Yesterday was my last workday at Los Alamos National Lab. I gave a one-hour talk, submitted reimbursement paperwork, and said goodbye to everyone I spent time with over the last ten weeks. I will miss them and the lab very much. Though it has not quite sunk in that my time at LANL is over (for now), I want to reflect on my internship. I want to understand what made it such an amazing experience, and what might have made it even better.
The two most productive days of the entire internship were 1) the day before my first talk of the summer, and 2) the day before my second talk of the summer. “Motivation” and “deadline” are synonyms for me. I have long wished it were not so, but have been unable to break the trend. What if I had to give more presentations? What if I told the people in my group I would make a half-hour presentation in front of them each week? I need to get involved in a reading group for that exact reason. I think paper deadlines would help as well. If I know when the ten pages are due, I will write them all in one day.
Another thing that stands out about this summer is my activity. I played Ultimate Frisbee and went rock climbing, and I did each twice a week. On the weekends I went hiking, tried bouldering, and competed in an Ultimate tournament. Each weekend was memorable and left me feeling sore in the best possible way. I bought decent climbing gear and a Frisbee, and I kept the protein flowing. These were all good decisions; I am in the best shape of my life, no longer afraid to try things I previously felt inadequate to tackle. How can I take my new habits with me to Michigan? How can I keep them going through the ice and snow? Last year I went to the gym whenever I could; the time was not consistent from one day to the next, nor the day consistent from one week to the next. By contrast, the Frisbee and climbing groups I found met regularly. I knew that if I did not get my butt to the field or cliff by 6 PM I would miss the activity and regret it. Call it community or peer pressure; whatever it was, it was vitally important. U of M has many student groups, some of which gather for physical activities. I just need to find the ones that have the boldness to meet in the dead of winter. Fortunately, U of M has a splendid fitness facility on central campus; I need only take a bus and do some reading on the way, a small price to pay for regular activity during the winter months.