Your love, is better than...

Yesterday was a day of realizing goals, achieving one's dream and conquering slinertia (that's slacker+intertia=slinertia). Folks, I finally made it to Dairy Queen. There's a cute DQ on my way to school and ever since it opened in May (!), I've promised myself that I'd treat myself to an ice cream cone or sundae. Well...for one reason or another ({cough cough} no cash), I never made it to DQ. Until yesterday. Yesterday morning, I woke up and I knew it was going to be "the day". I was going to Dairy Queen! So, I took the day at my leisure, preparing myself for the big moment. I brushed my teeth, for the first time, at 5pm but in the glee of the day...I didn't notice my furry teeth. I dressed in my finest "yeah, I didn't take a shower so I don't want to wear anything too nice" clothes, donned my bike helmet, and grabbed my keys. At 5:26:09 pm, I made off my bike and travelled over to DQ, change in pocket. Ohhhh, it was a beautiful day and when I got to DQ, I relished over the menu for several minutes before making my choice. The air was crisp, the laughter of children surrounded me, and I could have sworn that I heard Jack White singing a cover of Sarah's "Ice Cream" faintly...in the distance. For one moment, the ka in the universe was mine and I seized the opportunity.
"Small hot fudge sundae with krunch koat sprinkles please"

I sat at the DQ and thoroughly enjoyed it. :D

Though one season ends, a new one begins. I hope the last couple weeks of summer are good to everyone.
:) LJS

On another happy note, I am now a S.K.I.T.T.L.E. What does that mean? Well, for starters, Hyperion offered to bear my children. I'm so totally taking him up on this offer. I'll no longer wake up in the middle of the night with cold sweats worrying about the pain of labor, discolored stretch marks, forever ruining my figure or accidentally ripping out the epidural needle thus paralyzing myself. Thanks Hypey! :D

Rashomon story

I always enjoy participating in Hyperion's projects. On Weds, he set the stage for our Rashomon project and today we are unleashing it to the world.
Me? I play the role of Bishop Janiff. I am the dude in the black robe and glasses, see the photo. I am telling my story to Bishop Valetti, the dude in red (scarlett?) robes.
What is truth? Come explore with us...

In the burrows of the Nightmare

Where Justice naked is,

Time watches from the shadow

And coughs when you would kiss.

Thanks to the Auden society for letting me copy and paste this section from "As I walked out one evening"

Revelations

I've been having an extremely productive day. For a slacker gal, such as myself, I have a reputation to uphold and I usually don't tell folks that yes I do work. But, today, the work is part of my repetition. I have been getting up from my desk every 3-5 minutes since 10:30 am and I'm getting pretty sick of it, even though the data I'm collecting is totally kick butt! The constant getting up to move samples, take spectra, rinse and repeat has put me in a mindset to think about habits and schedules and the future. Alot of thinking goes on underneath this slacker facade, indeed.

So I've been contemplating my birthday. Since I'm sure that you constant readers will note that I am aging so gracefully in all your comments, I am compelled to preemptively say "thank you". ;)
That's NOT the reason why I'm musing and being all Linus-like about my birthday. Good grief. (Aside-Charles Brown is a great blues musician. Meow.)

There are some people who love their birthdays and are very vocal about wanting to celebrate birthdays. My ex sister-in-law was very much one of those people-she even told me that she thinks her birthday should be a national holiday. She seems to be always disappointed on her birthday because the celebration is never *enough*. Then there's the polar opposite-they hate their birthdays, are very quiet about their birthday, and try their best to not celebrate it.
Me? I LOVE my birthday, and I love it when someone does something nice and thoughtful for me on that day. No great expectations: it doesn't have to be a grand gesture, or something big for it to be memorable. For example, it's nice to get a card from my family or get a phone call from a friend or last year I got a small gift card for Whole Foods that I used for some delicious tea that I enjoyed for several weeks after my birthday. With all the small gestures added up, it's nice to feel like a *superstar* on your special day! :D

Stranded on an island, licking salty peanuts. :) LJS

Totally on notice

Tracy Lynn posted the link to the 'on notice' generator awhile ago-and slacker me is just now getting to it. Note the inclusion of ninja! I've been reading too much "Us" magazine-and getting annoyed at two-dimensional actresses....will somebody please give these girls a cupcake!?!? (or some of Dragon's mac-n-cheese!)

:D LJS

This optical arrangement looks *a tad* convoluted. I'd hate to see what aligning that system entails.
But, awesome work.

LJS is famous!

One day, while I was working (naked, natch), Hyperion took it upon himself to interview me on Yahoo. Here is the exciting revelations, everything you ever wanted to know about me folks is revealed in the Monkey Barn!
Ever your immortal beloved,
:) LJS

Artist, this one is not

This has got to be the worst rendition of a microscope. Ever. Thankfully it's a beta version, so it should improve in the upcoming weeks.
{sigh}
I guess that I should be thankful that there's nothing in here that looks obviously phallic, but I'll betcha that Lord Mullett finds one anyway.
I'll blog more later about my trip, but for now I'm trying to make this darn thing look better.
Eh, :) LJS

Star Trek is, like, totally inspiring

So check out the awesomeness that is James T. Kirk and his intergalactic band of hotties. Although I maintain that Picard is a way better captain, the crew of TNG doesn't really "fit" with these types of inspirational posters.

As Dragon said, three more sleeps. :D

I'm totally craving potstickers. Yikes.
:) ljs

Alternative names

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet and current street name)

Whisky Linden

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your mom's side, your favorite candy)

Nola Sweet Tart

3. YOUR "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME: (first initial of first name, first two or three letters of your middle name)

K Ann

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Violet Pussy

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)

Ann Cleveland

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom's maiden name and first 3 letters of the town you grew up in.)

