Travel Souvenirs You Can’t Find in a Gift Shop

While most of people tend to be all about the “Benjamins,” my addiction to money just can’t be found in your everyday bank. As I have travelled the world I have found myself more and more addicted to collecting money from the places I have been. I know have a decent size collection ranging from Bank Notes from the days of Nazi Germany, to 50,000,000,000 dinara printed during the inflation of 1996 in Yugoslavia! Yes you read that right, it is not a typo… 50 BILLION DINARA!! It has become my greatest adventure trying to obtain current local money but also any interesting past notes worthy of keep sake. I am not one to come back with key chains and t-shirts as souvenirs, but wild stories about how I got different currencies… well I have plenty of those. I am still hoping to obtain all the coins of Euro, but …

Continue reading

From Bench to Bedside: What Does Your Research Mean in the REAL WORLD?

One of the greatest task of anyone bench researcher (meaning work done in the laboratory on cells/mice etc) is the clinical relevance to what is actually happening in the real world (aka translational research). You may find yourself overly consumed with getting results day in and day out. You keep reading endless papers about what is going on in your specific field, BUT never lose sight of why you do research in the first place. While it is great to push out tons of articles, go to mind stimulating conferences and reach your research goals… I have found there can be missing aspects of the PhD process. In the summer of 2013, I set out to Kisumu, Kenya (East Africa) to better my understanding of HIV pandemic, as well as to truly venture into the neurological impact of HIV and the drugs. For those who do not know, 69% of …

Continue reading

Travel like a VIP: Global Entry Rocks

I am here to tell everyone that travels internationally to get Global Entry. After reading this article you should jump on the website, fill out your form and get the next appointment at the nearest airport (hopefully there is one available soon!) Unfortunately as you know there are no photos allowed so I have taken a few from the global entry site. For those who are oblivious to what I am ranting and raving about, Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers in the United States. This takes away LONG customs and immigrations lines and check in lines at US airports (Pre-TSA approved). But there are even more perks that I will let you know about. It is just $100 for 5 years!! So you are paying $20 a year for hassle free travel! You can learn about how to …

Continue reading

Win a Groupon eGift Card: Help Me Decide #15 on My Bucket List

So it is 2015, and I have my Bucket List for the year!!! But… I left 1 spot open!!  This is where YOU COME IN!! I am currently at #15 and open to suggestions…. IT CAN BE ANYTHING!! Be creative.. and do realize I have done quite a few things already… See my completed Bucket List in 2014 for guidance. How to Win: All you have to do is comment below on what you think I should do for #15 on my bucket list! The best suggestion wins!! (Yep… it is that simple!) At the end of the month, I will choose the winner and announce them on my page! You will then win…. drum roll please A brand new car!!!! Just Kidding.. but you will win…. $15 Groupon eGift Card (Since it is the 15th spot on the list… plus who doesn’t love Groupon for cool activities to do) …

Continue reading