Hello all!
Week four is now complete, and suffice it to say, celebrating the Fourth of July in Boston is quite spectacular! My former roommate Becky and I slept in, and then went off to the Cambridgeside Galleria, a mall that isn't too far away. I got some shirts at H&M since my wardrobe currently isn't conducive to the jeans and tshirt look that everyone wears here for practicality's sake. It's just not safe (or cool enough) to wear my customary skirt and blazer look. We had a leisurely walk back to the frat house and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I took a lovely nap in my lofted bed, waking up just in time to have a hamburger that some of the members of the frat had grilled before heading off to the Cambridge side of the Charles River. Most of the REU crew went, playing Phase 10 on a couple of blankets while waiting for the show to start at 8:30. Unfortunately, it did turn chilly and rainy, sending me back to the frat house for a sweatshirt. Although we didn't get to hear the Boston Pops in person, they did a great job with all of the marches and patriotic songs. After the singalong medley, a couple of us burst into "Fifty Nifty United States" a song most of us learned in elementary school. The first half of the show ended "V for Vendetta" style with the rousing finale of the 1812 Overture resulting in a flurry of fireworks from the barge anchored on the river. The second half with headliner John Melloncamp was really difficult to hear from the speakers, and most people were restless for the fireworks show to begin. When it finally did start, it seemed like it would never end. We had a fantastic view, and the fireworks were accompanied by music clips or songs that ranged from Sesame Street (fireworks in the shape of cubes, numbers and smily faces), a romantic ballad (hearts and stars) and Pirates of the Caribbean (lots of explosions). The coolest fireworks were the kind that exploded in a half-sphere directly over the river: it must have been both nerve-wracking and incredible to be a boat on the water during the show. You can check out clips of the fireworks on YouTube, but you can't replicate the booms and vibrations that course through you, or the slight sulphur-y smell that penetrates the air, or the glow on everyone's faces from the intense lights in the sky magnified by both the Charles River and the windows on the skyscrapers. It was definitely an experience I'll never forget.
As far as delicious food goes this week, Monday called for noodles at a Thai place in Harvard Square with the REU-ers. Big portions and really good spring rolls made the walk back to the frat house a little bit longer. The next day, I had an AMAZING Italian dinner in Davis Square with a friend. While I do love spaghetti with prego sauce and frozen garlic bread (so much butter! and garlic! yum!), the sausage rigatoni was so fresh and delicious. There was also a lovely lemon ricotta spread for the freshly baked bread. Afterwards, we had ice cream at a local chain called JP Licks: the entire store is painted with blackboard paint, so they can easily change their in-house flavors every few days. Saturday brought a visit to Upper Crust, a famous pizza place (thin crust) off of Charles Street. I had the steak and gorgonzola, and while that combination sounds weird, it was fantastic. That night was a bar called the Pourhouse for my first glass of Sam Adams with a $2.25 hamburger and fries combo: gotta love those bar specials!
Today brought a very new experience to my life: I got up at 7:30 and made the trek to the MIT Boathouse with other REU-ers. We registered for our dinghy, and spent about an hour trying to wade through nautical terminology like tack and gybe (sounds like the lyrics to a swing tune). We then sat through about three hours of lecture and demonstration and learned how to set up the boom and all the knots...it was intense, but one still wonders how they can just throw 50 people into a river with no experience and a life jacket, especially in today's climate of health insurance and risk management. They told us point blank that almost every week someone has to go to the hospital for getting hit by the boom. Our boat was named Harold S, and although it was a bit chancy on our first tack (and trying to keep the boat from capsizing in the strong winds), no one fell in, and I came away mostly unscathed (only bruises). The day was hot, but it was still a great decision to wear a long sleeved biking shirt and bike shorts: I definitely got wet. While it was really fun to learn the basics and get a handle on sailing, I think I like to be in situations where I have more control over where I go and how fast and whether I will be dry or wet at the end of the day. I realize this comes with practice, but Illinois just doesn't have that many places to sail. My next goal? Crew.
Work in lab has been going well, but our current project has been slightly frustrating. However, I am reminded by the slightly more cynical members of my lab "If every experiment worked the first time, we wouldn't have a job." So, tomorrow will be a bright and early new start with lots of data analysis and graphing, plus updating the ever-changing powerpoint presentation for a group meeting sometime in the future. As always, feel free to email me questions about research: I'd be happy to talk more about it if you are interested.
The upcoming week brings my mom and little brother to Boston: I'm really looking forward to walking the Freedom Trail as well as giving them the tour of lab and what I do every day. There's also a ballroom social on Saturday night: it'll be exciting to get all dressed up and dance the night away!
Also - there was a 3am fire alarm last Monday night...I feel like I'm back in freshman year of college!
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