It's another one of those fun dates here in a country where we put the month before the day. November 12, 2013. Next year I think is the last cool one we'll get for a while so I'll have to hunt for other neat dates. Today was marked with a beautiful sunrise over snow, the first snowfall of the season and it was measurable without being a pain. I finally got some of the great shots I was hoping for with ice and colorful fall leaves together.
Today was a very good day. We purified our ferrocene in lab and ran UV-Vis, melting point, and some new cyclic voltammetry characterization where we reduced Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ then oxidized it again and got to see a pretty graph form. I forgot my lab safety glasses but was able to run upstairs to the lab I do research in to get a spare pair. While I was up there I ran into Arielle who was pushing particles through gold filters that I will analyze later. After lab I went back to my apartment to eat a couple tamales that we made over the weekend with D's family. They turned out fantastic! We will definitely be making them again. We joked about making it a Christmas tradition since that is a time that the whole family will be together to help build the tamales.
As I was eating I posted a few pictures of the snow and fall leaves on my Facebook page and played my free Lumosity games. I then quickly bundled up and made it to the research lab in time to ask my professor a few questions before I measured the concentrations of Arielle's solutions. I stayed a bit longer to start making PDFs of my data that will help me write my semester summary. It was nice going through my old data and seeing all that I accomplished this semester. It didn't feel like much, but looking back I ran many useful tests that changed our course of research several times. I am currently stuck on my research so it is nice being part of Arielle's group so I can still be productive while trying to solve my own puzzle. Our professor will be very happy if we can reach our group goal by summer, so we will be working our butts off to make that happen. Research is very fulfilling because it is one thing I am doing that can benefit someone other than myself.
So far this semester has not been too bad. I have been busy but not nearly as busy as I was last semester. It is nice having down time that doesn't need to be spent eating, showering, and catching up on sleep. I am getting As and Bs in organic, As in inorganic, and then there is lab where I will likely get a B because she grades data sheets far more strictly than any other professor I've had. It's still a new lab so I understand that they are still working out the kinks. I am having fun in lab. We've made ferrofluids and silly putty, played with LEDs, and run several titrations and other color changes. This week I get to reacquaint myself with mass spec. and H NMR although ferrocene is a very simple case. Bethany and I will be presenting together again and I have high hopes for that. We work very well together. I have a few written assignments to do, 5 exams, and 1 quiz before Christmas. Perhaps that should stress me out a little, but it doesn't. Compared to last semester this semester is a total breeze.
I've been fortunate enough to get to see D every weekend except one so far this semester. On one special weekend he even made me study while he made food and did the dishes! I got a very solid B on that exam thanks to his understanding that I needed to study but still wanted to get to spend time with him. Don't worry, he got to work on his own hobbies while he wasn't helping out.
So what is there to complain about when I have so much good in my life? Who would
want to complain when there is so much good to focus on? I am very happy and loving life. Even though there is work ahead I am confident that I will get through it largely unscathed. And if I do ever stumble, I know that I have D here to pick me back up and keep cheering me on.
