I'm leaving Minnesota on July 19 . . .

On July 19, I will be leaving Minnesota and driving back to California. Recap: My boss here, Tim Behrens, decided to leave the University of Minnesota and take a job at Genentech in South San Francisco. Tim offered me a post-doc position at Genentech, and I accepted. I will continue to research the genetics of lupus in Tim's new lab.

I have been in Minnesota only four months, but I have had an amazing, wonderful, grace-filled time here. The research I do is really interesting and fulfilling. All my co-workers were friendly and mature. The state is really beautiful: the city is beautiful, the landscape is beautiful, and the many, many lakes are beautiful. There are many strong, Bible-centered churches here. The people here have taught me a lot, just by their example, of who a Christian can be and what he can become--especially inside.

As I think ahead, I can't help but think fondly of many people here. I feel I have made some very dear friends; at least, the friends are very dear to me. As I look back, I am humbled by how unsure I was about coming here in the first place. I don't even remember what I was afraid of.

Oh yeah, now I remember. :-) But, I should have taken to heart what the Bible says:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." (John 14:1)

There were many pics and events I didn't mention in my blog. Here are some of my favorite Minnesota pics that I didn't get to before.

The final Behrens lab picnic

Every year there is a Behrens lab picnic. Since Tim is leaving this year, this would probably be the final one. :-(





Everyone seemed to have a good time, I think. We had pork and chicken from Famous Dave's BBQ, and some people played frisbee or ladder golf. We presented Tim with a lab picture that was signed by everyone in the lab.

Then, Tim gave one of his famous poems. Apparently, when people would leave the lab, Tim would write a poem--actually a rap!--about them. This poem was a little different, since Tim mentioned almost everyone, but only briefly because of time. And Tim decided not to rap it. But someday I hope to see my boss hitting the beat.

We had water balloons, but no one was able to hit Tim. Most of the water balloons were used up by the children, who were perfectly content to see the balloons explode by throwing them straight at the ground, or by squeezing them very tightly . . .








The finale at the picnic was a game of kickball. That's right: Kickball! I hadn't played since elementary school, so I was totally psyched up for this. I actually had one really good kick, but my team still lost by a lot. I hope Tim wasn't too disappointed.

I bought a new car!

My family has always driven used station wagons; my dad would get them at police auctions.




Well, today I bought my first new car! I sort of kept with the station-wagon theme and bought a Scion xB!





The salesman, David, was very helpful.







Scions are made by Toyota. My friend Nate drove me to the dealership and stuck with me for the two hours it took to do the paperwork, including the financing. In hindsight, it was a straightforward process. This is especially true for the Scion, which has a "no-haggle, no-hassle" pricing policy, many standard features, only one trim level, and the ability to add most options after the car has already arrived at the dealership. A guy online said he could've bought his Scion from a vending machine. :-)

The xB's deceptively tiny. It's shorter and thinner than any car that looks like it (e.g., a minivan or SUV). It's even 2" shorter than a Honda Fit!

The xB is classified as a "small wagon." For its size, it's incredible how much head room and leg room there is, both in front and back. There's also a lot of cargo space. A person can easily fit in the trunk area (as tested by my friend Gretchen). Also, the rear seats can fold down *and* the front seats can fold all the way back: I could transport a surfboard or a bass inside!

The more I look at the xB, the cuter I think it is. :-)

Some stats on the xB: 30/34 mpg, built to emissions standards for all 50 states, 4-wheel ABS and electronic stability control standard. MSRP: $14,570.

Behrens' laws

For our lab meeting a couple of weeks ago, we had a special presenter: our boss, Tim Behrens!

I really enjoyed Tim's talk. He basically told us about the history of research in our lab, and he also mentioned the people who had come and gone. It had an epic feel to it. :-) At the end, Tim gave us the first nine of "Behrens' Laws"; they are below, but without history or explanation:

Behrens' Laws
1. Clone and sequence.
2. Be fearless.
3. Follow lab protocols.
4. Do experiments.
5. Don't give up on your "good" ideas.
6. Dump struggling projects.
7. Collaborate vigorously.
8. Writing makes a difference.
9. Read widely.

