London: Spamalot, Sterling, and Starry Nights

I think I got maybe three hours of sleep last night. Which made me really, really tired today. But it was okay...the important thing was that I actually got up in time to catch my cab to the Galway Airport. It was quite a distance away: the cab ride cost me nearly 20 Euro! I made it there pretty early, got checked in, bought a bagel, and read Harry Potter for an hour and a half before boarding the flight. The weather was kinda stormy, but what else is new in this city?

The flight wasn't all that bad - all I did was read the whole time. Loving the book so far. Once I landed in London, I got my baggage and went to get money out of the ATM. My Bank of Ireland card didn't work, so I just used my American debit card and figured I'd sort it out later. The important thing was catching a bus to the train station to get a train into the city. Luton Airport is a bit away. I suppose the train was about an hour, during which I read some more. When I got off at King's Cross, I wandered around until I saw Shelby and Amanda. It was great seeing them again! They took me via the Underground (Subway) to Victoria Station, and their nearby hotel.


I put down my stuff and all of us went out to Oxford Circus to do a little shopping and get some lunch. We ended up at this place that had an Italian Buffet (unheard of in Ireland) that was pretty darn good. Yay for pasta and lasagne! We also got tap water to drink. It's so odd not being able to drink the water in Galway (Have I mentioned that yet? I can't remember. If not, let me know and I'll fill you in). After that, we wandered about in a few shops before meeting up with Thomas at Debenham's.


From there, we took the Underground and walked to the West End, where Shelby and I bought tickets for Spamalot - the Monty Python musical! Thomas and Amanda had already seen it, so they went to see Mary Poppins. Shelby and I got excellent seats in the third row, and sat down to enjoy the show. It was so hilarious! We were practically falling out of our seats from laughter. They took most of the stuff out of "the Holy Grail", but added in some bits and pieces from their other works, like "Life of Brian" (Always look on the bright side of life, do do, do do do do do do). Definitely worth going to see, even again! After some pictures and meeting up with the others, we headed back to the hotel to relax.


I ended up falling asleep on the floor (guess I was quite a bit more tired than I thought) for an hour or so, before we all got up to go out. We stopped at a pub nearby for dinner, which was good, but it took FOREVER to get the order placed, and then even longer to get the bill. Ah well. I've also realized at this point that my Bank of Ireland card simply does not work on these ATMs. I've heard that there are Bank of Ireland ATMs out there...I just have to find one. Until then, my American bank account is hating me for this 2.02 conversion rate. *sigh* Why does the dollar suck so much compared to the pound?


We relaxed for a half an our or so at an internet cafe after that, and caught up with the world. Soon enough, though, we headed out to catch a bus for a night tour of the city. We sat on top of a double decker, which was roofless, and enjoyed the night air. Except for a ten minute rain where we went downstairs, the weather was lovely. We got some excellent views of the city, and I enjoyed trying to take pictures of things as we moved by. Unfortunately, my camera battery died towards the end. I didn't bring my charger...so hopefully I can either find another battery or something tomorrow.


When we got back to Victoria Station, we caught a bus downtown to see if we could go to the oldest pub in London. When we got there, however, we discovered it was closed. So we caught the bus back to Victoria and walked to the hotel. After we all got ready for bed, we read a little bit and then fell fast asleep. Man, I did a lot today! Cheers!

Harry Potter Chaos

Today I had to make new plugs for Pulsed-Field at work, since the old ones did not work. It wasn't too bad (I think I'm getting the procedure down...), but I just hope it works this time. Although, this is quite typical for research. Guess I still have to master this whole patience thing Ah, and here's a pic of our lab, with Dani and Sarah:


For lunch, we went over to the University for one of the other UREKA program's barbeque. It was really excellent. They had kebabs, lots of salads, chicken wings, and burgers. Also, we got two free drinks instead of one like we had at ours. It was really nice. The weather could have been better, but we had a lot of fun relaxing and hanging out with everyone. Dani and I went back to work for a little while after that, but it wasn't too bad. I had to finish up washing my plugs. I double-checked all my steps, so I'm pretty sure it'll work out.

After work, I went home and relaxed for a little bit before packing for my weekend trip. I leave tomorrow morning bright and early for London, where I'll meet up with Shelby and Amanda, and have a blast. It should be a lot of fun. I just hope the conversion into pounds won't hurt me that much. Maybe I'll just try not to think about how expensive everything will be.

