Swinging Panda

Yo, cheese curls! Swinging Panda is here, now back and at it. And by swinging, I only mean exchanging thoughts and ideas, not sexual partners! And alas, as The Boyf does not even reside here, I wouldn't even have an opportunity to see him, anyway.

Richmond has started to perk up, as I feared would happen. Now that school is back in session, life seems to make the city busier. As I spent the last three months (already?!) ruling out everything that I didn't like, now it is finally time to explore the things that I do.

My lack of intelligent human interaction lead me to send out random emails to people I found online, including a confused professor that welcomed me into his office but eventually gave me some solid advice and mentorship. Thanks to him, I decided to sit in on an arts leadership course (to take advantage of the strong arts program at the University), purchase and sift through the Translated Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, and continue writing and formulating my ideas.

On another note, the church hopping has also come to an end (or rather, I hope it has). Princess of Jamaica and I have been attending churches in the area, to no avail. We seem to have different tastes in our worship forums, but I believe I have found a quaint little place (full of history, who am I?) of which I'll enjoy taking part. The Boyf will love it because it has history, I love it because they offer free coffee and basel from the garden after service, and the church will appreciate me because I provide comic relief during communion when I'm not sure whether or not to dip my bread in the cup or drink directly from it. Hello.

And on another note, research is starting to become better now that I have finally been trained on (almost all of) the equipment. We still have some access issues, but at least I get a little more freedom to move around now that I don't have to sit in front of my computer screen (we have to be sitting at our desks at 8am every morning, because that, ladies and gentlemen, is how academia has decided to foster productivity...) all the day long. Our lab has even expanded to include more postdoctoral folks and perhaps a new graduate student! There is still negativity here and there, but on the whole at least we have the lab chumps to support each other, and when we don't, there is always ChatRoulette (I kid, but check out the social media dis short film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6eNuJdxAoQ&bpctr=1379644844)

And on even another (literally) note, I have even found some graduate students who are into music, and, dare I say, may be casually jamming with their BAND!!! SO. COOL. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!x a gazillion) This is like the life I should have had in high school, but instead I was Prom Panda, which also wasn't too bad. Even though I'm not a student here, maybe the University will consider crowning me Homecoming Panda. With the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised. Everyone seems to be confused about who I am and what to do with me. Why not? I would be the first Homecoming Panda in the history of the universe, and what wonders it would do for my professional panda career!

And on another another another note, since our summer gym membership expired, Screamin' Goat and I have been exploring other options for exercising without having to pay. Visiting our friend's gym in The Omni can only last so long, but luckily Richmond is chock full of bridges that are pretty runner friendly. Also biker friendly, but alas, bikes cost money, while legs do not. The views are also pretty nice from the bridge. Dare I say, even romantic at times...

Okay, and on one last note: Panda has officially gone poo-free for approximately two months! It was a rough time, but my hair is finally coming back around. I still have to perfect the formula, but fo' sho' you  need to do the vinegar rinse after the baking soda soak. Originally I thought my hair was getting oily because I wasn't using enough baking soda, but for some reason it was because I wasn't using the vinegar conditionar afterward. And don't actually rinse too much, because the vinegar makes your hair softer. What's next? A hairbrush!? The possibilities are endless! And yet, my face is still oily... These natural remedies can only go so far. Tea tree oil is pretty good at curbing my facial oiliness for a few hours, but after that it's still a mess. Perhaps The Boyf will find better use for it on his toenail!

Until next time,
Panda