Dehka Anbru

8. SUPERHERO NAME: (your favorite color, favorite drink)
Violet Tea

All told, my alternative names kinda suck. But I am digging my Star Wars name, and any name that can use the word pussy in it (without the irony, without the snickers) is fine by me.

So, play along folks. Tell Lady Jane Scarlett what your names are too!

Wear you helmets kiddos

'Cause Auntie Jane Scarlett will drop a bunch of f-bombs. She's that angry.

You've been warned.

So I've been in the worst kind of hell-graduate student limbo- since October. And the reason why I'm still stuck here is because of one person. I can't even say they are a person, they are more akin to a force of nature.
I can't even begin to describe my frustration, mostly because I know that I've done my best to satisfy this person and they have done nothing but move the carrot stick a bit further away from me. Shortly after one my oral exam, I knew that my committee had concerns about my research proposal. While I did not do exactly what they suggested, I did do other types of data analysis that did the exact same thing. I sent out the revisions late November. I heard back from all of my committee members by early Feb. They were happy with the revisions and OKed me to leave graduate student limbo.
But...
{insert noises of chirping crickets here}
I did not hear from this person until June. That's right folks...fucking June. I had a one-on-one meeting with them, and during that meeting I got:
1) My ass torn out
2) More suggestions, more concerns, more reasons to not advance me to candidacy

Despite the ass chewing, despite the "but you're young, so I'm going to help you" bit (tangent-heh, it's good to know that I can still pass for "young"), despite the nearly 6 months of unprofessional silence, I said to myself "I really respect this person-they are very intelligent, they have their stuff all together, they are on the ball. Their suggestions are reasonable. I want this person to be on my committee because I know that I'll be a better engineer in the end for it."

So, the month of June was spent learning all about statistical analysis of data, setting up experimental designs and other stuff that would bore non-engineers to death. I learned alot, and I was begrudgingly grateful that they made me do it. I presented to this person a report of my findings-they liked the results, but now they wanted a clarification on the meaning of a term in my proposal. No problem. I had been studying this very issue in the literature and in my own research so I was able to provide them with a succinct answer in less than a week. I thought that I was finished-I had satisfied this person's concerns and now they would OK me to leave graduate student limbo.

Uh. Not. So. Much.

The next day I get an email back stating they were impressed that I had learned so much regarding this issue. But now, they were concerned that I don't know what kind of protein I am dealing with. In their words "Not a good thing".
Huh? What the fuck is this "Not a good thing" bit? Martha fucking Stewart does engineering?? So, I replied to their email. Hoping that I'd get a bone, a bit of consensus.

Uh. Not. So. Much.

Instead, I get a cryptic " Your understanding and presentation of what is meant by "disorder" are now vastly improved from your earlier presentation, and you have an opportunity with your research to clarify this to the community. I wish you the best of luck."
HUH?? What in the fuck does THAT mean??? So I'm confused, I'm stuck, I'm frustrated, and I want to scream scream scream. I have no fucking clue what else I need to do. I suppose I could ask, but I'm too frustrated. I'm wondering if this is *just* how it's going to be with this person, but a deadline is approaching and I need to know if this person is going to get me out of limbo or not. In the immortal words of THE KING, it's now or never.

I know that there's the easy way out, but I'm not about to give up after all this time. I'm too darn stubborn. And, I still like them. After all this time...

Ever hopeful, but still pissed off... LJS

Copy and Paste

I'm really excited about going to Montreal in 13 days! :D

I thought that an email I sent was kinda fun, so I'm sharing. The names have been changed to protect the utterly boring.
:) LJS


After waking up at 6am, then again at 8am. I have now put in 2.5 hours of
partially productive work. Actually, it was completely productive if one counts blog
stalking, checking email, and listening to Robin Williams tell NPR that Ann Coulter's
blood can be used as snake anti-venom because not even cobras want to go near that shit.

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

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

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

Another Geek Crush

Here's another reason to love Colbert.

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

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

Royce

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Isolating iTUNES

Sea Hag,
I know you wanted a list of "sad (because someone I like doesn't like me) songs". This playlist is for you dearie!
:) LJS

My Doorbell	The White Stripes
I Want To Be The Boy	The White Stripes
Your Heart Is An Empty Room	Death Cab For Cutie
16 Days	Ryan Adams
La Cienega Just Smiled	Ryan Adams
When Will You Come Back Home	Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
A lover i don't have to love	Bright Eyes
Land Locked Blues	Bright Eyes
Jane	Barenaked Ladies
Dear John	Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Honey Please, Can't Ya See	Barry White
Standing In The Doorway	Bob Dylan
The Blower's Daughter	Damien Rice
The Brilliant Dance	Dashboard Confessional
As I'm Leaving	David Gray
Be Mine	David Gray
Here With Me	Dido
She	Elvis Costello
I've Got A Crush On You	Frank Sinatra
Looks Like Rain	Grateful Dead
Lover, You Should've Come Over	Jamie Cullum
Now You're Gorgeous, Now You're Gone	Joe Firstman
Lies	Joe Firstman
Split Screen Sadness	John Mayer
Hurt	Johnny Cash
Back to Me	Kathleen Edwards
Your Eyes Open	Keane
I Alone	Live
Have Mercy	Loretta Lynn
Miss Being Mrs.	Loretta Lynn
One Of These Mornings	Moby
The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get	Morrissey
I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday	Morrissey
Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup	Nat King Cole
Jealousy	Natalie Merchant
Which Will	Nick Drake
In your eyes	Peter Gabriel
Jealous Guy	Roxy Music
Let Down	Radiohead
What Sin Replaces Love	Ryan Adams
Possession	Sarah McLachlan
I Love You	Sarah McLachlan
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now	The Smiths
I will not take these things for granted	Toad the Wet Sprocket
All I want	Toad the Wet Sprocket
Love Rescue Me	U2
All I Want Is You	U2
Space And Time	The Verve
We're going to be friends	The White Stripes

Fear me!

