded room of worried people and say "It's ok, I'm a doctor!"

On the research front, things are going fairly well...I have what we at the SAU chemistry department called a "minion."  There's an undergrad who's working in the lab, and Dr. Rueda thought we'd get along well, and we do.  His name is John, and he's actually a Math major, which means that he's taken to the data analysis we do pretty well.  Now it's just a matter of trying to make lots of pretty graphs this week because...

I'm headed to Wisconsin next week for a national RNA conference where I'm giving a poster presentation.  It's kindof like a science fair on steroids, only we're trying to do things like cure AIDS instead of make a Lemon power a light bulb.  Which one was cooler is debatable.  But in any case, I'm signed up for time on the "scope" (also known as the lasers in the dark room) this week because I figured Rueda would have some last minute project for me to work on that I didn't see coming.  At least Mel is gone this week so I don't have to be frustrated in case I end up pulling some ridiculously long day on Wednesday to finish everything up.

About Mel being gone...it's reduced me to hoping that she cooked enough good food in the fridge, because I've now realized how accustomed I've been to having someone share my schedule with me on a regular basis.  I almost forgot to eat lunch yesterday after church because she wasn't around to remind me I was hungry.  Pitiful, I know.

Speaking of yesterday, it was pretty exciting.  I went to church in the morning, and after doing the Bass guitar in the worship band thing, and then doing the whole church biz...but I'm getting ahead of myself.  When I was leaving the house in the morning, I locked the door behind me.  With the door still open, I realized that I didn't have my keys on me.  I was running a bit late, and I was planning on picking up a house key for my in-laws who are going to stay in the house on Friday anyway.  So I locked the door behind me, planning on using the church's spare key to let myself in, and leave it for Mom2 and Dad2.

Back to after church finished...we couldn't find the key.  All of a sudden I was filled with visions of myself sleeping outside...or worse yet, driving to Detroit and sleeping in the lab for the next 5-6 days.  Rueda would be thrilled to see such "diligence" from a grad student, but even so, I was less than excited about the prospect.  After we started a search party and scoured the church for the key, turns out that it was hanging in the key cabinet...but there were about five slots for a parsonage key...and we only checked four of them the first time through.  =(

So if you're going about your week this week and you have someone do something nice, like your wife cooks you dinner, think of me, and thank the nice person that's keeping you happy.  Anyway, now I've gotta go cure AIDS with lasers.  Enjoy yourselves today, even if it is a Monday.