- Greenhouse access suddenly deactivated! We needed to hand our training certificate that we took back in May to the greenhouse office, but we weren't aware of it. You can take basic training anywhere to work at university facilities, but we need a site-specific training at every facility where you work. Hmm, didn't know that, but it makes sense. One thing that I don't understand is that you cannot go into the office without access to the greenhouse, obviously. But you need to go in in order to take the training and get access. It's chicken or egg, and it's illegal to follow someone to come in, but it was the only thing I could do. I told this to the staff, but he just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Well.." Some things don't make sense, but we just leave them as they are.
To make it even stranger, my labmate's paperwork was dropped off by our lab staff, but mine was not. I don't know what was going on because I took the same training with her and signed the paperwork at the same time. I spent a good 40 min in there figuring out what to do to regain access. It is really true that in the US, you frequently encounter events at which you want to shout "Whaaaat??" Anything can happen. It's just the way things are here. So preventative measures almost don't work as well as they would in Japan. Crazy things happen, and you just cannot foresee it to be prepared for it. Then here comes the attitude of "deal with the problem when it arises". I first thought it was inefficient, but this mindset may be the fittest and the most logical one.
- Can opening went alright, had to drive in the snow but it wasn't too bad. The problem was that we couldn't park the van anywhere when we got back at 10:30! There are more people looking for parking nowadays due to extreme weather. We had to park in a lot that's 10 minutes away from our building to take a 5 min ride to the venue. Whatever..
- Midterm exam was a good brain training to prevent ageing. I know I'm not getting any younger, but it's surprising how less memory I have now. Long-term memory (24 hours or more) was affected first, but then short-term, too. I cannot remember things on the slides I just saw!! The exam questions were a bit like asking some finite details of random things. They may be important to some extent, but what we think out of them is more important. I guess it's a course to learn basic knowledge, which we will then use to do scientific research.
- My new earring hole on my left ear was getting red and hurt for a few days, while the other one on my left didn't have any problem. Now I make sure I disinfect and clean the holes daily, it seems the problem subsided. I'm relieved. I shouldn't forget to clean them, but again it just slips out from my memory so easily.
- Ultimately it's your choice. What others do is none of your business.
- Student symposium this coming December is getting even bigger, a two-day event with participants from outside the university. It's amazing to see the students' vitality, aspiration to make things more interesting, more engaging. I was only thinking about following the previous year's example and just have it done. I think this continuous willingness to improve is what keeps the US an energetic and vigorous society. People think with their own mind with their own view and exercise their freedom to start up new things, business, conference, club activities etc. Not everything will succeed, but they can improve it and try again. It's encouraging to see them being strong, resilient, and independent (in a sense that they don't mind what others' think of them), and I learn a lot from them.
- People volunteer, and are not afraid of take leadership because it leads to good evaluation. It's a very practical system. Interesting to see everything. Once you know this mentality of freedom and logic, you won't be able to go back.
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