So, here are some pics from last month of Matt Smith & Karen Gillan as they start filming Series 5.
Reaction has been mixed to say the best about the outfit. Personally, I love it (as if you expected me to say something else).
From what limited snippets I've seen of his acting, he does come across as someone who, at the age of 26, can easily seem like he's 2600. I don't quite know what it is - maybe the facial looks, he looks as if he's chiseled from stone in some pictures. A very statuesque, angled face. That imparts age.
Of course the lack of wrinkles (damn him!) belies his youth. And I think the new costume is sort of a counterbalance to that. I've seen it referred to as the "Professor" look, and lest we forget that was Ace's preferred term for the Seventh Doctor (who RULED and I don't care WHAT you say). The air of authority conveyed by such an outfit plays right against his youth, and personally I think it's both cute and authoritarian. Maybe it's because during my time in grad school, trying to become a Doctor myself, I've seen quite a lot of the tweed-coat-and-bow-tie profs myself. They really do exist in academia, I swear. Not that I think they are cute, because they are all old, but you know what I'm trying to say.
I think he will play the Doctor as an attractive guy, but rather than the cutesy emotion of David Tennant, he will do the brainy, assertive, teacher figure role. And I think it will work. And it will be effing brilliant.
But I'm already sold, and you already knew that.
21 August 2009
Coming Up...
So I haven't written in a while. What's been going on: work, cooking, best friend's mom died. Mainly, not a whole lot of fun.
Thesis has been sort of going, advisor being of slightly more help as of late.
Best friend's mom: one of those people who everyone called Mom, always had food and a shoulder to cry on for anyone who walked in the door. I'm still a bit wrecked over the whole thing, honestly.
Renewed my unemployment, still no job, still poor. Not a hell of a lot has changed on that front.
It's hot as hell, the Mets suck, and I can't wait for football and snow.
So some entries I swear I am going to write in the somewhat near future:
My thoughts on Matt Smith
A celiac news roundup
A few general science roundups
The return of Signs of the Apocalypse
Movie reviews
I have all of this sitting in a text file on my desktop so I don't forget it all. Because once you hit 30, and you've been an undiagnosed celiac, your mind starts going. Sigh.
Anyway if you are still reading this mindless drivel, I love you <3
Thesis has been sort of going, advisor being of slightly more help as of late.
Best friend's mom: one of those people who everyone called Mom, always had food and a shoulder to cry on for anyone who walked in the door. I'm still a bit wrecked over the whole thing, honestly.
Renewed my unemployment, still no job, still poor. Not a hell of a lot has changed on that front.
It's hot as hell, the Mets suck, and I can't wait for football and snow.
So some entries I swear I am going to write in the somewhat near future:
My thoughts on Matt Smith
A celiac news roundup
A few general science roundups
The return of Signs of the Apocalypse
Movie reviews
I have all of this sitting in a text file on my desktop so I don't forget it all. Because once you hit 30, and you've been an undiagnosed celiac, your mind starts going. Sigh.
Anyway if you are still reading this mindless drivel, I love you <3
06 July 2009
Science Roundup 07/06/09 - Bumpkins, Babies, and Babes
So having just noted the visit of actual scientists to the Creationism museum, and having just watched Inherit The Wind, I am amused by the following - some smart person points out why the Bible is wrong: namely, everything was on the ark, even the dinosaurs. So why are they extinct? LOGIC FTW.
Related: WHY EVEN GIVE IT CREDENCE BY REFERENCING IT?!
I am increasingly thinking there is something to the school of thought that as we have poisoned our environment, it is poisoning us. Phthalates may be causing pre-term births, nitrates may cause Alzheimer's, inbreeding is BAD (note to the South), and not sleeping is BAD particularly if you're an XX. I am a scientist, and I know what closed systems are - and things (ecosystems) develop in equilibrium with their surroundings. When that is disrupted... well, all hell breaks loose.
Somewhat related: The simpler, the better (sometimes) when it comes to childbirth. I hope all my breeding brethren find that of interest.
Of course, not all progress is bad. For example, vaccines. As I bitched about recently, there's no evidence they cause autism. and, there's a *reason* they are mandatory. Also, research shows how we might fight Alzheimer's. And, as someone born with a heart defect, this makes me happy.
Related to Alzheimer's: is there ANYTHING coffee can't fix?!.
Ahh, if only we had so little to worry about as the Netherlands.
So your Social Security number isn't as secure as it seems. Well, if you were born after 1988.
Depressed students are more likely to drop out. As a ninth-year graduate student, my research has also told me that the sky is blue.
Oh, and chicks RULE!
Finally, Damn, I'm old.
Related: WHY EVEN GIVE IT CREDENCE BY REFERENCING IT?!
I am increasingly thinking there is something to the school of thought that as we have poisoned our environment, it is poisoning us. Phthalates may be causing pre-term births, nitrates may cause Alzheimer's, inbreeding is BAD (note to the South), and not sleeping is BAD particularly if you're an XX. I am a scientist, and I know what closed systems are - and things (ecosystems) develop in equilibrium with their surroundings. When that is disrupted... well, all hell breaks loose.
Somewhat related: The simpler, the better (sometimes) when it comes to childbirth. I hope all my breeding brethren find that of interest.
Of course, not all progress is bad. For example, vaccines. As I bitched about recently, there's no evidence they cause autism. and, there's a *reason* they are mandatory. Also, research shows how we might fight Alzheimer's. And, as someone born with a heart defect, this makes me happy.
Related to Alzheimer's: is there ANYTHING coffee can't fix?!.
Ahh, if only we had so little to worry about as the Netherlands.
So your Social Security number isn't as secure as it seems. Well, if you were born after 1988.
Depressed students are more likely to drop out. As a ninth-year graduate student, my research has also told me that the sky is blue.
Oh, and chicks RULE!
Finally, Damn, I'm old.
04 July 2009
Movie: Inherit The Wind
OK, so as a scientist it's lame that I *just* got around to watching this flick. I must be the only person who never had to sit through it in high school. Needless to say, the idea of the religious lunatic fringe combatting evolution rings just as true today as it did back in 1925 during the original Scopes Monkey Trial. The version I watched was the 1960 one with Spencer Tracy and Gene Kelly, and apparently was also an allegory to McCarthyism as well (which makes sense on reflection).
The more I watch these classics, the more I realize that they just don't make movies like this anymore. Or anything they try to do today just pales in comparison. You would think that a movie about a court case, which mainly involves two lawyers going at it, would be boring as hell - but Spencer Tracy and Fredric March are absolutely amazing, as Drummond (defense) and Brady (prosecution), respectively. Their interactions and dialogue are a joy to watch - in the movie, they are actually friends, and Drummond was a supporter of Brady in his political ambitions. They find themselves on opposites of the law, and of human progress by extension, but still manage to be friendly through almost all of the proceedings.
The obvious theme of the movie - freedom of thought - was highlighted even more by the downright frightening portrayal of the religious fanatics in the community. The pastor damning his own daughter, that creepy "Old Time Religion" song, even the mobs burning Cates (the biology teacher) in effigy - I feel better knowing I'm on the right side of the issue, but I was still honestly scared by them.
By all means, this is a great flick and I can't recommend this strongly enough if you are in any way involved with science. Even apart from that - if you like good banter, the courtroom scenes are hilarious and the acting is great.
Check it out.
More info: Wikipedia entry
The more I watch these classics, the more I realize that they just don't make movies like this anymore. Or anything they try to do today just pales in comparison. You would think that a movie about a court case, which mainly involves two lawyers going at it, would be boring as hell - but Spencer Tracy and Fredric March are absolutely amazing, as Drummond (defense) and Brady (prosecution), respectively. Their interactions and dialogue are a joy to watch - in the movie, they are actually friends, and Drummond was a supporter of Brady in his political ambitions. They find themselves on opposites of the law, and of human progress by extension, but still manage to be friendly through almost all of the proceedings.
The obvious theme of the movie - freedom of thought - was highlighted even more by the downright frightening portrayal of the religious fanatics in the community. The pastor damning his own daughter, that creepy "Old Time Religion" song, even the mobs burning Cates (the biology teacher) in effigy - I feel better knowing I'm on the right side of the issue, but I was still honestly scared by them.
By all means, this is a great flick and I can't recommend this strongly enough if you are in any way involved with science. Even apart from that - if you like good banter, the courtroom scenes are hilarious and the acting is great.
Check it out.
More info: Wikipedia entry
29 June 2009
Science Roundup 6/29/09 - Autism, Ulysses, Feminism
So now that I have Google Reader somewhat sorted, I can stay on top of more news than EVER! Which means, I can dig up more pointless crap to prattle about in my blog.
More studies that indicate autism is genetic. In other words, not caused by vaccines.
Rest in peace, Ulysses. The Ulysses solar orbitar is shutting down, after providing data about the far reaches of the solar system for almost 20 years. NASA, you done good on that one.
Leave it to UMass Amherst to show women are better at hammering nails than men. I mean, I know we're all pro-feminist up here, but this is getting a mite silly, no?
Japansese robots dance. Ours teach you how to do breast exams. Hmm.
More studies that indicate autism is genetic. In other words, not caused by vaccines.
Rest in peace, Ulysses. The Ulysses solar orbitar is shutting down, after providing data about the far reaches of the solar system for almost 20 years. NASA, you done good on that one.
