Good times with Pharma....

Hiii!

So, I took part in a Pharmaceutical Case Competition this week. We had a team of 5: an MD/MBA student, MBA student, and two other scientists. On Saturday they gave us the case study and we had to come up with a 10 minute presentation about it, both the financial and the science sides of things. So, we got together Sunday through Wednesday nights... it's been a long week, let me tell you. But it was so much fun, I learned so much this week!

So, today at 12:30pm we gave our 10 min presentation, and apparently we did pretty well. We got first place!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But of course they didn't tell us this until after we had dinner. But it was great! The best compliment I got: that I seemed as a student from the school of management. Yey! That, to me, means that I talked very professionally. But, really, my team was amazing. We all worked so well together!

Anyway, I'm very very happy!! Yey!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not bad for a first year, huh?

Oh, and the prize; $1500 per team... So $300 each! Sweet, huh?!

Ok, I'm off now!! To spend some time with Ryan, since I had to sacrifice a lot of that this week for this.

Griselda

Grad Student :)

Halloween Party at Yale :)

Hi!

We just came back from a Halloween costume party at GPSCY (pronounced gypsy), the Graduate and Professional School Club at Yale. It's basically a house turned into a bar/club/hangout. It was so much fun! We got there kind of early (around 8:30pm) because we had heard that the line can get long to get in... they were right! We waited like 5minutes... but people at 10pm had to wait like an hour to get in!

It was so great to see so many people dressed up and stuff! Ryan went as Steve Jobs (from Apple) and I went as a princess.... Not terribly creative... but I got to wear my tiara again (from the wedding!).

Ashley went as a stewardess, and Mikki as a statue of liberty... they were great!!

Anyway, it was fun, but we left at like 11:30pm. It really wasn't Ryan's, or Ashley's scene.... I'm definitely coming up with a better costume next year! I love that the whole town is so into this Halloween thing! We saw so many Yalies walking around in costume, both yesterday and today! College towns are sooo much fun! Yey!!!
Oh, here's another pic of me, slightly odd and chirpy!

Anyway!!! Yey!! Oh, and I had my big test for immuno last Friday. I think it went okay... we'll see...

So, as you can see, me and my classmates, we're getting along just fine! Things are looking up! Oh, and it was like 60 degrees today (which is warm by the standards here, so it was nice... though it did rain today).

Anyway, that's all for today! Happy (early) Halloween!

G

Wife Alone...

Hi!

So Ryan's on his way to North Carolina to visit his dad... Which is very exciting, and I wish I could be on the road with him (though I have tons of work, which I will hopefully get done tomorrow... as I did none today). I am home because I have an immunology retreat from Sunday to Tuesday (very odd times to do it, I know). So, I get to catch up on all my studying and start preparing NSF and other applications... And then Sunday morning I head to Woodshole, MA (close to Martha's Vineyard, I hear).

In any case, here I am, blogging after such a long absence.

Graduate school. The biggest challenge I've ever faced, I think. It's getting more manageable. So yeah. The best part of graduate school: feeling stupid among the smart people. Worst part of graduate school: balancing life, classes, rotating in a lab, etc.

Why is feeling stupid so great? Because I've always been the one on top of things in undergrad, but feeling like I really didn't know everything. Turns out I was more than right... I'm the slacker now, convincing people not to study. So, now I'm trying to revert to my previous status of actually knowing what's going on. But it's refreshing to be a new environment and trying to learn as much as possible, and keep up with the smart people of this world. It's an honor to be studying amongst such amazing people.... The bad thing about yale: the undergrads! Don't even get me started!!

Ok, so Rosh Hashanah went really well, as did my Iom Kippur fast. It's so different to be away from my family on this time of year. Finding out where to go, what times, fasting, etc. I really like services here, reminds me of the south american ones (they're from the new york school of thought/prayer). Oh, and I guess today is Sukkot... maybe I'll go to a sukkah next week (the Grad Jews @ Yale are organizing something to this extent), but I don't know if I'll have the time. Sukkot was more exciting as a kid, I think.

AWESOME NEWS: I found my favorite ice cream EVER: Sambayon/zabaglione, in this ice cream shop in New Haven called Ciao Bella. It was very exciting. Ryan tried it and really liked it!

Unfortunately right as I was halfway through eating my cup of zabaglione I got some sad news about a close friend of mine. So last weekend was harsh.

In any case... here I am, a first year immuno student at Yale. Enjoying spending time with my classmates. Enjoying learning so much, and becoming more familiar with everything, with much less headaches.

