Day Sixty

Don't worry everyone, the Moonsnails won again today. 4-0 fantasy team. The Moonsnails, Seahawks,  and Saints are all reigning victorious right now, and it is excellent.

It was a definite Monday today. Was woken up at 6:30am by a barking puppy, which never makes for a good start to the day. Then I listened to a lecture on electrochemistry in class. Oh, you haven't heard of electrochemistry? Well, it's confusing and physics-based. That's pretty much all you need to know. Run away if someone tries to teach you more.

Then...lab time! Lab went surprisingly well today, only one piece of broken glassware and one small chemical spill. We're making progress! Yay! And we got out of lab 15 minutes early, which didn't help me beat traffic at all, but still...15 minutes early. It was awesome.

The rest of the evening, I did homework. And tomorrow morning, I'll be doing some more homework, because it's due tomorrow at 12:30pm. Graduate school is busy, all the time. But, at least Monday is over with. Tuesday will be all about sleeping in until 8:45 (woohoo!), doing homework, going to class, then coming home to study/grade papers/possibly relax and watch TV. Just living the dream.

Day Fifty Nine

Can we just take a moment to acknowledge the epic comeback win that the Seahawks had against the Texans today? And it's even sweeter when your roommates and relatives are rooting for the opposing team. And my fantasy team is projected to win again this week, which would make both the Seahawks and the Moonsnails 4-0 so far. So awesome.

It was nice to finally have a day with no class, but I did have homework, so I didn't completely escape from all things grad school today. Physical Organic always looms over me somehow. I ended up rewarding myself with a trip to Barnes and Noble where I got a new book light (and possibly more, because I'm addicted to all things Barnes and Noble).

This week is looking pretty good so far, with a UT football game to watch on TV on Thursday and a board game night with friends on Friday. Let's hope more fun things pop up, and that I get through the week productively and as stress-free as possible. With grad school, you just never know.

On a final note, the high today was in the upper-70s. I was in heaven, my roommates were freezing, and Otter was freaking out because she hates wet ground. Good times.

Day Fifty Eight

I had Saturday class today. At 9am. For 2 1/2 hours. It was rough. I made it without falling asleep, which I consider a personal victory. As I was walking back to my car I saw a squirrel on one of the stairwells that appeared to be dead, but as I looked closer I realized he was just sprawled out on his tummy trying to cool down. It was adorable, and I was relieved it was breathing. Then, I took a nap (naturally) before going out to lunch with the Avants at Jason's Deli. Oh Jason's Deli, you're one of my favorite places to eat ever. Ever. Unlimited mini cornbread muffins. I love it.

The rest of the day was filled with a trip to Target and more Breaking Bad. And a little Nsync (this is not a joke). After watching a few episodes of Breaking Bad, I was craving some 90s boy band music, and luckily I have an Nsync concert DVD. I'm so relieved that I never felt too cool for it and got rid of it. That would have been a tragedy. Lance Bass, you will always be my favorite boy bander. 

It rained today. Yesssss. It may make things humid and muggy, but I love walking in it when it's not thundering and shooting down lightning bolts. And I'm always the only one outside, because people here do not know how to handle precipitation. They won't even walk through puddles. Or on wet pavement. My goodness. I was driving home one day when it started to rain, and it was like Moses parted the traffic for me. Everyone exited immediately.

Tomorrow it's Seahawks day! And they're playing the Texans. Let's do this, Russell Wilson.

Day Fifty Seven

You will not believe what I learned today. UT has a bowling alley on campus. And it only costs students $1.50 to play. This may be the best news I've received all week. Thank you Natalie, for introducing me to this hidden gem that I literally had no clue existed. They also have poker tables, which is exciting since there are no casinos anywhere in the state of Texas. Which is lame. I miss having Little Creek Casino only 20 minutes away, that was fun. Washington, you spoiled me in so many ways, and I never even knew it until now.

My potential advisor meeting went really well, and he asked me to meet with him again early next week, so I'm hopeful that this means I didn't scare him away from the idea of accepting me into his group. I was nervous. He could probably tell. Oops.

Then I had lunch with Natalie (where the bowling alley discovery took place), and we walked to the most technologically advanced fast food restaurant I've ever seen. It was a Chick-Fil-A with walk-up order windows outside and multiple drive thru lanes where the food is delivered via conveyer belt. It was ridiculous. There wasn't any indoor seating though, which seems unwise for a eating establishment in Texas...where it always seems to be a million degrees outside. Nice try, Chick-Fil-A.

Then it was time for me to go to class. The same class that had the exam last night that everyone failed (my professor actually confirmed this fact to us today). We were certainly all feeling good about ourselves after that, bombing our first ever grad school exam. Wonderful. I ordered two more analytical chemistry textbooks online this afternoon to help me study for the upcoming exams, so hopefully this epic exam fail never happens again.

It may be Friday, but my school week isn't over yet. That's right, tomorrow I have Saturday class! Yay! What better way to spend 3 hours on a Saturday morning? So, it's time to go to bed, that way I don't fall asleep during said class. Or hopefully don't fall asleep. You never know.

Day Fifty Six

I had an evening exam today, got home late, had to finish grading lab reports, and am finally in bed. Exhausting, stressful day. Oh grad school, sometimes you're a cruel, cruel friend. And we only just met.

BUT, tomorrow is friday. I'm meeting a friend for lunch, talking with a potential research advisor, going to class, then coming home for an extended nap session. Definitely less hectic-crazy then today, where I was busy from 9am to 11pm, with the exception of the 40 minute nap I snuck in. Time to sleep some more.

Day Fifty Five

I have my first exam tomorrow night, and just like all my exams in undergrad, I don't feel anywhere near ready. Not a good feeling at all. Wish me luck, I think I'm going to need it.

I've been studying and grading all day (again, just like yesterday), and I'm finally almost done with grading all the lab reports from the lab I TA. Let's just say the scores aren't stellar so far, and this PhD comic began to feel real appropriate for the situation.

