So last night ended up being a lot of fun. Had a blast hanging out with people, talking, and all that jazz. Got to experience the late-night madness of Supermac's - with tons of drunk rowdy people pushing and shoving. We decided to get kebab's instead, then took a cab back to our apartment and fell asleep.
We slept in late Saturday and then spent a few hours searching for somewhere to go. No luck, really, so I was pretty frustrated when we decided to just go shopping in town. Marit, Oein, and I went and we walked around shopping. I got a book, but that was about it. Trying my hardest to finish the 5th and 6th Harry Potter books before Friday. Hopefully I can do it.
Oein ended up having some family stuff to deal with back home, so Marit and I saw him off at the bus stop and then headed to Monroe's for more pizza. It was really good, yet again. We made plans to try to get people out to see the live music one night this coming week.
After getting back to the apartment and hanging out for a while, Ruth and Bryan came over and invited us to go watch movies at their place. Dani, Josh, and I joined them, and we watched Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill: Vol. 1, both by Tarantino. I love Kill Bill...but was not a fan of the other movie. Couldn't determine a point. Ah well. It was quick to sleep after that, with hopes of going up to Crough Patrick (St. Patrick's Mountain) and climbing it in the morning. Should be great!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Changing Plans
Today was filled with excitement for my upcoming trip. I was supposed to go to Dublin and then Belfast with my friend Oein. We were going to stay with his friends on Friday and then have a hostel on Saturday. So all through work, I was ready for it, excited about it, making plans.
We started off by checking our Pulsed-Field Gels. We stained it for half an hour, then de-stained for an hour, and put it into the camera to look. It looked really, really weird. We really don't know what happened...but we think it might have been the heat in the room (since there's no AC...and it was really hot this morning). It was really sad, actually. But Sandra was really encouraging, and said we'd try it again next week. Hopefully it works.
Over the course of the day, our plans for the weekend shifted and changed probably once every half hour. It was unbelievably frustrating. By the end of the day, we'd elected to stay in Galway and try for a day trip on Saturday. I had a promise of going out tonight as well, so I guess that was okay.
If something good did come out of it, though, it was going to the BBQ that the UREKA program was putting on. There was tons of food and we had a lot of fun, despite changes in plans. I hung out with everyone in the program, even the professors, chatting and having a good time. After that, we headed back to our apartments and relaxed/got ready for the evening's festivities.
Some of the kids in our complex threw a toga party that night, so we helped the girls put on togas and watched the fun for a while. Now, though, we're about to head to town and go clubbing. It should be a lot of fun, hopefully. Cheers!
Random Irish Info: They're not called "paper towels", but kitchen towels here!
We started off by checking our Pulsed-Field Gels. We stained it for half an hour, then de-stained for an hour, and put it into the camera to look. It looked really, really weird. We really don't know what happened...but we think it might have been the heat in the room (since there's no AC...and it was really hot this morning). It was really sad, actually. But Sandra was really encouraging, and said we'd try it again next week. Hopefully it works.
Over the course of the day, our plans for the weekend shifted and changed probably once every half hour. It was unbelievably frustrating. By the end of the day, we'd elected to stay in Galway and try for a day trip on Saturday. I had a promise of going out tonight as well, so I guess that was okay.
If something good did come out of it, though, it was going to the BBQ that the UREKA program was putting on. There was tons of food and we had a lot of fun, despite changes in plans. I hung out with everyone in the program, even the professors, chatting and having a good time. After that, we headed back to our apartments and relaxed/got ready for the evening's festivities.
Some of the kids in our complex threw a toga party that night, so we helped the girls put on togas and watched the fun for a while. Now, though, we're about to head to town and go clubbing. It should be a lot of fun, hopefully. Cheers!
Random Irish Info: They're not called "paper towels", but kitchen towels here!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Pizza and Potter
I'm getting used to everything at work, and it all fits into my usual rotation. PCR, run a gel, repeat. Today, though, was the big preparation of Pulsed-Field. I got to try out my plugs (cut them up and ran them with enzymes to digest the DNA) and make the gels. Sandra and I placed the gel in the containers and set up the 20 hour run. Hopefully it works!
