anticipation

So today is the first day of classes.

I spent last week in Spokane on a retreat where everyone (grad students, faculty, post docs and lab techs) from the School of Molecular Biosciences got together to listen to speakers, from the school and not, and to get to know each other a little better. Overall, it was good times: nice hotel, wine, good speakers. The first night ended with the 1st and some 2nd years checking out some of the Spokane nightlife. I know a chuckle is in order, but don't laugh because we actually ended up at a cute bar which was actually to my liking, called Zolas. Stylish, with its lantern lights and cozy corners where people could sit and talk, or play cards, as some did. Dancing also ensued. Of the people I've met-- I like them. There are definitely some characters, which I can only hope will keep things interesting--in a good way.

One thing that was quite worrisome, is that of the 15 or so 2nd years that started out last year, only 8 remain. When I inquired about the situation, one of the surviving 2nd year said gravely, 'PASS YOUR CLASSES...'. Not that I thought the classes would be easy by any means, I didn't think they would have the same odds of passing as the Black Death.

Also, a student mentioned that Pat Hunt:
a) the amazing scientist who put together that Bisphenol A, a chemical known to be in plastic, can result in infertility (that you hear all about in the news stories-->see b)
b) who, because of the news stories, received a call from Nicole Richie (of all people) because she was concerned about her baby--seriously, like Bisphenol A was the first thing she was worried about?
c) who, because of the impact of her study, was awarded with Scientific American's Top 50 Researchers of 2007 (http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=sciam-50-2007),
d) who I really REALLY wanted to work with when I originally applied to WSU,
e) and thus, who I am starting my first rotation with,
has a 'sink or swim' mentoring style. It's a little intimidating, coming from a lab where my PI was a little more of a 'coach' mentor style. So there really is only one option-- swim. Mary Hunzicker-Dunn, another really prominent reproductive biologist reminds me a lot of Dr. Young, so I may try her lab for my second rotation. Her work revolves around cell signaling in ovarian cells. It's always a good thing to learn signal transduction techniques.

So here I am, sitting outside the classroom before it starts with all this going through my head. Sort of one of those 'first days of the rest of your life' kind of moments. I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited, or scared. But I'm ready for it. I think.

ps- my camera is on its way.

Los Angeles, CA to Pullman, WA (1,216 mi)

So, I've been in Pullman for a solid week. I don't really have that much to report. But for those that are wondering, here's a very quick recap:

Wednesday, August 6th
Left LA. Got to Pullman, with family in tow. It's about 2 minutes from the airport to my apartment. Which isn't surprising because in Pullman, anywhere is about 2 minutes from anywhere else. Got my keys to my place. Checked it out thoroughly. I have to say... it's pretty sweet. I was also particularly psyched about my old fridge and stove. And I actually don't mean that sarcastically. I really liked that they were olive green and from the 1970s. My soft spot for old things is probably going to be detrimental and some point. Keep that in mind.
First thing was first after getting my keys-- find a bed that could be delivered today. When that was done, went shopping for essentials i.e. food and miscellaneous stuff like ziploc bags and dish washing soap. Of course the only places to go are ShopKo and Walmart. Of which we went to the latter. Don't tell my dad.

Thursday, August 7th
Went through the myriad of tasks when one moves into a new place. Went shopping for all the miscellaneous items you don't think you need until you need them. Started unpacking the majority of my stuff. Lined all my closets with contact paper. I also successfully assembled a floor lamp. Went to Costco in nearby Clarkston. Which is side by side its neighboring city, Lewiston. Clarkston, is in Washington, while Lewiston is in Idaho. Why Lewis and Clark didn't want to be in the same state is beyond me. But they are separated by the very pretty Snake River. Maybe they both wanted a piece of it, without one being upstream of the other. I know. I analyze a bit. Bought 2 important things from Costco. A fan, it was so hot when we first moved in and more food.

Friday, August 8th
Yard sales early in the morning. Found my first piece of furniture besides my bed, a skinny side table with nesting bench and little stool. Also bought an iron and an ironing board. Which I needed. Badly. All of my clothes are completely crunched and wrinkled from the journey. My aunt came in from Seattle in the afternoon, it was nice to see her. She also bought me a bunch of goodies from IKEA. Desk lamp, table lamp, comforter and cover, clothes hanger, candles according to my aunt, 'for when your electricity goes out', kitchen stuff, knives, cutting board, glasses which I thought were a LOT bigger when I asked for them, they're more like large shot glasses, dishes, utensils, etc. Spent Friday night at the hotel my aunt was staying at, right across the street from my apartment, watching the opening ceremony of the olympics. I still can't get over the fact there were people in those moving square pegs, for people who saw it.

