July 2007

A bigger town called New York City

My weekend in New York City with Ryan was amazing! It was great to spend time with him, but also great to see the city that I had visited during interviews, but not really had a chance to see fully. I was also able to add a new experience to my graduate school repertoire, taking a midterm in a hotel room!

On Friday, after we woke up, Ryan and I had our free breakfast down at the hotel buffet. It was REALLY good! We could make our own waffles, have French toast and eggs, but sadly we would only make it that one morning (getting up at 11am is a big deal, especially when you're still on west coast time). We headed out into the city to do some shopping! I had planned to get Ryan a watch, but had been unable to make up my mind, which turned out to be a good thing since I would totally have picked the wrong thing.

Our hotel was in a great location so we could just walk over to 5th where the shopping was located! We moseyed down the street until we popped into a location where Ryan could browse watches of interest! He finally fell in love with one of them! I was pretty happy! I also spotted a great watch, but unfortunately it turned out to be over 6,000 dollars! The woman told me I could get on a payment plan. I wonder if that includes some kind of 5K discount?! We walked over to FAO Schwartz the store where Tom Hanks dances on the keyboard on the ground and plays music. I'm pretty sure it's not the same one though, it seemed smaller. Ryan and I have this massive Patrick the Pup (6 feet long) from there. But we found many other variants of them here.

There was the Patrick the Pup (and Penelope of course) beanbag.

The Patrick the Pup rocking horse!!!

Remember Raggedy Anne and Raggedy Andy?!?

Smooches!

Two kids playing with the trains

Ryan with his toy-sized sports car

A little New York City and a big kid :)

When we walked outside we found ourselves in the big plaza where the people had waited for the Apple iPhone to come out! We didn't get a chance to go inside, but we recognized the big square glass with the apple sign hanging in it. I decided it was an ideal situation to grab a chair and re-enact that guy sitting there all sweaty and gross after a week in the hot humidity without a shower! I borrowed a chair and sat down, and as soon as Ryan snapped a picture, a security guard was there to tell me I could not take the chair from the plaza area. It actually worked out quite conveniently since he then took it from me and put it back up on the plaza, so I didn't have to do it myself! No lugging in that weather is fine with me !:)

We then had plans to meet up with GlennChris, the Columbia student who had paid us a visit in the winter. He is currently working down on the Columbia main campus with Harmen Bussemaker. We weren't hungry but thought it would be great to go meet him. In our cab ride over there was a GPS screen that mapped our route! Crazy right?!

I had a bit of something to eat at a Mediterranean restaurant, before we headed into the Columbia campus to look around. It's small (everything is compared to Stanford, and UCSD as well), but quite pretty. It has a great courtyard and these gorgeous old buildings. I have to say the charm on the east coast really lies in that they have this great old style of architecture. But it's also sort of crummy in that way, since it's pretty old inside as well sometimes!

GlennChris told us about the various places, showed us his lab, as well as the gym! It turns out he cannot use the main campus gym as a medical school student, but we still got to take a short tour. We had to leave behind "something valuable" to guarantee we would not work out. We weren't quite sure how that would stop anything, but he left his ID anyways. We did play around a little with the basketball we found, so hopefully they won't be too upset!

Columbia courtyard (under construction).

Ryan is definitely not used to the heat here!

The bookstore is run by Barnes and Noble!

The whole place was interesting. It is built above ground, but below the courtyard (which is built above ground level). So it is the equivalent of having a courtyard on the 4th floor, and all floors below it are a gym. The track is indoors and built on a balcony, it's quite an interesting concept. With a gym area below (where I attempted to throw a basket and failed terribly). There is also a pool another floor down, and yet another floor below with aerobics studios! It's pretty crazy!

They also were holding summer camps, just like at Stanford and Brown (where I hear them all day)! The schools bring in money by hosting high school students over summer. It makes sense since parents love to send their kids to high-profile schools, probably in hopes it will improve their chances of getting in. UCSD and Pepperdine both host Nike Tennis Camps. I guess that's what is done at less high-profile schools!

