Biking to a theatre near you

Awwww yeah! Once again, I am mobile. The bike has been tuned up and it is running great! The gears are switching with ease and the new handlebar grips are awesome. I'm very much looking forward to some wonderful biking weather!
:D LJS

After thought: The opportunity afforded by bicycling to enjoy the lovely Michigan spring/summer/fall is also an opportunity to come face-to-face with the careless driving behaviours of its denizens. Nonetheless! I love biking.

The worm is mine OK?

Ever have one of those afternoons where your reality is spinning faster than Jenna Jameson on a Astroglide bender?

Yeah? You too? Well, slide on up to the LJS Saloon where the booze is strong. Your hostess is not known for her charm and wit, but she'll scare up a bit of sociability just for you.

Sarah is on the jukebox, and a bottle of Anejo awaits. Let us saturate ourselves in the sweet revelry of just going along with the day's events, shall we?

Maybe I'm not ready just yet for the sociablity part.

Window Dressing

Tiff's March 26th posting, entitled "I'm not her", set off a legion of thoughts ranging from the near sociopathic jealousy of the always put-together girl on the 9:40 bus to the uber-feminist "fuck the Man for trying to make me shave, wear makeup, and push up my breasts in order to fit into the so-called ideal of beauty". The question of "how much is too much" is really appropriate here, especially when it comes to us gals.

I am of the less-is-more sort, but not in a uber-feminist sort of way. I do like feeling like I didn't scrape myself off of the gratings of the latest car that tried to hit me, so there's basic every-day sort of stuff like showering, brushing teeth and hair, and clean clothes (makeup and blow dried hair's optional). And then there's days when I like to feel more dressy-so some makeup, maybe fuss a bit over my 'do, and some extra nice clothes.

I really like to see people when they're not all dressed up or make-up-ed up (how's THAT for a new word?). My favorite is to see people running-watching hot people run notwithstanding-because I can see the real person, the blood, sweat, and tears. I like being able to see people's eyelashes, they're really pretty and soft. I like seeing freckles, large pores, and the wrinkles. It's great to see people blush. I love seeing my honey's freckles and moles on his left cheek.

Sometimes I feel like we put alot of effort into window dressing, without paying too much attention to what's in the proverbial store. Sure we can blame clever marketing, society, movies, the Media etc. But, ever wonder what would happen if we were all perfectly coifed and Photoshopped? I'd hate to see what would happen if we all looked like Cosmo or GQ cover people-it would be quite boooring to me. So, many kudos to Tiff and all the other wonder women who let us see that they're beautiful on the inside, no window dressing necessary. It's not laziness, it's freedom.

:) LJS

International Barn Overlord Day

Go visit the Overlord, he's out done himself today. And, he turns 7 this week. I'll be making a beef-jerky cheesecake for the Man later on, any ideas for a topping?
:) LJS

Wedding Photos are up!

It's so hard to believe it's only been 10 days since Francis and I got married, I guess that the distance makes each day drag like molasses in January.
Our wedding was so happy and joyful. I know that it'll be amongst many many more. I've uploaded some photos (in no particular order) in my flickr account.

Next week is the Martian half. Awwwwww yeah! But for now I'm going to immerse myself in the awesomeness of "Deadwood". It's a great show, and it's GREATLY expanded my vocabulary of rotten things to call drivers who do not share the road. Muahahahaha.

:) Ahoy! Lady (that's Mrs. Lady to you) Jane Scarlett

Evil Genius?

Dude...I'm on par with...Al Gore???

I am 58% Evil Genius.

Evil courses through my blood. Lies and deceit motivate my evil deeds. Crushing the weaklings and idiots that do nothing but interfere in my doings.

Take the
Evil Genius Test
@ FualiDotCom

My new cause

Today, during lunch, I discovered a shocking silent epidemic that's overtaking millions of American households. I was eating my vegetable soup, and was horrifed to notice the label had mentioned that all of the vegetables were...chunky. It made me wonder how did the vegetables get chunky. What are “they” hiding from us? The truth is out there, and....dammit, I'm going to do something about it!

