Grandma Aamodt

3 October 1919 - 10 July 2009

Utah farm girl gone NYC career woman then DC housewife.
Sassiness, strength, and always plenty of giggles.
I miss you.

Grandpa Aamodt

19 July 1922 - 7 April 2009

Thank you for reaching so high to make your dreams come true.
They made all of mine possible.
I miss you.

I give them a hard time but...

Despite their gaping lack of human or even animal geneticists, the exclusively plant-oriented genetics program at BYU really does make significant contributions toward solving world-wide agricultural problems. Instead of immediately deleting my copy of alumni news I actually opened it and saw this article. I know that in addition to working on growing these plants in salty conditions, they have also been making significant progress toward isolating the salt-tolerant gene (which codes for an intermembrane protein that essentially "pumps" salt out of the cells) in hopes of being able to incorperate it into the genome of some of the cereal grains to allow their growth in salty environments as well. Cool huh? Even I think that's exciting.

So, way to go all you professors who I loved but just couldn't bring myself to do research with. Plants aren't for me, but thanks for being so excited about them (and believe me, all of them are absolutely CRAZY about their plants). Thanks for continuing to make these kinds of contributions which significantly affect global health and nutrition.

Phoenix Rising

While reading the book Phoenix Rising in middle school I became intrigued by the symbolism of the mythical phoenix. This type of fascination happened a lot during my elementary and middle school years with anything from the phoenix, to the Pony Express, the founding of the thirteen colonies, origami, and the list continues. I would become obsessed, reading everything I could, spending hours in the library searching for and studying primary and secondary sources. The summer of my thirteen colonies obsession I even went so far as to write a paper...during my summer vacation...of my own volition. My mom thought I was crazy.

After having thrown my little ignorant self so passionately into searching for information on my latest academic obsession I always felt a sort of ownership of the subject, even after moving on to something new. So, even though years had passed, when the phoenix gained notoriety from its presence in the wildly-popular Harry Potter books I felt a little pang, as if my secret, meaningful symbol was somehow diminished by being in the public eye.

Since reading those books though I really haven't given the phoenix much thought at all. But recently as I've pondered everything that has happened over the past few months, weeks, and days, the symbol of my childhood obsession has come powerfully, and I think, appropriately back into my mind.


This fall was entirely consumed by my application process, which nearly destroyed me. I'm really not kidding. Working full time and trying to complete over 80 essay questions was much more difficult than I thought it would be, and as a result I ended up having to settle for less than perfect quality several times just to get the applications out of my hands. To be fair though, while the process was painful, it was also enlightening, and allowed me to clarify my intentions, goals and desires to myself as well as to prospective programs. But, by the time I had turned in the last one I had written over fifty-five single-spaced pages of essays and was completely burned out.

The week after I finished I began the next stage of the game: interviews (which I discovered are MUCH more fun than applications). I also indulged myself by reading six books that first week, and a steady helping since then. I then jumped on a plane to travel home for my little sister's wedding to her childhood friend. Then helped my mom throw a whirlwind Christmas. Then traveled to Tennessee where my sister's in-laws (who happen to be really good family friends) were throwing an open house. Then drove back to Virginia to get the newlyweds packed up and settled in their house before my sister's new husband is deployed to Iraq next week.

So, despite all of the marvelous family time I still feel as though I haven't quite recouped from all the craziness that has been my life recently. Today is my birthday, and in addition to being close to the celebration of Christ's birth, and the new year, it's also a day when I remember my grandpa, who I used to share a birthday celebration with and who was the model of the kind of human being and scientist I want to be. So naturally, I've been reflecting on where my life is heading, how my choices are affecting that heading, and what I need to do differently to make sure I stay on course.

Sometimes I get discouraged by how often it seems like I need to reevaluate my priorities, and essentially straighten myself out. But I'm beginning to realize this self-renewal is not such a bad thing. Enter the phoenix. As the beautiful bird nears the end of its life it builds a nest which it then ignites. The nest and bird are burned until only ashes remain. A new phoenix then rises from the ashes of its old self and begins life anew. In some versions, the new bird even gathers and encases the ashes of its old life in an egg, which it brings to the heavens as an offering to the gods before returning to earth. So, instead of limping along trying to pick up pieces of my life, I think I need to make the choice to start afresh, wipe my slate clean, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, offer those parts of me that I've burned to the heavens and begin again, a new creature. I am grateful that the gift of the atonement, which we celebrate this season, provides me with the opportunities for renewal that I've needed and will continue to need throughout my life.

