Research, my old friend

There is this stage of research (my research, at least) where you realize that a lot of what you were doing (or trying to do) is wrong.  We got there today!  Yay!  I really do think this is a good sign - I've never moved in a straight line from idea to publication, so "smooth sailing" in research is just "haven't found the bumps yet".  Now that we've found the (first) bump, I can have some confidence that I am going in the right direction.

A large portion of my research notebook notes are on different papers I've read lately.  Some of this was in a direction that I had never studied before, and I was starting to feel like I was heading down a rabbit hole - this was, in fact, the wrong direction.  The new direction involves techniques and literature that is more familiar to me.  Some of what I was reading today came from neutrinoless double beta decay collaborations or dark matter experiments!

Don't worry, I'm still doing cancer-related research.  I actually take it as a good sign that I need to remember back to almost a decade ago.  My training is in physics - if I am just reading biology papers, I'm going in the wrong direction.  I shouldn't be spending my time competing directly against biologists (or chemists, or engineers, etc).  But any time that I am pulling in particle physics ideas to my cancer work, I think I'm on the right direction - this is where my skill set is the most unique and I have the best chance of finding something that (1) will work and (2) has not already been done.

A Random Walk in Milan

I started my day by walking along the Martesana Canal, which is fairly near my house.  There is a nice multiuse path along it, which is heavily populated by joggers, cyclists, and people out walking their dogs/children.  Along the way I saw some animals!  Luckily, I brought my camera - because I saw some amazing creature right away in the canal.  It was some sort of large aquatic rodent - either a muskrat or a coypu, I think.  No one else paid any attention to it, so I figured it wasn't rare here.  I ended up seeing over a dozen of them along my walk.

My walk took me past a park, named in honor of the Iraqi martyrs who were victims of terror.  Take that, America.  Later, I saw a very striking statue and went to investigate.  From Wikipedia:

During World War II, on 20 October 1944, Gorla was the scene of a dramatic bombing by the Allies. The bombing was allegedly intended to strike industrial structures, but the bombing group went off course, even if the weather was exceptionally clear. Their commander, upon realizing the mistake, decided to release the bombs on the town instead. Most victims were civilians, and one of the bombs hit a school, killing 184 children. The victims are now remembered as "the little martyrs of Gorla", and a memorial was built where the killing had taken place; a museum dedicated to peace has also been established in the area.

After walking for over an hour, I was cold and decided I was too tired to walk all the way back.  I grabbed a caffe and headed to the closest metro station.  Slightly recharged, and it only being around noon, I decided to head out and see a sight.  I went to the Castello Sforza, a big castle housing a number of museums.  I went in to the instrument museum, since it was free, where there was a lutier doing a live display.  From there, I walked through the Brera neighborhood and headed to a tea shop.  The tea shop wasn't open yet, but I grabbed a huge slice of pizza and had a nice lunch walking through this high-end shopping district.

After picking up some tea I decided to do some clothes shopping - but I wanted to head to the stores where I thought I might actually be able to afford something.  I had intended to hit up "Il Salvagente", an outlet store that I had been to on my previous Milan trip.  It isn't easy to get to by public transit, so I had a bit of a walk ahead of me.  This was, of course, after I had been walking for over 3 hours.

Unfortunately, Salvagente is closed for an hour in the afternoon and that was going to be right around when I would get there.  I stopped in a few other stores on my way there - I was specifically looking for shirts to wear to work.  Not only was I unsuccessful, but I was a bit overwhelmed and confused.  So many Italian women have a nice classic/elegant style - but all of the stores I stopped in had bizarre clothing.  The few things I found that I liked were way outside my price range.  I couldn't take advantage of the seasonal 50-70% discounts going on right now.  I was also looking for nice, flat shoes - there seems to be a trend of "menswear inspired" shoes that I wanted in on.  The ones I found were either not in my size, or way too expensive!

I got to Salvagente when they re-opened for the afternoon, and found that it was similar to the earlier stores - there just weren't shirts that I liked.  At this point, my hour-or-so walk along the canal had turned into an 6 hour expedition, walking almost 20,000 steps!

