Two days late, jetlagged, and wreaking from clothes reworn one too many times between washings.
We're home. Finally. And we're safe and sound. That's the important thing. Portugal was fabulous. The flight back from Portugal - an absolute nightmare.
Let me just say that I HATE U.S. Airways with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns - but that's a story for another day...
Right now my priorities are as follows:
1. tylenol
2. shower
3. laundry
4. sleep
I've never been so happy to get home after a vacation!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Travel Superstars!
I'm so proud. We just finished packing for our 2-week trip to Portugal and a) its not 2 a.m., b) everything we need is in two carry-on bags, and c) we even have room to spare.
Tomorrow we leave for Houston after work and spend the night at Debbie's (Shelley's awesome mom) where she's going to spoil us rotten. I spoke with her earlier today, and she was already talking about making us sandwiches for our flights. What a sweetie! Tuesday morning she's taking us to the airport, and we arrive in Lisbon at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. Once there, we are on schedule for some major bumming and jetlag. Then on Thursday Fred and Kristie are flying down from Manchester to meet us. And let the festivities begin!
It should be interesting. Its really the first trip we've taken where we're going to be somewhere without a 'tour guide' or a friend's place to stay. This is the true test of how good Greg's planning skills have been. Wish us luck!
Why Do I Smell Like a Brewery This Morning?
Because last night Greg saw fit to knock a full beer into my lap at the Ginger Man. What's worse is that it was his first beer of the evening. Nice! On the bright side though, it was a hot night so I found it refreshing as I sat there and felt the beer slowly saturate my jeans. Thanks, babe. I know you're always thinking of my comfort. :)
(Marriage tip #394: A good sense of humor is essential to survival, kids.)
(Marriage tip #394: A good sense of humor is essential to survival, kids.)
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Job Prospects!
Its been an interesting couple of days.
I plan on graduating in December with my PhD, which means its high time I start looking into the job market. When I first entered the graduate program, it was with the intention of one day becoming a professor at a smallish liberal arts college and teaching chemistry and biochemistry. Well, that was before meeting and marrying the man I love, who also happens to have a job in chemistry - something that is rather geographically limiting. Unfortunately, the chemistry and biochemistry industry in Austin is limited at best. Both Greg and I love life here. Austin is a great place to live. We have a house and big plans for renovation. Greg absolutely loves his job and coworkers and is one of the few people I know who is truly happy in his career. I don't want to be the cause of uprooting us. We know too many of our friends who have moved on and would do just about anything to move back to Austin - we really are spoiled here. So staying means compromise when it comes to my job prospects.
I met with the careers counselor for natural sciences here at UT on Monday and spent a good hour in her office discussing job possibilities in the Austin area. She had a few prospects I hadn't thought of so far, one of which included coordinating programs in the natural science department here on the UT campus. The only problem is that most programs tend to come and go based on success, funding and interest - not the best option for job security but still very interesting. Then we found a somewhat promising possibility as a grant writing specialist for a group of 6 professors here at UT. The pay is good. I think I'd be well qualified, and it would be interesting because I'd be writing and learning about new science. I've TA'ed ('teaching assistant' for those of you who have never had the pleasure) for one of the professors (the one who has a reputation for being the hardest to work with), and I'm pretty sure he likes and respects me. Plus, my friend Alisha works with 2 of the guys involved so she was able to give me valuable insider info on the position. Thanks, Lish!
So I was somewhat excited about the prospects and then out of nowhere another one fell into my lap. A biochem prof upstairs wanted to talk to me about a TA job that would start in the Fall semester and continue through the Spring. It involves working in a relatively new program, where basically freshman and sophomore students are given the chance to learn lab skills and think critically about scientific problems in their early education, rather than just getting their hands dirty in their senior year as is usual. They're divided up into 'streams' and each stream works on individual aspects of one large, encompassing research project. They all do similar experiments but each has a separate protein, gene or whatever to work with. Well, this prof's stream is taught by a PhD biochemist who is pregnant and due in December. They were looking for someone reliable who could basically teach the stream while Grace is on maternity leave. And she thought of me. :)
I met with her and Grace yesterday to talk about the position. I let her know that my plan was to graduate by December so I wasn't sure if it would be possible. She suggested that I 'drag my feet' a bit on finishing so that I'd be eligible to TA in the Spring as well. The thought of this didn't really appeal to me until I finally got the message. She wasn't just asking me to be a TA. She was implying that next year new streams will be opened and they'll need Research Educators (Grace's job) to lead them. By taking this job, I'd be getting a sort of on-the-job training, meet all the movers and shakers of the program, and be in an excellent position to step into that role! Brad, Alisha's husband, is actually going to be a Research Educator for his PhD advisor. Judging from what Alisha said about the job, it also has very good pay and it would be more on the student schedule, i.e. I could potentially still have spring breaks and winter breaks, a big consideration for when we have kiddies. Best of all, it fits almost perfectly into my original goals! I'd be teaching a small group of students about lab techniques and critical thinking in the spring semesters. Then in the summer and fall semesters, I'd be supervising and overseeing their research endeavors.
