This and that

Haste Street, on the Feast of St. Medericus

A very happy birthday to serendip! 언니 생일 축하해~!

Turned in my rotation request form today. I ended up including a structural biology lab (of all things!) rather than another developmental biology lab. I'm not exactly sure why--I emailed the professor on a whim as well. They study RNA interference though, which I think is fascinating.

Well, my undergrad thesis advisor did tell me that I ought to try at least one rotation in a lab that does something completely different from anything I'm used to, on the premise that it can't hurt to try new things. Maybe if I screw up my courage, I could try a rotation in one of those hard-core biophysics labs that use optical tweezers and single-molecule techniques. I'd probably feel really stupid, but I think the methods would be really cool to learn.

It's been interesting meeting with different professors and getting to hear their perspectives on how to do science and what makes for good science. It convinces me all over again that I came to the right place for grad school. Was very impressed by one (very famous) professor who apparently still does bench work in his lab, alongside his students. That's the kind of researcher I'd want to be if I ever get to that stage.

Also, I finally have a full bogu set. My dou and tare came this morning to go with the men and kote I ordered last year. Once I get settled into a lab, I need to figure out which dojo to go to. I'd like to go to the Berkeley one, because it's close to campus, but unfortunately the evening seminar for first-year grad students overlaps with their practice times. -_- Oh well, I'll figure it out somehow.

In other news, I can't seem to write these days. I wouldn't call it writer's block exactly, since I think it has more to do with the whirl of moving to a new place and starting grad school than anything else. Hope it breaks soon because I still haven't started my blind_go fic. >_>

Yours &c.