I have yet to balance everything perfectly. And the homesickness hits in every now and then. But the busier I am, the less I can think about this. I do miss my friends and family, and can't wait till Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hannukah, when I can see everyone... Especially because I don't know if I'll be able to see anyone until the following year.

But life is good. Challenging and incredible. And I really need to acknowledge the support of my husband. He's been so great... I've really leaned on him for moral support. He rocks. and I miss him (this is the first time we've been apart since we got married... a little over 2 months ago!)

Anyway... here I am, still alive, surviving year one of this 6 year journey towards my PhD...

-Class of 2012!!

Dining room + dining table, yey!

We have a dining set in our dining/living room!! Yey!!!!!! I'm so excited.. It looks like the one above.. and maybe I'll post actual pics when they come out decently and not like this:

Anyway, so this is how it looks like in our apt... the reflections are these two lights we got form ikea... If I weren't so lazy I would have turned them off, and/or taken a picture now, with lights off... Oh well.

Yey!!!!! our apartment is almost complete!!!!!! I love our dining table, it's just perfect (there's a bench on the wall side, so when more people come, they can sit there... So we can seat 6 + people, yey!!!

Yey for Tuesday....

A student again

Hi!

SO I'm feeling like a student again... I have been one since after labor day, but my nasty cold left me with no energy to study or think. Now, I'm regaining the ability to think, yet I don't think it's up to par of my Yale classmates. Yes, my friends, I feel a bit stupid. Not completely, just a bit. I try to tell myself that there is a reason I'm here, that I'm probably not as stupid as I feel, or maybe I fooled them, and myself, well. Whatever it is, it's giving me the drive to study much harder, because I don't like feeling stupid.

Today I was in my pathology seminar class, and did make a comment on the paper we read (I am aspiring for High Honors, after all, aka: an A in the class), but I did NOT get the main fallacy with the paper. I was talking to Ashley before class and she was like, it really bugs me that they didn't do the experiment with this one knockout, when they did it for this other one. It turns out that maybe the problem I had with the paper would have been solved if that knockout was used, and I kind of saw that and thought that, but it didn't really really hit me... So I feel a bit foolish. I dunno, I need to think more critically-- which is tough.

I also feel very very stupid when sitting in on lab meetings. I follow things until one point, and then boom, I'm lost. And I have yet to go talk to my PI bc I feel very stupid, and do not wish to appear so... But I am determined to stop by tomorrow with my questions.

So, life at Yale is a challenge... exactly what I was looking for in grad school. Apparently I like to feel stupid, or something. Grad school is a much larger challenge than I ever thought it would be. A lot of it is becoming the person that I know I can be, with all the hurdles that I put on myself-- all mental hurdles, of course. It's very hard to see how I will accomplish all the things in store for me... but I guess I just have to take it one day at a time, and try to enjoy myself in doing so...

Hopefully all will go well... I am so afraid of failure, that I think that if I were less afraid of failing, I wouldn't be so scared... Oh well...

But so far so good. The people in my lab are very nice, and I enjoy myself there. I kind of feel silly that I go in every day, and spend most of the time reading journals, but I want to be available and inmerse myself in the lab, even if my project has yet to start. Also, there's tons of meetings to attend and stuff.

Anyway... I'm back at the apartment after a long day of class, lab meeting (it started at 1pm.. I left early at 2:45pm, and it was still going on... probably until 3:30pm or more), and then more class... And I will work on getting my desk cleared so I can actually do some work on it!

Finally, a new post...

Hi!

So hopefully I'll actually finish a post, not like last time.


So, we are almost almost finished with our apartment. Just like I am almost almost over my wonderful cold. And, I must say, the apartment is looking good.

Funny thing... the first room we finished (minus this one thing from Ikea that is out of stock and driving us crazy) is the kitchen, but I don't have any pics of it yet... It's all red and fabulous... pics to come soon.

Then we finished the bathroom... which is all green and beautiful!
Very many candles (yey) and a pretty green curtain... but, there's more!Notice the very pretty flowers and the soap dispenser... and the pretty towels... and the green carpet... ah, I love our bathroom...

Ok, so I'm off ( I know, I promised a long post)... at least I added pics this time.

