business as usual

September 30, 2004

it’s all starting to feel normal. routine. going to lab, playing with cells, doing things i know how to do, like the glucose-sensitive-insulin-secretion assay (GSIS for short) and purifying virus, and — well, my repertoire is fairly limited now, but it’s enough to keep busy most days.

plus there’s class. class is time-consuming, but it is certainly manageable. i’ve managed to stay completely caught up with reading and practice problems; in fact, i usually get to read ahead of class, something i was never very good about before. class is also nice because it creates a nice split in the day, most days of the week. i’m not saying, ‘oh, i just love leaving lab at 2,’ because i really don’t mind being there. it’s just that:

– i’m very dependent on others for help, and it’s good to give them breaks

– i think it’s better for me to have a limited number of things going, because it keeps things feeling somewhat under control for me (ie, better to do 1 thing right than 3 things wrong!)

– i really have to think a lot more about each task than people who have been there for more than a month, and it can get exhausting.

i have so much more free time than i’m used to that it’s scary. i’m cooking again (we had honey-mustard-balsamic roasted salmon last night), doing yoga, training for a 5K, playing violin (well, i’m going to start), watching TV, reading blogs — god, i live a full life! i love this.

i get nervous every time i walk through the hospital and see the residents. it reminds me that this lifestyle is temporary. so i have to make sure to enjoy it while i can.

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the presidential debates are tomorrow. i hope george w bush develops a big whopping un-cover-uppable zit.

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