For any of you continuing to follow the saga that is me trying to find a research group, I got leads on two different potential groups today, so things are looking up. I'm going to a group meeting for one them tomorrow (when I should be studying...ugh), and hopefully that goes well.

I have an early office hour tomorrow, which will be followed by more studying, the group meeting, a nap, more studying, proctoring an exam, then finally my own exam. It'll be a busy, not at all relaxing day. Can't wait.

Day Fifty Four

I almost forgot to post tonight. I've been studying alllll day for my exam on Thursday, and now I'm going to grade papers until I fall asleep on top of them. Too busy...to post...a blog entry. But rest assured, today was better than yesterday. Let's all hope tomorrow sees continued improvement.

And thank you to Kelly and Ally and Louise for listening to me continue to complain today about my dire (to me, atleast) graduate school situation. And Mom and Dad for taking the brunt of it yesterday. I love you all.

Also, I got groceries today. HEB and I are becoming super good friends.

Day Fifty Three

I should have known that such an awesome end of week/weekend last week would result in a horrible Monday. It started off with an early morning email from a professor whose group I was hoping to join, letting me know that things fell through with his funding and he can't accept me into his group after all. And back to square one it is, after two weeks of not pursuing other groups thinking this one would work out. Fantastic. I was pretty much a whirlwind of cranky frustration for the rest of the day. I emailed four professors to ask about the status of their groups (whether they were full, if they wanted an analytical student, etc), and two have replied so far. One responded with a "well...I don't know...funding is bad...", while the other responded with an extremely snarky reply that left me relieved that I didn't try to go talk to him in person. Mood = worsened.

Then I had class. Then I had my lab I TA, where within the first 15 minutes a guy broke a volumetric pipet in half. Whoa, what? How does one even do that? The only thing I can think of is he had a death grip on it, then tried to bend it. Even though it's made out of glass. And extremely expensive. Well done, student. Well done. Then I had four students go, "oh, we need to turn lab reports in each week?" Let me remind you, these are all juniors and seniors, who have taken may labs before. This day was just ridiculous as a whole.

So, when I got home and decided I was still too cranky to make dinner, my roommate Kelly and I went to Whataburger. Then I went to the Starbucks next door and got myself chocolate covered graham crackers, because I earned them today.

Let's all hope tomorrow is better.

Day Fifty Two

Finally. A relaxing day where I can update my blog at a reasonable time. After sleeping in and recovering from last night's home football game (where we won, just in case you forgot), I ate lunch and then began watching Breaking Bad with my roommate. This was triggered by meeting someone yesterday at tailgate who said, "You're getting a PhD in chemistry? You must like Breaking Bad." Well, no, I haven't really watched it all that much. But considering I get that response quite a bit from people, I figured I might as well start. It was as odd as I remember from the few episodes I've watched but I do enjoy knowing exactly what all the chemistry references mean (and there are a lot of them).

Then my roommates and I went to Alamo Drafthouse to see We're The Millers. It...wasn't a movie I would see again. It had a few funny parts, but overall just wasn't my kind of humor. But once we left the theater I was able to check scores for both my fantasy football team and the Seahawks. The Seahawks won (yeah!), and my fantasy team is continuing to totally dominate. Seahawks, I'm very pleased to see we both have undefeated records. May we keep it this way for the rest of the season? That'd be super.

Tomorrow I have to go back to class. And I don't have a concert and comedy night to look forward to at the end of the week. I guess this epic week had to come to an end at some point. I have my first graduate school exam on Thursday. Ack! And it'll take place right after I help proctor an undergrad exam. So, I'll be on campus from 5pm - 8:30pm. Wonderful. Who needs dinner anyways? And tomorrow I TA my next lab. Hopefully no one spills gigantic volumes of liquid all over the floor this time. 

Day Fifty One

Guess what. The high today was 84 degrees. What?! It was heaven. Finally, weather I can tolerate. And it was game day! And we won! My string of fantastic days continues. Today I had pancakes for lunch, went shopping, went to tailgate, and went to cheer on the football team. It was pretty great. And now it's 12:30 and time for sleep. I have to be ready to cheer on my Seahawks tomorrow! Here's photos from tonight's game.

My game buddy, Bob Avant, a good family friend.

My friend Natalie and her husband came to sit with us since none of the
other Chem grads came to the game (lame).

Win! Orange tower.

Day Fifty

This feels like a milestone. Fifty days in Austin! I can't believe it's already been this long, yet at the same time it feels like it's been forever since I left Washington and all it's rain and tall trees and hippies. I miss you, Washington.

We got a little taste of Washington today with torrential downpours all morning and afternoon. It was remnants of a hurricane, so I can't say I've ever experienced this particular type of rain. At one point I had to run in the backyard to grab Otter's kennel, and my roommate looked at me with a very worried expression and said, "Are you sure you want to go out there? It's really raining." I just looked at her and responded with, "Did you forget where I moved here from?" I'm happy to say the kennel and the dog are now safe and sound from any lightning in the garage. Also, I didn't go to class today, because the roads between me and campus were flooded. This poses a problem for my small, close-to-the-ground car. I did laundry and graded papers instead.

Going back to yesterday, the concert last night was amazing. I can't think of a better way to start out my Austin concert run then seeing two of my favorite artists play at Austin City Limits Live with my roommates. We had such a good time, had incredible seats, and it wasn't even raining for our walk to and from the car. Best night ever.

Tonight was another awesome night, as I went to see Jeff Dye at a comedy club with my roommate Kelly. Luckily the rain and thunder lightened up for our drive, and when we got there we were surprised to find out the tickets we reserved were for the table right in front of the stage. In an I-propped-my-purse-against-the-stage kind of way. Jeff Dye was hilarious, and while he frequently made eye contact with the people at the tables in the front, he never talked to us directly. Whew! We did get a photo with him after the show, where he said "Hey! Front row!" We were pretty happy to be recognized. And now we're both in love with him.

Front. Row.

Jeff Dye.

