Beyond the Standard

Budgeting

2012-01-20T22:22:00.000-08:00

Budgeting hard. I have not kept track of my budget. That is all. Also on the list of things I have not done this month (but hope to do this weeked): cleaned my room, cleaned the bathrooms, written my resume, and written in my journal. For a long while I didn't have a journal, now at least I have a running journal. I'm reluctant to write in it, though, because it only has finite space, and I know myself; I need a lot of blank pages. I have a lot of blank journals at my parents' house and I meant to bring one back with me but in the end I had to abandon it to make space for other things like 7 or so pairs of shoes, which is ridiculous because if you know me you might have trouble figuring out why I would need so many shoes for a trip, or if I would ever wear 7 different pairs of shoes over the course of a year. Apparently I really like shoes.
Back to the point! After spending a couple of days sweating over a deadline, I'm going to enjoy a quiet evening in, and hopefully a quiet (but productive) weekend as well.

AAAANNNDDD...

2012-01-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

Now I'm 30. Oh my goodness.

During the past year, I played with the idea of making a 30 Before 30 list, but I don't think I did. Well, if I did, I immediately forgot about it. When I asked myself what I really truly wanted to accomplish, very few things came to mind that could be done in a matter of months. I didn't want to make a list of things I would fail to accomplish by my birthday, but I also didn't want to make a list of arbitrary things that didn't really excite me. Now that I'm on the other side, though, listing the things I want sounds like a good idea. One reason is that a little organization and accountability could only help. The other reason is simply that my attitude has changed. Rather than seeing a deadline, I see time and opportunity. I can actually think of things I'd like to put on a list and accomplish soon.

Here is a rough draft. The actual list will show up on the left-hand side of the page so I can constantly refer to it. Things I'd like to accomplish this year include:

1. Run a race. This will most likely be a half marathon, I'm not sure if I want to run a whole marathon but I think anything less than a half marathon is not really reaching for the stars.

2. Take a First Aid and CPR class.

3. Get a Plant.

4. Master Eye Makeup. Yeah, it's not exactly saving the world, but it's a skill I'd like to have.

5. Volunteer my time at least once this year.

6. Read a nonfiction history book. This probably would've happened no matter what.

7. Visit a state park. Also low hanging fruit, pretty much a sure thing, but I really want to do it!

8. Drop one pant size. Totally doable.

9. Return to Aikido. Maybe I can finally advance beyond 5th kyu.

10. Finish my Thesis. It has to happen.

Theme(s) of the Month

2012-01-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hello! I'm checking in with regards to my Happiness Project. As you saw, things got quiet at the end of last month... it didn't go so well. Last month was, as I predicted, a really stressful month. I tried to stay on top of things, I tried to identify what caused me stress and talk or work through it, but it wasn't always easy. In fact, it was never easy, it was always hard. I spent a lot of time feeling stressed. I did moderately well with sleep and I ran more than I did in October but less than I did in November. I think I spent more time doing strength training and yoga, though. My career goals class came to an end and I gave myself some goals that I promptly forgot over winter break, but I'm attending to them now. I made a chart for myself to keep track of my actions, and then I never used it. My new plan, which I may have already written about, is to make marks on my calendar, but I haven't done that either, since I haven't officially identified my goal for the month. I'm going to pick two goals this month! One is to adhere to a budget. It's time. The other goal is to make more food at home. This will help me save money, eat healthier, and it's also something I enjoy. So... hopefully I'll check in soon and let you know how it's going.

Welcome to the Year 2012

2012-01-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

Along with a title that mirrors my first post title of the previous year, I will also kick off this year of sporadic blogging with the same survey! Enjoy.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Visited Switzerland and France, and basically lived abroad for 6 months. Saw the Alps and a real castle. I also visited St. Louis and held a hawk. Also, despite the fact that I was born and raised in California, I went surfing for the first time in my life.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did not manage to keep a single new year's resolution! I still haven't crossed the 600 mile line! In fact, this year I think ran about half of what I ran last year. I spent a lot more time commuting, and I spent a lot of time feeling fairly paralyzed with anxiety. I am pretty sure I am less fit than I was a year ago, my diet is about the same, and I have yet to graduate. No extra money in my accounts, either. This year my resolutions are still the same. Last year I started a Happiness Project, and I suppose those resolutions could count as my New Year's Resolutions. Become more fit, improve my diet, save money. Graduate. Live a life which makes me proud.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I don't think so, but it seems like everyone around me is pregnant. If I answer this survey next year, I'll have a big yes.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Switzerland and France. I also stopped in the Amsterdam airport for a few hours, but I don't think that counts.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
A PhD and a job. <--- same answer as last year. Add to that a larger savings account.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June 20, because that's when I returned to the US.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I lectured a class. I was the teacher for a class of 174 college students. It was pretty awesome.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Still being in graduate school. <--- same as last year! HA. ugh.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, which is lucky. My car was injured, however.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A train pass through the Alps. I went on a weekend trip with friends in the spring and it was a wonderful adventure.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My Batty sister for working through residency. Bobbles for being an understanding guy. My Mom and Dad, for no reason in particular, but because they should be celebrated.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No comment. Appalled is a pretty strong word, but I'm sure plenty of folks stressed me out this year.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Travel and food. In fact, Burgers and Brew should have a frequent visitor reward program.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Bobbles traveling halfway around the world to visit me. Cave Ouvert. Surfing.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Dog Days by Florence and the Machine, and Lover Lover by Jared Neimann

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter, I think, but I always get chubby right around now.
c) richer or poorer? Richer! Yessss!!! I guess I did keep that resolution, even if completely by accident.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Run. Learn French. <--- same as last year! But I will also add "work on my thesis"

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Spend money. Watch TV. Stress Out.

20. How did you spend Hanukkah?
Partly with my sister, partly with the rest of my family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
With surfing :) But it was a fleeting affair. And with teaching! All over again.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Covert Affairs or Once Upon a Time

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.

24. What was the best book you read?
In Defense of Food, I think. It was a really interesting read, I felt like I got a lot of good information from it. I also enjoyed The Wheel of Time books, and The Hunger Games, but I'd rank it under Wheel of Time. It did remind me of a lot of other books I've read, though: The Tripod Trilogy and Ender's Game.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Florence and the Machine

26. What did you want and get?
A new wallet :) And a new spillproof trave thermos. And a teaching position, albeit temporary.

27. What did you want and not get?
My car back from the mechanic.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
The King's Speech, I think. I didn't see that many movies.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Last year I turned 29, it was my second day in France and first day at CERN. Sho got me wine and cheese and we had a very French night, ending with crepes with some students from Cornell.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Graduating. Also, having a permanent address. <---- TRUE! STILL TRUE!!!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Still pretty crazy, but a bit more business casual since I was lecturing, and also because I hated the idea of standing out as the American, even though I'm sure I did. More slacks fell into my clothing rotation.

32. What kept you sane?
Running. Friends. Family. Bobbles.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Nobody, really. <--- still true

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Fee hikes in the UC system.

35. Who did you miss?
Friends in different countries.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Avi. It is highly unlikely that he'll read this, though.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
It's important to know yourself. What makes you happy, what makes you secure, what do you seek in others, in your workplace, etc. When you know what you want, going after it is easier.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I don't remember these things! Bah.

Planning

2011-12-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

I have a plan for this week. It's a start. I haven't written it down completely, but I have a rough draft on a text file on my computer. I consider that progress.

I've been getting enough sleep and feeling almost guilty about it. When I wake up I worry that I've slept through an alarm, or that I've missed a meeting. When this isn't the case, guilt turns into relief. I haven't gone running, but I have been stretching and doing small bits of strength training indoors.

My car is finally in the shop. They haven't started working on it because they have to finalize the supplement from the insurance company, which reminds me to file a complaint with the IL Dept of Insurance. It took them until December to send me a check for an accident that happened in September, and they managed to massage the numbers to produce an estimate that was between 2/3 and 1/2 what either of the actual body shops estimated. The only upside is that calling them for this particular issue is no longer my problem.

I'm sitting in the kitchen right now, in the sunny spot by the window, waiting for the car rental agency to call me. Someone was supposed to come pick me up at 11, but when I called at 11:40 they said they didn't have me in the book as a pickup, and the person in the office closest to my house would call me at 12:15. I nixed a morning run because I didn't want to be running late when they arrived, and I opted to work from home this morning because I thought by now I'd have the car. The reason I need the car is that I have jury duty tomorrow. This is certainly turning out to be a good month for stress management. Good in the sense that it's needed, not in the sense that I'm doing well with it. We'll see what happens. Maybe I won't get called for jury duty. Maybe they'll rent me a really awesome car. Maybe when I get back I'll go for a run and it will be the best run ever. Maybe I should get back to work.

December - Manage Stress

2011-12-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

The end of November wasn't particularly successful in terms of my goal to boost my energy. I ran more than I did in October, which was a small success, but my sleeping habits became outrageously erratic because of an analysis project that fell in my lap unexpectedly with a very short timeline attached. That, compounded with my class coming to an end, threw me pretty far off track. My car still hasn't been fixed, so a largely unsatisfying phone call with the insurance company contributed some frustration each week. Half of the project stress came from the fact that I had specifically been told that it would not fall on my doorstep the week before it did. I think I spent a lot of time complaining to whoever would listen.

I had made myself a checklist, which I was sure would keep me on track for November. The fact that I never printed it out and rarely opened the file showed me otherwise. I think the only resolution I maintained was to wash my face every night. Sadly, other factors like excess stress and changing weather resulted in an unfortunate teenager's complexion. This month (I know, getting a late start) I'm going to place a color-coded checklist next to my calendar, hopefully that will remind me more regularly and keep me on track.

This month's topic is stress reduction. At first I thought this was a terrible idea because there are a lot of things stressing me out this month, but then I realized that managing stress at its peak would prove which approaches are effective and which aren't very quickly. It will also be the time when stress management is needed the most. My plan is to plan. I have a lot to do before me, if I can plan out my days very carefully then I should be able to accomplish everything as long as I stick to a schedule, and if I'm falling behind then I can alter my schedule to compensate. I just need to make that schedule...

Making the Rules: A Teaching Post

2011-11-22T09:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend some things happened on campus here which spurred a lot of students to protest. This weekend I also assigned a take-home quiz. This is a post about being nice and being fair.

The day before the quiz, a student emailed me requesting a postponement of the quiz due date. She pointed out that many students had opted to spend their time rallying the student body and being active in what was occurring on campus, and requested that I postpone the quiz to allow more time for students who were otherwise involved. I shrugged to myself and said sure, extending the quiz date by a week. Everyone should be happy with that, right?

Wrong. Another student emailed me this morning, expressing frustration. She and others like her had opted out of demonstrating and spending their time involved in the events on campus, and instead had buckled down and completed the quiz. She pointed out that had she known there would be an extension, she wouldn't have ignored what was going on around her. This was also a valid point. I announced that anyone who met the original deadline would get extra credit.

Now, in retrospect if this happens again I would do it differently. Let's see if anyone else finds a reason to be frustrated.

Score One for the Environment

2011-11-20T23:40:00.000-08:00

I bought an insulated stainless steel kleen kanteen thermos so I can bring coffee to work, or at least not waste a paper cup when I buy coffee from that shed behind the building. Their coffee is so good, and their blueberry bagels are so blue...

update

2011-11-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

I ran yesterday, I am going to interview someone about their job tomorrow, and today I had a really nice glass of red wine and some very tasty ice cream. I'm also about to clean my room, something I haven't done in a loooong time.

Happiness Project Update

2011-11-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

I'm just checking in to say hello and to record my happiness project progress. This weekend there was not a lot of progress! I went running on Sunday and I used the whole weekend to catch up on sleep, but I wasn't as efficient as I wanted to be, my room is still a mess, and I didn't remember my sleep resolution until about 1 a.m. (at which point I went to sleep, to be fair). So, there was a little work toward good health (running and sleep), but I didn't stick to a good sleep schedule, and my room is still messy. I should put together a check list, 5 major topics to address each time. As I have said, this is a work on progress.

I've definitely identified 3 topics for future months: religion, budget, and sustainable lifestyle choices. I'm actually pretty jazzed about both. Seeing as how this month is almost halfway over I should make a better effort to apply the energy/health changes that are relevant right now, though.

Muscle Memory

2011-11-11T23:13:00.000-08:00

Today I went to a yoga class with my housemate. I went to yoga classes pretty regularly with my sister for a year... about three years ago. Maybe four years ago. I keep meaning to go to a class but I never get around to it, so when my housemate asked if I wanted to join her, I jumped at the chance.

A few hours later I found myself in downward dog, one hand on the ground and the other mopping my face in a futile attempt not to drip all over my borrowed mat. The class had begun with some deep breathing and chanting, and I had wondered if this was a meditation class, but soon enough we were moving through vinyasas and warrior poses, breathing up into downward dog and moving onto something else with each exhale. I had forgotten how bad I was at downward dog when I first took a yoga class, and how weak my upper body had been (which is where it is now). I had forgotten that my legs hated warrior 3 pose, until my thigh started to cramp in a vaguely familiar way. I had forgotten how much I enjoy yoga. I had forgotten how enjoyable it is to forget about the ever-present mental to-do list and just focus on the position of your left foot and its connection to the ground, the positioning of your hips, or the curve of your spine.

Class ended with the traditional nap (dead man's pose, or whatever the official name is) and Namaste. I really enjoyed the class, it was relaxing, awakening, and draining all at once. I'd like to go back. In a few days, though, not tomorrow. Tomorrow my shoulders are going to suffer the wrath of a hundred downward dogs.

Clearly, going to a yoga class counts as a point for my Happiness Project :)

Who Am I?

2011-11-09T00:39:00.000-08:00

Oh hi, November. Did you happen to see October on your way in? I seem to have missed it.

In case you didn't notice, there's a trend here. Every few weeks or months I post something. Usually the gist is that I haven't posted in a long while and I'm turning over a new leaf and this is the beginning of a whole slew of posts so watch out! Who am I to go against the trend?

Actually, that is a good question. Who am I? Am I someone who would go against the grain? According to the Myers-Brigs Type Indicator, I am an ESFJ. This means that I am Extraverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging. Yeah, I'm that kind of person. Actually, I took a long slew of questions online that spat out a mostly different personality type (ENFP), but then someone had me guess my type based on some questions and I guessed ESFJ. The descriptions were similar, but the ESFJ profile hits closer to home.

You might be wondering at this point why I have a Type Profile, who was asking me questions, and what I'm babbling about. As my long road through grad school comes to an end, I thought it would be helpful to take a Career Assessment Course. This involves taking a lot of tests to figure out strengths and weaknesses, what attributes I probably want to look for in a job. After spending a looong time in grad school I'm not completely at a loss, but I think that identifying and articulating my strengths, weaknesses, interests and desires in the workplace is a very helpful exercise.

This course is also really helpful for me because this month is the first month of my Happiness Project, and I think planning your future in a way that increases your chance of happiness ties in nicely. Yes, after months and months of dithering we're just jumping into it. My sister and a friend of hers are also starting Happiness Projects of their own. I don't have my whole project set up, but at this rate it was never going to get done. This month's theme is to Boost Energy (yes, I am blatantly stealing the first month's theme from Gretchen Rubin, author of "The Happiness Project"). I'm trying to go to bed earlier (moderate success), eat healthier (also hit and miss), exercise more (success here), reduce clutter (I cleaned my office desk earlier today), and apply the mantra "if not now, when" while still referring to the Important/Urgent Quadrant. I should reread 7 Habits while I'm at it...

My goal is to post every day of this month. It can be something short, just a line or two, but I hope to do it every day, or at least every few days. I want to start documenting the things that I do to increase my happiness. Who knows, it might actually work.