I'm pretty sure the next thing on my list of things to do will be integrons. Integrons are basically carriers for genes that can move from one organism to another, inserting themselves into the new organism's DNA. It is thought that they are a major cause of multiple antibiotic resistance in bacteria. So that should be interesting, for sure.
After work, we were invited to go get pizza with the girls from the lab at Monroe's. I believe you suggested it to me a while ago, Aunt Laura. It's a really large pub, that has live music at nights, and then has a little pizza shop. The food was fantastic! We had an excellent time laughing and enjoying our pizza!
At around 6:30, Marit and I walked to the Galway Shopping Centre to the Omniplex to catch Harry Potter at 8PM. We met up with the others (Ruth, Bryan, Niamh, Dave, and Josh) at the theater and got decently good seats. The movie was fantastic! I was really impressed, and enjoyed it a whole lot. Bryan, Marit, and I walked home afterwards, discussing the books and all that jazz. It was good fun.
Once we got back, we just hung around for a bit and then I went to bed. Yay for good days!
Another, long overdue Irish saying: "go away" is used like "you're kidding". It took me a long while to get used to...cause it sounds like someone is just telling you to get lost. lol. But it's kinda fun and growing on me now!
I'm pretty sure the next thing on my list of things to do will be integrons. Integrons are basically carriers for genes that can move from one organism to another, inserting themselves into the new organism's DNA. It is thought that they are a major cause of multiple antibiotic resistance in bacteria. So that should be interesting, for sure.
After work, we were invited to go get pizza with the girls from the lab at Monroe's. I believe you suggested it to me a while ago, Aunt Laura. It's a really large pub, that has live music at nights, and then has a little pizza shop. The food was fantastic! We had an excellent time laughing and enjoying our pizza!
At around 6:30, Marit and I walked to the Galway Shopping Centre to the Omniplex to catch Harry Potter at 8PM. We met up with the others (Ruth, Bryan, Niamh, Dave, and Josh) at the theater and got decently good seats. The movie was fantastic! I was really impressed, and enjoyed it a whole lot. Bryan, Marit, and I walked home afterwards, discussing the books and all that jazz. It was good fun.
Once we got back, we just hung around for a bit and then I went to bed. Yay for good days!
Another, long overdue Irish saying: "go away" is used like "you're kidding". It took me a long while to get used to...cause it sounds like someone is just telling you to get lost. lol. But it's kinda fun and growing on me now!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Hump Day! Halfway to Friday!
With our Journal Club done, there's really not much left for the summer except writing up our reports. I think we're supposed to get details on that sometime this week. Today in the lab, though, I worked with Sandra again on setting up our Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis experiment. We did some more Pulsed-Field work, and should set it all up to run tomorrow night. Exciting!
We walked into town for lunch today, since it was nice out, and took our food and sat by the river. I wish it would be sunny every day! But it loves to rain here in Galway. And, of course, once I finished with work it was pouring outside. I biked part of the way into town and ran into my friend Oein. We decided to walk and find a place to get tea, since we were cold and wet. He made me put milk into my tea...and sadly enough, now I'm addicted! I didn't think I'd ever do it, but I did. So I apologize, Allie, for picking on you before! I'll drink tea with milk with you anytime!
After that, I headed home in the semi-dry weather and stopped at a tacqueria called "La Salsa" because I was craving some Mexican food. I got a really good quesadilla, but I still miss Acapulco and all the other great places in Baton Rouge!! Can't wait to get back to cheese dip! YUM! My roommates and I just spent the rest of the rainy afternoon/evening lounging around and watching Brothers and Sisters. Man, I love that show. My favorite episode even came on tonight! The one with the charity ball - I just love all the great lines in that show. Once that was over, we all just drifted back to our rooms and off to sleep. Work every day just wears on you. Ah well. Goodnight!
