Weekend Wrap Up (Yes, I'm a little slow)

This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to a wedding of one of my college roommates. The best things about this wedding were (in no particular order):
a) it was in the Bay, so I got to show my boyfriend around SF and try to convince him it's a great place to live
b) all 6 of my college roommates attended the wedding weekend and I got to catch up with all of them
c) I got to meet lots of my friend's family and friends from other walks of her life, which was great (and they were all great!)
d) the weather was awesomely beautiful and we spent most of our time outdoors
e) the hotel was really nice and we were greeted with a huge basket of goodies upon our arrival
f) Alex got to meet all of said roommates and their significant others. He got to hang with the boys and he got along great with everyone.
g) the wedding was at a winery and went off without a hitch. I am hoping the three future weddings I have on my calendar go off in a similar manner.
h) they played Jimmy Buffett and "I Will Survive" at the wedding, which got all of us roomies singing at the top of our lungs and dancing around.
i) The photographer told me I was alot of fun to photograph since I was constantly dancing with someone - isn't that what a wedding is supposed to be?
j) We flew Northwest airlines and every flight was on time or early. Minneapolis is a great place to stop because they have lots of moose-related paraphernalia.
k) Public transportation in SF and throughout the Bay is amazing - on time, clean, stops are well pronounced - they even tell you where the cars will stop and people line up to get on the cars! The bus drivers are friendly and helpful and the bus system is so easy to figure out.
l) I got a lovely new ring from a street vendor making them right there!
m) We flew into San Jose which is a little tiny airport, but no lines for security or checking in!
n) I actually sat next to some pretty interesting people on the flight out. Had interesting conversations and learned some new things.
o) I got to rent a cute little yellow car that was super fun to drive (Chevy Cobalt, maybe?)

Very few things went wrong, but since they all went wrong at once, I feel a letter is needed:

Dear PHL,
I fly out of you on a fairly regular basis and I've been to many, many airports. I just can't figure out why things constantly go wrong at your particular airport. I have sat on the ground waiting to take off for hours and I can't figure out if you just are dumb and you schedule too many flights or if you genuinely get backed up every day for various reasons. We arrived early on Sunday night - landed at 11pm (instead of 11:20pm) and there was no place for our plane to park and deplane people. We then proceeded to wait for 2.5 hours on the tarmac for a place to park. We did not get off the plane until 1:30am, at which time all the restrooms are closed. Northwest is handing us vouchers or $25 off our next flight because we had to wait so long. I don't feel like this is Northwest's fault. I think it's PHL's fault and they should have to pay for it. The restroom that was open had no soap and there was a huge line for taxis since the train was no longer running (because, why would public transportation run after midnight?). I think the entire scenario was highly unorganized and not well planned. There should be an area where people can pull up a stairwell and get off the goddamn plane. I have no problem getting off a plane and walking or taking a shuttle. I understand this scenario might involve planning and some form of intelligence, but I think you can handle it. Oh, and while you're at it, could you ask people to be a little bit nicer? I've been to other airports where the TSA is actually nice to you, the people checking your luggage do not grunt at you and the people boarding you are friendly and nice. Think about changing your attitude a bit. It might make situations like this more bearable.
Thanks for your consideration,
ceedee

Movie Review: Encounters at the End of the World

This movie is the first movie Werner Herzog has done since Grizzly Man, and let me tell you, it's a great documentary. I think I liked it most because it talked to the people who live at the End of the Earth, Antarctica. What an amazing place. No, this is not March of the Penguins (although, another amazing movie). This movie follows the mostly scientists and their support staff who live at the End of the Earth. Amazing photography, witty observances, Herzog's wonderfully dry sense of humor are throughout the movie. The personalities of the people who live in Antarctica 6 months out of the year are fascinating and enjoyable. It's a must see movie - I wish there were more of them like that. Thank you, Discovery Channel Films, for finding making such a wonderful film.

Hello August Haiku Friday

Good morning sunshine
August is my fav'rite month
So sunny and warm.

***

Vox Populi art
opening tonight
for that girl's sweetie.

***

Almost time for my
sweetie's birthday. Getting old
is always funnest!

this haiku was brought to you by world's worst haikus, courtesy of ceedee. Enjoy! LOL!

Get on!

Man, am I exhausted. I was at a conference here at Penn for the Society for Developmental Biology annual meeting. It was pretty much non-stop from Sat to Tues 9am-11ish, sometimes later. I got to catch up with a few old friends, have some beers with my boss, present two posters, talk to some cool PIs, become a little more comfortable chatting with those PIs I've met before and see some really great talks. The event ended with a reception at the Mutter Museum. If you haven't checked that place out, please do! It's such an amazing collection of historical medical artifacts, like some human skeletons comparing dwarfism, gigantism and a regular size human. There's the skeleton of Harry, who had a disease called FOP (fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva) which causes your connective tissue to turn into bone. Interestingly, the mutation that causes this disease was recently identified by some labs here at Penn. Such a super cool story, since one of my friends is working on some experiments on teasing out the causes of the disease. The museum also contains lots of developmental anomalies, such as conjoined twins, babies lacking proper skull formation or proper gut formation, etc. I know these things sound horrifying, but you really leave with an appreciation for medicine and the advances that have been coming over the years. The meeting ended and we headed to Nodding Head, the only brewery here in Center City and we kept the party going. I had some nice chats with some people from Canada and Germany and met some new colleagues and friends. Altogether, it was a great meeting and I really just crashed yesterday, doing mostly nothing but venturing out for some sustenance and a mani/pedi for some relaxation. I'm back at work today, trying to remember what it is I am supposed to be doing and willing my brain to work on science. Information overload! Next week, I leave for CA for a wedding in the Bay Area. It will be a quick trip but hopefully fun. In Sept, it's off to Germany for another meeting and then to CA for another wedding. Whew....I'm ready for vacation from vacation :)

Up Your Nose Wednesday

Like the title? Thought you would. What kid has not shoved something up their nose? I was talking to my Mom last night and she reminded me of one of my first puns. I was eating some peas and managed to shove them up my nose (of course). My Mom had quite a time getting them back out, imagining me inhaling them into my lungs, choking to death, etc. We had a tussle, crying hysterically while my Mom shoved her fingers up my nose until we go them all out (phew!). I then went over to my little desk, pulled out the green letter "P" and shoved that up my nose. Haha! I made a funny!
When I was in college, I lived with a girl named Kelly. When she was a kid, a little boy shoved a rock up her nose and told her not to tell anyone. When she began having sinus and nose problems months later, the doctor noticed this rock up her nose and pulled it out. She had lived like that for months! Needless to say, her rock in her nose is still in her baby book and I am sure, when the time comes, she will tell her kids all about that story.
Do YOU have any shoved up the nose stories?

Tuesday Review

Since I was on vacation, I got to read a lot, which I really, really enjoyed. I bought The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri at the bookstore a few weeks ago. It's a book I've been meaning to read for a long time and it came highly recommended by some friends of mine. This novel was also made into a movie by the same name directed by Mira Nair. I actually dragged Alex to the movie a couple years ago, dying to see what Mira Nair had done. I adored the movie and have been meaning to read the book ever since. It did not disappoint. Lahiri has a style of writing all her own. Soothing and calm, heartbreaking and truthful, observant and touching. This book follows the Ganguli family, a first generation Indian-American family as they start a family and go on to live in the Boston area, raising children and making an "American" life. The novel begins with the Ashoke and Ashima meeting and how their arranged marriage came about. It follows the struggles of Ashima to assimilate into American culture and to learn how to do things so far from their families in India. Ashima has two children, Gogol and Sonia. The Namesake essentially follows the life of Gogol, named for his father's favorite author and a tragic accident he was in at a young age. From the beginning, Lahiri shows the struggles a first generation family would face here in the US. Customs for raising children, schooling, dating, everything, are so different here than in India. Ashoke and Ashima seem to do very well watching their children grow in such a different world. But Gogol is constantly troubled by things: his name, his heritage, his parents' understanding of American culture or the English language. Everything pains him, so much so, that he ends up rejecting much of the Indian culture and identity given to him by his parents. Only as he gets older does he realize how important his family is to him and how much he needs them in his life. He begins to realize the sacrifices his parents made for him and the distances they traveled to give him a better life that they had back in India. This story is one of family, of father-son relations, and also one about growing up and realizing how much your parenst have sacrificed for your well-being. It's a beautifully written novel, enchanting, truthful, engaging, and harsh.