A Swan Dive off the Band Wagon

2011-09-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

Last week I took a serious departure from my paleo diet and HM training. There were pancakes and waffles for breakfast. Fries and fries and polenta fries. I ate cake and garlic bread. I ran twice over the course of ten days. I also went hiking in my two favorite spots. I held a hawk on my arm. I read a book that made me laugh out loud. I finally watched the last Harry Potter film. I went surfing for the first time in my life. I loved every minute of it.

Even though I could barely do anything with my arms for days after the lesson, I really enjoyed surfing. The water was about waist deep and the waves were mellow. I was glad to have a lesson because it took me a while to stand on the board. I found a hundred different ways to fall off the board, but I had a blast.

Now it's back to eating good-for-me things and ratcheting up my mileage in anticipation of the HM in December. I actually lost a couple of pounds last week (I did mention heavy hiking, running, and surfing, right?), but the mopey couple of days that came after Bobbles left involved a lot of not doing much of anything (and a bunch of comfort mac and cheese), so I'm pretty much back to square one. I ran 3.5 miles today and cooked a bunch of veggies this morning. I am NOT looking forward to the 7 mile run this weekend... we'll see how that goes.

Ups and Downs

2011-08-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and I've knocked out my short runs for the week. I ran in my vibrams, cutting up moleskin to take care of the pesky seams. Early in the week I realized that my moleskin supply was running low, so I sucked it up and bought some toe socks. At $10 a pair, these had better hold up. I was worried that they wouldn't fit in my vibrams because they already feel snug when I'm barefoot. They felt fine, though, and I made it through the run without any raw spots on my feet. Hurray! I keep running through the thought circle that a lack of bad blisters isn't a good thing but rather a very reasonable thing to expect, but then I remind myself that on the few occasions when I ran in my mizuno shoes without socks I wound up with giant blisters in the exact same spots. Most shoes just need socks, I guess. Pain-free run = an up in my book.

The downside, beyond what I'm about to write below, was that I tripped and fell while I was running. Luckily my palms and joints emerged unscathed, I've got a minor scrape near my elbow and near my knee but I'd say disaster was averted. Still, this counts as a down.

Yesterday I didn't run, but I did walk my 3 miles. I managed to lock myself out of the house with no phone, and proceeded to walk around the neighborhood until my sister came home. Her shift had officially ended a half hour before I locked myself out, but that meant she could be home any minute or she could be home in a few hours. Luckily it was a little after 6 so the temperature had just settled into that cool pleasant early evening range. I walked through parts of my run route and counted ten cats. I picked some figs from our side yard and ate them on a park bench in the vast median near the house. I visited a water fountain a few blocks away. On my third circuit walk, I encountered my sister heading home. Joy! I tagged along with her and a friend for dinner and had fish tacos. The taco shell and rice weren't paleo friendly (yes, I'm doing a modified paleo again), but I had been dreaming about fish tacos for days and I figured that fish tacos are really mostly fish and veggies. Also, did I mention that I had been locked out of my house for two hours? A small morale boost was in order. It was delicious.

Tonight Bobbles arrives for a 10 day visit. Hurray! He's also doing a modified paleo diet, and I know we've talked about running, hiking, working out, and doing Aikido, so it should be a fun and very active week and a half.

Long Run #1

2011-08-22T18:30:00.001-07:00

The first long run of my training schedule was 5 miles. It felt like five miles, which is to say that it felt really really long. At the halfway point I started wondering how, and why, I ever finished training for the first half marathon. It only gets harder. After my run I stretched and panted and just sat down and tried to will myself to stop sweating profusely. Eventually it worked. Based on my dim memories, even though this first long run was hard, last year's first few long runs were much harder. In particular, I still remember the first 6 or 7 mile run being absolutely miserable. I'm also keeping my previous ankle injury in mind and taking care to stretch before and after running. My toes look pretty bad, the bottoms of my feet are full of blisters and callouses from my vibrams. Still, I think they're doing me more good than bad, and as soon as I get a pair of socks to wear with them it will be all good.

Welcome (Back) to HM Training

2011-08-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Once again, I'm training for a half marathon. I'm currently mapping out my long run for the week (which will get longer and longer as the weeks go by... let's not talk about it). When I got back into the country, I took about a month off from running or doing anything athletic, unless you count the quarter mile mad dash to catch the bus in the mornings. A couple of months ago Demonic Blonde told me she was going to run a half marathon... and so was I. I ran a half marathon last year with Bobbles, we started training together and followed the same training routine ourselves when I moved west. We finished together in 2:06:27. This year my goal is to finish within 2 hours. In reality, my goal is to train for the half marathon. I briefly considered trying to run the full marathon, but I don't think I could train safely or successfully for a marathon in the time between now and the race.

This week has been the first week of earnest training. I fit in two 3 mile runs and am about to head out for a 5 mile run. This week's schedule was supposed to include three 3 mile runs, but I spent a day helping friends move and I figured that was enough activity for the day. I'm going to try really hard to stick to the schedule, though, because even though DB and I are both running the race, I'm training alone right now, and I'm not the best self-motivator. Obviously this is something I should work on. Perhaps this training would count as part of my happiness project, pursuing goals or something.

Once I got back to the states I purchased a new pair of running shoes. I embraced the hype and purchased a pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes. They felt strange at first, people repeatedly said that they should fit like gloves and I usually wear roomy running shoes. The first time I ran in them, they gave me blisters. To be fair, I wasn't wearing socks and all of my previous shoes have done the same thing without socks. They also made my calves ridiculously sore. After a while the soreness went away, and a pair of toe socks fixed the blisters. I really like them, now.

Alright, time for the long run. Next time, we'll return to one of my favorite topics (food!) and I'll tell you about my diet changes. I might even throw in something about work, research, and other life topics. Maybe.

Twist Twist

2011-08-03T23:47:00.000-07:00

I'm reading "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan, a book about how out of touch Americans have become with what they eat. Food topics fascinate me. I think I'll spend a Happiness Month on Food. I would like to develop better eating habits, but I also enjoy topics related to food. I like reading books about food, articles about food, blogs about cooking and baking and dietary issues. Spending a month indulging in these interests, maybe trying some new recipes or taking a cooking class, would certainly make me happier. That's not my point, however. My point is this: Pollan dismisses the Lipid Hypothesis, and argues that fat should simply be eaten in moderation, like all other things. I don't know anything about food science or even much about basic biology, but he notes that perhaps there is a reason that you find fat-soluble vitamins in naturally fatty milk. Neat idea! I'm convinced! Totally on board. Back to whole fat milk, for my health.

(While I was in France, I drank a fair amount of whole fat milk and super fatty cheese. Some of the milk came from a milk machine, which I'm pretty sure wasn't even pasteurized; it went from cow to machine to my bottle. It was delicious. A small glass of milk was like drinking dessert, it felt decadent. Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to go back to whole fat milk.)

Oh yeah... FYI, I'm Stateside

2011-08-03T23:38:00.001-07:00

Did I mention that I returned to the US and am now back in California? I spent several weeks upon my return practically skipping from place to place, brimming with joy at being back in familiar environs and seeing faces I had missed. I wanted to sprawl across the grass like the many fatty catties in the neighborhood and soak up the sunshine and phenomenally good weather. I ran a lab during the first summer session which came and went in a snap. I've been living with my sister and we've been bantering around as we do, prompting people all over the place to stop and ask if we're sisters. Furthermore, it looks like I'll be in the US, in California, for the rest of 2011, with the exception of a few planned trips to the Midwest.

Now I think you're all caught up.

A project

2011-07-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

My sister read a book entitled "The Happiness Project," and she urged me to read it, as well. I raced with a friend and tore through it in a week, and now I'm skimming it again to take notes. The book is about one woman's year-long attempt to infuse her life with more happiness. I feel like I've let a lot of things I care about and enjoy slip out of my life as I've moved back and forth over the years, so this would be a good thing for me to do to bring some things back into my life and be more active about deciding my course. I've always been an easygoing person, but there is a difference between being flexible and having a voice and direction, and I think being more critical and aware of what I do and how I do it will make me happier in the short term and the long term. If all goes well, if I see this project through to fruition, and if I return to a more frequent posting schedule, then we'll see how this goes.

I am Le Tired

2011-06-06T07:43:00.001-07:00

Today I am smack-dab in the middle of two weeks of on-call service. This means that I am the on-call trouble shooter/operator/expert for one particular type of round-the-clock shifts. In the past, these have been quiet weeks. I carry an extra phone and maybe once or twice a week I run a shift taker through some trouble shooting and contact a higher-up if necessary. This has been different.

First of all, our detector is taking data, and lots of it. We recorded as many collision events in the past weekend as we did in the entire year of 2010. When something goes wrong, you want to fix it ASAP because every hour is precious, every hour brings us leaps and bounds closer to potential discoveries.

Second of all... have I mentioned that I've broken something like 5 (before it was 4, but I lost a dessert dish and some tasty cheese two nights ago) dishes in the past 30 days? You could say I'm having a run of funny luck.

So, between those two, I should not be surprised by the volume of calls I have received in the last week between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. I'm not angered by these calls, the caller always has a good reason and responds to my groggy grumble with something very apologetic. It's just that between the pre-dawn wake-up calls, the 10 a.m. meetings (through the weekend), and the overnight shift from Thursday/Friday, I'm a bit sleepy. It's been a while since I had more than four hours of consecutive sleep. I know that my doctor sister does that all the time, but I don't know how. I woke up at 4 p.m. on Sunday wondering what time it was, what day it was, and whether I had missed a meeting, and it took a good long time for me to figure out any of those.

Let's hope this week is better than the last.

These Conversations are Real

2011-05-25T03:51:00.001-07:00

Friend: Whenever a character in a book is clumsy, I feel like this an author's lazy attempt at defining a character. Bella Swan has no character, so we'll make her clumsy.

Me: No, Bella's also reserved and caring and... full of martyrdom. Her clumsiness is a metaphor for how badly she fits into her life as a human. She feels out of place until she becomes a vampire, then she becomes graceful and powerful.

Friend: People aren't that clumsy in real life, though, they aren't falling all over everything.

Me: I've broken four things in the kitchen this month.

Friend: Well, then YOU are that clumsy. Your only option is to become a vampire. Have you considered this?

Left Field

2011-05-23T07:19:00.001-07:00

me: "I went to Geneva earlier."
Bobbles: "Oh, which bank did you rob?"

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 30

2011-05-02T04:43:00.000-07:00

Last Day! Last Day! Woohoo!

Today I'm supposed to post a picture of myself taken today and list 3 good things that have happened in the last 30 days. Here's a picture of me, taken only moments ago in my apartment. Do you like my shirt? I do! Thanks, Mom! It's sunny and gorgeous outside today, but I am beset by allergies. That's life, I suppose. The second half of this assignment will follow in list form:

1. I got to travel around Switzerland, through the alps, with friends. I love to travel, I enjoy a good adventure, and this is a trip I never would have made on my own. I'm glad they invited me, and I'm glad I took the advice of everyone who told me to go and enjoy myself.
2. I got to spend (relatively lots of) time with Bobbles. Even though having to return for a visa was frustrating, I enjoyed getting to spend time with my boyfriend. Email and skype are nice but not the same as spending time together.
3. I got a new laptop! It's fantastic! It's fast and quiet and the battery lasts a long time. It does everything I want it to. And now I don't have to worry about it completely failing on me in a foreign country.

Fin! Done! I have completed the challenge. Let's see if my blogging frequency stays buoyed or falls back to previous, pathetic levels. I'm hoping for the latter, personally.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 29

2011-05-01T05:54:00.001-07:00

What is something you never get tired of doing?

I am going to copy Adriana and say that I never get tired of reading. I love reading books, I always have. Some topics are more interesting than others, and there's usually a good bit of fluff reading in there, but books can be informative, transformative, exciting, suspenseful, educational, enlightening, funny, sad, and almost anything else you can imagine. I devour books, I will stay up all night reading books, thinking, "Just one more chapter..." I love reading books for my own entertainment and learning purposes as well as reading with other people so we can talk about it. A new set of eyes can find things I would have missed, and I enjoy going over the especially delicious parts of a plot with someone who also enjoyed it.

I just recently finished the second to last Wheel of Time book, as well as "The Last Time I was Me" by Cathy Lamb. I'm working through Christopher Hitchen's The Case Against God, because it's here (in France) and in English. I can't wait until I get back to the US, though. Last year I was at a work-related dinner and through the conversation we realized that I was the only one in the bunch (of academics!) with a library card. I'd had to buy that library card, too, since I didn't have a permanent address in the area. Someone shook my hand. I bought the library card because I thought it would be cheaper than buying new books. I'm pretty sure I was right.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 28

2011-04-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

WHAT is your favorite color?

No, kidding! Today's topic of blogversation is my favorite movie. What is my favorite movie, you ask? For a very long time my favorite movie was Pride and Prejudice. However, folks, I think the tides are changing. For a little while now, I've been more inclined to pop in Sense and Sensibility than Pride and Prejudice. Maybe that's because Sense and Sensibility is shorter. Maybe I'm just getting older and appreciating different characters differently. I've always enjoyed Sense and Sensibility, the acting is great and I could watch Emma Thompson all day long. I like how she deals with the world falling down around her repeatedly with such great calm and outer practicality, and at the same time my heart breaks for her. I also think Ang Lee's movie is visually stunning, every moment is pleasing to the eye, and there is something lovely about the scene where Willouhby leaves and everyone runs to their room to have a cry, leaving Elinor to sit on the stairs and have tea.

For a while I was very taken with Persuasion, and while I still like it very much (Ciarn Hinds!), it's not my favorite. After I watched the movie, I reread the book and found more in common with the character, who is closer in age to me than Jane or Lizzie Bennett. However, the movie doesn't match up to the others. Some lines and actions in the movie are making reference to things which are fleshed out in the book but thinly referenced in the movie to the point where unless you are paying very sharp attention you cannot understand otherwise. For instance, why the Viscountess might snub the Elliots, or Mrs. Clay's full situation. Also, in the book it sounded like Anne's cousin had some financial schemes for marrying her, but also had some sincere fondness for her, which I felt didn't really translate to the movie. It's a good movie, but I feel it could be greater.

S&S and P&P, however, are wonderful and I have watched them both many times, and certainly will watch them again many more. Two thumbs up!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 27

2011-04-29T05:15:00.001-07:00

Today I will show you a picture of me a year ago, a picture of me now, and talk about how I've changed.

This first picture is a little over a year old, it was taken in early April of last year while I was in Toronto with my family. One of my sisters took this picture, we're goofing off in the hotel room and getting settled. I'm wearing the quietest shirt I brought, I packed all of my yellow and orange sweaters because someone had said that they would bring theirs, as well. Guess who was the only one wearing a bright yellow sweater? I can tell you that at that moment, I was happy to be with my family and enjoying the adventure.

This second picture was taken less than a week ago, on Sunday morning. I am in Chur with some friends, taking a picture with the Honky Tonk music festival sign before boarding the Glacier Express. I'm toting a yellow purse (I'd had a different yellow purse in Toronto) and acting just as goofy, even though I'm out in public instead of in a hotel room. Like the previous picture, I'm happy to be spending time with friends, though in this case I'm getting to know them better. I'm also enjoying the adventure.

