In Which I Whine About Work... A Lot

            Happy holidays everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and also a wonderful start to Hanukkah if you’re currently celebrating that.

So I somehow managed to survive the past couple of weeks... and now I have to do it all over again. This is going to be a short post, because I need to go back to coding. (Ah, life as a college student... so wonderful :P ). Anyways, here’s a rundown of thing I did since I last posted an update, and then I’ll give you a preview of things that are happening before next Monday.

Things that have happened

            Pretty much everyone was gone over Thanksgiving break, so the past few days were actually quite quiet. On Wednesday night I went to bed at 9:30 pm and didn’t get out of bed until noon the next day. Since I’d gotten six hours of sleep collectively over the past two days, this was a very good thing. Sleep is actually very awesome, which is surprisingly easy to forget when you have a lot of things to do. :P

            On Thanksgiving, I decided I wasn’t going to do anything academic. So instead, I watched a lot of bad TV, Skyped with my family, wrote the last two blog posts, and ate a lot of cranberry sauce. It was actually one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve had in college, just because it was so restful. I also worked desk in the evening, and I managed to get a good chunk of my Christmas shopping done, which was exciting.

            On Friday, I woke up early to work desk again. When I finished, I intended to get some work done, but I got sidetracked into cleaning part of my room. While cleaning my room, I got further sidetracked into thinking about the fact that I needed super glue to fix a mug that I had broken. As a result, at about noon on Friday I decided to brave the cold and any crazy people who might be shopping in Central Square (not exactly the premier shopping destination... it’s mostly restaurants) and head out to the art supply store to buy some glue. While there, I had my first kind-of-real Black Friday experience. They were having a doorbuster where you spun a wheel to determine what prize you got, and I won a drawing pad and some colored pencils. Not exactly the most glamorous prize, but it was fun nonetheless.

            On Saturday I pretended to do work some more. I did actually start my work though, which was good. Unfortunately, I didn’t start enough of it, because there’s still a significant amount left to do. Sunday was basically more of the same- I did work, but there’s so much work to do that I can’t say I did enough work. In my experience, that’s usually how breaks go though. You start them with such good intentions of getting absolutely everything done, while you don’t have classes. But then by the time you actually get done with break, you’ve only done maybe one or two things, because you want to actually take a break from work at some point. (Shocking, I know. Taking a break over break.) It’s hard, because on the one hand you feel like break is the perfect time to do ALL the things. But on the other hand, it’s usually necessary to not do anything for a while in order to recharge your brain. And once you get into the recharging your brain mode, it’s so restful that it’s hard to stop. :P

           

Things that are going to happen

            The following are the reasons that I really should have done more work over break... these are the things that I’m going to either do or have due before next Monday.