Google was not being very helpful in finding the best way home.  Google maps doesn't seem to have a good understanding of public transit here - all of the methods involved at least 3 different changes.  I can tell that this doesn't make sense when it has me get on the metro and then get on a bus - the metro takes me right to where I want to go!  I headed to a square where I should have been able to catch a suburban train, which connects with the metro.  I didn't succeed in finding where the trains were, but a bus came that said it was going to the Duomo - I knew there was a metro stop there, so I hopped on.

I got off the over-full bus as soon as I saw the Duomo, since I could then navigate to the metro stop.  On my way there I was walking through a different part of the shopping district and headed into a shop, where I found some reasonable shirts!   In a second store I found another shirt and a great pair of shoes.  At that point, satisfied, I grabbed the metro and headed home.

My goals for today were to walk along the canal, do laundry, and go grocery shopping.  Getting home almost 8 hours after I left in the morning, I had wet laundry waiting for me and I had no energy left to go grocery shopping.  But, I saw an awesome castle, made it to Salvagente, and managed to take advantage of the end of discount season!

A Ridiculous Day in Genova

• I walked over 23,000 steps today in my boots (which have heels).  This wasn't the best choice.
• The Andy Warhol exhibit was amazing!  The show was in the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) and the final room of the exhibit was amazing.  This room was completely frescoed with decorative marble floors and an incredible sculpture.  It was filled with Warhol's Polaroids - a breath-taking contrast.
• The guidebook wasn't kidding about getting lost.  Even with using my phone's map and GPS, I kept getting lost.  I would suddenly come out into squares I thought I was heading away from, or end up not being able to find large churches.  I succeeded in staying in the touristy part of the city, but I certainly am glad I didn't wander around at night.
• Other than breakfast (at the hotel, which was excellent), I only ate focaccia today.  My coworker had told me about a specific type of focaccia I was supposed to try - I passed a focacceria that advertised having it, but I wasn't hungry then.  None of the 3 places I ended up having focaccia at had it!  I still had three different types of focaccia, which was delicious.
• I went shopping in order to stay warm.  All of the churches I wanted to visit were closed until 3 PM, and it was around 1 PM.  This was already after hours/miles of walking in the cold - I knew there were some affordable clothing stores near my hotel, so I went there to get out of the weather.  I didn't buy anything.
• My final stop was the treasury of the duomo of Genova.  Sadly, the holy grail was not on display because it is undergoing maintenance.  The remainder was still impressive!

Pop Art in a fancy old Italian Palace 

This is a road.  The alleys were much smaller.

The duomo of Genova!  There is a large museum (I was the only one there?) with centuries worth of art, etc.  And they have a room in the basement filled with treasure!

It was cold and windy, but less rainy then expected.

Genova smells like the sea.

Modern port to my left, ridiculously old buildings to my right.

Christopher Columbus is from here.  

The towers are the gate to the old city.  Columbus' house is there in the trees.

These boots served me over 23,000 steps today - over 10 miles!

Arrived in Genova!

I successfully arrived in Genova!  I was a little slow in packing and leaving my apartment, so I was more rushed than I had hoped in the train station.  To get here I took a different type of train than I did to go to Lecco.  Lecco is still in Lombardia, but Genova is the capital of a different region (Liguria).  So, I took an "InterCity" train. 

It turns out that I should have booked a specific seat - the ticket machine had presented that as an option, but I was in a hurry and wasn't sure it would matter.  I plopped into an empty seat, but took note that everyone else seemed to be finding a specific seat.  Uh oh.  I watched as others were clearly asked to move, as other unspecified-seat ticket holders had picked a reserved seat.  Once upon a time (this summer?) I read a book about taking the trains in Italy, so I had vague memories of learning about this system.  If you can't find an unclaimed seat, you end up standing.

As the train left Milan, very full, I thought I was lucky.  But at the first stop, someone got on and indicated I was in their seat.  I moved into the aisle, trying to figure out what to do next - it seemed that there were many people standing at the end of the car, and I figured I should join them.  A gentleman, who had been sitting in the same section of seats as I, clearly noted my confusion and asked if I was going far - and then offered me his seat.  Given that I was going to be on the train for another 90 minutes, I took him up on his offer.  But, a stop or two later I was once again booted from my seat.  I stood at the end of the car for a few stops, not alone in my plight, until a few seats opened up and I was able to sit for the remained (about an hour) of the trip.

