Forward and Onward

Well, another week and another midterm are now officially history and although I won't be able to enjoy the weekend as much as I would've liked (trying to take care of some extra preclinical work and getting a head start on a research project), it will still be NICE to have a few days off without having to contemplate the looming specter of another exam. I'm exaggerating here a bit, of course: the first midterm really wasn't all THAT bad though I'm sure I still made a fair number of honest (and careless) mistakes, a problem that has increasingly dogged me since I started at UCSF.

On a more pleasant note, an art show I helped coordinate with a first-year pharmacy student (and fellow Synapse blogger), Tina Lee, went very smoothly and attracted a respectable amount of critical attention. Above all it was a great diversion from my studying (it took place the evening before my midterm) and allowed me to blow off some steam while admiring some of my UCSF colleagues' stunning work (photography, paintings and poetry all included). Let me also use this forum to congratulate Tina (check out her personal blog here) again for a job very well done and for winning first place in the painting rubric (a well-deserved recognition).

Finally, the keen observers amongst you (in other words, those with a lot of time on their hands) will notice that I just updated my blogroll with one more, Creek Running North, an excellent nature and science blog (sprinkled in with the occasional political/social commentary) written by the illustrious Chris Clarke. I've long been a follower of this blog and similar ones written by a variety of scientists and journalists, but the reason why I chose to highlight this one is because Chris Clarke will be coming to work for Synapse beginning next week. Tim Neagle, the managing editor of Synapse, met Chris Clarke during the dot-com boom when they worked on an online environmental/nature news site known as verde (which, along with many other internet start-ups, flopped soon after its unveiling) and was key in bringing him onto the staff. I am very much looking forward to picking his brain and talking to him about his considerable experience working as a science writer and journalist.