In stereo in the static age
So all the life planning worked out and this week is going to be a little crazy but totally worth it.
One question: for anyone who's familiar with the Philly area, what's the best way to get into the city when I have a car and I'm coming from Connecticut? I don't want to park in the city because I don't want to pay an arm and a leg, but I don't want to go through the total headache of taking like four trains to get down there (Amtrak is $50 EACH WAY. No thank you.). So I was thinking that I might drive to somewhere in Jersey, park my car in a long term lot at a train station, and take a more local train in like Patco or Septa. Does anyone have any advice for a simple way I could do that? Know of a good station near-ish to Philly? Maybe even know somewhere else I could safely leave a car for two days? I'd appreciate any advice!
Every time I think about starting at Michigan I get this little frisson of excitement/terror, but mostly excitement! I mean, I'm going to be at a hardcore research university, doing things that I've only ever read about or imagined, working with this genius dude on a problem that deeply fascinates me. That's like - ridiculous. And not even just in the abstract. I know that in the first two weeks I'm there, I'm going to learn more research techniques than I did in three years of undergrad research. Or to be more precise, I'm going to be learning more techniques that are directly relevant to my interests. THAT IS SO AWESOME. And I am extremely lucky to have landed a spot with an up-and-coming professor who's working at the Life Sciences Institute, a beautiful new building and program at UM designed to foster collaboration among all the life sciences AND the arts. This is the building I'm going to be working in, built 2003:
And a photo from inside - I took a tour of his lab, and it ACTUALLY looks this shiny and modern.
EEEE! I'm so thrilled and pumped. I know that eventually it's going to be a drag, and just feel like a job, but I think at least for a while I'm going to be totally jazzed by what I get to DO, and get paid to do! I mean, what a privilege! To be honest, my main worry is that I'm not actually worthy of this privilege, that they're making some mistake making this investment, but. I hope that isn't the case and that I surprise myself!
I start three weeks from tomorrow! :D
One question: for anyone who's familiar with the Philly area, what's the best way to get into the city when I have a car and I'm coming from Connecticut? I don't want to park in the city because I don't want to pay an arm and a leg, but I don't want to go through the total headache of taking like four trains to get down there (Amtrak is $50 EACH WAY. No thank you.). So I was thinking that I might drive to somewhere in Jersey, park my car in a long term lot at a train station, and take a more local train in like Patco or Septa. Does anyone have any advice for a simple way I could do that? Know of a good station near-ish to Philly? Maybe even know somewhere else I could safely leave a car for two days? I'd appreciate any advice!
Every time I think about starting at Michigan I get this little frisson of excitement/terror, but mostly excitement! I mean, I'm going to be at a hardcore research university, doing things that I've only ever read about or imagined, working with this genius dude on a problem that deeply fascinates me. That's like - ridiculous. And not even just in the abstract. I know that in the first two weeks I'm there, I'm going to learn more research techniques than I did in three years of undergrad research. Or to be more precise, I'm going to be learning more techniques that are directly relevant to my interests. THAT IS SO AWESOME. And I am extremely lucky to have landed a spot with an up-and-coming professor who's working at the Life Sciences Institute, a beautiful new building and program at UM designed to foster collaboration among all the life sciences AND the arts. This is the building I'm going to be working in, built 2003:
And a photo from inside - I took a tour of his lab, and it ACTUALLY looks this shiny and modern.
EEEE! I'm so thrilled and pumped. I know that eventually it's going to be a drag, and just feel like a job, but I think at least for a while I'm going to be totally jazzed by what I get to DO, and get paid to do! I mean, what a privilege! To be honest, my main worry is that I'm not actually worthy of this privilege, that they're making some mistake making this investment, but. I hope that isn't the case and that I surprise myself!
I start three weeks from tomorrow! :D