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 Billy Crystal just seemed old, and the schtick was a little outdated.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?