I have been looking over my past posts these last couple of days and have come to the realization that I may come off as… how do I put this… whiny. My whininess is misleading. I am not a malcontent, I am not unhappy. To tell the truth, I have had a reasonably pleasurable graduate school experience. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been hard as blank blank blank (very bad words), but worth it.

There is something I have left out, something that may potentially mitigate my whininess. In addition to all the internal and external pressures to hurry up and graduate, I have also had the pressure of hurrying up to let my advisor leave. You see, my lab is shutting down, moving to Arizona along with my advisor, who is entering a semi-retirement. She told me she would wait for me to graduate before leaving and she kept her word, at great cost to her time and her health, and for that I am endlessly grateful.

It is odd and not a little sad to see the lab emptying after living in it, full and bustling, for 5 straight years. Anyone want some bottles?

Last week I had the distinction and responsibility of being one of the speakers at my advisor’s leaving party (referred to as Priscillapalooza), organized by Beth Israel Deaconess and Harvard Medical School. The who’s who of the herpes world were there – all her trainees came back from exotic and important parts of the country and world to show their appreciation and support. I spoke in front of over one hundred people, all of whom were directly trained, raised, taught, and shaped by Priscilla. It was humbling and a little odd, as one of Priscilla’s last graduate students to stand in front of her very first, who is now older than my father and is the senior advisor on HIV Vaccines at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (I always knew that Priscilla’s students do well, I didn’t know just how well until now.)

I was to say a few words about Priscilla before beginning my (science) talk. This thought tormented and terrified me for the entire week prior. How to say something touching, funny, and personal all in front of a room full of the most accomplished people in my field? I had it all planned out, went over it in my head all the way up until the time of my talk… and fumbled. Bummer. Guess I will just have to tell her directly, gin and tonic in hand.

I have to be done, packed, and gone by June 30th. I am in the process of moving to another lab to finish a few experiments and to write my dissertation. I plan on bringing a -80oC freezer with me as dowry, in hopes that my new lab mates will want to be my friends. It’s a brilliant plan. Who doesn’t love a -80??