Meander over to International ___ Day for some phobia pfun! :) ljs

"Nice legs"

And with those two words, I had found a new meditation during today’s run.

Let me back up here. I don’t like running with music; I find it counter productive to my desire to be as unplugged as possible. Plus, it IS dangerous because you can’t hear cars, or some psychotic flasher/crazy person running after you. So, I look forward to my long runs because they’re a great chance to sort out my mind; separate out the good, the bad, and the ugly of psychic cowboys. My long runs have been a blessing, especially in difficult times. Today I was considering the misuse of the word “myriad”, living in the country versus the city, the emotional fortitude of vampires, and noting the beautiful landscaping in some yards.

I’m about 3 miles into my run and I pass by a *guy* who said to me “Nice legs” in response to my “hello”. Ummm, yeah. “Nice legs” is not, to the best of my knowledge, the most socially acceptable greeting but I laughed it off because it was just so surreal. As I ran on, I realized that I was simultaneously

a) weirded-out

b) disappointed at myself for being flattered for a millisecond. Gloria and Betty were so not happy with me and may revoke my membership in the “we are self-respecting women and thou shall not treat women as objects” group.

Overall, I figured that the *guy* was harmless but very inappropriate.

For the next 3 miles, I began to ponder the acceptability of such statements to total strangers, and I wondered why it was more likely that a man would say that to a woman but not vice versa, or even for a woman to say that to another woman. Now I’m curious. And, if a Gen X-er such as me is curious, then I will actually do something about it. Heh. As I’ve told Lord Mullett, “the world is our oyster, but all I want to do is take a nap”.

If you have a story or something to add, please do in the comments.

I use the word *guy* with intent because I was reminded from this quote from “Say Anything”: No. The world is full of guys. Be a man. Don't be a guy.

I'm off to re-read "Love in the Time of Cholera", it's a wonderful novel. It may even surpass "Wuthering Heights" as my favorite book.

Stay vertical, :) LJS

Her Blondeness

If it’s not one thing, it’s another eh? As blogger is temporarily on hiatus, I am typing this blog on Word. It is not without a hint of irony that I said I am typing on Word, because it was giving me problems since last Thursday. I would try to open Word, and see…nothing…blankness. But, it would follow shortcut keys and actually open. I thought many things:

1) Oh drat, it’s the end of my productivity

2) A file is corrupted! Auntie Em, Auntie Em!

3) Office had gone beserk, despite the fact that all the other Office applications worked just fine

4) A spyware or virus had eaten Word as a tasty snack

5) By enabling a “feature” to save versions of my documents, I had unleashed the Hounds of Hell and they were attacking Word. Poor helpless little software. {sniff sniff}

So…trying to be e-savvy, I did the following. Reupdated virus definitions and ran Norton several times, bought (ack!) Spybot, uninstalled and reinstalled Office 2003, defragmented my C drive, ran scan disk, and prayed to the all knowing Gatesian god from (longitudinally) above. Alas! None of this worked, although now I must mention how awesomely fast my computer is running. I know that y’all are wondering what caused this problem, and took away many hours of grad student productivity.

The answer is…

My blondeness.

Yeppo. In a blonde moment of epic proportions, I had *forgotten* that I was using two screens when I was visiting Montreal and hence did not revert my laptop back to the single screen. I was using Word on the 2^nd screen, and my computer thought that I was still using 2 screens and THAT’s why I wasn’t seeing Word. When I switched back to a single screen mode, Word magically reappeared and all is now right. Egad, that was painful to even write. Damn, I need tequila.

Word out, yo. :) LJS

More mundane running babble

Except that, maybe, it wasn't so mundane. I signed up to run a 10K, and today was the DAY of the Dexter-Ann Arbor run. Each year a 5K, 10K, and half-marathon is run along Huron River Dr. The road is quite scenic and totally worth getting up at 5:30 am (yes, Domie...AM) for it. I enjoyed the run immensely, gazing at the wild phlox, the poison ivy (itch itch itch), and the masses of people passing me by.
Today's journey starts at 5:30 am, no wait...5:00 am...when NPR started discussing religious tolerance in the Middle East. I dragged my butt out of bed, finally, at 5:30, and breakfasted on a yummy (oh so yummy) Montreal bagel (they're REAL good) and some coffee. Now, while I may have a fleet of pirate ships along the Oregon coast, I have no motorized transport here in my exile of Michigan. I just have a bicycle to get around. And, it was raining this morning. And, yours truly had to bike and slosch her way to the loading area where buses took us to the start. All I have to say right now is...thank you sweet lord for creating synthetic fabrics. Because, the all-powerful Oz knows that wet cotton really sucks to run in. So, no problem! Even though I was pretty soaked from my bike ride, I dried out quickly.
I ran with G-man, a post-doc in my lab, and the race started off without a hitch. Feeling semi-delerious, I thought that I could finish without taking my usual walk-breaks. Of course, I made that decision at mile 1 when the energy is still high, you're warming up and feeling good. So..maybe not the best time to go all egomanic on one's suffering legs. But, I stuck with it and only had one brief walk break for less than a minute. THAT, I was most pleased with. And, it did make a difference in my finish time. I broke my goal pace by ~30 seconds, and my pace was 10:36 min/mile.
Another bonus was seeing the elite runners finishing up the half-marathon. Imagine someone running 13 miles in the time it take you to run 6, the winner of the half-marathon had a pace of less than 5 minutes per mile...these men are zooming! It was awesome, and inspiring, to see them chugging faster than most scooters toward the finish. They even had a police escort, how awesome is that?
The last quarter of a mile was hell for me because I had side stitches and I wasn't about to walk. (bad ego, bad!) But, when we finished, I was happy because a) I finished and b) I made good on my goal to not use too many walking breaks. The post-run picnic was pretty tasty with all the usual suspects: chocolate cherry bread, bananas, and tons of water. I'm resting now but I feel great. Can't wait for October!
A big congrats to Mattie, who finished the half-marathon with an awesome pace of 7:13 minutes/mile! :D