Griselda

Zabaione

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	Hazelnut Zabaione Semi Freddo This has to be one of our favorite desserts, after blackberry pie of course. Toasted hazelnuts, frozen custard and this elixir of chocolate, espresso and Marsala are to die for. One bite and you are whisked away to Italy. You can make the simple syrup a few weeks ahead of time. You can make the zabaione a month ahead of time and freeze it and the chocolate sauce holds in the refrigerator for a day, and then you stir in the butter just before serving. So while this looks like a lot of work, you can do quite a bit ahead of time if you choose which is nice. This recipe also doubles nicely. Here are the ingredients for each component: Zabaione 1 cup heavy cream, chilled 1 Tbs. sugar 4 Tbs. water 3 Tbs. sugar 1 ¼ cup (4 ½ oz.) hazelnuts, toasted and skinned 2 Tbs. sugar 6 large egg yolks ¼ cup dry Marsala ¼ tsp. vanilla extract Chocolate Marsala Sauce 1 ½ Tbs. instant espresso coffee granules ½ cup boiling water 1/3 cup dry Marsala 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate 5 tsp. sugar 2 Tbs. unsalted butter Garnish 1/3 (1 oz.) hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and coarsely crushed Making the Zabaione: Combine the cream and the 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl, and whip to soft peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use. Next you make what is called a ‘simple syrup’ or sugar water. Combine the water and 3 tables spoons sugar in a tiny saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear, simmer another 2 minutes. Set the sugar syrup aside and allow to cool. Then refrigerate until needed. This can be made ahead of time if you like. Combine the hazelnuts and the 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor or blender, and grind to a paste. Set aside. Turn the cooled sugar syrup into a large metal bowl, and whisk in the egg yolks and Marsala. Set the bowl over a pan of boiling water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Wish 3 minutes, or until the custard is thick, leaving a clear trail at the bottom of the bowl when stirred with a spoon. It will be between 160-165° F. on an instant-read thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil, or the yolks will curdle. Immediately turn the custard into a mixing bowl, and beat with a hand-held or freestanding electric mixer at medium speed until cool, 8-10 minutes. Beat in the ground hazelnuts and the vanilla until well incorporated. Using a large spoon, fold in about a quarter of the whipped cream to lighten the mixture. Then add the remaining whipped cream, folding until it is thoroughly blended. Spoon the mixture into six to eight small ramekins that have been rinsed with cold water (but not dried). Set them on a small tray, over with plastic wrap and freeze. (The mousse can also be frozen in a 1 ½ quart shallow dish or deep soufflé dish, and then scooped into individual servings at the table, which is what we usually do). Making the Sauce: Combine the coffee granules with the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Turn into a small bowl, and add the Marsala, chocolate and sugar. Set over a pan of hot water, and stir until the chocolate has melted. If necessary, re-warm over hot water before serving. Stir in the butter just before serving. Serving: If you used individual ramekins, spread a pool of the warm chocolate sauce on each dessert plate. Dip the molds into a bowl of hot water, loosening the edges with a small knife. Turn each mousse out onto the sauce or next to it. Sprinkle with the crushed hazelnuts and serve. If you used one large dish like we do, you can serve the mousse partially defrosted and creamy. Transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator about 4 hours before serving. At serving time, use two large spoons to scoop out ovals of the mousse and place them on dessert plates. Spoon a band of warm chocolate sauce across each oval, then sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts. Notes: Marsala is a blended, fortified wine of Sicilian origin, aged for 2 years or more in casks. Marsala is a dark amber color with a deep rich flavor, and varies from sweet to dry. In a pinch, you can substitute a high quality dry sherry for the dry Marsala in this recipe, but really – you should get some Marsala to cook with. This recipe was adapted from ‘The Splendid Table – Recipes from Emilia-Romagna’. Sub Rosa Recipes Sub Rosa Desserts

Sunshine with a cough

Hello blog world :)

So, we are indeed very much settled in our apartment, minus the bedroom and dining set. So, still a little caos in Zuc-Cat world, but not too bad. We got through all of the boxes (minus my clothes boxes) yesterday.

06511

Ah, the new zip code, with a zero in front!! How weird is that?!

Yes, my friends, we are now residing in one of the thirteen original colonies... We saw a town that was established in the 1600's. We are not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Although we are much closer to it than back in "Cali", as Ryan refers to it now.

Married life is wonderful. I really enjoy it. I guess that's what happens when you marry your best friend :) The apartment is looking quite good. The kitchen, bathroom and office are pretty much done. The living room/dining room is almost there... it's the bedroom that is lacking... I think by tomorrow we should get the bed and dresser... so it'll be much better. We bought every piece of furniture, except one bookshelf all new... so we were truly happy to be able to count on the wedding gifts to pay for it all, or add to the decor, depending on the case.

