What a wonderful weekend! This Friday, I went to the post-doc happy hour with Fanny, Irineu, William and Haydelise. Such a good time to catch up and talk about random things. Afterwards, I met up with Meera, Steph, Gary, Em, Neehan, Hearst, etc at Stout, on W. 33th Street between 6th Ave and 7th, for a multi-school happy hour. It was a cool place to grab a drink and talk to people. Around 7ish, I went a few blocks north and I met new people as I learned how to make Jamaican patties for Craig's birthday. We sampled Jamaican rum and watched Family Guy while eating Chipotle. Let me say that running on five hours of sleep is hardly enough to prevent dropping things and losing hand-eye-coordination with flour, lard and a food processor.
Saturday, I went to AMNH and ran PCRs and genotyped palm samples from Colombia. It was great to go out on the steps where the Teddy Roosevelt statue is and read the Forever War by Dexter Wilkins. It's really moving. Because the war is so removed from us, it's difficult to imagine what it would be like to hover in fear with each passing second. Bombs, fighter plans, bullets that seem to come from everywhere. [Today, NYT and BBC reported about a car bomb in Times Square that was caught before it detonated. I am shocked. I know we're living in a hostile time, but I've never felt unsafe in New York City. I take this security for granted.] Kenny came for a visit and we had brunch at the Sun-Burnt Calf on W. 79th between Amsterdam and Broadway. I had poached eggs with smoked salmon and avocado on a biscuit with Jameson on ice. The Australian bartender treated me to a second one, which was super nice. Then we went to a gelato place and got too much gelato. I always want sweets but then tell Kenny I don't want to go, but he insists. I resent that I give in, I need to have better self-control in eating unhealthy things in excess. We stopped by Rob's apt in Meatpacking before I met up with Jeremy to check out the paint color in his room. I went home and took a nap before going to Asian Pub at Cooper Square, McSorley's on E. 7th where we met a bunch of Brits celebrating a 37th birthday, Phebes on Bowery and E. 4th to meet up with Florine. It was so crowded so we hopped in a cab to Arlo and Esme on E. 1st between 1st and 2nd Ave. We finally met a bunch of Florine's dental school friends, which was a lot of fun. We walked to Pomme Frites on 2nd Ave and E. 7th St. and had some great fries with mango chutney and eggplant mayo. Sherman introduced us to a taste of Canada with Poutine. Good stuff.
Today was amazing. Meera and I went to SoHo to shop for bathing suits for our upcoming trip to the Carribean. I found a bright red one that would have been "radiant red" if it was in a Crayola box of crayons. I love it! Meera bought a few great pieces and we called it a day with mango Pinkberry on Spring St. and Lafayette. If I could do it over again, I would have left out the chocolate crisps from my cone and had a few more bites of mango frozen yogurt. So refreshing... it was just what the doctor ordered.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
doing what you want
It's incredible how people can make or break your day. Today my boss let me help out at the conference for which she is the chairperson. Seriously, I am actually excited to be the one to click through the PowerPoint slides; it allows me to attend!
http://www.dsls.usra.edu/meetings/sysradbio2010/
Flashback: sometime last month or so
I hesitantly walked into my principle investigator's office to discuss the end of my contract terms. William had cast doubt on my ability to leave for a summer program, but it was all up to our boss. I started off with, "Well Cary..." and she cut me off there by saying, "Don't plan for anyone else. What do YOU want to do?" It was amazing and very liberating. We talked about me leaving for Berkeley in late June and she was ok with that. And I started to forward to finishing up my time at my job to the best of my ability because I felt my boss really cared for my best interest as well as the entire lab's.
http://www.dsls.usra.edu/meetings/sysradbio2010/
Flashback: sometime last month or so
I hesitantly walked into my principle investigator's office to discuss the end of my contract terms. William had cast doubt on my ability to leave for a summer program, but it was all up to our boss. I started off with, "Well Cary..." and she cut me off there by saying, "Don't plan for anyone else. What do YOU want to do?" It was amazing and very liberating. We talked about me leaving for Berkeley in late June and she was ok with that. And I started to forward to finishing up my time at my job to the best of my ability because I felt my boss really cared for my best interest as well as the entire lab's.
