Opinion Thursday

As I'm sure you know, I am a scientist. I have worked on a number of different projects, but I am first and foremost a developmental biologist. I think development (as in, the development of an embryo from the joining of a sperm and an egg) is just about the coolest thing on the planet. It's fascinating to try to figure out what is going on, how tissues develop from a small ball of cells and I love to see the different stages of development as an embryo matures. I've had this fascination since college, which goes back at least 15 years, if not more. I do science because I love it. I'm fascinated by the way that bodies work, the organs that have evolved to give us life, and the way all of these form. My research will likely never lead to any gigantic breakthroughs. I will likely never work on a "miracle drug" and I will probably not even touch a piece of human tissue in my career. What I will do is try to figure out what happens in animal models, so that we can apply that knowledge to treating human disease and injury. Animal models are not perfect, by any stretch. Often, they are cumbersome, difficult to work with, and expensive to keep. However, research is necessary, and can often lead to treatments or cures for many diseases.
For example, my lab works on diabetes research. In the most basic sense, diabetes is the loss of beta cells. Beta cells produce insulin which regulates the amount of glucose (sugar) in our blood. Without insulin, blood becomes quite toxic to all our tissues (instead of providing nutrients). Tissues start to break down (including the delicate blood vessels that carry the blood in them), which is why diabetes can lead to effects all over the body, like blindness, poor circulation, and impaired wound healing.  Diabetes is extremely common, and the disease is affecting tens of millions of people in the US alone (and growing). In my lab, we are trying to understand how these beta cells develop in the embryo. How are they formed? Is there a set number of them in the body? What kinds of changes occur in the DNA of these specific cells to give them the identity they have? Can we make more? We have lots and lots of questions, but few answers. Answers come incrementally, and slowly. But they come nonetheless.
These answers come because we have made a lot of tools. We have made animal models with diabetes. We have made mice that lack a pancreas. We have made animals that don't have any beta cells. And on and on and on. These animals provide us some clues as to what could be going on in the human body, and how to treat these diseases once they manifest themselves. To date, the best therapy for diabetics remains insulin therapy. Generally administered with injections. Diabetics also have to keep track of the glucose levels in their blood, and dose insulin accordingly. It's a manageable, but tedious disease. A slight increase in insulin dosage can reduce the glucose levels in the blood to dangerously low levels, essentially leading to fainting, or worse, a coma or death. Too high glucose levels can lead to permanent tissue damage, the loss of limbs, neuropathy, and more. It's a fine balance and each individual patient generally needs to find their own course of treatment, their own way of treating the disease.
All of this knowledge has been gleaned through the use of animal models. We are slowly, but surely, learning how this disease can manifest, and how we can treat the disease. We are learning this through the use of animal models. Animals that mimic (to our best ability) diabetes, animals that have impaired beta cell development, animals that receive drug treatments to potentially treat this disease. The list goes on and on. We use these animals not because we are "crazy scientists" who just can't wait to kill things, but because they provide us with the best glimpse of how the body works. We are not blood thirsty mad scientists. We are reasonable, logical people. We don't love killing things. In fact, most of us find it quite unpleasant. We treat our animals with respect, and give them the best life possible. I have never witnessed animal abuse, and I hopefully never will.
I am concerned about this for a number of different reasons. Firstly, I recently read this article in Nature, which talks about animal activists protesting the movement of research animals via airlines. They have nearly shut down animal transport by nearly every airline. This could be disastrous to research, as we are a community that will often share resources (including animals) with other labs around the world. That's a vital part of science. And, look, I agree, research on non-human primates is a little crazy in my book. I understand that people might feel uncomfortable about research on animals that look so much like us. I think the best thing, however, is to keep non-human primate research in countries like the US, where regulations on animal welfare and care are strict, instead of farming research out to other countries where animal welfare is not a concern.
Animal research is necessary, and trust me, you have benefited greatly from it. All modern drugs have been tested on animals, as have all modern therapies for cancer, or even for the common cold. I understand the concern about animals, but I feel that the ends justify the means. When I see a kid at Children's Hospital, clearly battling some form of cancer, I am glad we have the checks in place to test drugs and therapies on animals before it's ever brought to the child's bedside. Drugs can be given to babies on the first day of their birth (especially if they are born with a genetic defect, like hemophilia)- are you willing to administer untested drugs to a newborn? Of course not.
My favorite story in all of this comes from a joint endeavor between Children's Hospital and UPenn. There is a rare genetic disorder that causes blindness. It's caused by a mutation or loss of a specific gene. Children with this disease often lose their sight by the time they are teenagers. This disease also exists in dogs (gold retrievers, I think?). They tested some therapies on the blind dogs, and one therapy seemed to work. Just recently, they tried out this therapy on one eye in a number of patients. The therapy worked, and a number of previously blind (or nearly blind) people can now see. The truth is, this research has been going on for years in the dogs. And yes, some of the dogs had to be sacrificed. However, they were sacrificed humanely and in a respectful manner. The dogs were not mistreated, and they were cared for daily by a dedicated group of technicians, vets, and researchers. And now some kids can see. As improvements are made in this therapy, it will hopefully become a standard treatment for this rare disease, and also may provide a model for how to treat some genetic diseases in the future. I know some work is already focused on hemophilia, a genetic disease in which the blood cannot clot. I say this because it's vital that biomedical research is carried out. It means improved quality of life, a better understanding of the world at large, and a better grasp of the causes of disease and their potential treatments. Computer models or cell culture systems just cannot recapitulate the precise, delicate, and complex situations of disease or metabolism. For this we need our purpose bred animals in the lab, and we will hopefully be better able to treat disease in the future.

