My Halloween weekend consisted of going on a trip with our newest GRA. It was her first real assessment and she'd never flown before!! I was very glad there were no surprises in terms of travel. The assessment itself went very smoothly. We got to see a cute kid with a wonderful family and beautiful house in the suburbs of Chicago.
Thankfully we were only going to Chicago so it wasn't an especially long or bumpy flight. Turns out she loves flying! She also enjoyed staying an extra day to see her family. She hadn't been home since she moved to Lawrence, so she was very excited to see her family and dog and house and such. I could relate - I remember feeling that way about the same time last year.
On Saturday we finished in plenty of time for me to make my flight, so after I dropped her off with her family I went shopping at the Woodfield mall. I needed some dressy clothes for my next adventure: my first conference! It was nice to have a couple hours to wander around such a huge mall, especially knowing I could buy something if I liked it! It helped, too, that I knew I could put anything I bought in the lab's suitcase to get it back home, so space wasn't an issue at all.
All in all, it was one of the better trips I've had lately.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Apparently I lost a couple months in there due to class and work being kinda nuts. Oh, and I haven't any trip fiascoes lately (though my coworkers have!).
I didn't travel from August 12th until September 24th, which felt very odd after having spent more than a year traveling at least 2 weekends a month. In mid-September I went to Waxhaw, NC, which was just the right warmth. The trees weren't quite turning, but it was still a gorgeous trip.
Last weekend I got a treat in that we went to see a family in Clarksville, TN, which meant that I could spend the weekend with my parents. It was great to be back in Nashville, and it was fun seeing Mom & Dad even if I did get sick from the mold in the ducts.
In amongst those trips, my colleagues went to Harrisburg, PA, and Washington, DC. The Harrisburg trip turned out to be somewhat disastrous, at least on the return portion. Their first flight was delayed, so they missed their connection in Detroit. Of course the next flight back to KC wasn't until the next morning, so they had to spend the night in a seedy motel near the airport without the luxury of a change of clothes (they'd checked all the luggage).
The Washington, DC, trip wasn't quite so bad, according to their report, though there were 2 accidents on I-70 that Sunday so they sat in traffic for hours.
I didn't travel from August 12th until September 24th, which felt very odd after having spent more than a year traveling at least 2 weekends a month. In mid-September I went to Waxhaw, NC, which was just the right warmth. The trees weren't quite turning, but it was still a gorgeous trip.
Last weekend I got a treat in that we went to see a family in Clarksville, TN, which meant that I could spend the weekend with my parents. It was great to be back in Nashville, and it was fun seeing Mom & Dad even if I did get sick from the mold in the ducts.
In amongst those trips, my colleagues went to Harrisburg, PA, and Washington, DC. The Harrisburg trip turned out to be somewhat disastrous, at least on the return portion. Their first flight was delayed, so they missed their connection in Detroit. Of course the next flight back to KC wasn't until the next morning, so they had to spend the night in a seedy motel near the airport without the luxury of a change of clothes (they'd checked all the luggage).
The Washington, DC, trip wasn't quite so bad, according to their report, though there were 2 accidents on I-70 that Sunday so they sat in traffic for hours.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
We are Go for Year 2
I feel like I should have something profound to say in the two days before I begin my second year as a graduate student, but nothing comes to mind. I did get more unpacking done this evening, but there's still a ways to go. Thankfully the weather is more or less cooperating so our two-week excessive heat warning has been lifted. That makes carting boxes to the garage(!) much nicer. Yes, I do have a garage. It is amazing. It will be even more amazing once the snow starts this winter. It was great during the heat wave because it meant the car didn't get nearly so hot. Now, this is only at home, so the car still bakes in the parking lot at work, but hey, I'll take what I can get when it comes to cooling off my car! Oh, and I suppose having the A/C checked and fixed had something to do with the fact that my car quickly becomes an igloo. Speaking of my car, I got to work via driving and riding the Park & Ride bus for the first time today. I think it's gonna work, and it sure will save me a lot of hassle trying to find a spot to park either in the close parking lot or on the street near work. And the Park & Ride bus drops me off right across the street from work, so you can't get much better than that. Hopefully I'll still feel the same about it come Thursday when the rest of KU's student body emerges from the summer!
This will be an interesting but busy semester since I'll be enrolled in only 3 classes so that I can work on my Master's thesis. This time next fall I should have my MA in Child Language! I was accepted to be on Dr. Mabel Rice's training grant for this year, which means I'll make a little more money but I'll have more responsibilities. The point of the traineeship is to train new researchers in Child Language via coursework and multiple research experiences. So, in addition to my current work in the Fragile X lab, I'll also be starting a secondary lab experience in Dr. Hugh Catts' reading lab. It should be interesting. Oh, and in the FXS lab we're almost finished with data collection for Time 4, which means we are talking about posters and papers to draft in the very near future. I can't wait!
