Guess what happened last night? Yep, the TV turned itself on again at 1:30AM. I swear it's possessed. I'm going to unplug it tonight.
Anyway, today was more talks. I went to one section for T and B cell receptors and function, one section for MHC (major histocompatibility complex, for those non-sciency people), and one for ecoimmunity. I was looking forward to seeing the talk on loggerhead turtles and their responses to brevetoxin (the toxin secreted by red tides, which kill off sealife in warm waters every year). That was a good talk. My boss introduced me to the speaker. We even went so far as to ask if her workplace had a spot for a postdoc. Just looking ahead for my next job, I guess. Marine Biology would be awesome.
I was having trouble staying awake during a few of the talks. Not a lot of sleep last night.
The breakfast buffet was the same this morning, but at least the options at lunch were different.
After the talks finished, we had our first poster session, so I had to stand at my poster and talk to people if they had questions about my work (or if they just wanted to hear about it). Actually got to talk to five people, which was apparently really good for this session. We have another one on Thursday, so I may talk to more then.
With the poster session done, my party (boss, boss's daughter, coworker, and I) went out to dinner. We hopped on the metro then walked toward Prague Castle. My boss and her daughter had eaten at an Asian food restaurant and decided to take us there. It was raining, too. I tried to take pictures during the walk, but I don't know how well they'll turn out. Anyway, we reached the restaurant and ate. What did I have? Crab soup, the Vietnamese special (chicken, glass noodles, and vegetables), and iced tea (which was flavored with lime instead of lemon, and I liked it more than lemon).
It had stopped raining while we ate, and we decided to walk up to and through the castle on our way back to the hotel. The place looked magnificent at night. I tried taking pictures of the castle (and one of the Prague skyline), and I think they turned out. We'll see when I finally put them on my computer.
That's it for today. Tomorrow it's a short day, then off for a tour of the city!
(This post was actually posted at 11:05PM Prague time)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
ISDCI Conference, Day 1
So as not to bore everyone, I’ll try to keep the conference stuff brief. Unfortunately, most days I'm here I'm doing mostly conference stuff, but there may be some other fun things thrown in there for good measure.
Since last night, I met my roommate for the week. He’s from Japan and isn’t a very strong English speaker, but we communicate well enough. He seems to be a really cool guy, so I’m sure there won’t be any major problems while we’re roommates.
I also found out that the room they moved us to because our original one had a leaky sink is actually a downgrade. We were supposed to get superior rooms, but now we’re in a standard room. That’s all they could put us in. I think we should get some sort of refund or something since we paid for a superior room. Maybe there will be more money in my reimbursement (though I doubt it).
A strange thing happened last night. The TV spontaneously turned on at 1:30AM and woke us both up. We have no idea why it did that. Neither of us set up a timer. Ghosts in the room, I guess.
This morning we all had a free buffet breakfast, then were welcomed to the conference. After that, there was one one-hour plenary talk, followed by a coffee break. Then the actual science presentations started. There are multiple topics of talks to choose from each day, and you’re free to keep switching rooms throughout the day to hear what you want to hear. I just decided to stay with the “Innate Immune Cells, Apoptosis, Growth Factors” section since they had the more interesting talks.
Free lunch was provided by the conference. Just like breakfast, it was buffet style.
Tonight, we all went to the Brevnov Benedictine Monastery for a welcome cocktail party. It’s pretty amazing that they managed to fit all 400+ of us in there. The place was beautiful, and the food they served us was delicious. They had everything from ham and pork, to pasta, to fruit and salads, to various h’ors douvres (spelling?), and to a cheese plate. I almost overloaded on cheese! The dessert try was also varied but everything was really good. I had some sort of cherry pudding and a peach parfait. We also had a string quartet as entertainment. They know how to throw a great welcome party here.
I managed to walk around the monastery some and get some pictures. Otherwise, there weren’t any pictures to be taken. I should be able to get a ton on Wednesday, though, when I go on a tour of the city.
Tomorrow, more conference…
(This post was actually posted at 11:03PM Prague time)
Since last night, I met my roommate for the week. He’s from Japan and isn’t a very strong English speaker, but we communicate well enough. He seems to be a really cool guy, so I’m sure there won’t be any major problems while we’re roommates.
