O'Hare

Wrote a disseration today on how to get from O'Hare to my apartment! D is the best! He rode the train with me all the way to OHare to figure out exactly where Mom, Dad, and Gma are going to have to go when they get here! I made a power point that was 40 slides and made the journey impossible to mess up! I hope they get here ok since I will only be able to meet them at the train station before running back to class! Only ten more days! I can't wait!

Pcog Picnic

OMG I LOVE LOBSTER AND MY DEPARTMENT!

We had lobster at our picnic! I was the only one willing to crack lobsters so I am full of small scratches! The lobster was soo yummy! I got to talk to many a professor and post doc. The day was a great success as I discovered there will be Pcog Club on Payday! Pay and socialization! I think so! Great bonding time with T & C in the car ride there. We got lost at least a dozen times!

STAXX

My all time favorite restaurant up here is called Staxx. Its about two blocks from my house and it is an adorable breakfast place with a very chic interior and friendly staff! The owner asks me every time I walk in how school is! He is so nice and I'm sure he loves my money too!

This morning I met up with two girls from the PT program here that I met when I was here in May looking for a place. My goodness it was so nice to talk and catch up!

Dinner with T!

Tonight was the first real class I felt I had all week! One of the professors who has spent his entire life doing ethnobotony gave a great lecture and I enjoyed learning about my field. After class T and I went to Stanley's and I had an amazing turkey burger and a goose island. Great night. Lots of meat which will hopefully make up for the scar on my knee!

More Parking Stickers Than A Girl Could Ask For!

Ordered new parking stickers for visitors. Got twice as many as I needed. JOY! At least we will never run out. Class was a wash but at least Tosh.0 was great! Im so glad D and I have the same sense of humor!

Tuesday ... What a Waste

Got up today super excited for the first day of class in the Pharmacognosy department since Monday's 510 got canceled on account of complications from surgery. Again opted for more dressy than needed. Love dressing up for school. I feel like a grown up going to work.

Did all of my laundry and had a decent day till I set out for class and was stopped by my neighbor who offered to drive me to class. Thank goodness! Well, then I face planted. I tripped on my own feet and fell right on the concrete. I escaped with a minor scratch but no pride left.

Made it to class to find out the same professor was going to teach Tuesday's lecture and was out of pocket so we got a syllabus and out early. We had an impromptu girls night and C & T came over for Greek Salad and Bertolis. Had a blast just sitting around and talking up a storm watching Big Bang Theory!

First Day of School

I decided to go super dressy for the first day of school. I loved it. I messed up my TA assignment but seemingly redeemed myself because by the end of the week I had the copies for all but the last day I TA!

I went to Molecular Bio and Biochemistry. Met with my adviser and admitted the Biochemistry was too easy and the Molecular Biology seemed irrelevant to my desired course of study. He agreed and sent me back to the class schedule to try to figure out what else to take. Rather disheartening for a girl who usually has all of her ducks in a row and color coordinated.

Tuesday was restorative as I don't have class until 3pm and was able to clean the entire house and do laundry. I love clean sheets. Puts a smile on my face at the end of the day!

New Haircut!!!

Having not had my hair cut since graduation I figured it was about time. I asked for layers and chunky and after doing my hair a few times I realized I love my hair.

C was a complete doll and sat thru my appointment with me and then we went to whole foods for lunch. We have since gotten the same roll for dessert twice and love it!

Meet the Parents and Pritzker

I met D's parents and they are two of the sweetest people I've met. We had a great dinner and afterward they drove us to Millenium Park to watch D's favorite symphony. It was really special being apart of that with him.

I also really enjoyed watching mother natures performance as the evening transitioned into night. The city remained constant and the light faded quickly behind the buildings that lit up like lite-brights.

10 Surprising Things that are Way Different

1. People are waaaaay nicer up here than back home. For example, networking isn't something you do with people who have more money than you do, its something you do with strangers in the coffee shop. One more example, at the DMV a perfectly normal male introduced himself and became quite chatty with the young female in front of him! Bonding over traffic rules! Too nice!
2. Stickers! Stickers! Stickers! I now know why Lisa Frank did so well. People up here are obsessed with stickers! Trash stickers, window stickers, permit stickers, renewal stickers for your other stickers! Its crazy! Its the nineties all over again!
3. Not everyone has air conditioning or knows how to use it.
4. Panhandlers are rendered ineffective by electronic devices: ipods, cellphones, zunes, anything that blocks your ability to hear them. Also effective: Sunglasses you become invisible.
5. CTA rules are inflexible if you think about them too hard. If you just make an assumption about them and live by it then it will stay true.
6. Cash is the life blood up here, particularly when it comes to CTA, farmers markets, going out to lunch or dinner with friends.
7. Not everyone has been downtown recently. After all its summer and the tourists are staked three or four deep.
8. There are tourists.
9. Air conditioning vents are in the floor not the wall or ceiling.
10. Its called a washroom not a restroom.

Thursday: Day of Productivity

Today I got so much done! I mean I even updated the blog!

I started off with an excellent meeting with the professor I want to work with this spring! I really want to work for him! Fingers crossed! Afterward I went to Starbucks and registered for classes. I then came home and did work son!

China Town and Kid Cudi

I went and picked up the University Pass today that entitles students to ride the CTA for free (well there is a non-negotiable fee, but heck why not call it free). There is apparently a concert coming up from UIC that I'm super excited about!

Other than that today was long and boring information about UIC's graduate college and then the afternoon was all about TAing and since my duties are so minimal and I taught last year I was bored out of my skull!

After orientation my family came up and in from the burbs and we went to China Town. We ate the most authentic Chinese food I have had since I left Taiwan. So amazing. The food was served on rolling carts just like in China!

Went to see one of D&A's friends preform. He is center of the saxophones. I had no idea how many different kinds of saxophones there were. Good thing I was with two band people!

Best day ever! Today was also departmental orientation! I got to meet everyone in the department and in my program! I am so excited to meet everyone and start school!

First day of work!!!! Today was my first meeting as a graduate student!! I am TAing for PHAR333. My responsibilities are so easy and I am only in charge until September 10th! Woot!

The class itself sounds interesting and I am pretty sure I am going to go just to sit in and listen. Mom and Dad wanted a picture of my first day of school so here it is!

Got my new driver's license today! Its a pretty good picture but its still a mug shot! When I arrived at the address I googled I realized I had been here before just five years earlier with my dad!

New Stoop and Lunch in the Loop!

Land lady, G, and E came by today and fixed the stoop. G did 99% of the work and E assured him he shouldn't be working at his age.

Also had lunch with an old friend from high school today! So much fun to catch up and reminisce!