in case you were wondering.

www.isitchristmas.com

Autumnal Musings

So, it's usually around this time of year that my thoughts turn home-ward. This is the time when I not only make sure I'm all caught up on the local Virginia politics (which is always really hilarious to me...can I just say, I absolutely LOVE small-town Virginia) but I get really homesick for the foliage in the Valley. Don't get me wrong, I am relishing in the gorgeous Boston fall. In the morning on my way to work I bike down one of the most beautiful roads in the city and it has been completely lovely enjoying the sunlight shining through the collage of colored leaves every day. I honestly can't image a better way to begin my days. But...it still isn't the Shenandoah Valley.

I'm just going to live vicariously for a moment through other people's photos...



Sigh...

But seriously, I'm living in New England, so really you shouldn't feel sorry for me cause I have nothing to complain about. I mean, some people spend autumn in the desert where there are NO trees. Feel sorry for them.

So, back to the politics. As frustrated as I've been over the presidential election, it feels really good to be confident in my decisions about my senate, house, and local elections. Knowing that I'll be able to use my vote to change things for good, if not in the nation, at least in my home state and community is quite comforting. What I've come to realize about the presidential election is that no choice is perfect and I can't change that reality. However, I can be confident that I've done my best to weigh the options and now it's time to make a choice. And that's that. Oh yeah, my ballot came in the mail today which is why I'm doing my final analysis/obsessing about elections. Considering that VA is technically a swing state in the presidential election, I feel extra important. Well, that's about all I have to say at the moment.

Just make sure to vote...and enjoy the fall, cause it's fleeting.

Tidbits from the mind of an exhaustified Kristie

• I have become my own worst nightmare!!!! Although I think that I secretly still hold on to the belief that I am better than most pre-meds, I'm pretty sure that I have become an annoying, neurotic, nitpicking, crazy person. I am now one of them!!! Egads!!!
  
• Why hasn't the CVS on the corner opened up the other part of their building yet? It has been over a year now. Is it still "coming soon"? Plus I'm really curious to know how the empty part I see in the window actually connects to the rest of the store. It confuses me.
• I'm pretty sure I'm going to withdraw my application from Northwestern because some of their application procedures are downright ridiculous. I'm waiting to hear back from them still, but I'm definitely warming to the idea of saving myself $85 by not turning in their secondary.
• This whole getting accepted thing is totally random and I'm pretty sure that I have finally entirely, undeniably, completely realized that I have no control over where I am going to get into school. I mean, I'll do my best on interviews and everything, but I'm pretty sure that the outcome of this insane process will be a nonsensical surprise.
• I love the smell of cinnamon and spices in the fall. I'm smelling it now because I just spent way more money than I should have on yummy candles but it's totally worth it because it's therapeutic for me and I need therapeutic right now.
• I may have a black thumb of death when it comes to plants. This fact breaks my heart into a million tiny pieces but I'm afraid it's true. I've been in denial for a really long time because I love green things and wish I could keep them alive. Maybe I need to take a class or something and put more effort into self-improvement before completely giving up and going plastic. The fact that I'm admitting there's a problem is a big step forward though.
• My living room is orange.
• I got so excited/relieved at work today because I found out that Invitrogen is going to save me months of tedious work isolating RNA, making cDNA, and cloning it because they sell ready-made vectors for each of the proteins I need DNA for! Seriously, this is the best news I've gotten/discovered in a really long time.

yum...cinnamon

It has begun!!!

Today after coming home from a campout I went to this weekend I checked my email, and right there in my inbox was my first secondary application!!! Due to extreme craziness in my life over the past few weeks including temporarily living as a homeless person (Dan, you have officially received at least 1000 points in heaven for sheltering the homeless) and then moving into an absolute pig sty once the crazy lady and her cats finally moved out and starting a new job on top of all of it all...I just barely turned in my primary application Friday morning. (It was going to be in Thursday night, but I was so tired that I fell asleep face-down on my computer while doing the final edits on my last essay).

Anyway, I wasn't expecting to hear from schools until mid-week at the earliest, but to my surprise they have already started rolling in, and I'm hoping they'll keep coming, then be followed by interview offers, then (cross my fingers) acceptance letters. I've been so tied up and worried about everything that it is kind of exciting to be at this point now, and to really be doing it.