Leave it to UMass Amherst to show women are better at hammering nails than men. I mean, I know we're all pro-feminist up here, but this is getting a mite silly, no?
Japansese robots dance. Ours teach you how to do breast exams. Hmm.
26 June 2009
online confusion
So yeah I know I should be working. But I am farting around with online information aggregators. Between Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Google Reader, etc. I can't settle on a happy interface. I liked Google's iGoogle page for a while. Now I'm not so sure. Plus having more than 1 Gmail account is a bit crazy as I need to decide which things I follow where.
But yeah. That's how I'm wasting my life today because I can't tackle anything serious at the moment.
But yeah. That's how I'm wasting my life today because I can't tackle anything serious at the moment.
23 June 2009
15 June 2009
Movie: The Matrix Reloaded
No, I hadn't seen it before now. And yeah, it was cool. Excellent soundtrack, too.
More info: Wikipedia entry
More info: Wikipedia entry
01 June 2009
Movie: All The President's Men
Mr. BP put this one on the Netflix list, and it's kind of silly that neither of us had seen it before now. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman star as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, respectively, the reporters at the Washington Post who broke the Watergate story. It is based on a book which I haven't yet read, written by said reporters. As somewhat of a politics and history junkie, this was fascinating to me. And for classics like these, I love to watch the "behind the scenes" footage of how they made the movie. And in this case, it had actual interviews with Woodward and Bernstein, all the actors, and a nice extended "making of" bit that showed how they recreated the WaPo offices down to the last detail - by stealing trash out of the trashbins! There is a nice discussion of what real investigative journalism is - at least, in 1974. Watching WaPo be presented as a vaunted institution, and seeing all the footwork involved in writing the story, it makes for an interesting comparison with today's electronic media. What I felt was that even though the institutions and mediums have changed, true reporting and true journalism will always require research and integrity. Today, it matters less where you work than WHY you work - and it's the same whether you're at the Washington Post or the Huffington Post. I think that in the digital age, it's easier to let your voice be heard - but more work to separate it and put it above the rest.
Anyway, now I'm rambling. Rent this if you haven't already.
More info: Wikipedia entry
Anyway, now I'm rambling. Rent this if you haven't already.
More info: Wikipedia entry
Movie: Happy Endings
Movie: Happy Endings
No, not what you think. But it does have a masseuse in it. The intertwining stories of some really messed up people - like, people you wake up in the morning and say "THANK GOD I AM NOT THEM" about. The way the story is told is pretty neat, you really do feel like you are moving along the story arc jumping from person to person. And, I will say, Maggie Gyllenhaall is AWESOME. I do love her a lot. This didn't make a ton of money, and I'm not quite sure how it wound up on the Netflix list - I must have been really bored one night. But anyway, a fun flick if you want something slightly silly for a quiet night.
More info: Wikipedia entry
No, not what you think. But it does have a masseuse in it. The intertwining stories of some really messed up people - like, people you wake up in the morning and say "THANK GOD I AM NOT THEM" about. The way the story is told is pretty neat, you really do feel like you are moving along the story arc jumping from person to person. And, I will say, Maggie Gyllenhaall is AWESOME. I do love her a lot. This didn't make a ton of money, and I'm not quite sure how it wound up on the Netflix list - I must have been really bored one night. But anyway, a fun flick if you want something slightly silly for a quiet night.
More info: Wikipedia entry
Movie: You Don't Mess With The Zohan
Oh, just go rent this. It was hilarious. I'm not a huge Adam Sandler fan, but this was silly enough to enjoy after a few drinks. In all honesty, rent this just for the DVD extras. The special with the director (Dennis Dugan) was absolutely hilarious, especially when they were filming in Mexico. One extra dealt with Middle Eastern actors, of Israeli, Egyptian, and Palestinian descent, and how they all pretty much got along on the set. One Egyptian actor in particular talked about how his feelings changed just by virtue of interacting with some other Israeli actors. It actually was pretty amazing, for an Adam Sandler film. Well, I thought it was amazing. Anyway, it was pretty funny in that Zoolander sort of way, where reality is just a little bit beyond what you expect reality to be. In other words, after a few drinks.
More info: Wikipedia entry
More info: Wikipedia entry
Movie: Bright Young Things
I snuck this on the Netflix list ONLY because David Tennant was in it. And, yes, I had read the warnings about the moustache. And, yes, OMG it was hideous. Mercifully, he wasn't in there all that much. The movie itself, by Stephen Fry, is set in the early 30's before WWII. It focuses on the party and entertainment and gossip scene of the super-rich aristocracy, the "bright young things" constantly in search of the next thrill. Tennant's good friend Fenella Wollgar has possibly the best scene *ever*, waking up in 10 Downing and having NO IDEA where she is. I cried laughing. The movie is pretty gaudy for the most part until about three-fourths of the way in, when reality comes crashing down in the form of WWII. The serious perspective did seem a little forced at the end, and Nina did seem a pretty unsympathetic character for most of the movie. What Adam sees in her I don't know. But, the end was okay, and I have to admit Stephen Campbell Moore was nice to look at for 2 hours, more so than even David Tennant believe it or not. AND Mr. Tumnus, James McAvoy, also is here which is a bonus. I'd just seen The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe so this was a pleasant suprise :)
So, if you are in the mood for a witty British period piece with nice eye candy, check this out.
More info: Wikipedia entry
So, if you are in the mood for a witty British period piece with nice eye candy, check this out.
More info: Wikipedia entry
08 May 2009
April/May Catchup
I had a rotten day in the lab, so I am drinking and catching up on my DVR recordings. And I figure I should catch up on April, since I wrote nothing about it yet.
April 4th: BP got tickets for us to see Lewis Black at the Coolidge Theater in Northampton! We were way up in the peanut gallery, but the show was absolutely hysterical. The opening comic, John Bowman, was pretty good. And Lewis Black - the line of the night was, "I've been reading some things, and apparently, the economy is in the s*****r." I don't remember the last time I laughed that hard (well, when I was sober at least)...
April 11th-12th: Easter weekend, my parents and my brother came up here to celebrate Easter. We had a lot of food and a lot of alcohol. And, amazingly, everything I thought went really well. We had a nice night and a nice dinner and it was good to see them.
April 18th: METS GAME AT CITI! BP & I drove down Friday night and met up with people Saturday morning. The drinking commenced at about 11am with department peeps, and good old DC stopped by too (he happened to be at the game as well!). Johan then pitched a FANTASTIC game and the Mets won 1-0 over the Brewers. We were in Section 531, and I have to admit I liked Citi in spite of myself. We got to hang out with my folks, and we headed back to MA on Sunday.
April 24th-25th: We had a team from the department participate in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life overnight. This was an amazing experience. In addition to making a fool out of myself to raise over a grand for the cause, it was a pretty intense experience to be there overnight with so many people for such a great cause. I didn't get much sleep because it was noisy and we had a nice 4am thunderstorm that woke everyone up. I got more sleep when I got home and over the rest of the weekend.
May 1st-3rd: ROAST! It was FABULOUS to catch up with everyone, live on 7 hours of sleep for the weekend, and generally be back "HOME"! The new frosh at the Haus are great from what interactions I had with them, and all went smoothly. And of course, all of you who gave me more kicks in the ass to graduate I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Today was a rough day - it's hard doing something when you are so on your own and no one cares about what you're doing. But, there is a farmer's market tomorrow and I am looking forward to buying lots of good food. So, yeah.
April 4th: BP got tickets for us to see Lewis Black at the Coolidge Theater in Northampton! We were way up in the peanut gallery, but the show was absolutely hysterical. The opening comic, John Bowman, was pretty good. And Lewis Black - the line of the night was, "I've been reading some things, and apparently, the economy is in the s*****r." I don't remember the last time I laughed that hard (well, when I was sober at least)...
April 11th-12th: Easter weekend, my parents and my brother came up here to celebrate Easter. We had a lot of food and a lot of alcohol. And, amazingly, everything I thought went really well. We had a nice night and a nice dinner and it was good to see them.
April 18th: METS GAME AT CITI! BP & I drove down Friday night and met up with people Saturday morning. The drinking commenced at about 11am with department peeps, and good old DC stopped by too (he happened to be at the game as well!). Johan then pitched a FANTASTIC game and the Mets won 1-0 over the Brewers. We were in Section 531, and I have to admit I liked Citi in spite of myself. We got to hang out with my folks, and we headed back to MA on Sunday.
April 24th-25th: We had a team from the department participate in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life overnight. This was an amazing experience. In addition to making a fool out of myself to raise over a grand for the cause, it was a pretty intense experience to be there overnight with so many people for such a great cause. I didn't get much sleep because it was noisy and we had a nice 4am thunderstorm that woke everyone up. I got more sleep when I got home and over the rest of the weekend.
May 1st-3rd: ROAST! It was FABULOUS to catch up with everyone, live on 7 hours of sleep for the weekend, and generally be back "HOME"! The new frosh at the Haus are great from what interactions I had with them, and all went smoothly. And of course, all of you who gave me more kicks in the ass to graduate I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Today was a rough day - it's hard doing something when you are so on your own and no one cares about what you're doing. But, there is a farmer's market tomorrow and I am looking forward to buying lots of good food. So, yeah.