I just can't stop laughing

Twofer Tuesday (AKA confessions)

I know you guys know that I am a big rom-com lover. I realize how terrible these movies are, but I just can't help it. I just love a little romance. So, a couple weeks ago, on a rainy Saturday morning, I decided on a double feature, Morning Glory, starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton, and Friends with Benefits, starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. OK, seriously, I understand these are not stunning masterpieces of movies. I was not really looking for anything mind-bending. I was just looking for some entertainment on a cold, rainy Saturday morning when my husband was away at a bike race. What I got, well, ugh....just ugh.
Firstly, Morning Glory. The premise seemed cute: McAdams plays a small time producer on a morning show in NJ, and gets fired. She lands a sorta dream job at a national morning TV show that's down in the ratings. She hires a hard-hitting journalist (Ford) to revitalize the show, but the journalist refuses to do anything on the show, and just ends up being curmudgeonly and difficult to work with. All the time, McAdams is trying to up the ratings, and she's also sorta falling for this other producer (hence, the rom part). I think this movie could have been much better. Ford was not believable as a hard hitting journalist. His speech was too slow and deliberate, and he just didn't have the screen presence I would imagine that type of a journalist to have. Keaton, on the other hand, nailed it. She was an amazing co-anchor, and she really carried the film in a lot of ways. McAdams was fine. I actually like her as an actress, but her physical comedy seemed forced, and I don't think the screenplay played to her talents. And the story line? Oh, man, what an insufferable plot. It's the age old adage that a girl can have it all, but she doesn't have anything unless she has a man in her life. Some of the movie was OK. It showed McAdams bringing home her work, and not being able to disengage, something I'm all too familiar with. It even gets to the point where the guy demands her attention, doesn't get it, and then dumps her. I'm sorry, but this is just ridiculous. While she seems to be working incessantly, he's just relaxing all the time, is able to take off any time of the day or night and seems to keep a fairly normal schedule. Well, I guess that part might be more true to life than I realized :) In the end, of course, she ends up staying at her job, having a lovely relationship with her boyfriend and all is fine in the world. This movie had some potential, and it just killed it. It really could have explored relationships between two hard working people, it could have shown an empowered woman decide that she didn't need a man in her lie to be successful and happy. Hell, it could have shown her, instead, having a relationship with a woman, which would have made this movie more interesting. Instead, this movie left me feeling flat and unsatisfied. And bored.
On to Friends with Benefits. I think that, in general, Hollywood is trying to figure out movies from the woman's point of view, but they just can't figure it out. Maybe they should hire more women to let them know. This movie starts off with Portman and Kutcher meeting at a frat party in college. She, somewhat oddly, brings him to her father's funeral. Several years later, they run into each other in LA (of course) and they sleep together. This goes on for a while, until they each realize they have feelings for one another, screw everything up, and end up together eventually at the end. This movie just rubbed me the wrong way. I tend to like Portman, but I think she plays the same character over and over again. I just couldn't believe she was an MD in this movie to begin with. She's the high powered character who insists on keeping things "friends with benefits" instead of anything more. You see, her Dad's death affected her more than she thought, so she just doesn't want to get close to anyone. Yeah. ANYways, this horrible, train wreck of a movie continues with Kutcher being a not-so believable nice guy. He makes her a mix CD so she can deal with her period. You see, women in positions of power have a really hard time dealing with menses, so they need a man to bring them cupcakes and make them a CD. Kutcher also manages to introduce two of his friends, who end up together. But of course, they turn out to be hot lesbians, who make out on his couch. Of course. Am I right? I think the best part of this whole movie was the end, where she's driving up the coast on the 101. Brought me back home and made me homesick. And the scenes at the The Biltmore in Montecito. I can't believe I actually lived in that vicinity for four years. Bottom line? This movie is crap. It should have never been made. I think I might just start writing screenplays in my spare time. I am pretty sure I could come up with something more interesting than this drivel.

