Things have been sort of busy lately.

In a good way, though—I'm not complaining, trust me. The end of last week and this past weekend was spent in a crazed jumble of laundry and my family coming down to Atlanta and moving all my stuff from Emory to Jim's apartment here in Tucker. Had to buy a bed, too, as well as this nice computer desk and the bookshelves that I put together yesterday... good thing I'm not intimidated by the phrase "some assembly required." But I've finally unpacked everything, including the stuff Mom and Dad brought down from Maryland (at last—my entire collection of books reunited in one state again!), and this actually looks like a real room now.

In short, I'm settling in. Yesterday I set up my little shrine-of-stuff on top of my desk, which I unfortunately can't post a picture of on this site. But all the little random items I've collected from being around people whose company I enjoy are up there, plus the ever-present Izzy of Evil and my vinyl copy of "Document." Feels like home—in a nice, not-like-home way. I wish I could live like this all the time, really (though having more friends in the area would be nice)... I mean, I have a large room, comfortable bed, walk-in closet, internet connection (which I wasn't expecting), my own bathroom (at last...), a kitchen and washer and dryer, and a car right out in the parking lot. Becca's in the area, so I'm not completely without friends around, though Jim's working odd hours so I see him evenings, mostly.

As I'd hoped, living with Jim is working out well. Right now with the way our schedules are working we see each other for around three hours every day, which is just about the right amount for two introverts who enjoy each other's company but don't like having people constantly around. We've got a routine started, sort of.. I have a snack and take a nap when I get home from work, and then he gets home around 9:30 and we eat at maybe 10 or 11, depending on how many games of online hearts he plays, or whatever we get talking about.

And work is going great, even better than I expected. I'm now working for two assistant professors in the department of human genetics, twenty hours a week, so I get to work from 10 to 3 every day except Fridays. It's all basic stuff right now, orientations and blood-bourne pathogen training on the administrative side, and then in the lab I have to do all this set-up stuff, inventory & unpacking of boxes and boxes of pyrex glassware, pipets, test tube holders, parafilm, chemicals; everything you'd ever need to set up a laboratory, we've bought. And unpacking the new things is kind of fun, not that I'll admit that to my bosses. (More fun than cleaning this glassware will be, later.) I may not get to see this many new laboratory supplies again until I have my own lab, perhaps.