The last 10 days or so has definitely been a watershed period in my life. It started with attending a retreat put on by the Woodhull Institute (www.woodhull.org) for young women in ethical leadership. Though there's certainly a lot I could share about my experience that weekend, I will keep it short and say that I was forced to deal with things I'd put aside for sanity's sake -- like reflecting on the three years I worked with UCSA -- and I met some truly amazing and inspiring women. I then had to return to the lab and write a "progress" report for my fellowship (I am particularly proud of my carefully crafted phrase: "The locus for my gene of interest is apparently resistant to standard molecular cloning techniques" or something like that), due at Fort Detrick Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. - gulp. The next morning I presented my research -- focusing on the positives -- for a mammary gland group here at UCSF and received wonderful feedback, interesting questions, and a new perspective on my project. That night, little brother's band performed and I drank a few too many vodka collinses. Ah well...visit You Tube for a low-tech clip of Goodbye Matt's take on an ol' favorite, dedicated to Dani for her birthday.
The next night, I hung with Chris and the lovely woman he's dating at the Warriors v. T-Wolves game...hardly invigorating game-wise but it was nice to spend some "down time" with the little bro after the frenetic show the previous night. Friday I drove down to San Jose for Korean food with Hannah and friends (fantastic tubu and kimchee) and to see "V for Vendetta". I have to say all the "current administration parallels and endorsement of terrorism" hype is, in my humble opinion, way overdone. I did enjoy the movie, though; its blatant (and some more subtle) references to one of my favorite works of childhood, "The Count of Monte Cristo", were appealing and the performances well-executed (in particular I have renewed love for Stephen Rea). I saw it more as a cautionary tale along the lines of "1984" with a splash of "12 Monkeys" and even "The Phantom of the Opera".
Off and on these last several days I've been aiding Hannah in pre-wedding planning -- humorous attempts at cake decorating and wedding band buying and such. And as my clones are wending their way towards Davis to be karyotyped (analysis of chromosome number), I am attacking my lab work with a new vigor; alas, jaded soul that I am, I know that can't last....
21 March 2006
08 March 2006
karma and chicken
This last weekend I lost my Vegas virginity. Despite having lived in California for about 93.5% of my life, I'd never before been to Las Vegas. To some, this admission was met with incredulity or scorn; to others, it was a mark of good sense or prudishness. In any case, I went to help my friend scout out potential wedding ceremony sites. We spent about 45 hours (less than 6 of which were spent asleep) running around town, up and down The Strip, doing some gambing, eating, shopping...it was all craziness, but enjoyable purely because it was so very different from what I do from day to day. It is hard to believe that so many people go there so often, as it surely wouldn't be my first choice for a vacation destination and I am clearly not cut out to be a big-time gambler (On my first and only previous Roulette experience, 27 had been my lucky number; this time, I played for about 3.5 hours and 27 didn't "hit" once. Not a single time.). "Ostentation" was the word that kept coming to mind, along with Elvis' ghastly "Viva Las Vegas" song. Ugh.
Utterly exhausted and mind-numbed from the trip, immediately I drove from the airport to home, to shower and take a nap before attempting to go to the laboratory. After a bit of work, I faced a rainy drive home to an empty fridge, so I stopped for chicken at Popeye's (an occasional indulgence). A homeless man silently opened the door for me when I approached, and while waiting for my dinner I noticed he opened the door for all the patrons coming and going, never saying a word. Seized by a sudden need to purge my Vegas weekend, I decided to give him a dollar when I left. When I saw my order come up, I realized that they had screwed up my order (giving me more than I'd planned to eat). So when I approached the door and the man opened the door for me, I gave him the dollar and then the food. I smiled and started to walk away, and I saw a pathetically stunned look on his face, a look that I would have branded as sarcastic on a less needy person. But his surprise seemed genuine; I was surprised even more when as I turned to go to my car I saw out of the corner of my eye that he was reaching towards me, arms outstretched, clearly wanting to give me a hug. I returned the gesture, caught in an embrace so tight I felt I'd have bruises on my shoulderblades from the pressure of his grip. I admit I had a moment of fear as I stood there helplessly caught, but I heard him whisper "thank you, thank you" over and over again until I patted his back and wished him good luck, pulling back and rushing out into the drizzle to reach my car. I was unnerved more by the genuine strength of his gratitude than anything, and I found myself thinking of how much more I could have given him and how that brief moment juxtaposed with the excess of Las Vegas...it was hard to believe that lives differ so greatly only 600 miles apart.
Utterly exhausted and mind-numbed from the trip, immediately I drove from the airport to home, to shower and take a nap before attempting to go to the laboratory. After a bit of work, I faced a rainy drive home to an empty fridge, so I stopped for chicken at Popeye's (an occasional indulgence). A homeless man silently opened the door for me when I approached, and while waiting for my dinner I noticed he opened the door for all the patrons coming and going, never saying a word. Seized by a sudden need to purge my Vegas weekend, I decided to give him a dollar when I left. When I saw my order come up, I realized that they had screwed up my order (giving me more than I'd planned to eat). So when I approached the door and the man opened the door for me, I gave him the dollar and then the food. I smiled and started to walk away, and I saw a pathetically stunned look on his face, a look that I would have branded as sarcastic on a less needy person. But his surprise seemed genuine; I was surprised even more when as I turned to go to my car I saw out of the corner of my eye that he was reaching towards me, arms outstretched, clearly wanting to give me a hug. I returned the gesture, caught in an embrace so tight I felt I'd have bruises on my shoulderblades from the pressure of his grip. I admit I had a moment of fear as I stood there helplessly caught, but I heard him whisper "thank you, thank you" over and over again until I patted his back and wished him good luck, pulling back and rushing out into the drizzle to reach my car. I was unnerved more by the genuine strength of his gratitude than anything, and I found myself thinking of how much more I could have given him and how that brief moment juxtaposed with the excess of Las Vegas...it was hard to believe that lives differ so greatly only 600 miles apart.
01 March 2006
the importance of thumb
Can't do well without your thumbs when you're used to having 'em. That's all I can really say 'bout that. Mind your thumbs. Keep them safe and happy. Don't stick 'em where they don't belong. Don't stress them out.
Musical notes:
1) I did make it to see The King of France last Thursday.
They were great live. So great, in fact, that I didn't mind the nasty vodka collins I slammed down before the show to warm up. I think I smiled the entire time; I probably looked pretty damn goofy. Ah well. Much cheaper than my original plan, which had been to continue to lurk their website until their next NYC event was posted, plunk down as much change as needed to fly back there, and go see a show like the pathetic wanna be groupie I'm not.
2) Little brother's band is going to be performing on March 15th. They are quite nervous, so I want to be sure to have scads of folks there to really freak 'em out. Details can be found at their website (see links to left).
Musical notes:
1) I did make it to see The King of France last Thursday.
They were great live. So great, in fact, that I didn't mind the nasty vodka collins I slammed down before the show to warm up. I think I smiled the entire time; I probably looked pretty damn goofy. Ah well. Much cheaper than my original plan, which had been to continue to lurk their website until their next NYC event was posted, plunk down as much change as needed to fly back there, and go see a show like the pathetic wanna be groupie I'm not.
2) Little brother's band is going to be performing on March 15th. They are quite nervous, so I want to be sure to have scads of folks there to really freak 'em out. Details can be found at their website (see links to left).
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