Monday, April 19, 2010
how much did that cost?
i love hanging out with people. the company in itself is great, i am content to sit on the floor of someone's apartment or house and talk. no money used, and the time couldn't have been spent better. it's also fun to catch a movie, sip on a cup of coffee or grab brunch on a sleepy saturday afternoon, (like this past Saturday at Petite Abeille on 20th Street and 1st Ave with Jess - such delicious blueberry pancakes!). it hurts the wallet a little more; those long overdue catch ups can pile up fast. but during those times, it is so easy to brighten up someone's day, too. with the simple, "no, i got it." lately i've been doing that more. it's maybe an extra however many dollars, but i will assume that it brightened up that person's day, and that is worth more to me than the cost. especially when people do that for me all the time.
i went out with a friend in south williamsburg a couple weekends ago. he was just talking about how he had no job and was being frugal, but when we ordered our canned wheat beer, he insisted on getting it for me. it was so kind. it didn't cost much and i would have happily gotten it on my own, but the the gesture was so thoughtful.
this past weekend, i was in a cab with the usual group and my one friend asked if the cabbie had a glass of water. it was funny the way she asked. it was funnier that the driver told me, sitting in the navigator seat, to grab a bottle from the side door. she happily took the bottle and sipped her water. when i asked how much it was, he said not to worry about it. small gesture, but also grand.
and today, my parents came into the city to hang out in chinatown. i went to meet them after work and we were able to enjoy some food and conversation. my mom always insists on refilling my fridge; i don't think i would be as healthy without her (just kidding). the bag of vegetables, fruits and vermicelli didn't cost much, but knowing that she would take the time out of her day to buy me groceries and ensure i was eating enough means a lot... that even though i'm supposed to be independent, there is someone out there who is thinking of me and making sure i'm doing well.
i went out with a friend in south williamsburg a couple weekends ago. he was just talking about how he had no job and was being frugal, but when we ordered our canned wheat beer, he insisted on getting it for me. it was so kind. it didn't cost much and i would have happily gotten it on my own, but the the gesture was so thoughtful.
this past weekend, i was in a cab with the usual group and my one friend asked if the cabbie had a glass of water. it was funny the way she asked. it was funnier that the driver told me, sitting in the navigator seat, to grab a bottle from the side door. she happily took the bottle and sipped her water. when i asked how much it was, he said not to worry about it. small gesture, but also grand.
and today, my parents came into the city to hang out in chinatown. i went to meet them after work and we were able to enjoy some food and conversation. my mom always insists on refilling my fridge; i don't think i would be as healthy without her (just kidding). the bag of vegetables, fruits and vermicelli didn't cost much, but knowing that she would take the time out of her day to buy me groceries and ensure i was eating enough means a lot... that even though i'm supposed to be independent, there is someone out there who is thinking of me and making sure i'm doing well.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
just to remember an ordinary day.
Yesterday as I was going to the animal room to give the mice with blespharitis grape-flavored antibiotics and puralube on their eyes, I knew it was not going to be a day I will remember. There was nothing out of the ordinary. In the morning, I decanted the 10% formalin from the glass scintillation vials, rinsed the A1004 tissues with tap water and stored them in 70% ethanol. I labeled whole mount cassettes for Irineu's A0914_4 experiment. Then after lunch, we collected murine mammary fat pads to preserve in carnoy's solution. I labeled some tubes for RNA purification and planned my schedule for Monday's clonogenic assay preparation. By 4:30, I changed the A1004 whole mount cassettes from carmine dye to 70%, 90%, and 95% ethanol to dehydrate the tissue and eventually stored them in toluene.