Now imagine you're a wee pea vegetable, and you're growing up in a vegetable soup farm. Life is good, but you begin to notice that you're given a bit more Pepsi, you have a lot less room to play than the rest and, most importantly, you have so much spare time that you're at level 60 in WoW. One day, one fateful day, you look up from your veggie couch and notice millions of other vegetables all in a row...all drinking protein-enhanced Pepsi and slogging on cheesy poofs. Then you collapse because you can’t hold up the heft of your massive pods.

Awwww. Poor pea.

Do you think that, after all that suffering, your benevolent vegetable farmer would reward you with a little metal plaque or perhaps an upgraded video card? No! Poor vegetables. They are sacrificed like lemmings: usurped from their comfortable (if not cramped) abodes, chopped and boiled nearly-alive and then…of all indignities…called…Chunky.

Like I said...silent epidemic.

I hereby propose a new campaign. The “Pirates for the Emancipation of Rotund Vegetables” group. PERV’s everywhere will lobby for ethical treatment of veggies. We’ll have a two pronged approach. The first one is to campaign for free-range vegetables. When veggies can roam free, they taste better.

The second approach is to reduce the stigma of “chunky” that dominates our current soup market.

(btw...how can a vegetable be both fat-free and chunky?)

Join me, and become a PERV. Together, we can make a difference.

Ahoy! :) LJS

A musical non- meme

Sparky sorta tagged me to do this, and since my stud muffin of a husband is back in Montreal, I'm not as busy as I was last week. I plan on slash and burning my iTUNES-I have nearly two weeks' of music on here, some of which I've never listened to.

So, its list 7 songs that you are currently really really into, no matter what they are, and then tag 7 more people to do it.

1. "How we operate" by Gomez-the beat is really tricky and neat. I like how it sounds kind of naughty.
2. "Under the Boardwalk" by The Drifters-It's one of my favorites
3. "If New Orleans is Beat" by The Tragically Hip
4. "Train Under Water" by Bright Eyes-Yum. Conor.
5. "I am the Walrus" by the Beatles-I could be the Walrus, I'd still have to bum rides off of people
6. "Let Down" by Radiohead
7. "The Shadowlands" by Ryan Adams-the best song from his Love is Hell LP, and that's saying alot considering that "Avalanche" and "I see monsters" and "Wonderwall" is also on it.

I guess that podcasts of NPR, "Meet the Press" and Phedippidations don't count...but they should.


Who is tagged?
Tiff
Spiffy (thanks for getting around to the last one!)
Lainie
Mad Dog Sweeney
Ber
Dragon
Tobias

Pancake love

I love hearing how couples meet, and I love pancakes too. Imagine my uber-joy when I heard this morning's Storycorps on NPR's Morning Edition. It's about how a husband and wife met each other at their job.
It IS the absolute cutest story you'll hear all day, maybe even all week! It's got...heart-shaped pancakes. OK OK OK...I'm swooning! Listen to the story, the link is near the title. The Storycorps music is really cute too.

Talk to Lady Jane! Tell me how you and your hunny-bunny met. I'd like to eventually start a book about these "meetings", so I may a) put it up on a separate blog and/or b)contact you to see if it'd be OK if I talked to you more to get a longer story. As supreme piratess of...my own little world...I'd have to retain any and all copyrights to what I'd written. (sorry for that legalese, now back to our originally scheduled blog)

And, my hunny is arriving in...7 short short hours. I'm so excited! Happy Friday all!
:) LJS

Another "report", another Beta version

OK. Y'all know the rules of the beta version, but for you newbies...here's a run through, with the following premises.
Premise, the first: I am very pessimistic when it comes to my research. Maybe I'm too tough on myself, maybe it really is garbage.
Premise, the second: When I get pessimistic, I get snarky.
Premise, the third: It's always better to write *something*, even it's snarky and poorly done than to sit on your bum waiting for the perfect version to appear to you like a burning bush.
Premise, the fourth: These are soooooo not meant for public viewing. Beta versions are meant to remain in the hallowed bytes of my pseudonym's blog, never to see the light of day.

With that in mind...here's a beta. The details have been changed to protect the...well...me.