I also found out that the room they moved us to because our original one had a leaky sink is actually a downgrade. We were supposed to get superior rooms, but now we’re in a standard room. That’s all they could put us in. I think we should get some sort of refund or something since we paid for a superior room. Maybe there will be more money in my reimbursement (though I doubt it).
A strange thing happened last night. The TV spontaneously turned on at 1:30AM and woke us both up. We have no idea why it did that. Neither of us set up a timer. Ghosts in the room, I guess.
This morning we all had a free buffet breakfast, then were welcomed to the conference. After that, there was one one-hour plenary talk, followed by a coffee break. Then the actual science presentations started. There are multiple topics of talks to choose from each day, and you’re free to keep switching rooms throughout the day to hear what you want to hear. I just decided to stay with the “Innate Immune Cells, Apoptosis, Growth Factors” section since they had the more interesting talks.
Free lunch was provided by the conference. Just like breakfast, it was buffet style.
Tonight, we all went to the Brevnov Benedictine Monastery for a welcome cocktail party. It’s pretty amazing that they managed to fit all 400+ of us in there. The place was beautiful, and the food they served us was delicious. They had everything from ham and pork, to pasta, to fruit and salads, to various h’ors douvres (spelling?), and to a cheese plate. I almost overloaded on cheese! The dessert try was also varied but everything was really good. I had some sort of cherry pudding and a peach parfait. We also had a string quartet as entertainment. They know how to throw a great welcome party here.
I managed to walk around the monastery some and get some pictures. Otherwise, there weren’t any pictures to be taken. I should be able to get a ton on Wednesday, though, when I go on a tour of the city.
Tomorrow, more conference…
(This post was actually posted at 11:03PM Prague time)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Leaving Berlin / Entering Prague
Today was our last little bit of time in Berlin. We had just enough time to get breakfast then take a taxi on over to the train station.
We hopped aboard the train for the four-plus hour trip to Prague. We had reserved seats in a little compartment that had six seats. All six were taken, but one was for a woman that only stayed on for one station. The rest of us rode all the way to Prague.
The trip was pretty uneventful. I managed to get my pictures onto my computer and sort them, though, again, I probably won't be uploading them until I get home. But I spent most of the time just watching the sights outside.
Outside of Dresden was absolutely beautiful. We followed the river (whatever river that is) and there were all of these riverside towns. There were also a couple of large castle-looking buildings, some interesting rock formations, and even a rock bridge high in the mountains. If I had time, I'd visit there for a little while.
Once in Prague, we checked in for both the hotel and the conference. When I walked into the room that they gave me eventually, I found that the floor of the bathroom was covered with water. Apparently there was a leak in the sink. So they switched me to a different room. The first room was better (nicer view outside, fairly large by European standards). The room I'm in now is an odd shape and has a nice view of the roof. Great.
Oh, and did I mention that I have to room with a complete stranger? I'm kind of hoping he doesn't show up.
Once all of that was squared away, I met up with my boss and her daughter, and we all went out to eat dinner. We ate at Restaurace u Provaznice, where I had tenderloin (pork) with potato dumplings and cranberries. I also tried the Czech potato soup. Not bad. Now we're back in the hotel to get ready for bed. Gotta get up early for breakfast and to post my poster.
(NOTE: I don't know what the deal is with the internet at this hotel. I'm currently using my boss's daughter's laptop, since they've paid for access. However, I'm going to try and see about wireless somewhere. Supposedly the cafe in the hotel has it for free. Thus, I may not be able to update every day. These will be the boring days anyway, but I'll still try my best.)
(This post was really posted at 10:09PM Prague time.)
We hopped aboard the train for the four-plus hour trip to Prague. We had reserved seats in a little compartment that had six seats. All six were taken, but one was for a woman that only stayed on for one station. The rest of us rode all the way to Prague.
The trip was pretty uneventful. I managed to get my pictures onto my computer and sort them, though, again, I probably won't be uploading them until I get home. But I spent most of the time just watching the sights outside.
Outside of Dresden was absolutely beautiful. We followed the river (whatever river that is) and there were all of these riverside towns. There were also a couple of large castle-looking buildings, some interesting rock formations, and even a rock bridge high in the mountains. If I had time, I'd visit there for a little while.
