Monday Numbers

• This weekend, we went for two bike rides on the new road bike. We are lucky enough to live near West River Drive, which is a four lane road that goes through a part of Fairmount Park. Every weekend, both Sat and Sun, they close this road to cars, allowing anyone with bikes, rollerblades, skateboards, etc. to head up and down this street all day long without cars. It's brilliant. I wish it would extend through the wintertime too. Anyways, we took the bikes out for about 10 miles each day, heading up and down this closed road. We stopped multiple times to adjust things on my bike, mainly my shifting and the seat. We travelled for a total of about 20 miles, which resulted in two very sore buttcheeks. Bet you wanted to know that.
• I practiced my talk for our graduate group symposium approximately one hundred time. At least it felt like that.
• Tried my first Sixpoint Pilsner, in honor of Coodence. We were lucky enough to find it on tap at The London Grill, a local restaurant. We enjoyed it while watching the Phils kill the Reds, 7-4. We're back in the NLCS again. For, I think the fourth time in four years? Can that be right?
• Made two pie doughs. One resulted in a canadian bacon and Muenster quiche. I'm not sure what I'll do with the other one, but MAN was that quiche good. And easy too. Who knew?
  

Ode to the Family Haiku Friday

Waiting for dinner at this silly Western show place in Jackson.


Memories of our
trip to Yellowstone are at
the front of my mind.

Ha! The pig races. Literally!


Rainstorms, hail, freezing
wind, steep grades, flat lands, tons of
food, talk, beer, laughter.

Sharing our first Chocolate Malt at the Sweet Shoppe. As an aside, this lady who served up told us it's great to live in a small town. Her sister (who also works there) had a brain aneurysm and she rushed to be by her side. The town kept her business open by volunteers taking shifts and learning how to make the treats. They kept it open for 3 weeks while she cared for her sister. Pretty amazing, huh?

They may drive me nuts
but they're all mine and I'm stuck
with them forever.

Just had to share!

This just made my day!

Gym Confessions

I used to be real embarrassed to head to the locker room in the gym here on campus. I hate changing in front of people and I thought everyone was looking at me and how fat my ass is and all my cellulite and all my flaws. Turns out? No one even looks at me. Huh, guess I'm not that interesting, eh? So, I started swimming, and I have to take a shower after the swim, since I have to get the chlorine out. So, I essentially have gotten over the whole showering, changing, naked thing in the gym. I've been taking a 7:30am yoga class at the gym, which is usually pretty great. Afterward, I head to the locker room to get showered and changed. Apparently, there are other women who are not entirely "over" the whole changing in the gym thing. I've seen women stand there with towels that are too small trying to cover all the bits and pieces, and desperately trying to find their chonies or bra in their locker. Seriously? I just drop the towel. Haha! Probably terrifying for all involved, but she doesn't have anything I haven't seen before, right? I've also seen women butt naked running around the locker room, so I guess it takes all types. But the rule of thumb apparently is there is no talking in the gym. Unless its absolutely necessary, like someone is standing in front of my locker or something like that. I've made minor small talk with some women (like, oh my gosh it's cold today, or I love that lotion or that dress or whatever) and I'm always met with blank stares and shocked looks, like I've broken a covenant or something. Who knows? Maybe it's just a Penn gym thing, but it kinda cracks me up. I'm turning into that old, naked lady who parades around the gym, talking to people.
LOL, who knew?

Numbers Monday

• drove a couple hundred kilometers this weekend, shopping for bicycles, bicycle parts and getting bicycles fixed. Oh, and also attending a bicycle race. Ironic that we drove a car to these things, right? Oddly enough? The rental car was set up in kilometers - as in, the mileage, trip and regular odometer, and gas efficiency was in kilometers. Perhaps the car was Canadian?
  
• Had at least 14 hour days, both on Sat and Sunday. I am exhausted!
• Got to visit with La Chang and her professor husband. They live only about 30 miles from Philadelphia, but the drive takes at least an hour!
• Awoke at 6am both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, we headed to Trexlertown (I can't make this up, people) for the semi annual bike swap, which opened at 8:30am. We got there at 8:45am, and the line was out the door, around the corner and down the street. Who knew cycling was that popular?
• I purchased a road bike for myself, so I can try to keep up with Alex. The bike was marked down from $1200 to nearly half off. Problem is? I spent my wedding dress money on it. Whoops! Haha!
• I am not looking forward to the rain over the next three days. The weather has changed dramatically, from high 70s to high 40s in the last two days. Brrrr!
  
