Day 29.

58,003 / 60,000 (96.0%)

Today I finished my story with 2,000 words left. Am I anal enough to go for the full goal I made or am I sick enough of my characters? :)

I'm back in California, but I miss home. I wish I could have spent longer there. I look forward to going home in a few weeks, but until then, I have to ready my skit for presentation at the department holiday party and prepare my poster for John Bercaw's 60th Birthday Symposium.

< nerd >

The birthday symposium is such a cool thing: when professors turn 60 (or any decade >= 50, really) they get lots of papers dedicated to them and oftentimes, there is a symposium in their honor held at the professor's university/institute. A lot of former graduate students and post-docs who worked with the professor come back and give research talks. Current graduate students in the department participate in a poster session. Then, everybody goes out to dinner and lots of partying ensues.

And I'm EXCITED by this. :) Not the partying, but that's exciting, of course, but the whole environment. I love conferences and symposiums; they always get me so revved about chemistry!

< /nerd >