This past weekend I got the opportunity of showing off
Ithaca’s splendor. It is a rare and welcome occasion when I am visited up here,
a place which my hairdresser once said sounded like “a magical land”, and which
takes probably the same amount of trouble to get to (which explains the rarity
of such an event). My grampa and his lovely bride the N-factor came up to the
magical and mysterious land of community-owned bookstores, rednecks, and solar
powered candle shops in order to see me and to drop off an automobile. (The
N-factor’s real name is Nancy, but there was an abundance of Nancy’s in my life
at the time I met her, so she was christened by none other than myself with a
most distinguishing, and a trifle badass, nickname.) [Also I have an automobile!]
While they were here, we had a plethora of nice meals and introducing friends to family. The Ithaca commons did not fail on at least two occasions to provide live music and eclectic folks. I remember one conversation, after walking by the hemp store, about how certain items displayed rather prominently in the window were illegal. I had to point out to my elders that glassware itself is not illegal.
The trip also included a visit to Niagara Falls. I naively thought that it would be somewhat less of a tourist attraction than it was, but the entire town is hotels, Casinos, and tour buses. That’s not to say I didn’t have a good time. We saw it from the top of the Skylon tower (the best view of it, at the price of an expensive lunch), went into the mist on a Maid of the Mist Tour, and saw it from behind the falls. I finally tried lobster, and have now been to two foreign countries on this passport. I have until 2021, so I hope I can get a few more.
Unfortunately much of my grampa’s visit was marred by me
having to study/do homework. This week was the last week for two of my classes,
so I was doing finals-prep (as well as midterm prep for orgo, due to Scott’s
wish to have us take three midterms for a six week class) and trying to wrap up
the last of the problem sets. Even more unfortunately, I have a peculiar talent
of consistently beginning really excellent books right before I become too busy
to give them the attention I would like. The day you posted on the blog it was
to be 93 degrees, so I holed up in the nicely air-conditioned library and found
a copy of Pride and Prejudice, which I’ve been meaning to read for a while. I
finished it on Tuesday (two days before two finals). I have also done this with
Atlas Shrugged, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Shining during the semester about
which I say: “I didn’t know how bad I felt until I felt better.” At least I am
consistent.
As previously mentioned, this week I took two finals: orgo
and heat and mass transfer. I officially am not required to take any more
chemistry courses, so naturally there is a little empty space in my heart.
Fortunately I think I am going to take principles of biochemistry for my
advanced science elective, so I can keep riding the “I love chemistry while
normal people tolerate it for the minimum amount of time” train. My parents and
brother are also on this train. It must be genetic.
Now that heat and mass is over and thermo is yet to begin
(it will on Monday), orgo lab is the new most-work-required class. It’s also
extremely stressful. Their motto might as well be: We are going to put you in a
room full of noxious fumes (we actually had to evacuate the lab on the first
day because we vaporized some benzoic acid. Nbd.), expensive equipment, things
that might kill you, and breakable stuff, and ask you to do a bunch of things you’ve
never done before with minimal guidance and require that you do it in a small
amount of time. Also you must wear a silly apron whose strings keep breaking
and lose a ridiculous amount of points on lab reports for not doing things you
didn’t know you were supposed to do. You must also overhear your lab partner
telling your TA she will be gone and in an attempt to idly make chit chat
discover she will be attending her grandfather’s funeral. At such time you
awkwardly decide to go dump something in the organic waste bottle on the other
side of the room and regret bringing it up altogether. (Well, maybe without the
last part.) The days when we only have one lab to do aren’t too bad actually,
and it’s definitely a change of pace from your normal lecture/discussion/problem
set type class, but I’m more of a survivor than a thriver in the lab.
There is certainly more I could talk about, but I feel like
I have been scatterbrained enough writing what I have already written. In the
words of George Bernard Shaw, “I’m sorry this letter is so long, I didn’t have
time to make it shorter.” (In hindsight I’m pretty sure I’ve written longer
blogposts before, but usually I exhaust what I was intending to talk about in
that time while this time I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface.
Perhaps I’ll write again relatively soon, depending on if things get busier
again.) I really do hope we get a chance to Skype sometime… (Am I pathetic
enough yet?) I don’t have much going on this weekend since thermo hasn’t
started yet and we basically have the week off from lab because of the fourth
of July. If you are around with even a little time I hope you will think of lil
ol’ me! I hope your summer’s going well so far.
Much love,
Lola
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