In any case, these students were sitting in a racquetball court watching television (see above)! I'm not sure if this is what the parents intended when they spent whatever amount of money on an Ivy League summer program! The students at Brown seem to be doing better, since they at least are in a computer lab for a portion of the day, but I did hear the girls come out to talk about shopping and coloring their hair for the afternoon activity (there is a pretty popular mall in Providence that my cousin used to drive to)!

After touring Columbia, we headed back to the hotel room where I got to work on my midterm. I had been up pretty late the night before (until 4 am) waiting to get my midterm and take it, but it turned out it was not being emailed to me, but it was actually posted online. I of course did not notice this until my instructor emailed me that it had been up since 8pm Eastern time)! Ryan had the document printed for me and then I took the exam. I even wrote it using the pen from the hotel! Then we had the hotel fax it to Ryan's e-fax at home, which was then emailed to him, and then forwarded to me, so I could send it to my TA! What an ordeal!!!

After my midterm we went to dinner at Sparks for Ryan's birthday! This is a steakhouse famous for its food and having a mobster shot dead int he doorway! It was quite an experience. Really old inside, with very serious waiters who really knew their stuff. Ryan's parents had ordered him a delicious wine, and two desserts! It was a really great dinner! We both enjoyed it.

I decided since we were at a steakhouse in New York city it would be a sin to order seafood, so I actually ate *gasp* some beef, and Ryan ordered a Filet mignon, which was the size of the largest steak I've ever seen! I'm serious! I think it was over a pound! To top it all off Ryan ordered lobster tail and shrimp, on top of the side orders of baked potato and creamed spinach! It was truly an insane amount of food!

I have adopted a new tactic as well to avoid eating too much, which is putting half of my food on someone else's plate, usually Ryan. So in the end he had this overwhelming amount of food in front of him, which no one could possibly eat. Even so, with both of us totally stuffed, we managed to demolish most of the dessert! Ryan had planned for us to go to the top of the Peninsula hotel after and have a drink, but we were both so full and exhausted, that we just headed home and went to sleep instead!!!!

It was a truly lovely dinner!! Doesn't the dessert look so good?!?!?

Can you believe we demolished that, too!??!

The next day we woke up just before noon, and met GlennChris on 5th to go to the park. We had lunch with his friend Leon at a cute little place called Mangia. I'm pretty sure I have seen it on Sex and the City. You get your food like at a cafeteria then sit down and eat it. It had a fish tank that GlennChris said must be saltwater since the fish are so colorful! I think he tasted the water while I wasn't looking! The food was good, but way too much, so I brought what I had left to Jennie, another Columbia student I had met during interviews, over at Central Park.

Ryan being silly and acting the part of host with Leon

Initially we had a Sarah moment where GlennChris thought he had seen Jennie, and I with my bad eyesight had no clue. So I called her name twice, the second time she turned around, and I eagerly waved at her. It turned out it wasn't Jennie at all, and GlennChris claims I had simply shouted so loud that everyone turned around! We found Jennie, and we also met her sister, Cheryl, and began wandering through the park.

GlennChris had said I would be able to give Jennie the food, and that if I did not offer she would eventually ask. I just gave it to her instead, but it was funny because she ate it while we were climbing on the rocks (see picture right)! The entire I time I was afraid of falling, and she was hopping around and eating! She was telling me about her cloning-woes and how she had recently spilled Ethidium Bromide on her hand. Her first week at Columbia she had touched some virus that causes cancer. She's pretty funny with how she is prone to accidents in the lab!

Cheryl and Ryan waiting for me to climb the rocks!!

Ryan showing off his climbing skills!

We walked through what seemed like a lot of the park, but it turned out we barely scratched the surface. The park is pretty varied. There are a few bodies of water (like above) with these amazing views, and there is also this super forested region that is in the center with hills. When you are walking through it there are way fewer people and you can't tell you're in the city at all! It's completely sheltered from the sounds of the city, but also devoid of people, which I find strange, since this does seem like the only way to get away. GlennChris tells me people just love the city, so I guess those people who don't feel that way probably do not come to the park to get away.

There are these fields of grass that are completely covered in people, you can't seem to walk an inch without stepping onto someone. Jennie and I both find it exceedingly strange! Not only that, but there were areas that were not covered in people that way, I am convinced people go there to be discovered! There are also tons of spots for getting popcorn, pretzels, and refreshments!