Everyone came over soon after, and we all got ready to go out before the Harry Potter book comes out at midnight. We first went to Bierhaus, and had a good laugh. After a while, Marit, Ala, and I left to go meet up with Oein and other people at a bar across town. From there, we left to go to Eason (the book store) for the opening. Everyone said they'd meet Marit and I (Ala had gone home at this point) there if we saved a spot in line. So we got into this humongous queue (have I mentioned that's what they call lines here yet?) that circled one of the churches after going down a side street. I wish I had my camera to take pictures!

After a while, we started to realize that nobody had shown up. I was texting and calling people, but there were either delayed responses or none at all. Finally, I got word that Ruth and Dani were just going to stop by, and then they'd meet up with us later after we got our books. Oein ended up going out without letting us know, which was upsetting, since he'd promised to stand in line with us. So it was just Marit and I, waiting for two hours for the Deathly Hallows. Granted, I did have a good time, but it was just frustrating to have everyone bail on us.

After we got the book (the cover is so pretty!), Marit was tired and went home, and I went to Club Babylon to go meet up with Ruth and Dani. When I got there, I was surprised to see Oein sitting with them. They all apologized for ditching us, and I eventually forgave them after I saw they were truly sorry and we had fun all the while. We got Supermac's afterwards and then took a cab back home, where I crashed. Not getting much sleep tonight, that's for sure. And I'm definitely not able to start this new book!

The Test...

Excitement was in the air as Sandra and I took out our gels and stained them for viewing. Would they work? Would our test show whether there was a difference in the chambers? Was it the heat or were the chambers just not working? When we hit the UV switch to see it, though, there was nothing but disappointment. None of my isolates ran, which sucked, but all the positive controls worked. We could only deduce from that that the plugs I had made must have gone wrong somewhere. I'm not too sure what I messed up on...but I'll have to be extra careful when I make the new ones.

I spent the rest of the time at work streaking plates from which to make new plugs, as well as doing some sensitivity testing on some new isolates Sandra had obtained. I enjoy doing that sort of thing, because it keeps me busy, but also because I feel like it's a sort of fun game - figure out what this organism is, or see what antibiotics it's resistant too. Maybe that's a good sign? Perhaps I really am in the right field. (I hope so...it's a little to late to change!)

The weather was pretty miserable today, so when I got home I changed out of my wet clothes and lounged around reading Harry Potter. I'd finished the 5th book the night before, and managed to start a little of this one at work today (shh). After a while, I had not choice but to run do my laundry before the weekend. I wouldn't have time otherwise. So I walked to the laundromat with my book and sat there for about two hours reading and doing clothes. It wasn't too bad, though, cause I got most of it finished. I'd say I'm more than halfway. Which is good...because I have to finish by tomorrow night!

After I got done with that, I headed back to the apartment and relaxed with the roommates. We just sat around watching TV and chatting. I also spent some time packing for my trip to London - just to make sure I didn't forget anything. I'm really excited about the trip. It'll be nice to see Shelby and Amanda again...and hopefully I'll finally get to run into Lori! Well, better go to bed. I have to be rested up for plug-making tomorrow. Cheers!

Third Time's the Charm? Or Not...

After yesterday's disappointment at the failed Pulsed-Field, I prepared for the chamber test today slightly more hopeful. At least, I thought, we could determine what was actually causing the problems instead of just being in the dark on the matter. I set up one large and one small gel, one for each chamber. It was quite a busy work day, actually, with all that I had to do. In addition to the Pulsed-Field, I ran gels to check the PCR I had done the previous day that would finish off the tetA part of my experiment. It turns out that all our weak positives were negative, so that was fine. Glad to have a bit of it done already. Regardless, I didn't end up leaving until 5:15, and that was only because Sandra offered to put the second gel on the machine for me.


I was glad that she did, because it allowed me to go into town to meet up with Oein for a snack. We ran into a few other friends as well, so that was fun. After that, I went back home and relaxed for a little bit before getting word that everyone was going out for the evening.

We started at our usual spot, Bierhaus, where everyone had a grand ole time. The girls especially, since they managed to procure some pretty cool glasses. From there, we broke off into groups and headed up to Eyre Square, deciding to go to Bar 903. They had a cover band playing, so that made the night a bit more fun. We got to hear some excellent old songs (like "Summer of '69" and "Hotel California") as well as some newer ones (The Killers - "All These Things That I've Done"). Fun stuff!