Once in Prague, we checked in for both the hotel and the conference. When I walked into the room that they gave me eventually, I found that the floor of the bathroom was covered with water. Apparently there was a leak in the sink. So they switched me to a different room. The first room was better (nicer view outside, fairly large by European standards). The room I'm in now is an odd shape and has a nice view of the roof. Great.
Oh, and did I mention that I have to room with a complete stranger? I'm kind of hoping he doesn't show up.
Once all of that was squared away, I met up with my boss and her daughter, and we all went out to eat dinner. We ate at Restaurace u Provaznice, where I had tenderloin (pork) with potato dumplings and cranberries. I also tried the Czech potato soup. Not bad. Now we're back in the hotel to get ready for bed. Gotta get up early for breakfast and to post my poster.
(NOTE: I don't know what the deal is with the internet at this hotel. I'm currently using my boss's daughter's laptop, since they've paid for access. However, I'm going to try and see about wireless somewhere. Supposedly the cafe in the hotel has it for free. Thus, I may not be able to update every day. These will be the boring days anyway, but I'll still try my best.)
(This post was really posted at 10:09PM Prague time.)
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Berlin, Day 2
Tomorrow we say goodbye to Berlin, and hello to Prague.
We had an experience waking up today. We set the alarm to wake us up at 7:30AM before going to bed. The alarm goes off, and I get up and get ready for the day. I finish getting ready, and look at the alarm clock. It says 8:20AM. I know I’m slow to get ready in the morning (the earlier, the slower), but there was no way it took me 50 minutes this morning. When Laura’s done getting ready, I grab my watch to put it on… and it says 5:20AM. Laura grabs her watch, and comments that she thought her watch battery died. Her watch said 5:20AM. Apparently our alarm clock didn’t keep accurate time and was very fast. Great. So we ended up trying to sleep for a few more hours to catch back up. Not a good way to start the morning.
At any rate, here’s what happened today:
- We left the hotel and had breakfast at a local coffee shop chain. I had a pastry that was topped with cinnamon and a hot chocolate.
- Walked around Potsdamer Platz and found Hitler’s bunker site. We also learned a bit about bunkers during World War II, the underground, and life in a Berlin divided by the Berlin Wall.
- Hopped on a train to Oranienburg, then explored the city.
- While exploring, we found out that there was a festival/carnival/boat race competition going on. We walked around there for a bit, watch some races, did some good people watching, and ate (I had a grilled bratwurst and French fries). Interesting things during our time at the festival: the boat racers used a drummer beating a drum to keep their rhythm. Also, we loved the eclectic mix of American popular music and techno pumping out of the speakers.
- Walked to and visited Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Learned a lot about the atrocities that went on there. An amazing, yet depressing, experience.
- Walked back to the train station (and saw a Westie on the way), then got on the train back to Berlin. More fun happens: Laura got into a conversation with a random drunk guy on the train. Of course, Laura had no idea what the guy was saying. She said it sounded like he was speaking a mix of German and English. All she got out of the conversation was: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Beatles, “Yellow Submarine”, “She Loves You Yeah Yeah”, and Michael Jackson. He also liked to show off his Beatles tattoo. The guy’s lady friend kept slapping him the whole time he was talking. After Laura, he started talking to yet another random drunk guy, and it was like the two completely understood each other.
- Got off back at Potsdamer Platz… and the entire street was trashed and there were street washing trucks everywhere. Apparently the Gay Pride parade went through.
- Walked around Stadtmitte and ate dinner at Maximilian’s, where I had Allgäuer Kasspatzen mit Röstzwiebeln (Bavarian noodles baked over cheese and onions). So good! The onions were like the onion straws we can get back home, and the cheese sauce (I have no idea what the cheese was) was delicious!
Now we have to wake up in the morning, grab breakfast/brunch, then it’s time to check-out and get to the train station in order to leave for Prague. One city down, four more to go.
