cupcakes and cancer

Buttercup Bake Shop cupcakes. 

Tomorrow is my last day at MSKCC....as I type that, it doesn't seem real. The days and weeks have flown by, way too fast. I feel like just yesterday I unpacked my stuff and was nervous about starting. And though I loved it from the beginning, somewhere along the way it ceased to be just my practicum, but a large part of who I am. As Jennifer, my supervisor, said today, we spend a lot of our free time working on this stuff, so it makes sense that we love it. And she's right. Many weekends this summer I was busy reading journal articles, or adding to the lit reviews, or reading a book I picked up at the MSKCC library. But it didn't seem like work to me. And to have to leave this.....I hope I get to return to Memorial in the future - if not as a post-doc research fellow, then in some sort of capacity. I learned so much this summer, and really built my experience and confidence. I am forever indebted to everyone who taught me and helped me at MSKCC - it was an amazing experience. And maybe, most importantly, I found out that the people who work there, in the end, are simply human. I mean, I've read article after article written by Jamie Ostroff, or Tim Ahles, or Kevin Oeffinger, or Jimmie Holland - they are known in the field and I admire their work tremendously. To be in the same physical space as they were was overwhelming enough intially, but to actually have interactions with them - wow. But I found out that they, too, struggle with grants, and writing, and roadblocks in research. They are approachable and helpful, and very down-to-earth. They're human. They had to start somewhere. 

Tomorrow Rika, Dara, and I are going to Buttercup Bake Shop for their yummy cupcakes. Buttercup is owned by the woman who co-founded Magnolia Bakery.....I had two of their cupcakes last week for lunch. Sublime. A little piece of heaven, with pink pastel sugar frosting. Nearly going into a diabetic coma afterwards was well worth it. Today Rika and I went to Pinkberry for lunch.....I think Pinkberry and I are breaking up. I felt really ill afterwards. Oh well. It was just a summer fling. 

My task now is to try and consolidate the 7 bags I have into something more manageable. Somehow I doubt I will be succesful in getting all 7 to Penn Station thursday morning, even taking a cab. Suggestions would be welcome.