Back in school

My first week of grad school is officially over. It's strange to be a student again, and I can tell it will take a while to get used to it. This semester has me taking organic chemistry, microbiology, and a wine microbiology lab where I learn to make wine. I am also a TA for a "Vines and Wines" class, which is a class I would have enjoyed sitting in on anyway, so it's a pretty good deal.

My task now is to officially determine which direction I want to take within the Food Science department. I have to choose between doing a wine project that involves making my own wine (hence the wine lab) and product development/dairy science. Both directions interest me at this point, so I'm not sure which way to go. The wine lab would be super fun. I have already met with the potential advisor with whom I would work on the wine project, and I will meet with the dairy/product development advisor this week. Then it will be decision time.

I have been encouraged to look more at the skills I hope to have when I complete graduate school than at the actual commodities. Afterall, I will be able to spin my job title any way I would like, but my skills are what truly will be evaluated.

I was hoping to spend much of my first long weekend on my bike, but it's not happening. I have amazingly already gotten sick! I came down with a sore throat during our Wednesday ride, which has progressed to a nasty cough from my chest. I haven't been on the bike since that Wednesday ride. It's not worth pushing it and getting worse, so I'm waiting (and sleeping!) it out. Yep... 12 hours of sleep last night, followed by a huge breakfast (?) around noon at Old European.

Next weekend I plan to do my first sprint triathlon, followed by a mountain bike race the next day; not sure how either will go, considering that I haven't been on my mountain bike since February, and I don't even know the last time I swam. I have, at least, done two 10-minute runs in the past couple weeks, but considering that the run will be over twice as long, that may not get me all that far!