October 11

Well, I have the day off today- my one Friday a month. And today Millie is getting spayed. I dropped her off at the vet early this morning and am picking her up this afternoon. I know that spaying is a very routine surgery, but it is still surgery...she is still going under, and there can be all kinds of side effects. Plus, she is still so little. The vet waited as long as possible (she could be going into heat any time now) because she is so small. Frank was already fixed when we got him, so we never had to worry about that- though the neuter is much simpler than the spay anyway. I'm a little nervous.

Last Friday we saw Gravity- the space movie with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney that just came out. It has had such amazing reviews- I hate going into a movie with super high expectations. Earlier that day I listened to a review on the radio that just went on and on and on about how great the movie is. I think the thing that saved me from the high expectations is that I really didn't know what to expect- I didn't understand what the story was...the preview doesn't show much. Here is the thing- the movie is amazing, but I didn't like it. I wasn't expecting that. It was SO stressful to watch! When I was a kid I always wanted to go to space camp...I didn't necessarily want to be an astronaut, but I REALLY wanted to go to space camp...space is SO fascinating...this movie made me uncomfortable and claustrophobic....I felt pretty much completely immersed in it, and I have NO interest in being an astronaut..ish, such small spaces. I definitely recommend seeing it- but see it in a great theater. We saw it at the Cinerama, which was perfect. Also- it is in 3D, and I don't like 3D, but there wasn't ever a moment that I thought about it being in 3D.

I had my first week of lab...it was better than I anticipated. I like my lab partner. The class is 4.5 hours long, and it actually went by pretty quickly.We also got assigned a group project- four people in a group- we have to give a presentation NEXT week (so soon!) on botulism. We also have our first test on Monday...which means it is an online test, because there isn't actually class on Monday. I'm a little worried about the online test because that means it is open book, which means it will be HARD. We'll see.

Our Italy trip is quickly approaching...we have basically decided on the itinerary. We fly in to Milan, and will fly immediately to Paris for four days. We already got our flight to Paris, and found the place we will stay in Paris. I managed to find a pretty reasonably priced place in the Latin Quarter...I'm not expecting anything fancy, but it is a great location, which is what I wanted for Paris. Then we fly back to Milan, hopefully to catch a soccer game (there is a huge match that day, we are just trying to figure out the details in getting the tickets...they don't sell them far in advance like they do here). Then we will train to Rome for a few days. Up to Florence, with a day trip to Sienna, and then on to Venice. I found a place for us to stay in Florence and Rome, but am still looking in Venice. We were really hoping to be able to get some stuff paid for ahead of time, so we wouldn't need to pay a huge chunk over that time, but most of the places we stay only take a deposit for the room and require payment upon arrival. I suppose that is nice if we decide to change our plan for some reason, but doesn't help with the pre-pay plan. Next, we need to research some food places!

Ohhh, I just got the call from the vet- Millie is out of surgery and starting to wake up. Phew.

Here is Frank's latest...Brian was changing the light in the kitchen...Frank offered to hold the ladder for him...such a helpful kitten.