Day Forty Nine

I went to a concert tonight with my roommates. Sara Bareilles and OneRepublic co-headlining. It was the most amazing thing ever. It's late, I'm tired, so all you get tonight are pictures.

Roommate date.

Sara Bareilles

OneRepublic

Day Forty Eight

In the continuing saga that is the house I live in, the shower in the hallway bathroom (the one Kelly and I use on a daily basis) is now broken once again. Well, it isn't broken if you want to take a shower using only hot water, but you couldn't pay me to do that. Especially here, where it's always a million degrees outside. My goodness.

After a day off, it was kind of hard getting in my car to drive to campus today. I started my day with a TA meeting with all the analytical lab TAs and the lab director. These aren't exciting, but they're informative. Today I asked about a question from the lab exercise I'm grading that I'm expecting some battles on from students. It's a multiple choice answer, and I think two of the answers can have valid arguments. He looked at me like I was crazy, and I told him that if I were a student and I was marked wrong on that question, you can bet I'd fight back about it. I think he's relieved I was never a student in one of his labs. He said that if they had a problem with it, just send them to him. Okay then.

Then I had class. We talked about equilibrium, which is the exact same thing we're talking about in my other class. Sweet! Only half the studying necessary! Then my professor went off on a Le Chatelier's Principle tangent that left us all confused. Even more confused then some of you are right now just reading that last sentence. And we have an exam in that class next week. All on statistics. Not fun.

My day finished with a trip to Dripping Springs for the high school's homecoming parade. I thought I would be watching the parade. Surprise, I'd be riding in one of the trucks pulling a float in the parade. And it was the float for the freshman class officers, and they were loud. We got there around 5pm, then the float (and I use the term float very loosely) was decorated. We set off at 6:40pm and drove down one street for 15 minutes. Then it was over. I couldn't help but laugh. It made the Lakefair parade in Olympia look like Mardi Gras. Here's a couple photos from this crazy event.

The freshman football team was right in front of us. And for
football players, they had horrible aim when throwing candy.

The "float" we pulled. This is about as fancy as it got (not a joke).

Tomorrow I get to see Sara Bareilles and OneRepublic in concert! I cannot wait.

Day Forty Seven

I did pretty much nothing today. Slept in, talked with one of my landlords who came over to the house, ate lunch, watched TV, read my Physical Organic textbook, took a nap, then talked with my other landlord who came to the house. It was both lazy and wonderful and exactly what I needed. As usual, my textbook worked as a wonderful sleep aid this afternoon. Then my roommates and I had our monthly viewing of Pitch Perfect. Do I have to go back to school tomorrow?

Today was my last day of free afternoon time for the rest of the week. All the others will be filled with a homecoming parade, a concert, a comedy show, and a football game. I'm pretty excited for all of them, and will actually have interesting things to blog about each night. And, maybe UT football will start winning again (this isn't likely).

On a final note, I feel the need to notify everyone that my fantasy football team is in 1st place right now. Yeah! The Moonsnails are reigning victorious.

Pure domination.

Day Forty Six

My morning shuttle bus driver is the best. Even though he once again raced away when I was 10 feet away from boarding this morning. He had a lengthy conversation with those of us on the shuttle last Friday about our football team ("Now kids, your boys are in a baaaad spot. What they need right now is prayer. And lots of it.") And today as I was leaving the shuttle for class he yelled out, "Have a great Monday, work for those A's!" Yeah, he's awesome. I'll probably take him a Christmas gift when the time comes.

I actually didn't even get to my building until 12:30 due to spending most of the morning reviewing for my lab that afternoon and answering student emails that I got over the weekend regarding said lab that afternoon. Already waiting until the day before lab to ask questions...I'm going to have to work on this with them. I sat down at a table to eat lunch, then one of the students in my lab sat across from me (he didn't realize who I was) and started his pre-lab. An hour before lab started. Hilarious. He got pretty wide-eyed when he saw me again as his head TA later that afternoon.

Before lab I had class, where once again my professor sassed his way through material. It was wonderful. The computer didn't work at the beginning of class, so an IT guy came in and fixed it. He then opened up my prof's file folder and said, "what file would you like opened?" To which my professor answered, "Don't touch my stuff." It's a good thing all of us laughed, cause the poor IT guy looked a little nervous for a second. Dr. Holcombe, you're amazing.

Lab went pretty smoothly, which I was relieved by. It was oddly quiet though during the entire 3 hours. I went to an undergrad where the radio was played during almost every lab session (but only the prof could choose the station, and it was inevitably classic rock). And, I already had to deal with my first major spill, as one student spilled NaOH all over the floor. Stock room, help! It all got cleaned up, but I was just in awe that it took less than one full lab session to have this happen. Really? We couldn't have waited until the 3rd lab or so to start spilling chemicals? Everyone finished on time (barely), and everyone seemed to do a good job. Though I'll be able to tell for sure when I get all their reports next Monday. Things will get interesting then.

Traffic was gnarly on the drive home, but even gnarly Austin traffic is nowhere near what I've experienced on I-5. Washington, you prepared me well by hammering me with horrible traffic for so many years. Every other highway seems like a dream now.

I don't have class tomorrow (my prof is in China), which means I don't have to drive anywhere. I can just laze around the house and read Physical Organic and grade papers and catch up on TV shows. YEAH!

Day Forty Five

You can blame homework and the Seahawks for keeping me up so late. But the Hawks won! Which definitely makes up for the horrible UT loss yesterday. And my fantasy team won again. The Moonsnails are completely dominating this year.

I had to say goodbye to Dad today as he flew home to Washington. I'm not sure this process will ever get any easier. The weekend was so great though, and I'm already excited for when he comes next (early November). Today we went to the Co-Op, had lunch with Bob Avant at Kerbey Lane Cafe (mmmmm), ran to HEB, and relaxed at my house. It was a way more low-key day then yesterday, which was much needed. But once I got home from taking him to the airport, it was all about homework that I had neglected to do all weekend in favor of family and football (totally worth it). Tomorrow I'll have to answer a bunch of emails from students in my lab, who are already stuffing my inbox with questions. We haven't even done a full lab yet! Calm down, biochemists and chemical engineers!