• Our house now has 4 bikes, one bike trainer, two toolboxes, three new sets of brake pads, two helmets and 8 different blinky lights for the bikes. We have more bikes than furniture at this point. I hope you don't come over soon. Our house looks like a bike garage.
  

Monday Numbers

• Counting today, I have worked the last 8 days in a row.
• Today, I biked in my normal 3 miles to work. Except that it was in the rain. Booooo! Thankfully, I have a change of clothes for the gym with me. So now everyone has to put up with me in spandex. Zexy!
• This week, it will be one year until our wedding! We've already booked the venue, and we might have the honeymoon organized to a certain extent. And I might also have found a photographer, and some great entertainment. Other than that, the whole thing's up in the air.
• This week, I have about 25 experiments to do. I hope they all turn out with results!
• Tonight, I have yoga at 5:15pm. Hopefully, she won't be as hard on us this week as she was last week. I literally had trouble walking, bathing and clothing myself for at least two days after that last class!
  

Ode to My Fear of Heights Haiku Friday

Upon arriving
in Jackson, we headed to
see the mountaintop.

***

Half of the ride was
fine, but the cliffs got to me.
Had to close my eyes.

***

Wind clocked at 40
on the top. Literally
blew us off our feet.

my shaky pic of the aerial tram as it approached the dock. it was freezing cold, windy and terrifying to head back down the mountain.

Yes, I was a bit shaky, but I made it to the top!

Wow, that view was unreal!

What helped? Moose Drool, a beer from Montana. It was pretty good, and they thankfully sold it at the top of the mountain, in order to fortify my ride down. Also? We spotted a moose and her baby on the tram ride down (no pics unfortunately, I was too terrified clutching the side of the tram to take any pics).

Dear Wyoming,

I honestly knew nothing about you until I arrived two weeks ago. The flight into Jackson is pretty hairy, so I was unsure what to expect. But I have to say, the view from your tiny, tiny airport was breathtaking. Your roads are amazingly well taken care of, you seem to have snow fences in all the correct places. Your museums were superb, and your landscape was unreal. Add to that a very friendly population, even whilst driving, and I can't imagine a better place to vacation. I'm not too sure why people see Wyoming as a not so interesting place to visit, but I was smitten. And still am. And I am looking forward to a return visit.
with love,
ceedee

Numbers Monday

(courtesy of coodence)

1) In the last 2 weeks, I have travelled over 5200 miles. 4000 of those were by airplane, while 1200 were by a 1921 Model T Ford.

2) I took over 650 pictures, which I am sure you will be subjected to over the next few weeks.

3) We spent nearly one week in Yellowstone, followed by one week on the road around Yellowstone.

4) We visited two states, Wyoming and Montana.

5) We drove with nearly 20 other Model Ts, which included going through a pass at 11,000 feet, as well as driving on a road with a 10% grade.

6) Surprisingly, the T got about 20 miles to the gallon, and did not break down once, while my parents, in their modern motorhome, had a hell of a time getting up to Jackson, WY.

7) Alex and I packed all our things in one suitcase and two backpacks.

8) The first few days, the temperature hovered around 32 degrees! We were very thankful for the hot pockets my cousin Alison brought along.

9) We saw countless animals, including numerous buffalo, two moose, several elk (including on standing atop a ridge at sunset, bellowing to the females), many, many deer, one fox or coyote, and thousands of stuffed animals.

10) We stayed in 10 different places over two weeks. I am both glad and sad to be home. Back to work!

Grad Student Haiku Friday

Library empty
Closing early, holiday
weekend is soon here.

***

I kind of love the
silence, the stillness, hum of
machines tick tock tick

***

No cell phones, whispers,
to break my concentration.
Just write and finish.

This is Colorado

Taken as we were eating lunch next to a stream.

End of Summer Haiku Friday

All the undergrads
heading back to Penn soon enough
air getting cooler

***

Not sure if I am
ready for summer to end
sunny, lazy days

***

I like the longer
days, the warm sun on my face
also vacation!

Vacation Pics

Seriously, the best thing about the end of the meeting I attended in Albuquerque? The aquarium. So cool!

Alex and I climbed a mountain in Colorado. Can you tell I am scared here? I was terrified because the rock just dropped off into oblivion right past where I am sitting.

King of the World!

Toadstool! I had never seen one before!

Alex and his niece Kaitlyn, playing on the playground!

