My first day at work went well! Here are some things that are particularly nice about working at CRA:
- this is the first workplace I've ever had that is consistently a comfortable temperature!
- they have a free Flavia machine (makes any kind of coffee/tea/frothy drink you'd like)
- there's a kitchen with hot water for dishwashing
- there are free snacks! poptarts, snickers, granola bars, chips, etc. (I think they're trying to fatten me up)
- they have every kind of office supply you could ever want
- there's a free gym for employees downstairs in the building
- everyone's nice so far
I did orientation in the morning and then met with Peter, one of my coworkers who is the PI of our project. We went out to lunch at Summer Shack, which was delicious. After that we talked a bit about our project and then he sent me to go figure out the math for the physics-based modeling of tissue that we want to do. I spent about four hours in the afternoon trying to get through the math. Unfortunately it is far beyond my expertise, so I spent a lot of time looking up terms and trying to figure out what the equations mean.
I don't remember what I did that evening. Probably mostly went to sleep. There is a skylight directly over my bed and it gets light at 5AM so I wake up with the sun in the mornings, making early bedtimes necessary!
favorite moment: the flounder I had at lunch was one of the tastiest things I've ever had. The plate was first covered in creamed peas, and then a mound of mashed parsnips. on top of that was a broiled fillet of flounder with duxelle on top. awesome.
least favorite moment: probably being overwhelmed by the math
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
boston day two: fire and water
Memorial Day had the potential to be a really terrible day. I was disoriented and knew barely anyone. My roommates weren't in so the apartment was empty. However, thanks to good friends, it ended up being awesome.
In the morning, I met a roommate's boyfriend to get into my apartment. My room is on the third floor of a house that's split into two apartments (we have the top two floors). There are these really narrow, twisted staircases that are easy to trip over going up and down the stairs. My room is kind of bare but I have everything I need!
After unpacking I ventured out on the bus route to Target to buy some things I needed. I was proud of myself for not getting lost.
Alex and Emily invited me over for an afternoon cookout, where I met several of my coworkers: Brad, Joseph, and James. James is on the same project as I am. Joseph is his brother, and is an intern as well. Both of them are from Easley so they're practically next door neighbors to me! Bethany invited me over for an evening cookout, where I met several of her labmates and housemates, who were all very nice. Most of them are studying in the medical field but I did talk to one guy who had interest in medical applications in virtual reality, so that was neat.
I met some of my roommates when I got in that night, but pretty much went straight to bed so I could be ready for my first day at work. I was delighted to find out that we had central air conditioning (a luxury around here) considering it was in the high 80s and my bedroom is on the 3rd floor!
Favorite moment(s) of the day: fire and water. At Alex's cookout, he was grilling on a tabletop grill set up on a table on the lawn when the automated sprinklers turned on! Friends helped him move the grill and table out of the stream of water. At Bethany's cookout, the chicken breasts had skin on them so the grease drippings caught on fire, leading to massive flames and charred chicken being scooped off the grill with a shovel!
Least favorite moment of the day: being nervous before meeting my coworkers at Alex's cookout. It all turned out okay though!
In the morning, I met a roommate's boyfriend to get into my apartment. My room is on the third floor of a house that's split into two apartments (we have the top two floors). There are these really narrow, twisted staircases that are easy to trip over going up and down the stairs. My room is kind of bare but I have everything I need!
After unpacking I ventured out on the bus route to Target to buy some things I needed. I was proud of myself for not getting lost.
Alex and Emily invited me over for an afternoon cookout, where I met several of my coworkers: Brad, Joseph, and James. James is on the same project as I am. Joseph is his brother, and is an intern as well. Both of them are from Easley so they're practically next door neighbors to me! Bethany invited me over for an evening cookout, where I met several of her labmates and housemates, who were all very nice. Most of them are studying in the medical field but I did talk to one guy who had interest in medical applications in virtual reality, so that was neat.
I met some of my roommates when I got in that night, but pretty much went straight to bed so I could be ready for my first day at work. I was delighted to find out that we had central air conditioning (a luxury around here) considering it was in the high 80s and my bedroom is on the 3rd floor!
