Wow - the conference is almost done. It's definitely been a good meeting, but I can't say that it's been my favorite. Socially, my best yet. I finally feel like a scientist. Yes, 3 years after I got my Ph.D. and 7 TS meetings later, I finally feel comfortable going up to people that I admire and having a conversation with them like I actually belong. Don't get me wrong - I'm not their equal, I just feel like I'm finally good enough to speak and not sound like an idiot. So socially and professionally, it was a fantastic meeting.
Science-wise, I've heard some good talks and gotten a few ideas, but my head hasn't totally been in it. I miss Dave and Ian more than I ever thought I could. I wanted so badly to be there for Dave's first day of work - his first foray out of academia in 12 years. Then Ian got sick with an ear infection and Sarah (our amazing sitter) got strep throat. So Lindsay, my wonderful SIL, has been taking care of a sick baby. She says that she and Charlie will not be having kids any time soon - it was an eye-opener. Not that he was bad, just the level of commitment was eye-opening. The 2 hour time difference means that I can't wish Dave a good day when I get up - because that would involve getting up at 4 in the morning here. I've barely talked to Ian - I talked to him today and he said "Mommy" for the first time, not Mama. Lindsay said he was in his cuddly mode - the I'm sick, don't put me down mode. It kills me not being there to rock him. To just sit in the recliner with him sleeping and drooling on my chest while I watch TV. But I'll be home in 2 days. I think next year I'm going to have to bring him and Dave.
I'm proud of my group - our posters were very well received. One, that we hope to write up and publish soon, got a lot of compliments and someone asked my student how she thought of the project - she referred to me. Inside I'm jumping up and down like a 5 year old. Could I actually be doing this well? No one came up to any of my students and asked where they got such a stupid idea - to me that's awesome! I don't know when I'll ever think I've arrived, but right now I feel pretty good. I'm in a good place - a scientist, but one who is still a student, learning from and admiring the giants in the field. Maybe, just maybe I'll be a giant myself one day.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Life comes at you fast...
For those who thought that I'd never update my blog, I apologize. We got back from NY and life slapped me in the face and has had me going ever since. This is not to say that bad things have happened - on the contrary, something pretty wonderful has happened, but by the time I get home, focus on Ian for a few hours, and get him to bed, I am brain dead.
To pick up where I left off, our return trip to KS pretty much sucked. It started at a wake-up call at 5am from the airline telling me that our flight was canceled. We were rebooked, but it involved a 3 hour layover in Charlotte, an airport that was WAY too busy to let Ian crawl around and burn some energy. A layover that was also during his nap time, so no nap happened. He also didn't sleep on the last flight. We were in a tin can of a plane, too. Thank goodness there were understanding people and an understanding flight attendant that looked the other way when I spent 30 minutes of the flight swaying with him in the aisle. Anyway, enough whining. I'll also post pics soon. Or sometime. Ok, before Ian's a teenager.
Anyhow, 1st class of the summer done, 2nd one started immediately after. It's pretty cool. It's pretty tiring. It's histology. Nobody has taught histology at ESU in about 6 years, and I've never taught it, so thank God my students are patient. I have a great class and I feel so spoiled - teaching 11 people as opposed to 75 feels luxurious. They're a good bunch. Between teaching and preparing for the meeting I'm headed to now, my days have been kicking my butt. Hence the no blogging. This week, though, I should be able to blog more.
And now, for the wonderful news - Dave is starting Monday as a chemist for Hill's!!! They make Science Diet pet food and are part of Colgate-Palmolive. I can't wait to see how cheap we can get their products - I'm probably going to turn into one of those people from Extreme Couponing. "I've got 611 bags of dog food - our dogs died 3 years ago but I still get it because I can get it cheap!" Ian's bed will have stacks of toothpaste under it. You know, a girl has to have goals. The biggest thing is that this job is permanent. Not temporary. For the last 3 years, we've wondered every year whether Dave's contract would be renewed. This past year, a lot of things happened in his department, and it was 10 months of pure hell. One week he was told that the university considered him permanent, the next week he was told he might be cut to part time. One month he definitely had a job, the next maybe not. I don't deal well with uncertainty. At all. So to say that this is wonderful news is a total understatement. We love Emporia, and we love ESU too (I absolutely LOVE where I work - I couldn't imagine a better place), we've made great friends, and now we don't have to leave. So happy.