This will be an interesting but busy semester since I'll be enrolled in only 3 classes so that I can work on my Master's thesis. This time next fall I should have my MA in Child Language! I was accepted to be on Dr. Mabel Rice's training grant for this year, which means I'll make a little more money but I'll have more responsibilities. The point of the traineeship is to train new researchers in Child Language via coursework and multiple research experiences. So, in addition to my current work in the Fragile X lab, I'll also be starting a secondary lab experience in Dr. Hugh Catts' reading lab. It should be interesting. Oh, and in the FXS lab we're almost finished with data collection for Time 4, which means we are talking about posters and papers to draft in the very near future. I can't wait!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Pictures from Driving through Colorado
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| A cute creek along US-40 |
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| We crossed the Continental Divide at least twice. |
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| Rainy view in Colorado |
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| A distinctive peak on US-40 |
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| They just keep going... |
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| View from US-40 somewhere between Steamboat Springs & Dillon |
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| The next Grand Canyon?? |
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| It may be a gray day, but the view is still beautiful. |
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| Somewhere on I-70 between Dillon and Glenwood Springs |
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| Mountains, mountains, and more mountains |
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| I didn't even mean to take this in B&W, but it turned out pretty great! |
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| The mountain nearest my hotel in Glenwood Springs. |
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| Some of the mountains are green! |
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| I couldn't believe I caught the clouds in such a great shot! |
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| I love the view from the plane. |
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| Gorgeous |
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| Red earth |
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| Beautiful mountains between Aspen & Denver |
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| Check out the snow! |
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Aspen, CO
Wow. I sure can't complain about having a business trip to Steamboat Springs, CO!! We flew into Aspen and drove up to Steamboat Springs. I drove through Glenwood Canyon and up highway 131 at about midnight. I will never do that again. We saw about 10 deer, 2 raccoons, and 1 skunk (incidentally the skunk was the only one just sauntering down the middle of the road like he owned the place). I did manage to stay on the road and to not hit anything, but it was definitely one of the more scary nights of my life. I was very thankful when we finally reached out hotel in Steamboat.
After completing our visit with the family on Saturday, we drove over to Dillon, CO, so that my colleague could visit her friend. We drove from Steamboat to Dillon via US highway 40. It was a gorgeous drive full of rugged landscape. We crossed the continental divide at least twice! I had rented an SUV so that we would have 4 wheel drive (since I knew we'd be traipsing all over northern Colorado), and we ended up with a soft-top '09 Jeep Wrangler. On our drive to Dillon, we took off the back window panels and drove with our windows down! That was pretty awesome. I was glad, though, that we hadn't taken the top down because it ended up raining on us a couple times during our 2-hour drive.
Once I dropped my colleague off in Dillon, I headed toward my hotel for the night in Glenwood Springs, CO. I drove on I-70, but you wouldn't have known you were on a federal highway if you looked at the scenery. It felt like a scenic state highway. I drove through Vail, CO, which was stunning even without snow. Toward the end of the drive, I gave myself a scare because I passed what ended up being the last available gas station for 20+ miles immediately after my gas light came on. Needless to say, my daylight drive through Glenwood Canyon was a little bit stressful. Thankfully, I did make it and I did manage to enjoy the canyon walls towering over me as I drove. In Glenwood Springs, I checked in, ordered pizza for supper, cross-stitched & watched soccer for a bit, and then collapsed into bed.
This morning, I was able to sleep in and eat a leisurely breakfast. After packing up my belongings, I headed to the Jeep for one last drive down to the airport in Aspen, CO. The airport, like most things in Colorado, is styled after a lodge or ranch house. It's very small, and all the planes that come in are very small as well. I flew in on a turboprop and I'll be leaving on one as well. There are no jetbridges, and you board the plane and deplane by walking across the tarmac. I know for some folks that's just how airports work, but for me it's a new experience! It seems fitting to do that here in the middle of mountains that stretch thousands of feet high above us.
Once I'm home, I plan to add some of the pictures I've taken.
I'll be very glad to get home this evening since I've only got about 36 hours until I head out to Fresno, California. We'll only be seeing one family, but getting to and from California makes that trip exceptionally long regardless.
After completing our visit with the family on Saturday, we drove over to Dillon, CO, so that my colleague could visit her friend. We drove from Steamboat to Dillon via US highway 40. It was a gorgeous drive full of rugged landscape. We crossed the continental divide at least twice! I had rented an SUV so that we would have 4 wheel drive (since I knew we'd be traipsing all over northern Colorado), and we ended up with a soft-top '09 Jeep Wrangler. On our drive to Dillon, we took off the back window panels and drove with our windows down! That was pretty awesome. I was glad, though, that we hadn't taken the top down because it ended up raining on us a couple times during our 2-hour drive.
Once I dropped my colleague off in Dillon, I headed toward my hotel for the night in Glenwood Springs, CO. I drove on I-70, but you wouldn't have known you were on a federal highway if you looked at the scenery. It felt like a scenic state highway. I drove through Vail, CO, which was stunning even without snow. Toward the end of the drive, I gave myself a scare because I passed what ended up being the last available gas station for 20+ miles immediately after my gas light came on. Needless to say, my daylight drive through Glenwood Canyon was a little bit stressful. Thankfully, I did make it and I did manage to enjoy the canyon walls towering over me as I drove. In Glenwood Springs, I checked in, ordered pizza for supper, cross-stitched & watched soccer for a bit, and then collapsed into bed.
This morning, I was able to sleep in and eat a leisurely breakfast. After packing up my belongings, I headed to the Jeep for one last drive down to the airport in Aspen, CO. The airport, like most things in Colorado, is styled after a lodge or ranch house. It's very small, and all the planes that come in are very small as well. I flew in on a turboprop and I'll be leaving on one as well. There are no jetbridges, and you board the plane and deplane by walking across the tarmac. I know for some folks that's just how airports work, but for me it's a new experience! It seems fitting to do that here in the middle of mountains that stretch thousands of feet high above us.
Once I'm home, I plan to add some of the pictures I've taken.
I'll be very glad to get home this evening since I've only got about 36 hours until I head out to Fresno, California. We'll only be seeing one family, but getting to and from California makes that trip exceptionally long regardless.
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