Overall we just had a good time, goofing off and singing our heads off. There was a bit of dancing mixed in there as well. We stayed there for a long time, until they pretty much kicked us out (nicely, of course). The rest of the group went ahead to Corrib Village, while Ruth, Richard, and I ventured down by the river to grab some things that they'd left there earlier. It was an amusing walk, but we had fun. We took a cab home after that, and hung around the apartments waiting for everyone else to get back since they walked.


After about 15 or 20 minutes, people started streaming back in to the complex, and we had a good time hanging out and joking around. Some of the guys decided it would be fun to "box", or something like that, but we stopped it before they crossed any lines. It was amusing to begin with. As the others put in a movie to watch, I left and came back to my apartment to crash, since I was exhausted. I really hope my gel works tomorrow...and that I don't have nightmares about it tonight! (because that would be sad)

Care Packages Make the World Go 'Round

Today I went into the lab with hopes that my Pulsed-Field gel would come out alright. After staining and viewing, however, it was obvious that something was wrong. Whereas the last gel showed messed up bands, this showed none at all. Sandra was pretty baffled by it. We decided to run two gels tomorrow, one for each chamber, and leave the door open to test and see what was really going on. We also decided to use control plugs we had seen work before. Hopefully that will provide us an answer to our problems...as well as relief from the disappointment of two failed runs.

Despite the frustration, I managed to outline the rest of my research paper and start collecting journal articles that I can use for background information. I also went into town after work again, and walked around a bit enjoying the decent weather. I'm really going to miss this little town when I'm gone. It's really easy to get around in, and I'm so used to it by now!

When I got back from town, I went by the office at Corrib Village to pick up a letter I'd received. To my surprise, there was also a very large package waiting for me! And it was decorated with lots of colorful and fun pictures! I hurried home and opened it, with all my roommates watching to see what I'd gotten. The box was filled with little things, like dove chocolates, Take 5 candy bars (my favorite), and sandwich crackers - which I had been craving! They don't sell them here ANYWHERE. Odd how that is. Anyways, also in the package were lots of great pictures of the family and everyone, and one of Sara decorating my box. It was really sweet to get, and made me feel loads better. I did feel a little homesick, though, but I go home in exactly a month. So that's a nice feeling, even though I know I'll miss it here.

After eating some candy bars, I cooked up some whole wheat macaroni and cheese that Mom sent me as well. It was so yummy! I'd really missed that. Sarah's friend Jennifer came up from Cork to visit her, and arrived shortly after I ate dinner. Since she'd never been to Galway before, we all went out to the Front Door for a few hours to hang out and chat. It was a lot of fun, but I'm already tired - and it's only Tuesday! I'm sure the weekend will rush up on me, anyways. I'm going to London to see Shelby and it's so exciting! Also, Harry Potter comes out on Friday at midnight! I'm just about done with the 5th book...hopefully I can get through the 6th one fast enough. :)

Reaching the End

Well, things are certainly winding down in the lab this week. All I have left to do with my tetA PCRs are to run one last set of weak positives to see whether or not they are really positive or negative. By the looks of it I'd say they're negatives, but time will tell. I also set up another Pulsed-Field Gel, since the last one didn't work. Hopefully it was just the heat; we're trying this one with the door open to the room.

I spoke to Dearbhaile today about the next step in the research. She said they were happy to let me move onto anything, really, and that they didn't want me to feel bored or anything. I told her that with Pulsed-Field, I was keeping pretty busy, but would like to move onto something after I've finished the PCRs. The next PCR I can start on is for Integrons, which I explained earlier. We have the primers and the protocol already, so all I have to do is get started with those. Dearbhaile also mentioned phages, saying I could look at some of the stuff the Salmonella Reference Lab is doing. I don't know that I have time for it, but it sounds interesting enough!

Since I had a bit of downtime for the day, I spent it starting my project report and presentation. I pretty much have the "Materials and Methods" section done, but the rest will have to come bit by bit as I finish the research. I did learn some more about the differences in the Irish and American education systems while doing my report. I was talking to Sarah, and she was saying how she hadn't written a paper for class since probably our equivalent of middle school. That's insane! I've even written research papers in college - and in science classes too. Dani and I found it hard to believe that something as essential as writing wasn't pressed into the curriculum. Just...odd. That, coupled with the fact that she's never used PowerPoint or Excel before makes me wonder how the Irish Education System expects its students to survive in modern times.

