Day 284

This weekend was an important milestone for placement year- Emma’s homecoming! despite having left England a few days after me last summer, Em’s ten months in Perth have already come to an end. Though I wasn’t physically there to welcome her off the plane at Gatwick this Evening, I was most definitely present in spirit after spending the a good majority of the day before Facebook messaging with Em’s Mom, Jane. As much as I wish I could be there now to bear-hug my long-unseen chummy, Jane herself made the good point that I myself will be home (and subsequently down to Cornwall, probably, to see them!) very soon now. Also, belated congratulations are in order for the award presented to her at conference she presented in on Tuesday- Proud of ya, gal! 

So, Exams in Baff are finished, Emma’s returned to the UK, many of my other friends' placements are drawing to a close: I have to make the most of the little time I have left here! 

With that in mind, I was super excited for “my” postdoc’s birthday BBQ last weekend! L turned a self-proclaimed ‘double sweet 16’ with style; sun shining, plenty of tasty food, a keg, gin cocktails and, later, some live music and dancing! Being my absolute favourite person in the whole continent, I had to go all out, baking-wise. With L’s sweet-tooth in mind, I made the world’s most chocolately chocolate cake. Three layers of cake, chocolate cream icing, topped with triple chocolate brownies, melted white and milk chocolate and assorted flavoured baking morsels. The result? A very heavy, devilishly-calorific treat that made the Birthday girl even happier than when I’d surprised her with triple choc brownies for breakfast the morning before.  Of course, I couldn’t just leave it there. Whenever things get a little stressful in the lab, a Snickers bar is L’s go-to pick-me-up. So? Snickers and Caramel Cheescake! Overall, both desserts went down really well. Too well, perhaps, since many of my colleagues suggested I skip science and just open a bakery- I’m still not sure whether that’s a compliment?!?!

Snickers Cheesecake

After drinks and the barbecue (with special guests; potato salad, slow-cooked brisket, bratwursts, bean salad and *drumroll for my favourite…* pickles!) we (about seven of us from the lab, including L and her boyfriend, of course) headed into downtown to a bar called the Yacht Club to watch a band perform and do a bit of dancing. A few hours later, I headed back to J’s with her to crash, since she lives much closer to downtown than I do. 

Last weekend also saw me take advantage of one of the few things that are cheaper in the US than in the UK, before I leave: the opticians! I saw the optometrist for my glasses and contacts and ordered new ones of both. This is exciting as I haven’t had a new pair of frames since just after starting Uni. Sadly, I was told that my distorted depth perception can’t be fixed, and would probably continue to get worse unless I opted for laser treatment but otherwise, all was very much similar to usual. 

This week I continued to make plans to maximise my time in the US. L and I booked tickets for a road-trip to Chicago to see Rufus Wainwright at this open-air ‘concert in the park’ type affair in a fortnights time. It will be so nice to spend some quality time together and we have already planned in detail the picnic we are going to lovingly craft to join us! J and I are also currently in talks over a road-trip to Des Moines one of the weekends before July (which is rapidly approaching) just to do something different.

On Tuesday I have plans with the new Brazilian undergrad in the lab to go see the film version that has just been released of a book that I have loved for a very, very long time. She’s not read the book, but we’re keen to do something fun to help pass the hard week that’s inevitably ahead and this sounds very promising. 

Unfortunately, this weekend has been a little less exciting than last. On Friday night I was convinced by L to join friends of the Ahern lab at our favourite local wine bar, The Bread Garden Market. We had a few ciders, some cheese and bread and a good ol’ chat for a few hours before parting ways. I had a very pressing date with Family Guy and my bed after a long week at the bench. (Talking about Family Guy, I saw Seth Macfarlane’s newest film, A Million Ways to Die in The West, this week and completely loved it! Definitely recommend it if you enjoy Seth’s typical smart humour!) 

Today has been a busy day of doing grown-up things that I have been putting off. I awoke early to check up on Em’s flight progress this morning, had a light run to the lab, spent a couple of hours finishing off reactions that need to be ready for monday, went to the post-office, then to buy the week’s food shopping, followed by an afternoon of cleaning the apartment, laundry, packing boxes to ship home, making chicken tikka for tea, FaceTiming with the Parents and then writing a little more of my placement report for Uni. 

My plans for the morning are to do a little more cardio and then make up some bulk meals to freeze for the next couple of weeks so that I haven’t got to worry about cooking should I be busy in the lab (Which is really likely because I have HUNDREDS of reactions to send to Germany before I leave!) Tomorrow afternoon I’m meeting a friend for yoga and heading out for dinner, afterwards.

Now to go and dye my hair and savour the privilege of my own bathroom while I can!!!!

Love love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx