The combination of sitting in the sun at the Union terrace out by the lake, and then eating spicy pasta arabiatta at Casa Bianca had my skin feeling glowy and warm for most of Friday evening. I'm sure the beers helped with that too. And my freckles, which have been on vacation since last years, have made their comeback. Hello lovely weather!

I have alot to be happy about. The weather has been beautiful. I gave a very nice presentation for my Microbio at the Atomic Resolution class--someone told me I had balls for presenting on the same topic the professor specializes in. Watch Amber puff up with pride! It went really well, I think, with some cool discussion. And it was the last in-class presentation. . .awesome. Waltzing back in to lab, I had flowers on my desk, and a little note telling me someone was certain I'd do well. I never knew what a weakness I had for getting flowers. So here I am!

But I do have things to be sad about too. Foremost is that my dad's father and aunt are not doing so well. His aunt is grandpa's older sister. I remember at my graduation party she introduced herself to my boyfriend at the time: "I'm Aunt Mary. I'm the boss around here." And as an older sister myself, I appreciate that comment. She has taken care of everyone. My dad's family, my grandpa Pollack in particular, and a crowd of little old ladies who can't drive to get their groceries any more. She is active, fiesty, and giving, and now she's got to be house-bound or in the hospital. She can't care for Grandpa Pollack anymore, so the four brothers and one sister (my dad and aunt and uncles) have to take over, but they all have families of their own, and are spread out everywhere. Dad's mom died several years ago, and the loss of his father would be a huge blow to us all as it is. And on top of it, losing Aunt Mary? It hurts my heart, because I love them, but I'm far away. My heart hurts for my dad and all my relatives on that side, and I really can feel their pain all the way out here.

But for now, no word other than "things aren't looking well." So I work through it and think about all the nice things I have, and am thankful for. I'm really lucky. I have maybe too many friends (there is no such thing though). Plenty to keep me busy. A wonderful lab. A great program. I'm learning to be ballsy, and I am proud to be an independent woman. And happy to have people in my life that encourage me to be just that.

So today I must grade quizzes and lab reports. . . and hopefully escape into other parts of Madison at some point. Enjoy the weekend!