Friday, July 29, 2011

Haiku TGIF

For some reason this 
week was just too long, complex
I am exhausted.

***

Long lists to finish
Even the little things are
adding up too much.

***

If I had millions
I would hire an assistant
to get it all done!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Good, the bad, the ugly

The Good: 
  • We got our wedding invites in the mail and they came out really nice
  • I am staying home today to finish up my paper from my old lab (finally)
  • Home is quiet
  • I caught up on a lot of bills and things I had to take care of this morning
The Bad:
  •  I now have to address said invitations to a whole bunch of people
  • The wedding is fast approaching and I don't feel very well prepared. As in, we haven't even bought our plane tickets to CA for the wedding yet.
  • I have a laundry list of things to do, and the list doesn't ever seem to get any shorter.
  • I can't stop biting my nails.
  • Alex's birthday is coming up and I have yet to come up with a present!
The Ugly 
  • Moo caught a mouse last night and batted it all over the house before we could catch it and put it outside. I felt so bad for that dumb little animal, it didn't (or couldn't) even fight back. It just sat there, pathetically. Moo is now practicing constant vigilance here at the house.
  • I have eye allergies that are exacerbated by the pollution trapped here by humidity. This has led to the development of a stye on my eye. Yeah. Awesome. 
  • I had my legs waxed for the first time ever. I am glad to not have to shave for a while, since shaving caused my skin to break out like crazy. But man, oh, man did that HURT!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Monday Numbers (a day late)

  • This past weekend consisted of 3 days of over 100 degree weather. Needless to say, we didn't do too much!
  • On Saturday, we went to a BBQ for our dance studio. Thankfully, we found some shade at the place, and we proceeded to behave like 12 year olds, throwing water at each other, dumping giant vats of ice water on people, and sliding on a slip n' slide. Nothing quite like the heat loonies to bring out the child in you!
  • On Sunday, it was our day of rest. I didn't leave the house, it was so hot. I ended up making lots of things with our farmshare and cleaning the house. I also discovered that our wedding invitations came with the wrong size envelopes. So, there will be a slight delay (perhaps one week?) in getting the invites out. Hopefully that won't mess anyone up!
  • Yesterday, I picked up our farmshare, and it included two watermelons! Now, how am I going to carry those home?
  • Things are moving along in lab, I've got my own mice to hang out with, about 20 of them. They seem pretty cool, so far (perhaps not as cool as the frogs, though!)
  • We've started coordinating our first dance! Should be lots of fun!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

The End of an Era

When I was a kid, growing up, I absolutely adored the astronauts. I loved the thought of spaceflight, and I admired the bravery (and the intelligence) and sheer strength it took to fly into the unknown. My Dad is a pilot, so he always told me the stories of the test pilots, the astronauts, the technology, and the wonder that went into NASA and the creation of the space programs. When I was 12, we went on a trip to the East Coast, hitting Philly and DC. I was in awe of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (and now, as an adult, I could still spend my days there!). I had an Astronaut Barbie, and and Astronaut Cabbage Patch Kid (named Diana, I am pretty sure!). I remember when the Challenger exploded. I can remember watching it live with my grandparents, and then not really understanding what had happened. I remember my school teachers being really upset. I remember when they named one of the "new" schools in Oxnard or Ventura Christa McAuliffe Elementary, and I wondered if the kids would know who she was and how brave and amazing she was. Sometimes, the Space Shuttle would land at Edwards AFB, north of us in Oxnard. My Dad would wake me up so I could hear the sonic boom as the Shuttle glided over us, back to earth. I remember frost on the ground one morning, and I remember seeing the streak of light in the sky.
Today, the last space shuttle landed. I have to admit, I am a little sad about it. I think the going to space has become routine, but no less dangerous. It scares me that we are no longer focused on technology, that people think things like NASA, space exploration, and astronauts are passe. I am sad that kids don't have astronaut play toys, and I am sad that being an astronaut is not longer a valid goal. Don't get me wrong, I understand our country is in a bit of a mess, that the economy is in the toilet, and that people need jobs. I just wish our era of technology, of pushing the envelope, of inventing and creating and fining answers to the unknown, was not really over. I wish our astronauts could stick around a bit longer to inspire another generation of kids to aspire to be whatever they want to be. To reach for the stars

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Random Snippets Tuesday

  • I went backpacking for the first time ever this past weekend. We headed up to north central PA to check out some forests and some mountains and to escape the city heat. We had no idea it would take as long as it did to get up there, and we ended up changing plans at the last minute due to a bridge washout. We ended up at Little Pine State Park, where we hiked out into the surrounding state forest and camped by a stream for the night. Turns out, I'm afraid of the dark. Every move, every twig snap, I had visions of something gigantic coming to get us. Didn't help that we had come across bear scat on our hike out. 
  • The next day, we hiked a bit around a lake and got to see some wild turkeys and a bald eagle! It was so cool to see and hear the eagle. I started wondering why I knew what a bald eagle sounded like. Then I realized it was from the beginning of the Colbert Report. Oh lordy!
  • We came home and literally crashed into the air conditioned bedroom. No sleep or A/C for one night was enough for me. And the drive was just tiresome. Sometimes I wish we had a car so we could explore the surrounding area a bit better. But then, I see the price of gas and I'm glad we don't!
  • The job search continues, looking for a position, hopefully in the Bay, for next fall. My old boss has been out of touch - on vacation with his family. I hope I hear from him soon, because people are asking about letters for me, and he needs to get those out!
  • In other news, my new boss is out the rest of the week, so we are planning on heading to lunch together as a lab on Friday. I think it should be fun!
  • The heatwave here on the east coast is just starting. I am not looking forward to it. I think that running 4 miles in this heat should be the equivalent of running 8 miles in nice weather. Seems reasonable, right?