This program is also one that is likely to remain intact for a long while. The dean of natural sciences is very excited about it, as are the NSF (National Science Foundation) and the HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) who provide the funding. From what I hear, it is going to continue to expand greatly in the following years, which translates to job security for me if I were to get a permanent position.
So I talked to my boss about delaying my graduation until the Spring, and he's on board. He realizes that this is a great opportunity for me, and its right up my alley. Its the closest thing to perfect that I can think of! I really can't believe it.
So that's the latest. I'll let you know how it progresses, but I really am looking forward to the next few semesters.
I plan on graduating in December with my PhD, which means its high time I start looking into the job market. When I first entered the graduate program, it was with the intention of one day becoming a professor at a smallish liberal arts college and teaching chemistry and biochemistry. Well, that was before meeting and marrying the man I love, who also happens to have a job in chemistry - something that is rather geographically limiting. Unfortunately, the chemistry and biochemistry industry in Austin is limited at best. Both Greg and I love life here. Austin is a great place to live. We have a house and big plans for renovation. Greg absolutely loves his job and coworkers and is one of the few people I know who is truly happy in his career. I don't want to be the cause of uprooting us. We know too many of our friends who have moved on and would do just about anything to move back to Austin - we really are spoiled here. So staying means compromise when it comes to my job prospects.
I met with the careers counselor for natural sciences here at UT on Monday and spent a good hour in her office discussing job possibilities in the Austin area. She had a few prospects I hadn't thought of so far, one of which included coordinating programs in the natural science department here on the UT campus. The only problem is that most programs tend to come and go based on success, funding and interest - not the best option for job security but still very interesting. Then we found a somewhat promising possibility as a grant writing specialist for a group of 6 professors here at UT. The pay is good. I think I'd be well qualified, and it would be interesting because I'd be writing and learning about new science. I've TA'ed ('teaching assistant' for those of you who have never had the pleasure) for one of the professors (the one who has a reputation for being the hardest to work with), and I'm pretty sure he likes and respects me. Plus, my friend Alisha works with 2 of the guys involved so she was able to give me valuable insider info on the position. Thanks, Lish!
So I was somewhat excited about the prospects and then out of nowhere another one fell into my lap. A biochem prof upstairs wanted to talk to me about a TA job that would start in the Fall semester and continue through the Spring. It involves working in a relatively new program, where basically freshman and sophomore students are given the chance to learn lab skills and think critically about scientific problems in their early education, rather than just getting their hands dirty in their senior year as is usual. They're divided up into 'streams' and each stream works on individual aspects of one large, encompassing research project. They all do similar experiments but each has a separate protein, gene or whatever to work with. Well, this prof's stream is taught by a PhD biochemist who is pregnant and due in December. They were looking for someone reliable who could basically teach the stream while Grace is on maternity leave. And she thought of me. :)
I met with her and Grace yesterday to talk about the position. I let her know that my plan was to graduate by December so I wasn't sure if it would be possible. She suggested that I 'drag my feet' a bit on finishing so that I'd be eligible to TA in the Spring as well. The thought of this didn't really appeal to me until I finally got the message. She wasn't just asking me to be a TA. She was implying that next year new streams will be opened and they'll need Research Educators (Grace's job) to lead them. By taking this job, I'd be getting a sort of on-the-job training, meet all the movers and shakers of the program, and be in an excellent position to step into that role! Brad, Alisha's husband, is actually going to be a Research Educator for his PhD advisor. Judging from what Alisha said about the job, it also has very good pay and it would be more on the student schedule, i.e. I could potentially still have spring breaks and winter breaks, a big consideration for when we have kiddies. Best of all, it fits almost perfectly into my original goals! I'd be teaching a small group of students about lab techniques and critical thinking in the spring semesters. Then in the summer and fall semesters, I'd be supervising and overseeing their research endeavors.