I need to go to bed, so I'll just post a bunch of photos from yesterday and call it good. I miss you already Dad! Are you sure you don't want to come back next weekend? Or possibly every weekend? Or you and Mom could just move here? Food for thought.

Dad and I outside Welch. His old stomping ground, my new stomping
ground.

With my parents friend from high school and college, Patti Brookshire.

Tailgate!

Dad with two legendary conductors for UT, Vincent R. DiNino and
Jerry Junkin. They were dressed up for the occasion. 

Drumline.

Big Bertha! Love that drum.

I got one step closer to my dream of playing Big Bertha. Holding the
Q-tip (drum stick)!

The cutest K-9 unit I have ever seen.

Getting ready to go in the stadium.

Throw your horns up! Pre-game.

Band and football team.

Me and Katelyn, a fellow chemistry PhD-er.

Dad and I at the game! Such a great time.

HEB run today. I'm not sure why we documented this with a photo.

Day Forty Four

Today was a wonderful, exhausting day. Dad and I were busy from 12:30 until now, so it was 12 hours of non-stop activities. After relaxing at my house for a little while and learning that my neighbors are replacing the grass in their backyard with astroturf (classy), we headed to my favorite Austin restaurant - Jason's Deli. Louise Avant met us there, and we had a great time eating and visiting. The place was packed though, and the one open table was wedged in the middle of a bunch of full tables, so we all had to awkwardly wander around it in a circle before squeezing through any opening we could find. That didn't look weird at all.

After lunch we came back to the house, printed our football tickets, got ready for the game, and headed out for tailgate. Once again, it was extremely hot outside (96 degrees), but at least it wasn't in the triple digits again and the band hall is close by and nicely air-conditioned. Dad was able to meet up with a few old friends and reconnect with a couple of his old band directors, and we were finally able to locate the engraved belt buckle he wore as drum major. It was so cool, seeing the plaque with his name engraved on it sitting in a display case. I'm probably going to show if off to everyone I know. I also got one step closer to my dream of hitting the Big Bertha drum...I was able to hold the drum stick (photographic evidence coming tomorrow). One of the band guys actually did hit the drum once, and it immediately set off the car alarm for the car parked next to it. Hilarious.

Then...game time! For anyone who watched or listened to the UT vs Ole Miss game, you know it didn't end well for us. At all. But, Dad and I still had such a great time. Longhorn band performed a Disney themed halftime show, and it was just the best thing ever. My favorite was when they played music from Pirates of the Caribbean and formed the shape of a giant skull.

Get ready for tomorrow's blog post, it's going to be FULL of photos from today (which are all on my dad's camera, and dad is at the Avant's). He flies home tomorrow, which makes me really sad, but we've definitely had an awesome weekend so far. The only thing that could make it any better was if mom and Jeff were here. I miss you both!

Day Forty Three

It's late. I'm tired. This post will be short. Dad's in Austin! He's staying at Hotel Avant while he's here, which is conveniently only a mile away from me. Woohoo! He got in two hours later than expected, which gave me time to come home and relax after class...which I definitely didn't hate. And, being the best daughter ever, I had Whataburger ready for him in the car when he got off the plane. And now my car smells like fried chicken. Oh Dad, the sacrifices I make for you. After the airport we went straight to my grandpa's house and had a great time chatting and relaxing.

I slept in today until 8:45, and it was just the best thing ever. I got to school around 11:30 and ran into a friend of mine, who somehow convinced me to attend the class she's TAing with her. It's taught by the same professor who teaches the advanced analytical class I'm in, and it was pretty funny to see how different his teaching style is between his undergrad and grad level classes. With the grad students, he is way more laid back and sarcastic. I love it.

Tomorrow is game day! Which means it's also tailgate day! And it's not supposed to be in the triple digits like the last home game! So many good things. Now let's just hope we win. As my shuttle driver said this morning, "Your boys are in biiiiig trouble. What they need right now is prayer." Well, Mr. Shuttle Driver, I'm praying. Don't you worry.

Day Forty Two

I had my first official office hour today as a TA. And someone actually came to me for help. This made me happy, and not nearly as cranky as I was earlier at having to get up early and sit through traffic. Then I had two and a half hours until class. So of course, I spent my time the way anyone else would, reading a physical organic textbook. I was actually planning on watching some Dirty Jobs on my kindle, but when I pulled it out of my backpack I realized I was stupid the night before and didn't charge it. And it was dead. And I was sad.

It was surprisingly pleasant outside today at lunchtime. It took me off guard. I'm not used to Texas weather actually being tolerable. And, I didn't even almost-fall-asleep in class today. I was pretty proud. Though I did almost fall asleep sitting at an outdoor picnic table after lunch. I wasn't so proud of that. I must have been too relaxed in the absence of oppressive weather.

The shuttle ride back to my car was once again full of baseball players, chewing their tobacco. Am I the only one that looks at tobacco chewers and thinks, "hello, mouth cancer." How very attractive. Then I looked down and realized that the girl I was sitting next to was wearing the exact same teal corduroy Toms that I was. We had a bonding moment over it.

I went to Zumba again this afternoon. I had slightly more coordination then last time. I do love how varied the class is though, with people of literally all ages and sizes taking it. From the lady next to me in full make-up to the 70 year old in the corner to the girl with down syndrome front and center (who ended up being way better at Zumba than pretty much all of us). Then the instructor started doing a bollywood dance, which confused me. How does bollywood fit in a latin dance zumba class? None of us knew what was happening, as evidenced by a lady close to me looking at us and going, "well...that was new."

