Sunday, August 22, 2010

Too many projects...

Well, I've failed to post here for a while. Time for a lame post to prevent another Iron Blogger fine!

I've been pulled to many different ways this summer. This is my own fault, for taking on too many projects. Lets look at some of them!

I spent May-August teaching MCAT Gen Chem review courses, once or twice a week in the evenings for the Princeton Review. This was hard, challenging, interesting, fulfilling and dispiriting all at the same time. I think I'll teach another class, assuming my reviews aren't so horrible they won't let me teach again...I think I did a decent job, but I know many ways I can improve. The hardest part is finding that balance where the fewest people look bored and the fewest look like they have no idea what i'm talking about.

My time is currently being dominated by Jesus Christ Superstar at MIT. We open in two weeks, just did put in today (built most of the set). More information and ticket reservations available here: http://mit.edu/mtg/www/index.html. The show is shaping up to be awesome. Very talented singers all around.

I'm also working on a LARP for the MIT Assassins' Guild, called Black Ships. Its based on the opening of the ports of Japan by Commodore Perry, but is highly fictionalized. Also being written by Xavid Pretzer, Jessica Hamrick, and Andrew Clough. They're doing much more of the writing than I am because again, I took on too many projects this summer. If you're a LARPer, watch for this game this fall.

Also also, because I am a huge nerd, I am doing more gaming and working on a highly complicated Exalted tabletop that involves a lot of collaborative writing from my players. We've created whole new mechanics and a setting guide that's practically reached splatbook status. If you might be interested in reviewing this work, playing NPC rolls, or helping with mechanics development, let me know.

Then of course there's real work at New England Biolabs, which is going pretty well. I've made a number of interesting preliminary findings on my DNA Ligase kinetics and mechanism project. I'm hoping in the next couple of months we can clarify and organize the studies in a way that will give some fast publications. Also Its about time i go do a late-summer walkthrough/photoshoot of the awesome grounds up there.

I have a number of half-completed reviews for this site, which I hope to focus and get banged out soon, before I forget what I wanted to say. I'm also participating in another blog, which is in production, featuring a series of drinking/mixolofy parties working through Imbibe by David Wondrich, more on that in coming weeks. I've also got a silly comedy side-blog which I will make more public after I get a few more posts up. Its pretty stupid and mostly an inside joke, but I enjoy it.