Trodding along, :) LJS

Anyone, anyone?

C'mon baby, twist and shout your way over to International ____ Day and check out what your favorite doctor pirate has in store for you on June 1st!
:)

Monkeying around

I contribute to the Monkey Barn, it's great fun to blog with people who are fun and think in ways that are both alike and very different from me. We're on hiatus until the Barn Overlord (Hyperion) decides to let us play again. Bummer, indeed. To honor the temporary passing, and alleviate my high level of boredom, I thought it'd be fun to make a top 10 list of sayings that incorporate the word "monkey". And I'm currently listening to the Dead ("Looks like Rain", natch).

The ass-kicking top ten phrases/sayings that use the word "monkey" are...


10. Monkey Business:



9. Monkey see, monkey do:



8. Spank the monkey: no picture necessary
7. I'll be a monkey's uncle
6. "Why can't you do it? Why can't you set your monkey free? Why can't you do it? Do you love your monkey or do you love me?" (George Michael):
Hee hee hee. In light of (curious) George's escapades, these lyrics are tragically hip.

5. More Fun than a Barrel of Monkeys

4. "Oh boy, the monkey is going to pay." (The Simpsons, 32 Short Films About Springfield)

3. Monkey on your back

2. Hey, Hey, We're the Monkees, and people say we monkey around

yeah, you knew this was coming...but who doesn't love "Sprockets"??

1.Vould you like to touch my monkey? Touch him! Love him!


OK, now I am as happy as a little girrrrllll.

Chow and Gatty five, :) LJS

Evil Sith Queen

Today's it is cold and rainy, and I was wearing my raincoat with the hood on it. For some reason, I was thinking that I could easily be an evil sith queen because I already have the forebearing hood. I was even walking to the "Star Wars" theme too. My first item of business would be to eliminate all furry rodents from Canada, and use them in my evil experiments.
So, if you ever need a pirate doctor ala evil Sith queen, you know where to go. Admit it...a Sith pirate would kick ninja ass any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

The force is strong with this one.

Orange food bender

Some people have "orange food days", I'm on an orange food bender. Seriously. I made a batch of Dragon's fine carrot soup with orange and tarragon on Saturday. So I am now enjoying the final tasty bits of that for lunch. And, orange candy after the race on Saturday, soup on Saturday, orange juice with breakfast, cheese and crackers for lunch, soup yesterday. I just hope I don't turn orange, like I've had an attack of self-bronzer.
I wonder what a purple food bender would be like. Ideas? And, does red wine count since the grapes were purple at one point??

Lady Jane, you Goonie!

Heyyyyy you guys, I totally love "the Goonies"! I even travelled to Astoria, OR where they filmed the movie and I have a photo of me and a Baby Ruth bar (natch) in front of the Walsh house. Plus, there's an awesome pirate! Which of the Goonies is your favorite?

Happy Trails!

I'm kinda psyched because I am running my first race this year on Saturday! I will be running with a couple of other folks in my lab, and so it should be a great time! It's *just* 5 miles on a hilly dirt trail, and I've been subjecting myself to various hills in training so I hope that I'm ready. Because I run pretty slow, and don't really care about how I place in my age group and all that other ego-related jazz, I'm just looking at Saturday's race to be a good run in a beautiful park. But...if I manage to run near 11 minutes/mile, it'll be icing on the cake.
Keep it real. :) LJS

PS: Yipppee! Marathons!
__________________________________________________________________
5/1/06 update: My time was...11:07 min/mile... which is good for my slow-poke self! Next up is the Ann Arbor-Dexter 10K on June 4th!

April 21st, a 31st for one

I was reading an email from Mad Sweeney about defending his home from the brigands of New Jersey-ites, and it reminded me of my favorite passage from Rumi.

"The worth of a treasury is indicated by the many locks upon it. The greatness of a traveler's goal is marked by the intricate windings of the way, and the mountain passes to be endured, and the brigands infesting them"

Domie; Happy Birthday! Today we celebrate with you as you mark another trek around the sun. May your travels be marked with joy, love and difficult turns, for it is these that make the journey worthwhile. I thank you for a quiet ear, a happy laugh, many jokes, and your caring soul.

Hugs and kisses from afar. Love, LJS

PS...The Depends, denture fixatives, and large-print Readers' Digests are in the mail! :P

John Sinclair

Last year, I had seen John Sinclair present some of his poems at the Ann Arbor Library and I thought two things.
1) He is an amazing poet. Some people write poems to be read, John's poems are meant to be heard.
2) He does these presentations for himself as much as he does them to for the audience. It's evident that when he recites his poems, he is taken back to when he wrote it, to when he had these experiences.

