Do I Ever Have To Leave?
Week #2
A layer of fog-like mist nestles up against the beachside cliffs as the waves gently crash onto shore. Laura, one of my semi-roommates, Arthur, Pepe and I lay on the beach, snoozing, reading and soaking up the half hearted sun. Although the "marine layer" is preventing the sun from gleaming fully down at us, the UV rays still manage to get through - as proof by my joke of tan. I didn't get sunburned and that's all I care about but to say I got a tan isn't exactly true - especially compared to Arthur and Pepe with their brown Mexican skin. While it doesn't really feel like the 4th of July, I’m glad my Independence Day afternoon was spent relaxing on a California beach and playing in the Pacific Ocean. I saw no parade of elaborate floats and painted babies and didn't get to lie on my back and look directly up at the booming bright lights in the sky. Watching mediocre fireworks that were roughly a quarter mile away and on the other side of a building, sitting on a ledge overlooking La Jolla Cove maybe wasn't ideal but just different. I'd prefer chunks of ash falling down all around me with the crack and boom of every firework just a little too loud for comfort but two days ago, I was content with watching from a distance, hearing car alarms and sirens in the distance.
At work, I am on a computer practically all day long. Normally, I would object to this - being under fluorescent lights in a windowless (well usually, this week however my mentor is on vacation and I get to use her office) room with not one but four computers in it is not how I want to spend my time - work or play. However, this science, integrated so well with computer simulations and cutting edge programs, is too undeniably interesting to care about where the work is. Yes, I would rater be outside in the gorgeous weather but the groundbreaking research and quest for a new bird flu neuraminidase inhibitor using computer programs to actually visualize the biology and chemistry going on is more than I could ever ask for. This week I was introduced to a program called JDOCK - one that uses an evolutionary theory of sorts to try and find the best possible "fit" of a drug into the receptor protein. Now that I've finished completing tutorials and getting used to using a command based system, my main projects have been established and working on them this last week has been quite enjoyable.
It's all still pretty surreal; I feel like any second I could wake up and this would all be a dream. From the evening runs on the beach, fascinating computer science, and the practically immaculate weather, it feels like it's all too good to be true. Don't get me wrong - I'm still enjoying as much as I was last week but all good things come to an end and I really don't want it to. Yes, I am beginning to miss my closest friends and family and Telluride in general but not enough to want to come back anytime soon. Maybe in four weeks the homesick bug will be biting at my ankles but it's not very close at the time being.
A layer of fog-like mist nestles up against the beachside cliffs as the waves gently crash onto shore. Laura, one of my semi-roommates, Arthur, Pepe and I lay on the beach, snoozing, reading and soaking up the half hearted sun. Although the "marine layer" is preventing the sun from gleaming fully down at us, the UV rays still manage to get through - as proof by my joke of tan. I didn't get sunburned and that's all I care about but to say I got a tan isn't exactly true - especially compared to Arthur and Pepe with their brown Mexican skin. While it doesn't really feel like the 4th of July, I’m glad my Independence Day afternoon was spent relaxing on a California beach and playing in the Pacific Ocean. I saw no parade of elaborate floats and painted babies and didn't get to lie on my back and look directly up at the booming bright lights in the sky. Watching mediocre fireworks that were roughly a quarter mile away and on the other side of a building, sitting on a ledge overlooking La Jolla Cove maybe wasn't ideal but just different. I'd prefer chunks of ash falling down all around me with the crack and boom of every firework just a little too loud for comfort but two days ago, I was content with watching from a distance, hearing car alarms and sirens in the distance.
At work, I am on a computer practically all day long. Normally, I would object to this - being under fluorescent lights in a windowless (well usually, this week however my mentor is on vacation and I get to use her office) room with not one but four computers in it is not how I want to spend my time - work or play. However, this science, integrated so well with computer simulations and cutting edge programs, is too undeniably interesting to care about where the work is. Yes, I would rater be outside in the gorgeous weather but the groundbreaking research and quest for a new bird flu neuraminidase inhibitor using computer programs to actually visualize the biology and chemistry going on is more than I could ever ask for. This week I was introduced to a program called JDOCK - one that uses an evolutionary theory of sorts to try and find the best possible "fit" of a drug into the receptor protein. Now that I've finished completing tutorials and getting used to using a command based system, my main projects have been established and working on them this last week has been quite enjoyable.
It's all still pretty surreal; I feel like any second I could wake up and this would all be a dream. From the evening runs on the beach, fascinating computer science, and the practically immaculate weather, it feels like it's all too good to be true. Don't get me wrong - I'm still enjoying as much as I was last week but all good things come to an end and I really don't want it to. Yes, I am beginning to miss my closest friends and family and Telluride in general but not enough to want to come back anytime soon. Maybe in four weeks the homesick bug will be biting at my ankles but it's not very close at the time being.
Comment
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Comment by Michal Fagrelius on July 7, 2008 at 4:38pm - wow it soudns like your trip is amazing!!! you must experiencing so much! i can't wait to read more! your stories are so entertaining!
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