Favorite moment(s) of the day: fire and water. At Alex's cookout, he was grilling on a tabletop grill set up on a table on the lawn when the automated sprinklers turned on! Friends helped him move the grill and table out of the stream of water. At Bethany's cookout, the chicken breasts had skin on them so the grease drippings caught on fire, leading to massive flames and charred chicken being scooped off the grill with a shovel!
Least favorite moment of the day: being nervous before meeting my coworkers at Alex's cookout. It all turned out okay though!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
boston day one: (thankfully temporary) homelessness
So I had wanted to do a picture a day or something for every day of my stay in the Boston area this summer, but mostly I've been too busy actually doing things to sit down and write about them. I'm going to attempt to catch up and then start writing a bit about each day. Knowing me, this will probably last about two weeks and then I'll give up. Oh well. I'll give it a shot anyhow.
It was weird waking up on Sunday morning and not going to church. Patrick and I had stayed up super late watching this movie, The Illusionist, not to be confused with The Illusionist, which is what we thought we were getting from the redbox, and would have probably been a much cheerier movie. Anyhow. I spent the morning packing. We all had spaghetti for lunch and then I left for my flight. I was nervous and crying.
Patrick helped me get my luggage in the airport. My bag was overweight. Turns out that's an additional $95--a total of $120 for the one bag to be checked! I only paid $180 for the entire trip! We shuffled between the two bags to make them both in the acceptable weight range and in a moment of panic checked the second, carry on sized bag as well, costing a total of $60. Still, half the price I would have paid for the one bag. Strange pricing.
Anyhow, we said our teary goodbyes and I went through security. My flight got delayed by about an hour. On the plane a kid behind me kicked my seat and loudly smacked his gum the entire time. Instead of doing anything useful, I sipped ginger ale and played Angry Birds.
Now, on Saturday, I got an e-mail from my subletee (is that a real word?) copied to a couple of my roommates asking them to put the key outside the apartment for me on Monday. Trouble is, I was arriving Sunday. I e-mailed the whole group asking them to please have it ready on Sunday, but there was no reply on Saturday. There was still no reply when I landed in the Boston airport.
I called my subletee and she said she'd text me the number of another roommate, but it turns out she didn't have that roommate's number. I decided to stay with Bethany (my college roommate from Winthrop) for the night--she had met me at the airport to help me with my bags and we just decided that will be easier. Several hours later, no phone call and no key still, and I am panicking. Finally, after much searching and worrying, I got in touch with one of my roommates, and her boyfriend was in town and had a key so I made arrangements to meet him Monday morning.
Other than that chaos, it was quite a pleasant evening. Bethany's house is nice. We ate frozen pizza and sorbet outside. It was almost like old times in college.
Favorite moment of the day: eating lemon sorbet outside
Least favorite moment of the day: saying goodbye to my family
It was weird waking up on Sunday morning and not going to church. Patrick and I had stayed up super late watching this movie, The Illusionist, not to be confused with The Illusionist, which is what we thought we were getting from the redbox, and would have probably been a much cheerier movie. Anyhow. I spent the morning packing. We all had spaghetti for lunch and then I left for my flight. I was nervous and crying.
Patrick helped me get my luggage in the airport. My bag was overweight. Turns out that's an additional $95--a total of $120 for the one bag to be checked! I only paid $180 for the entire trip! We shuffled between the two bags to make them both in the acceptable weight range and in a moment of panic checked the second, carry on sized bag as well, costing a total of $60. Still, half the price I would have paid for the one bag. Strange pricing.
Anyhow, we said our teary goodbyes and I went through security. My flight got delayed by about an hour. On the plane a kid behind me kicked my seat and loudly smacked his gum the entire time. Instead of doing anything useful, I sipped ginger ale and played Angry Birds.
Now, on Saturday, I got an e-mail from my subletee (is that a real word?) copied to a couple of my roommates asking them to put the key outside the apartment for me on Monday. Trouble is, I was arriving Sunday. I e-mailed the whole group asking them to please have it ready on Sunday, but there was no reply on Saturday. There was still no reply when I landed in the Boston airport.
I called my subletee and she said she'd text me the number of another roommate, but it turns out she didn't have that roommate's number. I decided to stay with Bethany (my college roommate from Winthrop) for the night--she had met me at the airport to help me with my bags and we just decided that will be easier. Several hours later, no phone call and no key still, and I am panicking. Finally, after much searching and worrying, I got in touch with one of my roommates, and her boyfriend was in town and had a key so I made arrangements to meet him Monday morning.
