a normal weekend...well almost...
Let's see- so this week at work was extremely busy-I had to run an immunocytochemistry experiment with some undergrads and it took us all week-first we had a practice run and then a real run based on brain sections that had been gathered over many months by some former undergrads in our lab. So, of course I was nervous about making certain that everything went okay but it made me tense all week. By Friday, I was utterly exhausted so I wrapped things up and left in the late afternoon to go home and do laundry, relax, and prepare for my workfree weekend. I didn't even have the energy to stay late at work and go to this postdoc happy hour-which I felt a little bit guilty about b/c I haven't really socialized much with people outside my lab at work, incl other postdocs. But after the week that I had, there was no way that I could stay at work till 7pm.
This weekend was absolutely rejuvenating. I didn't set my alarm clock either day and on Sat, went to pick up my pre-ordered copy of Harry Potter at Borders. Apparently, there were hundreds of people there the night before at midnite but I am not that obsessive. I did however have to restrain myself from buying other books including John Irving's new novel. He is the author of The World According to Garp, Cider House Rules, he's one of my favortite authors, right up there with Wallace Stegner, Richard Russo, and Russell Banks. Although lately I have been reading a lot of female authors incl Jodi Picoult and Elizabeth Berg. Well, some poor woman at Borders with her kid didn't do a pre-order and so those without preorders have to wait until Monday to pick up their books-I felt bad for her but not bad enough to give up my copy! Okay, so I then came home, went down to the beach and spent a few happy hours reading Potter, then on my walk home (about 40 min, 3 miles), I stopped in at the branch library, got a card, and picked up some more books. The Potter book is really good of course, and except for a trip to the airport to pick up a friend, I spent all night reading it, finished it at 1am, whoah. Oh yeah, I also read another book for our book group, Eva Moves the Furniture- wasn't too into that one, it was okay.
This morning I finally explored LA a bit more-drove down Wilshire Blvd all the way through Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Bev Hills is much closer to me than I imagined-about a 15 min drive from Santa Monica. It was pleasant-not too much traffic, I checked out Little Ethiopia and several blocks of Jewish culture and shops-an area called Fairfax Avenue. I came home, ducked into a little French cafe near my house, got a cookie, and hunkered down and read like a fiend again-a suspenseful book called The Rule of Four which has a big historical bent to it. Earlier in the week I had finished The Historian- all about the legend of vampires and about some historians pursuing the truth- I highly recommend it. So, I have been enjoying being completely lazy this weekend. But then this workweek will be hellish-have to do another big experimental run and a million other things, feeling the pressure of some deadlines...
Oh yeah- and this weekend would have been completely normal except for a couple of weird things as usual- and I am not talking about toilets outside my door. I heard the sound of my outside hose running this afternoon-a homeless woman was using it to brush her teeth and clean her clothes. I didn't really know what to do but after a while, she finished and walked with her cart off somewhere. Yeah, then my neighbor Jesse who I have neglected to mention-he's a good soul who makes bad decisions, well I have talked to him on my way out this weekend on errands a few times, he is extremly paranoid and keeps on imagining that people aren't what they seem. He told me that our neighbor who works in real estate doesn't really "work in real estate" b/c of some phone conversation he heard. Man, I just roll my eyes and tell him that he's imagining things. Yeah-odd neighbors but it makes life interesting. Apparently, I have a new next door neighbor too with a dog but I have yet to meet her.
I actually let the weekend go by without purchasing any entertainment rags. I am sure the lab will be disappointed. I have just been reading so much-have to make up for all those weeks I wasn't reading!
Julie
This weekend was absolutely rejuvenating. I didn't set my alarm clock either day and on Sat, went to pick up my pre-ordered copy of Harry Potter at Borders. Apparently, there were hundreds of people there the night before at midnite but I am not that obsessive. I did however have to restrain myself from buying other books including John Irving's new novel. He is the author of The World According to Garp, Cider House Rules, he's one of my favortite authors, right up there with Wallace Stegner, Richard Russo, and Russell Banks. Although lately I have been reading a lot of female authors incl Jodi Picoult and Elizabeth Berg. Well, some poor woman at Borders with her kid didn't do a pre-order and so those without preorders have to wait until Monday to pick up their books-I felt bad for her but not bad enough to give up my copy! Okay, so I then came home, went down to the beach and spent a few happy hours reading Potter, then on my walk home (about 40 min, 3 miles), I stopped in at the branch library, got a card, and picked up some more books. The Potter book is really good of course, and except for a trip to the airport to pick up a friend, I spent all night reading it, finished it at 1am, whoah. Oh yeah, I also read another book for our book group, Eva Moves the Furniture- wasn't too into that one, it was okay.
This morning I finally explored LA a bit more-drove down Wilshire Blvd all the way through Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Bev Hills is much closer to me than I imagined-about a 15 min drive from Santa Monica. It was pleasant-not too much traffic, I checked out Little Ethiopia and several blocks of Jewish culture and shops-an area called Fairfax Avenue. I came home, ducked into a little French cafe near my house, got a cookie, and hunkered down and read like a fiend again-a suspenseful book called The Rule of Four which has a big historical bent to it. Earlier in the week I had finished The Historian- all about the legend of vampires and about some historians pursuing the truth- I highly recommend it. So, I have been enjoying being completely lazy this weekend. But then this workweek will be hellish-have to do another big experimental run and a million other things, feeling the pressure of some deadlines...
Oh yeah- and this weekend would have been completely normal except for a couple of weird things as usual- and I am not talking about toilets outside my door. I heard the sound of my outside hose running this afternoon-a homeless woman was using it to brush her teeth and clean her clothes. I didn't really know what to do but after a while, she finished and walked with her cart off somewhere. Yeah, then my neighbor Jesse who I have neglected to mention-he's a good soul who makes bad decisions, well I have talked to him on my way out this weekend on errands a few times, he is extremly paranoid and keeps on imagining that people aren't what they seem. He told me that our neighbor who works in real estate doesn't really "work in real estate" b/c of some phone conversation he heard. Man, I just roll my eyes and tell him that he's imagining things. Yeah-odd neighbors but it makes life interesting. Apparently, I have a new next door neighbor too with a dog but I have yet to meet her.
I actually let the weekend go by without purchasing any entertainment rags. I am sure the lab will be disappointed. I have just been reading so much-have to make up for all those weeks I wasn't reading!
Julie
posted by Julie Miller at 11:23 PM
2 Comments:
I have a book to suggest that I really enjoyed, and Brian just finished as well (and enjoyed). It's called 'Stiff' and it's about the history of what has happened to dead bodies (like use in medical schools, in forensic work, etc) and about some very strange experiments that tried to reanimate dead heads, and experiments trying to determine if after you are decapitated if there is still some kind of awareness. And other strange little stories. So bizarre, but the writer is really really funny and so the read is very light and fun but packed full of wierd facts and history. Really weird, but oh so entertaining.
Hi Marsha,
Thx for the suggestion-actually I have read Stiff-it was semi-disturbing but interesting, you're right. Julie
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