It was super hot so I felt like a Popsicle (I really wanted Pinkberry since I know they have the notoriously Rat-infested ones in New York City). I opted for a Spongebob one (which just looked scary) and I eventually dripped on my white jeans!! GlennChris suggested I ask Jennie and Cheryl if they had a Tide stick, which I guess I proceeded to shout out. Some woman passing by told me she had one, and started showing me how to use it (since I had no clue). I wanted Ryan to take a picture, since this was some random woman using a tide stick on my thigh, but I think at this point she realized both GlennChris and I thought it was a little strange and allowed me to use it myself.

Ultimately she told me it wasn't working and she was shocked, since that was never the case. Which made me terribly happy about eating it! We walked around some more, through sites that I had seen in movies!It was very exciting! I can see the appeal of Central Park, but I still could not live in this city. I'm not sure if it's the heat and humidity, the smells, or the dirtiness around me, but I feel pretty disgusting after some time there. The park makes me feel a bit better, but I still would feel the need to get away!

I'm pretty sure I've seen this bridge in almost every movie, and there are always musicians in those shots too!

A carnival with the pretty view in the back!

We finally got out of the park and had discussed going to the Met, but Ryan and I were a bit tired by then. We walked by it, but at this point I was so excited about Pinkberry, everyone gave in and we walked over! YAY! Pinkberry in NYC! It was tiny (even tinier than the others). And again it felt dirty, but I scarfed it down! We then walked down to the hotel.

We headed back to our hotel which was about 30 blocks away! Jennie was talking about the cupcake place the whole time. She's pretty funny! A little eating machine! She's so tiny but she can definitely pack it in!!! I guess with all that walking I understand! Ryan managed to get us upgraded to a nice room near the top! It had a pretty nice view from some angles, but mostly it was much bigger!

We spent some time there relaxing before heading down to Little Italy for dinner where we met with Cindy (another girl from the visits who went to Columbia). We had some great italian at a restaurant that had a cockroach crawling in and out of a vent. Which was strange since we had just see a really massive on on the subway earlier! I had also had some mystery liquid drip on my in the subway! GROSS!

GlennChris and Ryan making "rainbow eyes" on the subway...a good way to get my mind off of the 10 pound cockroach!

After dinner we were all super full, but craved ice cream. I looked on in envy as Cindy had some delicious chocolate Gelato in a cone from a place she had specifically pointed out before dinner. They even had chocolate dipped cones! I was dying but so full I couldn't have it! I was so hungry at dinner from all that walking I just ate everything in sight and left no room for the dessert!!

We headed over to Bleecker street, which is (I guess) in the East Village. We stopped by an ATM (since as I had been warned by my mom and aunt that many places in New York City are cash only) and saw a statue of Mayor Laguardia. None of us had an idea he was a mayor, let alone a person. The statue of him is pretty funny, and we independently confirmed that he was pretty tubby, and that he must have been a fun guy since he was okay with having this statue erected!

We went to a little bar that was down in a pseudo basement (you can see we are below the ground level in the picture at the right) with tiled ceilings. It was famous for having many beers on tap. Ryan, GlennChris and Cheryl enjoyed the beers, while Cindy and I opted for non-beer beverages, and Jennie opted out of alcohol all together. We sat around acting goofy until it got pretty late (bars close at 4 am which GlennChris had guaranteed would be the time we leave to get food...but alas that did not happen)!

While we were standing outside there was a really drunk guy who was having trouble walking. I couldn't quite figure out if he was joking our really so drunk, so I was watching him. I guess they are not kidding when they say you should not make eye contact with New Yorkers, because he came up to my face and yelled at me "What are you looking at you ***"!

I of course started laughing, but another guy and his girlfriend came up and were very concerned (they were natives too)!! The guy continued down the street, and as the good Samaritans pointed out, he ended up getting punched in the face further down. They assumed he had said something similar to the wrong guy, or his girlfriend!!! Pretty crazy!!!!!!!

Imitating crow's feet and GlennChris's old facial hairstyle.

Ryan introduces the Mohawk.

Ryan and I headed back in a cab and slept in nicely the next morning and just took it easy. We had lunch, headed over to the Met briefly, then went to dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, right down the street. After dinner I was on a mission for chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone! We walked down to where we thought Rockefeller center was, but couldn't find it. Ryan pointed out the Empire State Building which was about 15 blocks down the street we were on, so we decided to walk there.