Monday Numbers

This weekend was awesome! The weather was stunning - in the 60s and 70s.

Joe was here for a bit. We had a great visit, catching up. We ate more than ever should be eaten, drank more than we should have, and watched a lot of basketball. We also took some lovely walks, enjoying the weather. It was so nice to not work for almost two days!

I sold my guitar for $100! Woot! But it's gone now. Spent on a big lunch on Saturday.

Today, Joe left at 5am. What did I do? Went back to bed!

I think it's officially spring. The dehumidifier is back on after a winter hiatus. Heading above 55% humidity in the basement means we may skip spring and head to summer directly. Ugh.

I have turned into an old woman, taking three pills, eye drops and nose spray before bed. Allergies suck.

Haiku from my phone Friday

Big week, warm sun, talk
A little brain fried. Hoping
The weekend helps that.

Misty morning, Joe
Comes in tonight. Philly bike
Race tomorrow.

Getting my life back
After so much work. I can't
Remember what fun.

Spring has sprung!

Dude, you guys? This weather is incredible. The trees are blooming, the sun is out. It's warm. I'm one happy camper. It's amazing what some vitamin D can do for you! My talk went well, except for the guy that accused me of fraud. Yeah. That was fun. Joe comes tomorrow, should be fun. OK, I'm off to enjoy the weather! Happy Spring!

Recipe Tuesday

The recipe for one of the winning chilis from this past weekend: Texas Jerky Chili, adapted slightly from a recipe in the Marlboro Country Cookbook. It was super good, you should try it!

1 cup chopped bacon
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 chili peppers, chopped (can add up to 4-5 to increase burn factor)
5 cups canned diced tomatoes (about 8 fresh peeled tomatoes)
1 3/4 cups beef broth
1 tbsp. chili powder (can add up to 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2-3 cups chopped beef jerky, original flavor
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven until fat is rendered but not crisp.  Add onion and garlic, cook until tender. 
Add chili peppers, tomatoes, and beef broth.  Cook about 20 min. 
Combine chili pepper, cumin, brown sugar, black pepper and add with beef jerky to Dutch oven.  Cook at a slow boil, stirring occasionally, for about 45 min. 
Add beans and bring to a boil, cook 5 min.

