Classes
Well, classes at UF started yesterday, which was fun. My Wednesdays are pretty easy I guess. I start in the morning with an "conference call" with Wayne, who is still at KSC. We chat using the iChat feature on my Mac. Yay for webcams. By the way, this means that if you see me on AIM and you have a webcam, chances are we could do the same. If anyone besides Nick, Steve K or Dan T ever talks to me using AIM. Not that I'm upset or anything.Also on wednesday I had to teach my very first undergraduate lab. That was cool. I was a bit nervous, but luckily we didn't have to do any kind of actual lab that day. Just fill out paperwork. I have (maybe) 33 people signed up for the lab! That's as many as my mother has in her 6th grade class. Wow. I felt so old, and totally not like I belonged in the front of the classroom. Hah, I'm such an overachiever I've already made the quiz that they'll take next wednesday. It was fun to come up with questions. They're not hard (I don't think) and the bonus question is a fun one.
Today was both good and bad. I started out by carpooling up to my first class with the professor and TA. I'm the only grad taking the course, it's for undergraduates, so I get extra work to do, like actually lecturing for a whole period, rather than just giving a 15 min presentation on a primary source article. Hah, me, lecturing. The class shouldn't be too bad, I just need to have REALLY good study habits. I think that will be key the entire time I'm in grad school. That was Genetics of Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes.
Then I had a break so I worked on the manuscript that Wayne and I are writing on RPOB mutations. I have to have the next draft to him by Monday morning when our next meeting is. BTW, keep Wayne in your prayers, he's had some health issues. No details, that's private, just think of him.
My next class was awful. I thought it started at 1:55, which was what was told to me when I signed up for the class, but no, it started at 12:50. So I arrive at 1:40, planning on being really early, and end up being really late. SOOOOOOO embarrasing. Plus, the professor was in the middle of lecturing and I was totally lost. He kept mumbling and partially erasing what he had written and writing over it so I had no idea what chicken scratch went with what. Dan, it was worse than Belanger. Worse I tell you. So finally we're told, ok, go do the lab. We all sit down to read the hand out and figure out the first part and we're all like "WTF mate?" Finally after much scribbling, and careful decoding of questions asked the professor (the TA was of some help) my lab partner and I figure out how to do the DILUTIONS. Then we had to measure the absorbance of the dilutions. Then take a spectrum reading of dilutions in a certain range. We finally finished, and actually had good spectrum reading (according to the TA and Prof, thank GOD) and cleaned up to leave. All in all, totally stressful to arrive late, especially when I need to leave a good impression according to Wayne.
I'm about ready to pack up and leave now and I'm praying that it won't rain as I bike home. But I did bring a change of clothes to bike in..... More to come I'm sure. I just need to relax tonight. I think a little WoW, some TV, and a decent conversation with the Boy is in order.
posted by Amy M @ 5:15 PM
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