1.     Spanish oral exam
            I had my Spanish test last Thursday, but the oral portion of the exam didn’t happen then. So I scheduled that for today, and now I need to remember how to speak Spanish between now and 2:30 pm. It shouldn’t be too bad, since oral exams are fairly informal in this class (basically we go to my professors office and have a conversation about the movies we’ve watched for the class... very low key), but it does require me to remember how to speak Spanish, which I haven’t done for about a week. So that should be fun.
2.     7.03 (Genetics) Problem Set
           One of the things I was supposed to be getting done over break so that I didn’t have to worry about it was this problem set. I’ve actually finished most of it, but I still need to check my answers with my TA in recitation today to ensure that they’re at least mostly correct.
3.     Spanish final project, part 1
          My Spanish class is having a final project instead of a final exam. Which is good in the sense that it means I have one less final exam to study for. What is less good is that I now have another project to get through before I get a chance to start studying for final exams. The project we’re doing is writing a script for a few scenes in the silent movie we watched, and then performing the scenes in front of the class. This doesn’t sound like that much work, and it’s really not that big of a project. But it is a group project, which means we have to somehow coordinate three very different schedules, at the end of the semester, when everyone would almost certainly be thinking about other things. (This is only part 1 because we have to turn in the script on Thursday so that we can get graded on grammar... the actual presentation is only happening next Tuesday).
4.     20.109 (Intro to Biological Engineering Lab Techniques) Module 3 Mini-report
         Remember the class that I turned in a 12 page paper (not including figures) for last week? Yeah, there’s another paper for that class due this week. At other schools this might be a common occurrence, and it’s even common in our HASS (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences) classes. But it’s not something we usually experience in our technical classes. And since this class is also expecting us to prepare a novel research idea and give a presentation on it next Tuesday, I’m not super excited about writing this paper for them this week. Luckily, the written portion of the paper is only supposed to be three pages long, and it’s written with our lab partners. We also have to make figures though, which is going to be the part that takes the longest. Basically, I’m not looking forward to writing this one very much.
5.     20.320 (Computational Analysis of Molecular and Systems Biology... or something like that. I actually have very little idea what the official title of this class is) Final Project
         This is the project that I was so excited about at the beginning of the semester- computationally modeling a whole cell. And it’s still ridiculously cool that we can do that. But it’s a lot of work for a final project, particularly in a class that also has a final exam. At this point I just sound like a whiny student complaining about how many things I have to do... but this is actually kind of a huge undertaking, and the addition of all the other things I have to do means that I should possibly think about stocking up on my supply of caffeinated teas. Or possibly (*gasp*) buying coffee... basically it’s going to be another long week.
6.     7.03 (Genetics) exam
         Just in case you thought I was done with the week, I also have to find some point at which I can study for my third exam in this class. Which is going to be a total blast, since there’s a lot of math involved in the material for this one. And I’m not entirely sure how most of it works. So I’ll be learning that this week, at some point. Probably when I’m tired of working on everything else and need to take a ‘break’
7.     Second Choir concert
       At the end of this week (on Saturday) is our second Choir concert. I love the music we’re doing, and I love singing. But the fact that the concert is this week means that dress rehearsals are also this week. Which means that scheduling is going to be a total blast, since dress rehearsals are at awkward times, and there’s a bunch of group-project-y things that I’m currently trying to get done.

            Basically, it’s the end of the semester, and EVERYTHING IS DUE. Which is both good and bad. I’m excited to go home (only 16 days now!), but there’s so much work between now and then that I can’t even really think it. And at some point I do actually need to study for my final exams... which is going to be a blast. I’m really looking forward to that one. :P

            Anyway, that’s probably enough of listening to me whine for one morning...  so I’ll leave you with something happy. One other thing I did over break was set up the tiny Christmas tree that my mom sent me freshman year. It’s a good reminder that work isn’t all that’s going on, and that it’ll be over soon, for better or worse. So here, as a parting gift, is a picture of my tree:

In Honor of Thanksgiving

In honor of Thanksgiving, this is going to be a list of things I’m thankful for. Which is actually a ridiculously large number of things. So if I forget to write about something, it’s probably not because I’m not thankful for it... I just have so many things to be thankful for that it’s hard to keep track of them all. So here’s a list of just some of the things that I’m thankful for this year.

1.     My family

Yes, it’s cliché. But I’m really grateful for my insane, wonderful, ridiculous family. They’re always there for me when I need them, and they don’t mind disappearing for a bit when I’m busy. Which is a very good thing, considering the amount of time I spend being busy. :P And they never fail to make me laugh, which is always a good thing. My family is weird. Anyone who’s seen us together would have trouble denying that. But we work. And we love each other, even when we don’t like each other. Which is all that really matters.

2.     My friends

Again, cliché. I know. But if this year has taught me one thing, it’s that there are people here who genuinely care about me, and people about whom I genuinely care. And although that is something we often take for granted, it’s one of the best things about life. I could explain why I’m grateful for my friends until I’m blue in the face, and I probably still wouldn’t be able to hit all of the reasons. So thank you guys, for being there.

3.     Crazy weather

Boston weather hasn’t been great recently- temperatures were below freezing for about four days last week, and then yesterday it was 65°F, with 20 mph sustained winds and gusts up to 45+ mph. Boston weather is notoriously bipolar, and this week was no different. It was fun though, having to dig out all my winter clothes only to put them back a few days later. Bizarre, but fun.

4.     My health

Although I’ve had a low-level cold for the past few weeks, I’ve never had any major health problems (knock on wood). Which is really pretty awesome, when you think about it. It’s one of the many things I definitely don’t think about (as in really at all). And I’m grateful that I don’t have to put much thought into it.

