Party in the Park

With the start of October heralding the arrival of Autumn, this Saturday was the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department's Annual Fall Picnic - a popular affair that took place in a picnic area out in Mount Pleasant - the town adjacent to Charleston over the Cooper River and the (previously mentioned) new Bridge. Having heard good things about this from many of the people in the lab, i decided to go and hitched a ride with Ashley, Jim and Golo (their very cute but slightly excitable doberman). Food (there were a couple of big BBQs - aka grills, lots of side dishes and salad, desserts as well) and drink (beer, wine, soft drinks) were provided and it was a case of turn up, eat, drink and be merry.

Of course, the conscientious amongst us couldn't just arrive and stuff our faces without doing something reasonably active to burn off the calories. A few of us gathered to play volleyball at a court adjacent to the picnic area - where i found that having a good half-foot of extra leg on everyone has its advantages. Particularly when it comes to annoying the other team by blocking them all the time. We also got in a game of kickball - basically, a cross between baseball and football (aka soccer) that can involve an awful lot of running around. Suffice to say, it was pretty exhausting, but much, much fun. Who said that scientists can't have a good time when they want to?