The other, extremely recent development doesn't involve us. My SIL, Lindsay, just found out that she will be an assistant prof at Auburn University in Auburn, AL this fall. We are so happy and excited for them, because Lindsay has been through hell with her job too, just for different reasons. I'm very sad to see them move, because it's been wonderful getting to see them so often, but so happy for them. And it's a lot closer to my parents and Dave's parents, so at least we'll probably get to see them whenever we go down to see either family, which isn't bad. Ian adores his Uncle Cha Cha and Aunt Lindsay, so that's a good thing all around.
So today I am patiently waiting on my flight to Denver. We were going to leave in 20 minutes, but now it will be an hour and 20. I still should be able to make my connecting to San Diego though. The gate agent told me we're only landing 30 gates away from where I leave in Denver. No prob. I will totally push old ladies out of the way, knock over small babies, and punch out anyone in my way to make that connecting flight. So far, the trip is downright boring. No Ian to entertain, no ukelele players, no hoochies in 5 inch stilettos. And I have time to blog and recharge my electronics, thanks to workstations and free WiFi in the airport. Come to think of it, this is pretty darn nice. Don't get me wrong, I will miss Dave and the squirt to death. I'm so thankful Linds was able to come stay with them so she could take Ian to daycare in the morning (Dave has to be at work between 6:45 and 7am). Hopefully I will get at least 1 texted pic of Ian a day. No Skyping - last year we skyped and he cried for 2 hours afterward. It should be a really good meeting though. More updates from sunny California when I get there.
To pick up where I left off, our return trip to KS pretty much sucked. It started at a wake-up call at 5am from the airline telling me that our flight was canceled. We were rebooked, but it involved a 3 hour layover in Charlotte, an airport that was WAY too busy to let Ian crawl around and burn some energy. A layover that was also during his nap time, so no nap happened. He also didn't sleep on the last flight. We were in a tin can of a plane, too. Thank goodness there were understanding people and an understanding flight attendant that looked the other way when I spent 30 minutes of the flight swaying with him in the aisle. Anyway, enough whining. I'll also post pics soon. Or sometime. Ok, before Ian's a teenager.
Anyhow, 1st class of the summer done, 2nd one started immediately after. It's pretty cool. It's pretty tiring. It's histology. Nobody has taught histology at ESU in about 6 years, and I've never taught it, so thank God my students are patient. I have a great class and I feel so spoiled - teaching 11 people as opposed to 75 feels luxurious. They're a good bunch. Between teaching and preparing for the meeting I'm headed to now, my days have been kicking my butt. Hence the no blogging. This week, though, I should be able to blog more.
And now, for the wonderful news - Dave is starting Monday as a chemist for Hill's!!! They make Science Diet pet food and are part of Colgate-Palmolive. I can't wait to see how cheap we can get their products - I'm probably going to turn into one of those people from Extreme Couponing. "I've got 611 bags of dog food - our dogs died 3 years ago but I still get it because I can get it cheap!" Ian's bed will have stacks of toothpaste under it. You know, a girl has to have goals. The biggest thing is that this job is permanent. Not temporary. For the last 3 years, we've wondered every year whether Dave's contract would be renewed. This past year, a lot of things happened in his department, and it was 10 months of pure hell. One week he was told that the university considered him permanent, the next week he was told he might be cut to part time. One month he definitely had a job, the next maybe not. I don't deal well with uncertainty. At all. So to say that this is wonderful news is a total understatement. We love Emporia, and we love ESU too (I absolutely LOVE where I work - I couldn't imagine a better place), we've made great friends, and now we don't have to leave. So happy.
The other, extremely recent development doesn't involve us. My SIL, Lindsay, just found out that she will be an assistant prof at Auburn University in Auburn, AL this fall. We are so happy and excited for them, because Lindsay has been through hell with her job too, just for different reasons. I'm very sad to see them move, because it's been wonderful getting to see them so often, but so happy for them. And it's a lot closer to my parents and Dave's parents, so at least we'll probably get to see them whenever we go down to see either family, which isn't bad. Ian adores his Uncle Cha Cha and Aunt Lindsay, so that's a good thing all around.
