myhappydog

and frazzled. so much so that it doesn't seem abnormal to be in the lab doing an experiment at 12:30 am on a friday night (Saturday morning?). I was up at 6 (trying) to write my thesis.

Post doc interviews are next month (on kind of short notice) so now I'll be spending September globetrotting and trying to convince people of my fabulousness when I'm not sure I feel so fabulous myself. and I really should be finishing experiments and writing my thesis.

I'm just exhausted. I may have just left the saddest little message on my sister's voicemail.

... is it ever hot.

...I can take apart and fix an xray developer. not what I had in mind for a fun friday night, but hey.

Our building won a LEEDS award for environmental building awesomeness, which is great, but it seems like it takes a couple days for the temperature inside to adjust after the temperature outside changes. Today, for example, it's 27 degrees in here. Blech.

One more day till a whole week off.... I'm resisting the urge to bring thesis-writing materials with me. on the one hand, I actually like writing and it would be nice to do it when I don't have other stuff to worry about (like co-op students) but on the other hand maybe I should just give it a break for one blessed week and not read anything more challenging that chuck klostermann. maybe I'll compromise and fill out my "why I should be a post-doc at Imperial College" portion of the postdoc application I'm doing.

C just got towed from in front of the laundromat and had to walk home with all the laundry and is now going downtown in rush hour to get the car out of hock, so I'm going to buy her a nestle drumstick on my way home. that's just LAME. it must be over 30 out there, too.

I got... not much else. if all goes according to plan (ha HA HA) I could be officially done experiments in early august. soooo.... realistically October. I'm still OK with that. my thesis intro is coming along.

I either have strep throat or an abcsessed tonsil and next week is my only week off in the past year..... sigh.

I guess that took me a minute and a half, my timer is going off. the rest of the week has been fun though, and included not one day at gorgeous mountain lakes but two.

gotta go.... more later.

So it's official.. I hate facebook. I'm getting rid of my FB page (the one under my pseudonym, the real Emily Mace went awhile ago) and I've decided to start livejournalling again. It's been awhile, I know.I've been lurking around but haven't written anything awhile, so here's the three sentence or less update on everything:

School: So I have 2 papers and have been given permission to write by my committee. I'm looking for postdoc positions which is stressful but amazingly fun. More to follow.

Home:
So we moved out of the apartment into a little one bedroom 1908 farmhouse in the middle of the city which is pretty great. maggie the dog has a backyard and we have two porches (one front, one back). we also have a third person staying with us, tracy.

friends and family: I have great friends and three of us are heading to Whistler for the weekend (Paris reunion!). the fam is OK, and Lorna and I are heading to Thetis in a couple weeks. In general, I'm trying to not get overly sentimental about the fact that this is definitely my last summer in this part of the world for some time.

that's the brief update... more later!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
publish papers!

2. Where did you begin 2008?
Here (vancouver)

3. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do that..

4. What was your status bysr 4 year

5. Did anyone close to you give birth?
yes!

6. Did anyone close to you die?
yes.

7. Were you in school?
yes.

8. What countries did you visit?
USA, Canada.

9. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
my PhD...

10. What moments from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Moving and going to Chicago

11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
see #1

12. What was your biggest failure?


13. Did you have to go to the hospital?
No

14. What was the best thing you bought?
Ipod touch

15. Where did most of your money go?
moving and living

16. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
loving what I am doing.... being a scientist

17. What song(s) will always remind you of 2008?
anything by arctic monkeys

18. What concerts/shows did you go to?
the cure

19. Compared to this time last year, are you:
I. happier or sadder?
happier and more self-confident

II. thinner or fatter?
I'm not sure

III. richer or poorer?
Richer.

20. What do you wish you'd done more of?
getting outside

21. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying, feeling guilty

22. How will you be spending Christmas?
with my sister

23. What was your favorite TV program?
30 rock, the wire

24. What was the best book you read?
I read a lot of great books... scar tissue, 3 cups of tea

25. What were your greatest musical discoveries?
flight of the conchords, electric six

26. What did you want and get?
validation at work

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I honestly don't remember.. I was 33

28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
more travel

29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
random lab nerd

30. What kept you sane?
Maggie the dog

31. Who did you miss?
LJ

32. Who was the best new person you met?
Afro

33. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
I'm good at what I do.

