AWK

Oops. I totally thought I had posted twice in May, but alas, 'twas April. So I skipped my birthday month, but I'll cut myself a break because last month I finally finished my PhD candidacy paperwork, finished classes, and moved to Richmond!

The first two are major accomplishments because it means I get to focus more on research and less on paperwork and random coursework. However, I will say that I did not realize how much I learned from those classes until after I moved to Richmond. That being said, the third item (moving to Richmond) has been quite a reverse culture shock. I should have expected something like this to happen, especially with my woes of moving to Quarryville back in high school. But I figured Richmond wouldn't be that bad (I had visited for a high school summer program before, although I didn't remember any of it...could have blocked that out...), and I would get a chance to meet some new people and get connected.

AWK aka AWKWARD, which is the new story of Panda's life. This. town. is. so. HIPSTER.

I have nothing against hipsters (okay, I have everything against them), but seriously, I have not met one SINGLE person (that isn't in my lab) that doesn't have a tattoo on some part of their body. I suppose because the university in which I am researching now is a pretty highly ranked arts university that everyone is super in touch with themselves, but I just really want to meet another intelligent, OCD person that loves Lupe Fiasco as much as I do. And speaking of hip hop, which is my newfound passion (Big K will appreciate this), along with The Boyf's recent trip to Chicago (Lupe's hometown), I have reconsidered my disdain for wind and deep dish pizzas and we may or may not have agreed to move there at some point in the unforeseen future.

So I've been here a few days more than one month. Dr. Zebra has come and recently gone, so we are now in recovery mode, which means vegetation for a few days and then stressing out and overworking to catch up. Ah, grad school. Sure beats the living daylights out of working at McKinsey, where I could have been making bank and traveling and meeting intelligent people and...wait a minute! Industry actually sounds ideal...

Let me shake some sense back into myself. It's definitely research for the next 3 years for me...so let's make it work! Our new lab space, although supes fresh and clean, is still under construction for some wiring, office space, chairs and accessories, etc. It's just slightly awkward to come into work and run a fluorescent staining protocol to the sweet sound of hammers and drills. Mmmm. Lupe would make this into a beat.

This weekend will be a fun and busy one! The Boyf and (newly graduated) Dr. Haan will be visiting. The Boyf's birthday is tomorrow, so I have made a B52 cheesecake in memory of our fondness for the similarly named delectable at Cafe Intermezzo in Atlanta. Brother Big K's birthday is on Sunday, for which I still need to get a present, and Father's Day is also on Sunday! Since I am closer to home now, I'll need to visit Padre more often. Unfortunately, it seems all the Chinatown buses are full and I may have to take (gasp) an AMERICAN ONE. Megabus is actually pretty nice, but the ticket prices for July 4th weekend (obviously) are pretty expensive. Although my alternatives (train and air) are even more so. And since when did train tickets start being so darn expensive? Weren't they supposed to invent teleportal systems by now?

Alright, it's time to go! Updates soon, my dears! For now, enjoy this extremely photoshopped photo of me and The Boyf from the future Dr. Roudi's wedding!

Oh, and I'm officially 24. AHHHHHH AWK.