So, last week we moved into this apartment, here in New Haven, CT... I can't believe it's been a week now! After driving for 5 days I think... We left on a Wednesday morning from Azusa, CA... got to Vegas that night and spent it there with my cousin... That was really nice, and I got to see my 92 year old great aunt again!! Yey!!! But, driving a U-Haul trailer hitched onto Ryan's truck took way more time (max speed 55 mph, or else it would start fish-tailing). Then we made it to Vail, Colorado on the second day... after like 15 hours of driving through Arizona and Utah. We were going to visit Ryan's cousin, but it was 2 more hours of driving, so that didn't happen. It turns out Vail is a ski resort city, but since it was summer all rooms were pretty much open, and much cheaper than I think it would be come December. Friday morning we drove through the rest of Colorado and rested in Omaha, Nebraska. Nebraska is very boring. Very boring. Saturday, we drove through Iowa (a bit better) and then got into Illinois, and stayed at Ryan's other cousin's place in Chicagoland (40 min from Chicago). A very beautiful house!! And we ate Chicago style deep-dish pizza, a must have!!! Yuuuummmy!! That was a nice stay... Then on Sunday we drove through Indiana and stopped in Ohio. And then Monday we drove through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and then got to New Haven, Connecticut!!! Yey!!!

In the end we were sick of being in the car... Ryan had to drive all the way out, because I couldn't get it stable. So it was very long.

Monday we got all the boxes into the apartment (that killed my calves by the way). Then it was massive shopping spree days + building furniture, very long days let me tell you. The cool things to mention:

* Our kitchen is red... Red table (small Ikea one where we are presently dining at), red drying rack, red towels, red toaster/toaster oven... very fun!

* Our bathroom is green (ie: green towels and candles) with white toothbrush holder and the like... and a green curtain! Very very cute...

*Our living room is white and blue. We have an Ikea bookshelf/entertainment center
where our new 37" LCD HDTV (that arrived today and Ryan is currently mounting) will reside... and we have a lot of blue-hued decorations (ie: lamps, vases, candles.... we're big on candles!)

*Our office is also very cool. We have matching desks that go on opposit walls (they're L shaped desks, though). We did decorate ours differently, matching our different tastes. I have green pushpins and green and blue file and pencil holders, while Ryan's is all metallic.

Um, so little by little apartment feels like home. I do miss friends sooo much... it didn't hit until last Friday when I met up with the immunology people. I dunno why that kind of hit me hard. It's been a little hard ever since. Oh well, I will survive. Ryan and I can do anything together, and that keeps us going! Huh, sweetie?

Anyway, that's all for today...

G

All good things....

Hey everyone! I, the notorious new husband, have hijacked Griselda's blog to inform everyone of the last several days in Hawaii! Unfortunatley, like so many great things, our honeymoon is coming to an end. We are currently awaiting a shuttle to the airport, and will be arriving in the wee hours of wednesday morning...its back to reality, and moreso packing for the big move to connecticut.

But lest this not distract us from the great time we've been having these last few days! Let's soo were we left off...ah, of course Day 6: This day was primarly spent relaxing and recuperating from the busy couple of previous days. We walked around Waikiki ffor most of the day and settled in for dinner on the balcony overlooking the sunset, (which included the BEST pineapple throughout the whole trip!) We also celebrated with a bottle of champagne that was delivered to our room on behalf of the hotel! We even made passion fruit and pineapple mimosas!

Here are some pics:

The next day included the rescheduled tropical island fun cruise! It was great, we took this medium sized vessel out of honolulu to ironically enough about a half mile from the shore of our hotel. It also included a pretty darn good BBQ for lunch! Some of the best pictures were from our underwater camera, so I cant post those but here are some anyway. (Just a sidenote, you'll only see pictures of Ryan in the water because after snorkeling, G was al little afraid of going back into the non-shark-infested waters.)







Later that night we ventured back to the Outrigger Waikiki (were we had eaten previously at Duke's) to try out the Hula Grill. I forgot the camera so no pictures here, but let me tell you if you want THE BEST seared Ahi tuna steak I have ever had, along with great drinks and friendly sevice, this is the place to go! Grise had a shrimp stir fry, which was good too, but I think she ended up having more of my ahi. Dessert was also a scrumptuous brownie and ice cream dish....mmmmmmmm.

Monday, our last full day in Hawaii was spent parousing the streets of waikiki, particularly the International Marketplace. It was pretty funny because earlier in the day we happened to stumble across an old episode of Saved by the Bell, where the group goes to Hawaii to save Kelly's gradfather's hotel. Waikiki looked so different then! (they also showed the marketplace, which looked the same but minus the hundres of other buildings around it). Anyway, G got a new belt and another necklace! I wont post many of the pictures, as I dont want to spoil things for the peeps back home!



