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| Okay, so this year, I begin my first real job as a TA. I've been a TA before, but it was for a General Biology course for nonmajors...pretty easy work. It was more about setting up lab and feeding them interesting trivial Biology info that would stir their enthusiasm.
This Wednesday will be my first time holding a discussion for a group of upper-classmen Biochem majors who are students in my boss' class. I, myself, don't have much experience in this department... I only began attending a "discussion" last week! My job will be helping them solve practice problems that the professors assign and help explain the biochemistry behind the math. I wanna ask some of you guys (students and experienced science TAs as well): What are some tips that will help me do this effectively? This is going to need a strategy. What's really important to me is I want to make sure that when they walk away from my discussion, they have a better grasp on problem solving and also the science behind these math questions. How can I do this?
Thanks in advance!
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| saying goodbye.We've been doing this for a year, already. I should be used to saying goodbye to him, already. But somehow, each time he leaves, it just hurts a little bit more. We were lucky enough to get to spend all of August together...First, I went back to Cali for two weeks, one of those, we got to sleep every night together during our vacation in Vegas. Then, he went back to Madison with me for another 12 days. I tried to kiss him, hug him, and study his face as much as possible during this time because I knew that I would crave for all of that once he is gone. Last night, I went to sleep alone. I looked out the window and remembered those nights we would do that together and talk about the beautiful Madison night sky and how my neighboring apartment looks like a beach house. My sheet and pillows still smell like him. My apartment felt so quiet and lonely, my bed so bare. All I could think about was the smooth and warm feel of his cheek on mine, or the scent of his neck. I really should be used to it by now. But each time we have to say goodbye feels like the first.
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| My first committee meeting of my Ph.D. career was this morning, and it went well!! I was very nervous all of yesterday, but this morning, I was fine and the talk portion was much better than what I had prepared...much more natural and had better flow. I got a lot of questions from the committee members at the end, which I think shows that they are interested in my work. I also got some good feedback from Mike Cox (my boss). Dave Nelson wanted to know a lot of broad information that I had no idea the answers too. Which shows that I will probably have to know a looot more in preparation for my prelim next year. For my friends who aren't familiar with the process...a thesis committee consists of professors who are responsible for helping you graduate in a timely manner. I have 5 members, 4 are from the Biochem Dept, and 1 who is from Chemistry. I meet with them once a year to report my progress, and during the second year, I give them a fat research proposal and a presentation and they decide whether I get to continue or they kick me out with a Masters. I have both the two authors of Lehninger's biochem textbook on my committee, my boss and Dave Nelson, who was randomly chosen by the department.
So, I am done here in Wisconsin for now...I can leave behind the humidity, the damn mosquitoes (by the way, I will try tea oil, Jamie!), and the madness of what is moving. By tomorrow night, I will be back in California, with my honey, family and friends!
Bye!
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| Well, it's almost 3 in the morning...I am blogging...but am not at work! In fact, I am home, in bed, and can't sleep.
I guess that happens when you've got a million things going through your head. Let me start a list:
1. my first committee meeting coming up in 1 week:
-research proposals?
-meet with boss in two days? will he like my research proposals? will they sound dumb? or unthoughtful?
-what's with that paper that proposed a model containing an inaccurate important detail?
-replication fork synthesis and RecA loading simulation...hm...the question is...how?
2. crap. change my mailing address on all accounts this week.
3. where to park the PODS?
4. crap. i'm gonna be living with another human being...which means i will need to clean on a regular basis and be considerate of another person.
5. home in 8 days. excitement, butterflies, anxiousness. i haven't seen the boyfriend in 4 months. 4 months have become 8 days. eeeeek!
6. first thing i'm gonna do when i get off that plane is run straight into his arms and give him the biggest kiss on the mouth. because i haven't got to do that in 4 months. and then i'm going to touch his face. and look into his eyes. for a long long time.
7. a long long loooong time.
8. las vegas. man. let's see how this will go. all i want to do is make beautiful memories with my honey.
9. research proposals...
-do they sound good enough?
-are they do able?
-i don't think anyone's done anything like it before...but am i mistaken?
-why isn't my fricken protein active?
-the presentation. crap. crap. crap.
-will i get diarrhea of the mouth?
-crap.
10. i'm turning 24 in january. then a few more years will pass. and i will get a ph.d. how will i tell my folks that i am going to move back and move in with hamed? my father will kill him. and then me.
11. internship. third year? fourth year? in CA? industry job in san francisco or davis/vacaville/fairfield to be near him? what about a preview of professorship by teaching at a JC? maybe the one hamed used to attend? that would be nice.
12. why does he sleep so soundly?! wake up! talk to me! i'm going out of my mind with all these thoughts! thoughts that don't even matter right now!...nevertheless, wake up! talk to me!
13. fricken mosquitoes in madison. all this fricken water...and all these fricken mosquitoes. i've got 6 bites on my left leg, and 4 on my right...all from sunday's softball game. that's it, i'm wearing jeans this weekend. and damn they itch so bad.
14. the papaya salad today is giving me heartburn. but damn shit was soooo yummmaaay.
15.
16.
17.
...are not allowed to be thought.
i guess i will try sleeping again.
khanh
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