I'm baaaaaack!

I know it has been a long time since I've actually written anything substantive here, but I am happy to report that I should be back in action pretty soon. The past few months have been busy, mostly with a super-intense job hunt, but that's over now (with really awesome, exciting results!) So the bjourn shall be revived starting with the completion of the Japan travelogue, which is seriously overdue.

In the meantime, HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all! We hope you are keeping safe and warm, and having lovely fun times with family and friends.

Happy 19th Monthaversary!

Once again, a little late, but watching you watch "Heatstroke" (Winnie from The Wonder Years and D.B. Sweeney from the Cutting Edge try to save mankind) makes it all worthwhile...

Happy 18th Monthaversary!

Oh dear, I appear to have missed our 17th 17th... Clearly, have been far too busy!

Happy 1.5 years of married bliss...

Happy Sweet 16!!

You won fair and square today!

Photos from Japan

I finally uploaded the last of our pictures from Japan to our Picasa site. If any of you are still interested, feel free to check it out.

If and when she has some more free time, Michelle will finish her day-by-day recap of our trip. (It's hard to believe it's already been over 3 months since we got back.)

I see no evidence of the freshman 15

Happy 15th monthaversary!

Book Report: "Ambition and Delight"

Henry Bourne was one of my most valued mentors in graduate school. I could always count on him to provide some much-needed perspective, and his advice was always clear and balanced, so I was extremely excited to read his memoirs, "Ambition and Delight". My expectations were pretty high, but I wasn't at all disappointed. I think both scientists and non-scientists would enjoy the book.

For scientists, it's inspiring to read about the rapid progress early in Henry's career when he and others elucidated how information contained in chemical cues traverses the membrane and induces cellular responses. At the same time, he explains how specific relationships and institutional elements helped him along the way (while others maybe didn't help so much) and provides plenty of insight and advice for success in academia. For non-scientists, he nicely explains the process of science, with its inherent frustrating and exciting elements.

The voice is undeniably Henry. There are certainly numerous humorous passages, and Henry is never afraid to point out other people's shortcomings, in addition to his own. In fact, my only complaint is that he is far too modest. He describes himself as an "ordinary" scientist, a label I find absurdly inaccurate. Nevertheless, I heartily recommend "Ambition and Delight" for almost all the readers of this blog (all four of you).

You can order your own copy here.