I honestly don't know that I've changed much in the last year. I'm more anxious to graduate and enter the world of permanent residences and jobs. I'm older. I have more stamps in my passport. In most ways, though, I am very much the same. Still a graduate student. Still missing my friends and family. Still very goofy. If anyone can think of some obvious way in which I have changed in the last year, I would love to hear it.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 26

2011-04-28T03:05:00.000-07:00

Today's Challenge: A photo of somewhere I've been.Again, this is a timely post because I just got back from a trip around Switzerland. I went with some friends and visited Lausanne, Zurich, Chur, and Zermatt in about 48 hours. If you look at a map of Switzerland you will see that this is actually covers a lot o the country. It was a lot of fun, I enjoyed seeing everything (it was all new to me) and was lucky to enjoy fine weather and excellent, easy-going, entertaining company throughout the trip. These pictures are from the train ride we took from Chur to Zermatt on the Glacier Express.The Glacier Express is a 6 or 7 hours train ride through the Swiss Alps. It is very picturesque and most of the train itself is windows. We rode atop snowy mountains and down through tiny old towns dotting the valleys. We saw old buildings made of stone and dark wood, some with shale rooves, always near a gothic or Medieval stylized church, usually with a tall clock tower shooting up above the roof tops. We saw black and white goats, cows with giant bells around their necks, and we even saw a glacier. We passed incredibly blue rivers and lakes, steep and jagged mountains, and fields full of flowers. It was really a beautiful trip. I kept thinking, "You are IN THE ALPS! This is INCREDIBLE." It was also amazing to see people everywhere. No matter how cold and snowy or remote a spot we were passing, there were walkways, hiking paths, benches for resting, and people dressed for the weather, enjoying the outdoors. The Swiss and their tourists really love nature. Then again, I can easily see the appeal of staying at a remote B&B and spending days exploring the area. The ride ended at Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn. The peak was wrapped in clouds, but it was still easy to see. The Matterhorn, the lovely little buildings, and the cheerful people kept making me think of Disneyland. Who knew Disneyland was such a cultural experience!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 25

2011-04-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

This challenge is titled "What's in your purse."

Right now, the only thing that might be in my purse is an old receipt. Rather than carry a purse, I usually bring a backpack to work since I lug around a laptop. If we tweak this challenge to be "What's in your backpack," then the answer becomes more interesting. Actually, it just becomes longer.

Today, for instance, you could find the following things in my backpack:
Food: A Klean Kanteen water canteen, tupperware that held chicken salad (which I'm eating right now. Nom nom nom), an apple, and a carrot.
Technology: My laptop, laptop charger, US phone, Swiss phone, headphones, and camera.
School Things: my research notebook and four pens.
Personal Items: my wallet, passport, keys, Burt's Bees chaptstick (or two), Burt's Bees cuticle cream, hand lotion, tissues (allergy season is upon us!), two coffee pods, and a pack of gum.

As you can see, I carry around a lot of stuff. I probably don't need four pens or the cuticle cream (I'm really not sure why that's in there), and I've heard that there's a machine in R1 that takes the coffee pods but I haven't seen it yet. Removing those items makes the tiniest of dents, though. Maybe one day I'll work in a place where I won't have to bring in my laptop and I'll only have one cell phone. Until then, I don't have a purse large enough to meet my needs, and the backpack spreads the burden equally on my shoulders.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 24

2011-04-26T05:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of something that means a lot to me:
Bobbles! Yes, my boyfriend means a lot to me, but this specific picture captures something that means a lot to me (other than him. And coffee). This picture was taken at CERN, on the balcony of Restaurant 2. He made the long trip across the Atlantic to come visit me at CERN, and of all the wonderful coffee and pastry places in Switzerland and France, I took him to the cafeteria near my office. I couldn't spend all of our time together traveling and having fun because I was on shift for part of his visit, and had to work, but he took it in stride. While I'm sure it was a great experience for him to spend time in Europe, I was very touched that he would travel halfway around the world to a tiny town in France to see me. It still gets me a bit choked up, actually. Bobbles being supportive and understanding of my grad school time and location demands means a lot to me.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 23

2011-04-25T04:21:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you something about myself. 15 somethings, to be precise. The daily blog challenge tells me to.

1. I like to write. I always have. How that makes sense with pursuing the sciences, I'm not really sure.
2. I dislike making plans. I find planning to be extremely stressful.
3. At the same time, I find situations where nobody has any semblance of a plan to be equally distressing.
3. I like to travel.
4. I have never had a cavity.
5. I run for fun and stress relief.
6. I have a big family.
7. When I smile I show both rows of my teeth. Most people don't.
8. I love to read. I absolutely love to read.
9. I can fall asleep almost anywhere.
10. I like cooking. It can be relaxing, challenging, social, and fun. And it usually precedes eating, which is something you all know I definitely like.
11. I can recite the Jabberwocky poem. My Mom used to recite the Jabberwocky poem as a bedtime story, with the lights out and her vorpal flashlight blade going snicker-snak!
12. I am not very coordinated.
13. I have pretty bad seasonal allergies.
14. I wish I could play the violin.
15. I wanted to run a marathon until I ran a half marathon. Now I'm content to keep my normal running schedule.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 22

2011-04-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Today I am supposed to write a letter to someone who hurt me recently.
I am drawing a blank. I can't think of anyone who hurt me recently. Since I currently live on the other side of the ocean from all my loved ones and most of my acquaintances and have minimal interaction with other people due to the nature of my work and current location, drama has been at a relative low lately. I will write a letter to someone with whom I have some friction, but it's ongoing rather than recent, and it's something I can live with. It's the kind of stuff that makes you blow off steam when you're hanging out with friends, not curl in a corner and cry.

Dear Person I Know,

It hurts and angers me when I hear about problems that we have from other people, which are mostly problems that you have with me. I wish you would discuss your concerns with me first, rather than let them trickle down through the grapevine. Sometimes these third person tales are the first I've heard of this problem at all. I worry that it hurts my standing with these people who work with me, it generates awkward conversations, and I feel like you expect these third parties to fix the problems. This generates more resentment from me than resolve to improve. I don't feel comfortable confiding in you because I assume that whatever I tell you will be retold soon and frequently. You probably won't change, but I wish I understood why you act this way, why you think it's ok to act this way.

Respectfully,
Carley

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 21

2011-04-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Today you shall see a picture of something that makes me happy.

I took the above picture yesterday from the top of Le Reculet, one of the highest mountain tops in the Jura (I think) after a hike. It's kind of hazy so it's hard to tell, but beyond the green mountain top (and the ice patch!) you can see St Genis, Thoiry, and all the towns across to Geneva. I could see Lake Geneva, and even the Jet D'eau! It was a serious climb and took us about two hours. Once at the top, we sat and had a French picnic: sausage, cheese, French bread (or matzah), strawberries, apples, oranges, and various nuts and dried fruits. The climb was a bit challenging but I enjoyed it. Lots of people had their alpinstocks! We didn't see any cows because they haven't been moved up to the mountains yet but we did see some mountain goats, a fossilized shell imprint in the rock, rock foundations from old homes that no longer exist, and lovely wooded areas. I even heard a cuckoo bird! I'm not entirely sure if it was a cuckoo bird or a cuckoo clock, though. We only passed one intact home, and it looked old and mostly made of stone, and nobody seemed to be living there, so I don't know where else someone would have had a cuckoo clock. On the other hand, I heard it at 3:59. You be the judge.
I enjoy hiking and spending time outdoors, and I always wish I could spend more time enjoying nature, so yesterday's hike made me very happy.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 20

2011-04-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today's challenge is to describe the meaning behind my blog name.

My blog name references the Standard Model of Particle Physics (SM), and Beyond the Standard Model physics models (BSM). My thesis deals with searching for evidence of specific particle interactions in excess of SM predictions, thereby indicating BSM physics. The Standard Model provides us models to describe the electroweak and strong forces between particles, the strength of these forces, what kinds of interactions are allowed, and how frequently they occur. Let's say I was counting the number of specific interactions that occur (say, the interaction where two quarks produce a Z boson which immediately decays into an electron and a positron), and the Standard Model said that out of a million quark interactions, M interactions would produce a Z boson, and N of those Z bosons would decay into an electron-positron pair. If I counted way more than N of these kinds of interactions out of a million quark interactions, or way less than N (and I did a lot of other tests to make sure I wasn't make an obvious mistake!), it would look like there were some interaction rules or some force that I didn't know about that were having an effect: BSM physics. BSM is the general name for any theoretical model of physics that adds on to SM, and includes SuperSymmetry, extra dimension models, and Technicolor, to name a few.

So now you know!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 19

2011-04-21T09:33:00.001-07:00

Today I'm supposed to post a picture of myself.

Well! If I had the foresight to look ahead, I would not have posted a picture of me smiling at cake yesterday! I don't take a lot of pictures of myself, so this one is from January, when Sho and I walked around Geneva. You can't actually see Geneva in the background because we're back at CERN and it's dark anyway.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 18

2011-04-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Day 18: Something you crave a lot.

When I began this challenge, I didn't realize that this post would fall in the middle of Passover, and a few weeks into my dabbling with paleo food. As you can guess, right now I'm craving a lot of things. Here is a picture of two things that I crave often: pastries and coffee with lots of milk. Pastries are a no-no both during Passover and in a paleo diet, and dairy is frowned upon in a paleo diet. I really like a cup of milk with some coffee in it. Today I actually broke down and had a cappucino (I haven't been very paleo strict since I got to France) because I could not keep my eyes open, and I needed a carrot to get myself to keep working. It was delicious.

As for the pastries, when I was flying from Chicago to Geneva there was a piece of cake in my in-flight meal. I stared at it, debated with myself, and wound up eating it slowly, trying to savor it. The experience was a let down. It made it easier to resolve to choose my cheats with more discrimination. Cake should be awesome, not just available. Like this one (which was flourless and delicious! Evonne made it, and Emanuelle decorated). Lastly, I often crave salty, briny things. I love pickles and most pickled things: pickles, mango pickle, olives of all kinds, and even kimchi. I probably crave those things more consistently than sweets. The reason they make the bottom of the list is because I don't have any hesitation to give in to those cravings, so they generate less debate and guilt in my mind.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 17

2011-04-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

Today I am supposed to post a picture of me and my family. I don't think I will, because I doubt that all of my family members want their faces strewn about the internet. I'm aiming for something that shows my family without showing them.
This is a picture of me and my Dad, we're walking along the beach. This was taken a few years ago, on one of my visits home between a Fermilab/Davis transfer. It was taken by my Mom, I think. The day was cool, as it usually is at the beach, but it was also beautiful. There was a ship with a tall sail in the distance, and sea shells galore. Beach tar galore, as well. It's a good example of family trips, which involve walking around, eating, napping, and... more of that. We enjoy each others' company, and we are generally full of conversation.
I'm not really sure who this is on the left, but I know it's one of my siblings. This person can represent all of my siblings. We are a silly bunch. Sometimes we don't like our pictures to be taken, though usually we will ham it up for a camera, especially if we're together. I have a big family, and I think we're pretty good at getting along. We're also good at eating, hence, the picture on the right. You're looking at ruggelach with sprinkles on them, made for a Hanukkah party a little over a year ago. All the females were in the kitchen working on cookies and latkes. We like to cook and eat and feed each other.
So there you have it, to represent my family I have chosen pictures of a walk on the beach, someone swathed in blankies watching tv, and cookies. Looks good to me.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 16

2011-04-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

I know you all can't wait to find out my celebrity crush!

It's not Colin Firth! Can you manage the shock? He did come to mind, though, so I guess that counts for something. My current celebrity crush at the moment is Ciaran Hinds, though I'm not sure if it's actually Ciaran Hinds or the character he plays in Persuasion. I tend to crush on characters more than people, because then I know their (character) personalities, and if we're going to have a fantasy crush why not take it all the way to to a very fictional place?

It's the first night of passover, and I've got a shank bone to roast. Chag sameach, everyone!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 15

2011-04-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

Something you don't leave the house without.

I rarely leave the house without my cell phone. In fact, these days I rarely leave the house without my cell phones, one for the US and a local one. It is rare indeed when people call me here, but incredibly useful otherwise. Neither of my phones has internet capabilities but being able to call someone, make plans, ask questions, and make quick notes for myself is very handy. I think that if I did have internet capability on my phone I would never put it down, I would just constantly check my email. Internet capable phones also appear more fragile, and my phones have to survive several drops over the course of their lives. I won't say I never leave the house without a phone because I am very forgetful. For the same reason, I didn't say keys, glasses, or wallet. Life would be easier if I always remembered these things, but then I would probably be a different person.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 14

2011-04-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today I am supposed to tell you about a TV show I am currently addicted to watching. Luckily, I'm not actually addicted to any tv shows since I can't watch them from France. I do watch some shows more than others, though, and if I had to pick a favorite it would be Bones. Bones is a murder mystery show in which an FBI agent (David Borneaz, of former Buffy/Angel fame) and a forensic anthropologist (Emily Deschanel) team up to solve murder mysteries. There's a bit of detective work, some fun science, and I like the characters and find their relationships to be engaging. I'm rooting for them to be happy. I especially like Deschanel's character, Dr. Brennan aka "Bones," because she's so socially awkward but well-meaning.

So, if you like detective/murder-catching shows, check this one out.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 13

2011-04-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

Today I am supposed to tell you about my favorite musician. Unsurprisingly, I don't have a favorite musician (I'm terrible at making decisions, how could I choose just one?). I have a few favorites, there are songs that I play again and again on iTunes, so I'll give you a selection of musicians whose work I greatly enjoy.

Allison Kraus - I've like Allison Kraus songs since I was a little girl, and I still love them now, so she might count as my longest liked musician. Her songs are sweet and fun to sing along with. When I hear Allison Kraus songs I am transported back to my Mom's old car and I am approximately 8 years old, with a few exceptions. When my boyfriend drives his pickup along backroads to avoid traffic, and Allison Kraus starts playing, I feel like I'm living some kind of stereotype involving country roads, pickups, and fiddle music.

Incubus - When I was in high school the music teacher gave one of my classes a lesson something about music, I don't remember what exactly. I only remember he mentioned that some bands use bass guitars to set the beat instead of percussion instruments, and he used Incubus as an example, then said that these were bands we had probably never heard of. Since I had in fact heard of Incubus, I wrote him off as a pompous ass and stopped listening. I haven't listened to Incubus since the last time my computer was wiped, but I like a lot of their songs. I like their energy and their literary allusions. They are remarkably easy to sing along to. I went to a concert of theirs when I was in college. Yay, Incubus!

And.... actually, I'll just leave you with those two. There are so many others, and those aren't always my favorites, but they have a surprising amount of staying power.

In other news... I'm in the Amsterdam airport right now! It is the best airport ever. Details and pictures will follow in a day or two.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 12

2011-04-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

A photo of the town you live in.

Today's assignment seems particularly funny since I am en route to CERN right now. I seem to live all over these days. Most of my worldly possessions live at my parents' house. My sister now owns most my furniture. My boyfriend has a few boxes full of my flotsam and jetsum in his spare room. I own a car in Illinois. I have a CA license. My mailing address is in France. So where do I live?
This is a picture of the town of St Genis Pouilly, with the Jura mountains in the background. I will spend nearly half of this year living in France. It's a small town, but it's cute, and I like the adventure of it. I also like the bakeries, which don't really jive with a paleo diet. Sigh... as I spend more time there, I find more things to like. The river walk is very pretty, nearby Sergy has a lot of old stone buildings that are fun to walk around. I've also met a lot of nice grad students who live nearby, and in any town my favorite spot is usually the living room of a friend.

This is a picture taken at the Farmer's Market in Davis, CA. It's a Saturday in spring time and the market is full of people and tasty things. I love going to the Farmer's Market, I like fresh, seasonal, locally grown food, and I like the people there. I also like the town of Davis. I like being able to ride my bike everywhere, I like the food and the coffee availability, and I like the small downtown area. I also like the parks. Somewhere in this post you'll see a picture of me at Pirate Park.
Lastly, here are some pictures of the the area around Fermilab. I lived there for a year, and I've made several multi-month visits. The first time I visited the Midwest I didn't like it. It was humid, there were no mountains, there were mosquitos everywhere, and it seemed like people just wasted space because everything was so spread out. These things are all true (in the summer. Winter has it's own issues), but I gradually found things to like, as well. Thunderstorms are beautiful and lightning bugs are amazing. The working environment at Fermilab is very friendly and encouraging. People are nice. The greater Chicagoland area has a lot of park space. Chicago itself is an impressive town, I've taken three architectural tours and hope to take many more. I've visited amazing museums. I didn't totally drink the kool aid, it's a flawed land. It's still just as flat and spread out as when I first arrived, and the mosquitos only disappear when the snow takes over. Still, I've found positives, and I like it out here.

