We're gonna party like it's 19-99

Another day, another dollar. Or, I guess, another semester, another class... My first semester of graduate school is el fin and went quite well. Now, I'm onto semester numero dos, which is filled with the adventures of cancer epid, genetic epid, biostatistics, general epid (2nd semester), bacteriology/virology lab techniques, and capstone. I'm interviewing for summer lab work, and may have found a place in a laboratory working on mice being the model genetic organism. It sounds like great work. I'm also set to speak with a PhD student doing epigenetic research (assuming his grants go through) this week about a potential possibility.

Other than that, I'm still enjoying my time in school, as well as my weekends away from it. Last weekend, we had a "High School Party" at Kristin's parents' house, about 30 minutes north of Ann Arbor. It really was a lot of fun, and the party went all night, complete with preps, jocks, punks, and altie "kids" drinking cheap beer and cheesy '90s pop music. The following morning, Emily made French toast for all of us, and Kristin made this meal she learned when she was at school in Hawaii called "Loco Moco" -- rice with a ground beef patty on top, and an egg over easy atop that.

Here are some of Emily's pictures, since I have yet to upload mine to this internet-thing...

Andy, as Band Geek


Kristin, representing the River Rats


Me, with my hair in Mickey Mouse pig tails, wearing a character shirt


Look ma', no hands...
Andy and Steve, making me fly or something...


Samantha and Kellie dancing like madwomen

And we're only several miles from the sun

On January 8, 2008, it was 60+ degrees in Ann Arbor. The feet of snow were melted in most places, and we had our windows open and heat off. After school, I went on a walk through the ice and mud at Black Pond Woods Park, behind my apartment complex. Here are a few shots from my outing.


Standing under the arch


Atop a fallen tree


Wrapped around a tree


Snow melting to fog


Cecropia cocoons

Hey Joe, where ya' going with that gun in your hand?

Last weekend, Sam, Kellie, and I went to Trader Joe's to do some grocery shopping. While there, I couldn't help but notice the toddler sitting in his mom's cart who would scream loudly at random intervals throughout his mother's shopping trip. Toddlers are great in how they throw random temper tantrums. While down a certain aisle, the Death Cab song "When Soul Meets Body" came over the radio system. I was grooving a bit. The kid stopped his screaming and said, "Mommy... I like this song!"

It was pretty darn cute.

So this is the new year...

It came on my iPod while I was working in the crypts of the hospital today, and I find it appropriate since it is just post-New Year's beginning and all...

So this is the new year.
And I don't feel any different.
The clanking of crystal
Explosions off in the distance (in the distance).

So this is the new year
And I have no resolutions
For self assigned penance
For problems with easy solutions

So everybody put your best suit or dress on
Let's make believe that we are wealthy for just this once
Lighting firecrackers off on the front lawn
As thirty dialogs bleed into one

I wish the world was flat like the old days
Then I could travel just by folding a map
No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways
There'd be no distance that could hold us back.

There'd be no distance that could hold us back [x2]

So this is the new year [x4]


Death Cab for Cutie
"The New Year"