The Blizzard of 2009

Just like in the movies, Christmas is near and it's all white outside. It started snowing yesterday night and it snowed until 16:00 today, the thin powdery snow piled up to knee high in some areas. And I waited until 15:00, and when I walked up every wall in the house I went for a walk in the snow. It was really quite beautiful (See pictures).



The roads were open all through the snow, and most of the sidewalks were also kept clean. The only sense of urgency came from the TV that kept reporting on the 'Blizzard of 2009' and 'the Storm of the decade'. Apparently TV all over the world likes to exaggerate to keep the viewers watching. I found out that my new boots were watertight and that my new The North Face coat (like every American around) is really warm and perfect for the cold and wet weather.

As for me, I've been working in the lab everyday now, I have started training on different instruments around MIT and I have been ordering a lot of chemicals and labware. I finally feel like I'm doing something and starting to gain the recognition of my peers when they come to me and discuss different scientific issues with me. I am slowly settling into a position that's good for me and makes me feel good and comfortable.

This holiday season is felt well around MIT and the Boston area. The department of Chemistry had a Christmas party with food, drinks and Karaoke, almost all the professors went up to sing and there was a nice atmosphere all around. Most of my lab mates left, this weekend, to be with their families during the holidays and all the undergraduate students have their semester break, so MIT is very quite (which is calming). The Israelis are pretty socially active, and I find myself going out almost every night, sometimes to bars and sometimes to other people's homes. So it is not lonely at all.

Less than 3 weeks before Or will join me, I'm already waiting impatiently, planning every move like going to the airport, taking her to know the city and to get her winter cloths. Everything is planned and the clock is ticking away.