If you don't already read this....

you should!

Book Review Monday

I stumbled across Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison in a used book store a few months back I'm not sure what drew me to the book, per se, but the title sounded familiar and the book has won accolade and was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1992. This book was heartbreaking, amazing, shocking, touching and difficult. The book is about a little girl named Bone (actually named Ruth Ann, but nicknamed "Bone" shortly after birth). She is born to an unwed teenage mother and thus labelled "Bastard" on her birth certificate. The book follows Bone's growing up and "coming of age" of sorts in a rural South Carolina back-country town in what most likely would be described as a poor white trash family. Bone is raised by her Mama, and is close to several of her Mama's siblings, such as Aunt Raylene, Uncle Earle and Aunt Ruth. She has myriad cousins and a little sister named Reese, by her Mama's first marriage. Her Mama's second marriage, to Daddy Glen, causes Bone to experience a lifetime of horrible things in a few short years. Mama is looking for familial stability, and someone to love her unconditionally and, as such, turns a blind eye to Daddy Glen's physical, emotional, and sexual abuses of Bone. Mama, instead, tries to keep Bone away from Daddy Glen by sending her to her siblings' houses for as much time as she can. This book addresses many, many things, including childhood abuse (obviously), the role of family, however f-ed up it may be, self hatred, familial hatred, anger, resentment of society. Bone has to make her own way in the world from a very young age and does so with such an insight as to what is going on in the world and in her life. The book is narrated by Bone in such a youthful way, non-judgmental, yet forming opinions as she explores some of the experiences she goes through. This book was heartbreaking yet exuberant, shocking, yet expected. I could not put it down and I could not pick it up. It addresses some of the darkest secrets of families, society and tells such truths, it makes your jaw clench. The author writes in an almost poetic fashion, comparing things you've never thought to compare before. This is a beautifully written, tragic novel. As an example, I've copied one of my more memorable passages in the book.
"Little Earle would lope like a crippled crawfish, angling to the side, swaying unsteadily, and giggling his own wet croupy babble. The boys would laugh at him, Granny would just smile. Oblivious and happy, Little Earle would pound his fists on Grey's shoulders and then twirl himself around to run all out toward Granny, Temple and Patsy Ruth. Naked, dimpled all over, fat and brown and wide, his stubborn little body bulged with determination, his little-boy prick bounced like a rubber toy between his bowlegged thighs as he whooped and ran, bumping his head on Granny's hip. He was like a windup toy spinning itself out, and his delight only increased when everyone started laughing at him as he jumped up again after falling plop on is behind next to the tub of snap beans."

Back with a Vengeance

I made it back home in one piece, with no fewer than 50 mosquito bites covering my entire body (on the palms of my hands? are you kidding me?). The vacation was wonderful and I may post some pics to come. It was just what I needed. Alex's Aunt and Uncle are just peachy-keen. They have the most gorgeous old house on some beautiful grounds with ponies wandering around on some of their land. The live in this tiny little town that literally has four stores and no stoplights. It was brilliant. We slept every night with the windows flung wide open to let in the cool breeze. We woke each morning to birds chirping outside our window, nesting in a huge 100 year old maple tree. We took some time to explore Great Barrington, MA. We headed out to The Mount, the home of famed author Edith Wharton. We checked out the Choate "cottage" called Naumkeag. Beautiful old mansions built during the end of the 1800s or so. So interesting to see how places were built as well as to get an idea of what society was like way back when. I am a true voyeur at heart, I constantly look in peoples' windows to see what their houses look like inside, so this was wonderful for me. The Choate place was kept exactly as it was when it was given to the preservation group in the 1950s - how cool to see! The landscape around the Berkshires is breathtaking, and the weather could not have been more perfect. We took a day to hike around Bartholomew's Cobble this amazing area near the Housatonic River with forest, wetlands, open fields and summit views. It was really breathtaking, I must admit. We capped off the stay with a trip to Harney Teas, one of my personal favorites and headed back to Philly on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, I've contracted some sort of illness, complete with high fever and sore throat and swollen tonsils, so I am hoping to get better soon. I must, however, highly recommend a trip to the Berkshires. A wonderful place!

Goodbye 9 to 5 Grind Haiku Friday

Slacking off this week.

Can't wait for my vacation;

It starts on Sunday.

***

Need to recharge and

relax. Play with water guns,

hike, bike, read and eat.

***

Family, fun and sun-

Reconnect with life and me.

Too much work, sooo bad!

***

Sleep in, lounge around

Appreciate each day

more than the last one.

***

Love to travel, see

the country. Massachusetts,

Here we come! Yay! Yay!

On Failure

I was thinking this morning about failure and what it means. I think science is an especially trying field to be in because failure is ubiquitous. I fail at most things every day and that's normal. Hard to believe, right? It's hard enough to work with some samples (usually 20 or so) for several days, carefully labeling them and making sure you treat each sample the same and then to find out a week later that something went wrong and your experiment did not work. Usually, things just don't work and there's nothing to can glean from them - occasionally things will partially work and you can get some bit of information from the experiment. It's those glorious, few and far-between experiments that work beautifully that are the cornerstone for working in science. If that good result every few weeks or so cannot sustain you, you are in the wrong business. I often think about other jobs I've had over the years. There was never this much failure involved. Sure, there was a learning curve: everyone fails early on; but once you get the hang of the job, there's not too much you can't do, right? In science, failure is so pervasive that things you do on a routine basis can easily fail. Sometimes it's unbelievable. Sometimes it's funny. Sometimes it makes you cry or bang your head against the wall or want to kill your boss. And sometimes you get so angry you can't see straight because you can't imagine ever being able to get the laundry list of experiments you have planned out accomplished with good results. I've seen people graduate, and I know it can be done, but I just can't picture myself there yet. I know I'll get there, it just takes time. So, when people ask why on earth it takes so long to finish a doctorate in biology or medical sciences, the truth is this: you have to learn how to fail. You have to learn how to fail beautifully and elegantly and to keep working and have faith that you will eventually find the answers you for which you are looking. Grad school is all about failure and learning to deal with it and learning to get over it and learning to move on. Essentially, it's a lesson in life.

Gardenin'

As I mentioned earlier, we've been gardening a lot lately. We decided to try our hand at it and it's amazing how much nicer our tiny little city yard looks with veggies and plants. We has our first "harvest" this past weekend and have already eaten our first veggie from our garden. We've planted zucchini, squash, peppers, cukes, tomatoes, basil, and some pretty flowers. Thought I'd give you a little tour of our garden...

These flowers are right outside the kitchen window - so nice to see in the morning!

Our squashes, plus some peppers and cucumbers. They've grown so much even since I took this pic!

Out balcony with the basil and tomatoes plus some geraniums and a hanging basket. I love the way the plants make our yard look livable! Plus, some birdseed to keep the birds happy so they don't eat our plants!

Our first harvest! Sweet peppers - so good we ate them right off the vine! And more on the way!

Oh Woobbie!

Oh Freedom...