Hopefully I’ll be able to update while in Prague! (This post was actually posted at 10:43PM Berlin time)
We had an experience waking up today. We set the alarm to wake us up at 7:30AM before going to bed. The alarm goes off, and I get up and get ready for the day. I finish getting ready, and look at the alarm clock. It says 8:20AM. I know I’m slow to get ready in the morning (the earlier, the slower), but there was no way it took me 50 minutes this morning. When Laura’s done getting ready, I grab my watch to put it on… and it says 5:20AM. Laura grabs her watch, and comments that she thought her watch battery died. Her watch said 5:20AM. Apparently our alarm clock didn’t keep accurate time and was very fast. Great. So we ended up trying to sleep for a few more hours to catch back up. Not a good way to start the morning.
At any rate, here’s what happened today:
- We left the hotel and had breakfast at a local coffee shop chain. I had a pastry that was topped with cinnamon and a hot chocolate.
- Walked around Potsdamer Platz and found Hitler’s bunker site. We also learned a bit about bunkers during World War II, the underground, and life in a Berlin divided by the Berlin Wall.
- Hopped on a train to Oranienburg, then explored the city.
- While exploring, we found out that there was a festival/carnival/boat race competition going on. We walked around there for a bit, watch some races, did some good people watching, and ate (I had a grilled bratwurst and French fries). Interesting things during our time at the festival: the boat racers used a drummer beating a drum to keep their rhythm. Also, we loved the eclectic mix of American popular music and techno pumping out of the speakers.
- Walked to and visited Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Learned a lot about the atrocities that went on there. An amazing, yet depressing, experience.
- Walked back to the train station (and saw a Westie on the way), then got on the train back to Berlin. More fun happens: Laura got into a conversation with a random drunk guy on the train. Of course, Laura had no idea what the guy was saying. She said it sounded like he was speaking a mix of German and English. All she got out of the conversation was: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Beatles, “Yellow Submarine”, “She Loves You Yeah Yeah”, and Michael Jackson. He also liked to show off his Beatles tattoo. The guy’s lady friend kept slapping him the whole time he was talking. After Laura, he started talking to yet another random drunk guy, and it was like the two completely understood each other.
- Got off back at Potsdamer Platz… and the entire street was trashed and there were street washing trucks everywhere. Apparently the Gay Pride parade went through.
- Walked around Stadtmitte and ate dinner at Maximilian’s, where I had Allgäuer Kasspatzen mit Röstzwiebeln (Bavarian noodles baked over cheese and onions). So good! The onions were like the onion straws we can get back home, and the cheese sauce (I have no idea what the cheese was) was delicious!
Now we have to wake up in the morning, grab breakfast/brunch, then it’s time to check-out and get to the train station in order to leave for Prague. One city down, four more to go.
Hopefully I’ll be able to update while in Prague! (This post was actually posted at 10:43PM Berlin time)
Friday, June 26, 2009
Berlin, Day 1
Guten Tag meine Damen und Herren!
I arrived safely in Berlin earlier this morning. Had a two hour flight from Nashville to Newark, then an over 4 hour layover before a nice, very lengthy-feeling 8 hour flight to Berlin. I was impressed with the plane to Berlin. Everyone had their own individual TV monitors to watch on-demand TV shows or play games. I kept myself entertained by watching four episodes of The Simpsons, two episodes of The Big Bang Theory, and three episodes of (and don’t laugh, I’m getting into this show) Legend of the Seeker, though those were on my laptop. Speaking of that, the plane had AC power so you could use your laptop without draining the battery. Nice. Also played some bowling (bad physics and horrible ball control) and mini-golf (I ended up 24 strokes over par after 9 holes; yes, it was that insane). So I managed to keep myself entertained. I did try to sleep, but as usual, I wasn’t able to. I managed maybe 45 minutes, tops.
Okay, you not here to read about that, so on to Berlin!
We arrived at the airport, breezed through customs, got on a bus, then got on a subway, then had to walk two more blocks to get to the hotel. We arrived at the hotel, just hoping they’d store our suitcases and carry-on luggage (and posters, which safely made the trip). The guy behind the counter said that he could check us in immediately instead (we were a good four hours early for check-in). So we got to see our room.
Interesting thing about the hotel: you need your room card key for everything. Using the elevator, getting in the room, turning on the lights in your room? Need the card key. Also, the heating lamp in the bathroom makes the entire room turn bright red. Pretty cool looking.