It was pretty fun! It started to rain a little, but it was so hot and humid that we welcomed it! We happened by an ice cream place and got double chocolate chunk ice cream on a home made waffle cone (I think the cone actually beat Cindy's)! Ryan and I ate every last bit of it, and waited in line at the Empire State. I have to admit that elevator is really scary! It shakes a bit and goes about 5 floors/second, and everyone sits silently.

At the 80th floor the windows were covered, and they were definitely re-doing parts of the building (although we think the windows were covered to stop people from taking pictures before). We walked up the 6 flights to the 86th floor (picture above), and went outside. The temperature was lovely. It wasn't cold, so we didn't need jackets, and it was drizzlin ever so slightly. The view was amazing at night, we could see all the lights! It was quite pretty!

After we rode down we walked back to the hotel and sat in the bar for a half an hour before going to sleep. Like all good things, our vacation also had to come to an end. We rode the subway down to the Penn train station and ate at the stage deli. After that Ryan took me to the train and I was pretty sad to go! Even though it's only 10 days I really miss him!

View from above!

Ryan at the Empire State Building

Me at the Empire State Building

Ryan looking out our window.

One last glance!

I took a cab back to the Bowen house (I could not brave that big hill in the other direction, especially because I was in a rush to catch Ryan before he got on his plane-since I cannot text from the phone). I relaxed in my room a bit then decided sitting downstairs would cheer me up. I saw Peter and Reese and Marcelo (who was telling everyone to take me out to "cheer this girl up"). We talked about what to order for our big poker night. Now it's super late and I'm blogging in our living room and watching the Golden Girls on TV until Ryan gets off of his plane! Goodnight!!!!

A little town called Providence

I was not terribly happy about leaving the bay area, but I figured once I got to Providence I would feel much better. Well, once I arrived I felt a bit confused about what I was doing, and why I was doing it, but I must say things have been looking up significantly since then!

I was extremely exhausted the morning I got up for my flight, but I think that kept me from feeling very sad. We arrived at the airport before the sun came up!!! I was able to upgrade myself on the flight, which was quite nice. I had a slightly strange seat that felt pretty uncomfortable, like someone had sat on the cushion too long! We taxied out, and as we're rolling alongside the runway, there was a strange abbreviated "ding" when the fasten seatbelt sign came on. The captain pushed the button 4 times in a row, and it did it every time. We taxied all the way out, were ready to go out on the runway, but went beyond it and taxied down. I turned to the guy next to me and we had a brief discussion which ended once they announced electrical problems and we would taxi out later (good start, right?) It turned out this was a known problem that had been poorly documented!!!! How annoying!

I arrived in Providence, which is an adorable town (city center pictures above). Ben Raphael, the professor with whom I'm working, picked me up from the airport and invited me to his home to have dinner with his wife, Pat. I instantly felt better about my visit! I met his daughter Lilly who is just a treat! She's so cute!!!! They made me a lovely dinner, and we chatted a bit, then we drove over to my new home! I have one of the "sample" rooms on the website for the housing for visiting scholars! It's a loft room. When we got there no one was home, and after Ben dropped me I felt a bit lonely. Thank goodness for the internet because I could chat with Ryan.

Here's a picture of the Bowen house I took:

The next morning I met some of my house mates the next morning on the way out the door (I got a wakeup call just after noon)!!! They were sitting at the table playing cards, all roughly my age, so that was promising! Ben picked me up and drove me to a coffee shop in a smaller area and we discussed the potential projects. Things were looking up even more since these were completely exciting projects, each and every one of them! I was so psyched! I headed back home, but no one was in the house at this point either. So I walked to the CVS pharmacy and picked up some necessities (water, granola bars, umbrella, and nail polish). I must say, in that temperature and humidity, lugging a 24-pack of water is not a good idea, especially not up the 2 flights of stairs once I arrive. Thank goodness my room has A/C!!!!