Other than that chaos, it was quite a pleasant evening. Bethany's house is nice. We ate frozen pizza and sorbet outside. It was almost like old times in college.
Favorite moment of the day: eating lemon sorbet outside
Least favorite moment of the day: saying goodbye to my family
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
oven sopapilla
Have you ever had a sopapilla at a Mexican restaurant? They're little fried tortilla-like triangles of goodness, usually served with ice cream, honey, and chocolate syrup. Yeah, probably not authentic, but still delicious. I figured out how to make them without the deep frying but equally delicious. I looked online thinking, surely someone has done this before, but it appears not.
I think that oven sopapillas are probably the best contribution to society I will ever make in my life. I am eating one right now. Maybe its deliciousness is overblown in my head because it's the last week of classes and this is good comfort food.
you will need:
a flour tortilla (I use whole wheat)
sugar
cinnamon
butter
I highly recommend honey as well. If you want, you can do whipped cream, ice cream, and/or chocolate syrup. I'm not giving strict measurements because it's really up to you. You can decide how healthy/unhealthy you want to make this dish.
Melt some butter in a cup (I use about a teaspoon). Use a brush to brush it on both sides of your tortilla. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on both sides of the tortilla and rub until it's kind of coated (I probably use about a tablespoon sugar and a teaspoon cinnamon). Put on a pan. Place under broiler until the tortilla starts looking bubbly. Flip and let cook until edges are crunchy. Drizzle with your choice of toppings.
Depending on how you make it, it's not bad for you. I estimate that my sopapilla was about 230 calories. Not bad for a dessert. And I fit in whole grains, and honey and cinnamon are good for you too.
Enjoy.
I think that oven sopapillas are probably the best contribution to society I will ever make in my life. I am eating one right now. Maybe its deliciousness is overblown in my head because it's the last week of classes and this is good comfort food.
you will need:
a flour tortilla (I use whole wheat)
sugar
cinnamon
butter
I highly recommend honey as well. If you want, you can do whipped cream, ice cream, and/or chocolate syrup. I'm not giving strict measurements because it's really up to you. You can decide how healthy/unhealthy you want to make this dish.
Melt some butter in a cup (I use about a teaspoon). Use a brush to brush it on both sides of your tortilla. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on both sides of the tortilla and rub until it's kind of coated (I probably use about a tablespoon sugar and a teaspoon cinnamon). Put on a pan. Place under broiler until the tortilla starts looking bubbly. Flip and let cook until edges are crunchy. Drizzle with your choice of toppings.
Depending on how you make it, it's not bad for you. I estimate that my sopapilla was about 230 calories. Not bad for a dessert. And I fit in whole grains, and honey and cinnamon are good for you too.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The past couple years I have not given up anything for Lent. I have a complicated relationship with food in general and giving up any form of junk food leads to me to think more about being skinnier than pursuing Christ, and not eating any type of normal food hampers my athletic training. There's no habits I have that are particularly troublesome or that take away time from spending with God, it's just a lack of discipline in general that gets in the way. Still, I think about it every year.
This morning I was sitting in statistics class with Toni. I had overslept and was still tired and was holding a cup of coffee when I realized that the coffee was something that I depended on instead of Christ. I am not coffee obsessed or caffeine addicted but when I am tired, I think, "A cup of coffee will fix this." And I look forward to my coffee every day. I think about what kind I will brew and when I will drink it. I enjoy how it tastes and smells and its warmth. I am a grad student. This is my fuel.
I think more about coffee during my work day than I do Christ.
How tragic.
And that is why I will not be drinking it during Lent this year. I cannot tell you how much I do not want to give it up. I really want my cup of coffee tomorrow afternoon. If I would have realized that this is what I was going to do, I would have been drinking three cups of coffee a day for the past week, but it just occurred to me this morning. If it were not near midnight I would brew a cup of coffee now and drink it. I will miss it. (Disclaimer: when I go home for spring break, it is tradition for Dad, Victoria, and me to enjoy coffee together, and I will do that because that is not as much of a dependency thing as a family tradition.)
