okay, so i swore to dori that i would post this last friday after my biochem exam.... but the test kicked my butt and i was really in no mood to do anything but go home and sulk... so, here it is, wednesday, and i am just now posting...

i haven't made a post in ages.... i have just been so busy and completely consumed (if not often overwhelmed) by classes, research, home, money, you name it, it has probably somehow made me busy. my major professor decided about 2 months ago to accept a research posistion at Michigan State, his alma mater (for his doctorate, at least). today is his last day. we have spent the last month or so running around trying to figure out who would take over the job of PI (primary investigator) of the grant with which i am currently funded and therefore take over being my advisor/major professor. two professors stepped up to the plate: one is a molecular biologist and, incidentally, was the co-advisor for my master's degree, and the other is a big shot from the vet school and a molecular virologist. i am happy with this turn of events, since this line of research is essentially what i wanted to do when i first started thinking about going to graduate school, but it has taken (and is still taking) some getting used to. i also, as a result, will have 2 (or technically one and a half) new projects: i will be testing a bovine coronavirus vaccine and then will attempt to construct an infective clone... we'll see how all of that goes.

i'm almost finished with my program of study for my Ph.D., meaning i am almost finished with the classwork portion of the degree. i still have a long way to go, research-wise, though. this semseter i am taking the second part of the two-part/semester biochemistry class i had to take and a DNA repair and mutagenesis class, and both have proven to be pretty challenging. but i guess that's the point. next semester i will take immunology and a grad-level biochemistry of nucleic acids... so as you can imagine i am really looking forward to the summer.

outside of school life has been... well... let's just say it has been. i started my riding routine again and have lost 5 pounds ( (:  ). i'm only back up to about 17 mi 3 times a week, but thursday i plan to bump that to 19 miles with a 24 mi ride on saturday. i forgot just how much i really missed cycling!

i' not sure what to write about.

well, for starters, i bought this amazing solid wood cherry desk secondhand off of craigslist.com. wanna know how much i paid for it? $200. yep, that's it. and it is solid wood; the thing probably weighs close to 350-400 lbs. what a steal, huh? and what a blessing. my home office is off to a good start. (:

i have an engagement party to attend next weekend (Feb. 7th). it is mardi gras themed, so it should be fun. and we don't have to dress up too much, so i can wear nice jeans and a nice top, which keeps me from having to shell out moola for a new dress. it's drew's cousin who is getting married, and drew is in the wedding. that side of the family is always fun to be around, too.

i am going skiing in new mexico next month (Feb.), too. i'm not sure how excited i am about this, though... i have never skiied before, and i should probably go ahead and mention that i am a huge klutz. i have broken both of my legs. no, really. okay, one i shattered in a car accident that was not my fault, but still... i am also tentative because, while i really enjoy doing outdoorsy things like hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, etc., i am pretty cautious by nature. i don't like extreme spped. i am terrified by heights (at least when i have no control over where my feet are going, like in a ski lift). i hate to be cold. and i am going skiing. hm. but everyone tells me i will love it, so i am determined not to pre-judge skiing before i do it at least three times. so we'll see. i'll let you know how it turns out. i'll probably be on here in a month spouting out the wonders and thrills of skiing. who knows.

school is... well, that's just it. school is. the same could be said for research. i am at a standstill for the moment.

i guess that about covers it. i am dying for chocolate. any kind of chocolate. oooooooooooooohhhhh... chocolate ice cream. now that would be fabulous.