If I'm going to be perfectly honest, I think one reason why I initially delayed turning my application in was because it finally hit me around the middle of the summer the full extent of what I was committing to. Other than making a huge time commitment for the actual schooling, getting this degree means committing myself to a lifestyle that is difficult and time-consuming with the potential to be completely heart-breaking at times and exhilerating at others. And that commitment is incredibly scary, no matter how certain I am that this is something I'm supposed to do with my life.

And what's even scarier is that I've realized that it is entirely my choice, and I'm the one who is going to be living with the consequences of that choice, good or bad. I could choose a life and career that is much easier, much more lucritive, and much more relaxing, but I would miss out on the opportunites that lie ahead of me to succor those in need of succor, and find answers for those whose lives are in my hands. Needless to say, these and other similar thoughts have given me cause to pause this summer and really think about what it means for me to do this, and what I want for my life, and most importantly, what Heavenly Father wants for me. As I'm pretty sure I've mentioned multiple times before, I don't know how everything is going to work out, and having faith can be really frightning, but I'm trying my hardest to walk toward this decision with faith that the Lord knows what He's doing with my life much better than I do. So, we'll see what the coming months bring, but regardless of what may happen I just hope I have enough courage to keep Him at the helm.

squatters and other headaches

So I signed a lease to move into a new apartment today, but one of the former tenants refused to move out. Story to follow in a few days...

Oh, and I'm starting work tomorrow...

But one piece of happy news amidst the nightmare that was today: my new roommates are incredible and we are going to have SO much fun this year...once we can actually move into our apartment.

Random Personal Fact #1

I squeeze from the middle...but sometimes from the end...

Actually, I don't think I know what kind of tube squeezer I am. (Isn't that something you're supposed to know about yourself? Oops.)

Honestly though, does it really matter where on the toothpaste tube the squeezing action happens? I'm pretty sure it has never occurred to me before tonight to even pay attention to my tube squeezing habits. Hmmm...

I do prefer the toilet paper to be dispensed with the loose end over the top though. I even sometimes change the direction of rolls that have it coming from the bottom. So see. I can be mildly obsessive about some things.

Politically Frustrated

I am all sorts of jumbled up inside, and it's late so I'm probably not going to be able to clearly articulate all of the reasons for my jumbledness, but I have to let out some of my frustration in whatever way I can or else I might explode. And, at the moment this blog is my outlet...so here we go.

Recently I have spend hours and hours (seriously, A LOT of time) studying all of the issues at stake in this election, and most importantly I have carefully studied both Obama and McCain's plans for actually implementing the changes that need to take place (and really, they both do acknowledge exactly the same problems, although they may diagnose and prescribe change differently). In addition to studying pretty much everything that has been officially published by each campaign, the candidates' speeches, voting records, etc. I have also talked to several people who I feel are much more informed than me and deal with the problems our country faces in more real ways than I do (soldiers, doctors, other healthcare workers, immigrants, etc). Their thoughts and feelings about the issues, candidates, and proposed solutions have been extremely enlightening.

I'd hoped that after spending all of this time asking questions and studying out the issues that my answer about who to vote for would be crystal clear, but alas...I'm still totally conflicted. I have filled pages (a lot of them) with the concerns I have with each candidate and their proposed policies, and still feel like I am no closer to resolving the issues and weighing the pros and cons than I was when I started. I think one of the things that makes it so difficult for me is that you never really know which of the promised policies are going to be implemented, and if they are implemented, what compromises will have had to be made in order to carry them all the way through from being "just talk" to actuality? Also, what if you elect a candidate and everything that you liked about his or her platform never amounts to anything and everything you hated actually does? EEK!

And, is it just their platform that matters since that is the actual substance of their candidacy? Or does it matter that they talk pretty and look pretty too? I definitely know that it is quite embarrassing to have such an inarticulate president, so that makes it seem like it should count for something. Okay, I wanted to keep this totally theoretical and not get into the specific candidates, but it's hard to avoid. I confess, I love Obama's speeches. It's hard not to. They are inspiring, beautiful, and full of ice cream and rainbows. However, when I juxtapose his idealistic rhetoric about America and Americans with his actual proposed policy changes, they don't always match up. So pretty much always I find myself agreeing with his words, but at the same time seriously doubting that the reality of the solutions he is proposing will actually create that ideal America he speaks of.