5.     My computer

In a stereotypical ‘you don’t know what you have till it’s gone’ type scenario, my computer decided to totally die on me last week. It wouldn’t boot past the first boot screen, and decided that only showing the red pixels was a good idea. So I had to take it into the Apple Store, which was a bit crazy. I’m glad I have it back now- I really didn’t realize how much I depend on it until I had to go to a computer lab to do my homework and all of the settings were weird. It was an interesting experience, to say the least.

The problem with lists of things that you’re thankful for is that somehow they always end up sounding mildly insincere. And they’re always incomplete. But considering that I already wrote a mammoth post today, I’m going to leave this one here. I’m so thankful for everything I have, even if it’s difficult to express in writing. But in particular I’m grateful for anyone who’s reading this, because chances are that you’ve done a lot to support me over the past year. Lots of love, and happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope you’re all having a good holiday season so far.

~Alycia

LONG TIME NO POST

            Oh goodness it’s been a long time since I wrote anything... It’s not for lack of desire to do so, I promise. School and life have just been extremely crazy for the past month. But it’s Thanksgiving break now, and I’m taking the day off to do all the things I haven’t been able to do in the recent past. Like sleep in until 11 am. And do my laundry. And make actual food for dinner. (Don’t worry, I’ve been eating. It’s just that most of the time I’ve been cooking things like quesadillas and soup rather than food that requires actual skill. :P ) And I’m writing this blog! Which is good. I’m actually going to try to post two things today- an update post, since it’s been over a month since I last wrote anything, and a Thanksgiving post detailing some of the things I’m grateful for (since it’s Thanksgiving, after all. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!)

            Okay. So this is going to be the life update portion, and the next post will be the Thanksgiving-y portion. This one’s going to be more of a list of things that have happened, with some details about each, because otherwise, if I tried to tell you everything that’s happened, it would take about a month, probably. So, here goes. Apologies in advance if I miss anything! I’m going to attempt to put this in chronological order, but we’ll see how that works out. :P

1.    My birthday

So this year I turned 21, which is exciting in and of itself, since I’m a real adult now. Which is actually the weirdest thing ever. But my birthday was pretty awesome. I ended up working on campus until ridiculously late at night, trying to finish my psets before my family got there (more on that to come). My friends, being the ridiculously sweet people that they are, baked me a cake to eat at midnight. I wasn’t actually back at midnight though, so they ended up staying up until I got back to wish me a happy birthday. And they got me a scarf with part of Les Mis written on it and some shot glasses shaped like beakers (since it was my 21^st birthday). Overall, it was a good reminder that I have some really amazing friends.

2.    The Gardners come to Boston!

One of the really exciting things about my birthday was that my family came to visit Boston. My dad’s been saying for years that he was going to come to Boston and have a drink with me on my 21^st. We ended up only having a drink together the next day, but it was still fun. In an event that sort of exemplifies who I am, I think, my first alcoholic beverage wasn’t a normal drink like a beer or whatever, but hot chocolate with Bailey’s. (It was totally delicious though, and I highly recommend it to anyone (after you’re 21 of course)). The other good thing about my family coming to Boston, besides the fact that we got to spend time together, was that my sister got to look at Brandeis, and my brother got to spend some time with me looking at MIT. I know they were both excited to see the respective campuses... but my dear little brother spent more time sleeping than seeing what MIT was like. I took him to two of my classes, and he learned some new things, but he was also snoring in my computational biology class. Literally. :P

3.    Apple Bake!

Apple Bake is a really big deal on my floor. And writing that, I realize that I should explain what Apple Bake actually is. Every year during the fall semester, Burton Conner holds a cooking competition where the only real rule is that you have to incorporate apples somehow. My floor takes it pretty seriously- we have sort of a rivalry with one of the other floor in the building. Freshman year I made an apple snowman with a friend, and we won Fourth Place in the ‘Apple Art’ category, but I hadn’t won anything since, so I was pretty determined this year. I made Apple Cinnamon Roll Muffins, Apple Kuchen, and Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread. I was a little bit crazy, since my yeast wasn’t fully proofing for some reason, so the dough took a lot longer than it should have to rise. Everything ended up getting done in the nick of time (as it always seems to during Apple Bake), and I got fifth place in the ‘Apple Breakfast’ category for the cinnamon rolls. I’m now the proud owner of a 2013 Apple Bake mug (which is part of the prize- 1^st through 3^rd places also get money prizes for the floor). I really like this year’s design, not least because the person who designed it is one of the awesome freshmen who lives in my suite. We got really lucky with our freshmen this year. :)