I've been thinking about this whole "freedom" thing. It's an interesting idea, right? Freedom to be anything you want to be, to do anything you want to do, to set your goal as the highest goal and go for it, right? But I've been thinking that it's not really that true here in America. We're the Land of the Free, but what does that mean exactly? We are guaranteed Freedom of Religion, which is essentially one of the reasons our country was founded. We are granted Freedom of Speech, and for the most part, I can publish, or say or speak whatever it is I want to say, right? We have the right to privacy, but then the government can listen in on conversations we have over the phone. Some states are requiring ID cards to vote (which takes away our guarantee to vote as US citizens) and now there's going to be a "national ID card" to track our movements all over the country. Seems like less freedom, right? And are we free to get the best education we can get? What if you're born in a poor neighborhood or a region without money? Are you getting the best possible education? Some schools in Philly don't have books. Are you kidding me? An education without books? No computers? No interactive education? What do you think the teachers are like in this area? Not that great because the students are threatening and teachers won't stay for very long. It's usually the green ones that come in and work for a year and then get the hell out. Are we free to marry who we want to? Can my gay friend marry his boyfriend? Only in CA and I am sure that will get challenged over and over and over again. What about the freedom to have a clean environment, clean water and clean air? What about the freedom to afford a house or basic necessities or a car or gas? I realize that even the poorest of the poor here in our country are thousands of times richer than the poor in other countries. But I do know there are people who live without basic needs like running water, electricity, gas, heat on a daily basis right here in Philadelphia. And those numbers are not decreasing, they are increasing. Jobs are being lost left and right, our economy is in the shitter. If even "professional" people like Alex and I cannot afford some things, how are other people handling it? And we're firmly in the middle class when we combine our two incomes. I guess what I am trying to say, in the most patriotic way, is that things need to change. And it needs to start here. At home. In your own backyard. We need to freedom to be who we are and to be able to achieve the dreams we all have. I was lucky to be born where I was when I was to my parents who supported my every step of the way. I've been lucky that I've never been poor, I've never went without a meal, and I've never lived without water or heat or electricity. I've never had to face the challenges a lot of people are facing today. And I wonder....is anyone really free?

Philadelphia Freedom

I love this time of year. I've decided that 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. No presents to buy, no trips to make, lovely weather, no work! The 4th on Philly is the best I've ever experienced. Of course, there's the whole history thing: that our nation was birthed right on the steps of Independence Hall. There's lots of people dressed up in funny old-fashioned clothes and frequent spottings of Ben Franklin. Everything's open and busy, with lots of tourists in town to check out the festivities. And the party goes on for a week! There's this big celebration called Welcome America! which has a TON of stuff for free going on all over the city. It's such a great way to celebrate the holiday and the summer. We're planning on BBQing on Fri and then checking out all the fun stuff going on on Sat and Sun. I mean, can you top a free concert by John Legend, another free concert with Boyz II Men (you know you still have their tape!), an ice cream festival for all you can eat ice cream for $5, a free Philly Pops concert in front of Independence Mall, a Fiesta on the Parkway in front of the Art Museum and a Taste of Philadelphia down at Penn's Landing. Top this all off with fireworks every night at the Art Museum or at Penn's Landing and you have one fun weekend ahead of you. And I think I'll need that detox yoga class on Monday. Y'all enjoy the holiday!
Happy Birthday, USA!

Book Review Monday

I picked up this book the other week after reading the first few paragraphs and not wanting to put it down. I remember when this book was written, Joan Didion was on the Today Show talking about her memoir and why she had written it. The story is about the sudden death of her husband, one evening shortly after Christmas. The book that follows is heartbreaking, wonderful, amazing and endearing. What follows is a love story of the most ordinary sense between two people and the daughter they raised. The memoir gives snippets of a life well lived, well travelled, overflowing with friends and experiences. It's a life most would only dream to have. However, I identified so much with the author. Having just lost my Uncle Dennis, and trying to cope with grief and grieving and loss, this book was a wonderful read. It basically puts loss into the most understandable of words - having no logic or reasoning, wanting that person to be back here and thinking they indeed will return. That loss carries on much longer than society allows us to grieve. This was a beautifully written memoir, one I highly recommend, even if you are not grieving. I think it helps to prepare you for what you may or may not go through. It has both clinical information taken out of books and papers as well as wonderful lines from poetry and literature. I could not put this book down and I did not want it to end. The glimpse inside other people's relationships and marriage was absolutely fascinating and very well written and described. And the loss she experienced, while beyond words, was very poignant and a telling memorial to her lost husband.

A Weekend Lost

As I mentioned in my previous posts, we had a visitor this past weekend. He is a friend of my Dad's and of course, anyone with any relation to my family is always welcome at my house. He had some business to take care of in northeastern PA, and decided to stay with us to save some money and get shown around the city. Alex and I are always more than happy to have people visit and we take special care to make sure that guests are comfortable, that we get to check out whatever it is they might be interested in. We make sure to go to some of our favorite places and we always make an effort to make it to the most famous places (Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, etc.). Alex and I have spent this entire weekend catering to a person who is very opinionated, does not like anything or anywhere, complains about everything, and becomes argumentative. I'm sorry - who raised you?
Who taught you

• to knock the place people live;
  
• to complain about the ethnic/racial makeup of a neighborhood you are walking through (as you are walking past people of that ethnic background);
  
• to call local art "propaganda";
  
• to interrupt;
  
• to bring up topics of religion, politics, or law and argue the hell out of it with your hosts;
• to walk around a large city remarking that some areas smell like "dead animals", "raw fish", or "Mexico";
  
• to be taken to a lovely Italian restaurant which your hosts love and complain that "it's not what you were expecting";
  
• to describe how little you enjoy hanging out at bars because "they're too noisy";
  
• to complain that "fancy restaurants don't give you enough food to eat";
• to complain that the National Constitution Center consisted entirely of "propaganda" that promoted the end of slavery and women's suffrage (as if these things should not have happened!);
• to complain that anyone of any color other than white has no right to live in this country;
• to describe Mexicans in general as "dirty, lazy and the scourge of our civilization";
• to complain about surfing and the ocean because you think surfers are "assholes";
• and to all around represent my hometown as bigoted jerks who have never left their tiny little bumfuck town?

Thanks a lot, houseguest! You will never be invited into my home again. Ever. And you know what? It made me realize how lucky I am to have never had a terrible houseguest until now. Pretty good record, no?

Haiku Super Duper Friday

Dude! Summer is here.
So great to celebrate the
season with some friends.

***

Presenting today.
I hope it goes well. Always
get way too nervous.

***

Time to celebrate
Philadelphia!
Cheese steaks. Water ice.

To think they cut funding for music in our schools...

Random Thursday Buzz

• Friend's in town visiting. I always forget what a great place Philly is 'til I walk around with someone who's never been here. Quaint, cute, walkable, old fashioned - Philly's great!
• The washing machine that broke months and months ago in our basement and then they couldn't get it out disappeared the other day! So much more room in my basement now!
• New lab moved onto our floor. I think there's going to be a little elbowing around until things get settled. Hopefully it will lead to good relations.
• It's supposed to storm like crazy for the next 3 days. Why does this always happen when people come to visit?
• We're headed to the Berkshires in 2.5 weeks - I can't wait!
• Trying to purchase a ticket to my friend's wedding in Aug in the Bay. Can you believe how expensive tickets are? We're looking at paying around $500/ticket just to fly there. I'm sorry, but should it cost over $1000 to go to a wedding?
• We've been going nuts with planting things in our backyard. We've got two types of squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and a couple flower plants. I love how our tiny yard looks and am so excited we might have a "harvest" this year! Farmer Brown has been diligently watering all the plants every morning and night and checking on them daily. We report things to each other like: "Did you see the new flower on the zucchini plant?" or "Have you seen how big the peppers are?" It's actually kinda fun to watch stuff grow.
  

