Hello wide world.
My name is Frank Horvath, and I am a recovering graduate student. This blog is intended as a chronicle of my scheduled sojourn to the western half of the United States in the fall of 2008. I am taking this trip as part self-discovery and part pre-working last hurrah of freedom before the 9 to 5, 40 hour work week grabs and strangles me over the next few decades.
My plan is to see the things I think are cool. That includes absurd things like Wall Drug in South Dakota, but not necessarily 'important' things like Mt Rushmore. I am obtaining travel guides and materials to help plan the trip, but in general if I see something cool along the side of the road I intend to stop and take a picture of it, whenever the urge hits me. If you have suggestions, feel free to post them! I plan to depart Minneapolis around September 1st, then travel first across the northern tier states, south along the Pacific Coast Highway, east across the desert southwest, Vegas and the Mexican border, then across the land of Bush to New Orleans, and finally back up along the Mississippi to Minneapolis. Projected timeframe: 6-8 weeks.
The shtick and title of my blog comes from my amazing friends at Penn State, whom I have boozed and partied with for the past 5 years. I have a bit of a sardonic wit, and earned the nickname Grandpa from the golden-haired fembot in our entourage, Jennelle (aka Blondy). As testament to my crotchetyness, the female members of our cabal decided to create me something they term a 'franket' which, while I have not yet seen it, is composed of leftover swaths of yarn from their knitting circle interwoven into a blanket. Members of our drunk team including (but not limited to?) Jennelle, Solmaz, Karee, Florly, Amy and Lori spent the past year during their knitting circle cum drinking racket creating this work of art from their various projects. Karee took up the inenviable task of knitting it into a coherent work, and I assume they will be getting it to me before I vacate State College next Thursday. Thanks ladies!
I decided to put together this blog as a way to keep in touch with my friends both in State College and elsewhere as well as thank the Blanketeers for their efforts. My part of the deal is that I will take pictures of or get pictures taken with the Franket at various locations along my trip. This could be alot of fun, or it could be a giant disaster. Or both. I guess we'll see.
I don't know exactly what I'll talk about here. Much of it will probably relate to things/people I do and see, but it may also divert into rants and ravings about topics across the spectrum from politics to why my holes have socks in them. Yes, I meant to say that.
For a bit on navigation of this 'blog' thing, to the lower right you can find a link first to a map on photobucket which I will update with marks as I visit new places. There is also a link to a photobucket album of pictures and perhaps videos I am going to record on my trip. Other than that I need to find a picture of myself to link on the upper right field where I'm not wearing my customary shit-eating grin so that I can look cool for the intertubes people. I may also add more things, or I may not.
A little about me. I grew up first in Williamston, MI (pop 2500ish) then later in Rosemount MN (pop 8000). I am an only child of Frank and Lee Anne Horvath, still of Rosemount, MN. They have graciously acquiesced to having their son home for a few months while I do this trip, as well as during my search for a 'job' thing. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 2002 with Bachelor degrees in Biotechnology and Biochemistry. Then I thought I wanted to be a PhD, so...
I spent the last 5 years of my life as a doctoral student at the Pennsylvania State University in the field of first Immunobiology and then Immunology and Infectious diseases, latter in the
lab of Dr. Adam Glick. During that time I discovered that while I enjoy lab meetings and critiquing my own and other people's work, I don't enjoy doing actual pipette-in-hand bench work. I also really don't like reading journal articles and going to seminars; they often put me to sleep. Thus, I decided to jump off the PhD bandwagon with my sanity hopefully intact. Problem being that I needed to write a dreaded thesis, and then find a job-like thing.
What I did enjoy doing was reading about foreign affairs, economics, politics and history. I also am interested in the field of regulatory affairs, and plan to find a job in the biotech industry that I can parlay into a regulatory affairs position. I also enjoy computer games, specifically World of Warcraft, way too much, which in retrospect should have told me that I wasn't cut out for academics, for a variety of reasons.
Kelmurdoch, fearsome ankle-biting warlock of the Malygos realm and Chief Mariachi of the
Arcanum clan of Dungeon raiders
is a fun diversion, but hardly conducive to science or Life.
Thus, I plan to find apply for jobs on multiple continents before departing, then monitor opportunites as they arise while updating this blog on my trip. I will talk more later, as I'm at about 1200 words already.