Every time I think about coffee, the most trivial of things, during this Lenten season I will seek to set my mind on Christ, the most significant of things, in my moments of boredom, tiredness, and weakness. May he be honored and adored by this small sacrifice, and may I find joy, satisfaction, and focus as I turn towards him to meet all of my needs.
This morning I was sitting in statistics class with Toni. I had overslept and was still tired and was holding a cup of coffee when I realized that the coffee was something that I depended on instead of Christ. I am not coffee obsessed or caffeine addicted but when I am tired, I think, "A cup of coffee will fix this." And I look forward to my coffee every day. I think about what kind I will brew and when I will drink it. I enjoy how it tastes and smells and its warmth. I am a grad student. This is my fuel.
I think more about coffee during my work day than I do Christ.
How tragic.
And that is why I will not be drinking it during Lent this year. I cannot tell you how much I do not want to give it up. I really want my cup of coffee tomorrow afternoon. If I would have realized that this is what I was going to do, I would have been drinking three cups of coffee a day for the past week, but it just occurred to me this morning. If it were not near midnight I would brew a cup of coffee now and drink it. I will miss it. (Disclaimer: when I go home for spring break, it is tradition for Dad, Victoria, and me to enjoy coffee together, and I will do that because that is not as much of a dependency thing as a family tradition.)
Every time I think about coffee, the most trivial of things, during this Lenten season I will seek to set my mind on Christ, the most significant of things, in my moments of boredom, tiredness, and weakness. May he be honored and adored by this small sacrifice, and may I find joy, satisfaction, and focus as I turn towards him to meet all of my needs.
Monday, March 1, 2010
I got a new cookbook called More with Less, which is a Mennonite cookbook about how to eat simply and considerately of other people. I liked this poem at the beginning of it:
You have heard it said
that because of hunger in Third World countries
we should not overeat.
But I say unto you
that the abuse of your body, mind, and soul
is never justified.
You have heard it said
conserve for the sake of the crisis
because of limited amounts available to us.
But I say unto you
the only wise use
is that which brings glory to God.
Let not your hearts be troubled by this kingdom
but let your bodies and energies be dedicated
in service to God and man.
Surely you will find
the future kingdom
already being fulfilled in your life.
--Martin Penner, Recife, Brazil
Compared to common culture, I think I eat well. I cook most nights and 90% of what I eat is from produce or meat that I've bought instead of from processed foods, and I try to buy in-season, and local, when available. But still, I think that I can live more considerately by eating more considerately. I can use simpler ingredients, save money, and give it away to others. I can reduce the amount of things I eat that are bad for the environment or for people. I'm really looking forward to reading this book, learning from it, and trying out its strategies. I'll let you all know how it goes.
You have heard it said
that because of hunger in Third World countries
we should not overeat.
But I say unto you
that the abuse of your body, mind, and soul
is never justified.
You have heard it said
conserve for the sake of the crisis
because of limited amounts available to us.
But I say unto you
the only wise use
is that which brings glory to God.
Let not your hearts be troubled by this kingdom
but let your bodies and energies be dedicated
in service to God and man.
Surely you will find
the future kingdom
already being fulfilled in your life.
--Martin Penner, Recife, Brazil
Compared to common culture, I think I eat well. I cook most nights and 90% of what I eat is from produce or meat that I've bought instead of from processed foods, and I try to buy in-season, and local, when available. But still, I think that I can live more considerately by eating more considerately. I can use simpler ingredients, save money, and give it away to others. I can reduce the amount of things I eat that are bad for the environment or for people. I'm really looking forward to reading this book, learning from it, and trying out its strategies. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
dear upstairs neighbors,
I appreciate you not holding band practice tonight. However, I do not appreciate you throwing a party tonight with loud music and bass that is now nearly shaking my furniture.
I never see you early in the mornings. May I suggest that you shift all of your daily activities forward by approximately two hours? Then, we would never have problems.
love,
lauren
I appreciate you not holding band practice tonight. However, I do not appreciate you throwing a party tonight with loud music and bass that is now nearly shaking my furniture.
I never see you early in the mornings. May I suggest that you shift all of your daily activities forward by approximately two hours? Then, we would never have problems.
love,
lauren
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