And I think that's all folks. Have a good'un!

Yoga for the Day

So, I've been taking yoga now for over a year and I love it. I'm currently in 3 classes, which gives me a great range of stuff I can do / am learning how to do. So I thought I'd suggest a couple things to do that I really like and are really nice.
1) Hot? Open your mouth, roll your tongue up and breathe through your mouth. Cooling, right?
2) When I stress, my jaw and face tighten up alot. Try a move called Lion's Breath. Take a deep breath in, all the way into your belly, then as you exhale, open your mouth and stick your tongue out like you're roaring like a lion.
3) Another one of my favorite poses is a hip releaser. I carry a lot of tension in my shoulders and my hips, so this one is great. Sit in a cross legged position, with one leg in front of the other, instead of on top. Breathe in deeply and extend your hands behind you and clasp them behind your back. As you exhale, lean forward and bring your forehead to the ground and your clasped hands behind you and try to reach over your head. Repeat with the other leg in front.
Now, don't you feel relaxed?

Book Review Tuesday

I generally devour books, most any type (except science fiction) and most any genre. I picked up this book in the used book store because (I must admit) I liked the cover. I've seen this book everywhere and I've always wondered if it was any good. Well, basically, it's not. The book is about Jane, and it hops around in Jane's life, first starting when she was young and then moving into adulthood. To be honest, I really couldn't figure this whole thing out. It started off well enough, with Jane meeting her brother's first "real" girlfriend and the sadness she felt when her brother broke up with her. And essentially, I think the book is a reflection of Jane trying to figure out what relationships are all about and why people have them and they work or don't work. But this book, sadly, failed at this attempt. I'm not saying I didn't like it, I just think I didn't get it. I've never read a book where it's short stories all about the same character, but not sequential. I really learned very little about the subject character and all the other characters kinda blended together. Even the story when her Dad died (which should have been heart-wrenching) was just mediocre. The relationship with the older, alcoholic guy who talks like Rodney Dangerfield? A little creepy (although we are never told the age of Jane, it's implied that her boyfriend is much older). What's the point in discussing these things if the character or the reader learns nothing from them? Where's the point? Are May-December romances any different from any other romance? Isn't she just looking for her father? Why didn't she pay attention to her father when he was alive? Did she regret this? These are all questions the character could have answered but did not. And, as far as the "chick lit" category it's in: I must ask...what is it about women authors writing about women that automatically categorizes it as something fluffy and pink? I think that women writing about women's lives, ideas, hardships is great. But this "dumbing down" of women's literature is not acceptable. Just anyone should not be able to publish a book. And authors should be held to standards, not allowed to write and publish crap for people to consume. And I think I'll get off my soapbox now.

Boda Wrap Up

Dear Philly Car Share,
I love you. You are amazing and convenient and altogether a great idea. Keep up the good work.

Dear New Jersey,
HEY THERE! Why does it cost $6 to drive the entire length of the state on your beloved "turnpike", but $8 to cross a g-damn bridge? And seriously, the signs saying "No Photos" aren't really gonna stop terrorists if they want to blow up a bridge. Just sayin'.

Dear Long Island,
Look, you seem allright, although I prolly won't ever return to your areas. But seriously, having "Merrick Blvd" exits off two different "parkways" is not cool, since the Merrick Blvds are not the same road. Also, they should not both be exit 24. Also, the idea of having streets named "Jerusalem Ave" or "Jerusalem Blvd" is not cool either, especially when they are not the same road.

Dear People who Plan Weddings,
Please make sure your directions are correct on the invitations. Please drive the route to make sure the street names match what they say on Google Maps. Because Google Maps is often wrong. Please put directions or a map with your invitation for people who are driving from out of town. Please also indicate if there we are not to exit at the FIRST Merrick Blvd, exit 24, but we are to wait until the SECOND Merrick Blvd, exit 24.

Dear People who name streets on Long Island,
Get a clue.

Dear NY Drivers,
Look, there's traffic. It goes on for miles and miles. Anticipate it. And try a little patience. Because we cannot go any faster than the people in front of us. It's just physics, not anything personal. Deal with it and stop honking.

Dear Brooklyn,
Your signs are funny. "Leaving Brooklyn: Fuggeddaboutit"

Dear Brooklyn,
Charging $10 to cross a bridge is even more atrocious than charging $8 from NJ to Staten Island. It cost us nearly $30 to drive 250 miles. Not cool, man.

Collectively,
love,
ceedee

Haiku Gettin 'Er Done Friday

Another week come
and gone. How does time fly by?
Thesis moves along.

***

Lots of vacay soon.
Visiting the Berkshires for
some relaxation.

***

Wedding in Aug.
Then Sept. Also heading to
German Frog Meeting.

Dear President Bush

How is it that you are now pushing for drilling for oil off our coasts when you've (supposedly) been against it all your presidency? Did you do any research before you made this decision? Do you know that all the boats used for drilling new oil thingys are booked up for 5 years? How will this change the price of gas when oil can't even begin to be drilled for for 5 years? Even I can figure this out, and I'm no economist or geologist. Do you really think drilling for the measly amount of oil we have off our coasts will have an effect on gas prices even so? Drilling for oil destroys the environment, clogs up our beaches, kills wildlife. Guess why we exist on this planet? 'Cause there's oceans here. Don't destroy them!
Here's what you should do: Invest in young scientists, engineers, chemists, physicists. Create a group of people geared toward coming up with clean energy sources or improving the outlook for some of the energy sources we have (solar, wind, nuclear). No, I'm not talking about ethanol, which is a crock of shit, or "clean coal", wich is (hello!) still coal, still burning and still making C02. Let's invest in the technology you've completely ignored for your entire presidency. Let's actually do something positive for the environment, to curb global warming.

Dear Senator McCain,
Don't run some stupid lie of a commercial saying that you "stood up to President Bush on his environmental policies" when you clearly are supporting offshore drilling! You are such a lying, conniving, disgusting politician. I can't imagine why anyone would even consider voting for you.

Love,
ceedee

SATC: the review

There are spoilers ahead...

I've taken a long time to post about this movie because I'm not sure how I felt about it. I went with some of my girlfriends to this great old theatre in the 'burbs. My friend KJ made this cute little finger foods and cosmos party at her apt and we all dressed up and headed to the theatre. The place was great- old theatre with creaky seats, huge ceilings, painted ornate walls, etc. It was great. I had love the Sex and the City series on HBO and I thought it tackled a lot of pertinent topics about being single and living in a city. I loved the power the women held, and although Carrie mostly drove me nuts with her flaky personality, I loved Miranda's personality because I identified immensely with it. I loved Samantha's confidence - I wish I was as confident about myself - and Charlotte reminded me of the dreamer in me. Anyways, I felt the series ended well, putting the emphasis on the four women and how important their relationship is with each other. This movie starts off 5 years after the series has ended. All the women's personalities have changed to a certain extent. Samantha is living with Smith, her last boyfriend from the series, but they've moved to Hollywood and Samantha has turned into a woman waiting at home for her boyfriend to come home instead of out doing things like she normally would have been. Charlotte is the same, but we see some bad sides come out in her at some points. Carrie is even more superficial (if you can believe it) and Miranda is so bogged down by work she doesn't even notice her marriage going down the drain. I feel that Miranda and Steve's story about working, raising a family and forgetting to be married is a pretty common theme and I was glad they addressed it. Although, I was surprised at the casual way Miranda threw out her marriage and "moved on", although they eventually work it out and get back together. The outfits were outrageous, which was wonderful to watch, although the cliche montage scenes of trying on old clothes could have been left out (seriously, how many times do you want to see Carrie in old dresses she wore in the series?). And how many entrances can Samantha make, having just flown in from LA? But the worst thing of all was the major plot line. Big and Carrie decide to get married and then he leaves her at the altar after she plans "too big of a wedding". I thought this was ridiculous. She got "Carried away" (I'm punny!) and he couldn't see himself there at all. So, of course, the girls go with Carrie to her Mexican honeymoon (where Charlotte shits herself-totally hysterical!) and then attempts to muddle through the breakup with Big again. Of course, in the end, they end up together, getting married at the courthouse, and he called the girls to meet them after the ceremony. I think this movie was a lot of fun to watch - beautiful scenery, amazing city shots (Chinatown had NO trash ANYWHERE!). The movie is like a reunion of a sorts -catching up with old friends. But instead of being happy, it turns into a big giant mess. I realize there has to be some drama in the plot or no one would want to watch it. I'm just bummed they had to compromise the character's personalities and cores to accomplish it. It's sad that four women's relationships with each other has to be turned into the over-dramatic left at the altar plot. I was expecting more than that from the writers. Especially for the highest grossing movie with only women as leads.