The real question is: where will my hometown be when I graduate?

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 11

2011-04-13T08:05:00.001-07:00

Today's assignment is to reveal what you would find in my makeup bag. I was going to take a picture of my makeup bag, but (1) I forgot and (2) it's not really much to look at. I use a big clinique makeup bag, the kind that comes with giveaways, it has a light green wave patten on the outside. Inside of this makeup bag you will find my toothbrush, Tom's of Maine toothpaste, dental floss, my contact case, a small bottle of contact solution, spare contacts, tweezers, and two ziplock baggies. One holds a razor and the other actually holds my makeup, so I guess technically that is my makeup bag. In the baggie you will find mascara, two eyeliner pencils of considerable age, lip gloss, and something that looks like a syringe full of acne-fighting concealer, I think. These are mostly used when one of my sisters wants to do my makeup, though I do swipe on mascara from time to time. I get the feeling that people are generally more stylish in Europe, so that's my attempt at blending in. Mostly, though, I am lazy. I keep all of these things in a big makeup bag because it's easy to transport. I move a bit, and even when I'm not moving I'm often sharing living space with people, and I like to keep track of my toothbrush. It's also easy to grab and take to the gym if I leave early in the morning.

Update from Day 9

2011-04-12T08:32:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I made another purchase, a much more awesome purchase.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 10

2011-04-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

Would you like to see a picture of my favorite place to eat?? Well, you'll have to follow this link to Sophia's Thai Kitchen. It's a Thai restaurant in Davis, CA. I have been told that it is not the most authentic Thai, but I will assure you that it is delicious. I have had many many happy lunches there with friends and Batty. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of Sophia's. Initially, my reaction is to resolve to take pictures the next time I'm there, to take more pictures of the tasty and lovely food, and to capture these good and fun times. However, I spend less time in Davis than I used to, and I can't honestly say that the next time I'm out eating I'll remember to take these pictures. Let's be honest, how many pictures of my meals do y'all want to see?

Close runners-up include: Dos Coyotes in the Davis and Sacramento area, which has delicious Tex-Mex food and lively, colorful decor; Paesano's in Sacramento, home to really nice sangria, polenta fries, and (sometimes) really good basil mojitos; and Jurin, a Japanese restaurant run by two Japanese guys in Geneva, IL that has really excellent, fresh sushi and lots of other tasty things. Sadly, the same problem exists that I don't have any pictures of these places.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 9

2011-04-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

Today you get to see a picture of the last thing I purchased!

Technically, I most recently purchased some vegetables and almond milk, as well as some meat and fruit, but I don't think you want a picture of my groceries. Fun fact: a grocer once told me to test the ripeness of a melon by putting the palms of your hands on the end, stick your elbows out and apply pressure. A ripe melon should have a little give.

My most recent non-edible purchase was this shirt.
It was on clearance, and I figured one day I'll have a job that might require me to wear stuff like this. It is also not see-through, which is a big plus in my book. I actually bought a few shirts while I was here in the US, and I plan to buy a pair of flip flops before I leave because clothing seems to be expensive in Europe. My feet know that it's spring, and these Cali toes yearn to be free.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 8

2011-04-10T20:24:00.001-07:00

Day 8: A song to match your mood

I'm not much of a music person. I like music, I enjoy it and listen to it, I even have an ipod. However, I don't have a favorite band, I don't go to concerts unless I'm keen on the company, and most of my music was picked out by others. Lucky for me, my loved ones have very good taste in music.

Here is a song to match my mood:
"When You Say Nothing At All," by Allison Kraus.
I actually just opened up iTunes, and it was one of the first songs I saw. I have always liked Allison Kraus, though, her songs are often on my favorites list, and have been since I was little. The pace of the song matches the pace of my day, and as I'm ready to go to bed and in the same time zone as my sweetheart, it feels like a good pick.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 7

2011-04-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

This post is a day late! The draft was sitting, ready to be sent out, but I forgot. Mea Culpa.

Day 7: Describe your dream wedding.

My parents got married in the company of fewer than a dozen people, in the courtyard of their synagogue, and went out to dinner to celebrate. My Mom wore a dress that she liked, it was lilac. This might help you understand why I don't really have a dream wedding, a vision of me in white walking down rows of seats, of a dj playing our song and streamers in our color theme. I already had most of that at my Bat Mitzvah, and I don't need to do it again. I don't like to plan parties (or anything else), I'm not much of a dancer, and I don't like to get dressed up. However, there are some elements I would like to incorporate into my wedding, if I can. If I can't, no big deal.

I would like to get married outside. This could mean a park, a courtyard, or someone's backyard, I don't care. I just think it would be nice to be outside. If I had to reserve a place, I would like to hold it in a park simply because I think that parks across the nation are underfunded and I would like to put my money into something I enjoy. If I gave out party favors, I would like them to be something useful (or edible) and not another paperweight that eventually gets donated to goodwill. I would like to have good food. This could mean adjourning to a bbq joint, as long as it's good bbq. Or we could bring the bbq to the park! I'd like to get married in a dress I can wear again in my life. I think that's it: reusable dress, small crowd, food, happiness, outdoors if possible. A friend of mine got married in Muir Woods and followed the ceremony with a potluck and a game of frisbee. It sounded like a great wedding to me.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 6

2011-04-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

Day 6: Post a picture of a pet you would like to have.

Hello, Ladies...
Chickens! One day, I would like to live in a house permanently, without moving every few months or even every year, and when I settle into this house, I would really like some backyard hens. I have no idea how to train a dog, and I'm allergic to cats. Chickens, however, go about their business, peck and bugawk and make eggs. Sounds good to me! I guess there would be some other issues: the town I live in would have to allow backyard chickens (hens, no roosters; I won't be the neighborhood alarm clock) and I'd need a yard big enough for chickens. These aren't insurmountable. So, at some point in the future, y'all should come to my house for some omelets!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 5

2011-04-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Day 5: A photo of yourself two years ago.

Let's go back, way back. Back to April of 2009. Where on earth was I in April of '09...
As luck would have it, I did find a solo picture of me from April of 2009. I began April of '09 in Davis, took my oral exam, was invited to retake said oral exam (read: did not pass), jetted off to Vegas, and then took an even longer flight to Fermilab for a 3 month stay. In this picture, I am feeding CBTL tea to a native of the FAO Schwartz store in Las Vegas. Despite feeling miserable about having to retake my orals, I'm smiling. I had a wonderful time in Vegas. I went with two friends and we spent the whole time walking, talking, eating (do we sense a theme in my life??), and reading by the pool. One of my friends was pregnant at the time (many references were made to the "tadpole"), and she took great delight in dictating what the rest of us would imbibe. We spent the last night in Vegas in a way that is probably uncharacteristic of Vegas, but very characteristic of us: we got Chinese takeout and watching episodes of Firefly on the enormous tv in our room.

At that moment in time, I was really enjoying the trip and the company of my friends, but I felt a little adrift in life. I worried about retaking my oral exams, whether grad school had been the right life choice for me, whether I would be funded next year, whether I should change focus and start on a new project and call the past couple of years a loss. I wasn't where I wanted to be in life. I suppose the point of this assignment is to compare '09 me to '11 me. I passed my oral exam the second time around, I did get funding, and I'm at the tail end of graduate school, so things worked out fairly well. On the other hand, I still feel unsettled in life (which is probably how you're supposed to feel in graduate school, everything about this screams "temporary condition"), I'm not quite where I want to be, but I'm working on getting there.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 4

2011-04-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Today's assignment is to post my favorite picture of my favorite friend.

This sounds tricky and makes me want to cheat. I have a small group of amazing friends. I mean, I have a lot of amazing friends and I consider myself very lucky in that sense, but when the world is falling down around me or something absolutely wonderful happens, the same few always come to mind (and subsequently receive crazy emails). I'm tempted to use a picture that has everyone (the cheat), but instead I'll pick a picture of one person. In addition, I don't know if this is my favorite picture so much as my favorite picture out of all of the pictures online and on my computer.

Aaannd... I couldn't really find a picture that I loved, so I'm making a montage of pictures that together don't make sense. You read that correctly.
My favorite person is my Batty. I would be happy to be her housemate/couch crasher and have adventures together forever (except for that whole desire to get married and have kids). The first picture is a tasty morsel that we shared when I once visited her. Much like my favorite dates, a lot of our time together involves food and activity. Many of our activities involve getting food, to be fair, or loafing on the couch. For example, the second picture is a snapshot from a Farmer's Market, where we probably drank horchata and visited our favorite baker. I don't have any pictures of us eating Thai food, but we frequented one spot so often that the staff not only knew us, but could anticipate our orders, complete with alterations and additional requests. My favorite pictures of Batty display our wacky adventures. Once we tried to visit every park in Davis (note: we didn't make it, there are a lot of parks in this tiny town). Frequently, Batty will be the first thing in the cart when we visit the market. We spend a lot of time giggling. Giggling and eating and talking. When you're giggling and eating and talking, sometimes it is easy to forget to capture the moment with a camera.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 3

2011-04-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today's assignment is to describe the perfect date. At first I debated whether to imagine a perfect date scenario in my mind, or if the point was to describe my personal best date. This lead me to reflect upon some of my worst dates, as well. My mind then wandered into the more abstract, specifically how you can define a date as "best" when the range of dating experiences is so wide and so different between people. After all, "perfect" implies the very best, which should be a universal measurement. In the end, I decided to take a buffet approach and toss in a little bit of everything.

I'm sure when I'm married I'll look back on "our" first date and declare it to be the perfect date. Time adjusts your memory, and comfort and security with regard to the present and future can only enhance that effect. That might sound jaded or romantic, depending on your point of view, but perhaps I'm a little bit of both. Therefore, though it is intensely cliche, I would say the perfect date is all about the company. You get to spend time with someone who draws you in, makes you laugh and smile, encourages you, broadens your horizons, and challenges you and makes you feel comfortable at the same time. One mark of a good date is the quantity and quality of conversation, there should be plenty of it and at least some things should be worth revisiting later, in thought and topic. In my experience, with some people you just click and everything flows along wonderfully. Conversely, I have gone on dates with people who seem very nice and have many attractive qualities but nothing seems to go right: our conversation topics die quickly, strange awkward things keep coming from my mouth, we never seem to find a groove.

Since I'm not married and looking back with rose-colored glasses, let me add something about the dating experience itself. In my mind, when I pull memories of really good dates, three things are always present: endless conversation, food, and activity. I've already written about the importance of conversation, but I also really like food and being active so the other two make sense. These rules aren't set in stone, though. A guy once took me on a date and planned a romantic picnic in the park. It was awkward. Bobbles and I had an epic first date that consisted of a trip to a park, a movie, and dinner. I won't say it was the best date ever because he tried to teach me how to use a skateboard and you can guess how well that went. Plus, I was nervous. However, last year for New Year's we ordered sushi from our favorite place and watched Eddie Izzard, and we laughed so hard we cried. That was a pretty great date.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 2

2011-04-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

For your viewing pleasure, I give you a photo of something I ate today!
You see a LaraBar, spinach, cauliflower, a hard boiled egg, and water in a canteen. I ate it all, and many more things besides. I'll tell you all about them another day, but today is a busy one indeed.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1

2011-04-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday, Folks! Welcome to Day 1 of my blogging challenge. If you're wondering what happened on Saturday, which should have been day 1 of my blogging challenge, well... I guess this is more challenging than I thought. I will definitely use Adriana's suggestion of pre-planned posts in the future. For now, here is a picture of me and a summary of my day.
This is a picture of me touring the ALICE detector along the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which explains the metallic monster behind me and the hard hat. It was taken in January, so it is fairly recent.
As for my day, let me first say that I really wanted to tell you about my day yesterday so I could focus on what I ate today. I had plans to go to brunch with friends at Nosh in Geneva, which boasts rave reviews from many people, some of whom I actually know, so I thought whatever I ate would merit its own entry. It was good, don't get me wrong, but I forgot to take a picture of it! So, tomorrow I have another chance.
As I said, today I had brunch with some friends at Nosh. The company was excellent and the conversation was mile-a-minute. I don't mind saying that some of it was over my head because I'm not completely up-to-date on semiconductor technology or current nuclear fusion attempts. We laughed and talked about books and human nature and why everyone wants to date a physicist. I ate a mushroom and caramelized onion omelet with ginger pears on the side. Yum yum yum! Ordering took a bit of time because I had to alter the dish in more ways than one. This isn't something totally new to me since often times I ask to alter a dish to make it kosher-esque (remove the bacon, sub something for sausage, no cheese on the plate, etc), but last week Bobbles and I agreed to try a paleo diet together. He mentioned it when he picked me up from the airport, and I had actually come up with the idea independently, so we agreed to try it together. So far so good, but imagine all the things you love about a breakfast joint. Now remove the grain, dairy, legumes, and sugar. What is left? I won't go through the painful list of things I wanted to try from the menu that were off limits, instead I will say that the omelet was delicious and everyone really liked what they ordered. We took a walk along the river as our brunches settled and parted ways a short time later. Next on my list was grocery shopping for the week. A paleo diet is easier when your fridge is full of things you want to eat (and CAN eat, as opposed to most things on a takeout menu). Trader Joe's, I missed you in France!
I went to Aikido practice this afternoon, which was lead by a guest instructor. Class was demanding, but fun. I got a lot of helpful hints. I am the second smallest person in class, so I can use all the hints I can get when dealing with someone much bigger than me who grabs onto my wrist. After practice a bunch of us went out for sushi. Again, yumm.... now I'm watching lightning flash outside. Illinois is having a spectacular spring thunder storm.
As I wrote this some acorn squash was cooling, fresh from the oven. Time to put the squash in the fridge, and me in bed. G'night!

It's Raining Snow

2011-04-01T13:02:00.001-07:00

The title says it all. Spring arrived very punctually at CERN, by March 21 blossoms and new leaves were everywhere. At Fermilab, it rained snow an hour ago. I am wearing down-filled boots. I'm glad I packed a pair of gloves! I can see tiny hints of green, but they're very tiny. Miniscule. Did I mention that snow was falling from the sky just a few hours ago?

I'm surprised, but I'm not really complaining. After all, I got so little snow this year that it's novel. Soon I'll be in a sunnier, warmer place. Which could be anywhere, but in my case it will be the outskirts of Geneva.

My friend Adriana took up a 30 day blog challenge, and I'm going to follow in her footsteps. I enjoyed reading it, and I think she enjoyed doing it. Besides, this blog tends to get neglected, it could use some love (and by love, I mean posts). Here's what's in store for the next 30 days:
Day 1: A photo of you and a description of how your day was.
Day 2: A photo of something you ate today
Day 3: Your idea of the perfect first date
Day 4: Your favorite photograph of your best friend
Day 5: A photo of yourself two years ago
Day 6: A photo of an animal you'd like to keep as a pet
Day 7: Your dream wedding
Day 8: A song to match your mood
Day 9: A photo of the item you last purchased
Day 10: A photo of your favorite place to eat
Day 11: What's in your makeup bag?
Day 12: A photograph of the town you live in
Day 13: Your favorite musician and why
Day 14: A TV show you're currently addicted to
Day 15: Something you don't leave the house without
Day 16: Your celebrity crush
Day 17: A photo of you and your family
Day 18: Something you crave a lot
Day 19: Another picture of yourself
Day 20: The meaning behind your blog name
Day 21: A photo of something that makes you happy
Day 22: A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 23: 15 facts about you
Day 24: A photo of something that means a lot to you
Day 25: What's in your purse?
Day 26: A photo of somewhere you've been
Day 27: A picture of you last year and now, and how you've changed since
Day 28: Your favorite movie
Day 29: Something you could never get tired of doing
Day 30: A photograph of yourself today and 3 good things that have happened in the past 30 days.

The fun begins tomorrow!