After work, I went grocery shopping in town to pick up some food. I was running low, and definitely needed bananas for breakfast. :) Once I got back, Sarah and Josh had decided to go out on the town for the night and try out a few pubs. We met up with Bryan and the four of us took a cab to Eyre Square and spotted a little pub by the green that looked cozy enough. After a round in there, we ran into Dani - who was just saying goodbye to her parents - and went with her to Monroe's. The girls got drinks there while the boys got pizza (yum!), and then we all went out to a club called Cuba in Eyre Square. It was a lively joint, but was rather croweded and had the most odd music selection I've seen. Dunno how I felt about it, but ah well. 'Twas a good day!

Random Trips Aren't Always a Bad Thing

I woke up this morning frustrated. I had not received a call from my friends going to Crough Patrick, and could not get in touch with them. Naturally, I assumed they went without me, so I went back to bed for a few hours. I then got up with the intention of going to Clifden for the day. A bus left at noon near the Tourist Information office, so I headed into town to catch it. I got to where I thought the bus would be, waited, and waited some more. Finally, I called the coach company, who said that I was in the right spot. Seconds later, I watched as the bus drove past me.

I was so upset, I was almost on the verge of tears. I'd gotten it in my head that I was going to travel that weekend, see something new. And when that didn't work out, it really upset me. I immediately went into the Tourist office, and asked one of the girls there where I could go for a day trip. She suggested two places - Spiddal, on the coast, and Athenry, a small village with an in-tact city wall and a castle. She then changed her mind and said it'd be better to go to Athenry, since it was directly on the train line to Dublin, and ran so frequently.

Since the train didn't leave for another three hours or so, I got a bagel at a shop and sat down in Eyre Square to read Harry Potter. Dorky, I know, but I didn't want to go all the way back to Corrib Village and the weather was nice. Well, up until it was time for me to leave. I got on the train just fine, and road the 15 minutes to Athenry Station.


When I got off the train, I wandered around in a sort of daze. I had no clue about anything that was in this city, or even where anything was. So I just walked around the station until I saw a sign, pointing South, that read "An Lar" (which means City Centre). Deciding that was the best course of action, I walked down a narrow road toward the city, and was greeted by a little old lady who smiled and said "nice weather today". I knew from then on that this was going to be a nice town.


After a little ways, I spotted the town's castle and church, as well as the North Gate, an archway that used to be part of the original city walls. I decided to head to the castle first, and was greeted by its friendly employees, who offered to turn on the informational video for me. They also gave me suggestions and a map of things to see in town, as well as stuff to see in other parts of Ireland. It felt really home-y. The video was decently interesting, but enjoyable nonetheless. When I got back outside, it had started to sprinkle. It would continue to do the off-and-on rain all day long.


One of the ladies that worked at the castle suggested I go see the ruins of the old Dominican Priory in town. To get there, I had to pay 10 Euro as a deposit for the key. It was pretty neat, actually. I trekked across a small park to the Priory, unlocked the gate with the key, and walked around inside. There was no roof, yet it still felt like a church. You could just imagine the gorgeous stained glass windows that used to stand there, and the marble floors. It was definitely worth the trip, even if it was raining while I was there.


After returning the key, I walked around through town, and headed to St. Mary's Church. It actually no longer functions as a church, but instead the "Athenry Arts and Heritage Activity Centre". It sounds really cheesy...and that's what it was. I walked in and was almost knocked back by the grotesquely cheery colors and costumed mannequins. Lucky for me, they were just closing, so I saved myself from getting a bad experience in the city. Instead, I just walked around the church, snapping photos.


By this time, I had gotten rather hungry and slightly cold and wet. So I found a cozy little pub and ordered some soup and a Smithwicks. I sat down at a table and watched Irish Football (a strange combo between Rugby, Soccer, and Football) while I ate the soup. It was fantastic! After I was done, I meandered back to the train station, while talking and catching up with Mom on the phone. It was good. Oh, and you can see the rest of the day's photos here.

When I made it back to Galway, I met up with Ruth, Dani, Josh, and Bryan. The five of us walked to a Tex-Mex restaurant called Cactus Jack's, where we ate dinner with Dani's parents, who were visiting. It was as close to Mexican food as I'll get over here, I think. Which means it was quite delicious. From there, we took her parents to Bierhaus, and just sat around drinking and having a good chat. It was a lot of fun. We were exhausted after a while, though, and ended up just going home and going to bed. I'm really glad I got to take a random trip today...else I think I would've gone mad!