Day Two Hundred Seventy One

I really need to start doing more exciting things. All I have to report today is that it was pay day (thank goodness) and I had Schlotzsky's and chocolate almond milk frozen yogurt for dinner (I was actually extremely excited about this). It was delicious, as expected. My research advisor also surprised us with a box of fresh Einstein Bros bagels this morning at group meeting, so it was just a day of delicious food. Which is awesome.

Tomorrow is my last class day for the semester. YES.

Day Two Hundred Seventy

I probably walked between 4 and 5 miles around campus today. I am exhausted. Thankfully it wasn't another day in the 90s, or else all that walking would have been quite miserable. I now know what lies on Guadalupe Street just north of campus. Definitely want to go to the downtown Kerbey Lane Cafe, definitely want to steer clear of the sketchy looking establishment called Goat Love. The little I saw through the tinted windows was more than enough. I'll be making a wide berth around that one.

Other than classes, I went to the grocery store and watched UT baseball on tv (we finally won a game!). I had a grand plan to make banana bread tonight, but the lack of bread pans threw a hitch in that. Banana bread muffins tomorrow it is.

Day Two Hundred Sixty Eight

Another day, another Texas baseball loss. And to top it off, it got up to 96 degrees outside. Atleast I had a seat in the shade and got to share the game with one of my substitute Texas parents, Bob. And there was obviously a snow cone in the mix, and that makes every day better.

Day Two Hundred Sixty Seven

Nothing says "happy weekend" like getting up at 7am on a Saturday to go teach a lab at school. UT, I just can't seem to get away from you. Thankfully the lab went smoothly and ended a little early, which gave me enough time to eat a quick lunch before going to the baseball game. I figured since I was already on campus, why not go catch a free game? I got to the game, sat down, and just stared in shock at the unfortunate uniforms that Oklahoma State wears. I just can't even handle them.

Honestly. Who made these?! They look like construction cones. Or oranges. Or as my brother said, like prisoners getting ready to pick up trash on the side of the road. So many things come to mind, and none of them are good.

This is Ben Johnson. Left fielder. His position is closest to where I sit - hence he gets photos taken of him.

It was nice out. Pretty warm, but at least there was a breeze. And I had a snow cone, and no bees attacked me, yeah!

Day Two Hundred Sixty Five

It's days like today that make me cranky that I can't wear shorts to school. Or if I do wear shorts, I have to take pants to change into once I'm in Welch Hall. It's a rough life working in a chemistry building when temperatures start to approach the 90s. It was 88 today, and is supposed to be 90 on Sunday. Texas, why must you do this to me?!

Other than the hot weather (ugh), the day was pretty low key. I had class, picked up my signed Jimmy Carter book that I ordered a couple weeks ago (yay!), and prepped for working in the lab tomorrow. I also got a surprise end-of-the-semester gift from my parents...an Owl mug! It's so cute. And definitely what I needed to get me through these final couple weeks. Thanks mom and dad! You're the best.

The funniest part of today was probably my Physical Methods professor Dr. Hoffman, saying he was "going on an adventure for some chalk" before diving behind the projector screen and rummaging around for a couple minutes. It was kind of weird, but also kind of wonderful.

Day Two Hundred Sixty Four

I forgot how tiring it is being sick. Thankfully I'm pretty sure I'm on the mend and will be able to get back to my normal routine tomorrow. I spent most of today at home and the allergist's office. I had to get up to campus for an hour to do lab drawer check-out for one of my labs, thankfully that went quickly so I could get back home and go back to bed. In the brief time I was on campus I did walk past Charlie Strong's tour bus though (the new football coach at UT).

I learned today that allergy tests make your back look pretty gnarly. It looked like I sat in a swarm of mosquitoes with all the bumps and red marks that showed up on my back. I now know that I'm very allergic to cats (who knew?! Especially since I grew up owning a cat) and whatever grass is present here. Awesome. Grass should be easy to avoid. It's only everywhere. Atleast I know what to watch for though when it comes to pollen counts.

Day Two Hundred Sixty Three

I'm sleepy and don't feel good. Grad school is stressful.

Can the semester be over already?

Day Two Hundred Sixty

Another UT baseball loss today. Come on, Longhorns! You can't start losing when I become emotionally invested in your games. I went with my cousin and his wife though, so even though we lost it was a great afternoon. Josh and Emily, we should probably hang out more. Maybe even go to a game where UT actually wins...that'd be cool.