Summary: Tissue from two specimens were examined by _____. As to why I examined them, your guess is as good as mine. Because my oh so optimistic impression of these experiments is something along the lines of “well, we don’t have a hypothesis, a well-designed study, or a regular supply of specimens, so we’re going to do this instead”. In light of the fact that I’m not too busy today and that I know it’s always better to at least appear busy (thanks Ms. Train!), I am writing up a report. Well a “report” in the broadest sense of the word. This “report” is more like a series of well placed, important sounding words that are meant to impart onto the reader that a) I am indeed very busy, b) I am indeed smart (well, smart enough to use big words appropriately) and c) truly believe that my thesis work is not a joke of cosmic proportions.

*************************************************************
More kvetching: I wish that people would f*&$ing leash up their f&*$ing dogs. I don't CARE if you have invisible fense...when I see two 90 pound dogs barking and running toward me, I tend to freak out. Happened to me twice today during my run, through the tony part of town too.
*************************************************************
Happy Birthday Sweet Pea. You're seven, but you'll always be my little darlin'.

I want 2CU (on the road!)

I'm a running nerd, well...I enjoy it very much. But there was a point in my life where I was hanging a bit too much on the couch and enjoying the cheesy poofs a bit too much. And one day I decided to get off of the couch because I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded and I had always wanted to run. My friends, Matt and Kathy, were my inspiration. So, I started on a simple plan...to get my inertial ass from the couch and moving. My first race was a 5K on July 4th 2003 in miserable hot and humid conditions. I finished with a pace over 13 minutes/mile with a combination of running and walking. But you know what? I finished!

I tried a program that's similar to the "Couch to 5K" or C25K plan that Steve Runner talks about this week in his GREAT podcast, Phedippidations.

There's so many 5K races in the spring, give it a try!

Here's another great program.
The Cool Running C25K program

If you've ever thought about giving running a try, I highly recommend listening to this week's podcast. It's very encouraging (and funny!) and when you DO start to run, remember that you'll always have a lil piratess in Michigan to cheer you on. I know if I can do it, then you can too!

I must admit that I still enjoy hanging out on the couch with cheesy poofs, in moderation. ;)

See you on the road, fellow runners!
:D LJS

The second bestest moment of last week

Yeah. Not the best time to be having a bad hair day. But, isn't Jen lovely?

Seek, and thou shall find

On March 15th, Francis and I are getting married! :D

Democratically

Since I'm waiting for the sidewalks to get cleared up before I go for my Sunday long run, I thought I'd regal y'all with my awesome goings-on. Yesterday I attended, nay, I was a delegate, at the winter convention of the Michigan Democratic Party. BTW, it's super easy to be a "delegate" of a political party-just be a member of the party at least 30 days before the convention and then show up. You'll have voting rights then. :D
So, Delegate LJS woke up way too early for a Saturday and rode to the convention with some fellow Dems. I dressed like a graduate student (khakis with tshirt and sweater), with a bit of extra makeup so I wouldn't scare the masses. NB this point-it will come into play later on. It was good to see people I had met earlier, and it felt like I am becoming less like a stranger and more like a participant. Yes, my stalker was there too and was a bit stalkerish.

(Now don't act too suprised that I have a stalker. My divine sensuality combined with my killer intelligence and awesome legs would almost dictate that I have at least 2 or 3 stalkers in each state. Still, repeat after me. "Stalker. Ewwwww.")

Since it's a non-election year, we broke up into caucuses in the morning. I went to the Justice Caucus (of which I am a deputy treasurer) and the Blogger Caucus and learned alot about issues that are important to these groups. I had lunch with the folks in the 15th congressional district-a very nice meal hosted by our congressman.

**NOW BEGINS THE SECOND AWESOMEST MOMENT OF THE WEEK**
During lunch, the other two girls I was with asked "Would you like to get your picture taken with Granholm"? Now, for all of you in the know...I absolutely ADORE Jennifer Granholm, our current govenor. She's up there with John Roberts in terms of geek crushes. So, I answered "oh yes" and for 2 minutes we held audience with JGran. She's even more energetic and prettier in person-periwinkle is her color indeed. For 120 seconds, I could think of nothing but "dammit I should have worn something nicer today". But at least I wore makeup.
**NOW ENDS THE SECOND AWESOMEST MOMENT OF THE WEEK**

Later, I'll muse about the irritating politics of hand clapping, standing O's, the appropriate use of the "woo woo" in public venues, and the inexplicable P-factor (the "thing" that makes someone a good politician). Trust me, that's at least an essay's worth of deep thoughts.