Makes 6 servings.  Top with cheese if desired.

Monday Numbers

• You guys, this whole "spring ahead" thing has really messed me up. Why is losing just one hour so hard?
• This weekend, we had a trip to Baltimore for the Second Annual Chili Cook-off. There were about 14 different chilis to taste, including several veggie ones with sweet potatoes in them. There was also my favorite, Buffalo Turkey Chili, and, of course my husband made a really good sweet and hot BBQ-like chili with real hobos in it. Just kidding. There weren't any hobos in it at all. 
• We may have found a car to buy! A friend of ours is selling a 20 year old BMW 5 series wagon, which is super sweet. He's souped it up, made it pretty nice. We can hopefully make it work!
• Alex has finally set a defense date - May 29th. Set your calendars for the arrival of Doc Brown :)
• I have to give a talk tomorrow, my first in front of a group of doctors. I mean, real doctors, like people with MDs. Should be interesting, and hopefully fun. Right?
• We are looking forward to the arrival of our good friend Joe on Friday. He's coming in from jolly old London and he'll be staying with us for the weekend. It will be nice to catch up!
• Alex shaved his beard off. He now looks like Colonel Sanders, with 11 different herbs and spices. I will try to get a pic soon.

Haiku Janetwood Drive Friday

Dark wood, green carpet

squishy linoleum floors

stairs with a landing.

***

Room of pink and blue

wallpaper, furniture with

flowers, lots of toys.

***

Bright sunshine, swimming

pool, patio swing, palm tree.

My childhood home.

Opinion Thursday: Kony 2012

I've seen the posts all over for the Kony 2012 campaign and I've watched the video put out by Invisible Children. I think this whole thing has been so interesting to watch play out across the interwebs. Firstly, to think that this group posted a video (literally) two days ago, and it was on the nightly news last night goes to show you how powerful social media is. It honestly makes me glad I didn't have this stuff when I was in high school. Could you imagine how quickly rumors spread now? Ugh.
Anyways, I just thought I would put my opinion up here because, well, it's my blog. I guess I'm in the minority when I say that I know who Joseph Kony is, as well as the Lord's Resistance Army. I read the New York Times, and I guess I try to stay educated on what is going on in the world. I agree that Joseph Kony is absolutely a terrible person, but I'm unsure that this way of "stopping him" is the right way at all. I think the problem I have is that this whole campaign just reeks of colonialism. I don't think that any rich American white guy should go into another country and tell people how to live. I also think that we, as Americans, tend to think of our life as the best way of life, when that is not necessarily true. If the world lived the way we live, this planet would be cooked, like, yesterday, and our resources would be gone. I think the situation in Uganda and Sudan is much more complex that a short 30 min video can ever convey. I am also unsure that military intervention is the right approach. And I'm thirdly quite uneasy with the thought that eliminating Joseph Kony will entirely solve the problem. The problem, it seems, stems from either a strict dictatorship government in Uganda, or lack of a government at all in Sudan. In both of these situations, the military is out of control, and, instead of protecting the people, is instead following its own interests. I don't think that arming these militaries even further is the answer either. To be honest, I've never been that good at foreign policy. But something about this video just seems so wrong to me. I'm not sure whether it's the use of the name "Invisible Children", as if, unless those children are known by the rich Americans, they are invisible? Or the fact that the filmmaker uses his young son as propaganda, trying to explain that Kony is a "bad guy" and "we've got to get him".
Of course, please don't get me wrong. I think it's amazing that a viral video can turn up one day and lead people to talk about Africa in the next. I think that's a good thing. I think Americans should be more aware of what's going on in the world outside the US. And, I think the sad fact of the matter is, this is not just occurring in Uganda and Africa. This happens all over the world, especially in Asia, where the sex slave industry is apparently booming. Hell, they even find some of these girls and boys here in the US. The problem is there are hugely corrupt governments all over the world. Exposing their wrong-doing, supporting the people in poorer countries, and donating or contributing to charities you believe in are all good places to start. However, I think we also need to support good, strong, independent journalism. We need to know what is actually happening in these countries, by journalists who have pledged to be unbiased and to get both (or however many) sides of the story. I just don't think we can rely on random guys with a superman complex to give us the details of a complex situation in a straight manner, especially when they have an agenda to promote. Personally, I will donate my money to Doctors without Borders. They operate in a wide number of countries all over the world and dispense needed medical aid. I'm all for that. I'm just not for arming a military complex that is notorious for raping women and killing citizens. It's just not right.

