First Thesis Meeting

Sunday, August 9

사실 조금 더 일찍 준비했어야 했는데, 막상 생각해 보니 등산가방 등산화 등등 없는 게 많아서 부랴부랴 아침에 종빈이랑 러닝하고 태닝 좀 한 다음 REI, Sportbasement, Patagonia 매장까지 싹 다 알차게 돌아다녔다. 내가 딱 마음에 든 신발은 사이즈가 없고, 가방이랑 모자는 아예 재고가 없어서 온라인으로 시켰는데, 이번 주 안에 올 거라고 믿는다 ㅎㅎ… 일단 예상 배송일은 여유 있게 목요일이라 (그래도 앞으론 좀 미리미리 준비하는 걸로). 오랜만에 IN-N-OUT도 다녀왔는데 역시 맛있다. 오후에는 좀 쉬다가 수요일 thesis meeting 준비, 그리고 protein design idea 몇 개를 좀 더 test 해봤다.

I really should’ve prepared a little earlier, but when I thought about it, I realized I was missing so much—a hiking backpack, hiking shoes, and more. So after a morning run and a bit of tanning with Jongbin, we hurried around and made the most of it, hitting REI, Sports Basement, and Patagonia. The shoes I really liked weren’t available in my size, and the bag and hat were completely out of stock, so I ordered them online. I’m trusting they’ll arrive this week haha… The estimated delivery is Thursday, which gives me some breathing room, so I’m putting my faith in that (but next time, I’ll prepare a little earlier). We also went to In-N-Out for the first time in a while, and it was delicious as always. In the afternoon, I rested a bit, then prepared for Wednesday’s thesis meeting and tested a few more protein design ideas.

Monday, August 10

오늘은 shokat lab group meeting, Kevan과 meeting 있는 것 이외에는 별 일이 없었다. 어제와 똑같이 수요일 thesis meeting 준비하며, ppt를 다 만들고 교수님들께 feedback 요청을 드렸다. 그리고 protein design idea를 좀 더 다듬었는데, 지금까지 했던 것들이 좀 비효율적이라는 걸 깨달았다. 다행히 다른 대안도 있어서 그걸 적용해보고 있다.

Nothing much happened today apart from the Shokat lab group meeting and a meeting with Kevan. Just like yesterday, I prepared for Wednesday’s thesis meeting, finished my slides, and asked my professors for feedback. I also refined my protein design ideas a little more and realized that what I’d been doing so far was a bit inefficient. Luckily, I have another option, so I’m trying that out.

Tuesday, August 11

오늘 Bill 랩의 Stephanie라는 CCB 선배가 exit talk을 했다. 처음에 랩에 들어왔을 때 뭘 알려주기도 했고, 전반적으로 랩 분위기를 재밌게 만들어줬던 친구라 뭔가 금방 떠나는 것 같아 아쉬웠다. 인상적이었던 건 발표에서 엄청 많은 acknowledgement slides가 있었는데, 소중한 사람들 한 사람 한 사람 시간을 쏟아 얘기해주는 게 참 좋게 보였다. 사람들과 사진을 좀 많이 찍어놔야 할 것 같다는 생각도 들었다 ㅎㅎ. Cyclic peptide design project는 이제 v2 phase를 시작했는데, cell permeability를 어떻게 처음부터 확보할 수 있을까 고민 중이다.

Stephanie, a senior CCB student in Bill’s lab, gave her exit talk today. She’d taught me some things when I first joined the lab, and she’d generally made the lab a fun place to be, so it felt like she was leaving so soon. I was sad about that. What stood out was how many acknowledgment slides she had. It was really nice to see her take the time to talk about each person who mattered to her. It also made me think I should take more photos with people haha. The cyclic peptide design project has now entered its v2 phase, and I’m thinking about how to ensure cell permeability from the start.

Wednesday, August 12

학위논문 첫 미팅! 아주 잘 풀렸지만 단 한 가지. 지금 너무 하고 있는 프로젝트가 많고, thesis project에 더 집중하는 것이 좋지 않을까라는 Jim의 조언을 받았다. 지극히 공감하는 게 요즘 딱 내가 느끼고 있는 부분이었기 때문. 갑자기 여러 가지를 동시에 할 수 있는 역량이 생겼다고 해서 그게 동시에 여러 프로젝트를 완벽하게 다룰 수 있다는 것은 아니라는 걸 나도 깨닫고 방법을 찾고 있는 와중이었는데, 직접 얘기를 들으니 (Jim은 많아 봐야 특정 기간에 두 가지 프로젝트만 머릿속에서 굴린다고 하셨다..) 확실히 더욱 신경을 써서 하루빨리 시스템을 딱 잡아야 할 것 같다는 생각을 했다. 너무 진이 빠졌지만 랩미팅도 있고, 마지막에 Bill과 따로 미팅까지 잠깐 해서 이것저것 할 게 많았고 집에 가서는 오랜만에 정말 쓰러지듯이 잤다.