Then I went to dinner with Louise Avant, and we had a grand time at Jason's Deli, which I'm pretty sure is my favorite restaurant to ever exist. Then we went to Bath and Body Works, where I'm surrounded by wonderful smells and can't leave without getting something. I ended up getting a mini-candle (actually, Louise got me the candle, because she's the best) that is scented Eucalyptus Mint. It's wonderful. Also wonderful, Kelly and I just bought tickets to see Jeff Dye at a comedy club next week. Sara Bareilles/OneRepublic one night, then Jeff Dye the next night? Next week is going to be awesome.

Dad comes to Austin tomorrow!

Day Forty One

My day started off fancy, with "Coffee with the Deans," an event held to celebrate all of the graduate fellowship recipients. Most of the graduate programs at UT were represented, though not many deans actually showed up. Instead, they sent representatives in their place. Sadly, this didn't surprise me at all. There was a huge amount of delicious food though, which totally made up for the lack of deans. There were about 10 grad students from the College of Natural Sciences in attendance, and only two of us were first year chemistry grads. We both felt pretty awesome, being some of the few fellowship recipients out of the 50 or so new chemistry grad students. I was also able to reintroduce myself to Dr. Marvin Hackert, a chemistry professor (who also serves as a big-wig in the department of graduate studies) that my dad had when he was an undergrad. I thought it was pretty cool, but I'm pretty sure it just made Dr. Hackert feel old. Oops.

After this, I had an hour to kill before my TA meeting, so I just wandered around campus. And quickly learned that the tower follows me everywhere. I'm not even joking, I took photographic evidence. First, I sat down in one of the comfy chairs in the Union (the building where Coffee with the Deans was held), and looked out the window to see this.

Then after my TA meeting, which wasn't that exciting, I went to NHB to have lunch. And looked up and saw this.

Then I decided to go hang out outside Welch Hall until my class started, and once again saw this.

It's almost spooky. It's like no matter where I go, the tower just looms right in front of me. It's an awesome building, but it felt like it was stalking me. 

After class I got to act as Quiz TA for the first time! For each undergrad lab section there's a Head TA (who runs the entire lab) and a Quiz TA (who quizzes the students on pre-lab questions to make sure they're prepared). This was the students' first time being quizzed on pre-lab questions, and some of them were shaking they were so nervous - because they knew that if they didn't answer the questions well, they wouldn't be allowed in lab and would have to sign up for a make-up session later in the semester. Luckily, all of the students did just fine. Relief was felt on both sides. And I got them all quizzed in 18 minutes, which the lab director was pretty impressed with (yeah!). And then I got to come home. And cleaned my study and ran to the grocery store and had Whataburger for dinner with Kelly (so delicious). It was a good day.

Day Forty

Lesson learned today - do not take a shower and immediately proceed to put a fitted sheet on your bed. The fitted sheet will always win and make you just as sweaty as you were before you took your shower in the first place. Well played, fitted sheet.

That being said, this post will probably be pretty short (considering I only left the house once, and that was to get the mail). For any of you thinking "Gasp! She's skipping classes?!," don't worry. My class was cancelled today. I took my brand new IBS medication for the first time this morning, and even though I'm only one day in I have high hopes once the side effects diminish. If this ends up working...Dr. Paxton, you are my new hero.

Other things I did today were...wash sheets, wash dishes, finish homework for physical organic, watch Project Runway, and take a nap. I know, your heart is racing with how exciting my day was. But it felt good to get so much done. Oh, and Otter killed a rat. I had nothing to do with this, but it was definitely a moment that stood out when I saw the thing on the back porch. Good job Otter, next time just hide your carcasses in the bushes. Thankfully my landlord was over at the time so I got him to dispose of it. Ew.

At the end of the day I got an email from one of the students in the lab I TA for. It's like I'm a real teacher! I'm glad some of them already feel comfortable reaching out for help. Hopefully I'm able to answer their questions correctly, cause it would get real embarrassing if I didn't.

I'll finish with random photos, because I got a specific request for them today.

It's hard to believe that this was taken over a year ago during a visit to UT,
when actually attending school here for a PhD was just a dream.

I got a text from my best friend Amanda today, who I
miss SO MUCH. She's being a rock star in her own
post-undergrad program.

And last, I miss my dog. Because let's face it, she's the cutest thing in the
entire world.

Day Thirty Nine

Today was a weird day. One of those days that isn't bad, but definitely isn't good either. It started out with me parking my car and walking towards the shuttle (which was only about 30 feet away), only to watch the shuttle speed away right in front of me. Awesome. It's never fun to stand in 90 degree weather waiting for the next shuttle to come. Especially since I had to wear pants today due to today being my first day TAing my lab section. Curses!

Then, I went to meet with my potential research advisor. He seemed very enthusiastic about accepting me into his group, but said he was hesitant to sign anything or make anything official because he wasn't sure what his funding situation would look like this year. Completely understandable since government funding for graduate research has taken a huge hit these past few years, but it still took some of the wind out of my sails. It's still a definite possibility that I'll be accepted into his group, but things aren't looking as sure as I thought they were. Cross your fingers for me, and for him that he gets the funding he needs!

The actual high point of the day was class. The professor is hilarious. He was trying to teach us how to use Excel, but then he'd mess something up and just start cursing the computer screen. I did learn a few things though, so his lesson was successful no matter how utterly frustrated he got. Dr. Holcombe, you make Excel fun, even when you hate it.

And finally, I got to meet the lab I'm TAing! They're all really nice, though some of them have some less than generic names that will be an experience trying to remember and pronounce. We got through the safety speech and glassware training without a hitch. Then we all went to the hallway to get lab goggles. This is where things started to get weird. Some guy, who I've never seen in my life, pulled me aside and started yelling at me in front of all of the students I'll be teaching this semester. I believe his words were, "I expect you to wear long pants and lab goggles at all times. You need to set a good example, Allison," all of which was said in a very demeaning fashion. I was just confused, considering I was literally standing in front of him wearing lab goggles and long pants as he berated me over wearing lab goggles and long pants. Um, what? Who on earth are you? I'll be investigating this incident more, as I am not okay with being belittled in front of students that are supposed to respect and take me seriously for the rest of the fall semester.

