Waiting for the world to fall

Thank-you to 'Jars of Clay' for the blog title which I stole from their song. Despite my progress at work I ended this week with that sense of missing something, waiting for the world to fall like I was expecting it to. I spent most of the week worrying over renting out my flat, not specific worries, just the 'did I lock the front door?' type of worries that take hold of us all. My mind just kept drifting back to the flat whenever I let it roam. Juxtaposed with this cycle of anxious thoughts I've been thinking on two of the Psalms of Ascent. I've been working my slow way through these psalms for months, they pick up on many themes which Christians walk through as our faith grows. I've been reading Eugene Peterson's book 'A Long Obedience in the Same Direction' which has a chapter commenting on each psalm. Psalm 131 and 132 have been living with me through the unease of the last week. For me Psalm 131 is an interesting one ' I do not concern myself with great matters or things to wonderful for me'. This isn't really a statement a scientist can make we spend our days slowly but surely delving into the ways of creation which is a great matter and one far too wonderful for me. This aside I like the image of us slowly growing to be able to love God for himself not love God because of what he does for us like a child as it's weaned learns to love it's mother for herself not for the milk she provides. Psalm 132 talks about Israel's journey with God. Peterson makes the point about our need for a biblical memory that we can use to make decisions (as oppose to just relying on the decision making data we have stored in our lifetime), and what a way to live based on the memory of thousands of years of relationship with God.

Anyway, it turns out you can out-walk worries if you walk far enough... A four mile walk along the Burke-Gilman trail (old train line now cycle path) wasn't quite long enough, but getting a lift to the University District and meandering my way back another four miles, whilst shopping and generally noising around, did in fact out walk my worries. Here are a few photos from my travels...

This is the local (2 miles away) shopping center

The Americans have finally cottoned on to gurgle jugs
(I say finally based on my American friends who hadn't
heard of them 12 years ago)

This is the Burke-Gilman track

This is the University District Farmer's Market
which was closing down before I got there. 

mmm... a refreshing iced
lavender cream earl grey!

This the University of Washington campus

Some of the buildings on campus

and another building...

pretty fluffy pink flowers

a waterfall clock 

With deer and bear

cat and ?

bird and ?

and salmon!

 This morning I went to a Congregational Church in the University District. This was a large church and as such it wasn't easy to speak with anyone. The music was good, some pieces sung by a trio of women who pulled off some nice harmonies and complicated round, with a big congregation the hymns had some oomph, but not what I'm used to... I think I have been spoilt by Cairn's Road, it may not be perfect but it's close!

My landlady has a pear tree that has been busy dropping pears for the last week. To fulfill my pear eating obligation I made pear pancakes for breakfast and pear and ginger cake for general eating. As if that wasn't enough I also baked some bread and made Calzone...My bread had not one, not two, but three sessions of rising at room temperature (I was following instructions on the back of the packet); the bread took all afternoon to make and I am now quite tired but I am munching the end off my freshly baked loaf!

Pear Pancakes

Pear and Ginger cake

Calzone with red pepper, squash, onions, sausage, pepperoni, ground (minced) beef and bacon. 

wholemeal loaf finally ready at 8pm

On cell staining (what I've been doing at work)

This week I have 1) managed to not kill all my cells with love during an intracellular staining experiment, 2) managed to stain for transcription factors successfully, and 3) managed to get through a phospho flow experiment (although I won't know if it worked till next week). The pictures below explain what those things are.

Four Saturdays in I'm running behind on the blog posts!

Saturday number two (the 10th) seems a long time ago now. Lois my landlady took me off to the University District 'Farmers' Market. This is a great place to wander around, it's a small market with  'local' produce occupying a about 150ft (?) square. I was a little overwhelmed by the number of stalls selling produce but I bought eggplant, corn (on the cob), cherries, peppers, nectarines, and Squeakers; Squeakers are immature cheese lumps that are very yummy and squeak against your teeth as you bite them! Unfortunately I didn't take any photos so I'll have to blog about it some other time. Sunday I went to a local Baptist church where I arrived late. They are a small congregation a large part of which seem to be one family with a brood of children aging 35 to 15 (?). They also seem to be lovely people and once they realised I was not connected to  a large group who were visiting that Sunday made me feel very welcome. They also sent me a thank-you card and gave me a church pen! I'm struggling somewhat in finding a church with more traditional values but a modern style of music. It seems the suburbs support organ music - which is lovely (especially when played by my previous hostess Laurie) - but requires a certain shift in musical ear that I haven't developed yet... the next note will be a ??? The added challenge being that I'm an alto who usually sings a lower harmony than the melody - I was not made for those high D's and E's.

This is on the way to work, unfortunately snapped a few seconds
late. Sometimes I go on a bus that goes of the big bridge (free way)
other times I go this route... must try and take more photos this week!

The week went well at work I survived my first experiment but seemed to loose all my cells during my first attempt at intracellular staining...At some point I'm going to blog about the techniques I'm using at work but today is not that day...

