nice.

yesterday was a designated day for robin and i. in lieu of a vacation, we decided to limit expenditures and have a local 'us' day. after a morning run with the dog, we got massages, had lunch at our favorite restaurant (quivey's grove), went to a movie (the reader) and had a nice steak dinner at the tornado room. it was a wonderful day and was much needed going into my last semester.

today, i've been doing some research for my final project. i've been trying to find a subject that would be a blend of my scientific interests and my personal interests. in what was sparked by my anonymous comment from the other day, i've chosen to work through the subject of gene doping which many scientific authorities feel is the next horizon in cheating. that is, the use of gene therapy for evil so to speak. if this process is successfully put into place, there will be major difficulties in developing methods of detection. my particular focus will be the use of the EPO gene, what i feel to be the most feasible vector for delivery of that gene, and ultimately designing a contract lab business model for the execution of detection methods which i will also cover. this is a project that should differentiate me from my classmates and offer an aspect of biotechnology full of ethical, legal and financial implications. plus it is interesting to me on many levels...something that will (hopefully) keep me motivated throughout my final semester.

i think i'm going skiing. happy sunday.