I met up with Kenny and Ed at a bar for nachos and drinks around 53rd and 2nd Ave. We then went to Good Burger for real food. That vegetable burger was really good. After, we went to Crumbs and over-indulged ourselves with delicious cupcakes. As we walked down the street, Ed said something that was awesome without realizing it: That girl is too skinny. It was the kindest thing ever. In a superficial city, there are people out there who don't care about it.
However, that didn't prevent me from going to the gym.
I met up with Kenny and Ed at a bar for nachos and drinks around 53rd and 2nd Ave. We then went to Good Burger for real food. That vegetable burger was really good. After, we went to Crumbs and over-indulged ourselves with delicious cupcakes. As we walked down the street, Ed said something that was awesome without realizing it: That girl is too skinny. It was the kindest thing ever. In a superficial city, there are people out there who don't care about it.
However, that didn't prevent me from going to the gym.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
ohm.
sometimes i wonder what it takes to get peace of mind.
some of the people we meet are so self-content, it's admirable. i think i may have met a handful of people like that. my father and brother included. they remind me to take a deep breath and a step back from situations that are overwhelming to me. it's crazy when you have self-confidence, you unconsciously inspire it in others. they inspired me. and a few of my good friends now. there are people out there who accepts you just as you are, i've found them. it's wonderful. personally, i pick up on people's feelings easily and i know what to say when they need me to say it. for better or for worse, i can be sensitive. i've realized i can't expect all people to reciprocate because that people are different than me, with different ideas about human interaction. sometimes though, i meet people who do. i just wish i tell these people how much they mean to me more often.
then, there are the others, with whom it is difficult to maintain relationships. they are not satisfied with anything, and there is nothing you can do to help them realize that what they seek is unobtainable, what they seek is not worth trying to obtain. in high school, i used to be one of them. i used to want material things. i believed it made me worthy. luckily, i've grown out of that. i don't know how, but maybe it's just a vital part of growing up: to lose that insecurity that often walls you off from forming meaningful relationships. how many times have i hesitated because i didn't think i measured up? if i could turn back time, i can think of some things i could change. would i? probably not, the possible butterfly effect would not be worth changing what i do have. i love my life.
i shouldn't have drunken that coffee at 6 pm. i can't sleep. (but if you bring a travel mug to starbucks today, tax day, you can get free coffee! it's not in honor of tax day though, it's preparing us for earth day!)
Flashback:
November 2004. I had just gotten my license that August and got into my second car accident in three weeks (I know that sounds bad, but I haven't gotten into one since!!). I was so bummed, but Dan consoled me in health class when I was being super pessimistic and exclaimed dramatically that I was a failure. He pointed to his thick binder and said, "This could not hold all of the good things you've done." He was one of the few people I knew who always knew what to say to me. Then, around Christmas, he texted me and asked if I was home. When I said, I was, he asked why I didn't answer the door. There he was with a copy of, "The Voice of Reason", to get me through my angst-y time. I wonder if he is like that anymore because I haven't met anyone like him since.
some of the people we meet are so self-content, it's admirable. i think i may have met a handful of people like that. my father and brother included. they remind me to take a deep breath and a step back from situations that are overwhelming to me. it's crazy when you have self-confidence, you unconsciously inspire it in others. they inspired me. and a few of my good friends now. there are people out there who accepts you just as you are, i've found them. it's wonderful. personally, i pick up on people's feelings easily and i know what to say when they need me to say it. for better or for worse, i can be sensitive. i've realized i can't expect all people to reciprocate because that people are different than me, with different ideas about human interaction. sometimes though, i meet people who do. i just wish i tell these people how much they mean to me more often.
then, there are the others, with whom it is difficult to maintain relationships. they are not satisfied with anything, and there is nothing you can do to help them realize that what they seek is unobtainable, what they seek is not worth trying to obtain. in high school, i used to be one of them. i used to want material things. i believed it made me worthy. luckily, i've grown out of that. i don't know how, but maybe it's just a vital part of growing up: to lose that insecurity that often walls you off from forming meaningful relationships. how many times have i hesitated because i didn't think i measured up? if i could turn back time, i can think of some things i could change. would i? probably not, the possible butterfly effect would not be worth changing what i do have. i love my life.
i shouldn't have drunken that coffee at 6 pm. i can't sleep. (but if you bring a travel mug to starbucks today, tax day, you can get free coffee! it's not in honor of tax day though, it's preparing us for earth day!)
