Requiem

Punkin!

Well, as much as Lesley and I did not think we would be able to get another cat so soon after what happened with Luke, one cannot pass a perfect opportunity. And there she was, a cute, long-haired, shy cat named Pumpkin who we brought home yesterday. As corny as the name may seem at first glance, it actually has a story behind it. She was found as a stray in a pumpkin patch, and thus the name stuck. We decided to keep it that way, rather than renaming like we did with Luke and Grace.

She seemed like a lot better match personality wise for Grace than Luke, and multiple people said how much she resembled Grace both in markings and mannerisms. With the fear of her being adopted, Lesley and I moved quickly to adopt her as we knew that she would be a perfect companion for Grace.

They are both shy cats, so it may take a while to get over the fear of each other, but I have no doubts in my mind that they will be fine together. Pumpkin is tiny (only about 8 pounds) so even if she gets fiesty Grace can just threaten to eat her!

I Got a New Job!

A month and a half after graduation, countless applications (and only two interviews), I have been offered an amazing job. The position is being a junior scientist at the University of Minnesota. It is a full time position running a lab for a professor. The lab focuses on cell signalling, specifically between cancer cells and bone cells.

The position is a bit intimidating because many of the techniques required are currently outside of my skill set, but I am excited to learn. It will be a great opportunity for me and a wonderful experience for my resume in the future. I'll even get some supervisor experience since I primarily will be running the lab with an undergraduate student under me.

Besides the job being great in itself, working for the university means that I get great benefits, including full health insurance. The job is on the St. Paul campus, so it is a 5 minute drive from our apartment, as well as a relatively short bus ride/walk. I currently am taking the bus since parking is so expensive but once we thaw out from winter I will be able to ride my bike there. The job starts on February 11th and Lesley and I could not be happier.

Engaged

Lesley Lynn Schmidt got engaged to Gregory Michael Sindberg on August 11th, 2007. They have been dating for nearly two years and are looking forward to planning their wedding for the spring of 2009 (most likely).

New Apartment!

While one could get a small taste of what our apartment looks like from the pictures that were posted of Grace, we wanted to take some nice pictures for everyone who wanted a tour.

When you walk in the door, the living room is to your left and the dining area is on your right. There is a nice big closet in the dining room area that has coats as well as a side with shelves for a pantry. You can also see into the kitchen through the dining area.

As you walk down the hall, the kitchen is on your right.

Continuing down the hall, there is a utility room on the right complete with washer/dryer.

Directly across from that is the 2nd bedroom which we are using as an office/den/guest room. The futon makes it extremely versatile and there is a nice closet in there for extra stuff.

Finally, at the end of the hallway, the bathroom is on the right (not pictured) and our bedroom is on the left. It has a nice walkin closet which Lesley wasted no time in filling up with all of her clothes!

We love our new apartment and hope that everyone will come to visit us and see it sometime soon!

Ain't no cure for the Summertime Blues

Well, its that time of year. The weather gets warmer, the excess clothing comes off and people come out of hibernation. Oh to be able to open the windows in the apartment. But alas, the Melrose is no dream home. However, the search continues for an apartment for next year. Lesley and I have narrowed down our two most important criteria: off street parking and kitties. We are hoping to adopt at least one cat this fall, as Lesley will miss Eva and Co. this summer because I will not have the mosquito job again. Lesley already has her eye on one of the cats at the Feline Rescue Shelter where she volunteers.

Ava (formerly known as Tamara) on a farm near Lake Shetek in Summer '06
Tiara at the Feline Rescue Shelter
On that note my new internship at the wheat lab has been going well. I have been putting about 15 hours per week in, and after the semester is over I hope to put full time hours in until classes start up again in the fall. I also just found out that I got approved for a UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunity Project) grant, which means that I will be putting in 10 hours per week in a different lab, studying the development of C. elegans, which is a type of nematode worm. The research sounds very interesting, albeit a bit over my head at this time as I am continuing the three year work of a graduate student who graduated last spring.

Lesley and I are both well, stressed out with the end of the semester but that is to be expected. Being done with classes will be welcomed, however it also means the departure of Lesley to Europe for three weeks. When she gets back her summer will be short lived as she is taking classes full-time this summer in order to graduate in the fall with me.