So, that was how my day at school ended. Definitely not on a good note. The rest of the week can only go up from here. It rained most of the evening, which helped me relax after my bizarre lab encounter. Then I watched some Psych with the roomies, and we all know that a little bit of Psych makes everything good again. Then I talked with my brother on the phone. So overall, the day went from okay, to bad, to good again thanks to rain, Psych, and Jeff.

Day Thirty Eight

Today was a very lazy Sunday. And hopefully the final recovery day from my flu shot. I can deal with the sore arm, but the overall icky feeling for 2 days I could live without. But in good news, our air conditioning works again! Bob Avant, you are our hero. Also, both my football teams won (the Seahawks and the Saints), which made up for UT's horrible horrible loss last night. Thank you Russell Wilson and Drew Brees for redeeming this football weekend. Also, my fantasy football team is totally kicking butt. Yeah Moonsnails!

Don't worry, I still found time to study and do homework (during commercial breaks). And I made a pretty impressive set-up for my dual football-homework afternoon. Check it out, it made my father very proud. Saints on the TV, Seahawks on the computer, Physical Organic on the music stand.

Music stands - the multipurpose furniture.

I get to meet my lab section tomorrow. And possibly get the official paperwork signed to become a permanent member of a lab group. Basically, tomorrow has the potential to be a very big day. I am excited and nervous all at once. But it gives me a chance to break out my lab coat, which I haven't gotten to do yet. Hopefully my lab coat conveys a sense of "we may be the same age, but listen to me!" to all the students in my section.

Pretty much the only other thing I did today besides watch football and do homework was clean and do laundry. And just bask in our re-air conditioned home. Oh! And I talked to my brother on the phone, which always makes my day 100 times better. He comes to San Antonio soon for a rotation, and I cannot wait to have him so close by. And...my dad comes back to Austin in 5 days! It'll be nice to have that to look forward. Not even the heat can bring me down this week.  :-)

Day Thirty Seven

This is how my day has been - I had Physical Organic class from 9 to noon (yes, on a Saturday...the first of many), came home to find our air conditioner broken, Otter peed on the floor three times, and UT is currently failing at football. And on top of all of that I have a flu shot mini-fever. Needless to say, the day has been less than ideal. But I'm watching the game at the Avant's house with Bob and Louise, so if I ignore the horrible football game on TV the day has ended on a good note. Thanks Avants! I always enjoy hanging out with you both.

The day began with school. How wrong for a Saturday morning. Two hours and forty-five minutes of Physical Organic chemistry. There were a few moments I seriously struggled to stay awake, but I definitely wasn't the only one which made me feel less guilty. The prof scheduled a 9am class on the weekend, he probably half-expected a bunch of tired faces. The class would have gone the entire three hours if the emergency alarm hadn't have gone off, requiring everyone to evacuate Welch Hall. We all jumped about 3 feet in the air, including the professor. I'm not sure what caused it, could have been a fire, chemical spill, flood, electrical issue...basically anything. Then I stopped by the Co-Op and got myself a shirt that was on deep sale as a reward for coming to class and staying awake on a Saturday morning.

The rest of the day was filled with HEB, a nap, and Target. Everything but the nap cost me money. Why is life so expensive? It's especially painful considering I still don't get a paycheck until early to mid October. Thank goodness I decided to get a job during undergrad and save money.

The Longhorns are still doing miserable. I was hoping that as I wrote this blog the game would make a miraculous turn around. This is not so. Both Texas Tech and Texas A&M won though, so at least my roommates are happy. I'll just hold out hope for a Seahawks win tomorrow. Come on Russell Wilson! You know I love you, don't let me down.

Day Thirty Six

I'm introducing my roommates to Grimm right now. So far I think they're skeptical, but I trust they'll get on board with me eventually. We just got back from a roommate date to Alamo Drafthouse, where you watch a movie and are served dinner at the same time. It was a great way to end the week. We saw the movie The Butler, which was so good. How is Forest Whitaker such an amazing actor?

Today was a busy busy day. It started with a trip to the Graduate Student office in Welch Hall, where I tried and failed to figure out my health insurance. I was given the wonderful response of, "um...try enrolling again on Monday, then if it doesn't work come back." Oh so helpful. Then I turned around and saw a giant map of the US showing where the past 3 years of graduate students have come from. Check out who's all by herself in the northwest?

Look at my lonely little yellow flag.

Here's a close-up. I know, they put my flag in Seattle, I'm going to have
to go in on Monday and fix it.

Then, lunch with my friend Natalie! I've eaten lunch alone for the past 2 weeks, so it was great to have some company. She's also a PhD student at UT, but in the speech-language pathology. We went to the new student union on campus and got some Chick-Fil-A, which I'm sure makes my brother extremely jealous. It was delicious. We just sat and talked for 2 hours, and it was super nice to have some non-chemistry conversation. But, the moment ended when I had to go to class.

After class - doctor appointment! The office is in this giant complex of buildings, and I ended up going in two wrong buildings before I found the right one. I'm sure people were looking out the windows at me going, "well, this is obviously her first time here." The doctor was super nice though, I felt instantly comfortable around him which was a relief. I hate breaking in new doctors. Now if only I could get my new insurance to go through...

Guess what I have tomorrow? Saturday class! I know, you're all jealous, I would be too. Then I'm watching some UT football on TV while doing homework. At least the day will (hopefully) end on a high note.

Here's Otter, using Ally as a resting place.

Day Thirty Five

After a week and a half of classes I've learned that come lunchtime, there is nowhere to sit and eat in Welch Hall. The undergrads are everywhere. So, I've deemed NHB (Norman Hackerman Building) my lunchtime destination. Luckily, it's just right across the street, and the air conditioning works better in NHB than Welch. So, it's really a win-win situation. There was no party in the plaza today, and no guy dressed as a giant sperm, so today was already less eventful than yesterday. Today was bloodmobile day instead. A worthy cause, but not as exciting as booth after booth of free things.