04 May 2009
GF Healthy, Green and Cheap: Soda Sucks
So everyone knows soda is bad for you. I always had to have my Coke with lunch. After I was diagnosed with celiac, I was so happy that Coke was GF, and only had 6 ingredients so I came up with my "6 Ingredient Rule" that if anything had more than 6 ingredients, I wouldn't waste my time trying to decide if it was safe or not.
So, being poor and unemployed and with the economy in the crapper, I decided soda was just not worth it anymore. I could make lemonade or iced tea for oodles less money AND be healthier in the process. Granted, lemonade from scratch has sugar in it, but normal cane sugar is far better than high fructose corn syrup, which has been documented all over the place as being inherenetly evil (here's one example). And iced tea has antioxidants and other good things in it.
Also, since I went GF, I gained a ton of weight. And now it's catching up to me. So, switching off soda is good not only for health reasons but for weight reasons. Personally, all the fake crap that they put in there to reduce sugar or calories frightens me. And let me add I have a degree in chemical engineering, so I speak geek. There is no mystique behind shampoo bottles or preserved meats anymore for me - I know exactly what those long lists of unpronounceable chemicals are and, frankly, I don't want them in my body, even if they are deemed "safe" by the FDA (whom I do not trust). And lo and behold, my paranoia may be vindicated. Since I've gone of soda (maybe about a month now?) I do feel a little more sluggish, but having a little more coffee has helped. I was having trouble sleeping and my stomach was a bit upset for a little while, but I think my body is getting used to the lack of caffeine and sweetners. (PS there's also the small matter of Coke's human rights abuses.)
Overall I think it's been better for my wallet and my waistline. Have you given up soda? What do you drink?
So, being poor and unemployed and with the economy in the crapper, I decided soda was just not worth it anymore. I could make lemonade or iced tea for oodles less money AND be healthier in the process. Granted, lemonade from scratch has sugar in it, but normal cane sugar is far better than high fructose corn syrup, which has been documented all over the place as being inherenetly evil (here's one example). And iced tea has antioxidants and other good things in it.
Also, since I went GF, I gained a ton of weight. And now it's catching up to me. So, switching off soda is good not only for health reasons but for weight reasons. Personally, all the fake crap that they put in there to reduce sugar or calories frightens me. And let me add I have a degree in chemical engineering, so I speak geek. There is no mystique behind shampoo bottles or preserved meats anymore for me - I know exactly what those long lists of unpronounceable chemicals are and, frankly, I don't want them in my body, even if they are deemed "safe" by the FDA (whom I do not trust). And lo and behold, my paranoia may be vindicated. Since I've gone of soda (maybe about a month now?) I do feel a little more sluggish, but having a little more coffee has helped. I was having trouble sleeping and my stomach was a bit upset for a little while, but I think my body is getting used to the lack of caffeine and sweetners. (PS there's also the small matter of Coke's human rights abuses.)
Overall I think it's been better for my wallet and my waistline. Have you given up soda? What do you drink?
08 April 2009
Quick Update
Been busy with various things, hence no writing. Had a birthday, had to give group meeting on said birthday after staring at a computer screen for 7 hours analyzing data, and it sucked. Oh well. Also been sick as a dog. The boy has it now, heh. Also got to see Lewis Black which was possibly the funniest experience of my life. I'll write about that separately later. Parents coming up for Easter weekend. Apartment is a mess. Still broke and unemployed. Saw a bunch of my friends from my old job on Monday, that was fun. Always good to keep in touch with people. Hope you are doing well too!
25 March 2009
Sleep Keeps You Healthy. In Other News, Sky Is Blue.
Sleep keeps animals (and people) healthy. Bowl me over with a feather.
Also explains why my cat sleeps 18 hours a day. Heh - she's still mentally sick though.
Also explains why my cat sleeps 18 hours a day. Heh - she's still mentally sick though.
24 March 2009
GF Healthy, Green and Cheap: Cleaning With Vinegar & Baking Soda
So since Monica already brought it up in my last HGC post (see here), I figured I should start there. She mentioned vinegar and baking soda - I seriously use this to clean 100% of of my house. I can't even remember what else I use - I don't think there is anything. At about $2.00 a gallon (cheaper if on sale), you can't get any more economical. Baking soda also usually runs about a buck a pound. I have an old Windex bottle that I usually do a little stronger than Tuch, I go about 75/25 vinegar/water. This cleans mirrors, tables, windows, countertops, you name it. Also, Trader Joe's (and other places, probably) has reusable cleaning cloths that can be thrown in the washer, so you even save on paper towels. I also tend to save rags and old (clean!) socks to dust and clean with as well.
I used to use Swiffers for the floors, but those got expensive real quick. I invested about $12 in a Libman Wondermop and a spare mop head. The heads are machine washable. I use probably about 2 cups of vinegar (give or take) in hot water in a bucket, and use that to mop my floors. If there's a stubborn stain, a little bit of baking soda will help (as Tuch also mentioned). I have a cat, and the bathroom floor where the litterbox is located gets dirty REAL quick. This mix works wonders. In addition, pure baking soda sprinkled in the litterbox helps with odors.
Now, the only minor downside is the odor of vinegar if that happens to bother you, but if you have good ventilation this isn't a problem. Vinegar also doesn't sit well with most pets but it is 100% harmless to them. And usually the amount used for the floors I find is pretty minimal and my cat has never been bothered by it. Also it doesn't bother my asthma at all, a problem I've had with Windex (which my mother is addicted to for some reason).
You can bake with it, cook with it, clean with it, and I've even heard it cures sore throats! Vinegar - the wonder fluid =)
UPDATE: Almost forgot - you can use it as a laundry stain treater too!
I used to use Swiffers for the floors, but those got expensive real quick. I invested about $12 in a Libman Wondermop and a spare mop head. The heads are machine washable. I use probably about 2 cups of vinegar (give or take) in hot water in a bucket, and use that to mop my floors. If there's a stubborn stain, a little bit of baking soda will help (as Tuch also mentioned). I have a cat, and the bathroom floor where the litterbox is located gets dirty REAL quick. This mix works wonders. In addition, pure baking soda sprinkled in the litterbox helps with odors.
Now, the only minor downside is the odor of vinegar if that happens to bother you, but if you have good ventilation this isn't a problem. Vinegar also doesn't sit well with most pets but it is 100% harmless to them. And usually the amount used for the floors I find is pretty minimal and my cat has never been bothered by it. Also it doesn't bother my asthma at all, a problem I've had with Windex (which my mother is addicted to for some reason).
You can bake with it, cook with it, clean with it, and I've even heard it cures sore throats! Vinegar - the wonder fluid =)
UPDATE: Almost forgot - you can use it as a laundry stain treater too!
23 March 2009
Movie: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
So it's literally been about 20 years since I read the whole Narnia series. I have been meaning to buy a box set and re-read them, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. This has been sitting in my apartment for a month now, wasting valuable queue space on our Netflix account, so I decided to finally watch it. I haven't watched the bonus material DVD yet, but I'll add on any comments about that after I do.
What a good movie! They did a nice job with this, and they could have messed it up pretty bad but they didn't. I think the parts were cast spot-on, and the filming (which seemed to take place in about 6 different countries) was gorgeous. I think, as I remember the book, it was pretty faithful to it so I was happy. And yeah, I cried when Aslan died, so there.
If you're a fan of the book, the movie doesn't disappoint.
More info: Wikipedia entry
What a good movie! They did a nice job with this, and they could have messed it up pretty bad but they didn't. I think the parts were cast spot-on, and the filming (which seemed to take place in about 6 different countries) was gorgeous. I think, as I remember the book, it was pretty faithful to it so I was happy. And yeah, I cried when Aslan died, so there.
If you're a fan of the book, the movie doesn't disappoint.
More info: Wikipedia entry
GF Healthy, Green and Cheap: The Beginning
So I've been thinking about writing about my "lifestyle", if you want to call it that, for a while now. As an unemployed asthmatic celiac, there's a lot of crap i have to deal with: keeping my living space clean without using stupid chemicals and buying good, healthy gluten-free food without putting myself further into debt. So I think I'll start a sub-series here about ways to be green and healthy (and GF) without breaking the bank. I know lots of people do this kind of thing, so when I find links to other sites along the same lines I'll link to them too. And feel free to share your own tips (all 3 of you that read this blog).
21 March 2009
Movie: The Wrestler
So we finally got our collective ass around to seeing this. I'm going to warn you now, though, in order to talk about why I liked it I have to divulge some spoilerz, so be warned.
This was up for the Oscar, Mickey Rourke's big comeback, etc. etc. etc. Done on a shoestring budget. In order to really appreciate this movie, I think, you had to be a wresting fan back in the 80's and early 90's, like my boyfriend was. This movie reminded him of all the Saturday morning cartoons, and the Wrestlemania specials, stuff I was familiar with but never really followed (I *was* a girl, after all). That's what he took away from it, down to the camera work. Most of the movie is a camera following Mickey Rourke around from behind, like they do in those wrestling specials, and overall it worked. You did feel a little like you were watching one of those, and it connected you to this character, the Ram, who most normal people would not like very much (well, I didn't at least).