We walked into town for lunch today, since it was nice out, and took our food and sat by the river. I wish it would be sunny every day! But it loves to rain here in Galway. And, of course, once I finished with work it was pouring outside. I biked part of the way into town and ran into my friend Oein. We decided to walk and find a place to get tea, since we were cold and wet. He made me put milk into my tea...and sadly enough, now I'm addicted! I didn't think I'd ever do it, but I did. So I apologize, Allie, for picking on you before! I'll drink tea with milk with you anytime!
After that, I headed home in the semi-dry weather and stopped at a tacqueria called "La Salsa" because I was craving some Mexican food. I got a really good quesadilla, but I still miss Acapulco and all the other great places in Baton Rouge!! Can't wait to get back to cheese dip! YUM! My roommates and I just spent the rest of the rainy afternoon/evening lounging around and watching Brothers and Sisters. Man, I love that show. My favorite episode even came on tonight! The one with the charity ball - I just love all the great lines in that show. Once that was over, we all just drifted back to our rooms and off to sleep. Work every day just wears on you. Ah well. Goodnight!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Journal Club
This morning, we got up and headed in to work early to set up for our Journal Club. Unfortunately, I awoke to the sounds of an irritated roommate, after Dani and I made changes to the power point. It was quite frustrating...since we know how to make a power point presentation, and that you don't put full sentences on the slides. But alas, Sarah was quite upset. I think I might have succeeded in convincing her that we didn't really change anything - she could still stay all her stuff.
Anyways, so we got to the Bacteriology Building, set up the presentation, and began once everyone had arrived. It was quite nerve-wracking, especially since I didn't feel as prepared as I would have liked to be, and I didn't like the article at all. I found it rather boring, actually. But it turned out really well. We didn't stumble too much, and even started a long discussion on antibiotic resistance in animals that lead to Martin having an idea to start a new branch of research. Haha. Ironic, but definitely comforting. At least it's over.
Since I had streaked out isolates yesterday, Sandra and I got to making plugs for Pulsed-Field today. It wasn't too hard - I'd seen it before - but definitely interesting. The gross part was suspending the bacteria. There was sooo much in the tube!! We took that and added it to agarose, which made solid, bacterial plugs (I called them bacterial jell-o; ew). After they had solidified, I set them to lyse and wash, then stored them overnight to be loaded onto a gel tomorrow. Not too bad...but it took quite a while.
When I got home, I took a nap, because I was so exhausted. I feel like that every day, really, but I guess I usually avoid taking naps at LSU. Mostly because I won't want to get up afterwards. I made dinner after that, and we all just hung around watching TV again. It was the usual Simpsons and Friends, so that was fun. Woo hoo!
Now it's time for me to deal with crappy internet and get to bed. Cheers!
Just an aside from a previous Irish term - "your man" is used when you talk about men, of course, but when you refer to a female, you use "your one". It makes sense, really, but interesting nonetheless!
Anyways, so we got to the Bacteriology Building, set up the presentation, and began once everyone had arrived. It was quite nerve-wracking, especially since I didn't feel as prepared as I would have liked to be, and I didn't like the article at all. I found it rather boring, actually. But it turned out really well. We didn't stumble too much, and even started a long discussion on antibiotic resistance in animals that lead to Martin having an idea to start a new branch of research. Haha. Ironic, but definitely comforting. At least it's over.
Since I had streaked out isolates yesterday, Sandra and I got to making plugs for Pulsed-Field today. It wasn't too hard - I'd seen it before - but definitely interesting. The gross part was suspending the bacteria. There was sooo much in the tube!! We took that and added it to agarose, which made solid, bacterial plugs (I called them bacterial jell-o; ew). After they had solidified, I set them to lyse and wash, then stored them overnight to be loaded onto a gel tomorrow. Not too bad...but it took quite a while.
When I got home, I took a nap, because I was so exhausted. I feel like that every day, really, but I guess I usually avoid taking naps at LSU. Mostly because I won't want to get up afterwards. I made dinner after that, and we all just hung around watching TV again. It was the usual Simpsons and Friends, so that was fun. Woo hoo!
Now it's time for me to deal with crappy internet and get to bed. Cheers!
