Limerick?

(Yes I realize this entry is backdated. But it makes it easier to keep up with things I did each day by doing so. Just a disclaimer before I start.)

Another full day of work today. It really wasn't all that bad. The main goal for today was to finish DNA extractions on the remaining E. coli isolates so we can start PCR-ing to find antibiotic-resistance genes as soon as possible. The E. coli we're using, by the way, come from an assortment of sites around Galway, from rivers to lakes, and even hospital effluent. So, no, they don't come from Supermac's (yet).

I also got to put my micro skills to work when we had some isolates grow on CLED plates (for purity tests) that were not pink. We pulled out the API strips, which are used for rapid identification of a bacteria, and set them up for each isolate to see whether or not we really had E. coli. I've seen one done before in lab, but today I got to set up 6. It was nifty...we'll see what happens tomorrow. Sarah and I got out early from the lab, which was nice, and we rode back in the rain.


I headed into town to meet up with a friend and we walked around for a bit before he said that I simply had to see Limerick and its university. So, we took a bus. The ride was a bit long, but it was worth it, I think. The university is huge (10,000 people, but that's massive for Ireland), spacious, and full of brand-new buildings. The student accommodations put American ones to shame. Their REC is also massive, and has one of Ireland's two 50m pools (Olympic Size). Pretty nifty.


We ate at a hotel restaurant afterwards, where I got a roast of bacon and potatoes with white sauce (gravy). It was pretty darn good. I keep forgetting, though, that Irish bacon is not the same thing as American bacon. It's more like ham, but has a hint of corned beef taste (I don't know how else to describe it...). We drove around the city a bit after that, stopping by to see the Shannon River - the longest river in Ireland - which runs along the edge of the buildings. The scenery really reminded me of Kentucky...perhaps this picture explains it better than words. It was really nice.


The ride back up was rough...just exhausting. Probably shouldn't go out on a work night (lol) again, but it was a good trip. Gotta see as much of this island as I can! I need to go back to Limerick, though, and explore more. I really wanted a picture of the skyscrapers (yes, it's a big city! wasn't expecting that) next to the river. We'll have to go another weekend. Well, I'm exhausted, so bedtime!