This program is also one that is likely to remain intact for a long while. The dean of natural sciences is very excited about it, as are the NSF (National Science Foundation) and the HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) who provide the funding. From what I hear, it is going to continue to expand greatly in the following years, which translates to job security for me if I were to get a permanent position.
So I talked to my boss about delaying my graduation until the Spring, and he's on board. He realizes that this is a great opportunity for me, and its right up my alley. Its the closest thing to perfect that I can think of! I really can't believe it.
So that's the latest. I'll let you know how it progresses, but I really am looking forward to the next few semesters.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
We're Running a Marathon!!
Ok, so maybe not all by ourselves...
For the last 2 years, Greg and I have organized teams of 5 people to run the Silicon Labs Relay Marathon. Last year we had two teams; this year we have three! This is how its split up:
12K: Larisa, Claus, Suvi
10K: Greg , Diana , Chris N.
10K: Katie, Brianna, Mitra
5K: Derek, Mark, Kim
5K: Brian, Morgan, Chris S.
Both Greg and I are a bit leery of the prospect of having to run 6.2 and 7.3 miles at the end of September, especially considering how its starting to heat up around here. We struggled to finish 2.2 miles on Monday morning. We leave for Portugal next Tuesday for a 2-week vacation. When we get back, we'll have 4 weeks to train for this run. Ok, so I guess the taper is out. Its much more important to ensure that we'll be able to cross the finish line without crawling or dying of heat stroke than it is to actually make good time. That's my theory anyway. I'm sure Greg's competitive spirit will win out over reason in the end. Hopefully we won't be carrying him back. :)
For the last 2 years, Greg and I have organized teams of 5 people to run the Silicon Labs Relay Marathon. Last year we had two teams; this year we have three! This is how its split up:
12K: Larisa, Claus, Suvi
10K: Greg , Diana , Chris N.
10K: Katie, Brianna, Mitra
5K: Derek, Mark, Kim
5K: Brian, Morgan, Chris S.
Both Greg and I are a bit leery of the prospect of having to run 6.2 and 7.3 miles at the end of September, especially considering how its starting to heat up around here. We struggled to finish 2.2 miles on Monday morning. We leave for Portugal next Tuesday for a 2-week vacation. When we get back, we'll have 4 weeks to train for this run. Ok, so I guess the taper is out. Its much more important to ensure that we'll be able to cross the finish line without crawling or dying of heat stroke than it is to actually make good time. That's my theory anyway. I'm sure Greg's competitive spirit will win out over reason in the end. Hopefully we won't be carrying him back. :)
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
South Park Larisa
Speaking of Cartman...
Me, as of last week - a reminder of better times while I'm slogging my way through research...
Feel like procrastinating? You've come to the right enabler. Make your own South Park self-portrait.
Weakling...
Again with the phlegm! I spent the first days of my Cayman vacation getting over a sinus infection and now its back to haunt me.
In a weak and dying Cartman-type voice, I cry Oh why has my God foresaken me?
In a weak and dying Cartman-type voice, I cry Oh why has my God foresaken me?
Monday, July 30, 2007
Travel Trauma
Why can't it ever be smooth? After our disasterous flight fiascos to and from Las Vegas in December, I thought we were due some good kharma. Apparently not.
Coming back from the Caymans... Ok, first of all you're leaving the Caymans, which is traumatic enough. But then to have to wake up at 4:45 a.m. to catch an early flight and then enduring a 5 hour layover in Miami - now that's just cruel. But it didn't stop there. Oh no. About half an hour before we were scheduled to board our plane, Miami decides to give us a show with lightning and thunder and buckets of rain. Thanks but that added on an additional 2.5 hours to our layover - torture! And to make matters worse, the AA people kept taunting us with promises and then pushing back the ETA of our plane at the last minute. So fine. We're off and back to Houston, where my wonderful friend Lillian picked us up from the airport and took us to a fab little restaurant in Montrose. We are rejuvenated. We are young and fresh again. Hurrah. We're off to Austin.
Nope. Dead car battery. Luckily Lillian has the uber-deluxe AAA membership so after our attempts at jumping the car fail, she calls a tow truck to come to the rescue. An hour and a half later, rescue comes our way. He jumped the car, but we needed gas so we ask him to follow us to the gas station in case we need another jump. We do. But this time, it doesn't work. The battery is completely dead and gone to heaven. Our options, 1) tow the car to a garage where we'll get it fixed first thing in the morning or 2) get a tow all the way back to Austin (fantastic perk of the deluxe AAA membership - up to a 200 mile tow!). So we wait for yet another tow truck, this one with a flat-bed and hope that he can take us home. Mass confusion ensues. The tow truck needs to get permission to leave his district so he takes off with the car, promising to call us soon with the verdict. He finally does about a half hour later and tells us the good news. He can take us, but we'll have to all squish into his truck cab and it'll be another hour before he comes to pick us up. What time table do these people work from?