I sat on the stoop and painted my nails. The house is adorable, but it is old, and my room does not have good ventilation as I only have on window (it turns out I pretty much have the smallest room in the house, but it is still on their website so it must be nicer)! So I did my nails out there. It is so cute here. It rained a bit, and the neighbors looked at me a bit funny! After a while someone opened the door and came outside and looked a bit surprised but didn't mind too much that a stranger was painting her nails on his stoop. Then I introduced myself! He is my very next door neighbor (room-wise) and we share a bathroom (oh no a boy)! The top floor has 4 rooms and 1 bathroom. His name is Marcelo, he is professor visiting from Portugal studying Portugese and Brazilian studies for which Brown is the premier University in the US!

I later on met another housemate, Raoul, from France who is studying applied math. I somewhat forced him into dinner, but I think he was okay with it. I do tend to have an overwhelming personality. I also invited another housemate, Crystal, from Louisiana studying Clinical Psychology! We went down the street and had dinner at a little Italian cafe. It was quite cute. Crystal is unfortunately leaving this Friday, but it turned out they were all at a club the night I arrived, so that was quite promising for friends in the house!

The next day I had a meeting with Ben at 11 am. I woke up at 1:30PM!!!!!! I freaked out!!!! I thought it was west coast time, since I had set an alarm at night! Then I realized the time was being shown on the alarm, which is clearly not PDT!!! I ran out of bed, got ready, ran downstairs, and through the town to Brown (it's only about 6 blocks). I had a whole plan to get coffee, do some work, then head in to work! I got there and realized I had no clue what building! But thankfully Ben called me back and I found my way to his office. He showed me mine which was just huge and amazing! I also got an ID card!

I have been enjoying my new office, and I got a chance to meet a few people in Ben's lab! I spoke with him and asked about lab meetings, so he was inspired to have one! I met his PhD student, Anna Ritz, who is a great girl! She's so sweet! I wish she went to Stanford. She is extremely active in the program as well as in sports, playing softball, tennis and ultimate frisbee! She offered that I could sit in her office if I was lonely, which sounds fun, but I am afraid I would get no work done!

I also met other lab members, including an undergrad and a postdoc, and others Ben works with. We had a great indian food lunch. I must say the food overall has been quite good, with the exception of the sushi. It isn't that it tastes bad, but I had a bad experience. I have met a few more of my housemates as well, and a former "Bowen House" mate, Andrew, who actually grew up in Palo Alto! He was at USC, but moved to Brown with his adviser (also in Applied Math-those smart people)! He's a super funny guy, and reminds me a lot of Ryan's younger brother! Andrew went to grab some sushi with me on Tuesday night, and after we ate most of it, I saw that one of the shrimp was a funny color...which was a bit scary!!

Although Andrew has moved out of the Bowen house, he is around quite a bit. He even drove me and Crystal to the store to get poker chips, and offered to drive other times! We played some poker with him, and Raoul, and another housemate Reese who goes to Vassar (an Engineering student). Peter, another housemate who just arrived, said he would play in an organized game, as would Marcelo! We are setting one up for next week! Unfortunately I broke my phone! This will make things difficult for phone numbers (since I can't see my screen) and also for texting Ryan!!

After poker we walked down Thayer, the cute mini downtown street near Brown that I walk through to get to the university. It is a GREAT street. It has shops and cafes, bars and a bead store! I will have to make myself some jewelry! Marcelo, Andrew and I enjoyed some wine and beer and chatted. It was strange sitting outside and drinking wine, since this is not allowed in California. It was also really nice and relaxing, a totally different experience, very unique to a small town like this! The people are so great it's really letting me enjoy this experience much more.

Yesterday I walked to the train station (it's actually over a hill) to catch my train to New York City to see Ryan for his birthday (he is flying out)!!! I had a slightly strange experience at the Au Bon Pain where I grabbed some food before, where I was approached 3 times by the same man chatting to me. I figured he was just lonely and being friendly, but I am still getting used to this area! So I busily pulled my suitcase and carried my backpack up this hill. I had no clue it was there (the maps are all 2D)! When I got here I was a sweaty mess (see picture right at the train station), but so excited it really didn't matter. I studied a bit on the train, and played my pink Nintendo DS that Ryan bought me just before I left (he's so sweet). I played sim city! That took me back!

