FINALLY a post

Hey humans, sorry I fail at posting. Hope you still love me :) I've been apartment hopping, and I've finally landed. Phew!

Fun first interaction: my cab driver from the airport is from Ethiopia and came to America because she won the lottery! She brought her whole family, and now she drives a cab for fun because she likes to meet new people. She's pretty great. :) 

So, here's what I've been doing. I arrived on the 2nd and strategized with Barb about how I'm going to approach the research analysis. She gave me some books to read (chapters, not whole books) and I did lots of background research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. I then received the research protocol and read that from start to finish a few times and THEN I got some of the interviews from parents of boys in the DMD study and clinician investigators. What I didn't know about qualitative data analysis is that it's based off of the subjects free responses to questions asked in an interview. So, I read through those several times (getting irritated at the verbatim transcript -- people say "um" and "like" SO many times!!) and summarized the overall feeling of the subject. I then broke down each (relevant) sentence to a "theme" (i.e. how they became initially involved with the clinical trial) and came up with coding words to apply (i.e. "enthusiastic" "adversarial" "defiant", etc.) THEN I put them into this crazy software called QSR NVivo 9 that sorts EVERYTHING for me (so I don't have to do it all manually). That's where I'm at right now--I'm waiting for the rest of the data--it needs to be transcribed. In the meantime, though, I've started writing the research paper I'm going to present as a poster at the end of the month! Whew! That was a lot said.

And tomorrow Barb has me scheduled to do some interview case summaries on Bardet-Biedl syndrome for a colleague of hers. The goal is to get a fresh perspective and see if there are any other interview questions they could be asking. That'll be a nice distraction :)

I've figured out research (by itself) is a bit boring. Scratch that, REALLY boring. I'm not one for solidarity and silence all day long. I get really weird when I don't talk for awhile. I like to do stuff, and I REALLY like to interact with people. So, I'm definitely sure that I'm going to be MOSTLY a clinical genetic counselor with a little bit of research on the side. The genetic counselors here range from being all research to being all clinical.

Aside from work, NIH hosts TONS of speakers/lecturers from all around the country. They range in all topics--from invertebrates to cardiovascular stuff to genetics to food science. It's crazy fun! I'm also scheduled to shadow a few clinical sessions with genetic counselors across the street. I was supposed to attend one 2 days ago but the patient ended up having a flare-up of her condition and was hospitalized.

My evenings are pretty....low key. Instead of watching all my shows on Hulu I'm able to watch them right away, which is nice. I've also been having plenty of cooking adventures--so far I've made stuffed shells, mac and cheese, and french toast! I also fried some dough and coated it in sugar. MMMMM YUMMY! Sometimes for dessert I eat one of the 6 cupcakes I got at Georgetown Cupcakes last week (I froze them). They're the best cupcakes in the whole wide world.

Tonight I have to do laundry and clean up my apartment because it looks like a disaster zone. I might make some sweet potato stuff too...I dunno. AND this weekend I'm going to see a friend I haven't seen in 6 years--since I went to the Acadia Institute of Oceanography in 2006! We've been pen pals ever since, but it's going to be exciting to see him! We're going to go to Sugarloaf and Harper's Ferry (only a little ways from here) and explore some small quaint towns along the way! It's going to be a jolly good time! Yippee!

Momma's going to come visit me the 19th to the 23rd. CANNOT wait. I wish daddy could come, but Mr. Cooper needs him too much :)

Here are some pictures, too!

Dubuque >  O'Hare

Thanks, dad!

The cat, Thea, that made me sneeze a lot.

Georgetown Cupcakes in Bethesda, MD!

The cupcakes :) LOVE!

My workstation!

Le' Metro!

Stuffed shells + fruit + milk! I later had a cupcake, too.

My digs! No sneezy here :)

I wear purple tights :)

Love!!!

January 2012!

This time last year I was starting a blog for my adventure in Hawai'i.

Now...I'm on the East coast doing an internship/research fellowship with Johns Hopkins/NIH in Bethesda, MD! No bones about it, I do really, really, really miss Hawai'i, but I know this is going to be a fantastic experience! Hawai'i will have to wait...hopefully not too long :)

Here's the dealio: As a research fellow at the NIH/NHGRI/JHU location in Bethesda, MD, I will be learning social science research methods in the context of genomics and specifically, genetic counseling. I will be gaining an in-depth understanding of genetic counseling through exposure to the genetic counseling graduate training program and sit in on consult cases in the Clinical Center. The specific objective of the fellowship is to code qualitative research data from a study of a clinical trial for duchenne muscular dystrophy...and I may even earn co-authorship on the resulting paper!