First Memories

Do you remember your first memory? I was just thinking a while ago what my first memories are. I remember visiting PA when I was about 9mo old. I remember sleeping in my Aunt Bessie's attic in a crib with a stern picture of an older woman above me. I also remember sitting on the floor of my Uncle Bob's house, playing with the Kleenex box and eating the dog, Freddie's, food. Or maybe, trying to eat the food. I can remember the Christmas when I was 2 years old. My parents had gone kinda nuts, since it was the first Christmas I knew what was going on. I remember being really excited when I got up and my Mom making me wear some silly Christmas PJs. That year, I got this big cardboard house, which I think I had until I was 10 and had to move. It was painted to look like it had brick on the sides and flower pots all around. We had "jelly buttons" (English muffins with grape jelly) for breakfast and I was a bit overwhelmed from all the gifts and excitement. At some point, I went into my new house and sat by myself "just to get away". I then recall reaching out of the window and grabbing a present to open it. It wasn't a present for me, but I opened it anyways. I was disappointed because it was from my Grandma's friend, Jane Golby, who must have been 90 years old then. She lived in a rest home and made presents for everyone during craft time. I am sure it was something unappealing to my 2 year old self, so I threw it out the window of my brand new home.
My parents had a really nice backyard, with a pool and a swingset. I used to grab the hose attachment for watering plants and pretend it was a microphone. My stage name was Cindy Gargamel (of course, no relation to that evil Gargamel of the Smurfs fame) and I used to sing my heart out on the patio and "perform" for my folks. You don't realize what you put your parents through until you're older, eh?
My last memory I will bore you with was a time I was hanging out in the backyard with my Dad. He was watering plants or washing the patio off or something. I managed to fall into the mud, wearing al my clothes and my diaper. I was covered head to toe in mud - it was even in my ears! However, my only concern was my hands. I started screaming hysterically, "Wash hands! Wash hands!" As soon as my Dad had hosed off my hands, I was quite content to continue what I had been doing, even though my diaper now weighed about 30 lbs.

Haiku Summer is Here Friday

Phils swept the Rockies
First sweep of the year. Go Phils!
Great start to summer.

***

Plans for the weekend?
Sex and the City with friends.
Spend some time outside.

***

People visiting
So great to catch up, meet new
friends. I love summer!

Random Schtuff

• Randi's back! Welcome home, darlin'!
• I have at least 5 weddings to attend in the next year. None of them are where I live. Niiiice. One's on Long Island. You'd think there might be something fun to do, since Long Island sounds like an island, meaning there should be beach there, and it's close to NYC, so there should be fun stuff to do, right? Nope, apparently the only thing to do is shop. Which I can do here. For cheaper. I am slowly learning what everyone else around me has been telling me for years. New Jersey and Long Island suck.
• Headin' out to my first Phillies' game of the season tonight. They are playing the Rockies and the Phillies have so far scored 27 runs in two games to pretty much obliterate the Rockies. We shall see if that trend continues tonight...
• The weather has not yet been real summer weather around here. Memorial Day weekend was gorgeous: warm, but not too humid, sunny, clear, nice. Today's a bit chilly, but still sunny. Here's hoping the rest of the week goes as well.
• Prelim season here. I listened to folks give their practice talks last night until 9pm. Seriously a little drained right now.
  
• A friend of my Dad's is coming to visit in June - should be fun to show him around and let him check out Philly. Always nice to see folks from home.
• My favorite undergrad has her last day today - she's off to the Rockefeller for a summer research fellowship. I'm proud of her and so excited to see where she's headed. I feel like I've watched her grow up in the past 3 years while she's worked in the lab. She's such an awesome person. I wonder if this is a bit like parents feel when their kids fly the coop.
  

Haiku Friday

Crazy week for me!

Kitty has diabetes.

Lots of shots for her.

***

Too many vet trips;

surrounded by medical

devices and things.

***

No work this weekend!

Relaxing, taking easy.

Hope summer comes fast.

Movie Review Thursday

After a long day at work, I popped in this DVD that I had ordered on Netflix. All I can say about this film is watch it. Now. It is so poignant, amazing, unbelievable, shocking, endearing, incredible. I was riveted. The basic plot line follows two best friends in Nablus (Palestine, West Bank) named Said (pronounced Say-eed) and Khaled. They are young men, maybe in their 20s, working a job at a car repair shop in the city. They live with their families, and lead what you might find to be a regular "boring" life. They get the call to become suicide bombers together, and the movie basically starts the day they get the call. They are to leave the next day. The movie follows the two men as they embark on this journey together. I did not find his movie to be propaganda; I think the filmmakers took a fairly "balanced" (if you will) approach to this film in trying to describe the challenges the families in the West Bank face. The men are not overly religious, I think there are a few scenes of people praying, but there does not seem to be a religious undertone to the movie. It's basically the men facing their reality and the fact they cannot get jobs or support their families. They are angry and isolated and to a certain extent, defeated and fatalistic. By doing this bombing, they will be doing more good for their families than they would be doing if they are alive. It's a shocking and wonderful film, giving me a glimpse into what might be going on in the West Bank and all over the Middle East. I am in no way condoning what either side is doing in this war between religions and cultures, but I think it's an interesting film on things going on in parts of the world I am not exposed to on a regular basis. Makes you appreciate where you are. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.

Book Review Wednesday

I recently finished the novel Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. This is yet another bargain book I picked up. It came recommended by the "Today Book Club", and since I am such a big fan of the Today Show (I watch nearly every day) I figured I might give it a try. The back of the book describes the story as "slow burning", and I can't think of a better way to describe the book. Its the story of 4 children, including the narrator, who grow up in a small town called Crow Lake in way northeastern Canada. There is the oldest brother, Luke, the second oldest, Matt, the narrator, Kate and the youngest (merely a baby) Bo. The narrator is speaking from now, reflecting on her life and her childhood. She refers to things that had happened "long ago" and is trying to connect events together in her mind in order to deal with her family and try to reconcile her life now (as a quite successful scientist) and her life growing up in a small town. Very early in the book, her parents are killed in a horrible accident and the family tries to make decisions as to how to care for the young children (herself and Bo) since the boys are quite a bit older. Luke eventually decides, against the rest of the family's wishes, that he will keep the kids, him and Matt will work at odd jobs and they will raise the girls themselves. This is a painful decision (obviously) since Luke is merely 19 years old and Matt is about 17. Bo is just a toddler, so the care of the kids is a major commitment. The entire story does not unfold until the last few pages. The author refers to a series of tragedies that have occurred in Matt's life, but the reader doesn't find out what those are until the end of the novel. It's basically a classic tale of the narrator having a dream for her brother (that he is so smart and he should go to school and get out of Crow Lake) but Matt has other ideas and plans and his leaving Crow Lake ultimately doesn't work out. The narrator has a certain amount of guilt that she was able to escape and her brother did not. She is so disappointed that he is unable to fulfill the dreams she thought he had. The narrator, at times, was hard for me to identify with. She was very closed, not wanting to let anyone in, and not willing to budge from her ideas. At the end of the book, she kind of starts to understand that everyone chooses their own path, but not fully. It's not a "clean" book, that is, not all the loose ends are tied up, but I did enjoy it. I think I did identify with the narrator to a certain degree because it's very hard to reconcile your family lie with what you choose to do with your life, especially if they are very far apart, or very very different.