So today I am patiently waiting on my flight to Denver. We were going to leave in 20 minutes, but now it will be an hour and 20. I still should be able to make my connecting to San Diego though. The gate agent told me we're only landing 30 gates away from where I leave in Denver. No prob. I will totally push old ladies out of the way, knock over small babies, and punch out anyone in my way to make that connecting flight. So far, the trip is downright boring. No Ian to entertain, no ukelele players, no hoochies in 5 inch stilettos. And I have time to blog and recharge my electronics, thanks to workstations and free WiFi in the airport. Come to think of it, this is pretty darn nice. Don't get me wrong, I will miss Dave and the squirt to death. I'm so thankful Linds was able to come stay with them so she could take Ian to daycare in the morning (Dave has to be at work between 6:45 and 7am). Hopefully I will get at least 1 texted pic of Ian a day. No Skyping - last year we skyped and he cried for 2 hours afterward. It should be a really good meeting though. More updates from sunny California when I get there.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
I'm in a NY state of mind...our trip
Yeah, yeah, this is long overdue. I predicted that when we got back, teaching the last week of class and co-instructing a camp, all while trying to prep for starting histology next week would be bad. And it has been. But today is the last day of class, there's no camp, and I actually just posted a week's worth of ppts, so I feel pretty good. Or I'm deluded into thinking I might have this under control. Either way. The point is, by the time I've gotten home and gotten everything done that needs to be done, I am absolutely, 100% brain dead. So I'm blogging now while watching people take finals - no pics in this post, but they will come later.
So, our trip to NY was good. And a lot of work. But good. The new nephew is beyond adorable, and very sweet. I think in a year, he and Ian will be buds. Ian was really good with him - he kind of petted him like we do with the dogs. But that's ok. I was only allowed to hold Michael while Ian was not around. The first time I held him, Ian was pretty good - he just kept inching closer and closer on the couch and just about crawled onto my lap. So I put Michael down. The second time, I was trying to give Katie a break and let her eat dinner and I took Michael and we walked into the kitchen, out of Ian's sight. Yeah, right. He gave me 2 seconds, then started yelling "MAMA" from his high chair. Apparently I was cheating on him and that was NOT ok. For the most part, Dave and I have determined that there is no part of traveling with a 15-month-old that is easy. It is not vacation. The sun rises about an hour there before it does in Kansas, so guess who was up at 5:30am every morning? Guess who didn't take a nap for 2 straight days because the pack'n'play wasn't his crib, it was too light in the room, atmospheric conditions were off, there were solar flares - you get the picture. Guess who is one cranky little boy when he doesn't nap? Katie and Sean also have these cool things called "stairs" in their house - wood stairs, steep stairs. Going up was fine, going down required assistance. Also, they have 2 dogs that are way curious about Ian. Ian is used to being ignored by our dogs, so this was a new opportunity for him toquasi-torture play. Which usually evolved into Ian getting excited and screeching like a banshee, the dogs barking, and chaos in general.
So, what did we do? A lot of nice visiting, and a lot of great eating. We discovered some cool places. We took Ian to his first (and our first) indoor playground. Best $14 we've EVER spent. We didn't have to worry about the fact that he doesn't walk everywhere yet. No dirt. Very few kids there. And it wore him out - awesome. We got some great videos and pics that I'll post later. We also discovered, conveniently around the corner, Rockland Bakery, a denison of evil. It's like Disney for the carb-addicted. There's a deli room. Then you walk back and there's the dessert room. And then you walk into the bread room. Did I mention these are ROOMS? Not shelves? We went twice. Amazing. If I lived up there, I would weigh 400lbs and eat nothing but bread. Lilly would have to ramp up its insulin production to keep up with me.
A definite highlight was a lunch Monday put on by one of my grad school friends, Anna. Paul, a former roommate and his wife Bridget, another grad school friend, and all our kids were there. So. Much. Fun. I can't thank everyone enough for coming. I hadn't seen these guys in 11 years, but it was like no time had passed. We had a great time catching up.