It was warm enough at the game to indulge in my love of snow cones. They had a station where you add your own flavoring to the shaved ice, and I somehow ended up squirting grape flavoring all over my arm. Awesome. I also learned that if you get a snow cone at a game, you better be ready for the bees to attack. I spent a good five minutes twirling in circles and dodging around to save my cone from a determined bee. I probably looked like a lunatic, but I'm proud to say I was victorious in avoiding the attack.

I am exhausted. Watching my team lose just takes it out of me. On a final note, here's a photo from the game.

Day Two Hundred Fifty Nine

I get to see my cousin Josh and his wife Emily tomorrow! I'm pretty excited.

I also get to grade papers tomorrow. That is not exciting.

Time to sleep.

Day Two Hundred Fifty Eight

I'm fairly certain that almost nothing feels better then a hot shower after sitting for 3 hours at a drizzly baseball game. And UT didn't even win. It was still fun though, and I actually went with someone this time! It was nice to finally have some company in the outfield. And in the spirit of baseball, I got an overpriced bottled water to go with my obscenely expensive chicken strips - which were surprisingly delicious for food that was made under a tent at a college baseball game.

The rest of the day was pretty boring. Class, homework, office hours. I was barely home at all...I left at 8am and didn't get back until 9pm. No wonder the day felt like it lasted forever.

Day Two Hundred Fifty Seven

Another 10 hour day on campus. Thank goodness my desk is right next to a window, or else I would rarely see the outdoors. And thank goodness I keep my desk stocked with snacks, or my stomach would constantly grumble. I'm starting to get the hang of this grad school thing...minus the constant exhaustion part. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that.

I only have one more week of teaching lab this semester. I keep trying to convince my students that they'll miss me, but I think they're too focused on graduating to even pay attention. Oh well, I remember the feeling vividly. One of my students started getting sassy with me after I almost tripped over his foot, and one of his lab partners looked at him and said, "Dude...she grades your reports." It was funny. And true. Behave, students!

I went to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner with a lab mate of mine. I forgot how much I love that place. Grilled chicken and fresh carrots? Sign me up! On the drive home I saw something that reminded me of when I came to Austin for my recruitment weekend. Behold...side-of-the-road Easter pinatas. When I was for recruitment, they were everywhere along the road. And now that Easter is just a few days away...they have returned in force. I still have no clue what they are or why they're so popular, but it's weird.

Bunny pinatas. Everywhere.

Day Two Hundred Fifty Six

Parking on campus was weirdly difficult today. I knew it'd be a little trickier with a home baseball game, but everything was full. My sheer determination not to pay the $25 to park in the garage led me to an obscure UT parking lot waaay east of campus that I never knew existed before today. It's almost in a residential neighborhood. It was bizarre, but it was also free with a permit, so I gladly took one of the open spots.

One of the best parts of today was realizing that 4 out of the 6 members of our lab were wearing flannel plaid shirts today (I was one of the plaid wearers). It was such a happy accident. It led to a conversation about how we should take a new research group photo where we're all wearing plaid shirts...and possibly make the photo a lumberjack theme with axes and logs. For some reason, I don't think my advisor would go for this, but it's fun to think of.

Tomorrow is my early day. Nothing helps you wake up like morning traffic. Oh wait...that's not true at all.

Day Two Hundred Fifty Four

This weekend was lame. All I did was sit in the apartment and work on homework and grading. The vital stuff for tomorrow is done though, so that's good. Can we just jump to two weeks from now, when I'm done teaching for the semester and the classes I'm taking are almost over? That'd be super.

Day Two Hundred Fifty Three

Today I sat on my butt all day and did homework. Tomorrow will be more of the same, with a little grading sprinkled in. Just living the dream.

Day Two Hundred Fifty Two

It's finally the weekend! Why did this week feel like it lasted for an eternity? I have a stack of work to get done this weekend though, so that puts a damper on things. I'm in that stage where it's the final few weeks of the semester and I don't have the motivation to do anything...which isn't good when you have two classes worth of lab reports to grade as well as a homework assignment from each of the two classes you're taking. Yup, this weekend is going to be a party.