In class today I realized I basically sit in my own little multi-cultural section. The girl in front of me is from Jordan, the guy behind me is from England, and the guy next to me is from Japan. Most of the students are from the US, but apparently the seat I chose just happened to be where all the international students also decided to sit. It's been really cool though talking about how different our culture and education system is from theirs. The girl from Jordan complained about how hot it is here. That kind of confused me. It's ridiculously hot here, but I just always assumed the middle east was even hotter. It appears I was wrong. Congrats Texas, you annoy everyone with your unrelenting sun.

After class I had my meeting with a potential research advisor. He does amazing research regarding tissue regeneration, but he soon told me that he would likely be leaving UT for another school come next Fall. I would have loved to work with him, but I worked my butt off to get in to the UT chemistry program, and I'm not about to leave it after only one year. He was super fun to talk to, and told me that if I ever wanted to vent about grad school or professors to feel free to come and talk to him. Why are you so awesome, and why are you leaving? Not cool. But, now I feel confident in the lab group I want to join. I'll announce it once I officially sign paperwork (aka, sign my life away to the advising prof for the next 5 years). Hopefully that will be tomorrow or early next week. Woohoo!

When I got home, I got ready for my first ever Zumba class with my friend Elizabeth. The class was exhausting, and I quickly learned that no matter how much rhythm I think I might have, I still move like a white girl. There is zero Latin rhythm within me. The best part was you faced a giant mirror-wall in the workout room, so everyone got to see firsthand how ridiculous they looked. And apparently some people wear little chime things around their waist during Zumba? I didn't know this. I guess it's to prove to everyone that just in case you couldn't tell, their hips are actually moving. The class was filled with women of all ages (literally, there were some late 60s ladies in there kicking butt), which was really neat to see.

The rest of my evening has been filled with Physical Organic reading and homework. Which I'll do even more of on Friday. And over the weekend. Normally I would be excited for Friday to get here as it signals the end of classes for the week. Not anymore. I have class this Saturday morning from 9 to noon. Grad school, sometimes you're hard to love.

Day Thirty Four

Today there was a giant advertising fair on campus that I had no idea was happening. So tents were everywhere giving away free stuff. Two tents in particular were seriously popular, the Thermos tent giving away water bottles and the University Federal Credit Union giving away UT shirts. Both had lines of students at least 120 students long. I love free stuff, but I didn't have the time or the heat endurance to wait in either of those lines. I did get a movie discount card though, so wandering around the tents in the hot weather wasn't totally a lost cause. I also had the good luck of seeing a man dressed as a giant sperm. I couldn't even make this up. He was advertising for a sperm bank looking for donations. I'm disappointed with myself for not getting a photo of him, but I was so confused by it that I didn't even think to capture the moment. I also had my foot run over by a girl on a bike not paying attention to anything around her. That hurt. And they did a practice emergency siren test, which was so loud and made it sound like we all needed to get ready for the world to end. All in all, it was a weird start to the day.

Then...class time! We finally met our professor today, as he was gone last week and had a different prof substituting for him. We were all relieved that he was animated and funny. Dr. Holcombe, I think I'm going to enjoy your class. I also met a few of the other students in the class with me, which was nice. We all joked (kind of) about how we already have no idea what's going on. I foresee many study groups in our future. Chemistry student bonding!!! No pun intended - for those of you who understand what the pun may have been. Dr. Holcombe got all exciting when he found out that none of us are Excel geniuses, so on Friday he's got all these Excel program tutorials for us. Yay? I don't mind Excel, but when it doesn't feel like cooperating, it can be the most maddening computer program in the world.

Then, thankfully, I checked my email and learned that I had to show up to my Quiz TA section that was 10 minutes away and 2 floors up. I taught 15 students how to use volumetric pipettes and flasks, and totally rocked it.

As I was walking back to the shuttle stop I ran into one of the student unions to refill my water bottle and came across this gem posted on the wall.

For those of you who don't know what a 'sooner' is, they're
referring to the mascot of one of UT's biggest rivals, Oklahoma
University.

Whenever there's a chance to take a jab at a rival school, Texas will find it. I was particularly impressed with this one though...never thought of using an outlet as a rivalry motivator. Well done, whoever did this.

Once I got home, it was back to the books. More Physical Organic reading, followed by starting the homework. This time, I failed to stay awake and ended up taking a 20 minute power nap. Sorry Phys Org, you just weren't enough stimulation for me this afternoon. It felt oddly good to be doing homework again soon. I'm familiar with this aspect of school, reading and studying and homework, it's almost become a comfort zone. Give me 2 more months of homework and I'll probably be taking this statement back, but for now it's true. But about 20 minutes into homework a big thunderstorm came over us, and I got totally distracted by the flashing lightning and booming thunder and terrified dog sitting next to me on the couch. Poor Otter.

Homesickness is killing me right now. Pray that it passes soon. I'm having a hard time being so far from home and my family. I'm enjoying Austin and UT so much, but it doesn't make the distance any easier to handle.

Tomorrow, class and a meeting with a potential research advisor. Wish me luck.

Day Thirty Three

Today was a slooooow day. I slept in, because I just couldn't think of a good reason to go to school early. I need to enjoy these non-busy mornings while I can, because I have a feeling that soon they will be few and far between. Also, the high today was over 100 degrees again, so I avoided getting in my oven of a car as much as possible.

Class today was also good, I talked with the girl in front of me and learned that she's from Jordan and had to fly 15 hours to get to Austin. And it was her first flight ever. What a horribly long first flight! She already hates flying now, and I don't think that opinion will change any time soon. We also chatted about how each of us has moments of "I'm in graduate school? For chemistry? Why have I done this to myself?!" It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who still freaks out about this decision. Then we complained about how hot it is here. That's often where my conversations lead to. Because this oppressive heat just cannot be avoided, it is everywhere.