Once I got to New York City since Ryan had to make his way over from JFK, I decided to take the subway (I sort of remembered from last year). I figured things out, and arrived, and was very pleased with myself. I waited for Ryan and was so completely happy when he arrived! I waited while he checked in and he got a note from my mom saying happy birthday with his present! He had a special idea to get an upgrade for our room, but unfortunately it didn't work out, since they didn't have any available. Our room is quite nice though!

Waiting for Ryan to check in.

This was our crazy minibar addition that had sensors that could tell when we picked something up. It said we had "20 seconds" to look at the items on that little note!

Ryan looking out of the hotel room window the next morning, not a bad view!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm leaving on a jet plane

I'm leaving tomorrow for Providence, and while I'm really excited about the opportunity, I'm feeling EXTREMELY anxious. I had a great few weeks leading up until today! I got a chance to go home, the NLM meeting seems to have gone smoothly, and Serafim won a great grant with Balaji which the lab had a chance to celebrate. In the end, though, I am mostly sad that I can't take Ryan with me! I know it's important to expand my horizons if I hope to end up in the academic field, but I am not sure how well I can handle being away from Ryan for so long!

On June 19th we celebrated David's birthday at Bucca di Beppo's (I think I spelled that right). It's a chain Italian restaurant that I've been to now 3 times in 3 different locations. They all sorta have the same feel. They are decorated with random little trinkets and pictures that is generally Italian-themed, but as Alex pointed out, look old, like they are from thrift stores. This makes the places look like they are unique, not chains. I'm not sure if the actual items are the same anywhere, since I have only been once in San Diego, and one time in San Francisco before. Both times (which were when I was 19 and 15 respectively-I guess I go about ever 4 years) I was completely unaware of where I was until someone pointed it out later.

The one in San Francisco was a unique experience when my grandmother and I came to visit Micah who was attending Berkeley at the time. We were in a strange room called the "pope" room for someone's graduation, and they had a bust of the pope sitting on a "lazy Susan". It was pretty weird! This one was no different. The food is pretty standard, but it's just a fun environment! Unfortunately we had some confusion and were not able to get David his birthday cake and embarrassing moment of singing happy birthday to him! I also had to leave for LA that afternoon, so I could not hang around forever! I think he had a good time!

Ryan and I escaped to LA, where we got to spend a few days with my family. We went to Coupa Cafe in Beverly Hills with my sister (right) and my mom - I had to show them what I was raving about! It was delicious (of course) but not the same as their Palo Alto location! The seating was performed by a hostess (rather than the self-seating at the PA location) and overall it had the feel of a regular restaurant. When I went in the middle of the afternoon to grab some coffee, however, it was completely dead. There was a cute little sitting area in the back with plasma screen TVs. But I think overall LA is not the coffee-shop type place. Who knows, maybe Coupa can transform the city!

We got a chance to drive down to San Diego as well. Ryan's family wanted to see him before his birthday, and it had also been some time since I was down there (probably about 3 months)! Strangely I have fond memories of driving between San Diego and LA. The traffic is generally horrible, and I am usually in a rush to get to LA, or sad I have to be going back to school, but somehow I have great associations with it. That night was no exception since we got our own fireworks show when we passed Disneyland. It's not an exceptionally special occurrence since Ryan and I are in the habit of driving pretty late at night (both to avoid traffic but also since we are night owls it's no big deal).

Once we got there, we dropped by his family's house and saw his parents and Reid and Hannah before heading out to Pacific Beach with two friends, Sahand and Kyle. It's funny how quickly things change! The area had new bars that had dress codes (which is totally abnormal for this beach area). What's funny is while they required pants and button-up shirts, there were no rules about sandals! In general guys can't get in anywhere without nice shoes, but these beach areas tend to know that the San Diego style does not involve dressy shoes! It's pretty amusing. It was a pretty nice place, but it felt a bit like a casino, with palm trees inside, a facade between the bar and the waiting area, and weird cobblestone floor!

After we went to grab food at an old dive-mexican place called "Coti"-of course some things never change.

Kyle liked it!

Ryan did too, although you can't tell!

