31 July 2006

Odd first-aid tip

I've learnt that one shouldn't touch their nose after handling jalapeno peppers. Why? Because Capsaicin, the chemical that makes peppers hot, is not soluble in water, ice tea or boogers. Thanks to Ber for suggesting veggie oil on a Q-tip. I sure hope she can find a cure for blondness too...

That's all folks! :) LJS

28 July 2006

Pile of furry lethargy

In the dog days of summer, my cat is too furry to be comfortable. So, I'm going to shave his fur with the help of Ber.
In the meantime, don't you get the impression that this is the philosophy of all cats??
Enjoy your weekend, :) LJS


27 July 2006

Today is MY day

Whenever I have something bad happen to me on *a* day, I try to make up for it in spades by doing all the things I enjoy and love. I do it just so that I don't always remember that day as "oh that's the day when the only thing that happened was the world fell apart". One particular example was when I had "bad day X" and on "bad day X", I made it a point to take a nice long walk, go visit the botanical gardens, talk to my best friend, and eat at my favorite Chinese restaurant. So, now I remember "bad day X" for the bad thing, but I also remember the good things with it. I guess one could call it forced optimism; but it works for me.
Anyhoo, today is pretty bittersweet. An ending, but also a beginning.

So...here's part of my optimism for today.
I'm so thankful that Lord Mullett is in my life, he's the most understanding and wonderful guy. He's my everything. And, he loves pancakes as much as I do!
I'm really happy that Hypey declared July 27th as LJS day. I definitely needed some silliness, and of course Hypey's up to the task. It's great to see all the e-love and it's an ego boost to know that today is MY day! And, no...I don't look like that picture. My boobs are totally bigger. ;)
I'm so happy to see Ber and D tonight, they are so wonderful.
I can't adequately express enough love and gratitude to Tina. She's been my best homie since blue mascara was popular and she is an incredible woman. Likewise with Lainie, except for the blue mascara bit. My two sisters by choice, how did I get so lucky?
OK, off to grab some lunch at one of my favorite places. Yin and yang.
Chow, LJS

26 July 2006

Another Geek Crush

Here's another reason to love Colbert.

25 July 2006

Merry Julistmas!

So check out all the fine Christmas in July goodies that Santa Hyperion has in store for all the good little boys and girls. My favorite is Revenge of the Sith set to some cheesy Christmas music. It does work...awesomely.

:) LJS

23 July 2006

Welcome Home

I've become a convert to "A Prairie Home Companion", it seems like Garrison Keillor's voice was made for Sunday afternoons. A radio "geek crush" indeed.
Ray is now home, and it's evident that some people still haven't learned how to secure their wireless network. Not that I'm complaining or anything. Repetez apres-moi...Merci Ray.
This week, I coin July 28th as International Geek Crush Day and wonder if the Supreme Court justices are naked under those robes.
In another homecoming, of sorts, I celebrate the return of Ber to the train. Welcome back, mi amiga, we're going to have fun! After burning enough energy to launch a mini-rocket this morning, I'm taking it easy. So easy, in fact, that I took a nap and haven't finished cleaning chez Scarlett. And, I've already eaten all the leftover's from Ber's party last night. Yum. Homemade hummus, tabboluli, pickled turnips (!) and grape leaves. The eagle never fails to impress and surprise me. She is fierce and smart and has a sixth sense on finding her prey. Yet, she knows how to take care of her peeps and it's nice to see her tender side.
Heeding the call of the carb, :) LJS

21 July 2006

Royce


Royce is an impossibly adorable dog. Check out the jowels on that pooch!

19 July 2006

body and mind link

Ummm...Yeah. I'm not trying to be new age-y here but bear with me.

It's not too late for me to reconsider my training path (the way of the utterly insane is only 26.2 miles long), but I realized that these past couple of years have been pretty good for me because previously, I had never considered how much the body and mind and spirit are linked. I ignored being healthy and eating decently, I chowed down Macaroni Grill with gusto, embraced insomnia, and neglected exercise. Whether it was a bad mix of graduate school, full-time work and taking care of house (Version 1.0) was to "blame", who knows? I surely don't. I guess getting a mass the size of a baseball removed from your neck makes you reconsider life. So now there's no more Version 1.0, no more work, but still...graduate school (will it EVER end?). Anyhoo. My point being is that some people *do* exercise because it's the right thing to do or it gives them a great shape or blah blah blah. But, I've happily discovered that getting outside and doing something (anything) has such a positive effect on my spirits, and it's a great feeling. It's nice to embrace the bod, no pun intended, and treat it well. So, I am going to train hard for the Detroit marathon. And even if I have to crawl on all fours, I'm going to finish. That's my goal. Finish.

I'm off to find some zen. And, maybe some twinkies...
:) LJS

18 July 2006

Don't eat the...