I had some difficulties when the train arrived in Genova.  I knew there was and underground Metro that I could take right to the hotel - but there were no signs for it at the train station.  Google recommended a bus, so I waited - and someone verified that I could buy a ticket on the bus itself.  When the bus arrived and I got on, the ticket was more expensive than I realized - and the spare euros in my pocket were gone!  Embarrassed, and unable to pay exact change for the ticket, I got off and thought about the pickpocketing skill the young man at the front of the bus must have had.  I returned to the train station to regroup - and found the change in a different pocket.  Rest assured, friends and family members, I was not pickpocketed - just scatter brained and paranoid.

Eventually I cajoled Google into showing me where the metro station was and I successfully took it to my hotel.  This fancy European hotel is all I had hoped for - a nice bed and shower, luxurious toiletries, and a front desk worker who speaks slowly for me to understand her Italian.  Yay!  I wasn't sure if the hotel was going to be fancy and old, but I am staying in a room that was clearly recently renovated.  The rooms next to mine are still under renovation.

How fancy is the hotel?  Well, there is a chandelier in my room.  There is a "grand staircase" they are very proud of, and very reasonably so.  The TV remote is disinfected, which I mostly find strange.  Unfortunately the restaurant was a bit too fancy for me, but I was too hungry to skip dinner.  While I can see a promising place from my window, they were in the process of closing when I was getting ready to head out.  I found an excellent little pizzeria close to my hotel, and the waiter behind the counter offered to speak English.  Instead of randomly picking something, I took him up on his offer and asked what was good.  I ended up having Farinata, a local (Ligurian) specialty that was delicious and just the right amount of food.

My next steps are to book my return train ticket - with a seat specified - and head to bed early.  I have a lot to see tomorrow!

To Genova! After work...

Instead of going to bed extra early, I did my taxes.  I'm such an adult.  Tonight, I'm heading to Genova (Genoa).  It is an opportunity for me to see the (Western) coast and apparently get rained on a lot.  Genova is a port city, important both historically and now.

I've booked myself a fairly nice hotel right in the middle of the touristy area.  There is an Andy Warhol exhibit at a museum, which I am very excited about (and solidified my decision to go).  I am also planning on going to Christopher Columbus' house - I'm interested to see the "discovery" of America presented from the European perspective.     There are other Palazzos, museums, etc to see - but I haven't done further planning yet.

While Genova isn't particularly far away, the Italians are still (or planning to?) constructing the high-speed rail between Milano and Genova.  So, the train takes about 2 hours since it goes more slowly.  I've written down the times of the possible evening trains - I'm hoping my "get to the station and buy a ticket" approach works like it did for Lecco.  My plan is to come back Saturday night and have Sunday to clean and prepare for my talk at Oxford (next weekend, eep!)

Full disclosure: I read some things on (English-language) tourist websites about safety concerns in Genova.  I spoke with multiple Italians, including women my age, who all said it is fine.  I think it is like Oakland, in a way.  There is a perfectly reasonable part of the city, and then there is an industrial/etc part that is less safe.  When people discuss "less safe" in Italy (and most of Europe), they seem to be talking about pickpockets.  If I was to describe an area of Atlanta (or Boston, or San Francisco, etc) as less safe, it would be because of gun violence.  The Italians have told me that the only risk of gun violence here is from the mafia, and that they are fairly careful about who they shoot.

While I wandered around without a map in Lecco, I will be staying in the touristy area of Genova and being more careful about where (and when) I go places.  Part of why I chose a nicer hotel is so that there is a concierge who I can ask for advice - and since the hotel name sounds very British, perhaps people speak some English there!  Finally, I do not plan to do anything to make the mafia cross with me.  That is genuinely less of an issue up here in Northern Italy, and isn't as big of a problem as it was years ago. 

So tired...

I was very slow to get out of bed this morning and then it was extra cold on my way to work.  But I did it - I worked a nice full day, like I'm not actually on vacation.  Not only did I put in many hours, I was ridiculously effective.  When I was in graduated school I implemented a variety of time managed/scheduling techniques that help me stay on task and be productive.  But here, I'm not actually using any of those and still being incredibly effective.  Why?

