Monday, September 28, 2009

Phila Fail

epic fail pictures
see more Fail Blog

I actually like the name of this store - esp since it's in the gayberhood and full of totally kitschy stuff.

Monday, September 21, 2009

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike. What did I do this weekend? Went on a 50 mile bike ride. Holy moly, is my ass sore. We took the bike path up to Valley Forge yesterday. The day was perfect for a bike ride - in the 70s, very few clouds in the sky, warm sun. The leaves are just barely starting to change around here, and it feels like fall is in the air (equinox is tomorrow, so it should be). We came back exhausted, so it may be a couple weeks before Alex can convince me to get back on the bike and go that far again, but we'll see. With the scenery so pretty and the summer crowds gone, it's great to bike around the area. Since we took such a long bike ride, though, now I've got a ton of housework to catch up on...never done, right? I also promptly fell into bed after a quick trip into lab. Even the excitement of the Giants v. Dallas game couldn't keep me awake!
How was your weekend?

Friday, September 18, 2009

Haiku Friday

Not a plan in sight
Nary and scrap of work to
do. No traveling.

***

Weekend chores, shopping
maybe a bike ride or run
Reading, relaxing.

***

Fall is coming soon
Smell the air, feel the change in
seasons. Time goes on.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Wow.

It seems like all we do lately is say how sad we are that somebody died. MJ was a shock, Patrick Swayze was really sad. Farrah, etc, etc. Yesterday I learned of the loss of two women, one famous, and one not so much, which saddened me much more than any of the others before.
My mom is a very kind soul. She wouldn't hurt a fly and she always wears rose-colored glasses. This can both be a good thing and a bad thing, but it's something I love about my mom. She doesn't judge people, she tries to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and she likes to "Live and let live". My mom also loves to sing. In this weird, slightly operatic, slightly off tune voice. Which drove me nuts when I lived at home, but I now find myself singing to myself all the time (I guess I'm turning into my mother...). As far back as I can remember, my mom listened to Peter, Paul and Mary. I don't know what it was about the music, but I just loved it. The harmony, the song lyrics, the messages underneath the lyrics, and the fact that they continued to sing those songs as they aged, just spoke volumes to me. I remember loving the stories behind the songs, the emotion put into the lyrics. "Puff the Magic Dragon" will still, to this day, make me cry for lost childhood dreams, forgotten childhood experiences, and all the innocence and wonder that exists in childhood. For some reason, I drew parallels with Mary Travers and my mom. Mary was in a band with two men, and she often carried the tune, made the transitions, or started the song. In other words, she was a leader, in a time when women were not really leaders and were trying to change their position. My mom was that way, too, working as a mathematician for the Navy, surrounded by men in every position above and below her. Yet, she embraced it and did what she could to keep her job and move up in the ranks. Mary Travers never changed her position on war - I remember Peter, Paul and Mary singing at the protests against the Iraq war. I remember thinking, wow, how amazing to keep your convictions all these years, to stick to them and to continue the movement they were so integral to starting. I am so grateful that strong women like Mary Travers (and my mom) preceded me and paved a path on which I would build my career and my life as I want to.
The other person who passed away recently was Mrs. H. Mrs. H was an old family friend; a matriarch of the H family which has been close to my family for years. My grandparents met Mr. and Mrs. H upon moving into Ojai in the 60s. It was back when there were "Welcome wagons" int he community and Mrs. H was the first to greet my family. She noticed that my grandparents had 3 boys - she also had 3 kids - and they got together and were friends ever since. Mrs. H was the quinessential grandparent as long and I knew her. She lived on a ranch in Ojai that had acres and acres of orange trees. Mrs. H canned and cooked like nobody's business. She was a wonderful host, but was not afraid to put on her overalls and get out in the barn and deal with the chickens. We lost Mr. H several years ago, to many different illnesses. Mrs. H carried on, renting out her house and living in a small mobile home on the property. When it became obvious she could no longer live on her own, she was moved nearer her son, and she passed away in her sleep. Mrs. H always made me feel loved an welcome in her house, she always took time out to talk to everyone, be a part of everyones lives. And she seemed to know that the simplest things in life are the best. I don't recall her owning a TV (maybe a small set for the kids) and I do remember sitting in the hot tub with all her grandkids. My Dad used to visit her every time he was in Ojai, and he always came home with another jar of something Mrs. H had canned. I used to send her Christmas cards, and she always wrote back, marveling that someone had remembered "an old lady". She loved Las Vegas, and we all headed out there for her 80th birthday party. The H family has always been a part of our family, and I feel very saddened at the loss of sucha wonderful, loving woman. I know her spirit is passed on to her children and her grandchildren and I am just so thankful to have known her.

Monday, September 14, 2009

RIP, Patrick Swayze


Your movies were always a staple of my many sleepovers. Cancer is an asshole. You will be missed.

Guess what I did?

I ran a 5K!

At the starting line, standing around.



Run, CD, run!


I love it when I dribble water down my front!
Yay for me!

Some thoughts...

  • Screaming "You lie" at a President - really, South Carolina? Really?
  • A woman was murdered in her lab at Yale. Scary? Yeah....freaked out? Just a little...
  • Health care: why are all the people screaming and yelling about health care? You're required to insure your car, but not yourself? Makes no sense to me. And to prevent insurance companies from gouging us, there should be a public option. Doesn't seem that complicated. Trust me, Medicare/Medicaid will still be there, so stop bitching about it. And stop hating on the poor people.
  • Americans are ridiculously opposed to change. Change is good. It keeps us moving forward. What's so scary about that?
  • Philadelphia is in the worst way. The city needs money to function, but the state won't allocate it. We are facing shutdown of city business on Oct 2, if a budget is not written by Sept 18th. Personally, I don't want to live in a city without police and fire officials. The signs on the libraries (all of them, this time) states they will close on Oct 2. How sad.
  • I think women should run things for a while. Men have had their fair share of governing, and look where it's gotten us. Let's give the females a try.
  • I guess I am in the minority when I say that I still approve of President Obama. I think he's doing a great job, trying to focus on the issues, while hearing all sides. I do, however, this that this health care issue will make or break his presidency.
  • I can't believe how ridiculous people are about their kids. Thinking that Obama will "indoctrinate" their kids into "socialism" when all he really wanted to do was tell kids to work hard and stay in school? Get off your high horse, conservatives. Have a little respect for the Office of the President. And let him inspire minority and inner city kids across the country.
  • As far as I can tell, the "deficit", or the "debt" or whatever you want to call it has no effect on my everyday life. Why do I care if we borrow money now so that it's better in the future? This is the worst depression in nearly 100 years! I think this calls for some fancy finances.