More Pictures of France and CERN

2011-03-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

The weather is getting warmer here... well, a little warmer. Here are some pictures from my little town, and my little physics research facility. The roads at CERN are named after famous physicists; this one is right near the main Swiss entrance. It's cute, and kind of quirky. Within moments of entering CERN, Bobbles said it felt like Fermilab. I happen to think that it feels very different, at least at the entrance. At Fermilab, you stop for the guard and show your ID and then you drive past woods or farmland to get to anything. Here, while CERN is right next to farmland, at the entrance all you see is buildings. Also, at Fermilab most buildings are spread out and... ok, not terribly easy to find, but CERN is an absolute maze. Within the first week I got entirely lost, and I HAD A MAP IN MY HAND. Let me give you an example. Buildings 6 and 354 are attached, so they are essentially the same building. My desk is in work area B19, which means it's in the B quadrant of the building on the first floor, not to be confused with the ground floor OR the floor above that! Still, with streets named after physicists, grad student types wandering all over the place, and an amazing abundance of bicycles, I can see his point. And yes, by the way, that means Bobbles came to visit me. Awesome! He doesn't speak any French (and really, neither do I), but we had fun. We mostly stayed in my tiny town which, like other small towns I have lived in, has just enough pleasant walking paths and coffee shops to keep us happy. We also ventured out a bit in the surrounding area, and visited a castle!

To the right you will see a picture of why I walk to work most days, run 10-15 miles a week, and still haven't lost any weight. It's also a picture of the aforementioned surrounding farmland. To the left, a picture of the river that runs through town, looking a bit brighter and greener than when I first saw it in January.

Heading Back

2011-03-22T17:02:00.001-07:00

How the past three months have passed, I have no idea, but I'm heading back to the US next week. I may or may not return to France, depending on funding and how fast I can get a visa, little things like that. You're supposed to apply for a visa at the consulate closest to your residence, which once again reminded me of the fun fact that I don't really have a residence. At this moment, I can produce flimsy evidence of residence in three different places, and yet I don't live in any of them. It seems funny, in a sad way, that for the past couple of years I've talked about the desire to settle down, grow roots in a place, have a stable home spot, and today I am farther from that point than I have ever been. I mean, I'm enjoying the travel, sometimes I enjoy the adventurous aspect of it, I've learned to be very flexible, so it's not all bad. I was reading the blog of a grad student's spouse (I was trying to find the farmer's market) and she was complaining about how hard it was out here, and I got irritated. I thought, "You're young, and you're in France! This is such a great opportunity to expand your horizons and have great experiences, make some lemonade with those lemons and suck it up!" Yet, here I am on my own blog complaining about my current situation. So, I will admit that I don't expect the pity to come flowing in, my life is pretty good. I'm just saying, a little (less) change couldn't hurt.

Pictures of France

2011-01-31T10:28:00.001-08:00

Sorry I've been so quiet! I've been posting elsewhere (if you want to know where, please ask). I've also been working a bit. And I've been putting my laptop through the usual abuse. At this moment a few of the buttons on my keyboard don't work, they aren't numbers or letters but they're still more useful than, say, F10. Double so if you (like me) do a lot of programming. I guess that's what happens when you spill water all over your laptop. Le gran sigh. Here's hoping this little guy can limp through another year.

On a cheerier note, here are some pictures of my neighborhood:

You Might Be from SoCal If

2011-01-20T04:03:00.000-08:00

You look outside and say, "Snow! Well, snow or fire ash, they look the same. Do I live near a volcano? It's definitely ash or snow."

Clarification: You might originally be from SoCal and find yourself in a well heated apartment in a place that snows if...

Why I've Already Ditched One Resolution

2011-01-17T07:15:00.001-08:00

That was quick! We're not quite three weeks into the new year and I'm ready to deep six one of my resolutions. You might prefer hearing about France and CERN and life abroad, but that'll be for another day. Right now, I'm going to explain why I've set aside a multi-year goal.

I've only run here once. I live near a river and that river has a paved trail next to it, which I thought would be great for running. Wrong. The paved trail is maybe a little over a mile long, and I live somewhere around the middle. I didn't realize this until I was on my run, as the trees shade the path from google map images, and running back and forth (I had set a time expectation for my run) was less than fun. The teenagers who hollered things in French which I assume are lewd only made the experience less pleasant. I could run through the town itself, through one of the residential areas, and I do plan to try this, but I would first like to know where I'm going. This town isn't big, but if I get lost I'd like to have a good chance of finding my way back without displaying my ignorance for the native tongue. Before you say, "Embrace the challenge, embrace the adventure, get out there!" or something like that, let me add that after running back and forth on the river trail I did venture into the town. I met several cul-de-sacs, a dead end, and a road that ended in a gravel lot. It was pretty frustrating. I've been taking long walks on the weekends, probing further into the area. Between my wandering and google, I have a route I think would work well.

I'm going to drop my mileage expectation, though. I run to reduce tension and stress and to improve my overall health. If I worry about my safety or about getting lost on the run, it negates the main purpose of the run. If I worry about the miles I'm supposed to accumulate, it negates the main purpose of the run. I'm going to take my time getting familiar with the area, and I'm going to stop worry about my miles. It helps to know that I'm covering 3 miles to and from work every day, to be fair.

Next time I'll come up with something more exciting, like how nice France is or how great the food tastes.

Welcome to the Year 2011

2011-01-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to this blog in the year 2011! It will probably hold content very similar to posts of years past. Before I get down to writing real content, though, here's a fun wrap-up questionnaire about the year that just passed. I borrowed it from Adriana!

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Bought my own car insurance! Yeah! I don't know why that's the first thing that came to my head. I also ran a Half Marathon, completed a mini Triathlon, and visited Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, and Washington, D.C.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I suspect not, since I have to look them up right now...
- No, I did not run 600 miles this year. I came close, but was 43 miles short. I mentioned this to Brian, and he suggested I plan my weekly mileage with the assumption that I'll take six weeks off over the course of the year. So, new plan that sounds a lot like the old plan: This year I will run 600 miles.
- I did get outdoors more this year, thanks to the Half Marathon training. Bobbles and I ran all along the Gilman Trail, the Fox River path, Peck Farm Trail, and Fermilab. I also visited Muir Woods and Lake Barryessa with Bobbles while he was in town, but we never put together our camping trip. Maybe this year?
- No clear judgment on the food front. This year I did even less with my garden patch, even though I was in town most of the year. I cooked very little and ate a lot of "easy" foods. However, I visited the smaller farmers markets in smaller towns. I saw what a winter market looks like in a place with snow. I learned a little bit about Midwestern wine =) And I'll keep working on it....

This year my resolutions will be to run 600 miles, become more generally fit, improve my diet, and graduate. And save money!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I don't think so... if I'm forgetting someone, I'm really sorry!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Canada! I went to Toronto.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A PhD and a job.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Shrug. I don't have a great memory.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Running the Half Marathon. If you had told me in high school that I would run a HM, I would have laughed.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Still being in graduate school.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Slight from running, but nothing serious.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I don't know.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My batty sister for becoming a doctor!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
People who turn politics into mud slinging competitions.

14. Where did most of your money go?
A good chunk went into car maintenance, travel, and probably food.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
A bike rack for my car =) Spending Halloween with my sister. Running the HM. Bobbles visiting me and showing a lot of understanding in regards to my globe-trotting.

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Dynamite, California Girls

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter, I think, but I always get chubby right around now.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer! Dangit.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Run. Learn French.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Spend money.

20. How did you spend Hanukkah?
With my sister, and partly with Bobbles, in Sacto.

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
My heart grew a bit to let more people in, how about that.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Glee or Bones

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't think so.

24. What was the best book you read?
I have no idea. I'm still really enjoying the Wheel of Time series! The Anansi Brothers might have been the best one, though.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Group Love and Zac Brown Band

26. What did you want and get?
A few things, actually

27. What did you want and not get?
Bamboo travel utensils, a reusable lunch bag, and a very spillproof travel thermos for hot or cold drinks.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I thought Robin Hood was really good.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Last year I turned 28, I was at Fermilab in the middle of a working conference so I spent most of the day programming. I did hop over to a pub afterward with Bobbles and a physicista friend.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Graduating. Also, having a permanent address.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Practical with splashes of crazy. My blues and grays combined with the bright yellows and oranges from my Mom. I embrace the crazy.

32. What kept you sane?
Running. Friends. Family. Bobbles.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Nobody, really.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
California's prop 8.

35. Who did you miss?
Friends in different time zones.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
The best new person of 2010... I met a few really great people this year! JSJ, Dr. Dean, MZak, and the lovely lady doctors who work with my sister.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
Opinions are a good thing, and decisions are a good thing. It's always good to be reminded to make sure your eyes are open and you're leading a purposeful, directed life.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I would have to look up a song lyric, and that is more effort than you're gonna get right now. Sorry.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Bonjour

2010-12-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

Bonjour! Hello!
ça va? How are you? (sah vah)
Bien, merci. Good, thanks. (Byieah, merci)

Except that I need to pack and finish getting holiday gifts and send cards and work a little more on my analysis and maybe flesh out my thesis and drive down home and then fly east. Don't even mention the mountain of dirty dishes and the two light bulbs that need to be replaced. Not that I'm complaining, after seeing so many medical schedules I don't feel qualified to complain about anything. I can admit to a little bit of distress, though.

A New Stamp

2010-12-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

My heart is pounding. I am buying a ticket to Geneva. Finally, my new passport will have a stamp.
I am excited.

I am also worried I'll screw up the ticket.

The Lemonade Stand Came To Me

2010-12-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

It's 1 in the afternoon and I'm sitting on the same couch as last night. In the last 12 hours I've finished grading the exams, thoroughly scrubbed the shower, retrieved my sister from her overnight shift, and eaten several bowls of cereal. A little down, a lot left to go. That's not the point, however. The point is that right now, at this very moment, three industrious kids are raking my lawn. They came to my door holding rakes twice their height and asked if they could rake my lawn for three dollars. I am so excited to support the efforts of these little entrepreneurs! And with such convenience to me! I always drive by lemonade stands and regret not having any cash. Luckily for these guys (and girl), I once again totally missed the farmer's market this morning, leaving me with zero local mandarins ('tis the season) but a wallet full of small bills. My laziness is their gain.

It's Raining

2010-12-05T01:41:00.000-08:00

It's raining outside, I can hear the drops tapping loudly along the back patio. Welcome to December! Tonight I will finish grading the last quizzes of the quarter. Tomorrow I'll pick up Bobbles at the airport. I really have to finish these quizzes tonight. I also have to clean the house, do my laundry, hit the gym, write a talk, and a few things I have probably already forgotten.

There's more to come! Right after I cut down my to-do list...

Did We Do That?

2010-11-23T10:25:00.001-08:00

In addition to Turkey Day, this week I will also attend my ten year high school reunion. I've been thinking of my high school days, thinking of what was cool then and the things we used to do. I've also been looking at the undergrads around campus and my own sister in high school with nostalgia and a bit of mirth. Were we like this in high school?

One trend I really have to ask about. I have now seen two girls wearing leggings for pants with a slightly oversized shirt. I've actually seen a lot of girl embracing this trend, but only twice have I seen someone wearing leggings that are actually sheer enough to showcase their wild and crazy zebra print undies. It simply looks impractical, it doesn't look warm or comfortable. Did we do things like this? Am I just getting old?

Don't answer that last question. Feel free to answer the previous one, though.

Consistency is Key

2010-11-23T09:16:00.001-08:00

Once again, I have entered a month with honest intentions of updating my blog regularly, only to come to the end of the month and realize that no such thing happened. At least I'm consistent, this happens almost every month, and it definitely happened last November during NaBloPoMo 2009.

Since more often than not I find myself alone during my office hours, I thought I would take this as the perfect opportunity to add some blog content.

What's new with me, you ask? I pretend you ask this so I can respond. Lots! In six weeks I might be headed to CERN. That was the last word from my adviser, and while he might change his mind I think this one will stick. I haven't bought the ticket yet, though. I have contacted my bank and phone company, and started making a mental list of things I want to bring and where I might find them (Sacto? My parents' home? Bobbles' closet?). In two weeks Bobbles is going to visit! I'm excited to see him, though as usual I haven't planned anything. I have a vague image in my head of what the week will be like, it depends largely on the weather but mostly revolves around eating food and drinking coffee. He will be here through most of Hanukkah, so he'll get to experience the candle lighting and fried food consumption, and perhaps some dreidel games and kitchen dancing. There will definitely be kitchen dancing.

It wouldn't feel like the holidays if there wasn't a strange pet around! I spent most of the holidays last year pet sitting for friends, and yesterday I came home to a puppy yapping at me. My housemate is watching the pup while his owner flies home for the holidays. Between my Senseis and my hands on experience, I feel pretty comfortable around dogs. This one is particularly cute, and I would like it very much except that it peed in my room while I wasn't looking. I shouldn't have left the door open, to be fair, and he peed on a plastic bag instead of, say, my bed. Still, it makes me like him a little less.

I have a couple of other things I've been meaning to write down, but I'm going to write them as their own posts and milk this moment of productivity.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone! May your meals be tasty, your table be busy, and your travels be smooth.

Awkward

2010-11-19T03:28:00.000-08:00

For some, it's a way of life.

This year for Halloween I wasn't inspired to put together a costume. Immediately after Halloween, however, I thought it would be fun to be Dr. Temperance Brennan next year. If that name doesn't ring a bell, Dr. Brennan, aka Bones, is a character on the TV show "Bones." She is a forensic anthropologist who helps smokin' hot FBI agent Seeley Booth solve murder mysteries. She is also markedly awkward due to a troubled childhood and poor socialization: she doesn't recognize social cues, pop culture references, and many jokes. Basically, being Bones requires you to walk around in a lab coat and be awkward. Fun times!

I recently came across a problem, though, which is that people might not realize it's a costume. Two weeks ago, in my physics lab, one of my students said something I didn't understand. I assumed it was positive in nature but needed an urban dictionary to be sure, so I responded with, "I don't know what that means," and moved on. The students got a kick out of that one, but it was the sad truth. One week ago I was at a wine and cheese party hosted by some medical residents, and someone had the misfortune of asking why people should study particle physics. Normally I will keep my answers brief and steer the conversation toward something people actually want to talk about, but on this day I was tired and when I am tired I tend to ramble. A good long while after the polite question was raised, I found myself gesturing excitedly and talking about comparative field magnitudes and graviton searches. That poor, poor guy.

I'll try to keep my awkward ways to myself from now on, at least until Halloween.

CrossFit Has Been Shelved

2010-11-05T02:18:00.000-07:00

Indefinitely.

Some of you might be thinking, "Many CrossFit groups post their WOD (Workout Of the Day) online, you could just follow from home!" This works for my ROTC brother, but I doubt this would work for me because (1) I am lazy and require external motivation/obligation, and (2) I really do think I need some help training before I can crank out burpees and butterfly kips. So, my plan was to join a CrossFit class. Great plan!

As it turns out, CrossFit classes in my area are pretty expensive. I hemmed and hawed for a while, wondering if I could afford a month of classes. The thought cycle was similar to my internal iPhone debate:

"I want an iPhone! It looks so cool! No, I can't have an iPhone because I drop my phone all the time and I would break it. This is true. Maybe if I'm really careful and don't drop my phone for a month, I'll be ready for an iPh-crap."(I have just dropped my phone) "Obviously I can't have an iPhone. Although, perhaps if I'm really careful from now on..."

With CrossFit, the endless argument goes like this:

"I want to join CrossFit! It looks so cool! No, I can't join CrossFit, I'm a student and can't afford it. This is true. Maybe if I'm really careful and pack my lunch every day and take the bus and - oh, crumb cakes." (I have just looked at my bank balance) "Obviously I can't afford this class. Although, maybe if I cut back from now on..."

