What is better than a dog eating your homework? Being attacked by ninjas and bleeding on your homework en route to turning it in.

Visit from an Old Friend

The view outside my window at work:

Gargoyle Josh

I'm watching the person who is watching students take their organic chemistry exams.

I saw this guy walking by the chemistry dept. the other day. Reminds me of this one blog post on tattoos with chemistry themes I came across a while back.

I saw this guy walking past the Science Library the other day.

The longest column ever

An analytical lab on the floor below me was showing me their long ass column that they use to separate heparin. Most columns I have seen (and use) are about a foot long. Nevermind ten feet.

Me: How do you guys wash this when you are done?
Some dude: Very carefully.

Bourns Hall -UCR's Engineering Building

People and Their Shirts II

Chemical Sciences, UCR

Organic Chemistry Lab

My students. Trying to convert an alcohol into an ester.

Chair

I was standing by the stairwell of the building where I work the other day while chatting on the phone. I noticed this mysterious solitary chair in the middle of the lawn.






I mean, who would put this chairin the middle of the lawn and just leave it?

Serious and Personal Update

Hello.

I've been living out if a suitcase in a chemistry lab or in a pretty and cheap hotel in downtown Riverside for the past three weeks.

It feels like a month.

Alright here is the thing... I am working on a Ph.D in chemistry at UCR. This consists of teaching, preparing for lectures, gradings, attending seminars, meetings, classes, designing experiments, doing them, figuring out what went wrong, adjusting, etc. I love the work, otherwise I wouldn't be doing it.

Very long story short, I need to be closer to UCR.

I'll be in Riverside most of the time, and in the historic core a few days of the week.

Yes I will live in both places.


Ever since I was an embryo, I have been riding in public transport. All my life, I have either walked, subwayed, or bused to work/school. Where ever you have to go as a pedestrian in LA, it often takes an hour. When I lived in a different part of downtown several years ago, it took me an hour to get to work on the Eastside via public transport, where as it would have been a 5-10 minute drive. When I lived in Hollywood to get to the same place on the Eastside, it would take me 65 minutes via public transport, even though it was a 20-25 minute driving distance. So I am used to spending an hour of my time to get from point A to point B where ever I had to go.

Then I decided to go to UCR, got my very first car to be able to do it (a used red honda civic) ....

Turns out, that it would only take about an hour to drive to UCR via downtown LA, as long as I go against rush hour traffic. -Which is precisely the case in the mornings when I go, and the late afternoons/evenings when I come back.

Don't even suggest taking the train because the whole commute (getting to union station + traveling on the train + getting to UCR and vice versa) would take about 2-2.5 hours each way AND the schedules are extremely inflexible.

I miss my pedestrian ways. I would prefer to be within a five minute walk/bike ride from my lab. I am on a 1.5 year waiting list for such housing.

In the meantime, I found a cheap room in a big house filled with science nerds I haven't met yet. Its not a sure thing yet, my application is still being processed. It is biking/driving distance. But it will do for now.

I have a lot of things to blog about.

Regular blogging shall now resume.

STUDENT: Is this what my product is supposed to look like?

ME: *takes a look* No. How much sodium carbonate did you add?

STUDENT: A few dr-

ME: OOOOH! Pretty! I love sparkly nail polish with stars on it.

STUDENT: You are the most random teacher I have ever had.

ME: I get distracted by shiny objects. Add a few more drops.

Two Guys @ The Sweeney

I was walking down University Ave in Riverside the other day and I passed by UCR's Sweeney Art Gallery and noticed some guys painting something by the window.

Sticker at UC Riverside

Molecular Hats

I had to proctor an organic chemistry exam the other day. As I was making it through the 200+ crowd of students trying to get into the auditorium, I saw a student wearing a hat of a molecule she made from a molecular modeling kit for good luck. Here she is holding a highly caffinated drink ready to go.