The defense went very well. The new doctor wrote me a lovely dedication in my copy of her M.D. thesis.

My car works again.

The Parisian student is being a delightful guest in my home as well as in the laboratory – enthusiastic, and blossoming under all this personalized attention. I hope she will be able to remember what she’s done with us in a couple of weeks, but it’s been good for her to just see a different laboratory dynamic with new people.

I performed the first part of an experiment on the nifty machine in the next room that nearly everyone on the floor uses aside from me, and feel like I have joined the ranks of researchers in the 21st century now.

Two additional suspected cases of porcine influenza have been noted in France, but all but one case as of last night have been confirmed to be something else.

Nothing much to report lately; business as usual. I will be working for a few hours tomorrow, even though it’s Labor Day here.