Another highlight was our trip to Kycuit, the Rockefeller's country estate, in Tarrytown, NY. The house is amazing. The grounds are amazing. I mean, come on, it's the Rockefellers - we didn't exactly tour a trailer in the woods. I kinda wish I was a Rockefeller. The house was built in the early 1900's and was given to the National Trust in the 1970's by Nelson Rockefeller, a 4-time governor of NY. Apparently, giving your share of a legacy to the US government is not cool, at least if you're the other shareholders. He willed it to the NT a year before he died and the family spent that year trying to talk him out of it. It took them 15 years after his death to allow visitors. To get there, you actually park somewhere else and take a shuttle. The house is at the top of a hill that looks out over the Hudson River. The grounds include 4000 acres and a country club that is only for the family and their guests. And when I say country club, I mean something they called the "playhouse" that was built for the kids. Very similar to what many of you probably have in your 4000 acre back yard - 2 indoor pools, 2 outdoor pools, tennis courts, a bowling alley. You know, just the basics. We plan to build Ian one next year. Anyway, now the house and gardens (that cost about $1 million to keep up) are part of the NT and the family can't use them for private functions any more. The clubhouse and golf course (what? you don't have one in your back yard either?) are leased back to the current Rockefellers, a lot of who have their own mansions on the property. Hence the shuttle - there is still family living on the property, so you're not allowed to just wander and drive wherever you want.
Now, this tour is not recommended for children under 5. It is 2 and a half hours long. Recommendations, schmecommendations. We took Ian. Who promptly wanted to get down and play in the big house. Our tour guide politely suggested (we totally got the evil eye when we got on the bus) that perhaps Ian would enjoy the gardens. So Dave took the first shift and was escorted and watched in the Rockefeller garden (one of them, there were a few). I looked at half the house, found out that Rock Sr was a devout Baptist, and there was no drinking, dancing, or entertaining there. No ballroom, which was unusual at the time. I went out to relieve Dave and watched Ian play in one of the fountains. It amused him. I wasn't entirely certain though that we were supposed to touch anything, so every time someone came close I scooped up Ian and totally pretended that I wasn't letting my child play in a historic fountain that was a precise replica of something you'd see in France. No, not us. The ladies assigned to guard us were actually extremely nice, though, and gave me a lot of info about the place. I think they felt bad that I missed most of the house tour. We walked through the art gallery in the basement (and I do mean gallery) and joined Dave in some of the lower gardens. We got to see the coach barn, which was AMAZING. I'm a little bit of a historical romance novel reader and a car junkie, so seeing their carriages that were what I'd always read about and some pretty amazing cars was very cool. Since this part was a little more self-guided and we could keep walking, Ian was a little more interested. And tired. At one point, the tour guide asked if we'd slipped him a tranquilizer. Lady, we would've done that before the tour started if it was an option. Anyway, very cool tour, I have great pics of the gardens (can't take pics of the house) and I'd love to go back - when Ian's 20.
Well, this has been a long post. I will sign off for now, but stay tuned for pics and video, and a recap of the trip home.
So, our trip to NY was good. And a lot of work. But good. The new nephew is beyond adorable, and very sweet. I think in a year, he and Ian will be buds. Ian was really good with him - he kind of petted him like we do with the dogs. But that's ok. I was only allowed to hold Michael while Ian was not around. The first time I held him, Ian was pretty good - he just kept inching closer and closer on the couch and just about crawled onto my lap. So I put Michael down. The second time, I was trying to give Katie a break and let her eat dinner and I took Michael and we walked into the kitchen, out of Ian's sight. Yeah, right. He gave me 2 seconds, then started yelling "MAMA" from his high chair. Apparently I was cheating on him and that was NOT ok. For the most part, Dave and I have determined that there is no part of traveling with a 15-month-old that is easy. It is not vacation. The sun rises about an hour there before it does in Kansas, so guess who was up at 5:30am every morning? Guess who didn't take a nap for 2 straight days because the pack'n'play wasn't his crib, it was too light in the room, atmospheric conditions were off, there were solar flares - you get the picture. Guess who is one cranky little boy when he doesn't nap? Katie and Sean also have these cool things called "stairs" in their house - wood stairs, steep stairs. Going up was fine, going down required assistance. Also, they have 2 dogs that are way curious about Ian. Ian is used to being ignored by our dogs, so this was a new opportunity for him to
So, what did we do? A lot of nice visiting, and a lot of great eating. We discovered some cool places. We took Ian to his first (and our first) indoor playground. Best $14 we've EVER spent. We didn't have to worry about the fact that he doesn't walk everywhere yet. No dirt. Very few kids there. And it wore him out - awesome. We got some great videos and pics that I'll post later. We also discovered, conveniently around the corner, Rockland Bakery, a denison of evil. It's like Disney for the carb-addicted. There's a deli room. Then you walk back and there's the dessert room. And then you walk into the bread room. Did I mention these are ROOMS? Not shelves? We went twice. Amazing. If I lived up there, I would weigh 400lbs and eat nothing but bread. Lilly would have to ramp up its insulin production to keep up with me.