1. While I can access my e-mail, I am getting very few e-mails during the day.  Partially this is because I'm on leave (yay!) but the time difference helps too. 
2. I can absolutely stay on task.  There is only one person who might possibly come in and talk to me (and he does so very rarely).  I don't have any other meetings, etc that I need to go to.   I don't think I have had this much control of my schedule since I was an undergraduate!
3. The hospital apparently blocks a number of websites.  I haven't tried to look up anything ridiculous on the internet, but at one point I thought about blogging (blocked) and had wanted to check the news today (blocked).  So, even if I wanted to take a 5 or 10 minute Internet break, I couldn't.  My phone gets no cell signal in the office - I put it in airplane mode to save battery.
4. I don't have tea or water at my desk.  So, I never need to get up for refills or to use the restroom.
5. I am not listening to music - I don't need to set up playlists or search out a specific song.  

The last two items come from watching my colleagues.  While plenty of people have in headphones on the subway and on the streets, no one in my office area listens to music at work.  Similarly, I don't see beverages outside of the break room.  I don't know if these things are "regulations" or cultural norms, but I don't plan on breaking them either way.

Today I did an incredibly amount of literature searching - it felt like I accomplished 3 days worth of science.  I've even looked at some of these specific topics today - and I found new resources today.  Tracing down literature, even when I'm taking a lot of notes, is much more effective when it can happen all at once, rather than being spread out over a few days.

I had some conversations with a colleague in Italian today - she was doing most of the talking, but I was able to follow almost all of what she said.  She is from Sardinia and was telling me (and showing me pictures and videos) about the Sardinian Carnivale.  She has been very nice and helpful in explaining things about Milan, the hospital, and Italy.  She is also very encouraging of me speaking my (not so good) Italian to her, so hopefully I can keep getting practice!

I returned home exhausted, but hadn't hit my FitBit step goal for the day!  I headed out to a cafe, which ended up being closed, but I visited an interesting store.  It is focused on furniture and home goods, but it really has a bit of everything.  I bought an umbrella and a bread knife.  I think I will need the umbrella tomorrow, and the knife is a big improvement over what I had been trying to cut bread with...

Una bella mostra al Palazzo Reale

I didn't go to work today.  There is another person who uses the simulation computer, but she can only dedicate one day per week to simulations.  On those days I will make alternate plans, like taking in my laptop.  Today, I went to a museum and had my last Italian lesson.

The Palazzo Reale is the museum I intended to go to the other day - but it gets very crowded, so the best thing to do is buy a ticket ahead of time with a reserved entrance time.  I arrived in my window and was able to go right in.  There are 3 major exhibits at Palazzo Reale right now, and each one requires a separate ticket.  I chose the MC Escher exhibit, and it was phenomenal.  The exhibit included his early, less-famous woodblock prints, many of which are of Italian landscapes.  The famous works were all there, along with interactive exhibits and explanations.  There was a nice section at the end showing the cultural impact, which (of course!) included the appropriate clip from the end of Labyrinth playing on loop.  (Sadly, I have no pictures because of the whole "no pictures in the exhibit" rule)

I am now finished with my Italian lessons.  I'm very glad that I chose to do 1-on-1 lessons right away.  While I still have a lot to learn (and practice), I think I made a lot of progress over the past week.  This was a great use of my time and money, but it is also good that they are wrapping up.  I need to drill words and conjugations, which is what I've been doing for the past year.  Now I have a new selection of words and phrases to work on and a number of verb tenses I should practice.  I hope that I can spend a focused 30-60 minutes practicing each day.

Having the Italian lessons in the afternoon meant that I didn't spend too many hours at work each day.  I still feel like I'm "on vacation", rather than living and working here.  I don't want to get into a mode where all I do is work, but I need to rebalance a little bit.  For instance, I'm really neglecting my e-mail and all of my "side projects" that I intended to continue while I am here.  Yet, I want to keep seeing the sights in Milan during the week and traveling on the weekend.  If I can find a way to focus on "work" for 4 days a week and sightsee on the fifth, I might be happiest.

Tomorrow will be a full day at work, so hopefully I can turn that into some real scientific progress.  I have a hotel booked for Friday night in Genova, so I won't be working too late on Friday so that I can catch a 6 or 7 PM train.