Opinion Wednesday: Contraception

I'm a scientist, so my thoughts on sex and contraception are fairly straightforward. People will have sex because we are animals with the desire to procreate and further the species. Plus it feels good. Therefore, women should be able to choose when and how they want to have children, so everyone (yes, including teenagers) should have access to safe birth control options. This whole debate on contraception and whether it should be covered for everyone in the country is just such ludicrous banter. I just don't understand the Republican rhetoric on government because most of the time it says, "Stay off my lawn and out of my life", but here's a case where they are trying to be in every woman's vagina. Honestly, I don't care what you do in your life. Of course, I care about my family and friends, but honestly, what you do with your life, your family and your health is YOUR concern, not mine. If you want to take birth control, like nearly 90% of women will at some point in their lives, then I believe that should be covered by your insurance. And, you know what? I don't CARE what you take contraception for, or what form of contraception you take. Know why? Because it's your personal business what you take and why you take it. I hate the argument that "some women need to take bc for reasons other than birth control". I don't care. I don't care if you take it because you have sex with 100 guys a day. Or if you have sex with a guy 100 times a day. I don't care if you take it for your PCOS, or to prevent having another baby with your husband. I also don't care if you take it for acne, for uterine fibroids, or for lighter periods. I just don't care. And really? That's the way health care should work. It should be personalized to you and your situation and your life. It has absolutely nothing to do with churches, governments, Congress, Sandra Fluke, or Rush Limbaugh. It has nothing to do with women being sluts, whores, or any other misogynist, derogatory term you can think of. It has to do with women living their own lives and deciding when (or even if) to have a family. When women have the power to control their own fertility, families do better, financially and emotionally. When women can delay starting a family to get educated or start their own business or pursue their own goals, families are happier, there are fewer mouths to feed, which means more attention, more resources for the children in the family. Birth control and contraception are a basic human right and every woman, no matter their religion, color, creed, nationality or age should have access to contraception. It's just the right thing to do. And calling Congressional committees on contraception that do not include any women is a farce and a waste of time. Calling women who would testify (but were denied the right) a "slut" and a "prostitute" because she was brave enough to stand up for women all over the country is shameless and cowardly. How about we start having a real conversation about women's rights to healthcare and contraception? How about we work towards the goal of increasing sex education, increasing access to free, safe contraception for both women and men, and how about we get rid of these puritanical, outdated visions of how women should or should not act. I'm pretty sure that went up in smoke when my Mom burned her bra in the '60s.