To my new nephew

Happy birthday, little buddy! I am so glad you are here in this big world of ours. I know your mom and dad have been really excited for you to get here. I can't wait to meet you!
xoxo,
ceedee

PS: we have the same initials! isn't that neat?

Random Commentary

• I went to Colorado and I didn't want to come back. I am really, really ready to get out of Philly and move on with my career / life!
• We rode our bikes out to Conshohocken - 30 miles roundtrip. What a godforsaken place of strip malls and suburbia. Holy cow - it was pretty bad. I was glad to be able to check out REI, but pretty glad to get home too!
• I bought rain pants. They are plastic pants that will keep me dry whilst biking in during a rainstorm. I also got new pedals for my bike and new handgrips. It's the little things in life!
• I have recently discovered the wonderful world of Etsy. Especially the holiday decorations part. I am a little obsessed. I love holidays and decorations. Makes everything special. I am definitely turning into my mother.
• Alex and I set a date for the wedding! October 1, 2011. 10-01-11. We'll be having it in Ventura, CA, right on the beach, so it should be pretty nice. Now, I just have to figure out the rest of the details. Like, food, cake, dress, DJ, photographer, rehearsal dinner and god knows what else - feels like a daunting process!
  
• I will try to post some pics of my trips sometime this week. Hopefully sooner than later. Ha!
• I am going on another vacation in two weeks! Yellowstone, here we come!

Random Snippets

• Got back from a conference in Albuquerque, NM and a trip to Colorado Springs, CO on Saturday.
  
• New Mexico has some of the best salsa I have ever tasted.
  
• Albuquerque is not really a "city", per se, but the public transportation was awesome. $1 to ride, bus runs every 10 mins - better than Philly!
• I breathe better when there is no humidity.
• I am prone to altitude sickness.
• People in the western US just seem happier than people in the eastern US. I am not sure if they hide it better, or if they are genuinely happier, but they are much more pleasant to deal with.
• There are a lot of white people in Santa Fe, NM.
• I bought a ring from a Native American woman in Santa Fe. I'm not sure what to do with the unreasonable poverty and lack of education pervasive on Reservations. Because I am so far removed, I don't know how to approach and think about it. And I'm still not sure how I feel about the casinos, either.
  
• I like the mountains. I miss seeing them.
• Flying into Dallas is not fun. The heat and humidity makes for a rough ride landing.
  
• Flying out of Philadelphia at 6am is a good time to go. Even if it is 6am.
• Colorado Springs is not a good airport to fly out of. They're not too sure what they're doing. My computer had to be re-screened several times.
• One nice thing at Colorado Springs, is they let the families of soldiers accompany them to the gate to see them off. I was crying, just watching the interaction. I sometimes wish there was no need for military and good-byes.
• Ugggghhhh, it's humid.....
  

Grumpy Haiku Friday

Woke up on the wrong
side of the bed this morning
Feel full of anger.

***

I don't understand
how nobody else knows how
anything works here.

***

Lost reagents, dumb
questions, irritated to no
end. Ready for home.

Up in the Air

Sometimes you watch a movie and it really reminds you of how lucky you are to live the life you live. Such was the feeling I got after watching Up in the Air this past weekend. This movie spoke to me on so many levels I'm not sure I can even describe it. The movie was just so right, I can't emphasize it enough. From the opening shots of the ground from the air to the scenes of going through security, sitting in a lounge, waiting for the plane, renting the car, etc. It was all so much a description of my experiences travelling, it was eerie. Truthfully, this movie was very sad. As always, George Clooney is an amazing actor, portraying, essentially, some sort of version of himself, I assume. The eternal bachelor, with no place to call home, loving the fact that he travels everywhere and nothing (and no one) to tie himself down. Of course, his view of the world is challenged by a younger co-worker and a woman he meets "on the road". He gets to see his life, and subsequently the things that he does to other people, from a different perspective, and eventually gets what's coming to him (karma's a bitch, right?). I loved this movie for a number of different reasons. I started out working in "Corporate America" and left my job to come back to school. I have never regretted that decision, and this movie somehow reinforced that. I loved that Clooney's character was being honored for his "loyalty" to one airline, while his job required him to be hired by managers who were not loyal enough to their employees to fire them themselves. I thought his motivational speeches were so great - this is the bullshit they feed you in the corporate world - forsake everything, sacrifice your life, give up your family and friends, and work your fingers to the bone. All for what? To be fired by some asshole hired by your company to fire you. I loved the character played by Anna Kendrick. She was such an honest character, a grad of Cornell, coming in with new ideas, trying to be as professional and as astute as her older co-workers, but yet failing. And failing (and flailing) so honestly. As young women in the corporate world, we are expected to have it all and keep it all together, and not show any cracks or weaknesses which people might perceive as our inability to do our job. Kendrick's character makes some mistakes that we've all made, is beautifully acted, and is such a wonderful combination of the motivated, dedicated young worked, and yet the dreamy romantic. I have to say I loved this movie because it reminded me that I don't work in corporate America, I have made some of the mistakes that Clooney and the other characters have made, but I've survived them, and I'm on a path for a pretty rad life that I love mostly every minute. This movie made me appreciate that, which, I must admit, is a pretty powerful thing.
PS: for another viewpoint on this movie, head over to Randi's blog, where, apparently, our similar taste in movies is diverging right now :)