Flashback:
November 2004. I had just gotten my license that August and got into my second car accident in three weeks (I know that sounds bad, but I haven't gotten into one since!!). I was so bummed, but Dan consoled me in health class when I was being super pessimistic and exclaimed dramatically that I was a failure. He pointed to his thick binder and said, "This could not hold all of the good things you've done." He was one of the few people I knew who always knew what to say to me. Then, around Christmas, he texted me and asked if I was home. When I said, I was, he asked why I didn't answer the door. There he was with a copy of, "The Voice of Reason", to get me through my angst-y time. I wonder if he is like that anymore because I haven't met anyone like him since.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saying yes.
Yesterday, a man, seemingly of Eastern European descent was lost on 37th street. He had a presciption in hand as he asked me where the address on his hot pink post-it was located. I was walking that direction so I walked side-by-side with him. I didn't know what to say except a comment about the rain. We arrived on the street, but the number was nowhere to be found. We turned left and kept walking past an overshadowing residential building until what should appear: a little store front with the number on his post-it on its awning. He thanked me graciously. It was totally worth the discomfort of being in the wet, cold rain a bit longer than if I had gone straight to my building.
In the spirit of kindness to strangers, Cary and I had to use the autoclave machine to test out whether some surgical tools would rust. We went down to flights of stairs to ask for permission to use the lab's personal autoclave machine. The man in the lab made no fuss, and walked us to the room and showed us how to use it without even asking who we were. Now that is what I call scientific love.
Flashback:
April 2007. I remember our first day in Rome when Savita, Meera, Hana and I were unsure where we were. We couldn't find our hostel (it was off our map, go figure), and we had asked people but no one knew. Then we came up on this big, jovial looking middle-aged man. With our broken Spanish and his Italian, we managed to exchanged some words... maybe almost even communicated. He called his friends and asked on his mobile and then figured out where we were supposed to go. Then, hailing a cab, he threw 20 euro to the driver and directed him where to go. We arrived safe and sound, as the meter ended at 4.90 euro. Maybe that was why Italy was the best spring break ever. We started it off with a man willing to help four strangers, lost in what he knew as home, but what we saw as long foreign words and spaghetti.
In the spirit of kindness to strangers, Cary and I had to use the autoclave machine to test out whether some surgical tools would rust. We went down to flights of stairs to ask for permission to use the lab's personal autoclave machine. The man in the lab made no fuss, and walked us to the room and showed us how to use it without even asking who we were. Now that is what I call scientific love.
Flashback:
April 2007. I remember our first day in Rome when Savita, Meera, Hana and I were unsure where we were. We couldn't find our hostel (it was off our map, go figure), and we had asked people but no one knew. Then we came up on this big, jovial looking middle-aged man. With our broken Spanish and his Italian, we managed to exchanged some words... maybe almost even communicated. He called his friends and asked on his mobile and then figured out where we were supposed to go. Then, hailing a cab, he threw 20 euro to the driver and directed him where to go. We arrived safe and sound, as the meter ended at 4.90 euro. Maybe that was why Italy was the best spring break ever. We started it off with a man willing to help four strangers, lost in what he knew as home, but what we saw as long foreign words and spaghetti.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Here's to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Wait. Just listen. Open your mind to the possibility of it.
Sunday, the health care reform bill was passed. Not one republican representative voted for it, but I feel as though they were so adamant about not changing anything that they were missing out on being part of something incredibly monumental. There must be some political agenda at hand. There is no way the current system can stay in place, and the republicans must know that. According to data presented at a recent seminar at NYU Medical Center, given by Dr. Fisher from Dartmouth Medical School, health care costs will double by 2017. At it's current rate of increase, it can only go up.
