The End…and the Beginning May 18, 2009

So I finally finished my dissertation, got everything signed, and I graduated!  I am now officially a Ph.D.  I am still having to adjust to the idea, I guess I never really thought this day would come.  It has been such a long, long, very hard road.  I am kind of sitting around now wondering what to do with all of this free time!  Well, I am still working in lab for a few more weeks, so not tons of free time, but certainly more than I had.  I am actually on my laptop and not working on my dissertation.  I know my laptop is happy, it has been running much better since Friday!

Our next move is on to DC!  We are trying to sell our house, buy a new house, plan the trip, it never ends!  But I am excited about this new chapter in our life, it will be a huge move for both of us, and I think it will do us good.  We are finally getting started on our ‘real’ life (I CAN’T BELIEVE I AM NOT IN SCHOOL ANYMORE!!!), and that will bring a lot of things to pile up on top of everything else that is changing.  Isn’t life great?  At least it’s not boring!

Hopefully I will be keeping this blog up much better now that I have some spare time to breathe.  Keep checking it out, and please comment!  I love to see who all is reading, and keep in touch that way a bit.

NIH Here I Come! February 18, 2009

Well,  I didn’t post much about the decision making process because, well, there wasn’t much to post.  It was kind of obvious to the both of us that DC was the more appealing place for us to move to and start our family/my career.   Hubby feels as though the job market is a bit more promising around DC, they actually just laid off a bunch of teachers in Boston, so those teachers will probably be moving out towards Worcester looking for jobs.  It was also very interesting that in Worcester we didn’t see a lot of diversity.  That would definately be a drawback if we are going to be adopting from another country, and there is no lack of diversity in the DC area.  We are very excited about our move, and I will keep you all updated on the progress we make towards our moving day.

I am really excited about the lab that I will be moving to.  Right now I work with bacteria, but in my new lab I will be working on fertilization.  It is a huge leap to a new field, but one that I am ready to make.  I had once regretted not going into a reproductive biology program, but now that is behind me because I will be in a reproductive biology lab after all!  The project that interests me the most as of right now is working on fertilization more from the sperm side of things, as well as figuring out how only one sperm is allowed to fertilize an egg.  So cool!

I am trying to really buckle down now and get my dissertation moving.  I have to have successfully defended by May 1st to qualify for May graduation, which I suppose isn’t a huge deal as long as I am done in time to leave here by July.   Everyone has been super supportive of me while making this decision, and I really appreciate it.  I promise to remember you all when I am famous! :-0

First Impressions – Worcester February 5, 2009

They are important, regardless of what anyone says.  So I am trying to work on making my first impression good tomorrow, while trying  to analyze what mine is to Worcester.  It is very different than DC.  And way different than MO.  The country side is beautiful, lots of rolling hills, not so rolling hills, and snow.  I like snow.  The drive from Providence, RI was easy and beautiful.  There are tons of snow skiing shops here.

We drove around Worcester earlier this evening looking at some neighborhoods.  I got addresses off a website lising of homes for sale.  Lots of foreclosures.  They were all in pretty packed neighborhoods with lots of rental property, but so many of the houses are huge and gorgeous!  I love them!  The roads are all narrow and winding, and snow is piles up 2-3 feet deep on the sidewalks.  At some intersections you actually can’t see around the snow piles to check for oncoming traffic.  That must be why all the drivers just drive partway out into traffic before stopping at stop signs.  At least that is what I am telling myself.

The city itself is really interesting, a lot of the buildings are over 100 years old.  But it does have that ‘industrialized’ feel to it that makes you kind of feel like you are covered in soot.  I am looking forward to my meeting tomorrow so I can start comparing and contrasting to make my final decision.  Not too nervous, they have already offered me the job, mostly excited to see the facilities and talk science!  I am a dork!

It is nice to have internet here unlike DC, so I can actually make updates like this for everyone.  But I am getting a bit sleepy, here it is 7:30 and I have been up since 5am.  Plus traveling always wears me out.  Love you all, and I will keep you updated on any decision making progress.

Trip to DC January 28, 2009

It wasn’t exactly a vacation, but hubby and I did have a chance to go down to DC and walk around for an afternoon. We walked all around National Mall and the White House. Was hoping to see Obama, no luck but I blew him kisses anyhow. It is amazing walking through the streets to see so many different people from so many different countries there to see our nation’s capital.

I love DC. This was only my second time, but it is just so inspiring being there. Our nation was being run while we were walking around taking pictures. Not only that, but the monuments are awe-inspiring. To be at the Lincoln memorial and think about one man struggling not only to free a people from slavery but also trying to hold a crumbling country together by its seams. Reading quotes from Thomas Jefferson about how our country was founded on the inalienable right to freedom from oppression. Despite our founding fathers’ faith in Christianity they believed in the freedom of religion. They believed in the ability of a person to fulfill their destiny through hard work and perseverance, not through entitlement. If only people of today’s America would embrace the fact that we are not the world’s greatest nation just because, we are the world’s greatest nation because people dreamed of a country where they had opportunity to become whomever they wanted. And people fought and died to protect the right to strive for success through effort and intelligence, not through money and privilege.

Anyhoo, my interview at the NIH went well. I loved the campus and facilities, and the lab itself was pretty great. The people seemed very nice and I felt a good vibe while there. They even liked my talk! Hubby and I are going to UMass next weekend for a visit, then we will have to sit down and make our decision. Anyway we call it, we will be on the East Coast this summer. I am very excited, but also a bit nervous about being so far from family. Well, we all have to leave the nest sometime, right?

A Job Offer! January 14, 2009

Today I had my second phone interview with the lab in Worcester, MA.  They offered me a job!  I was very surprised, was not prepared to actually get an offer.  I really like them from what I know of them over the phone, and the work is pretty cool.  I am actually fairly shocked that anyone would want to hire me, but I think that is a common problem grad students have at this point in their career.  At least that has been my experience.

I have an interview at the NIH in Bethesda, MD January 26th.  The NIH would be exciting in that it would be a government job which has great benefits, as well as excellent training opportunites.  That and just the experience of being at the NIH (minutes away from the new Obama residence, SO EXCITING!).  After we get back from this trip it will be time to schedule the trip up to MA.  Hubbie will then be busy checking out local schools to see what will be available for him.

It is kind of an exciting time for us, with me finally finishing up my degree and looking for postdoc positions.  It will be a big move for us this summer, far away from our families for the first time, but I think both of us are looking forward to it.  Neither of us has ever lived outside of Missouri, I haven’t even lived outside of Columbia!  I will keep everyone updated on how things are going, so stay tuned!