With that in mind, I had written this.
_________________________________________________________
When I am an old man,
my beard will be wild.
I'll wear a fanny pack
my khaki's are torn
and, of course, my shirt is black.

My tales of lore, looking back
to a yesteryear where men were cats
and women were babes.
Take me away, my poem, take me
to my old glory days.

Of baseball and jazz and pot
I still think of Lennon (alot)
and my love of Monk grows
like Sunshine beads through my woes.

Take me away, my poem, take me
to my glory days.
When my rage would awaken
the sun, rise me too.
My cries howl with the hoardes.
My beat goes on and on.

My rages of youth replaced
by a calm and mellow oasis
slowly spreading
over my heart's arid landscape.
In my soul, I feel her
Somehow, through my pain.
I love, though, for sure.

Take me here, my poem, take me
to my glory days where I live.
My wife, my love.
I adore you until I have no more life.
Let my mouth tell you through and through.
All my days, I love you. I do.

Release your inner ninja

Daniel-san writes so well that I can't help to contemplate grabbing some ninja jammies of my own. Enjoy his fine fine literary musings. If he's agreeable, I'll post more of his writing. But, hopefully he'll soon join the esurient mass of bloggers.
Setting sail, stealthly and in my jammies...
:) LJS

RELEASE YOUR INNER NINJA

By Daniel

Today, I have nothing to do. Well, I do, but my boss is on vacation

and when the cat is away, the mice will play. This is true in even

amongst the hardest groups of workers. Since I am stuck here in front

of my brain sucking computer, I thought I might share a few thoughts I

have had recently in an effort to get them out, make sense of them, and

then laugh at them. My wife says I have a sick sense of humor and often

wonders whether she should laugh or worry, so to clarify, you all may

laugh. No need to worry.

A few days ago, a member of a message board I was on posted an

aggravated question about his new neighbors and their desire to ride

un-muffled dirt bikes at one in the morning, and what he should do to

stop them. The suggestions that followed were those from every walk of

life (religious preference, ethnic background, law breaking, law

abiding, etc.). My suggestion? Learn the ways of the Ninja.

While the various people argued (people argue over anything

nowadays) back and forth over their beliefs, I plugged away with my

philosophy on what should be done. Mostly from a humorous standpoint.

My thoughts were well received by the originator, but as most people do,

the over-analytical political correctness of today's American took over

and my thoughts were discounted. To each his own. I sat back and

watched as the "love thy neighbor" crowd got their butt kicked by the

"kick his ass" crowd, and then trampled every rational idea in between.

It is just like us to argue so much that we move from the original

problem and begin attacking each other on a personal level. Which of

course leaves the individual with the problem standing there, shaking

their head in disbelief, and of course with no solution.

You are probably asking what this has to do with the Ninja. Well, in

reality, nothing. It is simply just a state of mind on how to deal with

a pesky neighbor. The Ninja today is more commonly acquainted with

something one may see on Saturday morning cartoons, or in a video game,

but the actual history of the Ninja is shrouded in secrecy. Today's

versions are merely modern interpretation of fables dating back 1100

years. In fact, the word Ninjitsu, which the word Ninja is derived

from, means "the art of stealth," and I can see where this could be

handy in dealing with the annoyance in question. You see, there is

nothing funnier than watching someone (the annoyance) get up quickly and

look around dumbfounded wondering what happened to them. Sort of like

falling flat on your face and then getting up to see if anyone saw it

happen. I think the art of stealth is a much more fun and satisfying

way to rid yourself of the pestilence next door. Some may argue that it

would be sinking to the level of said individual, and that the police

should be called or ask him nicely to stop, but I say, fight fire with

fire. Release your inner Ninja.

In the case of the midnight motocross, one could play many tricks to

curtail this behavior in the future, and not even break the law. The

first thing you will need is jammies. Yes, that's right, Ninja jammies.

Those solid black outfits that give the true Ninja his stealth. But

lets get creative. There is a certain creepiness about running around

in the woods at night, and even the most boozed up motorcycle rider as

invincible as they may seem, can easily have the bejesus scared out of

them. So along with your jammies, you'll need a ghoulish mask.

Something realistic. Next time Knievil gets on his bike for a midnight

cruise, don your outfit and head out into the woods. The biggest part

of the plan at this point is to figure your escape route. This is most

important as a true Ninja will never be apprehended. Once you have

figured out the plan, find a tree or any suitable shrubbery and hide

behind it. When the biker comes along, with perfect Ninja skill and

timing, jump towards the motorcycle, but not in front. Although you must

be seen to get the full effect of the scare, it would only be

momentarily, and will leave a lasting impression. Do not wait to see if

your plan worked, as escape in the opposite direction of your home is

more important. You will know your plan worked when the motorcycle goes

back inside never to be heard from again unless the sun is out. Then

sit back and revel in your success. Your spouse will wonder what you

are constantly snickering at, but you must never tell as a Ninja never

reveals his secrets.

***This article was written only as a parody. The world of the Ninja

can be very dangerous, and the writer assumes no responsibility for

injuries occured while attemping. Do not try this at home.

Professional driver on closed course. All models are over 18. Objects

in mirror are closer than they appear. If rash occurs, discontinue use

and seek professional medical treatment. This product not 100 percent

effective against preventing pregnancy.***

Random Kvetch

I'm glad to see that even a fool hasn't pforgotten the fundamentals of running a company. I wish I could get paid $15 million/year to run a company to the ground. And my stock hangs out at $24/share like a unwashed drunken house guest at 4am. It's just not going anywhere...dammit.

New...Everything!

