It is the eve of my life’s newest adventure: Graduate
school. I leave for the 15 hour drive from Chicago to New Haven tomorrow morning. I decided to document the journey because I thought it might be
useful, because I won’t have enough writing to do in grad school (ha!), and
because maybe it will help me keep my sanity. I have heard all the tales from
friends of graduate school past. That inevitably I will fall into a love/hate
relationship with my thesis, that I will learn to rely on coffee and free
conference food as staples in my diet, the adviser who wants nothing more than
to squash your love of your chosen field, whining undergraduates (this was me as an undergraduate), etc. But
truthfully, I am excited. Anyone reading this already in grad school, I know..
I am naïve. But let me have my moment, okay? Like I said I am excited. Additionally, my field of study is probably
the coolest one out there. I am a marine biologist at Yale (well almost, officially
starting August 27th). I spent this past summer travelling to France
with my future lab to study wrasses in the Mediterranean Sea.. Be jealous. A
day in the life of a marine biologist studying Mediterranean wrasses: ready? Beaches,
French food, sunshine, scuba, cute fishies, more French food, wine, beach sunset,
repeat.
My field site:
My daily cuisine:
My work:
I wish I had more photos to share, but my loving boyfriend
accidentally wiped my phone two days ago. No, I didn’t have a heart attack
(also he is still in one piece). But as I pondered all the time and effort I
put into taking the perfect photos of all of my activities and adventures, I
realized something. Maybe I should have put down the camera a bit more. If I saw
something, anything interesting, a butterfly that landed nearby, a beautiful
valley and mountains on the side of the road (while riding passenger, of
course) it was a reflex to pull out my iPhone and experience it second-hand through
my 2 by 3 inch screen. Sure I got some good photos, and sometimes (most of the
time), I missed the shot altogether, all the while missing the experience. I
will never stop documenting through photos, but I will try to keep this in
mind. Also, thinking there is a benefit out of losing the videos and photos of
my summer helps me to keep calm. And look at this face. How could anyone be mad
at that face.
So not only does grad school define this new chapter in my
life, but also this is my first time living on my own as a real bill-paying,
dinner-making, adult. THIS terrifies me. How does anyone expect me to know how to pull this off?
That reminds me. I forgot to eat dinner..
Hello Stacy Otter. Great start to your Blog!
ReplyDeleteBeing first to post a comment (and having a Blog of my own), I feel justified in offering feedback...
1. Post new material at a steady clip. The rate of updates will keep your fans coming back and define your style. It will be hard to increase the rate in the future.
2. Use a plug-in to alert your social media friends of new material as it is posted (e.g. Facebook). This helps your extended community to join in the fun.
3. The boy with the screwdriver in the socket could be me. Family lore has it that I did this at barely 2 years, and then uttered the words: "Electwisity is danjorus!" (SIC)
4. It is likely that your phone still has the deleted photos and files. Memory was not wiped. Rather, file pointers were simply removed from an index. But here's the problem: Every minute that use the phone--especially for new photos--you overwrite & permanently delete the same storage area that could have been recovered. Solution: Attach your phone to a PC and run a diagnostic/recovery tool. Many such free tools are available.
5. Your 'loving boyfriend' has it all: Handsome, intelligent and charming. I wonder if it runs in his family. Take, for example, his Uncle. I wonder...
Best of luck at Yale. I admire your academic field, your enthusiasm, and your spirit!