Wisdom and Folly
I like the pattern I'm in with my writing now...a few pages everyday after work seems to fit the bill just right (that way I make sure I get something done before my brain shuts off for the evening, rather than having to try very hard to boot it up again before I sleep).
Ashley was given an interview with Penn State! Definitely very good news, as it means there's yet one more chance that she won't end up leaving for Australia. I have to admit, I would definitely like for her to stay in the states, but again, just as long as she's happy where she's going. We'll make the rest work.
I'm still trying to figure out logistics for going to Seville...but it doesn't seem to be too difficult to figure out. The ticket would cost approximately $600.00, depending on the airline, which isn't too bad. I think the part I'm having a difficult time with (because I have no real baseline to use as estimation) is figuring out how much to budget for food and lodging. I'm looking at staying 2-3 weeks, but I don't know how much money that would likely cost...the cost of living in a Spanish city is something that I'm not sure of. Perhaps some internet exploration should yield useful results.
Interestingly enough, I was given the opportunity to take a tour of the biology and chemistry departments at work yesterday, and I got to see a lot of the processes they work through up there -- compound production, testing ion channels in CF (cystic fibrosis) cells and chromatography (HPLC)...and it was pretty cool. Definitely a better impression that I was given with my previous lab experiences at UCSD. After one of the chemists, Leonard, showed me around, he mentioned that after my contract was finished in compound management, that if I was interested in working with the chromatography machines in the chemistry department that there might be a position for me (again, if I'm interested). This potentially throws a crinkle into my hopes to go to Spain, but the job would be a significant increase in pay for me, which is a substantial motivator. Maybe I'd be able to squeeze in a two week hiatus before I started that job. If it were to even happen anyway. It's all speculation. Nevertheless.....interesting how new doors present themselves.
I've become addicted to Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind...the style is, well, refreshing, to say the least. I've been put off by over-the-top fantasy works and stories with no end in sight in the past (Robert Jordan's works in particular, the Sword of Shannara and Terry Goodkinds works...all too weighty for me). This work reels me in by generating an interesting character, a believable world and a story that doesn't follow a formulaic "the world is in peril from some great, unknown, supernatural evil" plot.
That's all really. Suppose I'll try to keep filling this in more regularly...If I'm not writing here, I'm writing my stories, so I guess it's a good sign if you don't see any entries here. Fortunately, I'm on break at work right now, so this won't count against my writing time later...
Ashley was given an interview with Penn State! Definitely very good news, as it means there's yet one more chance that she won't end up leaving for Australia. I have to admit, I would definitely like for her to stay in the states, but again, just as long as she's happy where she's going. We'll make the rest work.
I'm still trying to figure out logistics for going to Seville...but it doesn't seem to be too difficult to figure out. The ticket would cost approximately $600.00, depending on the airline, which isn't too bad. I think the part I'm having a difficult time with (because I have no real baseline to use as estimation) is figuring out how much to budget for food and lodging. I'm looking at staying 2-3 weeks, but I don't know how much money that would likely cost...the cost of living in a Spanish city is something that I'm not sure of. Perhaps some internet exploration should yield useful results.
Interestingly enough, I was given the opportunity to take a tour of the biology and chemistry departments at work yesterday, and I got to see a lot of the processes they work through up there -- compound production, testing ion channels in CF (cystic fibrosis) cells and chromatography (HPLC)...and it was pretty cool. Definitely a better impression that I was given with my previous lab experiences at UCSD. After one of the chemists, Leonard, showed me around, he mentioned that after my contract was finished in compound management, that if I was interested in working with the chromatography machines in the chemistry department that there might be a position for me (again, if I'm interested). This potentially throws a crinkle into my hopes to go to Spain, but the job would be a significant increase in pay for me, which is a substantial motivator. Maybe I'd be able to squeeze in a two week hiatus before I started that job. If it were to even happen anyway. It's all speculation. Nevertheless.....interesting how new doors present themselves.
I've become addicted to Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind...the style is, well, refreshing, to say the least. I've been put off by over-the-top fantasy works and stories with no end in sight in the past (Robert Jordan's works in particular, the Sword of Shannara and Terry Goodkinds works...all too weighty for me). This work reels me in by generating an interesting character, a believable world and a story that doesn't follow a formulaic "the world is in peril from some great, unknown, supernatural evil" plot.
That's all really. Suppose I'll try to keep filling this in more regularly...If I'm not writing here, I'm writing my stories, so I guess it's a good sign if you don't see any entries here. Fortunately, I'm on break at work right now, so this won't count against my writing time later...