A pocket gay made my day

I was working on Saturday night at the restaurant. Tables were full and in the foyer people kept piling up anxious to get inside. Loud chatter drowned out the noise of Hot Chip that was playing on repeat.

I was only working for a few hours, just to help out during the rush between 7-9:30pm. My job was to run food out to the tables. I would cheese it up with a little story behind the dishes, what inspired (the very white woman chef) to come up with these "authentic" flavor combinations, how to eat the food properly, and flirty comments.

There were two of us acting as runners that night, me and a small gay asian boy. He is the definition of fabulous. We spent a bunch of the night gabbing. He taught me the "Soul real" fist bump for Randy Jackson presents America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC for those of you in the know.)

I said something, I cannot remember what it was, but it inspired the question "how old are you?"

"Old," I replied.

"No, seriously, how old?" he asked.

"32"

"No, way. I would have guessed 26, 28 max. Wow. I swear this fits my theory. J NEVER hires ugly people here. Ask Chef, she'll confirm it," he stated.

What is a workaholic?

Okay so I graduated. My lab left and an my PI is currently in Texas enjoying margaritas and tacos. I am stranded in Boston with nothing to do. It literally took me one week of nothingness before I started climbing the walls. I have no idea why I lost the ability to chill-ax, but I have.

To keep occupied, I have decided to take on some activities. 1) I help coordinate a program that has high school students working in labs. 2) I am a waitress at a hip Asian-food-for-white-people restaurant. 3) I am a lab technician for my friend who need to graduate by December. 4) I am reviewing fellowship grants for my former PI. 5) Making random visits to A's office with some kind of foodstuff. 6) Read journal articles to stay current and to make use of my library privileges before they expire.

I added the time I put in for all of these activities, and realized that it added up to over 50 hours for one week. Yet, I felt like I still had way too much free time on my hands. Did I really work that hard as a grad student? I thought I was a slacker. And what does that mean about my social life that I fill all my hours with these things?

Who knows, but hopefully it will make for an interesting summer.

To Health (and vodka)

Today is National Russia Day. The kitchn is one of my favorite blogs and Russian Standard is one of my favorite vodkas. I'm going to have to try what look like some pretty tasty recipes in the link above.

Za zdorovie!

Please tell me I am unphotogenic

Evil Twin #2 often chastises my reluctance to take pictures with myself in them. Maybe I am deluding myself, but I always hope I look better in real life than in pictures.

Proof of point: please observe what someone forwarded to me. She found it on the offical HSPH commencement website.

Dressing up like Harry Potter

"...I welcome you to the ancient and universal company of scholars and entrust to you the free inquiry of future generations." - President Drew Faust conferring the degrees of Doctorate of Philosophy.

It is hard to take graduation seriously when you are dressed like a color blind Harry Potter. And for you fashion forward readers, you would be appalled to know that my friends and I were upset that our robes were not flashy enough. Most universities have shiny silks to line the hood and 8 corner tams with gold tassels for Ph.D.s. Instead we have the muted crimson lining that matched our robes and *gasp* a four cornered velvet tam. We sat in our seats comparing the stitching of our crow's feet and wondering if our dark blue was really that distinguishable from aqua of Government.

Although I have graduated a couple of times before, this time it seemed to mean a little more. Honestly, had my parents not insisted I would not have even attended the ceremony, but I am glad I did. It occurred to me when President Faust was talking that this would be last time that I would be a student. Ph.D.s are terminal degrees, nowhere to go from here. It is my equivalent to a third husband and I am stuck with this one. To take the analogy preposterously far, my mother even bought me the ridiculous robes for a little over $700 the approximate amount my cousin paid for her wedding dress.

I am sending my robes home. My mom promises me that she will get it dry cleaned and vacuum packed, like my sister's wedding dress. It will be unsealed when my first grad student marches, hopefully, within the next ten years. Or maybe not as my mom hinted that she and my dad might try it on because it is so funny looking, and my sister thought it would make a great Halloween costume.

Pomp and Circumstance

ET#1 is graduating today!!! She will walk at around 1:00 pm. I had sooo wanted to be there for it, but work got in the way... I will be there in spirit cheering her on. I also have people who promised to take pictures documenting this momentous occasion. Pictures of Doctor ET#1 coming soon...