But what I loved about it was that this movie does not have the happy ending. No girl, no family, not even his health really. He just does the only thing he knows how to do, and realizes that's where he belongs. It's kind of liberating in a way, but besides the obvious, also sad. Are there really such one-dimensional people out there?? The answer I think is Yes, which makes this all the more realistic and all the more sad.
This is also why Slumdog got the Oscar, I think - it has the sacrifice, the journey of discovery, etc. but it also has the Happy Ending, Boy Gets Girl, Bastards Die. Not so much in "The Wrestler".
Overall, a great flick, and bonus if you're a wrestling fan. Definitely worth watching.
More info: Wikipedia entery
This was up for the Oscar, Mickey Rourke's big comeback, etc. etc. etc. Done on a shoestring budget. In order to really appreciate this movie, I think, you had to be a wresting fan back in the 80's and early 90's, like my boyfriend was. This movie reminded him of all the Saturday morning cartoons, and the Wrestlemania specials, stuff I was familiar with but never really followed (I *was* a girl, after all). That's what he took away from it, down to the camera work. Most of the movie is a camera following Mickey Rourke around from behind, like they do in those wrestling specials, and overall it worked. You did feel a little like you were watching one of those, and it connected you to this character, the Ram, who most normal people would not like very much (well, I didn't at least).
But what I loved about it was that this movie does not have the happy ending. No girl, no family, not even his health really. He just does the only thing he knows how to do, and realizes that's where he belongs. It's kind of liberating in a way, but besides the obvious, also sad. Are there really such one-dimensional people out there?? The answer I think is Yes, which makes this all the more realistic and all the more sad.
This is also why Slumdog got the Oscar, I think - it has the sacrifice, the journey of discovery, etc. but it also has the Happy Ending, Boy Gets Girl, Bastards Die. Not so much in "The Wrestler".
Overall, a great flick, and bonus if you're a wrestling fan. Definitely worth watching.
More info: Wikipedia entery
Gig Review: Tindersticks, Somerville Theater, 03/07/09
(I started writing this like 2 weeks ago, and finally decided to finish it.)
So it will be impossible for me to write just a plain review of this show - this will encompass my deep love of the band, where they intersected my life, what they have done for me, how I decided to go to the show, the weekend in general, etc. etc. etc. So, if you actually want Tindersticks talk, scroll down a bit.
The earliest record I can find of Tindersticks in my life is a mix tape of songs off the radio. Everyone had those. I can trace my musical evolution and the music of the times with these tapes. I had like 20 of them, from about 7th or 8th grade through high school. The Tindersticks song "Nectar", the first single of theirs to hit the states, is on a mix tape that also contains "Every Generation Has Its Own Disease" by Fury In The Slaughterhouse, "Today" by Smashing Pumpkins, a cover of "Purple Haze" by The Cure, and "This Garden" by the Levellers, among other random gems. So I'm going to place this around 1994 (maybe 1995). What I do remember is hearing "Nectar" on WDRE (Dare To Be Different! 92.7 Double-you-dee-are-eee!!) as the "Shriek Of The Week!" and just completely falling in love with it. Slightly upbeat, completely unintelligible lyrics, very brooding and British. Right up my alley.
I'm going to digress here and say a few things about that time of life in general. I will work on the assumption I wasn't really celiac crazy back then. I actually kinda liked high school, for the first time in my life I had a fair amount of friends and authority figures actually respected me. I got on with just about all my teachers at Prep, and I genuinely liked them. This was a complete 180 from the crap I had to deal with in elementary school, but that's a-whole-nother thesis that will stay unwritten for now. Anyway, high school was not terrible on a social or academic level. My family life, however, was pretty miserable - and when you're 15, that pretty much means the end of the world at 3pm every single day. There's a lot there too that I won't go into right now - just trust me that it sucked. Some people found The Smiths, I found Tindersticks. After I bought the first album (on cassette!!!), I did a summer internship over at Rockefeller (that was '95 I believe) and I almost melted that tape I played it so damn much. Even in college, which was better on the family front but worse on the social front, they had a special place with me. In college I went through the techno-and-classic-rock phase to avoid the black hole that was the late 90's music scene, and I think I picked up their second album sometime along the way, which is also amazing. If you're a "Sopranos" fan, the song "Tiny Tears" from the "Isabella" episode is on that second album.
The next big spurt of money I spent on them was at another crisis point, which was taking qualifier exams in grad school, which lasted from '01 through late summer '02. After one exam I went to Newbury and bought a pile of their cd's and a few bottles of Boone's. I don't think that night ended too well. Fall of '02 was a complete s**t show and I really don't think I would have lived without "Can Our Love...". I have one very vivid memory - I was moving, and was staying in a spare room at a friend's house. I had all my crap in boxes and piles, and a mattress on the floor. It was chaos incarnate. There was a bad breakup and lots of things falling apart. And I remember going to bed one night and just putting that album on and crying until I was completely dry.
The last album (before the most most recent) was in 2003, "Waiting For The Moon" which has "Until the Morning Comes" on it which is one of the most beautiful, brutal songs I've ever heard. I remember that song and that album, listening to it in my boyfriend's room at the house he used to live in that I spent a lot of time at. That may have been part of the soundtrack to my post-election-04 hangover. Even today, when I hear that song, I weep.
So, it took me a while to pick up "The Hungry Saw" but oh man oh man oh MAN is it good. I became a fan of them on Facebook and that was actually where I found out about the tour! They hadn't toured since 2003 and I missed them back then, so I thought, hey, this would be a nice reward for me if I have my data defense done. (This was early February mind you. Data defense still not done.) I was torn between the show Friday the 6th in NYC and Saturday the 7th in Boston. Friday would have been too much of a hassle to get down to, after Bill got out of work, drive down, park car, get train to Brooklyn, etc. Instead we decided to see if his friend Derek and his ladyfriend Jeannine would like to go, and if we could crash at his place. They were in, and I went on Ticketmaster to get tickets... and I get 4 tickets FRONT and CENTER (row B seats 3-6). I didn't believe it until the tickets came in the mail. And lo and behold - the seats were for real.
Anyway - this was the eventual plan that we followed, and was was EXCELLENT. We got into Boston around 4, and were at the Sunset around 5pm. The Sunset has about a billion beers and fabulous food. Around 10 to 8 we decide we should get our collective asses to the show and hop a cab. We got there actually just in time to catch the opening act, Dawn Landes, who was EXCELLENT and opened with this French pop song, "Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles De Mon Age" that I remembered singing in freaking AP French in high school!!!! So, after about 3 big beers and a glass of wine, I am feeling no pain, sitting literally about 10 feet from the singer, and I'm singing along to this song I haven't heard in 15 years. Unreal. The seats were really front row, and my seat was literally right in front of the mic on the stage. Anyway Dawn Landes was excellent, and I'm pretty convinced I've seen her before, maybe somewhere in Northampton.
So Tindersticks start out with Dave on the keys and the intro from "The Hungry Saw" and then the rest of the band comes out and launch into "Yesterdays Tomorrows". Stuart Staples was seriously RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I felt like they were doing a show, just for me. Seriously one of the most amazing shows I've ever been to. After the show, I asked one of the tech guys if I could have a copy of the set list. I got FOUR copies, written on the back of Google Maps directions around Philly and D.C., where they had played earlier in the week. The complete set list:
Intro
Yesterdays Tomorrows
The Flicker Of A Little Girl
Come Feel The Sun
E-Type
The Other Side Of The World
The Organist Entertains
Dying Slowly
Sixteen Summers, Fifteen Falls
Say Goodbye To The City
Sleepy Song
She's Gone
The Hungry Saw
Mother Dear
Boobar Come Back To Me
All The Love
The Turns We Took
Encore:
Buried Bones
My Oblivion
Since I've never seen them, I really didn't know what to expect, but... man. The horn section was absolutely amazing. Everything was amazing - of course being in the front row doesn't hurt :) The sound quality was incredible. I hadn't been to the Somerville Theater for a show before so I didn't know what it would be like, but it was ace. I recommend seeing anything there. Kinda reminded me of the Calvin in Northampton.
Anyway, after the show we hit TEH REDBONEZ! I miss Redbones. I went there tons in undergrad when someone had a hankerin' for BBQ ribz. So we went there for a few hours, I drank even more cider, talked with people, and watched a friend get accosted by a Macedonain with a harmonica. I miss Boston =)
I have no idea what time it was when we got home, but we watched an episode of this show "Tim & Eric" and I laughed and passed out! We also all forgot it was Daylight Savings time that night so we saw it was 3:30am and sort of freaked out.
The next morning we woke up and went to brunch at the Coolidge Corner Cafe which was surprisingly good (cheers Derek!). After wandering around and enjoying the unexpected 60-degree weather and sunshine, we finally headed back to Amherst. I bought a CD at the show of a show they did in Glasgow last year, and it was exactly the right length for the drive from Boston back to Amherst. Kinda uncanny.
So, that was it. A great show, great people, great weekend. Totally undeserved, but oh well. I hope it's not another 5 years until I get to see them again.
Websites: Official, Unofficial
Reviews: Prefix, Daniel Brockman, Bostonist
Dawn Landes: Official
So it will be impossible for me to write just a plain review of this show - this will encompass my deep love of the band, where they intersected my life, what they have done for me, how I decided to go to the show, the weekend in general, etc. etc. etc. So, if you actually want Tindersticks talk, scroll down a bit.