34. Did you move anywhere?
Yup.

35. What's the something you thought you would never do but did in 2008?
get involved in student politics

36. What was your best month?
September was pretty good

37. Any regrets?
mmmm.... nope

38. Overall, how would you rate this year?
intense. satisfying.

39. What did you like most about 2008?
The challenges.

40. Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
Lab

41. Change your hairstyle?
Not drastically.

42. Get a new job?
no

43. Do anything embarrassing?
........can't think of anything. except send an email to my supervisor that should have gone to my labmate... yikes.

44. Get married or divorced?
no

45. Did you get sick this year?
not as much as usual

46. Start a new hobby?
Nope.

47. Are you happy to see 2008 go?
yes

48. What are you wishing for in 2009 ?
the end of my PhD. ongoing success and happiness

I'm sick again and I won't describe what came out of my sad sick sinuses today. maybe having two infected teeth for dog-knows-how-long is a strain on the immune system. or maybe not being able to chew fresh veggies is a contributing factor.

the by now legendary paper that wouldn't die is done, but this just means the process of submission, rejection, revision, and re-submission begins. at least the high end journals reject BEFORE they send to reviewers, which saves a month or so in the review process, if we're just going to get rejected anyway. Personally, I'm just happy because it will be published and my name will be first.

I'm trying to be better about updating... more later.

whoa, it's been a long time again.

everything's nuts, research wise. in a crazy, fun, exciting, but totally scary way. things are starting to happen, but with that comes all kinds of expectations. like, this could be something really cool, so don't eff it up. that may be a bit cryptic, but I just don't have the energy to go into all the details right now. there just aren't enough hours in the day for all the things that I WANT to do, let alone have to do. most days in the lab are at least 12 hours and, well, it's 1030 on a Friday night and I'm writing a research summary for a grant proposal that I promised my supervisor I would have to him today.

fortunately, it's still technically today.

if this paper comes togetehr like I hope it does, I have a really good shot of doing a really great postdoc with a really amazing scientist. I finally got up the nerve to tell my supervisor who I want to work for and he thinks it's a good idea. amazing.

not much else is new because there isn't time for much else. I miss my friends.... especially the cranberry wensleydale ones. I had a nice dream about us last night. I was half hoping you'd still be up and in the land of skype tonight. I'm neglecting social things woefully right now.

enough procrastimatation, back to that research summary.

I just looked at the cover of a time magazine and one of the headlines was "afghan girls fight to go to school". right now I feel really privileged to be getting the education that I am.

hmmm.... where to start.

sid the kitty had a lumpectomy this week.... he's had a growth in his ear for a little while but I knew it would be expensive to deal with. I got approved for a line of credit (somehow) and took him in right away but I'm still waiting for the biopsy results. I wouldn't be too worried except he has a cloudy eye, as well, on the same side the growth in his ear was on. he's a toughy, and in fine form, but it's really hard to wait for the results. and tonight I completely freaked myself out by looking up cat ear cancers on the internet and convincing myself he had every one of them. I had to snuggle him and cry, and in the meantime he's just pissed because he has to wear a cone and stay inside. keep your fingers crossed....

work is work. or school is school, whatever. the short moment of grace I had in my supervisor's eyes is apparently over. I'm back to just grinding it out as best I can. I'm worried about publications... I don't have any and I'm realizing I shouldn't trust his judgment about what's going to be published. leaving my PhD with one paper isn't really acceptable to me, so I'm doing what i can to try and branch out and maybe get on some other projects. that said, it's totally up to me to do that, which makes me feel like the one person who should be really supporting my career isn't. surprise, surprise.

I mangled my ankle a couple weeks ago playing rugby and it's still sore and messed up. I thought it was just sprained but I guess there were some stress fractures there (old, new?). of course it happened when I was having a great game (player of the match, yo). not playing is tough, I feel left out and miss the 'tude it usually gives me.

otherwise, things are good, though. that line of credit is hopefully going to pay for a honeymoon for the missus and I. and being broked has allowed me to spend lots of time with my friends, which is great because one of them in particular is moving to taiwan soon :(