Eventually I decided to actually draw up a budget and see if this was feasible. A special thank you goes out to DB who sent me an outline for how to draw up a budget! It took a while but in the end I was able to determine that CrossFit classes definitely aren't in my near future. I was also able to determine that I don't eat out as much as I feared I did, which is nice to know. Somewhere along this accounting adventure I decided that I should adopt this properly adult habit of keeping track of my expenses. It can be a new goal of mine, to keep my budget updated. I feel so responsible! That feeling will pass, but if I can stick to this I think it will lead to better habits.

In the meantime, I'll have to continue to rely on myself for strength training motivation. Go, me!

CrossFit?

2010-11-04T00:41:00.000-07:00

Yay or nay?

Post-Half Marathon, I've shifted my workout interests to weight training for a few reasons. First, I think the Half Marathon would have been easier if I had incorporated more weight training in the overall training. My left achiles tendon is still sore, and I suspect some scar tissue has built up in the area. This injury might have been avoided, or at least might be dealt with more easily, with more muscle in my legs. Second, I think strength training will make me a better runner. Third, running is my thing, I enjoy it a lot. Strength training is Bobbles' thing. I figure that he spent months running with me, I can spend a few months talking strength with him.

I've been thinking of joining a CrossFit class. I think I would do really well with program, as long as I was in a class where an instructor was coaching/yelling at/motivating me. The downside is that classes are usually expensive, especially compared to my student budget. Still... the draw is palpable. I found a coupon online that makes the a month of classes reasonable.... do I dare?

I'd Rather Be Giving Blood

2010-11-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

That is what my new t-shirt says. I feel like this t-shirt would go well as a couples costume, if the other person dressed up as a vampire. It's just a thought.

Today I donated blood! I was walking to the bank and I got sidetracked by brightly colored signs. I followed them to an on-campus blood drive. Helping people and receiving free doughnuts! I love blood drives! I walked right in.

Fermilab holds regular blood drives in the basement, and I donate blood when I can. The first time I tried to donate blood I was turned away because they couldn't hit a vein. Believe me, they tried. After that fiasco I stayed away from needles for several years until I found myself at Fermilab. Being able to donate blood felt like a personal accomplishment. I was helping people! And napping on the job! Did I mention the doughnuts? Giving blood is great.

The blood drive on campus was pretty huge. They filled a building usually used for concerts and speakers. I got a t-shirt, a Gap coupon, confirmation that my iron levels are HEALTHY (I used to be anemic), and a green light to donate. Once in the chair, the phlebotomist checked my left arm, then went immediately to my right arm. That is always the way it is. She rubbed and poked at my inner elbow, and asked me if I had donated blood before. When I said I had, she asked how it had gone. "I'm hard to stick," I said, assuming she was having similar difficulty. I briefly worried that my new donating record would come to and end. However, she placed the BP cuff on me, gave me a bar to squeeze, and told me to look away if I was squeamish.

I would like to say something about being squeamish. I do not consider myself squeamish; I do not faint at the site of blood. When I first tried to donate blood, I watched them try repeatedly to insert a needle into my arm and made some comment that elicited a "look away if you're squeamish" response. I believe the comment was spurred by thoughts along the lines of "Umm... that's going to leave a big bruise." AND I WAS RIGHT. That's called being accurate, not squeamish.

Anyhow, I looked away to make the phleb feel better, but I peeked. And I thought, "HOLY COW THAT IS A BIG NEEDLE. IS THAT A BIG NEEDLE?!? THAT WILL NEVER FIT. IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE SO BIG?" I looked away and she covered the entry site with gauze. I wasn't sure if the needle was legitimately big, or if I was panicking. It didn't feel like panic. I wanted to ask her what gauge needle she was using, but I felt like that kind of question puts you in the squeamish category, and results in hawkish, worried eyes watching you for signs of the vapors. My suspicions aren't completely crazy, though, because I pumped out a pint in 15 minutes, way faster than normal. That, or perhaps I'm just that good at donating blood. Never mind, I am awesome at donating blood.

After you gave your pint, you had to sit and rest for a little while in the free-drink-and-snack area. They had colored pencils and little pieces of paper with cartoon blood drops on them, so I started drawing. I was making my way through a bag of check mix and putting the finishing touches on my "Donating Blood and Thinking of You!" masterpiece when someone asked me if I wanted them to put it on the wall.

Huh?

It turned out that those cartoon blood drops were there so that donors could write reasons why they donate. My mistake. I felt like an idiot as I covered my picture and muttered, "No... I'm going to keep this one."

Then I drew one they could put on the wall. It read:
"Because I am not the only clumsy one out there!"

True Story.

NaBloPoMo Redux!

2010-11-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

Did you know that November is National Blog Posting Month or something? I might be mangling the acryonym. Still, the point is to write a blog post every day. Obviously, I have missed Day 1, and so far this Day 2 post is a little dry.

Sunday was Halloween! We had so many trick or treaters! I think that the joys of Halloween change depending on your stage of life. At this stage, I really enjoy decorating the house, carving pumpkins, and giving candy to children. Maybe watching a movie and bumming around on the couch. I was too lazy to carve a pumpkin this year (shock!), but I definitely gave out candy, and I may have offered a helping hand to Dr. Bat as she turned our house into THE BEST HALLOWEEN HOUSE EVER. Children actually complimented her on both the interior and exterior decoration. Kids stopped and checked out our bone-and-tombstone strewn yard the day before. A couple very young kids simply tried to walk past the proffered candy basket and enter our magical house. We watched a movie, ate pizza and mochi, and relaxed in the glow of the orange and purple lights. And took turns answering the door every 2 minutes. It was a great Halloween.

Half Way There

2010-10-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I ran a half marathon. I've been training since July, with a few weeks off in the middle and a few session of "two steps forward, one step back." It was my first half marathon, and a personal record for the farthest distance I've ever run. Back in July, we did a 6 mile run that left me red in the face, barely able to move my legs, gasping for breath and tossing murderous glances at Bobbles. Reaching this point seemed highly unlikely, but here I am, sore in odd places but feeling quite accomplished.

We ran a race that was slated to be at Purdue but wound up being held in the nearby town of Flora. Bobbles' college friend lived nearby and came up with the idea of them racing together in the first place, as an excuse to see each other. They don't see each other much, but both fall into each others "bestie" category. As soon as we arrived, out came the longsword, jo, and bokken. Bobbles keeps his wooden training tools for Aikido and Medieval Longsword class in his truck. The boys immediately chose weapons and started fighting in the front yard, knocking sword and staff together with the sharp crack of wood on wood. For a while. I took pictures, and a short video. The video had some audio:
(Bobbles with bokken, Friend with Jo)
Clack!
Clack!
Friend: Haha! I got you that time!
(Bobbles doubles over laughing)
Bobbles: You win. This is too hard!
(Bobbles goes back on the attack)
Some positioning, some shifting. Some giggling from the camera girl.
Clack!
Friend: I want to be a samurai.
(Bobbles steps back and offers up his wooden sword)
Bobbles: Do you want to switch?
Friend: No, I'm just saying in real life I want to be a samurai.
Clack!
Clack! Clack!

We ran around farms at dawn. Flora is a tiny town. We started in the town park, headed out around some farms, crossed back through town and circled around a few more farms before finishing back at the park. The corn and wheat fields had already been harvested and you could see for miles and miles out to the horizon. A few cows came to the fence to watch our progress, and the leaves on the trees around the houses were fiery red. Some people came out to watch us, they watched us from the sidewalks and cheered. You could see little clusters of people with signs, waiting for a special runner.

I tried to drinking water and gatorade on the run, literally. There were drink stations every two or three miles, with folks holding out little cups so that people didn't have to break stride. I thought I could be one of those people, but wound up spilling most of the orange drink down my shirt and aspirating the rest. Way to go, me!

It rained for the last three miles of the run. Sometimes only a light drizzle, sometimes a surprising gush.

A random runner offered encouraging words around mile 7 as she passed.

There were port-a-potties along the path every few miles, and Bobbles stopped around mile 6, telling me to go ahead and he would catch up to me later. I continued on, and a mile later we were running side by side again. Around mile 10 it was my turn to stop and I gave the same instructions, go ahead and I'll catch up. I got out to find that he was waiting. I'm not sure what that says about me, but I think it says good things about him.

Friend finished the race 20 minutes before us, Bobbles stayed with me the whole way. After the finish line, Friend turned around and walked back to meet us. When we caught up to him, he fell in next to us and said, "Let's pick up the pace! OW! A cramp!" and clutched his leg. At the time I laughed, though later I found out the cramp had been genuine. He jogged the last quarter mile all over again, urging us forward.

We spent the rest of the day stretching, eating, napping, and groaning. Everything was sore and tired, and if I stopped moving it would become more sore and more tired when I got up again. My ankle may never be the same. I did it, though! I set a long term goal and I accomplished it through scheduled training and hard work. On to the next goal! Now I just have to set it.

Still Don't Wanna

2010-10-08T16:02:00.001-07:00

So, in cast you hadn't guessed, I packed. I packed almost everything. I filled two suitcases, two duffel bag, seven boxes, and several smaller grocery-sized bags. Bobbles took my jo and my skateboard, and my Senseis took some bags and a couple of heavy blankets. One bag went to Goodwill, two got stashed in my office, and a few others made their home in the trunk of my car. Some things didn't even make it that far. I sent Dr. Zak, my car's temporary caretaker, an email that said, "Please disregard the teddy bear, yoga mat, and sleeping bag in the backseat. Throw it all in the trunk with the rest." I arrived at my sister's on Sunday night, and the last of my boxes arrived on Tuesday (nice job, USPS! That was quick!), and so far I have managed to open but not unpack all of the boxes and suitcases. I tell myself that a great deal of unpacking will happen this weekend.

Don't Wanna

2010-09-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

Oh my gawd, I don't wanna pack. Today I packed four smallish boxes, two full of books and two gift packages that I never got around to mailing, only to find out that you are supposed to mail packages over 13 ounces in weight by handing them to a postal clerk in person. I found this out from a sticker on the self-drop box at 7 p.m. Rats. I did, however, pack two bags full of things that other people might want. I put them in my car so I wouldn't forget to drop them off tomorrow, only to realize that tomorrow morning I'm taking my car in for an oil change, and should probably return those bags of stuff to my room. Double rats.

In other news... my Half Marathon is one month away! This past weekend I ran 9 miles for my long run, the longest run I've ever done IN MY LIFE. The long runs aren't so bad anymore. I mean, sure, they render me sore and tired and thirsty, but I no longer lose the will to live 20 minutes before it's over. I somehow injured my achiles tendon, so I'm trying to incorporate more stretches before and after runs.

I broke a picture frame. I accidentally knocked it over and didn't realize I had cracked the glass. It was Bobbles', and when I realized what I had done I offered to replace the glass. He asked instead for me to replace it with a different frame, one with a picture of me. Awww! Anyhow. I started looking through my pictures online and on my computer, and as I wiped away tears of laughter I came to a few conclusions.
1) I don't take a lot of pictures of myself. As in, I don't take any. I hardly have any pictures of myself.
2) I don't photograph very well. This is not a crack at the way I look, I just tend to get caught in awkward positions. I should probably brush my hair more often. I didn't realize how often I speak out of the side of my mouth. In every picture from a friend's wedding I am looking left, right, down, asleep, "huh?", doing everything except smiling at the camera.
3) I already knew about (2), and I embrace the crazy. I make wacky faces all the time, the kind of faces that nobody wants framed in their home. I even have a few signature faces. They can be called: Victorious/Clueless, Resigned/Duckface, OvertheMoon/Swoon, and BIGTOOTHGRIN. I considered putting one of these in a frame, but I decided against it because I want him to keep taking my phone calls.

Switching it Up

2010-09-24T13:42:00.001-07:00

Next week I am switching things up and moving back to the west coast. Just for the fall quarter, but I can't leave anything in my current domicile, so I have a week to pack. I also have to finish my work, put together Bobbles' birthday present, and probably a few other things that I'll worry about... later. I found out last week and initially reacted with panic and despair. Would there be a TA position for me? Where would I live? How would 2k miles effect my relationship? What would I do with my car? Within a few days all of these questions had encouraging answers, and my anxiety disappeared. My work load is still very real, but my concern has considerably lessened. Instead, it has been replaced by amusement as I go through my things and decide what stays, what goes, what gets mailed elsewhere, what do I give away and what do I toss.

Why on earth do I have so much stuff? Why did I feel it necessary to bring some things to IL? For example, I brought my yoga mat and my skateboard. Now, I think I have practiced yoga twice in the last year. I haven't used the skateboard at all, in fact the resident toddler has taken it and likes to sit on it and scoot herself around the living room. Why do I have four packages of dental floss and five unopened lip balms, not counting the lip balms you will find in each of my purses? Why do I have more than a dozen cookie cutters tucked away in random drawers? Why do I have a Hello Kitty toaster on my bookshelf?

I have no idea.

If You Thought RenFaire was nerdy...

2010-09-14T08:57:00.001-07:00

... wait until I tell you about my new Medieval Sword Fighting class! =)

No joke. It rocks.

Rosh Hashanah!

2010-09-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Jewish New Year!!!

Ren Fair Roundup

2010-08-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago Bobs and I went to the Bristol Renaissance Faire. I had never been to a Ren Faire before, but I had heard stories. One of my undergrad neighbors had a jester alter ego, and a few of the physics girls had sewed together their own wench outfits (physicists tend to be crafty). More recently, I had heard about a Nerd Nite speaker who had talked about Renaissance literature, Renaissance Faires, and the intersection of history and fantasy. With an eye toward this intersection, we headed north to Bristol.

I was surprised by the number of folks in full costume, especially considering the warm weather. I didn't envy any of the pirates their heavy boots and coats, nor did I envy any of the maidens their full skirts, but I did enjoy seeing them. A lot of the pirates had mugs attached to their belts, and I thought that was pretty cool. I have no idea if it's historically accurate or merely convenient, but I saw them as the nalgene bottles and kleen kanteens of yore. We saw a falcon exhibition and a hawk exhibition, and visited every sword maker on the premises. In one shop we even made a friend. Bobs was admiring the swords in one shop, and the owner stopped to talk to him.

"Where do you keep your swords? What does your house look like?" Bobs asked.
"Well," he began, "by the front door there's an umbrella stand with one umbrella and a few swords. The rest I keep in the basement in my workshop."

It turned out that he had also been introduced to weaponry through an Aikido class, and was affiliated with the program offering a swordplay class that Bobs had been eyeing. After a few minutes of chatting, this fellow grinned, grabbed two real swords from the back wall of the store, and walked Bobs through a short lesson in Italian longsword. There was an open area next to the store, and a small crowd formed for the 10-minute display. It was perhaps the coolest, and definitely the kindest, thing all day.

The other possible coolest thing at the Ren Fair was Doktor Kaboom. This guy had nothing to do with the Renaissance, he had a show where kids from the audience came up and helped him with experiments involving a catapult and an air cannon. He went through a few other tricks which were simple, but also pretty entertaining. I really liked his message to encourage kids to try experiments at home (safely, with adult permission and supervision) and that science is really cool. It is really cool!

We passed a lot of RenWear store, and I got pulled into a corset shop. They didn't literally pull me in, to be fair, I walked in willingly. A sweet girl pointed out different styles on various mannequins in the store, squeezed a tape measure around me, gave Bobs my purse and told him to sit in a chair in the corner. Another girl came over to help as she held the corset to my body, and I spent the next few minutes standing still, laughing and occasionally letting out an, "Oh!" while they laced me up, talked about corsets, and teased Bobs mercilessly. In the middle of the store. I didn't have to disrobe at all, it was just funny to have people walk by and smile as a voice behind me would say, "Now you're going to feel this in your lower back, and..." - YANK! They swore up and down that the corset would not restrict my breathing or my motion, and they were right. I could take a full breath and touch my toes. It was surprisingly comfortable. And very va va voom. Sure, maybe it looked a bit silly with my denim shorts, but I was in a place full of people dressed like fairies and vikings (I think. They really looked like pixies from Willow). A little bit of fantasy was totally in line.