The earliest record I can find of Tindersticks in my life is a mix tape of songs off the radio. Everyone had those. I can trace my musical evolution and the music of the times with these tapes. I had like 20 of them, from about 7th or 8th grade through high school. The Tindersticks song "Nectar", the first single of theirs to hit the states, is on a mix tape that also contains "Every Generation Has Its Own Disease" by Fury In The Slaughterhouse, "Today" by Smashing Pumpkins, a cover of "Purple Haze" by The Cure, and "This Garden" by the Levellers, among other random gems. So I'm going to place this around 1994 (maybe 1995). What I do remember is hearing "Nectar" on WDRE (Dare To Be Different! 92.7 Double-you-dee-are-eee!!) as the "Shriek Of The Week!" and just completely falling in love with it. Slightly upbeat, completely unintelligible lyrics, very brooding and British. Right up my alley.
I'm going to digress here and say a few things about that time of life in general. I will work on the assumption I wasn't really celiac crazy back then. I actually kinda liked high school, for the first time in my life I had a fair amount of friends and authority figures actually respected me. I got on with just about all my teachers at Prep, and I genuinely liked them. This was a complete 180 from the crap I had to deal with in elementary school, but that's a-whole-nother thesis that will stay unwritten for now. Anyway, high school was not terrible on a social or academic level. My family life, however, was pretty miserable - and when you're 15, that pretty much means the end of the world at 3pm every single day. There's a lot there too that I won't go into right now - just trust me that it sucked. Some people found The Smiths, I found Tindersticks. After I bought the first album (on cassette!!!), I did a summer internship over at Rockefeller (that was '95 I believe) and I almost melted that tape I played it so damn much. Even in college, which was better on the family front but worse on the social front, they had a special place with me. In college I went through the techno-and-classic-rock phase to avoid the black hole that was the late 90's music scene, and I think I picked up their second album sometime along the way, which is also amazing. If you're a "Sopranos" fan, the song "Tiny Tears" from the "Isabella" episode is on that second album.
The next big spurt of money I spent on them was at another crisis point, which was taking qualifier exams in grad school, which lasted from '01 through late summer '02. After one exam I went to Newbury and bought a pile of their cd's and a few bottles of Boone's. I don't think that night ended too well. Fall of '02 was a complete s**t show and I really don't think I would have lived without "Can Our Love...". I have one very vivid memory - I was moving, and was staying in a spare room at a friend's house. I had all my crap in boxes and piles, and a mattress on the floor. It was chaos incarnate. There was a bad breakup and lots of things falling apart. And I remember going to bed one night and just putting that album on and crying until I was completely dry.
The last album (before the most most recent) was in 2003, "Waiting For The Moon" which has "Until the Morning Comes" on it which is one of the most beautiful, brutal songs I've ever heard. I remember that song and that album, listening to it in my boyfriend's room at the house he used to live in that I spent a lot of time at. That may have been part of the soundtrack to my post-election-04 hangover. Even today, when I hear that song, I weep.
So, it took me a while to pick up "The Hungry Saw" but oh man oh man oh MAN is it good. I became a fan of them on Facebook and that was actually where I found out about the tour! They hadn't toured since 2003 and I missed them back then, so I thought, hey, this would be a nice reward for me if I have my data defense done. (This was early February mind you. Data defense still not done.) I was torn between the show Friday the 6th in NYC and Saturday the 7th in Boston. Friday would have been too much of a hassle to get down to, after Bill got out of work, drive down, park car, get train to Brooklyn, etc. Instead we decided to see if his friend Derek and his ladyfriend Jeannine would like to go, and if we could crash at his place. They were in, and I went on Ticketmaster to get tickets... and I get 4 tickets FRONT and CENTER (row B seats 3-6). I didn't believe it until the tickets came in the mail. And lo and behold - the seats were for real.
Anyway - this was the eventual plan that we followed, and was was EXCELLENT. We got into Boston around 4, and were at the Sunset around 5pm. The Sunset has about a billion beers and fabulous food. Around 10 to 8 we decide we should get our collective asses to the show and hop a cab. We got there actually just in time to catch the opening act, Dawn Landes, who was EXCELLENT and opened with this French pop song, "Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles De Mon Age" that I remembered singing in freaking AP French in high school!!!! So, after about 3 big beers and a glass of wine, I am feeling no pain, sitting literally about 10 feet from the singer, and I'm singing along to this song I haven't heard in 15 years. Unreal. The seats were really front row, and my seat was literally right in front of the mic on the stage. Anyway Dawn Landes was excellent, and I'm pretty convinced I've seen her before, maybe somewhere in Northampton.
So Tindersticks start out with Dave on the keys and the intro from "The Hungry Saw" and then the rest of the band comes out and launch into "Yesterdays Tomorrows". Stuart Staples was seriously RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I felt like they were doing a show, just for me. Seriously one of the most amazing shows I've ever been to. After the show, I asked one of the tech guys if I could have a copy of the set list. I got FOUR copies, written on the back of Google Maps directions around Philly and D.C., where they had played earlier in the week. The complete set list:
Intro
Yesterdays Tomorrows
The Flicker Of A Little Girl
Come Feel The Sun
E-Type
The Other Side Of The World
The Organist Entertains
Dying Slowly
Sixteen Summers, Fifteen Falls
Say Goodbye To The City
Sleepy Song
She's Gone
The Hungry Saw
Mother Dear
Boobar Come Back To Me
All The Love
The Turns We Took
Encore:
Buried Bones
My Oblivion
Since I've never seen them, I really didn't know what to expect, but... man. The horn section was absolutely amazing. Everything was amazing - of course being in the front row doesn't hurt :) The sound quality was incredible. I hadn't been to the Somerville Theater for a show before so I didn't know what it would be like, but it was ace. I recommend seeing anything there. Kinda reminded me of the Calvin in Northampton.
Anyway, after the show we hit TEH REDBONEZ! I miss Redbones. I went there tons in undergrad when someone had a hankerin' for BBQ ribz. So we went there for a few hours, I drank even more cider, talked with people, and watched a friend get accosted by a Macedonain with a harmonica. I miss Boston =)
I have no idea what time it was when we got home, but we watched an episode of this show "Tim & Eric" and I laughed and passed out! We also all forgot it was Daylight Savings time that night so we saw it was 3:30am and sort of freaked out.
The next morning we woke up and went to brunch at the Coolidge Corner Cafe which was surprisingly good (cheers Derek!). After wandering around and enjoying the unexpected 60-degree weather and sunshine, we finally headed back to Amherst. I bought a CD at the show of a show they did in Glasgow last year, and it was exactly the right length for the drive from Boston back to Amherst. Kinda uncanny.
So, that was it. A great show, great people, great weekend. Totally undeserved, but oh well. I hope it's not another 5 years until I get to see them again.
Websites: Official, Unofficial
Reviews: Prefix, Daniel Brockman, Bostonist
Dawn Landes: Official
13 March 2009
Um, should not take when drunk.
Jung Explorer Test
Actualized type: ENFP
(who you are)
| ENFP - "Journalist". Uncanny sense of the motivations of others. Life is an exciting drama. 8.1% of total population. |
Preferred type: ENFJ
(who you prefer to be)
ENFJ - "Persuader". Outstanding leader of groups. Can be aggressive at helping others to be the best that they can be. 2.5% of total population. |
Attraction type: ENFP
(who you are attracted to)
ENFP - "Journalist". Uncanny sense of the motivations of others. Life is an exciting drama. 8.1% of total population. |
Take Jung Explorer Test
personality tests by similarminds.com
Hmm.
Take this for what it's worth.
Take Free Personality Disorder Test
personality tests by similarminds.com
| Personality Disorder Test Results
|
personality tests by similarminds.com
04 March 2009
New Jon Bon Jovi Book?
Apparently another book, this time in honor of the band's 25th anniversary.
As if I'm not feeling old enough.
As if I'm not feeling old enough.
23 February 2009
February Showers Bring March Tindersticks Tickets (?)
So what has been up recently? Went to a few baby showers this month, one in Boston with some college friends and one for the wife of an old group mate. The second one was done "remotely' as the person is in Maryland but her mom is up here in MA. So it was fun, excellent food. I always feel weird at these things, like bridal showers, since neither one will apply to me, at least in the foreseeable future. I mean, I like to think I know a fair amount about a lot of things, mainly from first-hand experience. But these girl things are things I only know about through other people, so all my advice and experience is obtained vicariously through others. So I always feel a bit awkward and out of place. But ultimately I go because I know how important it is to show support and love for the person being honored, which is the same reason I go to weddings when I am able to.
So yeah. In other news, I somehow managed to score tickets to the Tindersticks show in Somerville in early March - THE SEATS ARE SECOND ROW CENTER! I couldn't believe it when the Ticketmaster website shot that out at me. I refused to believe it, but that's what the tickets said when they showed up in the mail this week! So I am completely psyched. Of course, I neither deserve nor can afford said tickets, but the Tindersticks only tour the States like every 5 years or so, so ya gottado what ya gotta do. And as an added bonus, my unemployment claim got processed sooner than I expected so I am also helping out the economy. Take that, recession!! So I am looking forward to that, and will duly post a review of the show :-)
As far as work, I'm still working on the final piece of my thesis, looking at data and trying to find patterns and a model for what's going on. I am alternately climbing the walls of my office, the lab, and my apartment. When I am smart enough to figure that out, I am done. So here's to pattern recognition.
