Museum of Science and Industry

Yesterday I went to the Museum of Science and Industry because it was free :)  This museum was HUGE, one of the largest in the world, at 14 acres. 

The U-505 Submarine is HUGE!

There were some pretty cool interactive displays, including a giant hamster wheel, some crazy high-tech computer puzzles, a heart rate monitor that displays your heart beat with a giant 13-ft tall beating heart, baby chick hatchery, and they even have a special genetics section!

There was so much to see at this museum, when my little cousins come visit, I want to take them and see, among other things, Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle.  It has the most amazing details, such as stories of fairy tales depicted on the walls and windows, thousand-year-old antiques, real jewelry and gems, tapestries with stitches so tiny you can only see them under the microscope, and even a piece of the true cross (more history here)!  It reminds me of the doll house we've built for Madeline (of course ours wasn't quite as fancy).

Aside from visiting museums and attending free concerts/lectures/festivals, I've just been running errands and reading (just finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - it's quite good, and now reading The Devil in the White City, about the Chicago Expo).   Life is so relaxing - it will all change next week, and I can't wait!  I received an email today about my scholarship project today - I will be writing a case report with another genetic counselor.  Is it nerdy to be extremely excited about it?

I don't know if I should try to get a part time job while I'm here.  I could try to tutor or even look into 9-1-1 here in Chicago.  My schedule seems pretty free (I have Fridays off), but all the students from previous years talk about how busy and crazy their lives are in the program.  I guess my schedule doesn't really have any clinical rotations booked in yet.  Maybe I'll just wait a few weeks once I get an idea of my school work load.