About Me...

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Cincinnati, OH, United States
I'm a scientist , yogi, book worm, scifi junk, and I'm a little obsessed with my pup. My life is full of discovery both in the lab and out of the lab. This blog is my place to share my experiences as a person trying to stay happy and healthy in this crazy world.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Taos....

Taos, New Mexico is an adorable little artists town.  Yesterday we hit up Moby Dickens bookstore, world cup coffee shop, doc marten's restaurant in historic taos inn, and many other little shops.  

I'm looking forward to visiting the pueblos and the town many times and getting some great images since I was having so much fun yesterday I didn't snap a single shot.  

Last night was the first night of the official keystone symposia.  Our keynote speaker was Dr. Yamanaka, as in the scientist who discovered induced pluripotent cells.  Bascially, his lab took adult skin cells and made them into cells that are almost identical to embryonic stem cells.  It was an amazing discovery and has been a great tool for developing cell therapies. Seeing such an accomplished scientist who was very personable and modest was such an encouraging experience.  

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Let the conference fun begin...

I'm in New Mexico for a conference and I'm excited to explore the cities we are traveling through and hear some new science.

Here are a couple picks from Albuquerque.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Disney/Universal ...


I wanted to share some pics from our trip to disney and universal. 
Cinderella's castle at night with holiday lights!

Ducks visited our patio and were greeted by the boys and french fries.  They then brought friends.....we had a total of 5 kinds of birds on the patio by the last day including wild turkeys. 
ca-chow...lightening mcqueen at disney stunt show!

universal jurassic park...watch out for the T-rex!


Hogwarts express
Hogsmeade at night

Suess world at universal

Disney was amazing, but I was most impressed by the detail at the wizarding world of Harry Potter.  I felt like I was living the books!  I'm so happy to be able to experience these parks before having children so that I could embrace my inner child, and I look forward to visiting again in the future with children to experience these parks in a whole new way.


Monday, January 16, 2012

Disney World Marathon in review...

It's been just over a week since the Disney World marathon, and I haven't started running again.  That's not to say I didn't have an enjoyable race, because I did, I've been enjoying a little time away from running to do other physical activities.

What you really want to read about is the marathon and my experience...so here goes.  First of all the expo was the largest expo I've ever been to, and we got all kinds of free snacks which came in handy when we visited the parks in the days after the race, and more importantly we picked up our number and timing chips!

Race morning we got up at 2:30 am, and yes you read that correctly 2:30 am, since we had to leave the hotel room at about 3:30 am to catch the shuttle to the starting area.  Mickey, Goofy, and Donald Duck counted down the starting of each corral of runners and set off fireworks.  The starting was full of excitement and energy.

The race was along the highway bordering Disney and through all of the disney parks.  It was a great way to preview the parks.  During the race I had a simple strategy....have fun.  I've heard about how fun this race is, and I wanted to experience it.  So, I took it easy (which was also just in case my hip pain was a stress fracture, I'm pretty sure it's not) and just enjoyed my surroundings.

In an effort to show the runners how green the Disney parks are, we ran through the water processing area and composting facilities.....that was a bad idea.  There were several miles that were retched for breathing, especially if you need to take deep breathes if you are doing something like oh I don't know...running.

Smelliness aside, the race was very fun and I finished in 5:14 with a smile on my face. I felt great afterwards since I took advantage of the free area after the finish to ice your sore joints, and we visited the magic kingdom later that day and walked for a few more hours to keep my legs loose.

Disney knows how to put on a race, I really hope I can experience another Disney race in the future.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Thoughts on Tapering...

I'm running the Disney World Marathon in 4 days!!!! Seriously 4 days! Which means that I've been tapering for the past few weeks.  Usually the tapering time is filled with loads of self doubt and my nerves are constantly on edge.  I'm not sure why, but this time I'm not nearly as nervous.  I miss the time out on the road, but I've welcomed the break since my hip was bothering me after the final 20 mile run. Also,  I've made peace with the fact that if I go out on race day and I just can't run at my usual pace I will take it slow.  So what if I don't run the marathon at the pace I originally wanted (sub 4:25), I am still completing a marathon!  And meeting Mickey Mouse!  On top of all of that, I will be at Disney World with my best friend and my husband.

Time goals come and go, but experiences are ever lasting.  I'm looking forward to making this a truly great experience with my loved ones without adding undo pressure on myself.