Various Updates

I didn't realize so much time had passed since my last post! These past few months have been quite eventful. Research is in full swing, our group is moving to a new campus in a couple of weeks, and free time is spent on recreation and relaxation.

Michelle and I spent a weekend in Sydney in early July for our anniversary. We visited the Australian Museum next to Hyde Park, spent a lot of time shopping and walking around, and enjoyed a few favorite haunts in the city.

My research project is still the same one I've been working on since about March this year. I've also been collaborating with other researchers on their projects and becoming more of a go-to guy in the lab. Currently I'm at a bit of a roadblock in my work, because the materials I'm making for cell culture are killing the cells when we try to culture them -- and I need something that doesn't kill cells. I've been reviewing scientific literature and have lots more ideas to try -- but those will have to wait a few weeks now, as our group is set to start packing for the move next week.

The new campus we are moving to looks extremely impressive. All the buildings are of very modern architecture, virtually all glass. That means lots of natural lighting, which will be a nice improvement over current conditions. I've got a desk right by a window. The campus is just a 5 minute walk from the beach. I'm looking forward to having that as a stress outlet during the day. We will be spending two weeks packing and disposing of old chemicals, followed by a week or so to move everything, then a week to unpack. That means work won't really resume until about September 1st (and that assumes no major hang-ups from the move).

On top of that I've been planning a trip to Boston for the whole month of October. I'll at Dartmouth working with Professor Paul Calvert. He attended the inkjet printing workshop we had last year and gave a nice presentation about his printer robot he built. The purpose of the trip is to learn all I can about this system he built and assess what it would take to build one for our group. It will be non-stop work all month, but I'll be able to add another chapter to my thesis from this project.

Despite all the demands on my schedule, I've still been able to easily fit in leisure. I got some new Salomon trail running shoes recently (thanks to friends in the States!), and tried them out this past weekend (they were great!). Michelle and I have been going for trail runs more often, and I'm noticing vast improvements in my endurance and strength. We also go to the gym for either a workout on equipment or swimming several nights a week. I'm also finally getting back into my guitar again after taking nearly a year off it. So basically we have a nice routine going that has a healthy balance of everything at the moment. (And I'll make sure the next post isn't so far out!)