We ended our day wandering around a bookstore. This Ren Faire is big enough and has been reoccurring long enough that they have some permanent buildings set up in the area, and from the looks of it some people live on the second stories, so this literally was a shop with bookshelves and a ceiling. Since it was a Ren Faire book shop, the sections were Crusades, Pirates, Historical Fiction, Dragons, and general Renaissance literature. I have never seen so many pirate books in one spot.

In summary, I liked the Ren Faire, it was like a bit of early Halloween. A word of advice - skip the mead. I know, it's a Ren Faire, a barmaid is serving you, but don't make my mistake. It's heavy, overly sweet honey wine. Now you know.

Ren Fair 2010

2010-08-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Bristol Renaissance Faire. Where lords, ladies, wenches, minstrels, pirates, gypsies, fairies, steampunkers, vikings, samurai, trolls, princess leia, trekkies, and tranny geishas come to frolic. Truly a unique experience! I'll tell you more about it later.

How Have You Been?

2010-08-07T20:41:00.001-07:00

"How have you been?" A friend asked me recently.

"My ipod charger broke, then my computer broke, then my phone broke. I just found out that nobody filed the paperwork so I could get paid this summer, and yesterday my car battery died."

"..."

TRUE STORY.

The Rule of Three

2010-08-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Remember the saying that bad things happen in threes?
Remember last summer when I had three technology breakdowns?
Remember this summer when I had three technology breakdowns?
Oh, you don't remember that last one? Let me fill you in.
Unlike last year, my three tech failures this year were all within two weeks of each other, and all rather sudden. If you'll remember, my computer showed signs of ailment for weeks before it bit the dust, and the same was true for my phone. This year it was a bit different:

Fail 1: My ipod charger broke in my bag. This is a second generation ipod shuffle, so the charger has an unprotected prong sticking up that became bent in my backpack. It no longer works. End of story. Replacements are a bit expensive for what it is, around $30. Keep in mind that for twice that price, I could get a new ipod. There are cheaper chargers, but they don't allow you to change the playlist on your ipod. I still haven't solved this problem.

Fail 2: My computer broke. Again! This time the backlight on the screen stopped working. I turned it on, and could barely see the screen. I couldn't see the mouse at all. I took it into the store, where it was diagnosed by a Genius and sent off for a fix. The Genius informed me, however, that as of January my computer model would gain "antique" status, which means that Apple will no longer provide support for it if it breaks. This should not be surprising, since they've already stopped providing software support (I miss my XTools package which I lost last summer when the hard drive was replaced), but it caused me to stop and wonder whether I should spend money to fix my current computer, or purchase a new one. Right on the spot. Since my funding situation is once again up in the air, I opted for the cheaper fix, but in retrospect I'm not sure I made the right decision...

Fail 3: My phone got run over by a truck. Bobbles and I went for a morning run on a local trail, and I placed my phone on my roof during post-run stretches. You can see where this is going. Fast forward 10 minutes and I'm driving along when we hear a metallic noise. I wonder what's bouncing in the road behind us when Bobbles says, "Where's your phone?" I flip out and flip around, make a u-turn as soon as possible and try to find a parking spot near where I think my phone jumped ship. Bobbles calmly points out that u-turns should be done with caution regarding the cars behind me, and urges me to steer clear of traffic as we search for the remnants of my phone. This is more diplomatic than I would have been if the circumstances were switched. He is a rock of calm and I am a sea of crazy. I find the phone, or what is left of it. The battery and back have flown off, and the front has been bent like an accordion, I'm not sure how but I assume it was the work of the truck behind me. Miraculously, the SIM card is unscathed, and works just fine in my back-up phone (again, from last year's phone failure). When I talked to my Mom later she urged me to get a new phone soon.

"I have a phone right now! And it works!"
"Honey, that's your backup phone. You need an every day phone."
I want to roll my eyes and point out that people don't need backup phones, but I can't because my last phone just broke, and I am currently using my backup phone for the second time since its purchase.

Resolution Update - June

2010-07-26T13:42:00.001-07:00

Almost there... nearly caught up...

Can you read the struggle in those words? In my head, when read aloud those words sound like they're coming from someone cycling up a mountain, their voice laced with strain. I've been dragging my feet about writing things down for so long that at this point, there's a lot I don't remember. Forgive me, my mind is like a sieve.

June
1. Running - Worse than May. In fact, I logged the least mileage of any month. I was sick again, and... and... that's all I've got for excuses. Perhaps I was also lazy? Lazy, and lacking in motivation. Which is funny, actually, because in June I began to train for a half-marathon. More on that later.
2. Outdoors - Pretty good. A friend of mine got married early in the month, and Bobbles came to socal for the occasion. In my mind we were going to head a bit north after the wedding, to Ventura County, and check out the beach, maybe do some hiking in Malibu. In reality, we drove around LA and Orange counties and visited Venice beach on the grayest, most overcast day in my memory. I'm a pretty lousy tour guide, even though technically it was outdoors I don't think Venice Beach counts as "parts of the outdoors to be appreciated." Once back in Illinois, though, Bobbles and I spent a couple of mornings on the Gilman Trail, a running/biking trail through a forested area. It's shady and beautiful, and we saw deer and various wildlife. Bobbles and I plan to run a half marathon in October and we started training this month. We we track our own progress during the week but we do the long run on the weekends together, it's a fun thing that we can do together and it's a good excuse to visit new (to me, at least) spots outdoors.
3. Food - Since I know I didn't visit the farmer's market, and I can't remember ANYTHING about food in June, I'll call it a fail. You might think, "Dude, June was last month. You remember nothing?" What can I say? As I said, my mind is like a sieve. Memory like a goldfish and whatnot. However, I'll take this opportunity to bring things back to the wedding, because there was cake at the wedding and that is a food, and also because one of my good friends got married and how can I just mention that in passing? The bride was beautiful, the Hoes were gathered AGAIN which made me happy, and the reenactment ceremony was very touching. I'm sure the real ceremony was lovely as well, but thanks to a very slow shuttle bus a few of us missed it entirely. Here's what went down: bus pulls up 20 minutes before the ceremony, we all pile on. People start rearranging themselves, sitting on laps, standing in the back (this bus holds maybe 14 people), and we decide to wait for the next one. We sit outside and wait. And wait. Two Scots come outside. The accents and kilt give it away. We all wait some more inside the hotel bar. Dr. Bat and Mr. Fluff join us. Text messages start coming from DB. The bus arrives as the ceremony begins. The ride is punctuated by text alerts that we are all missing the short and sweet ceremony. We're missing it! We're missing it! We are... it's over. But the reenactment was lovely, even the part where it got kind of violent due to a disagreement over the order of events. Perhaps that made it even more special. Other things that stick out in my memory are everyone swapping shoes, the random people who crashed the wedding and hit the dance floor, drinking too much, getting a life peptalk (or berating, you could say) from DB in the wee hours of the morning over after-party cocktails at the hotel, and introducing Bobbles to my friends, the Hoes, in the hallway for the first time, then everyone jumping into an elevator, Bobbles surrounded by my favorite femmes, and my sister complimenting DB's lovely dress: "Great Boobage!" All wedding memories should make you smile.

Resolution Update - May

2010-07-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

To catch this blog up to the present, I will recap my resolution progress for the two lost months. And by "resolution progress," I mean "life."

May
1. Running - I was sick, I was traveling, I can drum up all kinds of excuses. I didn't stick to a schedule, and at the end of the month I came up short.
2. Outdoors - I ignored this resolution, as well. I don't recall spending any significant amount of time outdoors, except for one sunny afternoon on the Bobble family porch, and I don't think backyards count. It did count, however, as the first trip to the Bobble homestead, and to Hoosier Land. Since it's summer, everything is green. Really beautiful and verdant. And the land stretches on forever. Bobbles and his sister pointed out the bumpy roads as we drove, but it did not register with me because I was too busy marveling at all the open land.
3. Food - This was actually a good month for food, I think. We grilled locally raised, grass-fed beef for Cinco de Mayo from the farmer's market. There's a giant box of frozen local blueberries in the freezer and so far they have gone into pie, crumb bars, pancakes and lots of oatmeal. Dr. Bat and I visited the Davis farmer's market, and said hello to our favorite baker (I miss you, flourchylde!). Did you catch that? How my sister, Bat, became Dr. Bat? I am so proud of her! She graduated from med school, survived it and escaped, armed with a diploma and a well-earned title. Everyone came out to celebrate, all of the Kopeckys and a cadre of Hoes! Time honored traditions from both groups were observed, such a playing Uno, sticking to a strict cycle of meals and naps, and caffeine consumption. My heart could have burst at having so many people together. In a good way, of course.

Up next... June!

Why, Hello

2010-07-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

Oops.

Where did June go?

How on earth do the months go by so quickly? Where is my time going?

Seriously.

This is like a pseudo-post, it holds no real information, only the admission that I have neglected my blog, and the statement that I hope to do better in the future. Consider it a mental reboot. Everyone else has been doing an incredible job of providing me with laughter, motivation, insight, and whatnot through their blogs, I should try to return the favor with... something. I imagine it will mostly be laughter. Maybe some photos.

Me and my Mower

2010-05-10T16:02:00.001-07:00

After pulling giant weeds until I could pull no more, after hacking at their roots until my arms ached, I took a break and realize that after nearly an hour I had cleared about two feet of space. It was time for a new plan.

Last year I got a late start on my garden. I had the good fortune to jump off the waiting list onto an abandoned plot in June. The soil had been well tended in past years, and a kind garden club member had mowed and tilled my plot for me. Armed with a hand shovel and something called a cultivator (I just looked up the name. It looks like a three fingered metal claw), I planted and tended about half of my plot, so 10'x10'. This year I forgot about my guardian garden angel and figured, "If I did 10'x10' last year, I can totally rip through 10'x20'!" I am so foolish.

After that first hour, my arms were sore and my hands ached. I narrowed my eyes at the prickly weeds and waist-tall grass sucking the goodness out of my soil, and brought an armful of their brethren to the compost pile.

Who do you think I saw there? If you guessed my guardian garden angel, this story is every bit as predictable as a peanut butter sandwich.

And every bit as satisfying.

He taught me how to use the lawnmower and sent me on my way. He suggested I mow my way back to my plot, since we are all responsible for the walkway upkeep as well. The walk back was exhilarating, in that, "Look what I can do/I don't know what I'm doing!" kind of way. And mowing my entire plot? Mowing down that tall grass and those thick weeds? It felt good. Satisfaction and triumph filled me to the brim. This is probably the most productive outlet for my vengeance that I will ever find. Take that, weeds.

I told Bobbles about my mowing adventure in an email that may have looked a lot like the previous post, with the capitals everywhere. When I saw him later, he asked me about it, using a look that I see on his face sometimes. It's some mixture of, "You are WEIRD/You are crazy/You are adorable." Sometimes it makes sense, like when I talk about my garden and get really worked up about weeds. Sometimes it makes less sense, like the time I was picking out a loaf of bread. This is an important decision that affects the rest of the week! You can't just grab one willy nilly! But I digress; after I waxed eloquent on the joys of mowing lawns, Bobbles said that he hates to mow the lawn. He used to mow the lawn for his parents, both neighbors, and his grandparents. That's a lot of lawns. We're not talking about tiny precious California lawns, people, these are sizable Midwestern lawns where people seem to have more land than they know what to do with. It makes me wonder if there will come a time when mowing will seem like a chore. Kind of like how seasonal changes lost a lot of their charm when it was March and farmers markets were a long ways away, nothing was growing ANYWHERE and the world was mucky and dreary.

Well, for now the mower and I are besties.

This Really Shouldn't Be So Exciting

2010-05-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

I MOWED MY GARDEN PLOT ALL BY MYSELF! SOMEONE TRUSTED ME WITH A LAWN MOWER! I VANQUISHED ALL OF MY WEEDS! I STILL HAVE ALL MY TOES AND FINGERS!

Story forthcoming.

Crumbles: Baking for Lazy Folks

2010-05-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday MORNING (that's right, a.m. when the sun is up) I baked a strawberry rhubarb crumble. In my mind, I think of a crumble as a pie, except instead of rolling out a crust (or two crusts. Or folding/chilling/rolling said crusts), you mush together something that could become a crust, but instead just crumble it over your fruit (and sugar/honey/zest/whatever). Bake. Eat. Bravo.

I picked up the rhubarb for the crumble this weekend at the Geneva Winter Market along with some eggs, asparagus, beef, and two cheery tomato plants, tiny ones ready to be put into the earth. They're sitting on my dresser, silently begging me to get my butt to the garden already. I will, I will! Tomorrow? Tomorrow morning? Maybe? Ok? Sheesh!

My plants are giving me guilt.

Anyway.

Since it's too cold and snowy to hold an outdoors farmer's market year round in these parts, Inglenook Pantry has been opening its doors since November to host an indoor farmer's market. Sadly enough, this was the first time I'd managed to get my butt over there, but I enjoyed the trip. For the record, I know Mark, the owner of Inglenook Pantry, through Aikido. He has catered a couple of dojo dinners (yum), and sometimes when he joins the class I've seen him bring things from the market for our teachers. I think the asparagus was my breaking point. There are a LOT of weeks where I had meant to go, but I seem to have an inertia problem on the weekends that prevents me from getting out of pajamas much before noon. Oops.

However, last weekend I succeeded! I made it to the farmer's market. I needed two things: meat for a bbq and rhubarb for a crumble. Check and check! I also saw blueberries, but they were sold in a 5 lb box and I couldn't imagine what to do with that many blueberries. When I mentioned this to Bobbles, though, he informed me that you could NEVER have too many blueberries and he would willingly eat as many blueberry pancakes as it took to make that box disappear. I guess I'll be back next week. Oh, well. If I MUST.

Things to do when you're Sick

2010-04-30T14:13:00.001-07:00

Nap
Read
Nap
Figure out ways to get vitamin C with the least amount of effort
Nap
Umm.... nap
Read vampire fiction (thanks, Mrs. Meyer)
Try not to breath on people.

Bleh.

Oh, Canada

2010-04-30T14:00:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago I hopped on a plane with (most of) my family and jetted off to Toronto for the annual meeting of the American College of Physicians. It was the first out-of-state and out-of-country vacation we had taken since... I don't know, since I've been out of diapers. It was a good trip, it was nice to see my family and it was fun to visit a new city (and country)! Some things I noted in Toronto:

- Recycling. Recycling bins were everywhere, and diversified. Good for them!
- Clean streets. Toronto was remarkably low on litter for a dense city, even the alleyways looked neat and tidy.
- 100+ year old brick buildings stood shoulder to shoulder with glass and steel giants. There was a wonderful mix of new and old in the downtown area. Some neighborhoods were predominantly one or the other, but I was happy to see how well they had preserved their older buildings. My heart has a soft spot for old architecture. Apparently it also has a soft spot for funny signs. "No sacks please, we're British" sat in the window of a store. Teehee.
- The coffee is good. We tried coffee from a different shop every day. It was always good. Well played, Toronto.
- Herbs has an audible "h." This catapulted me into endless Eddie Izzard quotes all week.

Two weeks ago I poked myself in the eye with a broom. Betcha didn't know you could do that? I mention this so that it will come as no surprise that someone in my family had an accident that put them in bed for a day, and made the rest of us reluctant to go running around the city without them. Not that we would have done so otherwise. Our family vacations rest solidly on the pillars of drinking coffee, eating, taking long leisurely walks, and napping. Repeat as needed until the sun goes down. On the upside, this gave us all plenty of time to watch my Dad hang out with one of his best friends, also a doctor, who had come to the conference with his family specifically to see him. They had seen each other back in October, but before then it had been almost 30 years. This was the greatest pleasure of the trip: to watch them talk and reminisce, to hear them laugh and jab cheerfully at each other, and to watch their wives get to know one another (they had never met). While playing Family Tree, it turns out the wives (my Mom and the other Mrs. Dr.) are probably distant cousins. Welcome to the game of Jewish geography! It's like six degrees of Kevin Bacon, but instead of Kevin Bacon it's... Everyone.