Just an aside from a previous Irish term - "your man" is used when you talk about men, of course, but when you refer to a female, you use "your one". It makes sense, really, but interesting nonetheless!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Procrastination...Even Abroad
Work is still routine, but fun. I feel like I'm learning a lot. I'm also feeling a sense of accomplishment, since I'll probably finish my PCRs this week. YAY! I'm sure they'll find something else for me to do, even with Pulsed-Field this week. I streaked out isolates to start with that tomorrow, since Sandra was out today. Should be grand.
Also happening tomorrow is our Journal Club, before which Sarah, Dani, and I have to summarize and present an article. The bad thing was, we didn't start until tonight, really. Sarah worked on a bit of hers in the lab today, so Dani and I finished it tonight. We finally just had to sit down and do it before we got sick of it. It was rough, but we got it done.
It was also an interesting learning experience, seeing the difference between Irish and American education. They don't take a computer class past like the age of 12. Most of the kids have never been educated on how to use Power Point or Excel...and that's really odd for me. We're so bent on computer education in the States that I cannot fathom not knowing how to do it. They even think we type fast! Most of the kids here just peck. It's really odd, I tell you.
Dave and Niamh randomly stopped by shortly afterwards to invite us all out to the College Bar, since one of Dave's friends was in town. We all decided to go in for a drink, since it wasn't that far off. To our dismay, though, we found it to be closed. So we just kept walking, all the way to town, and chose the Front Door as our spot. It was a quiet night, so most of the bar wasn't opened, but we found a booth and sat around having a good laugh. It was great craic. I really do like that bar.
After that, a few of us walked back while the rest went to get food. We ended up missing the turn and came upon the locked gates of Corrib Village. We spent a good while trying to break in before giving up and climbing over a wall to get around. It was highly amusing, but it was also slightly annoying. I wish they didn't lock ALL the gates (except the front one...which is WAY out of the way) at 11PM. Sigh. Just another reason to appreciate ECA, I suppose. Well, now I'm exhausted, so time for sleep. Adios!
Also happening tomorrow is our Journal Club, before which Sarah, Dani, and I have to summarize and present an article. The bad thing was, we didn't start until tonight, really. Sarah worked on a bit of hers in the lab today, so Dani and I finished it tonight. We finally just had to sit down and do it before we got sick of it. It was rough, but we got it done.
It was also an interesting learning experience, seeing the difference between Irish and American education. They don't take a computer class past like the age of 12. Most of the kids have never been educated on how to use Power Point or Excel...and that's really odd for me. We're so bent on computer education in the States that I cannot fathom not knowing how to do it. They even think we type fast! Most of the kids here just peck. It's really odd, I tell you.
Dave and Niamh randomly stopped by shortly afterwards to invite us all out to the College Bar, since one of Dave's friends was in town. We all decided to go in for a drink, since it wasn't that far off. To our dismay, though, we found it to be closed. So we just kept walking, all the way to town, and chose the Front Door as our spot. It was a quiet night, so most of the bar wasn't opened, but we found a booth and sat around having a good laugh. It was great craic. I really do like that bar.
After that, a few of us walked back while the rest went to get food. We ended up missing the turn and came upon the locked gates of Corrib Village. We spent a good while trying to break in before giving up and climbing over a wall to get around. It was highly amusing, but it was also slightly annoying. I wish they didn't lock ALL the gates (except the front one...which is WAY out of the way) at 11PM. Sigh. Just another reason to appreciate ECA, I suppose. Well, now I'm exhausted, so time for sleep. Adios!
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Connemara Via Bus!
Today was a bit of an earlier morning, but not so bad waking up. Marit, luckily, didn't have to work in her lab very long, so the four of us (Josh, Dani, Marit, and myself) biked down to Eyre Square to catch a bus to tour Connemara. After a quick stop at the Spar for snacks, we boarded and started our journey.
We went by way of the sea at first, passing through Salthill and Spiddal, another seaside town. The road then went off north, and we passed through the hilly countryside that is Connemara. This bus tour made lots of photo stops, likely because there were only six of us on the bus. It was nice, though. We got to see Ireland's "Niagra Falls" (haha) as well.