So yeah. In other news, I somehow managed to score tickets to the Tindersticks show in Somerville in early March - THE SEATS ARE SECOND ROW CENTER! I couldn't believe it when the Ticketmaster website shot that out at me. I refused to believe it, but that's what the tickets said when they showed up in the mail this week! So I am completely psyched. Of course, I neither deserve nor can afford said tickets, but the Tindersticks only tour the States like every 5 years or so, so ya gottado what ya gotta do. And as an added bonus, my unemployment claim got processed sooner than I expected so I am also helping out the economy. Take that, recession!! So I am looking forward to that, and will duly post a review of the show :-)
As far as work, I'm still working on the final piece of my thesis, looking at data and trying to find patterns and a model for what's going on. I am alternately climbing the walls of my office, the lab, and my apartment. When I am smart enough to figure that out, I am done. So here's to pattern recognition.
Movie: Citizen Kane
Yeah it's about time I got my act together and saw this classic. Bill kept telling me, you will see how every other movie since then has ripped it off. And, I definitely could see that in terms of cinematic plot devices. Shot in black and white, "Citizen Kane" is the story of Charles Foster Kane, a character based on William Randolph Hearst. He becomes the victim of his own success, more or less, and eventually becomes a crazy recluse whose last word, "Rosebud", starts the whole story which is told in retrospect. Orson Welles is *amazing* in this - and damn what a good looking guy he was! Total genius too. The DVD had all kinds of old letters and papers and photos from the movie shoot, which were actually fascinating to check out. For once, DVD extras weren't stupid and worthless :-)
This is another classic worth whatever hype you heard about it. It has politics, affairs, beautiful women and crazy rich people. A tried-and-true approach, but this does it best.
More info: Wikipedia entry
This is another classic worth whatever hype you heard about it. It has politics, affairs, beautiful women and crazy rich people. A tried-and-true approach, but this does it best.
More info: Wikipedia entry
Movie: Slumdog Millionaire
So, I saw the movie weeks ago, but in light of the SMACKDOWN it laid on at the Oscars, I should blurb about it. This movie made me CRY CRY CRY! Fabulous movie - I loved the soundtrack, and the story was amazing. It's a love story, a story about amazing coincidences, a story about how those coincidences let you save the love of your life. Now, to be fair I hadn't seen the rest of the films nominated, although I REALLY want to see "Milk" and I probably will fairly soon.
Now I usually don't write much about the plot to prevent spoiling it for anyone reading, my thoughts/reviews tend to be very visceral and emotional. And this movie was definitely worth it and deserved every award it got. This one *is* worth the hype. Go see.
More info: Wikipedia entry
Now I usually don't write much about the plot to prevent spoiling it for anyone reading, my thoughts/reviews tend to be very visceral and emotional. And this movie was definitely worth it and deserved every award it got. This one *is* worth the hype. Go see.
More info: Wikipedia entry
18 February 2009
02 February 2009
Career Fair = Peace Corps
So I went to a career fair today and the most useful thing was I met my local Peace Corps recruiter. He seems like an absolutely ace guy. I gave one resume out, but the rest of the companies there were either looking for EE/ME or undergraduate summer internships. As if I need to feel worse about my situation. But, anyway, I went, I can put that on my activity list for unemployment, and it got me used to talking to strangers again.
I think Peace Corps is looking more and more like the best option, but even if I apply tomorrow it's 9-12 months before I get deployed. So, I will need to do something when unemployment runs out. But how many restaurants want a PhD waiting tables, especially if I tell them it's only until the end of the year?
The recruiter was really nice, and maybe he will have some suggestions for me. We shall see.
In the meantime - if you have any Peace Corps stories about your experience, please share them with me as I think about this.
I think Peace Corps is looking more and more like the best option, but even if I apply tomorrow it's 9-12 months before I get deployed. So, I will need to do something when unemployment runs out. But how many restaurants want a PhD waiting tables, especially if I tell them it's only until the end of the year?
The recruiter was really nice, and maybe he will have some suggestions for me. We shall see.
In the meantime - if you have any Peace Corps stories about your experience, please share them with me as I think about this.
GO CHUCK!
Staten Island Chuck gives it to Mayor Bloomberg. The article has a link to a video of the critter chomping down on Hizzoner's hand after having enough of his ridicule. Apparently no shadow here, but Phil saw one. So, in other words, who the f knows. All I know is we got 4 feet of ice up here in MA that started melting today because it was 50 degrees, so it will be Flood Season very soon...
31 January 2009
Wake
So, I don't like wakes. I know I know, no one does. But tonight, when it's someone who just had so much more to do and look forward to, it just breaks your heart.
I worked with this person at my old job, and in the interest of not Google-bombing this entry, that's all the detail that will be given. This guy was one of the smartest and kindest people I have ever met, and I worked with his daughter as well and she is absolutely wonderful too. This man gave me the nickname "New York" within minutes of first meeting me back in 2005 (well before the more famous one on VH1), after I told him I was from Queens. And after that it was always "New York! When you graduating??" I thought about that last night while I was trying to get to sleep and I almost lost it.
Tonight was a veritable who's-who of friends from my old job, and I always feel awkward playing catch-up with people at wakes. But, at the same time, it's a good chance to reconnect and make those reconnections more meaningful and lasting given the circumstances. And ultimately it is for the family, to remind them that they are not alone. And no one wants to be alone, especially at a time like that.
So. Yeah. It was a reminder for me, as the reverend said at the service, we don't know what the next moment brings. A good reminder.
I worked with this person at my old job, and in the interest of not Google-bombing this entry, that's all the detail that will be given. This guy was one of the smartest and kindest people I have ever met, and I worked with his daughter as well and she is absolutely wonderful too. This man gave me the nickname "New York" within minutes of first meeting me back in 2005 (well before the more famous one on VH1), after I told him I was from Queens. And after that it was always "New York! When you graduating??" I thought about that last night while I was trying to get to sleep and I almost lost it.
Tonight was a veritable who's-who of friends from my old job, and I always feel awkward playing catch-up with people at wakes. But, at the same time, it's a good chance to reconnect and make those reconnections more meaningful and lasting given the circumstances. And ultimately it is for the family, to remind them that they are not alone. And no one wants to be alone, especially at a time like that.
So. Yeah. It was a reminder for me, as the reverend said at the service, we don't know what the next moment brings. A good reminder.
ZOMBIES
There are zombies on the loose in Austin, Texas so be warned.
Although my absolute favorite is what's for lunch in Dedham.
Although my absolute favorite is what's for lunch in Dedham.
28 January 2009
SOTA: Wall Street Bonus Loss Is NYS's Apocalypse Edition
Apparently, the drop in cash bonuses paid to Wall Streeters is costing the state $1 billion in lost tax revenues. And NYC is losing about $275 million.
This is due apparently to both to layoffs and lower income. The irony here though is just killing me - my mother LOVES to bitch about how all the taxes and fees are going up in NYC because of the loss of tax revenue - and she wants to know why, and where the money went. Well, here's part of the answer.
This is due apparently to both to layoffs and lower income. The irony here though is just killing me - my mother LOVES to bitch about how all the taxes and fees are going up in NYC because of the loss of tax revenue - and she wants to know why, and where the money went. Well, here's part of the answer.
26 January 2009
too many teardrops that you held inside
So I should be thesising and I am instead finally listening to the new Tindersticks album, The Hungry Saw (more info on homepage). And man, I'm only on Track 4, but it is ACE. They are also touring, and I think I may want to go see them in March, theoretically right after my data defense (heh).
Go Wiki them or whatever it is you do to find out more info about a band you like, but if you like moody, emotional, dark "pop", check them out. I remember when good old WDRE played Nectar, after their first album dropped, back when I was in high school (199x-y). I thought, man, this is ACE. That first album is still one of my favorites of all time. Can Our Love... hit right at a very very traumatic time for me, and I'm incredibly attached to that one as well. I recall several Tindersticks albums more or less guiding me through my cumulative exams, along with R.E.M.'s "Reveal" - which, say what you want, did a LOT for me on a very personal level.
So, anyway, this new album - on Track 6 now - is right up there with them. As I hopefully enter the last, the final, the hardest, the darkest part of this whole degree process, it will be there for me. And I am slightly pissed that this process should not be nearly as bad as it is - and I still question what part of me made this so shitty, what inadequacies in my nature led to creating this struggle in the first place. I'm glad I can be self-doubtful with the Tindersticks holding my hand.
Go Wiki them or whatever it is you do to find out more info about a band you like, but if you like moody, emotional, dark "pop", check them out. I remember when good old WDRE played Nectar, after their first album dropped, back when I was in high school (199x-y). I thought, man, this is ACE. That first album is still one of my favorites of all time. Can Our Love... hit right at a very very traumatic time for me, and I'm incredibly attached to that one as well. I recall several Tindersticks albums more or less guiding me through my cumulative exams, along with R.E.M.'s "Reveal" - which, say what you want, did a LOT for me on a very personal level.