Anyway, like I said I didn't mean to actually go into the specific candidates because now I feel like I have to say something about my misgivings about McCain, but even the thought of attempting that exhausts me, so it will have to wait for another day.

So, my list of pros, cons, and concerns grows. I hope that the debates will help clear some of them up, but honestly, I don't know how much of this campaign jargon I can believe. I think what scares me the most about this election (and I'm pretty sure it isn't new to this specific one, but I just must be more aware of it than I have been in the past) is that I feel like voters are not informing themselves enough independently from what the candidates are saying. Maybe I just have major trust issues, and maybe you'll think I'm a pessimist, but it seems like we often forget that these people are catering to the ignorant masses and at least to some extent will say anything to be elected. Remember, the whole President of the United States thing is a pretty envied job. Are we actually studying out the issues? Why do the problems we face really exist? (At election time candidates seem to simply blame each other, or someone or something else, which both candidates, true to form, seem to be doing.) What has been attempted in the past to solve these problems? What has worked? What hasn't? What do those who actually deal with them on a daily basis think?

I know I quote this way too often, but as Elder Maxwell says, "it's so easy to be indignant without being intelligent." Candidates work to make us indignant. It's what gets them elected. But it's our job to be intelligent. Let's not be ignorant and let's be aware of who is feeding us the information and ideas we are clinging to at this critical decision-making time. I love the quote engraved on the Boston Public Library: "The commonwealth requires the education of the people as the safeguard of order and liberty." I truly believe that the choice we make as citizens to be intelligent and educated before becoming indignant and acting out of that indignation is just as critical now as it was in revolutionary times to safeguard those very ideals candidates are throwing around left and right. In deciding how to exercise my right to vote it is up to me to become fully educated and know exactly where I stand so I can weight the candidates based on what is truly important to me and not simply on what they are telling me should be important. That's what I'm trying my hardest to do, and what I hope I'll be able to do.

And thus endeth this absurdly lengthy, and disturbingly inarticulate rant.

Gracious! I can't believe how late/early it got! Yikes!

Hitting and Being Hit

So today one of my worst fears as a biker in Boston was realized. I was pulling up to a stop light and all of a sudden the front door of a van pops open right in front of me, slamming full-force into my right arm. I suppose I should be grateful because it could have been a lot worse. I was slowing down for the light anyway, and wasn't entirely knocked off my bike, but regardless it still hurt really, REALLY badly. Seriously.

And sorry, but I'm going to continue my whine fest because to top it all off, I had to get my blood drawn today too. And of course my injured arm is the only one with veins near the surface. Despite that though, it still took two people digging around in my arm with needles for about five minutes before they could even hit one...

Bring on the bruises!

This must just be payback for me running into that pedestrian a few months ago (don't worry, I was on my bike, and in my defense, she stepped out right in front of me without looking to see if anyone was coming). Congratulations universe.

Do you think it's too late?

Really, this is what I wanted to be when I grew up. What happened?

Honestly, nothing in the world is as exhilarating as going top speed on an incredible animal on a cross-country course....man...I've gotta get back on a horse.

I never want to be a....when I grow up

Alright, so I have spent the past few days going mildly insane trying to find a place to live next year. I have never in my life dealt with more sleazy real estate agents, seen more vomit-inducing apartments, been so incredibly indecisive, entirely lost my appetite for days at a time (well, except when I was studying for the MCAT), made so many "I need you to help me calm down" emergency phone calls to my mom, worried so much about whether something would be acceptable to the other people involved and other such things that are both causes and symptoms of temporary insanity.

Anyway, I finally made a decision and even though I'm not going to be saving as much money as I hoped (I shake my fist at you Brookline parking regulations) I think it will be a great place to live, and I really have no clue why I was so worried. Actually, that's not true, I do know why I was so worried: I'm a pretty flexible, easy-going person and am pretty adaptable to whatever situation I find myself in, but this decision wasn't just for me, it was also for three other people and if they aren't happy with my decision it is all my fault, and the thought of making my future roommates unhappy apparently stresses me out. So basically I realized that I probably worry too much about things I really can't control. Wow, just writing about it is making me anxious again, so I'd better stop.

