This week has been one of the busiest in recent memory. I worked until midnight or later every night this week, with the exception of Sunday. Most interestingly, it was not a hard thing to do at all. Monday I had the impression that, if I worked tirelessly through the last day of finals (Dec. 22nd), my semester would end as I desired. I committed to work past midnight every night and was blessed with unheralded productivity. However, I didn't do quite so well with my goals that I set last week. This week I will do better. I think I will have a tad more time, even though I am flying out Thursday to present at the JANNAF Conference in La Jolla, CA .
Professor de Pablo nominated me for a traineeship in the Genomic Sciences Training Program on Monday and I have been assembling the needed items for my application. I am proposing research involving the implementation of divalent cations into the current algorithms. This will allow us to capture the phenomena of charge inversion, where the charges of the polyanionic phosphate background of DNA are neutralized, enabling the condensation of DNA. It will also allows us to model the wrapping of DNA around histones and their subsequent arrangement into chromatin. Needless to say, I feel very honored at the nomination and I am WAY excited about the work that I'll be doing these next 4 1/2 years!
It took a turn for the colder a few days ago. The unseasonably warm temperatures were replaced with our first real snow and consistent temperatures below freezing. Ice will remain on the ground through March. This has thrown a wrench in my training, as I can't have a powerful toe-off when I am on ice or snow. I bought Yak-trax at REI last night to resolve the traction issue but it still is bitter cold when I go running. What will motivate me to continue to run as the day time highs are only in the teens? A spring marathon of course!!! Currently I have my eye on the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN along the shores of Lake Superior. It will be on Saturday June 19, 2010. While there are larger and more prestigious marathons closer to Madison, they are all on Sunday and I will not run on Sunday. I'll rely on Coach Eyestone for training advice and hope to turn in a fine performance in 7 months.
Yay! You're doing a marathon! Let us know how training goes, we might do the SLC one in April.
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