And, the photo is forth coming. Don't be jealous Ber, I have something for you.

My insanely bright and talented readers, you are wondering "so what was the first aweomest moment of the week"? Wait and I'll tell you.

Later.

:) LJS

Tips for the DIY porn addict

1. Secure your wireless network
2. Remove all sharing capabilities in your folders, with your software. iTUNES automatically allows you to share your music, podcasts, and videos.

Why such sage advice? Because sometimes pirates find things that are too much even for our stout tummies.

:) LJS

Lil LJS has her Thursday Thirteen

On my long run, I had a brilliant idea for today’s Thursday Thirteen. I forgot exactly what that idea was, but rest assured it was brilliant. So it got me thinking “gee, I must be getting old because now I’m forgetting my brilliant ideas”, followed quickly by a knee-jerk “well, just because I’m aging doesn’t mean I’m getting OLD”. So here I offer thirteen points of evidence that Lady Jane is not getting old, mostly generated to mollify my phobia with facing mortality. An alternate hypothesis is “thirteen signs that LJS is more than a little nutty”. Take your pick. 1. I love to read kids’ books. Case in point: the Harry Potters, Eragon, Little House on the Prairie. 2. I still talk to animals, and I firmly believe that they talk back. Case in point? This morning I spent a few minutes communing with the (rather large) squirrels on the diag. I think I’ve perfected their come-hither chirrup, but they always seem to go away when I tell them I won’t feed them. 3. When I drive long distances I bring my favorite stuffed teddy bear, Toby, and have chats with him about anything and everything that bugs me. 4. I get excited and super happy about all the good things that happen to my friends, loved ones and me. 5. My iTUNES is filled with hip alternative music like John Coltrane, The Beatles and Elvis. (yes, Virginia, there is such thing as sarcasm) 6. I don’t FEEL my age. Never have. I perpetually feel 4-5 years younger than my chronological age. 7. My massive toy collection will one day come alive and bring forth the revolution in my name. 8. Everything new is cool and fun and exciting to me. 9. I wish we all had recess. Don’t you? 10. My younger sister seems sooo much more mature ;) 11. I sing with the radio in the car and do the “butt dance” if the song is very jam-worthy. 12. I prefer to think of the wrinkles near my eyes and my smile line as evidence of a happy life instead of signs of aging. 13. Today is sponsored by the letter T and the number 13. Thank you Sesame Street! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

LJS-World Traveller Wannabe

Thirteen Places on Earth that LJS would like to visit 1. Italy-This kind of goes without saying. But, I can see myself saturated in Italian grappa, artwork, and mountains for a month. Or several. One of my “things to do before I die” is to spend a day inside the Sistine Chapel to adore the works of my fave TMNT-Michelangelo. Plus, I’ve heard the Dolomites are breathtaking. 2. The Colorado “fourteeners”-a bit of heaven on earth. No visas, sherpas, or extreme gear required. 3. Any marathon course-it’s a goal, and I wouldn’t be as lazy if *someone* would train with me. I’d love to see the world from mile 26.2. It’s just that the training is tough and lonely. 4. Mt. Everest trek-After years of ego-cruising on the thought I can scale Everest, I’ve returned to earth. But I’d still like to trek to the base camp or Kala Pattar. It’s still not an easy trek-you do go to 5400 meters. So, instead of climbing Everest, I’ve decided to climb… 5. Kilimanjaro-it’d be great to see the icefields before they melt 6. The Gemini and Keck telescopes on Mauna Kea 7. New Zealand-The Milford trail is the “finest walk on Earth”, so I’ve heard. Regardless, two islands of great beauty. Not to mention…I *may* just run into Viggo Mortensen and a few hobbits. 8. London, Paris, and Berlin-all the museums, all the history. 9. Torres del Paine-I’ve seen trek pictures of this national park in Chile and I fell in love. It’s been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1978. Mountains, clouds, beautiful water. Heaven. 10. Biking across ‘Merica from the saddle of a hog. Just letting the wind and skies guide the way, leaving our troubles behind. 11. Any of the sites where the Leakey’s dug 12. The Galopagos-ahhhh evolution at its finest. 13. India-spending a month, or two, or three in India sounds very exciting to me. I’d love to get a feel for the diversity in the culture and visit all the non-touristy places. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Sweet flakes of corn

Never mind that the USA doesn’t have a woman president. Never mind that most women still make only 70% of the salary of their male counterparts for equivalent jobs. Never mind that women comprise a woefully small percentage of tenured university professors. Oh no. The true TRUE mark that women still haven’t “made it” in today’s society is the urinal hanging out in the ladies room at McGill University’s Chemistry Building.