This experience has been quite illuminating in other ways too. Now, in addition to knowing that I never want to be a garbage collector, mathematician, pre-school teacher, exterminator, saleswoman, or one of those phone computer technician people I now know that I never want a job remotely related to real estate. And believe it or not, this is progress. I had a really hard time deciding what I wanted to be when I grow up, and I'm still convinced that I would have been very happy as a flautist, environmentalist, professional equestrian, tap dancer, drug abuse counselor, veterinarian or any of the other professions I have considered and at some point or another pursued. (Of course this doesn't include all of the others I have thought would be fun and still might be fun....who knows!...and now you know why it took me so long to finish school).

So, my question is what did you used to (or still do) want to be when you grow up? Or if you're like me and go about it the opposite way, what do you never want to be when you grow up?

I told her I just wanted a trim...

This is my best "oh well" look...and wow!...I always forget how big my nose is!

golden, beachy sunsets and other magical moments

Sometimes I feel a little bit guilty about how lovely my life is. It seems to me as though I have spent way more perfect days than any sensible person can wish for in an entire lifetime. Or do you think that maybe we all deserve to have as many perfect days as possible?

I just wish there were some way for me to allow everyone to experience the perfectness of these past few days and all the perfect days and moments I've had lately because there’s no way I can adequately share them. Pictures and words just aren't enough no matter how hard I wish they were, and how often I attempt to make them so. For instance…

Although I love the ocean at all times of day, my favorite time to be by the water is just before the sun sets. With my chair facing the rolling waves the sun warms my back and just when it's getting ready to creep behind the dunes it casts it's farewell light on the sand and water turning everything golden. The golden light gently slips away and the waves turn from gold to soft pink then to dusky lavender while the ocean itself transforms from it's crystal blues and gentle greens to royal purple then deep navy. During this magical time the dolphin pod makes its daily trek up the coast, their fins peeking above water just beyond the breaking waves...and if you sit really still, you notice crabs beginning to scuttle nervously out of their holes in the sand. Flocks of pelicans and other sea birds swoop down regularly looking for fish in the shallow waters of low tide. Usually by this time most people have abandoned the shore, sun-scorched from the long day, so I typically have my little piece of beach all to myself and my thoughts. Thoughts which are full of reflections on the past, and new hopes, dreams, and resolutions for the future.

And oh!...the other day was somewhat drizzly, but I decided to head back to the beach to savor this goldeny time of day despite the rain and was ever so glad I did! Just as the sun rays burst over the dunes, the clouds dissipated and a full rainbow appeared. As if on cue, the dolphins showed up, closer to shore than I’ve ever seen them. Sigh...

Ok, sorry for my poor attempt at describing these moments o’ delightful perfection. I’ll stop now. Thinking about it though, I guess the reason why my description pales in comparison to the real experience (other than my lack of literary and poetic genius of course) is that nothing can replace the feeling of contentment that comes to me at these moments. Utter and complete contentment that isn’t tainted by ignorance or self-deception. I am perfectly aware of the fact that I’m not who I eventually want to be physically, spiritually, academically, emotionally, and socially…and yet I know that I’m exactly where I need to be right now on my journey to those delightful eventualities.

And the best part about feeling like this is that I can simultaneously be inspired by hopes and dreams for the future and filled with a sense of satisfaction with the present. Even though I want so desperately to be my future self, I’m okay with the fact that I have a journey ahead because I know it will keep being filled with more perfect moments and days. And thinking about it more...I’m pretty sure we're allowed to have as much perfectness in our days as we allow ourselves to have. And that’s all for now because I need to rush off to sleep so I can catch the sunrise in the morning when I will say goodbye to my little spot o' beach for another year.

Oh the memories

Ok, so I did this on some of my friends' blogs and so now feel obligated to post this on mine (I have no idea why I feel obligated, I just do). However, I detest anything remotely like chain letters (i.e., anything that requires that you do something and then "pass-it-on" to said number of people). Just to clarify though, I don't even remotely detest people who send stuff like that to me, I just detest the actual things. Yet despite all of that here I am posting this.

If you want to share memories of me, I think it would probably be kind of amusing but please just ignore #2 unless you really want to do it.

So here it is:

"1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you."

Oh, and I really don't promise to do that stuff in #2, even though I might. I just don't want to commit to anything that serious or make assumptions like that.

Wow...this post kind of has negative undertones. Sorry. I promise I'm not feeling negative at all right now.