So, anyway, this new album - on Track 6 now - is right up there with them. As I hopefully enter the last, the final, the hardest, the darkest part of this whole degree process, it will be there for me. And I am slightly pissed that this process should not be nearly as bad as it is - and I still question what part of me made this so shitty, what inadequacies in my nature led to creating this struggle in the first place. I'm glad I can be self-doubtful with the Tindersticks holding my hand.
Movie: Madagascar
I know, I know. I am woefully behind on my pop culture. Just got around to seeing this the other night. Very cute. I thought Julian was one of the greatest creations EVER, although I was sort of surprised at the lack of Sacha Baron Cohen in the bonus features. Wonder what that was about.
Anyway, very cute fun flick, made me homesick for NYC. Go watch if you need a laugh. I tried to laugh, but my 15-pound cat was asleep on my chest for pretty much the whole movie and I risked waking her up if I laughed too hard.
More info: Wikipedia entry
Anyway, very cute fun flick, made me homesick for NYC. Go watch if you need a laugh. I tried to laugh, but my 15-pound cat was asleep on my chest for pretty much the whole movie and I risked waking her up if I laughed too hard.
More info: Wikipedia entry
24 January 2009
23 January 2009
18 January 2009
Why I Love Science (Part 2)
Caffeine causes hallucinations.
This pretty much explains the last 15 years of my life.
And explains the behaviour of just about every graduate student I know.
This pretty much explains the last 15 years of my life.
And explains the behaviour of just about every graduate student I know.
14 January 2009
Signs Of The Apocalypse: Military Unintelligence Edition
Virtual parents for the children of U.S. soldiers deployed to the Middle East.
Just go read this take on it. I'm going to go vomit up my breakfast now.
Just go read this take on it. I'm going to go vomit up my breakfast now.
11 January 2009
What Happened
So, I think the last update was that I had a pretty ridiculous Thanksgiving, was sick, had to deal with family, etc.
When I got back to MA, in the space of three days, I lost my job, found out I had to have dental work done (no insurance, naturally), and had my apartment broken into and something very valuable taken. A number of other annoyances happened in the next few weeks, cars needed repairs, my PS2 and our microwave both broke, and the desktop machine needs a few CPU fan.
But, here's the big deal. On December 10, my mom broke her right arm just below the shoulder.
I didn't find this out until about the 19th due to my mother playing some nasty passive-aggressive games with me and preferring to talk about the football pool or blowing my advisor's brains out with her shotgun instead of telling me what actually happened.
This accident was completely not her fault. The cheap, sketchy people that her company hired to wax the floors in the store where she worked left a pool of wax in front of the doors to her work area without any "caution wet floor" sign. She slipped and fell and her right humerus fractured cleanly right below the shoulder.
The emergency room people opted to NOT do surgery, instead they gave her a sling and told her not to move her arm. Because the fracture was fairly clean there was a chance it would heal on its own without surgery. In the meantime, she cannot work, drive, or do pretty much anything. So for those of you who know anything about my family, you can imagine the nightmare I was walking into coming home for Christmas.
My original plan was to come home Christmas Eve and come back to school the day after Christmas because I had work to do and had taken entirely too much time off for Thanksgiving because of the wedding I was in. This changed to coming home the 23rd very late (I got in sometime after 10pm) and staying longer than I planned. My father can't drive, so after I walked in the door I was told I had to get up at 6AM the next morning and take him to work. My brother had apparently been on taxi duty the previous week and a half so now it was my turn.
Christmas Eve was spent driving people around and helping my mom get stuff ready for Christmas day dinner. I fell asleep somewhere around 9PM. Christmas Day was alright, my mother insisted on doing entirely too much and was in some pain. Friday I didn't have to get up to drive anyone anywhere, but Saturday, Sunday and Monday I had to take my dad and pick him up. Add to all of this the fact that everyone is chain-smoking and I had two asthma attacks on Friday. So I was already irritated by the time Monday rolled around. I had a fight with my mother Monday morning (and almost packed up and left right then and there) because she is impossible to deal with when she is hurt and snapped at me over something really stupid. She finally broke down and apologized to me for being a bitch. I agreed to stay until Tuesday (the next day) and drive my dad to work and take her to a follow up with her doctor. Then I needed to get back to school, try to do some work (because my thesis isn't writing itself), make sure my apartment was safe, and pray that my unemployment money had finally showed up (it hadn't and still hasn't as of this writing).
So I take her to the doctor, a REALLY nice, smart, kind guy, and he looks at the X-rays and basically says, you need surgery. How about this Friday (day after New Year's)? My mother is pissed and upset because she hates hospitals (because in her mind it's still 1985 mind you). I decide I'm still going to leave but come back Friday or Saturday.
I came back to school, had a nice New Year's Eve with some friends, and slept in. I did get some work done Thursday and Friday and spent most of Friday distracted thinking about the surgery. I decided to drive down early Saturday morning rather than Friday night so I could actually get some sleep. My mother actually called me Friday night about 2 hours after she got out of surgery! It was an hour and a half, and they put in a plate and a lot of pins. But she sounded better than she had in WEEKS. Everything went well.
I got to NYC Saturday (the 3rd for those of you keeping score) about 20 minutes before she called to say she was being released, around 11:30AM. I rode along with my brother and my dad to go pick her up. And, aside from looking tired from not having slept too well the night before, she was in great shape. We got her home and put her on the couch to watch some football and she napped most of the day. I got her to take a painkiller that night so she would REALLY sleep and she did. She was in such good shape Sunday she had a fight with my dad (who I had to take to work and pick up since my brother went AWOL).
I got up at 6AM Monday and drove back to Amherst and spent the next 4 days working on a group meeting I finally got to give Friday afternoon. I felt like I hadn't had enough analysis - I'd planned on getting SOMETHING done over break, obviously because of everything else that didn't happen. But, I had enough that my advisor didn't yell at me (much) and was actually helpful in terms of suggestions of things to do to try to wrap it up. However, my innate mistrust of him still had me worried sick over it. After the talk I called my mother, her followup with her doctor went really well - she can even drive as long as she's not in pain. She sounds a LOT better still, which is great.
So now, hopefully, shit will calm down - my mom will be okay, I haven't been fired, and my thesis is actually making some small progress in spite of everything.
I hope that I don't sound like I'm mad at my mother or otherwise sound like I'm put out over all this - I'm not. I tried to tell this story as neutrally as I could, because I know some of you have been asking about what's up and this is my attempt to explain. This was something that wasn't our fault, and when something like that happens that inconveniences you to this kind of degree it's natural to get a bit pissed - Lord knows my parents were. And I pretty much had no vacation - I was so tired from getting up so early and running around, I had no time to talk to anyone much less hang out. But, almost no one called me anyway so I guess it's no big deal - I'm sure everyone was off enjoying their own thing over the holidays. And that's the way it should be, really. Everyone has their own thing to do, their own families to take care of, and I had to take care of my own family - and I know that's the right thing to do and I would do exactly the same thing again if I had to. So, I don't mean to sound bitchy - just, after everything that's happened to me in the last 2 months, I was looking forward to a nice Christmas and alas, it was not to be. When absolutely everything in your life goes to hell all at once, I won't hold it against anyone if they get a little annoyed, so I ask that it not be held against me either ;-)
So that's what happened, why I've been AWOL/MIA/generally not around for the past month or so. As I said before things should be slightly calmer, and I'll be answering email and on IM more as I get my scrambled brains back and remember how to talk to people again. Hope all of you are doing better! Send me some GOOD news please ;-)
When I got back to MA, in the space of three days, I lost my job, found out I had to have dental work done (no insurance, naturally), and had my apartment broken into and something very valuable taken. A number of other annoyances happened in the next few weeks, cars needed repairs, my PS2 and our microwave both broke, and the desktop machine needs a few CPU fan.
But, here's the big deal. On December 10, my mom broke her right arm just below the shoulder.
I didn't find this out until about the 19th due to my mother playing some nasty passive-aggressive games with me and preferring to talk about the football pool or blowing my advisor's brains out with her shotgun instead of telling me what actually happened.
This accident was completely not her fault. The cheap, sketchy people that her company hired to wax the floors in the store where she worked left a pool of wax in front of the doors to her work area without any "caution wet floor" sign. She slipped and fell and her right humerus fractured cleanly right below the shoulder.
The emergency room people opted to NOT do surgery, instead they gave her a sling and told her not to move her arm. Because the fracture was fairly clean there was a chance it would heal on its own without surgery. In the meantime, she cannot work, drive, or do pretty much anything. So for those of you who know anything about my family, you can imagine the nightmare I was walking into coming home for Christmas.
My original plan was to come home Christmas Eve and come back to school the day after Christmas because I had work to do and had taken entirely too much time off for Thanksgiving because of the wedding I was in. This changed to coming home the 23rd very late (I got in sometime after 10pm) and staying longer than I planned. My father can't drive, so after I walked in the door I was told I had to get up at 6AM the next morning and take him to work. My brother had apparently been on taxi duty the previous week and a half so now it was my turn.