A definite highlight was a lunch Monday put on by one of my grad school friends, Anna. Paul, a former roommate and his wife Bridget, another grad school friend, and all our kids were there. So. Much. Fun. I can't thank everyone enough for coming. I hadn't seen these guys in 11 years, but it was like no time had passed. We had a great time catching up.
Another highlight was our trip to Kycuit, the Rockefeller's country estate, in Tarrytown, NY. The house is amazing. The grounds are amazing. I mean, come on, it's the Rockefellers - we didn't exactly tour a trailer in the woods. I kinda wish I was a Rockefeller. The house was built in the early 1900's and was given to the National Trust in the 1970's by Nelson Rockefeller, a 4-time governor of NY. Apparently, giving your share of a legacy to the US government is not cool, at least if you're the other shareholders. He willed it to the NT a year before he died and the family spent that year trying to talk him out of it. It took them 15 years after his death to allow visitors. To get there, you actually park somewhere else and take a shuttle. The house is at the top of a hill that looks out over the Hudson River. The grounds include 4000 acres and a country club that is only for the family and their guests. And when I say country club, I mean something they called the "playhouse" that was built for the kids. Very similar to what many of you probably have in your 4000 acre back yard - 2 indoor pools, 2 outdoor pools, tennis courts, a bowling alley. You know, just the basics. We plan to build Ian one next year. Anyway, now the house and gardens (that cost about $1 million to keep up) are part of the NT and the family can't use them for private functions any more. The clubhouse and golf course (what? you don't have one in your back yard either?) are leased back to the current Rockefellers, a lot of who have their own mansions on the property. Hence the shuttle - there is still family living on the property, so you're not allowed to just wander and drive wherever you want.
Now, this tour is not recommended for children under 5. It is 2 and a half hours long. Recommendations, schmecommendations. We took Ian. Who promptly wanted to get down and play in the big house. Our tour guide politely suggested (we totally got the evil eye when we got on the bus) that perhaps Ian would enjoy the gardens. So Dave took the first shift and was escorted and watched in the Rockefeller garden (one of them, there were a few). I looked at half the house, found out that Rock Sr was a devout Baptist, and there was no drinking, dancing, or entertaining there. No ballroom, which was unusual at the time. I went out to relieve Dave and watched Ian play in one of the fountains. It amused him. I wasn't entirely certain though that we were supposed to touch anything, so every time someone came close I scooped up Ian and totally pretended that I wasn't letting my child play in a historic fountain that was a precise replica of something you'd see in France. No, not us. The ladies assigned to guard us were actually extremely nice, though, and gave me a lot of info about the place. I think they felt bad that I missed most of the house tour. We walked through the art gallery in the basement (and I do mean gallery) and joined Dave in some of the lower gardens. We got to see the coach barn, which was AMAZING. I'm a little bit of a historical romance novel reader and a car junkie, so seeing their carriages that were what I'd always read about and some pretty amazing cars was very cool. Since this part was a little more self-guided and we could keep walking, Ian was a little more interested. And tired. At one point, the tour guide asked if we'd slipped him a tranquilizer. Lady, we would've done that before the tour started if it was an option. Anyway, very cool tour, I have great pics of the gardens (can't take pics of the house) and I'd love to go back - when Ian's 20.
Well, this has been a long post. I will sign off for now, but stay tuned for pics and video, and a recap of the trip home.
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