Hey y'all,
I redid the whole damn blog! New name, new link, new template, new links! Wowee-zowee! I adore the artwork, many thanks to Selina for being so nice to us bloggers.
And, thanks to Hypey for "letting me" use the template 'cause it really wouldn't have fit in the Institute...anywhere.
Ahoy! :) LJS

Friendly

I love Ohio, people are super friendly and kind. I thoroughly enjoyed my run yesterday in Hinckley Metropark yesterday because I saw so many people who said "good morning" and "hello" back to me. Contrast that to my experiences here in Michigan where people will look at you, after you've greeted them, and completely ignore you. It's still a culture shock for me, especially after growing up in Ohio and going to undergrad in Wheeling aka "the friendly city" WV. Have you experienced anything like that?
:) LJS

Unpimp

I'm totally digging the "Unpimp" VW commercials, many thanks to Monkey Boy for the link.

da Blog has a contest!!

Yours truly is a runner. Well, come to think of it, I should be saying I am a foot shuffler. Semantics aside, my old pair of Mizunos has seen better days and I am retiring them to the land of casual tennis shoes. They will be very happy indeed. The retirement party will involve tequila.
I have two (yes, two!) new inductees to the LJS method of torturing shoes, otherwise known as long-distance running, and I'd like to bond with them. In addition to running in them, I want to name them. Actually, I'd like you to help me name them. So...I'm holding the first-ever grand and exciting contest on da Blog. And it is "Name my Shoes". Awesomely cool huh?
To get you started, I'll give you my ideas. I want your comments people!

a) Spunky and Kinky
b) Fred and Barney
c) Dick and Jane
d) Betty and Boop

Happy trails, :) LJS

The Joy of Discovery

After spending a day impaling little mousey legs onto a thumb tack, I was getting pretty sick of the minutae of doing research such as the pettiness and frustration and (sometimes) egotism that is typically associated with these endeavors. Last night I saw Samuel Ting, a Nobel Laureate in Physics, speak. This dude found a new subatomic particle, the J quark, that has properties that are very different from other quarks. He won his Nobel prize only two years after publishing his discovery, which is the shortest amount of time anyone has won a Nobel after publishing.
And, he loves UM football.
Earning your respective field's top accolade gives one a unique perspective and I was very curious on what he would talk about. He had five lessons, based on his career. The last lesson, the one I like most, was always find joy in discovery. Think about that. The joy of discovery. How simple, how wonderful.
How many times have you found something new or seen things in a different light? How do you feel afterwards? Excited, happy to learn, joyful? Or, depressed because you don't have things "right" and your safe haven of reality is thrown off kilter?
I'm off to discover the effect of diabetes on bone health. Even though the data analysis is routine, I'm excited because I'll be discovering something new. With spring here, there are so many chances for new discoveries and much joy. The crocus flowers, the chirping robins, new career opportunities, watching amourous squirrels chase each other, new loved ones.

PS, This morning in yoga class, I learned where my kidneys are located. I've been wrong all these years! Cool huh?

Approval ratings

I had an epiphany last night. But, for me, these rare moments of clarity are sponsored by some very unpleasant realizations.
(Highly relevant tangent: two years ago at my JOB, I saw a rather large bumblebee hanging out in the lounge, obviously trying to get out. Since my policy on killing insects is "if it's cute, I try not to kill it", I grabbed a styrofoam cup and trapped the bee inside the cup. I took the cup outside and freed the bee. Nice story huh? Well, I learned a really important lesson from that seemingly simple experience because I worried if the bee was anxious while it was trapped.)

Here's the lesson: in order to obtain true freedom, one must endure a bit of imprisonment. The trick is figuring out what is holding us back, because what impales us with fear or anxiety is often invisible to us.
Flash forward to last night. I was chatting with my sister and I came to a complete and total understanding that my mother would much rather give her time and energy to those who could care less about her. All of my feelings of being rejected had hit me like a stone wall: I got really upset and wanted to confront my mom about this. Ask her why if she could spend all of her love and attention on people who just use her, then why couldn't she give me just a little bit especially when I want nothing else. After some more reflection and thinking, I am starting to realize that seeking approval and attention from my mom was one of my prisons. Even just realizing this has released some emotional tension and this new feeling is...freeing.
Buzzing off, :) LJS

PS...check out the photographs of Dick Dokas

Eagle Haiku

Quiet, calm, at rest
Energetic eagle lands.
We now sing "yahoo"

Beta Version: The Coffee Ring effect

In addition to laser-zapping the knees of unfortunate sacrifices to the great Research Hydra, I'm looking for ways to quickly find signs of tissue damage in your biofluids. I'm working on a journal article for this part of my research and here's the beta.
Bottoms up! :) LJS
_________________________________________________________________

The “coffee ring” effect. You all have seen it. It’s 3 am and you are at Denny’s (or the Fleetwood or Waffle House); drunk, jones-ing for rye toast and trying to sober up with some sludge otherwise known as coffee, when all of a sudden you knock over a bit of coffee onto the table. A few blissful minutes of blackout later, and...voila! There’s a ring of dried coffee on the table. What is really cool is how the coffee always seems to dry in concentric rings instead of making a uniform dried-out blob. No, it’s not because the cup is there. To us nerds in the Doctor Pirates realm, something as simple as spilling a drop of liquid and watching it dry is really fun and exciting. Egad. Did I just say that? I seriously need to get out more if doing the equivalent of “watching paint dry” is the most exciting thing I’ve done this week.