Haiku Friday

First the hot hot heat
then the humidity makes
bike riding not fun.

***

Sweating and red face
looking good, let me tell you
I get lots of stares.

***

Storming the Bastille
tomorrow, then its pack pack
head home to catch up.

The Princess and the Frog

I was pretty sure I was going to love this movie, and guess what? I did. I loved the music, I loved the characters, I loved the accents, I loved the animation, the artistic interpretations of New Orleans, the Bayou, etc. I loved it all. I loved that Disney finally made a strong female character (a strong black woman nonetheless) who works hard for her dreams, instead of waiting around, changing her whole life, just to nab "Prince Charming". I didn't really love the Prince in this movie, but I think that's OK. I do however, think this movie might be a bit frightening for the wee ones. The voodoo was a little intense and scary, but I loved it. The animation was beautiful and amazing, and it really reminded me of the old Disney movies I loved as a kid. This "princess"? I'm OK with little girls looking up to her!

Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh

I have to admit, I've given up on Book Club. It was great for a while, but just not cohesive enough for me. I may, however, continue to check out the books they are reading, since most of them have been really good. The title of this book is super lame (it's the name of one of the chapters in the book) so that kinda put me off it for a while. But once I picked it up, I loved it. Sudhir is a sociology graduate student at the Univ. of Chicago, living in the "nice" part of the city. He decides that he wants to study gangs and gang life (and essentially urban poverty), but not from the sterile, isolated environment of academics. He decides to somewhat infiltrate a gang to see how they work from the inside. He literally walks into the projects, asks who's in charge, and is lucky enough to meet up with s sympathetic gang leader who takes him under his wings. His narrative is written in this naive voice, as in "I had no idea these people carry guns", but he ends up being somewhat non-judgmental, which works well. To a certain extent, there were a lot of things that surprised me about gang life. For example, the gang is run like a corporation. The guys selling stuff on the streets are the lowly worker bees, while the actual gang leaders live in luxury, usually somewhere in the suburbs (ironic, isn't it?). So all those arrests for possession of drugs with intent to distribute essentially do nothing to stop drug dealing, since some kid will come along and do that job again. Another interesting thing is that there are areas were the police are not in charge. I guess I kinda knew this, but once I saw it written down, I thought about it more. When I'm in trouble, or I need help, I call the police and they will come help me. But apparently, there are some place where they won't respond, or they have too few patrols to actually do anything. I remember being somewhat shocked when Kanye West said "George Bush hates black people" on the Katrina Help program. But now, I kinda believe it. And, really, it's pretty sad. This book gave me a new perspective on gangs, poverty, urban life, and black people (is that OK?). Read it, it's phenomenal.

Weeds

I love this show. I am addicted. I fully admit this. It's been so hot and humid this week, I've been having trouble sleeping. So, I get up, head to the computer, and turn on Weeds. (thank god for netflix instant viewing). This show is so well made, I just can't stop thinking about it. The first season starts off with Nancy Botwin and her two sons, Silas and Shane, trying to recover after her husband dies suddenly. The kids are totally screwed up, and Nancy (clearly) doesn't have any sort of job or skill set, so she sets out to sell pot to all the suburban people who live in the neighborhood. The portrayal of suburbia, specifically Agrestic, their fictional, San Fernando Valley-esque housing development is phenomenal. Elizabeth Perkins is such a bitch you love to hate her. The lost brother in law, Andy is amazing. The kids are so good, and Mary Louise Parker....well, wow. I just don't know what to say about her. This show makes me think a lot. The acting is so good, I think it's spoiled me for network television. The characters are so well portrayed you both know what they're thinking/feeling and you don't know what they're thinking/feeling. They're both normal, and so far from normal you can't identify. I cannot say enough good things about this show. I am pretty sure I will be purchasing the episodes on the interwebs as they come out. And I never do that...