My first thesis meeting! It went really well, except for one thing. Jim pointed out that I have too many projects going on right now and suggested that it might be better to focus more on my thesis project. I completely agreed, because that was exactly what I’d been feeling lately. Just because I suddenly have the capacity to do several things at once doesn’t mean I can handle several projects perfectly at the same time. I’d already been realizing that myself and looking for a way to manage it, but hearing it directly (Jim said he keeps at most two projects in his head during any given period..) made me feel I really needed to pay more attention and get a solid system in place as soon as possible. I was completely drained, but I still had a lab meeting and even a brief separate meeting with Bill at the end, so there was a lot to do. When I got home, I practically collapsed into bed for the first time in a while.

Thursday, August 13

오늘은 일정이 없어서 하루 종일 집에서 일을 하면서 보냈다. 저번 주부터 내 생각과는 달리 컨디션 관리가 잘 되지는 않았는지 하체 운동을 하는데 뭐랄까 오랜만에 진짜 머리가 핑 도는 느낌이었다. 사실 하프마라톤 이후에 제대로 한 게 처음이어서 그랬을 수도 있다. 잘 쉬려고도 했는데 여행 가기 전에 뭔가 끝내고 싶은 게 있어서 이것저것 하다 보니 또 늦게 자긴 했다.. 뭐 랩탑을 치울 수도 없고

I had nothing scheduled today, so I spent the whole day working from home. Maybe I hadn’t been taking care of myself as well as I thought since last week, because during my leg workout, I felt genuinely lightheaded for the first time in ages. Actually, it was my first proper leg workout since the half marathon, so that could have been why. I tried to get some proper rest too, but there was something I wanted to finish before the trip, and after working on this and that, I ended up going to bed late again.. It’s not like I can just put my laptop away

Friday, August 14

Abe라는 PSPG에 나와 같은 시기에 들어온 (이제 곧 3년 차가 되는) 친구랑 오랜만에 점심을 먹었다. 둘 다 co-advised를 받고 있는데, 연구 방향에 대해서 고민이 많아서 이것저것 같이 얘기했다. 부디 원하는 것을 하러 온 phd, 일이 잘 풀렸으면 좋겠다. 일을 열심히 하고 퇴근했는데 아 뭔가 몸살기가 슬슬 오는 듯한 느낌이 들었다. 다행히 바로 내가 예민하게 캐치할 수 있었던 것은, 예전에 컨디션이 좀 안 좋을 때 하체 운동을 하고 다음날 몸살에 심하게 걸린 경험이 있었기 때문인 것 같다. 당장 내일 비행기를 타야 하니 저녁에는 약을 잘 챙겨먹고 잠을 최대한 일찍 자려고 애썼다.

I had lunch with Abe for the first time in a while. He joined PSPG at the same time as me (we’re about to start our third year). We’re both co-advised, and we talked about all sorts of things since we both have a lot on our minds about our research directions. We came to do the research we wanted during our PhDs, so I really hope things work out for him. I worked hard and headed home, but ah, I could feel myself starting to get a little achy and sick. I think I picked up on it so quickly because I’d once done a leg workout when I wasn’t feeling great and ended up really sick with body aches the next day. I had to get on a flight tomorrow, so I took my medicine that evening and tried hard to go to sleep as early as possible.

Saturday, August 15

드디어 Yellowstone으로! Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (850 Gallatin Field Road, Belgrade, MT 59714) 도착했는데 공항이 목조로 너무 이쁘게 되어 있어서 막 기대가 됐다 ㅎㅎ 차를 렌트하고 그 유명한 Bison (들소) 고기도 먹어보고(Bitterroot Bistro (19 S. Willson Ave., Bozeman, MT 59715) bear spray를 포함해 장을 야무지게 보고 아늑한 숙소에 가서 일찍 잠에 들었다. 어제 다행히 관리를 잘해서인가 오늘 놀랍도록 컨디션이 좋아서 내일부터 재밌게 여행할 수 있을 것 같다!

Finally off to Yellowstone! We arrived at Bozeman Airport (Montana), and the airport’s beautiful wooden interior got me so excited. We rented a car, tried the famous bison meat, stocked up on groceries and other supplies, including bear spray, and went to our cozy accommodation to get to bed early. Maybe taking care of myself yesterday paid off, because I felt surprisingly good today. I think I’ll be able to really enjoy the trip starting tomorrow!