Muse back!
September 30, 2006 / Saturday
Ah, Berkeley!
Hello from Berkeley Espresso. Hooray for Wi-Fi everywhere these days.
Came up here to have lunch with the folks from the lab. It's been ages since my last visit, and it was really, really good to see them. I got to hear about what everyone's been up to, and share a little about what I've been up to. I'm sure there was lots we didn't have time to cover, but mainly it was just nice to see that everyone is doing well. :)
After lunch, I drove around campus, through campus, and finally parked next to campus. The spot I parked in had a meter that accepted credit cards. It's about time we started seeing those around!
I headed to the student store and bought a window decal for my dad. He sold the last decal with the car, and has been waiting for a replacement. I've been saving a CMU decal for him, too. I forgot to give it to him when my parents visited last month.
I wandered some, and a random student came up to me to ask whether the library was open on Saturdays. That pleased me greatly; I took it to mean that I still look young enough to pass for a college student. On the other hand, I now wonder if that question means that I look like a library nerd. Yikes, talk about overanalysis!
My wandering took me to the Campanile, where I attempted several self-portrait shots of me and the tower. The shots actually turned out pretty well, except for the fact that I look to have a big round head in all of them. Oh, wait, I do have a big around head. Hrmm.
Yes, of course I remembered to pose Penguini with the Campanile.
My wandering (Okay, it wasn't really wandering; it was actually the shortest possible route because my parking spot was about to expire.) next took me to the Valley Life Sciences Building, where I wanted to visit the big dinosaur. Unfortunately, when I reached the dinosaur, I realized it was much smaller than I had remembered. Oh well. I was at least comforted by the fact that the building still smells the same as it did a decade ago.
Holy crap, it's been a decade already? Just over 11 years, actually, since I first set foot in that building.
Okay, I'm almost done with my lemon bar and iced americano. A few more notes before I sign off, pick up a Zach's pizza, and head over to Aaron's place.
1. I love Berkeley, but boy is it dirty!
2. Where did the gigantic T4 phage outside of Barker Hall go?
3. There is construction all over campus. What a mess!
4. I was a much more daring cyclist when I was a student. What happened? Age. Siiigh.
5. A student walked by with an assembled molecule from an o-chem model set in her hand. It made me grin.
In a way, this place feels more like home to me than my hometown. I guess it's more my style. Plus, the food is tasty here. Too bad I don't have a black hole stomach; I'd love some Crepes A-Go-Go before I go.