Ryan went golfing the next day with his dad, and Hannah and Tracy went to the bead store (unfortunately I slept through this-which was actually much needed). When I did wake up I found Reid and we went to get coffee and just relaxed a bit. But as all other things, the day came to an end too soon, and we had to leave for LA again. The next morning I had a nice breakfast with just the ladies, my mom, my aunt, and my grandmother, before heading up. Ryan and I swung by Pinkberry really quickly-I GOOGLED AND FOUND OUT THEY ARE COMING TO THE BAY AREA SOON!!! But in the meantime I needed a fix.

Doesn't it look delicious?!?!?

It was super hot out (although I'm sure our temp gauge was off because I doubt it was over 110) and we were dangerously low on gas, and stuck in terrible traffic near the Magic Mountain area. To make matters worse I had to go volunteer at the NLM meeting registration desk and I had left myself NO time for traffic. I drove straight up, except for a stop we made at the Starbucks just before getting on the 101 (which included a restroom stop). Ryan and I stop here every time, in both directions. On the way down Ryan bought himself a Nintendo DS that he was able to use during the ride! I tried to convince him to buy a pink one, but alas he wanted black!

As we approached the Palo Alto area, we noticed a huge plume of smoke in the distance! Ryan and I were not quite sure where it was, but we both grew increasingly quiet as we approached the exit that would have been ours. I eventually broke the silence and pointed out this seemed terribly close to our apartment and could we drive by. It turned out it wasn't at all our apartment, but actually the Stanford hills that were on fire! Not only that, but I had remembered that Karen and Annie had schedule a dish walk for that day! There were two more fires that week! One at the dish and one on University! It's quite scary! They suspect arson!

David and I manned the registration desk that afternoon. I think we were a couple of friendly faces and we got the job done! It was fun to see some of the names on the list, and see them again (either that day or the next). Jane Peace, the visiting scholar from UW Madison, came to town for the meeting! It was so great to see her again! Ninad Dewal, an applicant last year who is at Columbia's BMI program and acquainted with many people with whom I've remained in touch from my Columbia visit (he's even living with two of them) was there as well! Mike Sneddon, a fellow UCSD-graduate from the Bioinformatics concentration during the same year who did the "interview circuit" with me as well. It was great fun!

David and I picked Noah up from the airport after finishing up! He had been on the east coast for about a week visiting family. He hadn't seen them in nearly a year! I don't know how he does it! I, of course, had to be completely obnoxious and call out "Shmoopy" and run over to him like I was his grandmother who hadn't seen him in years. I think his Sarah-hiatus was sufficient since he seemed to tolerate it with a smile! We met Ryan for dinner at an Indian restaurant, during which I was totally exhausted, even after two large nonfat extra dry cappuccinos (George likes to point out how I use way too many words to order my coffee, but this is how I like them)! We played some weird game with the waiter of "guess our meal". I thought Noah knew the guy, but it turned out he just started guessing for fun. It was pretty funny! In the end I ate everything in sight, then went home to go to sleep!

The next day we had to do our poster session, which was poorly attended, but I got to see everyone! On Tuesday I made the rounds inviting everyone to the night on the town, which I then didn't really attend. I went long enough to see the Columbia students get super drunk! They are new yorkers after all! The conference was good overall. I don't know if it was a success as far as showcasing the reason why Stanford scored the highest on the renewal grants of all the training programs in the country. I hope I added to it, but I don't think anyone really looked at my poster. The few people who asked questions were not even from other schools! My print was also slightly off which Noah said made him feel "a little sick" to look at. He pointed out we seem to be making it a habit to have posters side-by-side, but whereas last time his looked a bit scattered, mine was the dud this time!

That Friday we celebrated Serafim's success by having our lab meeting at a Mexican restaurant! It was REALLY good but the portions were ridiculously large! I have to say I'm just extremely happy in my lab! I'm a bit sad to be leaving at this point, but George assured me my desk would be available when I got back, and I didn't need to leave anything behind to "mark my space". He had officially added my name to that space on the website, which is very exciting! I like that spot, so it's perfect for me! Unfortunately Olga is no longer behind me, so we will see who takes over!

In the afternoon it was back to work, but it also happened to be the same day that the iPhone was being released! It was complete mayhem all around! We had seen people lining the streets (at the most random locations at Page Mill's ATT store-which has no shade) when we drove to the mexican restaurant. George sent me pictures of some people who had been camping out in front of the New York store for a week. It is pretty disgusting when you think about it. What about showers, bathrooms? Hygiene just doesn't matter to these people! It turned out the one guy at the front of the line in New York actually didn't have the money, he does this every time there is a big release just for attention!