Disturbing.

My folks sent me to private school, which, in Oxnard, turned out to be pretty conservative Christian school. I had a few friends who were big fans of Jesus, but I didn't think much of it. With the advent of Facebook, and being able to get in touch with all these people now, as adults. Sometimes, it's pretty scary. I try to not publish my political or religious views on FB, mostly because I'm friends with my family and just don't want to get into stuff like that. I'm more interested in seeing pics of people's cute kids or their latest vacation, and seeing what people look like now, you know, that kind of stuff. For some reason, I am friends with a guy, we'll call him Tom, who's apparently a minister somewhere in the Midwest. Tom sends out different messages daily, like "God's blessings to you!" and "Nana Bishop was called home to her Lord and Saviour today! Praise Jesus!". Honestly, these types of things kinda crack me up, so I kept him around. However, I think it might be time to kick him to the curb (on my friends list, that is). He's recently published a manifesto-like thing which explains why he can no longer be a fan of the baseball team he's been rooting for his whole life. To give the short version, it's because they have a float in the gay-pride parade and they support gay rights. Are you kidding me? What on earth is wrong with these people? He basically said that since his religion says being gay is "wrong" he can no longer support the team that supports something that is "wrong". While I am all for the 1st amendment and I believe everyone, no matter how ignorant deserves their own opinion on things, I just can't help but wonder if he sees they hypocrisy staring himself in the face? Sports teams, no matter how bad, are enormous promoters of sloth, greed, gluttony, etc. Baseball, especially, promotes cheating since there is no comprehensive drug program preventing steroid (or performance enhancing drug) use. Don't get me started with football. But all those are "OK" sins? It's OK to overcharge people for a bag of popcorn and bulldoze a couple neighborhoods to put in a new stadium because those are "acceptable" while being gay is not? I'm just so sick of people choosing which "sins" are the OK ones and which ones are eggregious. And I'm pretty sure that there's a lot in the Bible about being judged by god and god alone (not that I am in any way religious). To a certain extent, I just wish people would worry about their own, and not place their judgments on other people. I'm just trying to live my life the way I want to live it. No harm no foul.

Random Snippets

• I am still stuck in writing hell. And my boss has stopped coming to work. Yay.
• This weekend was hotter than hell. Literally. Hell. I am not joking.
• I ride my bike to work every day. It's hot and humid out, and I've got about a 3 mile ride. When I get here, I am pretty sweaty, pretty red in the face (I imagine), and I'm carrying a bike helmet. I can't tell you how many people give me the evil eye, or the "ewwww, gross! what is WRONG with you?" look. Then I kinda laugh that they have to sit in traffic or on the train, and I get to ride my bike home and get home way sooner than they will. Tee hee!
• There way a Philly triathlon this past weekend. Someone died. Actually, he drown in the river. That I run next to all the time. I saw the boat looking for him. So sad.
• I went to another BBQ in NJ this past weekend. Burgers and potato salad and pasta salad and good times. It was nice to get out of the city and sit on someone's huge ass back deck and hang out. Very nice indeed.
• We rented a car this weekend, and we ended up with a minivan. How funny, right? The thing is that the minivan had automatic everything. Like, sliding doors. That you literally couldn't close yourself. And a backup cam. That is one car I would never in a million years buy.
• The festivities start for the Welcome America festival, celebrating the birth of our nation. Its pretty fun around here for the 4th. Free concert by the Goo Goo Dolls, showing of Rocky on the Museum steps, a mile long hoagie. Should be a blast.
  

Crazy Storm Haiku Friday

Darkening clouds head
this way, an odd blue color
roiling, spreading.

***

Chunks of ice plink plink
downpour, biblical nature
thunder and flashing.

***

No tornado, they
say, but the destruction left
sure looks like there was.