Movie Review: Two for Tuesday

Look, you guys, I am really, really behind on my movie watching, so I hope you'll bear with me. I couldn't really bear to watch the Oscars last weekend because I haven't been to a movie theatre since the release of the last Harry Potter movie last July, so I'm a little behind. The last two weekends, we watched The Wrestler (2010?) and The Italian Job (2003). And you know what? I really, really liked them both. The Wrestler was fascinating because I had no idea there was this whole "world of wrestling" and that it was more of a performance than anything. I thought Mickey Rourke did a phenomenal job acting, and I love, love, love Marisa Tomei. I thought the movie was really interesting and entertaining, although there were a few scenes I just couldn't watch because they were so violent. The movie was also sad, but so well done that it was almost not noticeable? Does that even make sense? I'm not sure how the filmmakers did this one because there was not one particular character I really liked or identified with, it was more a window into another life I never knew about that was so fascinating to me. If you haven't seen this one, it's worth it, I think,
The Italian Job is one of those heist movies. A group of people get together to pull of a big robbery in Venice. This is one of those great movies with a whole ensemble cast (Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg, Donald Sutherland, Ed Norton, Seth Green) who travel around the world to pull of exciting heists. The plot begins in Venice with the group pulling off the robbery of a bunch of gold bricks. Things go wrong and one of the group turns out to be a rat. The plot then turns to revenge, with the group trying to get back at the one that turned on them. Overall, I loved this movie. Everyone, even the smaller characters, were phenomenal actors. The storyline was a little slow, but the chase scenes were fun and the action was good. The movie wasn't too violent and the one female lead was a really strong, capable woman, not a damsel in distress. If you haven't seen this one, I'd recommend it for one of those nights you just want some mindless entertainment. It was a good show.

Monday Numbers

• Alex had his first bike race of the season this past weekend. It was at Rutgers in NJ, so he left at 4:30am on Saturday morning to head up there with his friend, Mike. I think they had a good time, but Alex had some bike problems which prevented him from finishing his last race. Continuing on the theme of bike problems, I set out Sunday morning for a trip to TJs when, lo and behold, the whole damn pedal came off my bike! Yeah, so Alex subsequently spent the day in the basement, fixing bikes. It's kinda hard when that's your sole mode of transportation, so it looks like we might be running errands this week after work instead!

• I also watched about 3 movies, one of which I may review later this week. I actually like having something on in the background when I'm working on mindless stuff. Seems to make the mindless stuff a little bit easier.
• I made meatloaf for the first time in a loooong time. I forgot how good that stuff is!
• Alex is trying to set a thesis defense date for sometime in the 5th or 6th month!
• I have about ten billion things to do and I marked one of those things of my list on Saturday.
• Why are weekends never three days instead of two?

Tuesday Numbers

• Sorry it's one day late, guys
• I sold my first thing on Ebay this past weekend! My old Docs that I never wore. I think I might end up putting more stuff up there - woot, woot!
• I'm enduring my second cold of the last three weeks. Seriously, not fun, although it hasn't been that bad. At least I can still semi-function in the brain region.
• I think my paper might actually get published sometime soon. I am awaiting word from my old boss, while working diligently on my work in my current lab, and thinking about the work I will do in my future lab. I am ready to not have my feet in three labs, thank you very much!
• I watched the Oscars, but couldn't last the whole broadcast. Billy Crystal just seemed old, and the schtick was a little outdated. I guess I was mostly irritated when I thought about how much money people had spent to attend the Oscars, and that my husband and I could probably have lived off that money for several months. I'm not hating on rich people, I'm just hating on the disparity. 
• I shoot flames out of both my eyes every time I read about Santorum going up in the polls. That guy would be the absolute worst thing to happen to this country, ever. 
• I think Spring is here, guys. That groundhog had no idea what he was talking about. Although, it did breifly snow for about 30 minutes on Saturday. Go figure.

Craigslist Haiku Friday

Sold my stereo

on craigslist. Free listing, five

days, Thirty Dollars!

***

We accumulate

so much junk. One person, junk

another, treasure.

***

Who knew people still

wanted to play CDs, tapes?

Gotta put up more!

