Work's going well. This week I've made more progress with my research, though the last month of experiments has given me null results - statistically insignificant differences between control and experimental treatments ... sometimes science really irritates me. It's a field that's usually devoid of instant gratification, I've come to find. Ah well, tweaking the protocols here and there will hopefully prove successful. This week I'm going to be involved in a hiring process for my replacement *tear*. Don't know how the lab will be without me - probably a lot less fun, and with less Dairy Bar ice cream trips, but not everyone can be as entertaining I suppose. Hopefully we find a good candidate.
The other part of life that has kept me occupied is drum corps. I was hesitant to stick with the activity, mostly because of the huge time commitment ... my summer weekends are pretty much shot ... but I'm really enjoying myself. I'm continuing to progress as a mallet player, which seemed completely far off year ago. I had always been intrigued by keyboard instruments, and I'm glad I took the initiative to join Percussion Ensemble during my last year of high school. That, plus my friends and activities at Cornell, have really fostered my growth as a mallet player.
WHY SO SERIOUS?!
And now, for things that I'm looking forward to this summer, hmm ... since I'm on that topic, I'll say I'm pretty excited for drum corps. If you know me well enough, you know that I love competition. This was one of the reasons I loved marching band so much in HS, and then doing Indoor Drumline through Cornell was another good time, and DCA should prove to be equally rewarding and fun. Can't wait for competitions to start. And two of them are even starting into my med school first semester ... eep! Finals are in early September in Rochester, NY. The closest competition to you NJ people is in West Haven, CT on August 29th, if you're so inclined to go see me perform. Sadly, the Clifton, NJ show was cancelled because the economy sucks ... ah well.
Aside from Drum Corps, my job will keep me busy enough. I'll be working until early August, and will continue to be an awesome mad scientist. Hopefully I'll get a publication out of my research! Crossing my fingers.
Another thing that will hopefully happen is salsa dancing. Corey and I will be signing up for a quick little class this summer, hopefully within the next few days, considering it starts next week. We'll see how that goes. We're also hoping to check out some cool Reiki/Metaphysical activities in the local Ithaca area, which should prove interesting and hopefully insightful.
The last thing I can think of at this hour is the weather and emptying out of undergrads. I love Ithaca summers - warm, sunny, and humid enough for my taste, and the lack of ~10k undergraduate students. This leads to a lot of potential for outdoor activities and sports, including hiking and swimming, unpacked malls, stores, and restaurants, and uncrowded buses. I'm also psyched about buying a new pair of rollerblades. I haven't had rollerblades since middle school - it's been far too long. It's nice to have an income :)
Guess that's enough of an update for now. I'll attempt to blog about something noteworthy in the near future. Hope you all enjoy the coming Memorial Day weekend!
I'll also end with something Debbie likes to do in her posts, which I think is a really neat idea.
Three things I'm currently thankful for:
1. Being alive and healthy during a time of a world pandemic
2. Being employed during an economic crisis
3. Following my dreams of becoming a doctor and heading to med school this August
Oh shit, who are you doing salsa dancing with? Please don't say Kurt.
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