After class, I hopped on the shuttle to get back to my car and ended up being surrounded by UT baseball players. Considering I park by the baseball field, this wasn't overly surprising, but I definitely wasn't expecting a 6'3 guy with a plate full of pizza rolls to plop down next to me on the shuttle. They provided entertaining conversation to listen to, and they were all pretty nice. But...let's just say I don't expect to see them around my chemistry buildings anytime soon. Or ever.

Then, I made my third trip to the County Assessor's office, and thankfully things finally worked out! My car is officially a Texan. Praise the Lord, it took long enough. It was kind of bittersweet taking my Washington plates off my car though. I miss you Washington, with all your rain and water and tall trees. Seeing Texas plates on my car made everything so much more real, making the fact that I'll be living in this city for a while really sink in.

I finished up the day reading my Physical Organic textbook. And I didn't even fall asleep on top of it. I credit part of this to Otter, who just flies in to your face at full speed when you aren't expecting it. Her next session of puppy school on Saturday can't come soon enough. Until then, everyone in the house is on high alert when the dog is inside, because you just never know what's going to happen.

I miss my family. And my dog (not so much the cat). And my hometown. And my friends. I love you all, and wish you all could have just come to Austin with me. Could we make this happen? Let me know.

Day Thirty Two

I had four things planned for today. Go to the gym, get groceries at HEB, do laundry, and read my textbook for class. Sounds simple, right? Well...my laundry may have gone in 10 minutes ago (it's 10:30pm) and my textbook may be on my bed next to me. Oops. But hey, I got my gym and HEB run done this morning. At least I didn't neglect everything until the last minute. I haven't been to the gym in two weeks, and considering yesterday was a really tough homesick day, I figured some exercise would do me good. Then I remembered I was going golfing this afternoon also. But don't worry, I napped like a pro between the two. Walking up the stairs to my class should be super fun tomorrow.

Today was pretty much my day with the Avant family. Louise and Elizabeth met me at the gym, and Bob took me out to golf. I've really enjoyed spending time with all of them, and am excited that I live so close to such a fun and caring family. And let's face it, without Bob our living room TV wouldn't work. Even my roommates know this. Thank you thank you thank you.

It was a high of 100 degrees outside today. So naturally, we went to golf at the hottest part of the day at 4:30pm. Our timing may have been a little flawed. And since it was labor day, the par 3 course we played was packed. I quickly learned that this was a par 3 course with no rules. And no semblance of the golf etiquette I've come to love. I still had lots of fun, but it was definitely an unexpected experience. Want to wheel around a gigantic cooler full of beer with you? Go ahead. Want to golf in groups of 8 to 10? No problem! Want to stagger around drunk with no shirt on hitting your golf ball erratically? Come on over. And each hole was packed together like sardines, so you were basically always in danger of getting hit by a poorly hit golf ball. And with the amount of beer being consumed on that course, there were quite a few poorly hit golf balls. Both Bob and I played pretty well. I almost got a hole in one (seriously), which got everyone excited - even the giant-cooler-toting group of 7 ahead of us. And when we returned to Bob's car after the round, he didn't have any new golf ball shaped dents in his car, which we were also excited about (there isn't any barrier between the place where people park and the holes). It was a weird round of golf, but I still had a great time. But maybe next time we can play when it's not in the triple digits.

The day ended with a fantasy football draft. Another football season, another season for the Carnivorous Moonsnails! I got Drew Brees, which is really my only goal every season, so I'm a happy girl. I'm excited to see how the season goes, and with my dad, brother, and aunt all in the league, there will definitely be some Myers bragging rights up for grab each week.

I think I've avoided my textbook all I can today. I need to actually read some of it. Tomorrow will be what feels like my 17th trip to the County Assessors office to register my car. It better go through without a hitch this time.

Day Thirty One

Today was spent recovering from yesterday. I woke up and was still completely exhausted from the tailgate and the game, so I spent most of the time on the couch either reading or kind of aimlessly staring. And drinking lots of water. It was 104 degrees at the tailgate, and still 100 degrees at kickoff. I don't think I have ever sweat so much in my entire life. I drank about 8 bottles of lukewarm (ugh) water, but at $4 per cold water I saved $30. Definitely worth the lukewarm sacrifice. 

My day yesterday started pretty low-key. I slept in, made a trip to Target where I found season one of Grimm on sale (SCORE), and had some lunch. I thought I still had about two hours before heading out to campus for tailgate until I got frantic calls from a couple people telling me I better leave now if I want to have any prayer of finding parking close by. Well, I left, and successfully navigated my way to the parking lot recommended to me by a family friend. The lot was almost completely empty. Whew, glad I left so early! Tailgate was already well under way though, so I had something to occupy my time. And tailgate was fun. Lots of people and food and band members. I miss band people, having to stop band after high school made me so sad. And Bob Avant was there for Alumni Band, so it was fun hanging out with him as well. Thank you Natalie for inviting me! I'm already excited to tailgate next home game. But if we could, let's make sure it isn't 104 degrees outside. Is that possible?

The UT football stadium? Gigantic. Seriously gigantic. 100,119 capacity gigantic. And I had awesome seats and one of my favorite people attending the game with me. My cousin, Josh! He grew up in the south, and while he may not have attended UT, he definitely bleeds burnt orange. The first half was...not impressive. New Mexico State scored first, and we threw 2 interceptions and fumbled a couple times. Thankfully we scored twice before half time, but some of us (all of us) were getting a little worried. Then second half came, and we dominated. Literally dominated. 42 unanswered points for UT, it was so awesome. I didn't realize that a cannon is blown every time UT scores, and it scared the bejeezus out of me every single time. There's also a million different little rituals that fans do in the stadium, hopefully I'll learn at least some of them by the end of the season. I just throw my horns up and hope it's good.

I have no school tomorrow! And now that I'm fully recovered from the madness that was a UT home game, I can actually be productive. Gym, we haven't seen each other for a while. I plan to remedy that tomorrow. Then I'll engage in some thrilling textbook reading, which if I'm honest with myself, will likely lead to a nap. Who needs sleep aids when you have textbooks? The answer is no one.