So after that, it was out and about in Berlin. Here’s what we did:
- Lunch at Einstein Kaffeehouse, where I had goulash
- Walked down Unter den Linden and saw the Brandenburg Gate
- Went to see the Reichstag, and saw one of the remaining pieces of the Berlin Wall
- Walked up through Tiergarten and saw the Siegessaute statue, then walked back through Tiergarten
- Stopped at the Holocaust Memorial
- Went back to the hotel for a little rest
- Walked to Alexanderplatz and had dinner at Schlogl’s, where I had schnitzel with fried potatoes
- Went up the Berliner Fernsehturm tower to see the entire city at dusk
One interesting thing about Berlin. It's 10PM outside, and it's still light out. The sun hasn't gone completely down yet. I just thought that was cool.
That was a long blog post. The rest shouldn’t be that long. I should just be telling you all what we did. Anyway, another day in Berlin tomorrow!
(This post was actually posted at 11:39PM Berlin time.)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
I hate packing
So much packing to do, so little time...
Hopefully I'll get it done before too late. Just have to wait on the last load of laundry to finish.
Getting excited, though!
Hopefully I'll get it done before too late. Just have to wait on the last load of laundry to finish.
Getting excited, though!
Monday, June 22, 2009
European Itinerary
I have the pleasure of attending the 11th Congress of the International Society of Developmental and Comparative Immunology in Prague, Czech Republic at the end of this month. While at the conference I will be presenting a poster that is pretty much a culmination of my most important work. I'm also in the process of writing a paper based on this work, and I should have it completed sometime in the next month.
Anyway, my co-worker (who's going to the conference as well) and I talked it over and we decided to spend a bit more time in Europe in order to see some sights. So I present to you my itinerary for this trip:
June 25: Leave Nashville for Berlin, Germany
- Arrival the next day
June 26 - 28: Berlin, Germany
June 28 - July 4: Prague, Czech Republic (ISDCI conference)
July 4 - July 6: Vienna, Austria
- Overnight train trip to:
July 7 - July 9: Zurich, Switzerland
July 9 - July 11: Barcelona, Spain
July 11: Leave Barcelona, Spain for Nashville
- Back on same day
Provided that I get internet access from the hotels or can find the time to get to an internet cafe or wherever, I will be updating this blog daily to share all that I have done while in Europe. I will most likely not be able to get my pictures up to share until I get back to the U.S., so I'll link to my Flickr site once I get them up.
I am very excited for this trip! I'm looking forward to meeting some of my fellow scientists in Prague, meeting up with Doug (an old co-worker from our lab who is now in Zurich) to see his family, and just seeing what Europe has to offer!
Anyway, my co-worker (who's going to the conference as well) and I talked it over and we decided to spend a bit more time in Europe in order to see some sights. So I present to you my itinerary for this trip:
June 25: Leave Nashville for Berlin, Germany
- Arrival the next day
June 26 - 28: Berlin, Germany
June 28 - July 4: Prague, Czech Republic (ISDCI conference)
July 4 - July 6: Vienna, Austria
- Overnight train trip to:
July 7 - July 9: Zurich, Switzerland
July 9 - July 11: Barcelona, Spain
July 11: Leave Barcelona, Spain for Nashville
- Back on same day
Provided that I get internet access from the hotels or can find the time to get to an internet cafe or wherever, I will be updating this blog daily to share all that I have done while in Europe. I will most likely not be able to get my pictures up to share until I get back to the U.S., so I'll link to my Flickr site once I get them up.
I am very excited for this trip! I'm looking forward to meeting some of my fellow scientists in Prague, meeting up with Doug (an old co-worker from our lab who is now in Zurich) to see his family, and just seeing what Europe has to offer!
Hello all!
Welcome everyone to my blog.
In the interest of keeping everyone up to date with what's going on, both in my life and in my head, I'd start up this little blog here. It'll be a great way to keep my family and friends up to date with whatever happens to me. It'll also be a great way for me to vent about anything that is bothering me. Hopefully this won't be a truly boring experience...
Please leave comments! I'd like to know what everyone thinks.
In the interest of keeping everyone up to date with what's going on, both in my life and in my head, I'd start up this little blog here. It'll be a great way to keep my family and friends up to date with whatever happens to me. It'll also be a great way for me to vent about anything that is bothering me. Hopefully this won't be a truly boring experience...
Please leave comments! I'd like to know what everyone thinks.
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