Reminiscin' Haiku Friday (extended version)

At the age of twelve,
I fell in love with a group
of guys the new kids.

***

I much outgrew the
love for you. Older and aged
Forgot my childhood.

***

Now thirty, turn on
TV. I am once again twelve.
Dancing and singing.

***

Remembering the
moves I never forgot, words
burned into my brain

***

So funny to see
grown men dancing, fathers and
husbands hangin' tough.

***

Must say thank you to
the boys for bringing me back
to the summertime.

***

Laughing and dancing,
plastering my room with pics.
Singing at the top.

***

Only wish I lived
closer to attend concert
with friends long gone.

***

Don't forget your child
hood. Always remind yourself
to play with music.

Book Review Thursday

Last night, as I was awaiting a UPS truck that never came, I had the opportunity to finish Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh. Another bargain book, I got this at the local used book store and hate to admit that I bought it based on it's cover and some of the reviews written on the book itself. The book is essentially a bit of a character study about a man named Ken Kimble told through the stories of his three wives. It's an extraordinary yet ordinary tale about marriage, divorce, children, and life. Its begins with Birdie, Ken's first wife, right after Ken has left her with two young children. He left her for another, younger, woman and Birdie is languishing in her sorrow, drowning it in booze and not properly caring for her children. I know it sounds sad and depressing, but I was rooting for this character as I read about her situation. She was incredibly well constructed and very realistic. We next move on to Joan, a few years later, who meets Ken at a BBQ. Joan is a bit older, wiser, than Birdie. She's recently buried her father, has battled a bout of cancer and has moved to Florida to get away from it all. She and Ken marry and she realizes he has betrayed her in more than one way. We then move on to Dinah, Ken's third wife, who is significantly younger than Ken, yet falls prey to his wiles. They have the longest marriage, at 15 years, yet she seems to know or realize the least about her husband. The book was fascinating and I could not put it down. The characters are well constructed, well rounded, and realistic. The author does a wonderful job of showing this particular man through the eyes of his wives, and at some times, his children. The ending is neat, but not too neat. The characters drive the plot in unexpected ways. There were no twists or turns, just a fascinating portrayal of several characters, all of which I identified in some way. The author does a wonderful job of creating scenery, describing regions, sunsets, beaches, mountains, etc. I would highly recommend this book and this author to anyone interested.

Happy Birthday, Randi!

Acquainted at the wee age of two,
We've always made a hullabaloo.
You are quite dear to me,
You always will be
My bestest friend, Randi!

PS: Congrats on the whole engagement thing! LYLAS

Scary Dream

Woke up this morning to a terrifying dream. I had been with my friend Randi, and for some reason a cop stopped her and gave her a ticket. Then we got in her gigantic SUV and drove away. She swerved to avoid some branches in the road and drove right off the edge of the bridge we were on. The car went into the river below and I was trying really hard to open the doors to the car, but they wouldn't budge. I couldn't get out and was starting to panic when I woke up. What does that one mean? Anyone interpret dreams?

Haiku Rainy Friday

The rain falls thickly
reflecting exactly my
feelings of sadness.

***

A final goodbye.
A family in mourning.
Life's circle completes.

***

Black or white, many
shades of gray. Water falling
like tears from the sky.

Random Thursday

I really have got nothing going on right now. Things are going OK in lab, I am slowly getting back to normal at home (although I still have to do that whole winter to summer clothes switch thing - seasons can be such a pain!). My parents are headed up north to go to the last of Dennis' memorials this weekend. I think they should have a nice time and I am actually kinda bummed I can't be there to see the family again. It's amazing what a death will do to you family - it has really brought mine together so much closer, which is really awesome. Can't wait to move a little bit closer home in a few years....
In other news, we found out my cat is diabetic. So we've switched her food around and she's on some pills, so things seem to be coming under control in that area. Looking forward to the weekend when I can relax a bit. And I absolutely cannot go to work this weekend because there's no water in my building (yay!). - wow could this get a little more boring?-
Last night we went out with a old friend (you know you've lived here a long time when you have old friends!) for some drinks and it turned into a marathon hang out session. I'm not sure when he left, but it was after I went to bed at 1am. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired today.
Well, clearly, I've got little to blog about. I am sure I will come up with something for tomorrow, tho. TGIF, bitches!

Es mi favorito

Haiku TGIF

Not much work today
Slowly getting back into
work school life things all.

***

Wedding dress shopping
tomorrow. Not for me tho!
Lisa, she crazy.

***

Can't wait to sleep in
late: my own bed, my own house.
Weekends are super!

Oh, Bucky!

Book Review Thursday

The book is Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane (daughter of Tina Louise - Ginger on Gilligan's Island - if you care). This book was recommended to me by my cousin and her husband. Apparently, she would laugh out loud while reading this book and read passages out loud to her husband (who normally doesn't like doing that). She ended up reading the entire book to him on a long drive down to Southern CA a few weeks ago. I must admit, this book has been designated as a "chick lit" type of novel. I don't normally like to use that terminology because I feel it degrades women novelists who write "romantic comedies" (for lack of a better description). This book, however, is your typical romantic comedy. Two people meet, drive each other mad, end up spending time together and falling in love but won't admit it, have a falling out, and eventually end up together at the end. Trust me, I didn't just ruin it for you; we all know the formula. What made this book unique and wonderful was the characters. I literally laughed out loud on several occasions, mostly because the characters were describing or experiencing something in life I have experienced. Although much funnier, obviously. The story is told from two points of view, a guy and a girl, Brady and Heaven (I kid you not). They start off as somewhat annoying characters, her being a little too whiny and him being a little too boring. But soon, things start to happen and the characters become a little larger than life, getting involved in antics that make you giggle. Although the author's observations about Los Angeles were way off base, in my opinion (and perhaps her observations about NYC are too, I just don't live there), it was a very enjoyable read. The book feels like an old pair of jeans, put on after a long day of wearing heels and pantyhose. It's always great to put on an old pair of jeans that fit you just right...

Random Schtuff

Back home in Philly after whirlwind trips to CA. Going home is both good and bad. It reminds me how much I miss my family and friends and my hometown. It also proves to me how crazy I am for moving to the East Coast. It's freezing here right now and it was in the high 80s when I was in Oxnard. Such a bummer, dude! I am sooooo not ready to get back to work, even tho I have a laundry list of things I need to get done. Feeling lazy and wanting to go on vacation again. Do you ever find you need a vacation after you've been on vacation? Yeah, I feel like I need that today. My travels were surprisingly easy, and I have to say that I was met with nothing but luck my entire travel experience. I purchased some last minute tickets through Hotwire where they give you a much cheaper rate for flying, but you have no idea what airline you are flying on or when you are leaving. Lucky for us, we got the United nonstop flight out on Fri night leaving at 6pm and getting in at 9pm, which was exactly what we wanted. Sadly, our flight was delayed and delayed, but United was super cool, booking us on a bunch of other flights, trying to get us to LAX earlier. When it was clear our nonstop to LAX would leave, just 5 hours late, we decided to go for that one, since being stuck in Denver or Chicago would not work for us. They gave us meal vouchers ($15 each!) and the flight was nearly empty, which gave us plenty of room to spread out. Coming back, our flight left on time (with a woman pilot, too! soooo exciting!) and got in early. We weren't seated together, so I asked if we might be able to sit together and they gave us the seats in the exit row (tons of legroom!). The flight was uneventful and pretty short. Weather was cool here in Philly, but it felt nice to be home (again). Now I've got things I have to take care of, like, I think my cat is sick, I feel like I'm coming down with something (my throat hurts), our roof is leaking, I have a ton of expts to do, but I'm just not feeling it. My house is pretty messy, I have loads of laundry to do and I'd like to plant some flowers in the backyard. Whew! I don't know how people have jobs in which they travel all the time. I'd like to to be a loooooong time before I see the inside of an airplane again.....

