I 
celebrated my first birthday abroad this weekend in a most satisfying way. On Friday, the actual day, I showed up to lab early and, despite a fair bit of set-backs, 
managed to successfully (and independently!) patch clamp and record from two different neurons by about 6pm. That made for my new personal record. I managed to slip out of lab, birthday gift in hand, by 6:45 to meet up with a friend for coffee. I was most excited to get to open up and share this birthday gift, a raspberry pistachio pastry from my post-doc Therése. I slipped back into lab by about 5 after 8 in order to catch up with my labmates on their way out for Vietnamese food at the Restaurant Thuy Long, 111, rue de Vaugirard, 75006. I really enjoy the team with whom I work so I was more than happy to share my birthday dinner with them although, due to various illnesses, our numbers were fairly low. I did have a most remarkable soup, Pho, a clear broth-based soup filled with noodles and beef and interestingly spiced with cinnamon. The food was very good and reasonably priced, definitely worth a return trip even if the restaurant décor was less than picturesque.
On Saturday evening I managed to assemble my entire group of ENP first-years
for a nice, long, late dinner at an Afghan restaurant near 
where most of us live, Chez Karole, 34, rue Boulard, 75014. The poor single waitress managing the whole restaurant was quite surprised to see such a crowd suddenly show up, and she had a bit of balancing act in the kitchen, but she was quite a sport about it. Most remarkably, the food was actually reasonably spicy, unlike the vast majority of dishes you'll find in Paris. This, along with a few bottles of wine amongst us, made for a most enjoyable meal.
I topped off my weekend today at the Musée Rodin as, it being the first Sunday of the month, all museums had free admission. I was thrilled by all the different languages I heard as I wandered through the gardens filled with his sculptures. I think the museum would, however, prove far more enjoyable under nicer weather conditions. Though the sun was out, it was hardly above freezing and after an hour or so I'd had my fill.
There was a small building filled with more of his works, but most of the grounds are open-air. This "small building" was, in fact, an old hotel where Rodin loved to stay which he arranged, shortly before his own death, to have converted into a museum to display his art. I wonder how it must be to know even before you die that there are plans in the works (and a law passed to ensure the execution of the plans) 
to create an entire museum in your honor. It must be a bizarre sensation. Either way, the Musée Rodin is definitely worth a return visit when it's all in bloom. Unfortunately, insisting upon taking advantage of the free museum day may have been an unwise decision as I seem to be coming down with something myself. My lab has rotations for loads of things, from presentations to making stock solutions, and though this one isn't posted on the office wall, it seems to my dismay that it's just about my turn on our illness roto.
celebrated my first birthday abroad this weekend in a most satisfying way. On Friday, the actual day, I showed up to lab early and, despite a fair bit of set-backs, 
managed to successfully (and independently!) patch clamp and record from two different neurons by about 6pm. That made for my new personal record. I managed to slip out of lab, birthday gift in hand, by 6:45 to meet up with a friend for coffee. I was most excited to get to open up and share this birthday gift, a raspberry pistachio pastry from my post-doc Therése. I slipped back into lab by about 5 after 8 in order to catch up with my labmates on their way out for Vietnamese food at the Restaurant Thuy Long, 111, rue de Vaugirard, 75006. I really enjoy the team with whom I work so I was more than happy to share my birthday dinner with them although, due to various illnesses, our numbers were fairly low. I did have a most remarkable soup, Pho, a clear broth-based soup filled with noodles and beef and interestingly spiced with cinnamon. The food was very good and reasonably priced, definitely worth a return trip even if the restaurant décor was less than picturesque.On Saturday evening I managed to assemble my entire group of ENP first-years
for a nice, long, late dinner at an Afghan restaurant near 
where most of us live, Chez Karole, 34, rue Boulard, 75014. The poor single waitress managing the whole restaurant was quite surprised to see such a crowd suddenly show up, and she had a bit of balancing act in the kitchen, but she was quite a sport about it. Most remarkably, the food was actually reasonably spicy, unlike the vast majority of dishes you'll find in Paris. This, along with a few bottles of wine amongst us, made for a most enjoyable meal.I topped off my weekend today at the Musée Rodin as, it being the first Sunday of the month, all museums had free admission. I was thrilled by all the different languages I heard as I wandered through the gardens filled with his sculptures. I think the museum would, however, prove far more enjoyable under nicer weather conditions. Though the sun was out, it was hardly above freezing and after an hour or so I'd had my fill.
There was a small building filled with more of his works, but most of the grounds are open-air. This "small building" was, in fact, an old hotel where Rodin loved to stay which he arranged, shortly before his own death, to have converted into a museum to display his art. I wonder how it must be to know even before you die that there are plans in the works (and a law passed to ensure the execution of the plans) 
to create an entire museum in your honor. It must be a bizarre sensation. Either way, the Musée Rodin is definitely worth a return visit when it's all in bloom. Unfortunately, insisting upon taking advantage of the free museum day may have been an unwise decision as I seem to be coming down with something myself. My lab has rotations for loads of things, from presentations to making stock solutions, and though this one isn't posted on the office wall, it seems to my dismay that it's just about my turn on our illness roto.
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