Life at 3,000 mph

In a flash, March is already half gone. My experiment ended on the first of the month, and now begins the process of prepping samples and analyzing data. Time in the lab flies by amazingly fast while doing RNA isolations and some days I'm surprised if I manage to get anything else done, even just checking email. I'll finish up RNA work this week and then will start on qPCR to see if I can get any gene expression data out of all of these samples (gulp...).

I traveled to Jacksonville, AL last weekend to give a presentation for the regional SETAC meeting. The meeting was held in conjunction with the Alabama Academy of Sciences meeting and there were about 30 people who came to the platform talks. After several days of preparation and the inevitable pre-public speaking jitters, everything went well and people seemed interested in my mosquitofish work. I even got 1st place for the student presentations!

EAPSI information has been trickling in thus far; still nothing "official" from NSF but I heard from my adviser that my application was accepted by JSPS. Now with the devastating earthquake/typhoon I'm not sure how things are going to turn out; even with only three months until a (potential) departure to the other side of the world I'm still partially unsure of what's going to happen this summer. Seems like standard protocol at this point: be prepared for just about anything, and always keep a Plan B (or C or D) at hand. I'm going to DC for orientation in early April so maybe I'll find out some details then?

I've also got one month until the triathlon. I've been training 6-7 days per week; once the pool re-opens this week my schedule will be 3 days swimming, 2-3 days running, and 1 day biking. I'm kind of nervous but also exciting to do something completely new that will take me out of my exercise comfort zone. And only 2 months until vacation in Europe! We have flights and train tickets booked, just need to find some hostels and develop a preliminary itinerary.

So even though life is moving incredibly fast right now, I'm keeping my life in balance as well as I can. Time away from the lab or from triathlon training is spent on spiritual development by reading the Bible/attending church. I'm also working on maintaining better emotional wellness by doing the activities I enjoy the most like reading, photography, and spending quality time with Austin.

As always, life is crazy, but it's also crazy good. Just gotta keep on keepin' on...