Heats and Eats

There was most definitely a heatwave throughout good ole SoCal this weekend. Just when we think fall is upon us, we get tricked again! A good way to avoid the heat is to be really busy working on your thesis and presentation and spend a lot of time indoors...

wahwahwah.

Air-conditioned coffee shops > un-air-conditioned sweat-box apartment

I actually did get out a bit because my dad and sister where in town! My sister had a volleyball tournament at a nearby JC, so my dad and I went to cheer her on. Did I mention my sister is a BOSS?! Cause she is...

When a parent visits, it means one thing: free food! And quality time :) My dad and I then went to lunch at a nearby Thai place (Thai Time III) and each had one of there lunch specials. The food was decent, but the portions were pretty small, but I guess that's why it's so cheap. My dad went to check into his hotel while I did a bit more work and then we met up for dinner. We went to Rock Bottom which I had heard good things about. My dad and I both though their food was pretty decent, but pretty typical restaurant brewery food. I had the shrimp and lobster enchiladas which were good, but I've had better. The black beans were pretty great though and I did really like my beer, the Mary Jane IPA, so that makes the meal a win. My dad got one of the burgers, I forgot which one, but his favorite part of his meal was the side of mac and cheese which was super tasty. Next time I'm getting their blackened shrimp mac and cheese entree because if they do the regular mac and cheese this good, the shrimp has to be even better. After dinner we parted ways, with plans to meet up in the morning. My step mom, Liz, was took the train in late Saturday night and would be joining us for our Sunday Funday.

Woke up Sunday and my dad, Liz, and I headed out for some tourist-y sites along the coast. From La Jolla -> Del Mar -> Solana Beach. Luckily the heat subsided a little and being outside was actually nice and enjoyable.

One of the best parts of Sunday was our delicious brunch at Jake's Del Mar. I'll have to save that review for another post, because it was so good it deserves its own. Eating with a view of the ocean is always a plus.

The rest of my Sunday involved football, more school work, and an actual work out! Life got in the way and I had an unintentional 4-day "rest". Today I got back with the program: Chest and Triceps + Biceps and Back + 4 mile run (39:00, 9:45 pace). A workout was exactly was I need to end my weekend on a happy note. Well, winning this week in fantasy by 1.1 pt also helped...

How did you beat the heat this weekend?

What's your favorite part of having your parents visit?

San Francisco, I Love You.

Last week I hopped on a jet plane and flew my booty up to San Francisco for a conference as part of my internship. My blogging absence was in part due to slaving over my poster that I was presenting at the conference. It was great to catch up with some school friends who are also doing internships and meeting people from other programs. Of course I was there to listen to speakers and take part in the poster sessions, but I still managed to enjoy myself and take in the sights.

My first day was a long one. I arrived at the airport, took BART into the city and checked into our beautiful hotel, the Marriott Marquis, where, conveniently, the conference was too. Grabbed a quick lunch from a nearby mall food court with some friends and headed back to listen to some speakers. We took a much needed break before dinner to enjoy the view from the hotel's top floor view bar. It also happened to be happy hour...

 

Dinner was put on by the conference and then we took it easy that night because we had posters to present the next day.  A few drinks and some catchphrase and we called it a night.

Woke up bright and early the next day for bfast, more speakers, and preppin' for the poster session.  The poster sessions went well and it was nice to see all the research done by other interns as well as present mine.

The conference ended and we headed back up to the bar before taking the trolley down to Fisherman's Wharf to have dinners at Scoma's. Scoma's was sososo good! I highly recommend their clam chowder and lobster ravioli if you're in the area.  Next stop, Ghirardelli Square for some good ole ice cream.  Sadly, my phone died and I have a limited amount of pictures because I didn't have my camera on me.  

 

When we got back to the hotel we hung out with some newly made conference friends.  We'll leave it at: drinks, robe party, not getting to be until 4am.

 

I'm so glad we decided to stay an extra day after the conference had ended so we could explore more of the city.  A little shopping and quick bite downtown before arriving at the Palace of Fine Arts and the Exploratorium.  Being the science nerds that we are, we LOVED it!

 

    ...and that pretty much sums it up.  Work hard, play hard. Definitely my motto for my time in SF.

Oh, and SF, see you again in a few days when I'm back there with Shaun and his fam for a epic Dodger's vs. Giant's game!

You Can Call Me 'Master Jen'

So, I may have failed at May PhotoADay and blogging in general...

& I also may have failed at starting Insanity like I claimed I would. I did do the fit test, but after going to BodyPump the first time I couldn't move my arms for about 4 days. This girl needs upper body strength like woah. BodyPump, in. Insanity, out. And running is here to stay.

Something I didn't fail at: graduating!

Last Saturday I made the journey home to walk in my commencement ceremony. I still have about 4 months of my internship and a few major research and poster presentations until my degree is actually conferred, but I'm starting to see what a big accomplishment this actually is. I'm proud of myself for all the hard work I've put into furthering my education. MS Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, here I am!

Hope you enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.  For me, I have friends visiting, plans to head to the beach and catch some sun, a bit of work, and relaxation of course!