As for me, there are many laws (or commands) in the Bible that I love. Here are some secular sayings I also like:

"The short way is the long way, and the long way is the short way."

"Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime."

Are these just rephrasings of statements in Proverbs?

Labmates 3

This week is my last week in the Behrens' lab. (The Behrens' lab at UMN, that is.) Below are three more of my super coworkers.

Emily was a grad student and a postdoc in our lab, and soon she'll be faculty at the U! Even though Emily's really smart, really productive, and on the "fast track," she's always been patient, helpful, and friendly. I might even say Emily is very motherly . . . Emily also likes to snack a lot. Oh, and Emily's husband built his own sailboat!


Jason is in the middle of his Ph.D. work. Jason loves baseball ("Go Twins!"), and his wife is studying to be a horse veterinarian.

Jason's got a healthy sense of humor.



Jason, Emily, myself, and a couple others work on a gene called IRF5, which we think is associated with lupus.

Jessica is a student lab assistant. Jess knows all kinds of stuff about diet and nutrition (her mom is a nutritionist), but what's really cool about Jess is that she sells plants. Lots of plants. Almost enough to pay for her college tuition. Click here to visit Jess' plant sale! It reminds me of the farming/dating sim, "Harvest Moon."

Spending time with One Another at the Lake Cabin

Some of our small group spent the weekend at a lake cabin a few hours NW of Minneapolis. Thanks, Michelle! Thanks, Devan!

We did a lot of activities, and I treasure the many moments that we could connect, sometimes with actions, sometimes with words. There was much grace. It was great for me.

Where I work: Outside and Inside

Part of our lab might be moving to a different building soon. I'm a little sad about that, because I still can't get over the splendor of the current building I work in, Nils Hasselmo Hall (NHH).

NHH looks good from far away . . .





. . . NHH looks good close up . . .








. . . there's a grassy field, purple flowers, and a funky bridge nearby . . .






. . . from one part of the building you can see the Minneapolis skyline . . .






. . . which looks amazing in sunny, cloudy, or stormy weather . . .






. . . and from another part of the building you can see the Mississippi river!






Or just take a short walk right down to the river itself!

However, my actual view from the inside is a little different. In my old lab, I had my own bench, lab desk, office desk, and a futon!

My official workspace now . . . it's in the lunch room! That part of the table in the left corner--that's mine.

But, I still like it here. :-)

Visiting Caltech for graduation

The weekend of June 9, I went to Caltech's Commencement (graduation). Three people in my old lab graduated: (l to r) Eric, Eun Jung, and Jessica! And, yes, I'm wearing my reflective biking vest . . .

The brown thing in the bottom of the pic is chocolate fondue.

A lot of my undergrad friends also graduated. Overall, I think I knew more people graduating this year than in my own year! From the many pics, I have chosen to show Melisa's. I really like her "Victory"/"Peace" gesture; it's very familiar.





The next day, I flew from LA to Sacramento for my high school's 11-year reunion. I'm really glad I went, but I regret not taking any pics! I hope to eventually find and post a group one. For now, just marvel at the unclaimed luggage at the Sacramento airport . . .





The next day I flew back to LA and spent a few hours with Caltech friends before flying back to MN. Here, Brian is playing with Marena's bird. I don't remember who's sitting up straight: Brian or the bird.

Jumping into my first Minnesota lake!

Some people in my small group organized a Memorial Day barbeque at Northwestern College (NWC). (Not to be confused with Northwestern University.) NWC is right along Lake Johanna, and there was a nice tree swing there. After seeing someone do it and being assured that the area was shallow (but not too shallow), the water warm, and the lake floor soft, I took the plunge! My only regret is that I didn't do it again! (And I didn't bring a towel or any insect spray!) Thanks to Jenn for taking these pics!

Next week, the plan is to really go to "the Lake," full-Minnesotan-style!

Labmates 2

Karl was our computer guru, but he just left to work at a company and do Java programming. Needless to say, Karl's a pretty funny guy.

















Peter was one of our lab managers. He's very fast with the repeating, multichannel pipettor. Peter recently moved on to a medical device company.








Ward is like our super-lab-manager, especially since Tim is often away traveling. Ward also leads our lab Bible study, although I don't always arrive early enough for it. :-( Today was Ward's birthday!