For some reason, both of the big UT fountains were running today even though all the US presidents have left campus. Graduation photos, maybe? I wish Texas wasn't in such a horrible drought, I would love for the fountains to run 24/7, they're so beautiful. I guess I'll just have to settle for the two tiny fountains in the pool at my apartment complex. Not quite the same thing, but I'll take what I can get.

Fountain #2 at UT.

I went grocery shopping yesterday and was reminded that the completely rabid nature of UT football fans knows no bounds. See the following photo for explanation.

Easter (football) bunny?

Goodness gracious UT, you permeate everything in this city. I'm all for school pride (I now own an abundance of burnt orange shirts and a few stuffed longhorns), but even I had to laugh at how ridiculous this was.

Day Two Hundred Fifty

Lesson learned today - Texas may be in a historic drought, but when US Presidents are on campus, you better believe UT is going to run the gigantic fountains 24/7.

Day Two Hundred Forty Nine

Bad news - I'm one of the ones presenting at group meeting tomorrow morning. At 830am. Which means I have to leave for school by 7. I'm going to be one tired girl tomorrow.

Good news - The smoke smell in my apartment is waaaay better today.

Best news - I got to see Jimmy Carter at the Civil Rights Summit this evening at UT. It was amazing. He's amazing. I feel so lucky and blessed that I got to be there.

Day Two Hundred Forty Eight

Yestedays baseball game was cold. Much colder then expected. I took an all-weather blanket to sit on since I knew my seat would be wet from the rain...little did I know I'd cocoon myself in the blanket by the end of the second inning and remain that way until the end of the game. Another perk of going to a baseball game alone - no one makes fun of you for looking like a giant caterpillar pupa. I was warm and cozy though, so I didn't care how ridiculous I looked. And UT won 4-0! It was a great game.

I finally caved and went to see an allergist today. Official allergy testing will take place within the next couple weeks, which sounds like a super fun time. But if it means making these monster Texas allergies more bearable, sign me up.

Tonight we had what felt like a mini hurricane. It came out of nowhere, with 40mph winds, heavy rain and hail, and some pretty impressive thunder and lightning. It only lasted maybe 30 minutes. Weird. Texas, you got some straaaaange weather.

Day Two Hundred Forty Six

Today, I learned that someone who just moved in either above or below me smokes like a chimney. I opened the cabinet under my bathroom sink and the smell was so strong it was like whoever it was had snuck in and huddled under the sink to smoke their cigarette. Not cool, man. Not cool. So I made an impromptu trip to HEB and bought 5 different kinds of air fresheners/odor removers. I'm sure the people who saw my basket were curious what happened that required that much ammunition.

Then...I graded. And graded and graded. And tomorrow? Oh, just a little more grading. It'd probably go faster if I turned off the TV, but then I would run the very real risk of falling asleep on top of all the lab reports. It's happened before.

I missed two days in a row blogging. I need to get back on track! Thursday was full of class, office hours, and lab work. Friday I got the oil changed in my car. You know it's going to be a smooth visit when the guy at the front desk comes out and says, "Allison...are you in a hurry this morning?" Nothing was wrong with my car, but apparently the car before mine was not as lucky. Thankfully they had a really nice waiting room (way nicer then any car place I've been to ever before) and I didn't actually have to be anywhere that morning. Even with the unexpected wait, I officially endorse Christian Brothers Automotive.

My brother and I were sending old family photos back and forth tonight. I leave you with this particular gem, circa 2007 - 

The essence of the Myers family.

Day Two Hundred Forty Three

I watched the series finale of Psych tonight. It was so perfect. I may have gotten emotional and cried a little.

In other news, I also watched my first mammalian cell culture today. I learned it involves copious amounts of ethanol, some of which is used to douse your hands and forearms to ensure sterility as you work in the culture hood. It was a little intense, and a lot awesome.

Day Two Hundred Forty Two

Amanda flew back to Washington today. It makes me miss being home in the Northwest. And it was 87 degrees outside today in Austin, which didn't help.

Today was a rather frantic day, going to morning class, running back to the apartment to get Amanda, driving back to campus and racing to get to my second class, showing Amanda around campus, then driving to the airport. It was exhausting. I came home, watched an episode of Psych, read some research articles, and just stared for a little while.

Time to get back to my regular routine tomorrow. Grading, I knew I couldn't avoid you forever.