Artiscence

In the month of November, I read this book: This book describes (very briefly) women that have made great accomplishments and broken barriers to become the first woman to (....insert accomplishment here). It's a much needed book that goes to show that women are not found in many spaces that men leisurely find themselves. So when a woman finally becomes something men have always been, it's surprising, groundbreaking and gratifying at the same time. It shouldn't be so, yet it is. For that, this book is a welcome collation of women who have broken ground (broken ceiling?) to become the first women to achieve. But, it's a small read. It's a short read. There's something unsettling and unsatisfying about reading several years of Serena Williams professional life on one page, or Michele Phan meteoric rise into building her empire from Youtube videos into a makeup company and more, or the rise of the first woman General in the U.S. A serialized version of the

I have decided to start a "Book of the Month" blog feature. As someone who read voraciously in the past, I have only read about three books this year. So to ease myself back into reading more and to make myself accountable, I will pick a book every month, read it, then write an opinion piece on it.  The book I have selected for the month of November, was recommended to me by my mentor and titled, FIRST: Women Who Are Changing The World , by The Editors of TIME.  I am looking forward to reading it and writing my opinion on it.   How do you get yourself to pick up a book when time is short or life gets in the way? I'd love to know.  

I have decided to start writing again! My last post was in 2014. A few things happened and I lost interest in continuing my hobby. At the time, I was a 3rd year graduate student and had just begun working on my graduate thesis work when I suddenly found myself in a position where I needed to begin afresh in a new lab. Thankfully, the transition, academically was smooth. There were positive mentors around me who encouraged me and got me right on track. But, as I buried myself in this new found goal of completing my new thesis project, publishing manuscripts, defending my dissertation and graduating "on time", I found myself distant from the small joys of writing and posting a paragraph or two about my life.  Now, I have my Ph.D. I am a postdoctoral fellow and I am ready to begin a second fellowship in just under two months. Despite life and career being even more challenging than graduate school, I found time management is what allows me to shoulder multiple aspects of l