Haiku Going Home Friday

Heading home today
Looking forward to seeing
Family and friends.

***

Sad occasion to
be visiting but people
coming together.

***

Celebrate a life
cut too short. So little time
to enjoy family.

Book Review Wednesday

I borrowed this book from Randi when I was in CA recently. I really enjoyed Case Histories by the same author and was interested to read another of her novels. I enjoyed this book as a casual read, but I wouldn't say that it moved any mountains for me, which is fine. The novel picks up a couple years after Case Histories ends and is following our favorite reluctant hero, Jackson Brodie in another "adventure". The plot begins as Jackson is in Edinburgh, Scotland, visiting with his girlfriend who is performing in a play there during a festival. The author has a wonderful way for portraying the same event from many different perspectives, and of course all the characters are witnesses or participants in a particularly brutal road rage incident. Jackson gets sucked back into his old investigative / policing ways and a mystery ensues. The bodies do not stack up, as one might suspect, and we get to know the characters in a little more depth. The book was an easy read, flowed quite well but was unremarkable to me. The connections between the characters were easily assumed and the plot was mostly predictable. There is a twist at the end, but again, I could have called that from a mile away. The characters are a bit like caricatures of stereotyped people: the scorned wife, the single mother, the reclusive author, the old cop who just can't quit his investigative ways. Altogether, it's an interesting read, not too boring, and something I would suggest for a beach read, a relaxing read, but certainly not a challenging one. It was, however, exactly what I needed at the time.

Gratitude

Things have been pretty rough lately, I won't lie. But I've found out that I have an amazing family who is there for each other all the time, 24/7. I've also found out that physical presence means so much. Just being there for someone is such a huge relief. And people have been so supportive and loving towards me, which is so nice, words cannot describe. I just appreciate everyone's thoughts, prayers, love, attention, caring, empathy, etc. You are all so amazing. If Dennis were here, he would say it's a love fest :)

I couldn't have said it better...

Listen closely to the winds and hear the gentle whisper of an angels wings in flight. Look far into the sky and see the shimmering stardust left behind. Close your eyes and feel the love our very own, very real new guardian angel. Dennis is gone from this earth and is now at peace in his Father's arms.

It Doesn't Get Better Than This...

Some Sound Advice

Taking the red eye back to the East Coast and getting stuck with the middle seat - let me tell you, not the best idea I've had in recent times. I took a Tylenol PM before boarding, but just could not fall asleep well. Ended up twisting my neck around so I could lay my head down on the tray table thingy- remember naptime in elementary school? Not quite as comfortable. Then the tiny woman next to me decided to use me as a pillow for part of the trip, while the guy on my other side slept like a baby (jealous much?). I got in to PHL on time, but felt drunk/hungover/high or something like that. Made it home where I happily crawled into bed next to Alex and slept for a few hours. Made my way into work waaaay late yesterday, thinking I could function, but that's not really the case. I was mostly tired blabbering all day long. Took a nap upon coming home and went to bed around 12 last night. Finally woke up this morning feeling mostly me again - jeez! Red eye travel just not for me!
BUT, I did have a wonderful / sad / emotional / beautiful time in sunny CA. I will post some pics coming up. And some advice for you? Check out my cousin's website. Her name's Adrian and she has a voice that will knock your socks off! She sings "cowboy" music, but don't let that name fool you. She's written all her own stuff, has a CD out and is just a great entertainer. Go ahead, check her out!

Book Review Monday

I've recently been somewhat "memoir-ed out". That is, it seems anyone with any kind of story has come out with a memoir lately and they just seem to be trying to out-do one another. And then some authors have come clean about lying in their memoirs, which makes me want to avoid the entire genre altogether. However, my boyfriend's mom sent this book to me and I could not put it down for one minute! This is the story of Jeannette Walls growing up in a somewhat non-traditional family. Her parents are together, but they have a hard time finding and keeping work. Jeannette and her siblings are forced to mostly fend for themselves in the world, on occasion starving, digging trash out of the garbage or stealing food from various locations. Her parents are not very concerned with raising kids, and do so in a most unusual way. Parts of the book were outrageous, like when the kids find a diamond ring in some junk and take it home to their mom, thinking they can pawn it for some food and supplies, but their mom just keeps the ring, saying it makes up for the ring their father made her pawn years before. My descriptions of this book fall short of truly describing how wonderful this work really is. The story is told in short, sometimes ironic fashion. Most of the stories are unbelievable, yet somehow believable, if that makes any sense. The author asks for no sympathy, but allows the reader to empathize with her plight in growing up. There are many situations with which I identified, even though my upbringing was quite traditional. Altogether, I highly recommend this book - you will not be able to put it down!

Science Education Thursday

As graduate students at Penn, we are required to complete yearly bioethics training. Due to this training, I attended a symposium last night entitled "Vaccine Mandates and Children". It was a pretty interesting discussion since the majority of people attending seemed to be pretty educated on vaccines and scientific theory. But there were the requisite crazies there too, which made me want to write a little bit about how science works. In general, scientist do experiments in order to answer some type of question. For example, if a gene is thought to be involved in some process, scientists can knock down or knock out the function of that gene in order to determine if it's involved in a certain process. Really, any type of science involved hypothesis (question) driven work, including population trends, clinical trials (does this drug treat the problem it says it does?), etc. Once we have gathered enough information, a "story", if you will, we begin the process of publishing our work in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The peer review process is extremely important because it involves prominent scientists who are experts in the field you are publishing in. They read your paper, critique your data, and send you feedback as to whether the journal should publish your work, or whether you should do more experiments to prove your point. Sometimes, you might miss a control, your interpretation of the data can be explained in several different ways, etc. This part of the process of publishing papers is so important because otherwise, science would not be regulated. As such, scientists self-regulate themselves, push each other to do better experiments and create an open dialogue about science and experiments. Without this regulation, scientific papers would merely be opinion of the writers of the paper, with no input from the scientific community. Once papers have been reviewed, the paper is sent back to the authors with important changes to be made, or it can be accepted or rejected on first submission. More often than not, papers are sent back to the authors for some changes and extra experiments. Once your changes have been made, your paper is sent back to the journal and sent out for re-review. If the reviewers are satisfied with the changes you have made, your paper will usually be accepted for publication. If not, it can again be rejected and new experiments may be suggested. Why I'm telling you this is because it's an important part of science that is not usually discussed. If you see a news story about an article in the New England Journal of Medicine you can be assured that article was peer-reviewed and passed the test for having proper controls, had a logically designed set of experiments, and the sample size was large enough to draw conclusions about the larger population. However, when a study was published in a journal that does not peer review articles, or worse, is published in a book (also not peer-reviewed) then you can be assured that the study was not done properly. The reason I am stating these things is because the unsubstantiated link between vaccines and autism came up last night (of course). People are refusing to vaccinate their children because they think vaccines cause autism. The link has never been proven, even though large studies have been carried out in multiple countries looking for a link, correlation, anything. The few people at the talk last night who still believed this cited a study that was not peer reviewed, was not published in a peer reviewed journal, had multiple, fundamental flaws, but was able to draw a link between autism and vaccines. Basically these people were citing faulty research. Just because someone with the title of "Dr." publishes a study does not mean you should entirely trust everything they say in their study. However, when articles are peer-reviewed, you can at least be assured that prominent scientists agree with the findings, the proper controls were done, and the proper number of experiments were carried out. It's unfortunate that the internet allows for people to get a hold of faulty research, so please, please do your research yourself.
Vaccines do not cause autism. More than likely, autism is caused by a combination of genes and the environment we live in. The first few weeks of pregnancy are extremely important, basically when all the "good stuff" happens. Like the formation of the brain, the nerves, your internal organs. If you face an environmental insult during this time period, or in later stages when the "fine tuning" is occurring, we have no idea what effect this has on a developing fetus. More than likely, this is when autism is started, but we have no way of assaying its development until a later time period, when language skills are developing and interpersonal interactions are becoming more obvious. The truth is that vaccines have saved lives and that having even a few un-vaccinated individuals in a classroom can nucleate an outbreak of a disease that should be preventable. The truth is that children should be vaccinated and parents that refuse to vaccinate their children are putting the rest of the human population at a huge risk for outbreaks of eradicated disease that can kill people.