Confessions Tuesday

I'm going to admit it: I'm a Miley Cyrus fan. I know, I know, a grown woman, liking Miley Cyrus? I must admit I don't know much about her, but I have to admit that when times are tough, when life has me down, her song, "Party in the USA" is on a loop on my iPod. It seems ridiculous, and I'm unsure how I even got that song on my iPod to begin with (I guess I must have purchased it, because I can't imagine having asked a friend for a song from a Miley Cyrus CD!). It all started in November, as I was headed for the Bay Area for three job interviews in three days. I arrived on Tuesday, and attempted to find my way to Palo Alto on the BART/Cal-train, which is no easy feat. When I finally arrived, I found that the campus was MUCH bigger than anticipated - I'm a walker, and I usually just will walk, even if it's a ways, but the walk to my hotel, it just couldn't be done. My hotel was separated from everything, and consistent with CA, was situated for drivers, not people without a car. Getting food was tough, I had to order in, and I was nervous as hell, giving a talk in a place so unfamiliar. The bus/shuttle system saved me, and I headed to campus the next morning, bright and early and ready for my interviews. Each Both Wed and Thurs were looooooong days. I gave a talk on Wed for both labs I was visiting, and then I just hung out. I felt like I hadn't really nailed the talk, and I was super nervous to meet with the lab on Thurs, since I didn't really know the PI very well. On Thurs night, my interviews ended around 7pm, and I had to get to CalTrain to head into SF for my thankfully last interview. I was beat, both mentally and physically, and I just couldn't imagine having yet ANOTHER interview tomorrow. I got to the train station, starved and ready to get to my hotel in SF, but so, so far away. As I arrived, I saw the CalTrain headed to SF pulling out, meaning I had at least another hour to wait. Thankfully, there was a small cafe at the train station, so I grabbed a hot cocoa and a sandwich and settled in for a bit. I found the song "Party in the USA" on my iPod and I started listening to it. Interestingly, I perked up. The song had an effect, making me want to dance a little, giving me a little bit of energy, and telling me I could do this, I could really, really do this! I also liked the song because it talks about her feeling out of place, landing in LA, not knowing how to dress or act. That's totally how I felt. East Coast living has left me a little bit uptight, and a lot impatient. Science living has left me a little awkward, both socially and professionally. So, here I was, with all these Google execs, all these Silicon Valley geniuses, headed to SF. I talked to Alex quite a bit, and he gave me a lot of confidence and boosted my morale. I ended up walking to my awesome hotel right in the heart of touristy downtown, feeling pretty good. I ran through my talk once more, and then I hit the hay. The next morning, I was out for a run around 6am, which felt pretty good. SF felt familiar, and I felt like I was finally settling into this traveling bit. I left early, heading to the UCSF Mission Bay campus (oh my god, what an awesome place!) and I nailed my talk there. Nailed it! I felt great, and I had a fantastic time on my last interview. And I couldn't get out of there fast enough because my parents were heading up to spend the weekend with me. It ended up being a great trip (I even got my folks on the BART and the cable car, which was super cute!), and it ended with two job offers. We're headed to Stanford in the fall, so we're both really excited. But, to a certain extent, I think I might owe some of my success to Miley Cyrus and her ridiculously catchy song :)

 On the BART

 Powell St Cable Car, headed to Fisherman's Wharf

 On top of a ridiculously tall building, at the bar, of course!

 See? I was there too!

 The view was awesome!

 On Stanford's campus, the night I arrived.

The Ferry Building, the morning of my run. 

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy Birthday, Dad! I miss you more than you know and I can't wait to be back in the same state as you! I hope you have a WONDERFUL day! xoxo

