This month is a twofer! Throwback Third Thursday (#tbtt) looks back to last week when I reused my formal dress from my sophomore year of college (left) to dress up as pre-Fairy Godmother Cinderella for the opening of Disney's Cinderella (right)! Sometimes it totally pays off that I'm a pack rat that doesn't get rid of anything remotely costumey.
Tomorrow I am attending the International Plant and Animal Genome Conference XXIII (fondly referred to as PAG by those attending). And it's not only exciting because it's my first big conference and I will be there with a bunch of wonderful people from the Genetics program at Texas A&M but it is in San Diego and I am presenting my first graduate level poster! People are going to get their first official look at my research then I get to go home to mom and dad when I'm done. It's like the 1997 Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair all over again but instead of "The Color Attraction of Mice" I will be presenting on African lions in "Genetics and Genomics: Powerful Tools for Wildlife Conservation" (Oh how times have changed). It's a brand new year and I am starting it off with a bang. This poster represents the next big stage of my graduate career and the beginning of what I know is going to be a successful year. I am finished with my classes so now I can really focus on my research, prelims and making sure I don't get sick while doing it. I can't wait! My level of excitement cannot be measured by conventional means.... Genetic modification along with their recurring theme of de-extinction.... CAN'T WAIT!
Remember that time when I was the asshole on crutches who's car died blocking the entrance to the parking garage. Oh wait, that was today! Apparently I'm in the middle of a bit of a streak of bad luck. Along with my ASO titer rising, I hurt my foot having too much fun at a wedding putting me on crutches for the past two weeks. Then, this morning, I had a conveniently inconvenient inconvenience waiting to get into the Central Campus Garage. To get into this garage, you have to go through a gate. When the garage is full (which it always is before my class which is located next door and, therefore, the most convenient place to park when you're on crutches and don't have a handicap parking pass) the gate will not open until a handful of cars have left, not as each vehicle leaves the garage opening a new spot. Well, I got to the gate in plenty of time to wait for the wave of students to leave from class which opens the gate at around 10:30am for approximately 20 cars (I've missed it the past few classes and had to park at the University Garage which means crutching half-way across campus, which is totally for the birds and I wasn't going to endure that again). It was just before 10am and I was third in line so I turned off my truck to wait. At 10:13am I went to turn my truck back on and..... nothing. Tried again..... NOTHING! Well, shit. I promptly called AAA and my wonderful bosses/fatherly-figures/saviors-during-my-compiling-ailments-in-CS and it was a race for who could get to me first to give me a jump before the gate opened and I became "the asshole." I got out of my truck and knocked on the windows of everyone behind me, telling them about my predicament and apologizing profusely. I got one "bless your heart" but mostly vacant stares. Luckily, there was just enough room between my truck and the pillar for people to squeak by once the gate opened and the AAA guy got there in just enough time to jump my car and get me through the gate before it closed again! Did I mention that I already had an appointment to take my truck in for an oil change and inspection tomorrow? Looks like I'll be adding a battery change to the list.
|