news of the last couple days....

1. I just got to DC this afternoon, broke into my sister's apartment only to discover that her refrig is stocked with wine, fruit, and there is some type of bird in the crockpot. Am I really that easy to figure out and please???? I was one happy girl.
   
2. Internet and cable rocks, even if only for a short 2-day trip to DC.
3. For those who don't know, I had a weekend encounter with a bee and my eyeball, which resulted in a 2-day event of swelling, doctors visits, and steroid shots in my ass.
   
4. Operation KTDB (kill those damn bees, thanks Jeff) has commenced and my landlords are now doing secret nightly missions to kill the yellow hornets building a home in my patio wall (that means no walking around naked in my apartment).
5. I sent around pictures of my swollen, shiner of an eye to my close friends and family, and had multiple email laughs. Good thing I can laugh at myself, and everyone feels like they can laugh too. That makes me happy. And yes one of the pictures did look like Nick Noltes mugshot (wait isn't that what I look like when I'm home over the holidays), and yes I did consider wearing a pirate patch over my eyeball.
   
6. Two of my best friends work in a lab at CASTL whose boss/leader's husband passed this week after a 5-6 year battle with lymphoma. It is a sad, stressful, and busy time in their lives. Many many positive thoughts your way.
   
7. Although sad things are happening, so are really happy things. Again, congrats to my dear friends A & M.
   
8. We have had some major successes recently in the fight to find a new drug to treat Lupus. One of the clinical trails, through HGS, recently met it's primary endpoint in the first of two phase 3 trails. This isn't a solution but is a big big BIG step in the right direction. A couple months ago I attended a seminar where they were thinking this wasn't going to pass the requirements (it is very difficult to isolate symptoms and control for the environmental factors). THIS IS GOOD NEWS!!! Makes me positive. This new drug might soon be up for FDA approval. It's been over 50 years coming.
   
9. Tomorrow I'm proudly attending the American Meat Institute's national hog dog day on the national mall. Yep, I'm on the VIP list and my sister is rocking the house. There has been over 1000 people invited, including baseball players and congressman. There's hoping I see someone important. I'll be the one all covered up from the sun with an umbrella.
10. Hold onto your butts, but I've been reading more books lately....nothing too exciting, but I did read my friend's entire book on Sunday. Next on my list is Helga's gift.
    
11. Why am I addicted to British and English singers or bands? If it isn't Duffy, Adele, or the Nosiettes, it is now Muse....this song is soooo unlike me but I love it.
12. Amy is leaving this week and it makes me sad. My 2 years in Cville is coming to an end, which in the world of academia that means things are bound to change.....let's all take a moment and be thanksful for the time we've had together.