You're gonna have to pursue me

So usually I kind of judge my friends as quite ridiculous and on a lower plane than me whenever they suggest that I read the newest "relationship" book out there. They all just seem to have conflicting advice, none of which ever seems useful at all, and most of which I find sexist and degrading. However, recently I caved and read an excerpt (don't worry, it was a very short excerpt) from the book He's Just Not That Into You.

Imagine my surprise when I found that, at least this excerpt, instead of being degrading, was actually quite empowering. And on top of that, the author comes to a conclusion that is very similar to the one I came to a while back after struggling with feeling entirely powerless to change the fact that my love life has always been and continues to be utterly and completely nonexistent.

I guess that the whole premise of this book is to wake females up to the fact that if a guy is interested, he will take the initiative. Thank goodness that someone finally just said it! I get so sick of girls spending hours asking me to analyze every little thing this guy or that guy said or didn't say, or did or didn't do. Heavens people!

I also get sick of people trying to explain away my shameful lack of a dating life by telling me that several guys must have been interested in me in the past, or are currently interested, but are just too intimidated by me (innocent, insecure, flabby, little me) to show their interest by asking me to dinner or some other socially acceptable form of expressing a desire to get to know a person better. Honestly folks? I'm not even stupid enough to believe that. Good thing that this book busts open that ridiculous myth.

Now I do understand that it can be frustrating, especially as a goal-setting, ambitious, used-to-working-for-what-she-gets kind of girl to not really be able to tangibly work toward improving a lack-of-love life. However, this is the conclusion from the book that I tend to agree with:

"If the men are asking you out, if the men have to get your attention, then you, in fact, are the one in control. There's no scheming and plotting. And there is something great about knowing that my only job is to be as happy as I can be about my life, and feel as good as I can about myself, and to lead as full and eventful a life as I can, so that it doesn't ever feel like I'm just waiting around for some guy to ask me out. And most importantly, it's good for us all to remember that we don't need to scheme and plot and beg to get someone to ask us out. We're fantastic."

I think there is all too much scheming and plotting that goes on (the worst of which guys are completely clueless about) and it drives me absolutely batty and is quite sickening. I'll just leave it at that because I am in danger of going off on a tangent.

More importantly though is realizing that as women, we are worth being pursued (even if, like in my case, no one ever decides to pursue us). Yeah, I might not have the best skin out there (currently there is a family of zits that have decided to permanently camp out on my right cheek), I may be somewhat of a procrastinator, I may need to lose 30 pounds or so, and I may have unnatural cravings for pickles at times (like right now), but that doesn't mean that I'm not worth pursuing. I have a lot going for me in fact. And I would honestly prefer to be single for the rest of my "full and eventful" life than to feel like I need to focus on desperately finding a man that will settle for me. I'm not willing to settle for someone who feels like they need to settle for me. I'm better than that.

Now maybe you think that the premise of this book is entirely ridiculous, and that my conclusions about it are completely false, and if so, please do share. By no means do I pretend to have all the answers (or even most of them for that matter). However, this is the philosophy that I'm currently living by (and have actually been going by for a while now, it's just good to hear it from another source).

So to all of the men out there, if you're interested you're gonna have to let me know. And though it may be sad, at this point I am so unused to anyone showing interest that I'm pretty sure I'm beyond the point where subtlety is going to work. (Sometimes I actually worry about this. I think it must just be from learned behavior that I automatically go into friend mode with every guy I meet because those are the only relationships I am used to having with males, hmm...I wonder which is the cause and which is the effect...food for thought).

Alright, so I'm rambling now and not making any sense and I'm actually quite ashamed that I just wrote a whole post on a relationship book. Sorry. I hope you don't think worse of me for doing it.

p.s. Please, no pity-party comments. I despise them and that was not the point of this post.

Summer in Boston

Um...so, I really have been up to a whole lotta fun that doesn't in any way, shape, or form involve mouse prostates. And I have wanted to blog about oh-so-many things but just haven't had time, so this is just a little smattering of the splendid summer I've been spending here in Beantown (and beyond).