Talking to my Dad this weekend, he described the trip as magical. I need a few more months for time to make the edges fuzzy enough to use that word (three sisters in one room. Three adult sisters in one room). I felt that there were high points and low points, but the high points were so rich and sweet and lasting as to make the whole trip good.

A Stitch in Time

2010-04-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

A few months ago the front button fell off of Bobbles pants, so I replaced it. I like to be crafty like that. Soon after I noticed a small hole in a sweatshirt, and offered to fix it. He kept on wearing it, and the hole the length of my finger became a hole that stretched nearly across his shoulders, from my fingers to my elbow. At which point he asked if I could fix it. I now understand that old saying VERY WELL. I took it home and promptly did nothing.

A week ago, Bobbles asked me to patch a hole in the same pair of pants. The pants are sitting my car, patched and ready to go, but the sweatshirt is still in my room. It took three trips to find black sweatshirt material (one place didn't carry it, one place was out of stock) and I'm a lazy person, so the delay can be explained. The pants, though, are his favorite pants, so I wanted to return them quickly. The pants got three patches in the end. After the initial patch, I thought of the Lesson of the Sweatshirt and held them up to see if any more patches were needed. I would have asked first, since I'm aware of the subjective feelings that can arise with a favorite piece of clothing, but it was 1 a.m. and I was on a roll. I haven't looked at them since, in the daylight. Fingers crossed.

In other news, I'm leaving on a jet plane...tomorrow. This time to Toronto! Stay tuned!

Banana Brick

2010-04-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

That's what you get when you make banana bread but confuse baking powder for baking soda. Great taste but dense, heavy (not in a good way) texture. FAIL. Now I have a loaf that could take out a window. On the upside, though, assuming it actually rises and gets fluffy with baking soda, I now have a very easy banana bread recipe.

Resolution Update - April

2010-04-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

To keep the blog rolling, here's a resolution update:

First of all, I admit that in order to write an update, I had to go back to the January post to remember what my resolutions were. Not a good sign. However, it's not all bad news.

1. Running - not too shabby. As I said, 2/3 months were at the 50+ mile mark, and the other month was only a few miles shy. Ultimate frisbee season started up again, which hopefully won't take away too many hours. Since frisbee is kind of like HIIT (high intensity interval training - I'm learning!), I figure if I cut back on my running days but increase the mileage I'll have a good balance of interval/sprints and distance runs. In theory.

2. Get Outdoors. This actually went very well! I visited my sister in Davis, where there wasn't any snow or anything and the weather was nice and warm. We did walk around a bit and visited a lot of local parks. I also went running outside while I was there, though I don't think I've been running outside since I returned. Hmmm... working on it!

3. Food. There were highs and lows. I've been making a lot of guacamole and buying fruit that I know came from afar. The snow just melted here, folks, fruit might take a while. On the upside, however, I have a garden patch again this year! It's two plots down from my old patch, and I haven't seen it yet but I am looking forward to gardening again. This year I might actually put some thought into it! Gasp!

A peek into my life

2010-04-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

It is passover. My awesome Mom mailed me a package with kosher for passover chocolate. W00t!

I nailed my goal of 50 miles for the month of March. That's 2/3 successful months in 2010, with an average of just over 50 miles/month. W00t!

I am dogsitting for the Dude and Ames. They have two dogs. We'll call them Goofus and Gallant because it's appropriate. When I came home last night Goofus was eating a Pretty Woman DVD case. This morning I emailed the Dude and mentioned it.
"Goofus chewed up a DVD case. The DVD was unharmed."
"Which DVD?"
"Pretty Woman."
"Again?"
What?

True Story.

Time to Trek

2010-03-30T09:55:00.001-07:00

Last night was the first seder of passover. I went to my cousins' home in Skokie, and we recounted the story of passover and poured over every related story, every pattern and nuance that we could find, until our eyes were blurry and our stomachs full. Every year Jews are supposed to retell the story of how the Israelites left Egypt; we are supposed to treat it as our own story, as though we were personally delivered from slavery and sent to trek through the desert for forty years. Everyone's seder is a little different. At my parent's house, we sing loudly and laugh a lot. At one Hillel seder, we whacked one another with green onions, to imitate the Egyptians whipping slaves. At my cousins' house, seders are stacked high and many people come with notes, ready to share the insights they picked up in the previous weeks.

We talk about what it means to be free. One year we talked about freedom and bread. Baking bread takes time, and controlling your own time is a freedom. We fill each others' glasses; nobody fills the glass of a slave. We invite guests to our seders because we have the freedom and ability to welcome people into our homes. Every day we are a slave to our jobs, to bills, to our blackberrys, the shows we CANNOT miss. We eat matzah, the bread of affliction, the bread of slavery, bread made by people without the luxury of time to let it rise, for a week after the seder because the Israelites not only had to leave the physical bondage of Egypt, but they had to free themselves from the slave mindset. Today, despite the demands on our time and our obligations, we have the freedom to prioritize our lives and make our own decisions.

Taking a break from waxing eloquent - I really enjoyed spending the evening with my cousins, even if didn't wrap up until the wee hours. If you know what gefilte fish is, then you should be rightfully impressed that my cousin makes her own. I know I was blown away.

I'll Kick His Ass!

2010-03-23T22:44:00.001-07:00

This last weekend I went to an Aikido seminar, and someone totally hit on me. We were practicing, making small talk, when he looked up at me and said, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

I broke into a big grin. "I do!" I said, and paused to find him on the mat. "Bobbles!" I was enthusiastic in my response because hello, he's awesome! I'm excited he's mine. The sheepish apology that followed was therefore puzzling, until my partner pointed to his empty ring finger. To his credit, the guy totally backed off after that, but I was left with a few questions.

For starters, this guy is my mother's age. I am not age appropriate! Is this common? For another, do I tell Bobbles? On the one hand, not telling him feels like keeping secrets, but telling him seems like I'm trying to make him jealous. Would he want to know? Would I want to know, if the situation was reversed?

I don't like keeping secrets and I decided Bobbles didn't have a reason to be jealous. I thought of my newly married friends, Dude and Ames. One of the guards once asked Ames on a date, and she declined because she was dating Dude. She told Dude about it and his response was something along the lines of, "Of course he asked you out, you're hot!" Dude trusted Ames and was confident in their relationship, and I think that's a good place to be. So I told Bobbles. His response? "Really?!" Followed by, well, refer to the title. I'm pretty sure he's joking because (1) this is someone we see maybe once a year, (2) this person probably had the highest rank in the room all weekend, he is beautiful and terrifying with weapons, and (3) he's a totally cool guy and we both enjoy working with him. So I guess that went well.

How about y'all? Would you tell your SOs if someone hit on you? Would you want them to tell you? I asked Bobbles if people hit on him all the time and he just doesn't mention it, but he said that never happens. I'm being objective when I say that he is a big tall hunky man and I cannot believe that women don't try to catch his eye, but I can totally believe that bless his heart, he just does not notice. If a girl asked him out, I think I'd want to know, and I'd smile and compliment her on her good taste. But I'd probably also like her a little less, in my head.

Miss C Goes to Washington v1.2

2010-03-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

As Roger mentioned, I stopped by Congressman McCotter's office while I was in DC. I spent most of my time literally running around the Congressional buildings. I had three or four meetings a day so I ran around with a few folders tucked under my arm, often getting lost. Seriously, I spent 15 minutes wandering around the Rayburn building simply trying to find an exit. Over the course of the visit I became more comfortable in my suit and heels, I found the right place to hide my business cards so I had one ready at the start of each meeting. I think I stopped madly fidgeting with my jacket top, but I can't be sure. My point is that by the end of the trip, I don't think I stood out. This was not the case when I visited Congressman McCotter's office.

I didn't have an appointment with Congressman McCotter. I don't live in his district, nor do I know anyone who does. You can catch him on Red Eye some nights, he is a pretty articulate Republican who rips apart the host Greg with great deadpan skill. My Mom hearts him, as do my sister LSD and friend Roger. All of these people said I absolutely had to visit him, so visit him I did. The point of the paragraph above is this: at the end of my visit, I felt comfortable as I was. At the beginning of my visit, I visited the Congressman's office.

Every Congressman's office has a large brown and gold plaque next to the door with their name and state. Sometimes the doors are propped open, and when you look inside you see signs of state pride. In one case my eyes fell on the Representative's name, the word Alaska, and then an absolutely enormous bear skin, over 10 feet tall, covering the wall behind the front desk. I stopped in my tracks. But I digress; Congressman McCotter's office door was not open, which gave me the chance to photograph the plaque without looking like a crazy person. Plenty of time for that later! I hesitated a second, then walked into the office. A girl behind the front desk looked at me expectantly, and I smiled and kind of shrugged and said I was just looking around. Remember what I said about crazy? I saw a Diego Rivera painting, pennants for the Detroit Tigers, a poster for the Pogues, and I don't remember what else. It was a nice office, I remember a lot of dark wood and a cozy feeling. Emboldened, I turned my attention to the girl at the desk and said that I was a huge fan of the Congressman, that he was awesome and my fam hearts him. I then asked if I could make an appointment to meet with someone to talk about science and/or science education. She looked skeptical and said she didn't think anyone was available then. Not "then" as in "that moment," but "then" as in "I'm going into autopilot because I am the first line of defense between you and the people who work in this office." I shrugged and gave her my card, told her I would be in town through Friday, and left.

I felt like my true message hadn't gotten through, so I sent him an email on his website reiterating my point. It went something like, "Dear Congressman McCotter, I was in your office last week, I'm a grad student in physics, it'd be great if you could help fund science, but you're great no matter what, my fam hearts you and so does my friend Roger. We watch you on Red Eye all the time!" Apparently if you walk into someone's office and say this, they avoid you, but if you commit it to paper, they send you a hand written note wishing the best to your friends and family, and commending you for being a great American. That's right folks, I'm a great American! You heard it here first! Sweet!

Miss C Goes to Washington, v1.1

2010-03-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned, I went to Washington, D.C. last week. The whole trip was uncharted territory and it was all I could do not to catch sight of the Washington Monument, or recognize names on Congressional offices, and throw my hands up with, "Awesome!" (Note: that effort was a total fail) Rather than try to cover the whole trip in an entry, I'm going to write little snippets in the hope that some of those snippets will actually get written and posted.

To start: my field is awesome. I learned a lot about practical applications of the work done in particle physics. I don't know about the legislative assistants we met, but I was certainly impressed. Tens of thousands of particle accelerator machines are used for imaging and diagnostic tests in hospitals across the U.S. You can clean dirty water and smoke from smokestacks with electron beams! Particle accelerators are used to make shrink wrap. Fermilab alone involved about 42,000 k-12 students in science outreach programs. Improvements on the Hubble cameras led to improvements in mammogram imaging. Neutron and proton therapies for cancer use particle accelerators to aim particle beams so that the particles in question deposit most of their radiation right at the site of the tumor, instead of bombarding the entire body with radiation. Bridgestone uses particle accelerators to induce chemical changes in their rubber that used to require strong solvents, reducing both the amount of rubber they use and their hazardous waste byproducts. This stuff is just crazy cool, right? As someone who might actually graduate and get a job one day, a job doing one of these things, I certainly think so.

Silly Monday Things

2010-03-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

I have a Real Post to write about being in DC, but for the moment I will post some silliness, to get the ball rolling. Or something.

If I were a month I’d be September.
If I were a day I’d be Thursday.
If I were a time of day I’d be morning.
If I were a planet I’d be one with many moons.
If I were a sea animal I’d be an otter.

If I were a direction I’d be west.
If I were a piece of furniture I’d be a futon.
If I were a liquid I’d be hot tea.
If I were a gem stone I’d be a sapphire.
If I were a tree I’d be a cypress.

If I were a tool I’d be a pocket knife.
If I were a flower I’d be a sword lily.
If I were an element of weather I’d be rain.
If I were a musical instrument I’d be a violin.
If I were a color I’d be blue.

If I were an emotion I’d be joyous.
If I were a fruit I’d be a pear.
If I were a sound I’d be light rain on your rooftop.
If I were an element I’d be xenon.
If I were a car I’d be a chevy volt.

If I were a food I’d be something Thai.
If I were a place I’d be a spot in northern California.
If I were a material I’d be practical easy cotton.
If I were a taste I’d be savory.
If I were a scent I’d be Calvin Klein Eternity.

If I were a body part I’d be an eye.
If I were a facial expression I’d be a smile.
If I were a song I’d be something you could sing.
If I were a pair of shoes I’d be flip flops.

Borrowed this one from Adriana, who got it from someone else, who got it from someone else... original source unknown.

WHAT THE HELL

2010-02-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

Today I got pulled over by a police officer. I was not speeding, nor did I run a stop sign. The officer asked for my license and registration, and asked how long my windshield had been cracked. A crack runs along the top of my windshield, it is above my line of sight and has been there for years. He then returns to his car and sits there for a long time. Apparently my Fermilab address arouses suspicion. He returned to issue me a warning, which thankfully is not actually a ticket. However, he said that if I was pulled over again in the next couple of months and had not fixed it, I would be more likely to get a ticket because the crack looked dangerous. I had a mechanic look at the windshield soon after I bought the car, and he assured me that it was secure. I repeated this to the officer, who expressed doubt about the mechanic's opinion, and still handed me the warning.

Disclaimer: I respect the police, I appreciate the job they do. I like most of the officers that I meet, and this guy was very polite. I'm very glad that he did not give me a ticket but rather issued a warning. I'm also REALLY glad I decided to change my license plates last week!

Back to the point: My car is not unsafe! It might be unattractive. It's still functional, it's not like my tail light was broken. However, now I'm worried that I'll be pulled over and issued a ticket for having a cosmetic non-dangerous problem. I am heading to the mechanic soon anyway for a tune up, and I'll ask him about replacement costs, but I am also tempted to ask him for a note, like a doctor's note. "Please excuse Carley's car for having a cracked windshield. I have examined the windshield, and it is sturdy."

Resolution Update and Random Things

2010-02-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to make up for being so absent the past few months on this blog, hence the recent spate of entries. As we near the middle of February, I thought it would be a good time to review my progress on my late-made resolutions.
1. Running - success! I ran a little over 50 miles last month, and I'm on track to do the same this month. I feel a little healthier and the miles are easier. Now I just want the numbers on the scale to fall...
2. Get outdoors - moderate success. I went snowboarding with Bobbles, and thanks to the amazing long underwear I bought I've been running outside about once a week. Think about this: I run outside when it is about 30 degrees, and I don't feel cold. This long underwear is amazing! If you're in the market for a pair, check out REI MTS midweight.
3. Food - fail. I don't cook much because I'm not usually home, which leads to a lot of instant and premade food. Not good, I know. I did contact the garden club president to be put on the list for a new plot, that should count for something.

In other news... I am making a quilt! It looks like shutters on the front, alternating strips of black, red, and yellow cotton with a black back panel that sports yellow and red Chinese characters. B is helping me make it, she suggested the project as a way to use up some of her fabric. I'm enjoying it a lot! I haven't touched a sewing machine since my Mom made me make a pair of shorts from a pattern when I was 12. At the time I dragged my feet through the process, feeling no interest in it at all, but now I want that skill set, and I wish I had been more open to it when I was younger. Pictures will follow soon.

And finally.... there was an earthquake early this morning in Northwest Illinois. A 3.8 earthquake struck around 4 a.m. near Westwinds dojo, waking up everyone I know here. I, however, slept through it; the first I heard of it was from Bobbles' email: "Happy Earthquake Wednesday!" Further proof that (1) I am a very heavy sleeper, and (2) I am a California native. Please. Don't wake me up unless it's a 5.