The Not-So-Great Days that Wound Up Being Not-So-Bad

Wednesday and Thursday were not so great this week. Wednesday I woke up at 6:30 exhausted because I had only slept for 4 hours during the night...from about 12-2:15 or so and I didn't fall back asleep until after 4:30 and I had to get up at 6:30. We stepped outside to go for our run and it was raining. Normally I love running in the rain but I was just not feeling it that morning. We decided we would go Wednesday night and headed to work.

As most of you know I'll be done with my master's degree this December, so I'm writing my thesis and preparing my defense in the next couple of months. I have two research projects I've been working on for my master's. One of them is surface modification of polymer (plastic) films...

...here they are reacting. I like this project the best. Polymers and plastics engineering is what I hope I can find a job in after graduation. And this project works and makes sense to me and I've been really happy with the results I've gotten.

The other project is a nightmare. To make a long (detailed and way too nerdy for my blog!) story short, I cannot get this project to work. Its always one thing or another. I research asthma drugs, and I can get the drugs to dissolve, but they don't show up when I take the data, etc. I worked really hard with another grad student all day Wednesday and we were excited to start on Thursday because we had come up with a new idea that actually worked (after 2 dang years!) and we were really excited to repeat it (I have to repeat everything a few times to prove it worked).

Zach and I skipped the run on Wednesday because I really just wasn't feeling good. I was way too exhausted, frustrated, emotional, stressed out...you name it. We made sure to get a good night's sleep on Wednesday night and I woke up Thursday feeling much better. We went to work bright and early since Zach had 8 am class. After hours of trying to repeat the successful trial we had had on Wednesday, we realized we had mislabeled a sample and the success we were seeing (what we thought was the drug) was not actually a successful trial, but isopropyl alcohol instead of drugs. At this point I needed to step away from the lab and think for awhile, and also it was about 5 and Zoe needed to be let out. We stopped to get frozen yogurt, which always makes me feel better, but the rude customer service I got ruined that treat. I just got some to bring home instead of eating it there. When we got home, I was thrilled to find a few clothing items I had ordered online had arrived! I loved the running shorts I ordered, but the shirt I was really excited to get was too small (side rant-I ordered a large because I wanted a loose, comfy shirt to run in and it fix like an extra small. I'm more like a medium and the large was too small? What the heck). UGH.

Zach, Zoe and I set out for a short walk with Zoe that wound up being 2 miles. I felt way better after the walk and talking to Zach. It helps a lot to have another engineer around because we can help each other think. And Zoe just was so funny she kept me laughing all night.

She killed me in this picture. She is so silly sometimes!

Matt and Liza came over to watch Jersey Shore with us and it was fun to chat with them and eat some of this:

Yes, that it 25 oz. of frozen yogurt you see. The local frozen yogurt shop got the taro froyo that is my favorite at Yoga Berry in Jacksonville. I was SO excited when they got it finally so I got a huge thing of it so I could have some for a few days! (Despite the rude employees).

This morning Zach and I did 3.6 miles before work and it was an awesome way to start off Friday after a long week. I felt great during the run and I got to wear these:

My new kicks! My mom got them for me as a gift! Pink and fabulous!

Asics Gel Kayanos are my FAVORITE running shoes ever. I've worn them since high school cross country (like 2001 or 2002 I think when I started XC...dang I'm getting old haha).

Even though we couldn't get the reaction with drugs to work this week, we did have some small successes and I am thinking positively that we will be able to get it to work Monday! Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend and think-only 2 more weeks until COLLEGE FOOTBALL every weekend!!