Super stoked! I'll try to update this blog thingy as often as possible. Forgive me if I don't! See you in February!

Happy 2012,
Chlo'

Homezies, yah

Home. At last.

Back to school soon! Classes start up on Feb 7! This semester:

-Chemical Reactions
-Cell Physiology
-Biomolecular Science
-Indigenous Peoples (GE requirement)
-Statistics for Science

Cheers until my next adventure, which will hopefully be this summer when I participate in a Research for Undergraduates Experience (REU) somewhere in the USA!

LOVE!

Byyyyyyye, byyyye, Miss Hawaiian sweet...pie...?

HI!

We're going to be experiencing our last day of Hawaiian awesomeness today. Sad face.

Before we leave, we plan to do the following:

1) eat a delicious breakfast (made by momma!)
2) chill by/in the pool
3) chill by/in the ocean
4) put our heads underwater to listen to the humpback whale song (HAPPINESS)
5) chill with our toes in the sand
6) watch whales from the lanai
7) chill with the sunshine
8) feed a bird from the lanai
9) send postcards...finally...
10) shower in the greatest shower EVER
11) kiss the floor of 613 Honua Kai and worship it for being such an amazing condo
(12)...(ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, ....................pack...................maybe.....................................)

Red eye flight stuff: Hawaii-->Los Angeles-->Chicago-->Dubuque.

Snow (AND COOPER!!!! Thanks for watching him, Gramma and Fred :)!!!), here we come!

LOVE!

Look! Look!

I've uploaded whale videos! And the video from our presentation!

Click me!!!!!

Maui is fantastic :) Honua Kai is the most glorious and luxurious place EVER!

Seriously.

So, the luau was amazing last night (BIG HAPPY FACE)! Yup. Photos to follow.

Adventure for today: my foot got murdered by coral. Ouch. I'm ok, but MAN did it hurt. We chilled by the pool/beach all day. Super relaxing.

Tomorrow: whale watch in the morning and then lunch/dinner at Lahaina Pizzeria! YAY!

Then, we don't have any plans for like, ever. Until Monday morning, when we go snorkeling out at Molokini (sp?)!!!!

We fly Wednesday night. I actually kinda miss snow...........

LOVE!

Days 14, 15...and the rest of my trip until mom and dad pick me up on Thursday (1/20)!

Day 14/January 17, 2011
Today we had field research in the morning. There were so many boats out--it took us forever to find a pod where we could have a before boat period of at least 15 minutes. But, our persistence paid off and we found a really good one! Woohoo! So after that, we got back and ate lunch (I was feeling very veggie-y, so I ate a bowl of corn! It was so delicious. Mmmm!) and worked on data analysis for yesterday and today! Then we worked for a little while on our group research paper. Then we made an awesome group dinner! Spaghetti! And awesome garlic bread! It was so good! Even though we only had 10 minutes to spend eating it because we had to get over to the Marine Sanctuary to hear Dr. Green give a lecture to the public about the impact of sound (military sonar, boat traffic, and seismic geological testing with air guns) on marine mammals. Super duper interesting. Then we came back to the condo and we've all been studying FOREVER AND A DAY for the final exam tomorrow night. I'm totally going to bed soon.

Also, mom and dad arrived safely in Maui :) They experienced luggage problems, but I think those were resolved. They were going to call me when they got to the condo, but mom texted and said they were super sleepy, so I'll just talk to them tomorrow!

Day 15/January 18, 2011
Today is bittersweet. It's bitter because it's the last day of field research (sad face!) but sweet because I get to see my parents!! They're going to meet us at the field and observe us doing our research! I'm so excited!!! I'm going to go for a run on the beach, study all morning, and then we've got field research in the afternoon and then our final exam 7-9 pm. Then we're going to work on our team research paper. Then we're going to sleep.

Day 16/January 19, 2011
We've got all day to work on our team research paper...whoa sauce. Then we present it at 7 pm to the class! I'll post our research paper when we're done :)

Day 17/January 20, 2011
Today my personal essay is due! I'll post that when it's done...tonight I'm also going to a luau in Lahaina!!!!! One last hoorah with the team :) I'm super stoked. Mom and dad haven't decided if they're going to come, too, but either way they're going to pick me up from Menehune before the luau and we're going to head off to Kaanapali for the week! <3!

I'll update accordingly while I'm with my parents. For now, though, I'm going to be too busy to think straight! So much work to do and papers to write.

LOVE! And thanks, again, to everybody for reading my blog :)

Days 12 & 13 (Jan. 15 & 16, 2011)!

Hi!

It's been a crazy couple of days, and just like last J-term, my posts are not going to be as frequent over the next couple of days because of all the wrap up activities that take place when wrapping up the program. Over the next few days I've got to first take a test, then finish a group research project, and hammer out my personal paper. It's going to be cuuuuhrazy!

I'll tell you about my life the past few days, though. I can't remember if I followed up on what happened Friday night...we went to the WhaleSong.org benefit concert in Paia, which was fun!! Really earthy, hippy,  and sweet music (whale song duets with clarinet and soprano sax!)...Hawaiians are so chill. Seriously. Anyway, we left that about 8 pm and got back to the condo and I did laundry, typed some notes, and went to sleep! Then Saturday happened.

Day 12/January 15/Saturday!
Yay for having an off-day! I woke up at 8:30 am (ahhhh, relaxing!) and went for a run on the beach! Because of the most recent storm (the one that flooded everywhere in Kihei), the beach was/is a mess. I was doing a walk/jog/sprint routine, and every time I hit the "walk" stage, I'd save shrimp and small ocean invertebrates from being washed up! They were still alive, so I threw them back into the waves. Shrimp are so cute. :)

After I got back from my run, a plan was finally created for what we were going to do on our day off! We originally wanted to SCUBA/snorkel...but, the waters were pretty murky and full of sharks, so we opted out of that. Instead, we rented a jeep and drove to Big Beach in Makena and hung out there all day!! I LOVE TROPICAL BEACHES. Little Beach (aka the nude beach) was right over the cliff. I didn't go there, but one my roommates did. Anyway, on our way TO the beach, we stopped at a little roadside stand and I got a pineapple rice with fruit salsa taco! Yay anti-globalization and supporting the locals!

Swimming in the ocean was AWESOME! Although, I lost my snorkel mask because I got bulldozed into the sand by a huge wave and the ocean swept my goggles right off my face! I still have the snorkel tube, though. And I've got an extra pair of swimming goggles with me, so when I go on the snorkeling trip with mom and dad, I can just wear those. But yea! Then we drove back to the condo, ate dinner, and went to class. In class, we watched a movie called the Dolphin Dealer. Christopher Porter is a horrible human being, and the Ocean Embassy organization and SeaWorld and everything in Dubai need to be dismantled and suffer as much as the dolphins they put in captivity suffered. I was/am extremely upset at the way humans treat marine mammals, and animals in general.

After the movie, my roommates went to a lounge downtown Kihei, and I stayed and typed up notes and began my personal essay. The movie was kind of a buzzkill and I felt really sad about it, so I just felt like cuddling in my jammies and not moving.

Then I went to sleep :)

Day 13/January 16, 2011/Sunday
Today we woke up bright and early to go on a whale watch!! Hawaii Ocean Rafting is the company, located in Lahaina--SUPER AWESOME SAUCE! We got within 20 feet of a female whale who was tail slapping in the company of several aggressive bulls that were vying for physical proximity to her! I don't have time right now to upload the videos, but they're super amazing :) :)

So, we were on that from 7 am-9:30 am, and then we explored the town of Lahaina for a little bit! It reminded me a bit of Bar Harbor, ME...except, without the hills and the water is a lot bluer. We ate lunch at a restaurant called Cheeseburger In Paradise and our waiter was super friendly...ex-military who is completely nomadic (lived in 8 countries and 32 states). Whoa sauce.

Then we went out for afternoon field research! The sun was brutally hot today and there wasn't much of a breeze. So much sunscreen was used. Oh my gosh. And I still got slightly burnt!!! We got some pretty good data.

Then we came back to the condo, ate dinner (I had yogurt and strawberries and toast because I had a big lunch), and went to class! Class was, once again, a horrible movie about dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan. Crying through the whole thing--the movie is called The Cove. I had to look away many times, but I could still hear the screams of the dolphins as they were being murdered. Japan is scary. And it's a very influential movie. See it at least once--the "disney" version, like I saw. Apparently the raw version is exponentially more graphic. I can't even imagine seeing the raw version...I could barely handle the "disney" version. So, all in all, it was another great day that ended with discussion of dolphin murder and human desire for greed and domination--aka: speciesism.

So, tomorrow we've got morning field research and mom and dad are flying to Maui!! Wooooooo!!!! We're expecting a big storm tonight (Sunday) that will go into Monday, so I'm a bit worried about the whole flight situation, but mom and dad are smart, so if the plane has any trouble, they'll know how to steer it to safety :)

Love!