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Hey I just made it back from my annual trip to Florida where we saw my grandparents, and on the way, we just happened to stroll into Disneyworld.  I don’t feel like making a big post about this, but I had a real fun time seeing Mickey Mouse and my family.

Oh yeah, and I learned how to knit.  I’m halfway through a really wide scarf.  It will cover my whole neck.  Twice over.

P.S. Be on the lookout for something big coming soon on lskatzdotcom.  Jeff is involved this time, so it will be huge!

So far, no responses to our lab’s ridiculous CL ad.  Too bad

Sometimes I don’t have any kind of thing to do over a whole weekend and sometimes 15 things pile up.  Last night I was invited to three parties and I was determined to attend all three because I really wanted to see everyone.  All three were going to be really awesome parties.

1. CDC lab party There is a visiting professor from Burkina Faso and it’s kind of the end of the year, and also it was Xin’s birthday.  Jennie from the lab hosted the party, and she has a very nice house.  It’s very close to my parents’ house and it’s big and comfortable.   Everyone brought something to bring… except me.  I didn’t know it was a party where I should bring something, but then again I think life is teaching me that I should bring something to any party I go to.  Without revealing too much, someone was very kind to me and gave me something to bring.  There are so many interesting people in the lab, and I like hanging out with them.  At this party I told Brian that I am the (GA Tech’s) lab social coordinator, and he replied, “oh, you mean our Cindy!”  So yes, apparently every lab has a social coordinator that arranges social gatherings.  It’s a good idea.
2. GA Tech lab party King hosted his lab party and it was really great too.  King always has good parties, and his house is really nice.  He and his wife invited their friends and us in the lab.  The purpose of the party was end-of-the-year and also to honor those who graduated from our lab, Sonia and Bhavneet.  There were a few more people in our VIP list that made it in too, like James and Cady.  The theme of the party was international potluck, which is ingenious because there are so many international students.  There was food from at the least: Russia, Pakistan, India, China, Uganda, Nigeria, and United States.  I brought Jewish food, which I don’t think has a location associated with it (you can’t really call potato latkes Israeli, now can you?).  Anyway needless to say, it was a very delicious party and it’s really great to see all the people you work with kind of relax.
3. Cheesy sweater party Emily kept telling me to bring a cheesy sweater that I got for Christmas, and the old excuse of “No one has ever given me a sweater for Christmas because I don’t celebrate it” didn’t work.  So I found the sweater I used for my nerd costume.  Outside of the building as I arrived I discovered Laura C. walking her dog Baxter.  Apparently Laura lives one floor below my friend who was hosting the party.  The sweater didn’t fit over my good looking sweater, so I tied it around my shoulders like a tennis pro.  Pictures to come shortly.  This is the only party I had a drink at, which is probably why I was able to last so long.  You can’t really sedate yourself and expect yourself to keep active all evening.  I think at this party I was called a social whore.  Sadly that was not anywhere close to the first time I was called that, so maybe I should kind of accept the title.  Social whore.

It was a good night–I hung out with a large number of my friends for maybe more than 7 hours, minus driving time (~5:30-1am).  Anyway, it was really great to see all of you!