That night we went to the beach for some fun in the water and a sunset strol on the beach. We ended up parking it up on a jetty of volcanic rocks. The sunset was just beautiful! This is the reason people come to Hawaii! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.







That night it was dinner at the Shorebird beachfront grill. Here you have the option of grilling up your own meat! G had the Teriyaki Beef Kabob, whereas I opted for some filet mignon.. This was the best service on the island and had it not been for the ahi the previous night, would have been the best food of the trip. Word of advice to anyone who may be staying at the Outrigger Reef and eating at the shorebird...the drinks are REALLY strong, I had a 'Flying Coconut' and it deifinately felt like I got hit by one. Griselda's maitai was quite good however...

That brings us right back to now, sitting in the lobby of the Outrigger Reef, we have checked out and are waiting for our shuttle.


Goodbye Hawaii, or should I say Aloooooooooohaaaaaa, and mahalo!

Hope you enjoyed my first post on the wife's blog...depending of how she likes it, it may just be the last...Ciao!

--Ryan "el Esposo"

Honeymooning in Hawaii (Pictures)

Alooooha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I don't feel like writing too much, so I'm going to post some pictures, for your seeing/reading pleasure. We are having loads of fun, and enjoying the sun. SO here are some snapshots from the past few days....

Day 4- Polynesian Cultural Center
Some notes: Very cool and fun. We enjoyed the luau, I ate poi, Ryan suffered with his rash. It rained, but felt good. IT WAS FUN!!!


This is me in "New Zealand"... these ball thingy totally killed me...
Here, Ryan is looking for a pig to sloughter for his new wife... me!!! Don't worry, it was just for pretend.
Here we are at the Luau... food was yuuuuuuuuumy
And then we got to see this awesome show!! It was so much fun!





That was day 4! Ryan survived, amazingly, and had fun!! Yey!!!

Day 5 and 6 (today) were spent lazily... on the beach, at the poolside, walking around Waikiki... eating a lot... and watching the sunset... and fireworks!! (we could see them right from our room... we have the best views of sunset, the beach.. and, well, fireworks! Waikiki rocks!)

Hawaii... with my husband

Hi!
So, the reason we decided to blog is to not forget the details. This might be silly, I know. Yesterday it took way too freaking long discussing the wedding... so I gave up on describing what we are doing on our honeymoon, asides from the obvious.

I write now, in the lobby, as Ryan takes a nap. I took a lot of naps during the tour today, because it was like 30 min stretches in a car, and I LOVE taking naps in cars.

So, we arrived here in Waikiki on Monday. The plane ride was fine. Arrived at 2pm. Ryan's luggage did not arrive at the same time (was delivered at 5am on Tuesday). In any case, we got leid right off the plane, well, maybe 20 min after we landed (I had a bridezilla moment freaking out bc we didn't get a lei).

So, we arrive at the Outrigger Reef and get into our room... with a very nice view of the ocean. Then, after unpacking and stuff, we walked around Waikiki, had some food at Duke's and then headed back to our place-- stuffed! Where we found champagne and two plastic flutes, which made us very happy (I love surprises).

Day two started with a 7am orientation breakfast (Ryan wone a camera), where we booked a couple of tours. Then we went to this shopping thing and Ryan got me this awesome black pearl necklace at this one place that I forget the name. Then we went to Hilo Hattie, and we got a lei of sea shells, which was awesome, and we bought some stuff. Then we walked down the beach and enjoyed the beautiful view!!! Then we went back to our hotel and had dinner there, at this very romantic garden restaurant, where the food was sooo yummy. The fish here rocks!!!!!!!!!

Day three (today) started off at 7:30am meeting at the Sheraton Bus depot. But we realized a couple of things:
1- Ryan developed a rash to the sunscreen I brought (one of the reasons he's taking a nap now= benadryl)
2- The map they gave us to get to the bus depot was crappy
3- Griselda forgot to put the memory card back into the camera!


Yeah, that kind of sucked. We got to the bus depot at like 7:45am, they had to pull back and pick us up!! In any case, we got an awesome tour of the island. We went all the way up to North Shore, through the Dole plantation. Stopped by some beautiful beaches (like the one in this picture) and bought some yummy macadamian nuts covered in coffee. Oh, we also hiked (in flip flops) this one park that had a waterfall all the way up top!! It was beautiful. Lunch was at this place by the lion mountain or whatever (which took me like 10 minutes to see the crouching lion...). I had great naps. Ryan has the worst rash ever, poor sweetie. So I'm off to comfort him, I feel bad enough taking all this time for blogging.

Anyway, Hawaii is awesome. We're having an awesome time. And we're blogging bc we're nuts. haha

Yey for honeymoons!