What was that?
Insurance policies do not transfer over state lines? If your job provides health care or a subsidy, then you won't have much to worry about regardless of where you are. Insurance companies don't profit much? This past year, the top five insurance companies earned 56% MORE profit while insuring 2.7 million LESS people (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/11/business/la-fi-health-profits12-2010feb12). It just does not seem right. Costs will explode? We'll see. Obama's projected projected budget is $940 billion over ten years compared to the $2,300 billion US health expenditure in 2008 (A. Jack in London in today's edition of the Financial Times, page 3).
Keep yourself educated. You will be less gullible to scare tactics from anyone, like republicans, democrats, or even your own mother.
Despite it all, I don't know how I feel about it because it will affect my generation of medical school graduates. Who knows what the future will bring. I may experience a pay cut, despite the overwhelming medical school debt I will accumulate. I may see more patients than my wary body, mind, and soul can handle... but at least they will have access. Knowing that American citizens are covered will be better for us as a nation, both economically and physically. Emergency rooms are legally mandated to treat all patients, even if they do not have the means to pay. Who foots the bill? The American tax payers. Why don't we give them a chance to pay for their own care? Also - if we can start preventative care early, like exercise and eat healthily, maybe Americans won't be seen as overweight and obsessed with McDonald's in the international community. Maybe diabetes and heart disease won't be so prevalent. I don't mind defending my country (lord knows I defend New Jersey enough...), but the truth should speak for itself. Males in the United States should not be 69% overweight. Women in the United States should not be 52% overweight (http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?rgn=1&cat=2&ind=90). We should enjoy the convenience of modern living without suffering from the bad side effects of overindulgence and inactivity.
I got this from Meera's twitter, it shared a really great sentiment. http://i.imgur.com/590Ev.png
Sunday, the health care reform bill was passed. Not one republican representative voted for it, but I feel as though they were so adamant about not changing anything that they were missing out on being part of something incredibly monumental. There must be some political agenda at hand. There is no way the current system can stay in place, and the republicans must know that. According to data presented at a recent seminar at NYU Medical Center, given by Dr. Fisher from Dartmouth Medical School, health care costs will double by 2017. At it's current rate of increase, it can only go up.
What was that?
Insurance policies do not transfer over state lines? If your job provides health care or a subsidy, then you won't have much to worry about regardless of where you are. Insurance companies don't profit much? This past year, the top five insurance companies earned 56% MORE profit while insuring 2.7 million LESS people (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/11/business/la-fi-health-profits12-2010feb12). It just does not seem right. Costs will explode? We'll see. Obama's projected projected budget is $940 billion over ten years compared to the $2,300 billion US health expenditure in 2008 (A. Jack in London in today's edition of the Financial Times, page 3).
Keep yourself educated. You will be less gullible to scare tactics from anyone, like republicans, democrats, or even your own mother.
Despite it all, I don't know how I feel about it because it will affect my generation of medical school graduates. Who knows what the future will bring. I may experience a pay cut, despite the overwhelming medical school debt I will accumulate. I may see more patients than my wary body, mind, and soul can handle... but at least they will have access. Knowing that American citizens are covered will be better for us as a nation, both economically and physically. Emergency rooms are legally mandated to treat all patients, even if they do not have the means to pay. Who foots the bill? The American tax payers. Why don't we give them a chance to pay for their own care? Also - if we can start preventative care early, like exercise and eat healthily, maybe Americans won't be seen as overweight and obsessed with McDonald's in the international community. Maybe diabetes and heart disease won't be so prevalent. I don't mind defending my country (lord knows I defend New Jersey enough...), but the truth should speak for itself. Males in the United States should not be 69% overweight. Women in the United States should not be 52% overweight (http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?rgn=1&cat=2&ind=90). We should enjoy the convenience of modern living without suffering from the bad side effects of overindulgence and inactivity.
I got this from Meera's twitter, it shared a really great sentiment. http://i.imgur.com/590Ev.png
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