Monday Numbers

• Well, folks, it's Monday again. Not a whole lot happened this weekend. We got about 1 inch of snow on Friday and Saturday, mostly keeping Alex and I inside, working. 
• We spent several hours talking about plans: plans for Alex to graduate, plans to move, how much money we need to save, when to buy a car, where we want to try to go on our trip across the country, etc. It's a lot to talk about an figure out, let me tell you. I can feel a bit of a shift since we've gotten married. We both take a little bit more care to make sure we are both on the same page, since we're in this together forever, right? As it stands now, we are planning on leaving Philadelphia at the end of June. However, we have the option of one more month, so we'll see how that goes. 
• Some of the places we want to try to check out on our way out to CA? Well, the Corn Palace, in Mitchell, SD, of course! We'd also like to see the Adirondacks in upstate NY. We'll stop in Boston to visit some friends, and definitely to the Berkshires to see some family. Also, Wisconsin, Wyoming (Yellowstone again!) and Colorado, of course. The list is now at least 10 states! Should be fun!
• We are headed to a wedding in OH on Memorial Day weekend, which means we need to buy a car before then! I am both really excited and slightly apprehensive to get a car. I think it will be great to have an alternative mode of transport, but I also think it will cost a lot of money to insure, to make car payments and to buy gas (which are all expenses we haven't had before). However, we've already decided on a $10,000 limit for the total cost of the car, so that means a used car, and likely a small one. The good news is that I saw an ad for a little Chevy Aveo (the car my Dad drives, and the one we took to Yosemite for our honeymoon) for around $6000, so hopefully there are some cars in our price range out there.
• I talked to my Mom yesterday for about an hour. She was super cute about the Corn Palace. She said my Grandma loved the Corn Palace so much that they stopped there every time they drove across the country (about 3 times!). Sometimes, I think I got a little bit of my Grandma's personality in me. I love those kitschy things - souvenir shops, ridiculous buildings, ghost tours, caves, etc. So much fun!
• And I can't go without mentioning the death of Whitney Houston this past weekend. What a tragic loss. I absolutely loved her when I was a kid, and it's hard for me to pick a favorite song. She was such a powerhouse and I just wanted to be able to sing like her when I was little (I realize now how impossible that is, but I really, really thought it was true when I was a kid!) Whitney, you will be missed.

Groundhog Haiku Friday

Six week of winter

so says the hibernating

Punxsutawney Phil.

***

Pink implosion this
week; no more support for
the Republican right.

***

Another week of
chaos; can't seem to keep up.
So glad it's Friday.

Money Woes

Alex and I have been undergoing new austerity measures to attempt to pay off the wedding, save up for our move to CA, and save up to buy a car. Problem is? I have no money. Literally, no money. I got paid last Thursday, and today (one week later), my bank account is near the red. I always thought I was pretty good at saving money and not spending it. I'm not a shopaholic. I don't buy random stuff on the internet (usually). I have a soft spot for used books (not even new books, but used books!) and I likely spend a little too much money on groceries, but realistically, I should not be going down to the wire this way every week. It's getting ridiculous. So, last night, I ended all my contributions to my retirement plans. We counted all our change the other night (except the pennies) and I think I'm going to start selling stuff on ebay and craigslist. Most of our stuff will have to be sold or given away anyways, as we can't really afford to move everything we own (and Ikea is not really worth moving, let's be honest). With us struggling like this (and we're supposed to be solid middle class) I can't imagine what is going on in households that make less than we do. Granted, I am sure we can give up our iphones to decrease our cell bills, but honestly, I can't think of much else we could eliminate. The internet is necessary for our jobs, so we can't get rid of that. And electricity and gas are pretty necessary to live. Moo would be really sad to live in a tent, I am pretty sure, so skipping rent is not an option. Honestly, I am really unsure how we are gonna live in CA, as rent is gonna be nearly twice what we're paying now. Guess we might just have to rent a room from someone. Ugh, and I can't even think about taxes. My old job? Yeah, sent my tax form to my old address (where I have NOT lived for 3 years!). Oh, and it has my social on that form. Thanks, Penn! You're a frigging nightmare. Sorry to be such a downer, but it's something we are struggling with on a daily basis and I'm not sure what else we can do. We've been cooking every night, never go out to eat or for a beer or anything. I bring my lunch every day. I have no car, no insurance payment, I ride my bike everywhere (literally, free transport). Gah, what else can we do to get out of the hole?