Last weekend (17th) I went to visit Laurie and John, partly to see them and partly to reclaim the stuff they had kindly let me leave at their house. Saturday morning started with pancakes (hurray!) to be more specific strawberry and banana pancakes from IHOP (International House of Pancakes). Also coffee with hazelnut creamer... IHOP do nice coffee. The rest of the day I learned a little about pickling whilst I was reading. The reading had nothing to do with pickles but Laurie was teaching her friend about it so I listened in a little. Sunday was up and packed into the pick-up for church (with John and Laurie) and then a quick walk in the evening before the week rolled around again.

here and back again!

My new lounge

My new bedroom

Well welcome back to the blog. After a lot of hard work (and help from my lovely sister) I managed to get my flat cleared and tidy (well at least I think it's tidy!). I haven't got a renter yet but we'll see how that goes. I left my house at about 8pm on Thursday the 1st of August by taxi, then to Mum and Dad's by train for an overnight stay. Saturday Mum and Me trained and bused to Heathrow, security took about 15 minutes which gave me plenty of time to sit in terminal 5. On the plane I didn't sleep at all so I managed to watch no less than four films ('Oblivion', 'The Big Wedding', 'Iron Man 3', 'The Bling Ring'); this was not my original plan and from it you can deduce my appalling movie taste!  We arrived in Seattle at 5pm and having situated myself at the rear of the plane I was pretty much the last through immigration, but the good news is he stamped my passport! After collecting my two 23kg (51lb) suitcases (you've got to love BA) and with my 15kg hand luggage loaded on the cart I was ready to meet the person I am lodging with... it would have gone a little smoother if I could tell the difference between arrivals and departures but regardless I finally got back to my new home at 7:30pm and was cooked a lovely meal. I had, at last, arrived!

Working back from church

Saturday I breakfasted on apple pancakes and we took a driving tour of the neighbourhood including dropping into the local grocery store for essentials (such as tea and milk). There may have also been a sneaky nap on Saturday afternoon but luckily Lois woke me up at 6pm before I could completely ruin my sleep pattern. We took a quick walking tour of the surrounding neighbourhood (see photos) and then to bed!

I plan to do some initial church hunting over the summer then do another tour in the autumn when everyone is back to full strength. Last Sunday I managed to get myself to a local United Methodist church. The people were lovely and fed me cake! They have a lady pastor who may have a second calling as a comic mime artist because her facial expressions were just a joy to behold. The subject of her sermon was disagreements in the church (based on Acts 15 to 16:5) and I thought she did a good job, in any case she ended with Wesley's 39th Sermon on 2 Kings 10:15 (see a few quotes below) which is fab (at least I think so)!

"If it be, give me thy hand." I do not mean, "Be of my opinion." You need not: I do not expect or desire it. Neither do I mean, "I will be of your opinion." I cannot, it does not depend on my choice: I can no more think, than I can see or hear, as I will. Keep you your opinion; I mine; and that as steadily as ever. You need not even endeavour to come over to me, or bring me over to you. I do not desire you to dispute those points, or to hear or speak one word concerning them. Let all opinions alone on one side and the other: only "give me thine hand." 

"I mean, Secondly, commend me to God in all thy prayers; wrestle with him in my behalf, that he would speedily correct what he sees amiss, and supply what is wanting in me. In thy nearest access to the throne of grace, beg of him who is then very present with thee, that my heart may be more as thy heart, more right both toward God and toward man; that I may have a fuller conviction of things not seen, and a stronger view of the love of God in Christ Jesus; may more steadily walk by faith, not by sight; and more earnestly grasp eternal life. Pray that the love of God and of all mankind may be more largely poured into my heart; that I may be more fervent and active in doing the will of my Father which is in heaven, more zealous of good works, and more careful to abstain from all appearance of evil."

"I mean, Thirdly, provoke me to love and to good works. Second thy prayer, as thou hast opportunity, by speaking to me, in love, whatsoever thou believest to be for my soul's health. Quicken me in the work which God has given me to do, and instruct me how to do it more perfectly."

Sunday afternoon we went to the library and signed me up. In the afternoon I had a lovely walk. The area I am living in is safe to walk around and it even has sidewalks along most of the roads! Sunday afternoon I took a walk around the old naval base which has been turned into community buildings/gyms/housing... In the same area some bits of reclaimed lands are now being unclaimed and turned back into marsh providing every one with some pleasant areas to walk around (Magnuson park).

One of the ponds in the swamp area

Queen Anne's Lace (ish) with a black spot in it

An area that has only just been replanted and marshified this year

Lake Washington

Mt Rainier is in the background (honest!)

 Monday morning I began work. I'm so glad of my previous visit because there was a sense of coming home, or at least coming back to the familiar. Getting up at 6am again with the hour commute hasn't been so much fun but at least it gets me to work early. I have repeated one of my previous flow experiments and haven't completely forgotten what I'm doing but I'm still finding my feet really! That completes my first week and I think it's about time to wrap up this blog entry too!

Ribena at $12 a bottle

Baked beans at $3.49 per can