New Beginnings

Matt and I moved into our new apartment this weekend, and it truly is starting to look like a home. We've got an incredible view, granite countertops, full tile baths, and a rather spacious garage (that now has a new washer/dryer set and grill in it!) Additionally, I get to come home to the man I love each and every night, and that's everything I've ever wanted, so it's like I'm living a happy little dream. (You can groan over the sap here, but I'm happy for us. So there.)

Along with the new digs come new jobs. Matt started his new job after the 4th of July holiday and I start mine on Monday the 18th. Is it strange that I have this horrible fear that I'll show up Monday morning for my brand new job and they'll tell me that they didn't actually hire me and I'm terribly mistaken? This is a constant fear I've had since basically the moment I accepted the offer. I'm not sure why. I think it has something to do with having a solid long-term career opportunity with a company I really respect, and that whole "too good to be true/ no one ever gets this lucky" kind of thing.

Back in April, after I completed my comprehensive exam for my graduate degree, one of my panel members and former professors offered me a co-authorship with him on a book about my subject matter. This all started so completely randomly, and really is kind of a strange progression of events.

I initially had a completely different panel than what I ended up with. I had asked my pharmacology (and other subjects) professor a year in advance to participate on my committee, and when it came time to own up or shut up, she shut up. Someone had made promises to too many students and not only bailed on my exam, but my friend Eva's as well. After she signed the sheet.


So I scavenged my brain for a professor whose class I did well in, who would remember me, and whose class I didn't text too much in. You know, I wanted someone who respected me. As I have a serious text message problem (that I at times attribute to work, because if I can get away with that, I would), I was rather coming up short for names. I also didn't make it a solid habit to chit-chat with my professors. Mostly because I didn't want to be that brown-nosed girl who befriends her teachers for an A. I earned my A's. Except for in Sensory Physiology. We all got A's in that class.

I had heard rumors that this professor was a good one to have on your panel because he let you pick your topic. I wanted to pick vision/the eye, because while everyone else does hearing/the ear, this was complicated for me. (seriously, all those ions moving back and forth... and counter clockwise/clockwise motion.... and the cochlea. I just didn't want to pick a topic on which I knew my professor had based his entire tenure on. Call me what you will.) Anyways, picking Dr. R for my exam was kind of a last-minute move on my part, because I knew that neurology is NOT my forte, and that for all true and realistic purposes, I should have failed his class, but I needed a professor and desperate times call for desperate measures.

Dr. R graciously accepted his position on my committee, and also agreed to be the chairperson. Then in an interesting twist of events, when he asked me my topic, and I mentioned the eye and vision, he asked me if I'd be willing to do a special research project of sorts.

And, of course, the professor-pleaser/desperate-to-graduate person in me happily accepted this assignment.

Then I spent the next 6-8 weeks in research stress hell, and pulled off a committee exam that was one of a kind, put one of my professors to sleep, and I was the one who knew the most about the topic (which seemed to me like a 'guaranteed to pass' type of scenario). 25 research papers later, countless hours of researching and LOTS of company paper..... I received an email from Dr. R asking me if I'd be interested in turning my research topic into a book through a co-authorship with him.

Did I mention that it was always a dream of mine to be published?

I mean, sure, when I was a kid, I thought I'd be an author of the Stephen King type of notoriety. However, now that I'm an adult and book deals are only truly given out if you're an acquitted murderer or have a story about shiny vampires, I can accept that any book is better than none.

So I accepted. I figured it'd be at least a good way to keep my brain working post-grad.

What's this book about, you say?

Well, it's about algae. No, really. It's about single celled algae (the Chlamydomonas, Halobacteria, and Euglena) species, and how they process and respond to light. In a nutshell: How algae see.

Which is, I know, terribly boring to 98% of the population. And I realize that if (and that's a big if) this book really does get published, the most I could hope for is that some science teacher somewhere uses it as a teaching aid. And that I'll never make money off it.

But I'd be published.

So, I've finally acquired my UTSA access back for the library system and can resume my research on this topic.

What a busy July: two new jobs, a new apartment with my love, and beginning a book. Sweet action!