One week down

The first week or work went well despite that it rain only on the days when I had to walk over the the medical library for mouse training classes. I have come to realize I am in need of a new, larger, wind-proof umbrella and some rain boots. I was able to navigate my way on several different bus lines and it looks like the AATA will be a great, free way to get to work.

This week of my actual life in Ann Arbor (not on vacation) was a bit hard and lonely. Lab mates were welcoming and it seems to be a good group of people, and I am lucky I seemed to have gotten on the fun/good side of the lab. This week really reminded of me what I already knew coming in to this new adventure; it is going to be an adjustment that is going to take time. I feel blessed that I had such a wonderful life in Champaign with amazing friends and a great work environment where, when I left, I was the top-dog (of the students at least). Now I barely know what people are talking about at times. Of the 2 hours of lab meeting I think I truly understood about 15 minutes worth of presentation. I miss my friends a lot and knowing there were so many people I could call to meet for a drink and more than likely run in to others while I was out. Some of the difficulty comes in that there I am not in a 'freshman' class of anything, students, residents, interns. It is just me starting and that presents a challenge. There are all these amazing places in A2 I want to try and even though I don't mind doing a lot of things by myself, going out for a drink or out-to-eat alone is something that usually makes me feel even more alone and isolated. I am working on branching out, getting in contact with some high school friends, my sister-in-law's cousin, I have signed up for a wine and cooking class, and I have joined several young professional type groups on meetup.com. I know it will take time to establish my life here. I am thankful that in my heart of hearts I feel I made the right decision.

I mainly spent my time getting settled, setting up my desk, mouse training classes, and refocusing on science. I probably should have read and thought about it a bit more than I did, but it was amazing how much stuff filled my days. I am someone who needs large chunks of time for big thinking projects, so hopefully with all the settling and setting up out of the way, I will be able to get some experiments thought out this coming week. I did meet with Alan (the boss) to go over some ideas and it looks like we a general idea of a line of research to start on. Based on previous experience, I know it is going to take sometime to get things ordered, set-up, and started. Additionally, there are several techniques that I will need to learn from people, which I am very excited about, but again, this adds time. We have three main areas to start in, so that should give some a good place to have multiple things to work on when one is waiting for who knows what.

I have not done was well as I would have liked with my workout schedule and am looking in to purchasing the P90X system, because it seems my problem is motivation. I am uninspired and bored with the workouts I have been doing lately, well, actually for awhile now. Right now the gym is not the greatest option, because the one closest to me, which is fabulous, is $98/month!! and that is on top of a $350 joining fee. Maybe they need a RD and staff and we can work something out.