First Week

I officially started my Ph.D. program this week at UVa.  It has been great to get back in to the lab, but very different from Dr. Wiley's lab.  There is definitely a learning curve, as I have little background in cardiology.  I know that is hard to believe, but when it comes to the specifics it is true.  My first rotation is looking at atherosclerosis, or plaque build up, in the heart.  I feel like the "scared" first-year.  However, I think I am finally on the cusp of learning, and becoming more confident in the lab.

I cannot wait for this weekend.  While I have a lot of to accomplish, I am looking forward to finding the gym and getting some rest.  Hopefully I will meet some people this weekend (maybe even somebody who would like to see the Minion movie with me!).

That's all for now!

:)

Baking

It is 3 weeks until I move to Virginia, and I went into a baking frenzy today.  Why? I needed to figure out the best recipe to make m & m cookies.  A few weeks ago, I made the "perfect" m & m cookie by perfect-palate.  Everybody loved them, but there was something not quite right.  I was determined to figure it out.

Today, I re-made the perfect-palate cookies.  Last time, I had to use full-sized m & m's because I couldn't find the mini ones, therefore I used full-sized chocolate chips.  Today, I made them exactly as the recipe called for, using 1 cup of mini m & m's.  I also made Averie's soft m & m chocolate cookies.  I used 2/3 cup mini m & m's and a handful of normal-sized m & m's (a bag of mini m & m's doesn't get you too far these days...).  Additionally, I used 1/2 vanilla pudding mix and 1/2 cornstarch.

Now comes the hard part: which one is best!

First, they look amazing!

http://picky-palate.com/2013/04/03/how-to-make-perfect-m-and-m-cookies/

http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/01/soft-mm-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Second, they taste great!  It has taken me a few days to decide which of these two cookies I like better...The first cookie is soft and chewy, and the second cookie is even softer.  However, the second cookie I found to be a *just* bit dense for my liking.  Therefore, I believe that the first cookie is better, ONLY if it is made with mini m & m's (that being said, I would make both again in a heart beat).

Until next time!

--Robyn

Time

Hi everyone,

As you can tell, I have not written a blog post in a while.  That is due to having a lot of work and not enough hours in the day.  I am in the middle of my second round of exams/ midterms, thesis, and graduate school applications.  I am feeling overwhelmed and am having troubles expressing my feelings.  However, I am glad that to say I am currently working on my discussion for my thesis and am finding it very exciting.  I LOVE science; if there is one thing I can count on in the academic world, it is feeling happy and at peace when I am in the lab.

I want to reminder my peers to take time for themselves.  We are at a very stressful time in our lives (midterms, job hunts, grad school apps, graduation….), but take time to listen to your favorite song or converse with your friends over dinner.  I am beyond grateful to have my parents in my life, and my friends.  Without them I would not be as sane as I currently am.