We stopped for a break at Maam Cross, and saw a replica of the "Quiet Man" Cottage, near where a John Wayne film was shot. It looked neat, but the figures inside were really creepy. We also climbed to the top of a lookout tower in the hotel there, where we got a nice view of the landscape. It would have been better if someone had taken the time to actually wash the windows at some point in the past year. Oh well.
From there we drove through the mountains, passing the Maamturks and the Twelve Bens mountains. The Inagh Valley lies between them, as does the road, so it made for some lovely scenery. After a bit longer we got to our lunch stop - Kylemore Abbey. We spent two hours exploring the abbey, which is now a school. It was built by a wealthy man for his wife (lucky girl, eh?) back in the day, but sold to Benedictine nuns after World War II. It's beautiful, though.
The weather was really nice, so we took a walk around the lake, taking in some nice scenery and fresh air. We saw the Gothic church near the lake and also a mausoleum for the man and woman who lived here originally. After our walk, we had lunch in the cafeteria. I had a sort of roast and potatoes, which was in a Guinness/gravy sauce. Sounds interesting, but it wasn't bad at all. We got ice cream after that and headed back to the bus for the rest of our trip.
We made another photo stop right near Killary Fjord - Ireland's only fjord - outside of the town of Leenane. It was gorgeous! Completely unexpected, too. I've actually made one of the pictures I took into my computer's desktop background it was so good!
On the way back to Galway, we all fell asleep! Guess it was more exhausting than you'd expect riding around all day in the bus. We made it back into Galway around 4PM, so Marit and I ran to Dunnes to stock up on groceries before cycling back to Corrib Village. For the rest of the night, we lounged around, relaxing and watching TV. Ruth, Bryan, Marit, and a few others went to see Die Hard 4, and while there pre-ordered Harry Potter tickets for us for Thursday! I can't wait!
You can find the rest of the pictures from this adventure here. Well, back to work tomorrow. Cheers!
We went by way of the sea at first, passing through Salthill and Spiddal, another seaside town. The road then went off north, and we passed through the hilly countryside that is Connemara. This bus tour made lots of photo stops, likely because there were only six of us on the bus. It was nice, though. We got to see Ireland's "Niagra Falls" (haha) as well.
We stopped for a break at Maam Cross, and saw a replica of the "Quiet Man" Cottage, near where a John Wayne film was shot. It looked neat, but the figures inside were really creepy. We also climbed to the top of a lookout tower in the hotel there, where we got a nice view of the landscape. It would have been better if someone had taken the time to actually wash the windows at some point in the past year. Oh well.
From there we drove through the mountains, passing the Maamturks and the Twelve Bens mountains. The Inagh Valley lies between them, as does the road, so it made for some lovely scenery. After a bit longer we got to our lunch stop - Kylemore Abbey. We spent two hours exploring the abbey, which is now a school. It was built by a wealthy man for his wife (lucky girl, eh?) back in the day, but sold to Benedictine nuns after World War II. It's beautiful, though.
The weather was really nice, so we took a walk around the lake, taking in some nice scenery and fresh air. We saw the Gothic church near the lake and also a mausoleum for the man and woman who lived here originally. After our walk, we had lunch in the cafeteria. I had a sort of roast and potatoes, which was in a Guinness/gravy sauce. Sounds interesting, but it wasn't bad at all. We got ice cream after that and headed back to the bus for the rest of our trip.
We made another photo stop right near Killary Fjord - Ireland's only fjord - outside of the town of Leenane. It was gorgeous! Completely unexpected, too. I've actually made one of the pictures I took into my computer's desktop background it was so good!
On the way back to Galway, we all fell asleep! Guess it was more exhausting than you'd expect riding around all day in the bus. We made it back into Galway around 4PM, so Marit and I ran to Dunnes to stock up on groceries before cycling back to Corrib Village. For the rest of the night, we lounged around, relaxing and watching TV. Ruth, Bryan, Marit, and a few others went to see Die Hard 4, and while there pre-ordered Harry Potter tickets for us for Thursday! I can't wait!
You can find the rest of the pictures from this adventure here. Well, back to work tomorrow. Cheers!
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