On transitions...

Being involved in academia yields a yearly reflection around the end of August as the warm summer months cool into the beginning-of-the-school-year fall. As yet another year ticks off the calendar, I realize that I have been in school for 19 years. A long, long time if you ask me. Many things have changed along the way, most noticeably in my friend group. Several friends took the plunge and got married, one of my closest friends is having a child, and several others have finished up and moved on to other institutions.

I'm feeling old.

But, slowly I have begun to accomplish things as well. Working on getting my first publication out as well as taking a major milestone exam on my birthday this fall. I am also now head of our graduate student organization, training for marathons, and possibly moving to Europe in the spring. Life is busy.

I guess my year of distraction is ending, I am beginning to focus on what I want out of grad school and life in general. If you are just starting out in grad school, there are many blogs and books written about a successful PhD or masters experience. However, in my experience and witnessing my friends triumphs and tribulations, I can tell you that each experience is unique. Seems like a cop out answer, but the experience you have in grad school depends on department, location, advisor, friend group, research focus, etc.

If you are looking for broad advice, the best you are going to get is that the experience will surely challenge and try to break you. A balance between personal issues and academic will continuously be challenged. Overall, if you enter grad school directly out of undergrad, you will experience many pains of growing intellectually as well as just simply maturing into your mid-twenties. If you come back after entering the workforce, you have to strike a balance between advancing in academics and starting a family. The pursuit of a degree is highly time consuming and at times, mentally exhausting.

So why do it?

Because I am in the process of publishing a paper, prepping for a marathon, and maybe moving to Europe shortly. In essence, it is a part of me now, and I would not change my experience, the good, the bad, and the ugly, for anything in the world. Once you reach that peace, you know you are where you are supposed to be.

Meerkats, Penguins, and Zoos

When I travel, I enjoy visiting the local zoos. I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Seattle last week and snuck away to visit the Woodland Zoo in the Northern suburbs of Seattle (a long walk). I am always interested to see how the animals are displayed differently. Two of my favorites to visit happen to be the meerkats and the penguins.

Meerkats

The right image is of Seattle, the left is of London. Note, you are able to get incredibly close to the meerkats in the London zoo whereas in the Seattle Zoo, you stand behind Plexiglas. Interesting.



Penguins

Again, Seattle is on the right and London on the left. The Seattle zoo had a much better penguin display. You can even view them swimming as below.

Logic Gates

Summer and science
Not clash nor needless thoughtless
Summer xor science

Chinese Fold Out Print

Ithaca NY is famous for the plentiful and eccentric used book and clothing stores found on the Ithaca Commons and elsewhere scattered throughout Tompkins County. I personally frequent Autumn Leaves myself and often am surprised at what I find. Being a pseudo local, I have had the opportunity to collect a good portion of graphic novels, science fiction, records (from the now dubbed Angry Mom records), odd old magazine clippings (a friend and me sat through laughing at how sexist, racist, and obnoxious our society used to be, imagine when future generations look back at us!), and numerous, numerous books. One of my most recent finds was a Chinese Print. When outstretched, the image is about twenty feet long and depicts an average day in the life of local Chinese residents along a river. Overall, an awesome find. If you ever are interested in finding unique items, look up a local used bookshop in your neighborhood and stop by. You never know what you may find...

Godspeed is Reuniting!

In case you haven't heard, the great experimental band "Godspeed You Black Emperor" (put the ! wherever you see most appropriate)!!!

Ithaca Gun Hill

  

My goal this afternoon was to hike part of Fall Creek here in Ithaca, NY. A good way to spend a hot and humid Fourth of July. It is also part of my overarching goal to hike the four major gorges that are in Ithaca before I relocate to somewhere new. However, today was met with frustration.

Fall Creek is the longer of the creeks that flow that cuts through the Ithaca area.  The watershed cuts through the Fall Creek Neighborhood downtown (aptly named) and continues eastward through Cornell's main campus, Dryden, McClean, and stretches all the way to Cortland, NY.  During heavy rainstorms, the marquee waterfall here, Ithaca Falls, becomes a spectacular to watch.  A great location to view the natural wonder is right across from the local Townie bar the Creeker.


However, Ithaca Falls and the Creeker share an uncharacteristic neighbor, especially for Ithaca.  The noisy neighbor is the old Ithaca Gun Hazardous Waste Site.  I happened to stumble into it while looking for a path to continue my gorge trek and I must say, it is a mess.

  

The empty shells are contributing heavy metal contamination to the local area. So, the next time you are thinking about enjoying a quick stroll or swim through the Fall Creek/Ithaca Falls area, just remember the mess that sits on top of that hill. Maybe one say it will be cleaned...

Woods Hole - Cape Cod

Sometimes you get to escape. Sometimes you get to escape, learn about metagenomics, hangout with friends, and see whales for the first time in your life. Sometimes you just can't complain about anything.