Christmas Eve was spent driving people around and helping my mom get stuff ready for Christmas day dinner. I fell asleep somewhere around 9PM. Christmas Day was alright, my mother insisted on doing entirely too much and was in some pain. Friday I didn't have to get up to drive anyone anywhere, but Saturday, Sunday and Monday I had to take my dad and pick him up. Add to all of this the fact that everyone is chain-smoking and I had two asthma attacks on Friday. So I was already irritated by the time Monday rolled around. I had a fight with my mother Monday morning (and almost packed up and left right then and there) because she is impossible to deal with when she is hurt and snapped at me over something really stupid. She finally broke down and apologized to me for being a bitch. I agreed to stay until Tuesday (the next day) and drive my dad to work and take her to a follow up with her doctor. Then I needed to get back to school, try to do some work (because my thesis isn't writing itself), make sure my apartment was safe, and pray that my unemployment money had finally showed up (it hadn't and still hasn't as of this writing).
So I take her to the doctor, a REALLY nice, smart, kind guy, and he looks at the X-rays and basically says, you need surgery. How about this Friday (day after New Year's)? My mother is pissed and upset because she hates hospitals (because in her mind it's still 1985 mind you). I decide I'm still going to leave but come back Friday or Saturday.
I came back to school, had a nice New Year's Eve with some friends, and slept in. I did get some work done Thursday and Friday and spent most of Friday distracted thinking about the surgery. I decided to drive down early Saturday morning rather than Friday night so I could actually get some sleep. My mother actually called me Friday night about 2 hours after she got out of surgery! It was an hour and a half, and they put in a plate and a lot of pins. But she sounded better than she had in WEEKS. Everything went well.
I got to NYC Saturday (the 3rd for those of you keeping score) about 20 minutes before she called to say she was being released, around 11:30AM. I rode along with my brother and my dad to go pick her up. And, aside from looking tired from not having slept too well the night before, she was in great shape. We got her home and put her on the couch to watch some football and she napped most of the day. I got her to take a painkiller that night so she would REALLY sleep and she did. She was in such good shape Sunday she had a fight with my dad (who I had to take to work and pick up since my brother went AWOL).
I got up at 6AM Monday and drove back to Amherst and spent the next 4 days working on a group meeting I finally got to give Friday afternoon. I felt like I hadn't had enough analysis - I'd planned on getting SOMETHING done over break, obviously because of everything else that didn't happen. But, I had enough that my advisor didn't yell at me (much) and was actually helpful in terms of suggestions of things to do to try to wrap it up. However, my innate mistrust of him still had me worried sick over it. After the talk I called my mother, her followup with her doctor went really well - she can even drive as long as she's not in pain. She sounds a LOT better still, which is great.
So now, hopefully, shit will calm down - my mom will be okay, I haven't been fired, and my thesis is actually making some small progress in spite of everything.
I hope that I don't sound like I'm mad at my mother or otherwise sound like I'm put out over all this - I'm not. I tried to tell this story as neutrally as I could, because I know some of you have been asking about what's up and this is my attempt to explain. This was something that wasn't our fault, and when something like that happens that inconveniences you to this kind of degree it's natural to get a bit pissed - Lord knows my parents were. And I pretty much had no vacation - I was so tired from getting up so early and running around, I had no time to talk to anyone much less hang out. But, almost no one called me anyway so I guess it's no big deal - I'm sure everyone was off enjoying their own thing over the holidays. And that's the way it should be, really. Everyone has their own thing to do, their own families to take care of, and I had to take care of my own family - and I know that's the right thing to do and I would do exactly the same thing again if I had to. So, I don't mean to sound bitchy - just, after everything that's happened to me in the last 2 months, I was looking forward to a nice Christmas and alas, it was not to be. When absolutely everything in your life goes to hell all at once, I won't hold it against anyone if they get a little annoyed, so I ask that it not be held against me either ;-)
So that's what happened, why I've been AWOL/MIA/generally not around for the past month or so. As I said before things should be slightly calmer, and I'll be answering email and on IM more as I get my scrambled brains back and remember how to talk to people again. Hope all of you are doing better! Send me some GOOD news please ;-)
08 January 2009
Why I Love Science (Part 1)
Someone actually got money to figure out that honey bees get strung out on cocaine.
Link (if you don't believe me).
Link (if you don't believe me).
04 January 2009
Sick Over Eleven
Alright. Unless you've been on Neptune, you know who the BBC has casted as The Eleventh Doctor. If you don't want to be spoiled, STOP READING NOW.
Ok. Everyone here want to be here?
Good.
Let me qualify the vomit that is forthcoming by saying the following: I have been a Whovian for around 25 years, I've seen almost every episode of the classic series, I own Peter Haining's books and Target novelizations, the ENTIRE new series on DVD and lots of the classic as well, and I am NOT a Trekkie or a Vamp (have NOT seen Twilight either). Also I am spitting distance from my 30th birthday.
Now.
I am sick. You know that sick that sits in the pit of your stomach, when you realize just how pathetic and shitty your own life is, and there is next to nothing you can do to change it? That sickness when you see something so amazing, so overwhelming, so beautiful, that it makes your own life pale in comparison? That sickness when you fall totally, completely, immediately, out of your self and into someone else that is everything you could possibly or impossibly want, and realize that they will never, ever, in a million years be yours and yours alone, but they will be an integral part of your life even though they don't know it?
I'm talking about the sickness that is falling in Unrequited Love.
And oh my God, I have it for Matt Smith.
He, literally, had me at "bags under the eyes".
That's when I paused the video and looked him up on Wikipedia, and, satisfied I had no idea who he was (pun intended), continued watching. And fell, and fell, and fell.
Those EYES. That POUT. It's my wallpaper now. Sorry, Beaker.
That LOOK. That HAIR. My GOD.
Oh, and I also watched this interview about 25 times. In a row.
I set up a new Google News alert.
And I am unbearably, impossibly, sadly sick. But I think I mentioned that.
This man is going to be simply amazing as my hero, my raison d'être, my impossible dream. I was so happy when Who came back - it was at a very, very dark period of my life (early 2005) and it pretty much reaffirmed everything I loved about life.
Melodramatic? Exaggerated?
I'm a ninth-year graduate student. Cut me some slack.
I recall feeling somewhat similar to this when David Tennant was cast, this period of "my life is so pitiful and insignificant compared to this magnificence that is this man". So, I suspect that this will fade with time - although having to wait a year and a half to actually SEE him will be tough. I hope there will be loads of promo pics for me to stare at. I've found that staring, after enough time, actually dulls the pain.
Acting-wise? He has a good list. Impression from the interview? He is excited and psyched, and shows a manic boyishness as well as a mature understanding of what's to come... I really think he is The Doctor and he will be AMAZING. Plus, I will pretty much take whatever Moffat says as gospel, so if he wowed him, he will blow the rest of us completely away.
Just so you didn't think this was all about his looks - it's about his looks AND being a 900-year old alien with two hearts who likes to save the universe.
And now I'm just rambling on about nonsense, so I'll leave this be for now.
Ok. Everyone here want to be here?
Good.
Let me qualify the vomit that is forthcoming by saying the following: I have been a Whovian for around 25 years, I've seen almost every episode of the classic series, I own Peter Haining's books and Target novelizations, the ENTIRE new series on DVD and lots of the classic as well, and I am NOT a Trekkie or a Vamp (have NOT seen Twilight either). Also I am spitting distance from my 30th birthday.
Now.
I am sick. You know that sick that sits in the pit of your stomach, when you realize just how pathetic and shitty your own life is, and there is next to nothing you can do to change it? That sickness when you see something so amazing, so overwhelming, so beautiful, that it makes your own life pale in comparison? That sickness when you fall totally, completely, immediately, out of your self and into someone else that is everything you could possibly or impossibly want, and realize that they will never, ever, in a million years be yours and yours alone, but they will be an integral part of your life even though they don't know it?
I'm talking about the sickness that is falling in Unrequited Love.
And oh my God, I have it for Matt Smith.
He, literally, had me at "bags under the eyes".
That's when I paused the video and looked him up on Wikipedia, and, satisfied I had no idea who he was (pun intended), continued watching. And fell, and fell, and fell.
Those EYES. That POUT. It's my wallpaper now. Sorry, Beaker.
That LOOK. That HAIR. My GOD.
Oh, and I also watched this interview about 25 times. In a row.
I set up a new Google News alert.
And I am unbearably, impossibly, sadly sick. But I think I mentioned that.
This man is going to be simply amazing as my hero, my raison d'être, my impossible dream. I was so happy when Who came back - it was at a very, very dark period of my life (early 2005) and it pretty much reaffirmed everything I loved about life.
Melodramatic? Exaggerated?
I'm a ninth-year graduate student. Cut me some slack.
I recall feeling somewhat similar to this when David Tennant was cast, this period of "my life is so pitiful and insignificant compared to this magnificence that is this man". So, I suspect that this will fade with time - although having to wait a year and a half to actually SEE him will be tough. I hope there will be loads of promo pics for me to stare at. I've found that staring, after enough time, actually dulls the pain.
Acting-wise? He has a good list. Impression from the interview? He is excited and psyched, and shows a manic boyishness as well as a mature understanding of what's to come... I really think he is The Doctor and he will be AMAZING. Plus, I will pretty much take whatever Moffat says as gospel, so if he wowed him, he will blow the rest of us completely away.
Just so you didn't think this was all about his looks - it's about his looks AND being a 900-year old alien with two hearts who likes to save the universe.
And now I'm just rambling on about nonsense, so I'll leave this be for now.
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