Why, oh why?

Is it an old men’s room converted? Is it a new social experiment in retraining women to try to stand and peee? Or..perhaps they are far ahead of our time in recognizing equal and fairness for everyone?

In preparation for the massive amounts of snow that we’re about to enjoy, I thought a contest was appropriate. The name of the contest is “guess what the map means”, akin to a Rorschach Test. Creative interpretations and drawings are welcome. Dance videos are not welcome, unless you’re Kukka-Maria, because I’d hate to bust the bandwidth of my Canuck hosts. My personal guess is that it’s a 7^th grade health class diagram gone horribly horribly awry. And, many karma points to anyone who can figure out what those large bat-like splotches are on the left (no, your other left).

Cavorting, canoodling, and deep thoughts

Although Wednesdays are synonymous with hard work and getting lots of things done, I mean it is known as “hump day” in the American workforce, leave it up to a pirate to find a way to the Promised Land of halvah and slackerhood. Normally the slacker lifestyle (as I like to call it) is not for the faint of heart-you have got to want to slack. In the three hours I’ve been “at work”, I managed to completely and utterly get no work done yet on sheer accident. I like to call it Slacker Nirvana. Here’s how it’s done folks.

10:20 am: Show up to work, after a nice breakfast and morning phone call with your hunny. Delayer your outer wraps, because, even though it’s 150% warmer today than yesterday, the temperatures rival McMurdo’s.

10:25 am: Re-apply said layers, because there’s a fire alarm going off

10:45 am: Enter the warmth and shelter of the chemistry lab. Ask yourself if the smell of acetic acid in the hall complements the dark purple shirt you’re wearing or if maybe you should go for the sweet almond aroma of cyanide.

10:50 am: Start your daily barrage of emails, spam blocking, and blog stalking. Start chatting with your hunny. Check in for your flight, see new post-doc J’s (who, btw, is very awesome) pictures of her and her hunny, and schedule long runs for the next two months with G-man. Open your data, and contemplate the fact that the past week of experiments have ended very very poorly. Avoid looking at the spoon as an agent of hari kiri.

11:20 am: “Why yes, I’m still free for lunch”. Conversations about deep issues like canoodling with Angelina Jolie, phallic symbolism inherent in the shape of a guitar, global warming, and dental care in the UK ensue.

1:20 pm: Pick up prescriptions so that you can avoid being in a coma for the month.

1:45 pm: Return to the lab, and write in your blog. Mild guilt-related twinges over a lack of efficiency are best neglected. Surf gossip rag website(s) and quietly debate the finer points of Jessica Simpson finding herself a whole bunch of collagen.

4:15 pm ETA: Yogi Deb picks me up for yoga class.

6:30 pm ETA: Arrive at home where mountains of chores await. Your day of Slacker Nirvana is over.

I hate slacking off like this completely. My philosophy on slacking is that it is best applied as a seasoning-like one would salt and pepper a tomato. Best in small doses. Seeing as I’m so excited to see my hunny, I doubt I’d be too terribly efficient anyway. I’m going to try to get some work done. That is, unless there’s new photos of Angelina and Brad.

Ahoy! J LJS

Baby, it's cold outside

Yeah, the obvious thing to do today is kvetch about the frigid temperatures. But I've been itchin to write some fiction, any ideas? Because I'm sure that you'd much rather NOT hear about my conspiring samples. They haaaaate me, I tell ya.
Oh yeah, saw Joshua Bell on Saturday. Wowza. He can make a violin sing.
The den will be a bit empty, starting late this week. I'll be up in Montreal. Howie's skills as a guest blogger are not quite up to the standard of adequacy that we expect here in the Den. So..I encourage y'all to visit the pirate galley. There are two new additions!
Ahoy!