I got a rare day out of lab today. So far I have spent the morning cleaning and doing laundry. With Matt coaching softball and me working 10-16 hours a day, our house is definately not in parent visit shape. I managed to get the mountain of laundry down, which is an accomplishment in itself. Tommy is beside himself with all the activity. I think he gets lonely with us gone all the time.
This week was a tough one in the lab. Nothing seemed to work. Some of it was through my oversight and overconfidence, but other stuff was just because. There is this element of luck in science that I don't seem to have right now. Hopefully that will change soon. I am starting to get really annoyed with the gene therapy project. Everyone just runs around in circles.....very frustrating.
DeLaSalle is in the Girls State Basketball tournament this weekend. We are taking my parents. I am very excited to have them in town. This will be their first time here with Karen NOT moving. Of course Karen is apartment shopping again, since her friend Amy is moving here and they are going to live together. I am so happy that Matt and I will not have to move again soon.
Well, I need to get started on my take-home test of the week.

"Do you believe in magic?"
This was the question posed to a group of Medicinal Chemists as they ate their dinner last night. Karen's program was hosting applicants, and one asked this question during dinner! WOW! I thought MD/PhD students were crazy....this really is weird. Karen, Matt, and Amy went out for drinks at Brit's pub after this dinner and Karen and Amy regalled us with even more stories of this person's strange behavior.

I got some disappointing new on Friday. It sounds like I will not get to go to Poland because Dr. Vercellotti promised John the trip. It really isn't fair, because I bust my hump up here in the lab and he flights off to vacation at will. Dr. V did indicate that I can head to a miRNA meeting of my choice. I found on in Barcelona, but it is more likely that he will send me to Whistler, BC, or Boston before footing the bill for me to hit Spain for a week. Matt's trip is going along nicely. Apparently all the other foreign language teachers want to go as well (duh), so I will not be going on that trip either. Needless to say, I am sort of sad about this. I am sure it will be for the best, as I can use the time NOT traveling to get more done.
This week is spring break. I don't have classes, but I will probably be working just as hard to get caught up. It is amazing how much work I have done, but how much I have ahead of me. I have not written a sentence of my prelim since the abstract was due....that is sort of scary. Matt is going to start pushing me more. I hope this helps.
Well, it is time to get my iron treatment off my cells.

I am at work this morning finishing up some loose ends created by the storm. I am also attempting to study for my Immunology Mid-Term, but my motivation is lacking. I am really looking forward to August when the testing enters a moratorium.
Karen has her big cumulative exam today. I really hope she does well. She was so busy this week studying I barely saw her. It is amazing how used to her being around Matt and I have gotten. She is like our "kid" that we don't have to pay for. We do have to feed her though.....no wonder I have lost 10lb. in the last month, she eats all my good food! No complaints though, I am better off with her eating the food and me losing the weight.
I signed up for Fantasy Baseball again this year. Why do I continue to sign up for a summer of pain? I guess I have a self-hating streak that is larger than most.
Matt got a new cell phone yesterday. He is VERY happy about it. It doesn't take much to make him happy, just gadgets, food, and endless video game time. He is getting plenty of that this weekend, which is probably good for his students.
Well, my timer is about to go off.

WOW! That is all I can say about the amount of snow we have received since last Friday. I can hardly believe that Christmas was brown, but we are submerged in 2 feet of snow in March! This really is weird for me.
I almost got stuck at the University yesterday. They actually closed at 2:30, but I had to stay put because I was working on some experiments that couldn't be interuppted. I got out at 4:30, in time to take two VERY scary bus rides home. It is never good when you can feel your bus fish-tailing during your entire ride. Luckily neither bus got stuck, and I could at least see the sidewalks leading to our condo.
This morning I had to shovel out of our front door, trudge through the snow to catch the bus, exit the bus and trudge another 0.5miles in the middle of a road, all to catch the Campus Connector here. Needless to say, I am going to make sure I only need to get home once!
Julie is out today, but everyone else has pretty much said they will make it in. John is in Vietnam for the next month, which is already causing problems for me.
Well, I better go.