Life On the Fritz

So the great adventure begins! Today was orientation, and the ten other interns in my group and I got to sit through a long (and somewhat terrifying) orientation. Over about two hours we heard about all the ways we could hurt ourselves through accident or negligence (ticks, bacteria in the rivers, crab pinch, cuts, chemicals) and glowing with pride at being called “the best and brightest” in our respective fields.

After a long orientation, a very brief lunch, and an even longer lab orientation (fun, but still enough information to curdle dairy) I was left with no dinner! How are conquering heroes supposed to survive on popcorn and hot sauce?

Whip out the GPS and head for a grocery store! I felt fairly confident about where I was going… until my GPS told me I was in front of a Safeway, and there wasn’t a Safeway in sight! Uhh… I had no co-pilot to direct me, and there were a number of cars behind me that were not comfortable with the uncertain moves I was making with my car. I pulled over at a gas station and punched in the address again. More strange looks and me swearing at my GPS later, I gave up and headed for the Giant I saw down the street.

Groceries attained, albeit at a rather unpleasant price, I told my GPS to take me “home."

Nothing.

I cancelled the search for the address, and tried it again.

Still nothing. Oh goodness, my GPS was having a seizure and I had no idea where I was in relation to where I needed to be. OH HELL.

I did a full shut-down of the GPS, and pulled out into the street in the general direction of the research center. I tried to remember street names as I pushed the “Take Me Home” button frantically on the home screen. I made a turn, and realized that if my GPS didn’t kick in within five minutes I was going to be completely lost. It worked after I uttered a few choice swear words, and I made it home without further incident.

I cooked dinner for two friends who appreciated a fresh cooked tasty meal. Thank goodness that went without a hitch. Tomorrow starts with transferring samples into 70% ethanol from 95% ethanol, then spending an afternoon in a field. And somewhere in there I have to get technical training and have fingerprints taken for my ID badge. Hoo boy!