Oh! But before all that, I have an official announcement to make (drumroll....): I am staying in Boston this next year! (**shouts of unrestrained excitement**)

I got an amazing offer to work in the Cardiac Surgery Department at Children's Hospital on a project involving tissue engineering. Specifically, I will be working on engineering heart valves to use in patients with congenital heart defects (among other things). How cool is that!?! Plus, the job involves a pay raise, benefits, and not having to move three times in three years. (All things which the NIH offers severely lacked). I will be working with a researcher who I already know and have collaborated with in the past, and so I'm pretty sure it will be another amazing year in the work force before jumping full-force into school again. Yipee!

Anyway, back to the smattering of splendid reasons why I am super excited to be spending more time here.

Summer Solstice on the Vineyard
If there ever was the perfect way to spend a day, I'm pretty sure I did it here. My friends Rachel and Dan, and I woke up at the crack o' dawn to drive down to the ferry which took us to Martha's Vineyard where we spent all day biking from charming town, to charming town, to amazing beach, to incredible coastline and back again. I think overall we went a little over 30 miles, which was tiring but totally worth it! On the ferry back to the mainland we watched the sunset on the water. Talk about Carpe Diem! I know I have been overusing the phrase lately, but man, we really harvested the day to its fullest!

Then These Crazy People Came to VisitI was super excited when my darling sister Heather and her hubby Andy came to visit me. They are the first of my family that has come up and even though I walked the freedom trail for the umpteenth time, and even though Andy had to work for several of the days, Heather and I kept busy having loads of fun (and he joined in when he could :-) ).
It was mostly just nice having sister talks into the wee hours of the night. Growing up we shared a room for many years and would stay up late talking and playing games (just as a side-note, playing "I Spy" in the dark tends to lead to controversy). Even when she got her own room I would sneak upstairs late at night and we would just talk and talk. Anyway, it was just good to get to talk like that again with my big sister. I was sad when they had to leave.

But...Then Even More Visitors Came
My old roommate Staci (who, just to let you know was my first Boston visitor back in October) and some other friends from my old ward back in P-town flew in the day after H&A left, and they spent a week and a half taking Karl on outings throughout New England. Even though I had to work I got to join them for some of the fun.

We went whale watchingand took a day trip to Ogunquit, Maine. (This is our "model" pose). Honestly though, this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and one of the coolest beaches ever. Dan and I have already decided that we need to go back with swimsuits and inner tubes because right at this spot a river runs into the ocean and so you can ride the current of the river right into the waves...so much fun!

Independence DayCan you imagine a better place to be for the 4th of July than Boston? We had a huge group of people who all met up and we got the greatest spot right in the middle of the river (well, in the middle of a bridge that crosses the river). After listening to the Boston Pops concert and watching the sunset over the Charles River, we got to watch the fireworks display, which is set to music and is incredible. I can honestly say that it was quite an emotional experience watching the fireworks explode over the river that early patriots rowed across to warn their fellows of the British advance, the river that scared families in Boston gazed across as Charlestown burned during the battle of Bunker Hill where their husbands, fathers, and brothers were fighting to the death. Then, of course, my mind went to those men and women who are fighting overseas right now out of loyalty to the nation that those early Bostonians and other early Americans fought for so dearly. Whew! Pretty intense stuff! All in all, it was an irreplaceable experience.
Go Sox!
No summer can truly be complete without a home game at Fenway. Just yesterday I went with my friends to see the Sox play. It was their final Boston hurrah since they had to leave this morning. And oh man! It was a great game! We were dragging behind almost from the get-go, but then the eighth inning came and we completely rocked it! We were trailing by 3 going into the inning, but a couple of good base hits, and a homer by Manny caught us right up then Youkillis helped us pull ahead. Papelbon pitched the ninth and despite some scares and a broken bat, kept the Twins from scoring. Wow! What great times! (Oh, and by the way...how weird is it that I am a total baseball fan now? Strange.)

The most exciting part is that my summer has barely begun. Just seven more days of work then I am beach bound!

Gargantuan Oozing Prostates

Yeah, let your imagination run wild and it still won't remotely approach how disgusting these are. And, I had to spend my whole day with them...and their smell. Bleh!

The group of mice that I sacrificed today had golf-ball sized prostate tumors, and yes, I do realize that I was the one who gave them cancer, but typically the mice get really sick when the tumors get to only a fraction of the size these were.

Hopefully as we figure out why this happened we will come across a major discovery, which would make me very happy. But as for now...I have no appetite, mostly because the smell of prostate tumor ooze is still in my nose.

(Just be grateful I didn't post the pictures.)