Haiku Good Friday

Working today, blech!
Too bad grad school doesn't stop
for religious days.

***

Sun shining, wind blows
Ready for spring to grace us
Rebirth, regrowth, redemption.

***

Circle of life is
Never easy to deal with.
I don't understand.

Coloring Rocks

Dennis

My Dad's crazy little brother is dying. He's in the last few weeks (?) of terminal prostate cancer. He's only 63, just became a Grandpa literally 2 weeks ago and he's decided to stop chemo and get ready to go. He's lived an insane and crazy life, most of it before I was born. I've loved hearing the stories about him and it's hard to believe he's had the balls to do some of the things he's done. Like crash a plane with his daughter in it and walk away. Like skydive something like over 200 times (and on the 200th time, he broke his leg!). Water-skiing, snow skiing, white water rafting, hiking, camping, biking. Just living, you know? And now it's time for him to go. I have mixed feeling about this whole thing. I am really far removed from everything, so I can kinda pretend it's not happening, although I know it is. He's been so sick and so far from what he normally was that his passing might be a blessing. At the same time, I don't want my cousin to lose her father at age 30 and I don't want her son to grow up without knowing the ridiculously crazy, insane, out of this world Grandpa he has. I don't want my Dad to lose his little brother. I don't want my Grandpa to lose his son. I don't want my Aunt to lose a husband. I don't want him to go because I don't know where he'll go. I don't want to go home in two weeks and have to deal with this whole thing. I want to to deny that it's happening and pretend it's not going on. I just wish there were such things as miracles.

Tuesday Politics

I've been hearing a lot of reaction to the whole Spitzer governor prostitute scandal thing lately and some things have started to bug me. A lot of people are blaming his wife for "driving" him to a prostitute. Is this ridiculous? Blame the wife for not doing something right (not wearing enough leather was one man's comment) and therefore nobody blames the man for going out and sleeping with "Kristen". What an absolutely outrageous double standard. If the wife was caught cheating, would it be the husband's fault? For one thing (and I realize this is a little cheesy), this man took a vow to be true to his wife and his family "until death do they part". I realize that marriages and relationships go through their ups and downs and I realize that people do cheat. But I think that this man is entirely responsible for his actions. Nobody (presumably) was holding a gun to his head while he made an appointment with the prostitute. He made a conscious choice to do that action and therefore I think the responsibility is entirely his. And to suggest anything otherwise is speculation and not supported by the facts.
On another note, is it now required to divulge every single unfaithful event in one's life upon entering politics? The newly appointed governor of NY just admitted to an affair, as did his wife. Do I care? Nope. Not in the least. They worked it out. It was part of their relationship, not part of how someone in government operates. For that matter, what is everyone's obsession with sex? I mean, how many of those old, fuddy duddy senators and reps are having affairs? And who cares?
So sick of this entire thing...especially bringing up the Monica Lewinsky thing in relation to Hillary. As if she had anything to do with it!
And that, folks, is my opinion of the day...

Oh Girls!

Letters to Jerks.

Dear Jerk,
I realize that this past weekend and today are some kind of holiday for drunkards and generally I have no problem with that. I do, however, have a problem with your drunken ass trying to molest me in broad daylight as I am walking down the street. I am not some dumb drunk New Jersey chick who thinks you're "hot". I never want to be groped by some drunk ass guy who just drove into the city from suburb-nowhere and thinks that "Irish Pub" is a great place to hang out. Go home. We certainly don't need the likes of you around here.
Love,
ceedee


Dear Other Jerk(s),
Let me introduce myself. I'm a pedestrian. That's ped-es-tri-an. Try to sound it out now. I walk most places because I don't have a car. Try to follow me now. When it's snowing, I walk. When it's raining, I walk. When it's blustery and cold, I walk. I don't have a heater or warm car to return to after a long day of work. I walk. Got that so far? So, here's the deal. When you drive into the city, there are more pedestrians here than in your little land of suburbia. You have a watch out for us because, unlike you, we are not surrounded by 2 tons of metal. There are these little areas called crosswalks that have been painted into the ground to designate areas where you should not place your car. It's because we have to cross the street and we need a place to walk where we won't get hit by cars. When you pull into these crosswalks, you see, we can't cross the street. Or, we have to wait until traffic is lighter to go around your giant vehicle. Get a clue, would you? Oh, and while you're at it, right hand turns on red are illegal in the city because of pedestrians. Start learning how to drive and pay attention to us pedestrians (and cyclists, too) because we don't have the same protection you have. And chances are that the 30 seconds you would save by making that right on red has no effect on your life. Chill out.
Love,
ceedee


Phew...that makes me feel better!

Haiku Welcome Friday

Welcome to the world
baby boy! You are so new
and little and cute.

***

We have been anxious
waiting for your arrival.
You are so much loved.

***

I promise I will
try to make this world the best
place for you to grow.


Welcome, Sayer! I love you already.

Courtesy of My Dad

Weather Woes

It's been quite the rollercoaster weather lately. It's now near 60 degrees (and it's 11am!) and let me tell you, it brings out the weirdos. Because of an early trip to the Dental School this morning, I was able to walk through campus to observe the native Penn students in the wild. Wow, what weather does to these kids. I am so glad I went to college in a place where the weather never changed too much, I never needed a jacket (although sometimes I wore one just for fun), I could wear whatever shoes I wanted (mostly flippers) and we could always go out on Fri/Sat night without a coat and without freezing too much. Here, the kids run the gamut. I saw boys in shorts and t-shirts and flip-flops, girls in mini-skirts, flippers and trench coats (stripper?), girls in short skirts, uggs-like boots, and puffy coats. There was a fair representation of jeans and t-shirts and many variations, but few were dressed appropriate for the weather. I have what I like to call the "winter fear". I am afraid to go without a coat because I think the weather might change at any minute (the weather people are often wrong!). So, I am without hat and scarf (they're still in my bag, tho) and I am wearing my winter down coat (not the knee length one, tho) mostly unbuttoned, jeans, t-shirt and sweater. It's cold in my lab, so I usually bundle up, even in the summer. On campus, it was so funny to see what people were wearing. There were the requisite sweats-tucked-into-uggs, clutching some book or notebook, looking terrified and rushing toward the library (midterms for freshmen). There were the girls in high heels, cute-I-just-bought-this-from-Bebe-outfits, the interesting spring "must haves" and the popped collars, argyle sweaters, and striped button down shirts that go with attending an Ivy League school. So silly...What are YOU wearing?