So for the second time this trip, we keep Lillian up until the wee small hours of the morning, depriving her of her precious little sleep and privacy. (Although I have to take full credit for the first time. Lillian is my very best friend from high school so we had about 12 years to catch up on.) The guy finally comes to collect us and I see why he's taken so long. He's stopped to pick up his little lady friend to make the trip with us. We somehow talk him into letting us ride in the car, which is loaded onto the flat bed, so we can try to catch some zzz's on the way. I suspect this is most probably illegal as he agrees if we promise to keep the seats reclined and our heads out of sight. Fine by us. If you've never had the pleasure of riding in a car riding on a truck, I can't say that I recommend the experience, especially if you're hoping for some rest. Its a very bumpy and noisy ride. Every time we turned, I got the sensation that the car was going to be jolted off of the bed and onto the ground below with us being crushed under it. Luckily, we made it back in one piece just in time to wake up the neighbors at 5:30 in the morning with the sounds of freeing our car back onto familiar territory. By the time we pushed the car into the garage, unloaded and said hi to the kitties, it was 6:30 a.m. Another 26 hour day of travelling.
But we're back. And I can comfort myself in the knowledge that we only have 2 weeks of work until we're off to Portugal. Let's hope that trip is nice and boring.
Coming back from the Caymans... Ok, first of all you're leaving the Caymans, which is traumatic enough. But then to have to wake up at 4:45 a.m. to catch an early flight and then enduring a 5 hour layover in Miami - now that's just cruel. But it didn't stop there. Oh no. About half an hour before we were scheduled to board our plane, Miami decides to give us a show with lightning and thunder and buckets of rain. Thanks but that added on an additional 2.5 hours to our layover - torture! And to make matters worse, the AA people kept taunting us with promises and then pushing back the ETA of our plane at the last minute. So fine. We're off and back to Houston, where my wonderful friend Lillian picked us up from the airport and took us to a fab little restaurant in Montrose. We are rejuvenated. We are young and fresh again. Hurrah. We're off to Austin.
Nope. Dead car battery. Luckily Lillian has the uber-deluxe AAA membership so after our attempts at jumping the car fail, she calls a tow truck to come to the rescue. An hour and a half later, rescue comes our way. He jumped the car, but we needed gas so we ask him to follow us to the gas station in case we need another jump. We do. But this time, it doesn't work. The battery is completely dead and gone to heaven. Our options, 1) tow the car to a garage where we'll get it fixed first thing in the morning or 2) get a tow all the way back to Austin (fantastic perk of the deluxe AAA membership - up to a 200 mile tow!). So we wait for yet another tow truck, this one with a flat-bed and hope that he can take us home. Mass confusion ensues. The tow truck needs to get permission to leave his district so he takes off with the car, promising to call us soon with the verdict. He finally does about a half hour later and tells us the good news. He can take us, but we'll have to all squish into his truck cab and it'll be another hour before he comes to pick us up. What time table do these people work from?
So for the second time this trip, we keep Lillian up until the wee small hours of the morning, depriving her of her precious little sleep and privacy. (Although I have to take full credit for the first time. Lillian is my very best friend from high school so we had about 12 years to catch up on.) The guy finally comes to collect us and I see why he's taken so long. He's stopped to pick up his little lady friend to make the trip with us. We somehow talk him into letting us ride in the car, which is loaded onto the flat bed, so we can try to catch some zzz's on the way. I suspect this is most probably illegal as he agrees if we promise to keep the seats reclined and our heads out of sight. Fine by us. If you've never had the pleasure of riding in a car riding on a truck, I can't say that I recommend the experience, especially if you're hoping for some rest. Its a very bumpy and noisy ride. Every time we turned, I got the sensation that the car was going to be jolted off of the bed and onto the ground below with us being crushed under it. Luckily, we made it back in one piece just in time to wake up the neighbors at 5:30 in the morning with the sounds of freeing our car back onto familiar territory. By the time we pushed the car into the garage, unloaded and said hi to the kitties, it was 6:30 a.m. Another 26 hour day of travelling.
But we're back. And I can comfort myself in the knowledge that we only have 2 weeks of work until we're off to Portugal. Let's hope that trip is nice and boring.
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