...sushi if it's shiny, stinky, or has a funky two-toned color on it.

Just a little random lesson learnt from today lunch.

Ok bloggateers, LJS is back from her sojourn to Montreal and I have a few minutes left in my lunch "hour" to electronically jot down a few thoughts. I'm even wearing a red shirt today, so I am in full LJS mode. Ninja, Kirk fans, and evil thesis advisors BEWARE!

Random thought 1: Toronto traffic really sucks. If one wonders "How is it possible to traverse only 70 km in 90 minutes?", I suggest that they go to Toronto and find out. I would think that getting out of the only North American city affected by SARS would be a high priority and people would drive accordingly. Eh...not so much. (please note the effective use of the "eh")

Random thought 1a: Is "eh" a word, a phrase, or a way of life? Canadians, please feel free to put your comments here.

Random thought 2: Despite the traffic, my road trip was wonderful. I can't wait to do it again. Next time, though, I'm going to attach my solar-powered rail gun onto the front bumper to fix my issues with Toronto traffic. Travelling 606 miles in 10 hours (with ~ an hour of time for stops etc) is simply unacceptable. Maybe I should learn how to fly instead...

Random thought 3: Doesn't he look adorable???












Random thought 4: When in the hell are we going to Cedar Point?

Random thought 5: When the power goes out in your apartment, please remember that your showers are going to be akin to swimming in the Arctic Sea in January (but without the polar bears to motivate quick movements)

Random thought 6: Sometimes a piece of paper is the shortest path to happiness.

Random thought 7: No, this isn't a top 10 list.

Random thought 8: I'm a Gen X-er, mos def. I'm sick of old people telling me that "I can write my own ticket". I don't want to write my own ticket, dammit. I want someone to do it for me. Then I can come in after all the hard work is done, make loads of money, and spend the rest of the day with my sweetie pie.

Random thought 9: Mark Twain was so true when he said that there are 3 kinds of deception: Lies, damn lies and statistics

Random thought 10: Lunch time is over, cats really do slobber when they kiss you hello, art fair is so not fair, and I've got some swashbuckling to do!
Ahoy! :) LJS

13 July 2006

Road Trip!

Heeee! I'm super excited-I'm taking my first road trip in YEARS tommorow! I'm packing a lunch, some water, a whole bunch of CD's, and a teddy bear just for good luck (and hold my drinks).
:)

In the meantime, ponder this.
Which is the most difficult: a) fall in love , b) stay in love or c) fall out of love?

Doing my share to ensure whirled peas,
:) LJS

06 July 2006

New Beta-Yum yum

Ahhh, another beta version that will never see the light of day. Besides for you, my lone faithful reader.
:) LJS



The effect of subchondral bone (you know, that hard stuff under your cartilage) health on the progression of osteoarthritis is a very cool question. Similar to the “chicken and egg” question, thinking about an answer to these questions may make your head spin. Where does OA start- in the bone or the cartilage? There have been lots of studies to show that it starts in the bone, but there’s an equal amount of studies to show that it starts in the cartilage. So, nobody knows for sure. But, what IS certain is that the role of the subchondral bone in OA progression is more substantial than from what we thought 30 years ago. But then again, we were engaged in the Cold War-so that just might partially explain how silly we used to behave in the 1970’s. In light of all this exciting research, we’re throwing our hats into the fray. We use super cool method R as a non-destructive way to study bone mineral from mousey femurs. Although, I’d hardly call the process of: specimen sacrifice, dissection, and either soaking the leg bone in a bunch of cancerous dyes or zapping it with a laser “non destructive”. I plan on presenting data on how we “non destructively” collect data, and how I’ve interrogated the data more than a guest at Hotel Gitmo. Yes, the data did talk. You’ll have to wait until January to see what they said.

04 July 2006

Art Fair Bingo!

Every year, Ann Arbor hosts a really nice Art Fair. Many people come from out of town, out of state, and out of country to enjoy the art and sales and yummy deep fried foods. (Elephant ears anyone?)
Us locals (yes, I consider myself a local-I've been here 9 years already!) have a fun game during Art Fair. Grab yourself a bingo sheet and start walking around. When you see an item on your sheet, mark it off! The first one to hit bingo gets a free art-on-a-stick or beer...it's your choice! Anyhoo.
Here's a sample sheet of ART FAIR BINGO. Enjoy!
:) LJS

03 July 2006

Motorcycle mammas


This was too cute not to share. My niece and her new best friend just sat on Francis's bike, and they loved it!
:) LJS

01 July 2006

Pirates prefer Picard!

Dude, I am totally wickedly happy that June 29th (International Pirates for Picard day) had THE most comments for June. Bwah ha ha ha!
Good night and have a pleasant tommorow. Yours in open seas hijinks, :) LJS