George and I decided around 5 pm (the release time on the west coast was 6pm) that we would just head over the the apple store in the Stanford mall and see what was going on. No videos or major pictures had popped up on websites, so we just figured why not go over and see? When we got there, Alain was there as well, with the same thought in mind. We're not willing to wait in line, but if we are still around when the lines clear, why not see if any are available, buy some, and sell them online? As it turned out none of them were ACTUALLY sold out, but I got some shopping in for myself (cheating-I know, but I'm like 3 lbs shy at this point)! I also spent time shopping with George for a suitable outfit for a wedding he is attending in Greece this summer!!!

On Saturday we went out in the city, and I sang karaoke (I don't sing well at all) and we had a pseudo-"Sarah going away" evening. It was nice to hang out with Beth, Julie and Mike and Sharon. But half way through the evening I got really sad about leaving! This whole experience has been forcing me to think a bit about my situation. I can't help but wonder how often I will have to be away. I think in general I will be on trips to places where I am at a conference, and probably largely distracted, but I can still foresee myself getting lonely, and possibly feeling guilty about leaving Ryan alone so often. We will have to see what happens!

On Sunday I went to the driving range with Ryan, Sharon and Mike. I didn't do too terribly, but I shouldn't be planning on becoming a pro any time soon! At one point I actually hit a ball that went straight back into the division in front of me that was holding the balls, perpendicular from the direction it should be going. The scariest part is, it could have actually hit the person in front of me (which actually happened to Beth)!!!! I also had one fall about 2 feet in front of me. I know I'm not supposed to, but I took it back. I just couldn't stand to look at it! It was pretty bad!! Ryan was doing a great job coaching me! By then end I hit a ball about 180 yards!!!

The funniest part was on Tuesday I started to get a pain in my side, and I could not figure out why. I was convinced I was getting a kidney stone! I had been warned before that heavy coffee drinkers are prone to get these, and I am nothing if not a heavy coffee drinker since last August! It turned out I had just pulled a muscle at golf, but it was pretty funny! I just wanted to make sure I didn't end up on the ground in the airport in pain, like a friend of mine had a few years back. Come to think of it he lives in Chicago, which is where my layover is! Thankfully it was nothing, but the doctor, used to dealing with grad student I imagine, told me to "chase coffee with a glass of water" to avoid them! I also learned a trick, if you want to see a doctor at Vaden, say you are having organ pain! We also saw Ratatouille, which was a surprisingly entertaining movie! I don't usually watch cartoons, but I was certainly taken!

While I was on the roll of cheating, I also needed to get some shorts for the assuredly terrible weather on the east coast. Notorious for hot and humid, I was not really equipped to head over there. Also, of course, there is the issue of sales. At this point my deal with myself had just been lost, and I may as well not have a stipend at all! Beth and I went shopping, and we put a truly outrageous amount of clothing into our dressing room! In the end, I did control myself and buy things that were mostly relevant to the whole "east coast heat wave" issue. I also did a good job at returning things the next day!

On the 4th of July, our plans got pretty messy. We woke up relatively late, and went to the chili cook-off that Palo Alto holds annually! We met David, Guanglei, Alex and Noah, as well as Arlo! We stayed for a bit, but it was entirely too hot to eat chili, or stand outside in long lines. Ryan had about two cups, then we gave up. We met Julie and Beth at PF Chang's, and had a very american dinner ;). Then we headed over to our apartment, baked cookies and cupcakes, and tried to watch fireworks from our apartment! Unfortunately they were completely blocked by the other building!!

Ryan enjoying freshly baked cupcakes while waiting for fireworks!

Beth excited about the upcoming fireworks on our balcony!

What we actually ended up seeing was...nothing :(

At least they went home with some goodies!

Today I just finished up by gathering the things I needed for my trip. Ryan was sweet enough to take the afternoon off, we enjoyed a lunch. I am packing, and hope to get at least an hour of sleep! My flight is at 6am, which means we have to leave at 4!!!!!!