Saturday, August 9th
More yard sales, about 7 in total. Down the road from me was a farm having a yard sale. They let me pet their pig. ended all arguements about Pullman being, well, one big farm, that has a really good school dropped in the middle. Bought a computer chair for $1. Yes, $1. And its an awesome chair. Also bought a white board for $2. At the 3rd house I fell in love with this great trunk that the person there sold to me for $50. I couldn't haul it myself so they were willing to drop it off for me. Long story short, schmuck calls me back and said they changed their mind about selling it. I was pretty heartbroken to say the least. It was an amazing piece. I now have a vendetta to find something even more cool.
Also got my internet situation under control. I now have unlimited access. Anytime. Anywhere. Thanks Aunt Judy. It's changed my life. :) Also, my car got delivered! YAY! Unpacked everything I had in there, an ottoman, more clothes, dishes, towels, books, some of my art supplies and pictures from home.

Sunday, August 10th
Went to a church in the morning. Lots of white people, just short of 200 people, which is a change from my not-so-many, Chinese church back home. Pullman's not short on churches, so we'll see if I end up going back there. Overall I did like it, the people were very friendly, and it had a mix of old, in between, and really young which is nice to see. Said goodbye to my aunt, who left back to Seattle. We spent the night putting together a kitchen table and four chairs. THEN... the refridgerator incident. We took an ice cream break to realize that the ice cream was completely melted! My fridge was not working. So, quick thinking, my apartment manager helps us move all our food into the apartment next door that hadn't been moved into yet.

Monday, August 11th
7am. My fridge is pronounced dead. The maintanance guy tried fixing the breaker in the wall, as well as the fuse, and it still didn't work. He popped in a new fridge, and wah la. It works. I was sad, which you can understand if you can recall my adoration for it. Now the stove is lonely. I hope it will be kind to the new fridge. He can't help being new. For those who are reading, this is sort of what being alone in Pullman has done to me. Stoves talking to fridges... but then again. It's not really something I would have never said either.

Said goodbye to mom, Kev, and Aunt Sara. I don't know what I would have done if I had gotten here by myself. Much scarier probably. I was glad to have had the time with them that I did.

Tuesday, August 12th
Went to the DMV to get my WA State Driver's license. Which was a bust. Apparently you need to prove you live here to get one. Which I couldn't really do, since a lease didn't cover it, and I didn't have any other documents that were on their list. A concealed weapons permit would have done it. Darn. I didn't think of bringing my .45. Went furniture shopping, fell in love with this adorable store in Moscow, ID (8 miles from Pullman). It was called Now and Then, and had a bunch of cool vintage furniture, most of it I couldn't afford, but it was great fun looking around at old vanity tables, glass milk bottles, and old 1920s love letters they were selling for a dollar each. On the way home found this really sweet chair for $8 at the Goodwill store.

So if you are keeping score of the furniture I have-- a bed, a table, a bench, a stool, an ottoman, a chair, a kitchen table and four chairs, and 3 lamps.

Wednesday, August 13th
Didn't do very much of anything that day. Cleaned up mostly. Did laundry. Watched a bunch of tv online. Started setting up this blog. Emailed people about furniture they listed on craigslist. That's about it. Turned in early so I could wake up early for the auction they were having. See below.

Thursday, August 14th
Went to an auction the school was having for old school property. It was way cooler than I thought it'd be. They had so much stuff. The normal stuff you would think of when you think of school i.e. desks, tables, chairs, computers, etc. But they had tons of other stuff like cars, kitchen equipment, even animals. What intrigued me were just the random wierd things you want for the sake of having them. For example, they had a light box you use to view x-rays, a popcorn machine, and a polygraph machine (it sold for $15) and I totally regretted not bidding on it right after. How fun would that be at a dinner party? ;) It's going on tomorrow too, and I may go back for a couch I liked and an old lab desk I'm thinking of using as an art/work table. Since they won't deliver it, I'm not sure how I'll get either into my apartment, but I'm working on a solution.
Went back to the DMV and got my drivers license. I was lucky enough to have gotten a piece of mail from my electric company that made the cut. They hole-punched my Cali ID. I'm sorta sad about that, but it doesn't really matter. I will always be Californian. That'll definitely hold up whenever winter comes around. I also registered to vote. Today was rather productive.

Writing this has made me realize I need a camera. Bad. It's on the list.