Not to get all fangirl-y on y’all but this “coffee ring effect” is super fascinating to me, the literature on this subject is the coolest thing I’ve read about since hearing about cavitation forces produced by peacock mantis shrimp. Looks like I’m not the only one to really dig these droplets, I’ve seen more people write about the mechanism of liquids drying. These ring formations has received much attention in the literature, with implications in pharmaceutical crystal screening, proteomics, ligand-target interactions, and physical properties of macromolecules such as DNA or polysaccharides. We’re doing something really rock-n-roll with this concept too. I can’t tell you too much about it, even though we’ve spilled the beans to Uncle Sam already. In a *few* months, you’ll be able to read the patent online and marvel at our deft ability to not only detect ____ as a biomarker for ____ but also break all of the laws of thermodynamics simultaneously.

Orchid Maniac

I've been unintentionally killing my orchids. The 'lady slippers' are doing OK, but my phals are dying quickly. In the past week, three phals have died. Their demise is sudden, unlike any other orchid problem I've ever seen. One day, the plant is fine with no signs of root or crown rot; viral or bacterial infections. The next, the leaves fall off from the base of the plant.
I'm very sad about this, because I've had these orchids for 3-5 years and I feel like a really bad orchid parent. In some respects, I hope now that I can better tend to the ones I still have left. I'll soon have to move my cattleyas and other sun-loving plants from the house to my home and I'm hoping that they'll like their new home as much as I do.
On a happier note, my monster aloe is blooming! Booya.

I'm putting up a photo of "Colleen's Freebird", a phal that my mom bought for my birthday that died this week.
Here's "Taipei Gold" that I had for many years and produced so many beautiful flowers. Sometimes I even had two flower spikes from this plant! Died this week also. :(

Even a Yankee can like alt-country

Have y'all listened to Cold Roses from Ryan Adams yet? No!?! I've been listening to this album since it came out in May, and still haven't gotten sick of it. If you like the Dead, you'll like Cold Roses. Listen for free!
:) ljs

Low standards, high prices

The lovely state of Michigan has been bleeding manufacturing jobs since 2003, losing most of its college graduates to other states, and no Michigan city is highly ranked for workforce education levels. Just two years ago, Jennifer Granholm advocated creating more educated population as a way to attract businesses to the state. (Just an aside, I *heart* Jennifer. I wish she could run for prez, but she's Canadian by birth. Bummer, eh?)
So what do I hear this morning? The state senate is considering relaxing the math requirements for high school graduation! That is to say, they may not require students to take algebra II. Instead, "alternatives" may be substituted. I'm not sure if learning how to dole out flour in measuring cups during home ed is my idea of a suitable alternative to algebra, but apparently it is for our happy state. Granted, I hated algebra II (honors, natch) and I know many people out there did also. But, math skills are highly correlated as a general gauge of a population's education. Is relaxing high school standards the most logical way of creating an educated population? It is counterintuitive to me. Actually, it sounds pretty f&*king stupid. By placing these low standards on kids, they may be able to pass high school but how will they perform in the job market? How will they be able to get through college?
In my humble piratess opinion...by even considering to relax high school graduation requirements, the senate is demonstrating an alarmingly myopic vision for the state. For this reason, and many others, I fear that our state is spiraling into an economic abyss.

I used to really enjoy living in Michigan, I still love Ann Arbor and my friends who are here. Unfortunately I look forward to the day when I can kiss this state goodbye and move to a state that is a) aesthetically beautiful and b) can support a vibrant and healthy biotech job market. Work one day, conquer a *fourteener* the next. Sounds great huh?

I can foresee next year's headlines...
"In today's news, the state of Michigan has decided that the only requirement for students to graduate from high school is a pulse and heartbeat."

Walk the plank! LJS

Four things

A. Four jobs you have had in your life:

1. Graduate Student Barbie

2. Slayer of poorly soluble compounds

3. Resident Assistant  

4. Master of SuperK deli counter

B. Four movies you could watch over and over:

1. The Shawshank Redemption 

2. The adventures of Milo and Otis 

3. Lilo and Stitch

4. Raising Arizona

C. Four places you have lived:

1. Ann Arbor, MI 

2. Wheeling, WV

3. Brunswick, OH

4. Brooklyn, OH

D. Four TV shows you love to watch: (such an ironic little
question for a TV-less piratess) 

1. Scrubs

2. Pokemon

3. The Daily Show

4. Lost

E. Four places you have been on vacation

(there’s too many to count, these are the four most recent) 

1.  Mexico

2.  Oregon

3.  Alaska

4.  Barcelona

F. Four websites you visit daily: 

1. Monkey Barn 

2. Travelocity 

3. Stuff on My Cat 

4. Slate Mag 

G.  Four of your favorite foods:

1. My cooking

2. Pancakes 

3. Aut bar burritos

4. Potstickers

H. Four places you'd rather be right now:

1. Montreal

2. New Jersey

3. Atlanta

4. Kindergarten with my niece

I. Four of your favorite things to do (not in any particular order)

1.  Being active outside

2.  Enjoying tea at Crazy Wisdom

3.  Visiting Montreal

4.  Spend time with loved ones (y’all know who you are)

J. Four of your favorite drinks (alcoholic or non....ANYTHING)

1. Tea 

2. Water  

3. Coffee!  

4. Mexican hot chocolate

Little surprises are the best

Sometimes, my mind is like a steel trap. I remember playing with kids in my neighborhood in Brooklyn when I was 2 and 3, eating Macaroni-n-cheese (Kraft Dinner to our Great White North blogees). And all sorts of useless tidbits, like the symbolism of equestrian statues and how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, are happily diffusing through my grey matter.
But, I am sometimes reminded that I am blonde. And, then I get very plesantly surprised. Like today. I thought that I'd have to wait until Tuesday morning for my sunshine, but my blondness did the calculation wrong and it turns out that it's actually Monday AM. I'm quite happy because it means a phone call a day earlier than thought.
My niece turned 6 last week! I'm happy to see that while she is growing up to be a fine young lady, she is still a wonderful and vibrant and joyful kid. I wish that bath time could be as fun for adults as it is for kids.