These pictures are backwards, but the writing on the mug says "Come bake and be happy" on one side, and "Burton Conner Apple Bake 2013" 

4.    7.03 (Genetics) test

The Monday after this crazy weekend, I had a Genetics test. It went much better than the last one (which is to say that it could still have gone better, but that’s pretty much my track record with tests at MIT... they’re insanely hard)

5.    Journal Club Presentation

Part of learning to be a good scientist is learning how to communicate your ideas in effective ways. To that end, in my Intro to Lab Techniques class, we had to give presentations on a scientific paper that we’d read. It’s kind of like a book report, only on a scientific paper that we’re supposed to understand. Contrary to how it sounds, this was not a walk in the park. I kind of hate presentations, and scientific papers are notoriously difficult to understand. Also, presenting someone else’s work and being expected to answer questions on it is kind of ridiculously difficult. The presentation ended up going okay, but it was hard.

6.    First ever scientific paper

This is certainly not a paper that will get published anywhere ever, but it was my first scientific paper. And let me tell you, they’re as difficult to write as they are to present. Writing this one was something of a struggle that lasted long into the night... but it eventually got done. Not well, mind you (I used various versions of the word ‘greater’ three different times in the same sentence... which is probably a consequence of writing things at 5 a.m.) But it got done.

7.    20.320 (Computational Biology) test

After a weekend spent trying to write a scientific paper, this test was also something of a struggle. But it too got done, and I did a lot better than I had on the first test for this class, so that’s a plus.

8.    Choir Concert

The day after my 20.320 test, we had our first concert for choir, and it actually went decently well. I couldn’t actually hear very much, since I was onstage singing behind a full orchestra, but my friends who were there told me that we sounded good. And I’m pretty sure they weren’t lying to me. :P

9.    Candlepin Bowling

In the midst of all my academic work, I did still have some fun- A bunch of people from my floor and another floor in Burton Conner went candlepin bowling, and then we went out for ice cream afterwards, despite it being about 35°F outside. Candlepin bowling has the same basic idea as regular bowling- you’re tossing a ball down a waxed wooden lane, trying to knock down 10 pins at the end of the lane. The difference is that the pins are shaped like candles rather than curvy, and you get three tries to knock them all down, rather than two. I’m proud to say that I had the best score in my lane during both of the game we played (although apparently not everyone grows up going to the bowling alley for fun at least once a year... so I may have had something of an unfair advantage on this one).

10. Burton 2 Thanksgiving

Another floor tradition that happens every year is that we have a potluck Thanksgiving meal before the actual holiday happens. It’s always very impressive- both in quantity and quality of food. This year, I made cranberry sauce with one of my friends, and I baked two batches of spritz cookies with the new cookie press that my mom sent me in a care package. I will probably be eating cranberry sauce for a week or so, but the cookies were eaten within a couple of days, so I’ll probably need to make more of those before the holidays are over.

11. Genetics Lab Practical

Of the three assignments I had due on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving break, this one was probably both the most fun and the most frustrating. It involved using a computer program to model mating fruit flies in order to determine things about their genetics. And it took forever. Not literally, but definitely in the figurative sense. I spent 5+ hours on the last problem... and the work I needed to do to finish it took up an entire 10-foot long whiteboard. I’m including pictures of that one, because I was very proud of my work once it got done.

This one's backwards too, because I can't figure out how to work my camera. :P

12. Scientific Paper redux

This time it was just revisions of the first draft of the paper, but it still took a long time. I’m much more proud of the finished copy (I revised that awful sentence) but it took a decent amount of work to finish up. At this point, I’m just glad that it’s done. I’ll maybe be proud of the actual paper when I’ve recovered from the sleep deprivation that it caused. :P

Writing it all down, this doesn’t seem like that much stuff... but it’s a combination of doing all of these things and trying to also do real-life things like laundry and UROP that has kept me from writing for so long. Thank you to everyone who’s written to me or given me food or hugs over the past month... hopefully the rest of the semester is slightly less busy. :P