Tarmac

I'm sitting on a runway in Detroit waiting for a storm to pass. It reminds me of the episode of 30 Rock where Liz Lemon was in a similar situation. Except that her boyfriend was the pilot and it was hilarious. 

My life is not that hilarious. As in the picture above, I'm at a crossroads. Well, the crossroads is coming up. I'll be finishing my PhD within the year. Which means that I have to start applying for post-docs and research or teaching positions... Adult life decisions-- I feel there should be a hashtag there. 

Normally, I love airports. Even when I am just flying somewhere as a connection, being in a terminal is exciting. Most of the excitement comes from the Departures board. If you're in an airport and you have a little spare money and your passport, you could wake up anywhere the next day. Paris. NYC. Belize. Opportunities for escape and adventure.

Science-wise, it's always nice to have a few days off from the lab. Time to refresh.  Time to let the sequencing facility fix the robotic arm so you can finalize a manuscript. 

I didn't bring my laptop on this trip. My advisor thinks I am nuts, but honestly between the lectures diring the day and the parasite chats over dinner, I think I'll be ready to sleep at night. Or walk the fortress walls around old Quebec City. 

All photos above are from Kunming City, China. A precarious hike up stairs and shrines carved in a cliffside.