Y'all like the new word? Blogee. One who reads a blog. I'll be contributing to the Monkey Barn, so check it out. This little piratess is tired and sure could use massages, sudoku puzzles and warm chocolate cake. Ahhh...the LJS Sunday Sweet tooth.

Marathon Top Ten

I'm quite prolific today. Boredom does that. I was planning my training for the May 1/2 marathon and a) I am freaking out since there's only 12 weeks left to train and b) I ran across my motivating top 10 list. I'd like to run a marathon in the fall, and there's an ultra-marathon through Hell,Michigan in September. There's some running lingo but I hope you still enjoy. :) ljs

The top 10 reasons to run a marathon

10: Hitting “the Wall” can be just as fun for you as it was for Pink Floyd

9: Running 26.2 kilometers just doesn’t sound as cool

8: Epic struggles make for better memoirs

7: We have not yet busted ALL of the Ann Arbor flashers

6: Running through Hell will seem fun by comparison

5: Two words…Carbo Loading!! (mmm…beer)

4: What else are we going to do on Sunday mornings? Cook?

3: Negative splits aren’t as painful as they sound

2: The race is just a 10 K…with a 20 mile warm up

1: Having bragging rights forever is priceless

When the stars go blue

Instead of doing what I *should* be doing, writing Ber's referral letter, I'm blogging. Mainly because I've been thinking of lots of things. Moving, finishing school, motorized vehicles, headstands, paperwork, candidacy, tattoos and blogs. Not necessarily in that order. School work, or the lack thereof, is floating somewhere in my brain too...sincerely.
This afternoon I'm going to check out a nano-scale apparatus for measuring fluid viscosity which sounds really neat. And then off to a seminar and leaving my CV with M. Leclerc. Although he works in macromolecular chemistry and I have a less-than-zero chance of working in his lab, I think that it'd be very cool to get some polymer synthesis experience and some spectroscopic characterization of these polymers. They have a super-neato application in ultra-trace detection of proteins and DNA.
I had an appointment with legal services yesterday. No more generic plain oatmeal, Domie. Get ready for some parasailing! And, it is a nice feeling to be happy...because life is good.
I ran outside in the rain last night, my legs were happy to get a'moving and I ran for 3 miles straight. Of course I was soaked by the run's end, but I'm really motivated for the spring 1/2 marathons.

"I'm not all alone in the dark. I like the dark. I love the dark... But I hate nature! I HATE nature!" :) ljs

Life by Committee

Here's the image on my computer screen, it was taken at sunrise in Tulum, Mexico by a couple of sleepy pirates.
For some reason, I woke up today and remembered that I dreamt about my car. I have to return it in April (silly lease!) and so I'll be without motorized vehicle. And, in Michigan aka land of no public transportation...the prospect of being without vehicle is so not good. Although I'd like to fancy myself as a fit gal, I know that bicycling to/fro my parents' or other places I'd like to visit is rather unrealistic. I've been jones-ing for a motorcycle, but I won't be able to use it in the winter. So I'm debating between...
a) used car now, motorcycle next year
b) motorcycle now, used car in late fall

Your thoughts? Leave comments, top 10 lists, your favorite ice cream flavor etc...

Lainie, if you get your tongue pierced then there's no more excuses for not parasailing.

Glass Gods

I saw an interesting article for some interesting glasses today, but I wonder how far they can be apart and still glow. Looks like I'll be perusing New Scientist to find out, and perhaps travelling to Montreal to check them out in person.
I'm submitting a manuscript today for peer-review. Keep your fingers crossed. If all goes well, it'll be two journal articles down...two more to go in order to graduate. I'm looking for jobs and passing out my CV because it's never too early to start getting one's name *out there* in the job market. And, it'll be a great chance to meet people who are doing very cool science.
If anyone is interested, you may want to "eye" my last article in the April issue of Applied Spectroscopy. The final manuscript is not as fun as a beta-version, but definitely fit for public viewing.
To paraphrase a whole bunch of folks: growing old is mandatory, maturity is optional.
:) ljs

Cat Slobber

A big thanks to Ber for directing us to this really cool Google hack. Unfortunately, there's no way to include Canadian provinces and Mexican states so I can include British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Ontario and Yucatan. :D



As one can tell, I still have much travelling to do. I'd love to see the Badlands. Maybe once I get my *chopper* this summer, I can visit a few more. I tracked my travels on a world map too, and that was interesting. I'd like to see more of Europe for sure.

On another note, I didn't know that cats could slobber so much. I got attacked with affection by Howie Katt last night upon returning from a wonderful trip to Mexico. I was covered in Katt fur and Katt slobber. Oh the fun!

It's great to be back in Michigan at a time when seeing blue skies isn't cause for celebration. Welcome spring! I wish I had a motorcycle right now because it's perfect driving weather. No snow, slightly cold. Brilliant blue skies and plenty of sunshine. I'll be riding my bicycle instead, it'll be great to just ride outside!

I'm finding a good photo blog help/site so I can put up some pics from my trip to Mexico, and my orchids. I'll spare y'all the details of 350+ photos from Mexico and only put up some of the nicer ones.

Ahoy! :) ljs