Live and Let Live

I don't necessarily consider myself to be a granola crunching natural woman type, but I find myself slowly leaning that way. I have tons of friends having kids right now, and I have a lot of friends who have had kids or who plan to have kids. All of this has got me a little bit closer to some debates which really rile people up. Like breast feeding. Who knew? To state it (in case you couldn't tell) I am for breast feeding. Even in public. I'm actually a "live and let live" kinda gal. I won't give you my opinion unless you ask for it. Everyone's got their issues and situations - who am I to judge? And, as a bike commuter who lives in the city, I know sometimes kids get hungry at the most inopportune times. I'm not exactly sure why people are so offended by breasts. I understand there is a sexual connotation about them, but honest to god, could you put that aside for a few minutes and let a lady breastfeed? Or, there's always the argument about the "children". Oh my god. The kids. How can they ever see anybody's breast? How traumatizing! How scarring! Honestly, the shit people come up with is astounding. In my mind, the benefits far outweigh your uncomfortableness at seeing a mammal feed their child. Breast feeding gives babies much needed gut flora (ever wonder why there's so much IBS and intestinal problems?), gives kids antibodies they need early on in life. Breast feeding bonds mother and child, provides nourishment, and has even been shown to improve kids academic and social lives long after breast feeding has stopped. What could the problem possibly be?
Well, let's see. Many jobs don't provide areas for women to pump breast milk (I am hoping this will change soon) and many public places only provide bathrooms for women. When I was a kid, the women's restroom in Broadway had a lounge and a bathroom. Mothers could go into the lounge to breastfeed, change diapers, etc. That seems perfect - why aren't more places like that? I don't know about you, but I don't want to feed my kid while sitting on a public toilet - blech!
So, I am hoping that people can get over this ridiculousness. Of course, I am sure, my friends are much more comfortable at home feeding their babies. But, you know what? Life happens. And sometimes you just gotta feed your kid. Get over it.

Random Snippets

• this weekend, headed out to NJ to a BBQ in the 'burbs. It was lover-ly, very nice place, nice neighborhood, great food, great company.
  
• made Randi's mom's blueberry cheesecake - like thingy. It was deee-licious. And totally reminded me of summer as a kid.
• Speaking of remembering, I read an article in Vanity Fair about the making of Michael Jackson's Thriller video (a preview can be found here). It took me back to backyard BBQ's, sleepovers, scary movies, Strawberry Shortcake sleeping bags, Oreos for breakfast, and a plethora of other childhood memories. The funniest part? Apparently, they couldn't find anyone to put up the money to make the video. So they decided to do this new-fangled thing and get some money from a company that would put the video for sale/for rent to the public. Haha! I can't tell you how many times we rented that movie! Over and over again. We likely paid for half the cost of the making of that video!
• We hung more pictures, and got a little bit more settled in.
  
• Summer has arrived! So glad! And, I have yoga today, which is lover-ly.
• I'm pretty boring - mostly working. However, I am looking forward to being done with this paper and heading out on vacation!
  

Haiku Friday

USA soccer,
you totally rock. I can't
wait to see you win!

***

Computer screen blinds
me, too many numbers, lots
of info collate.

***

Nice weekend ahead,
two BBQs, food, folks fun
hopefully a nap.

Left out

Yesterday, I got the saddest email from Alex. His lab had gone to lunch for some people's birthday and he was not invited. They even had the gall to ask him to sign the birthday cards. At first, I just felt that blow to your stomach, that feeling of rejection, and I just felt so bad for him. How rude, right? I mean, I know there are probably people you work with who you may not like that much. But, you know what? We're all adults, and everyone should be included, no matter who they are. EVERYONE.
That's my public service announcement for today.

Things I don't understand

• What about gay people is threatening? We happened upon the Pride Parade this past weekend, and as far as I could tell, it was a bunch of people dressed up, dancing to some club music and throwing a parade. Why are there people threatened by this? What is threatening about homosexuality? Are you afraid they might "getcha"? Like the boogeyman? Lordy.
• Why would the powers that be allow shallow water drilling technology to persist when drilling deep water wells? I'm no engineer, but I could tell you that the pressure of water that deep is so high, I would automatically think it would require different technology, and for that matter, different permits and liabilities. But that's just my opinion.
• Along the same lines, why would you let the same government agency regulate the oil companies as well as collect fees from them? Seems a little incestuous, if you ask me.
• Why would we blame Obama for everything? Why is it his fault that there was a financial crisis? Did we forget that it started to happen (in fact was well under way) when Bush was still President? Also, why is Obama blamed for the oil spill? I am pretty sure the oil spill is the result of faulty engineering and greediness, not from Obama pushing some magic button somewheres and causing the Gulf to explode.
• Why is this oil spill not causing a more serious discussion of alternative energy sources? Literally half (if not more) of the country could run off geothermal, solar or wind energy. Why is there not more discussion of this? Do we only discuss this when gas is too expensive? Lack of forethought sound familiar?
• Why are we not investing more money in infrastructure, public transit, making our suburbia more walk-able and bike-able? Europe has been focusing on this for years and years, making train and bus travel very convenient, sometime even moreso than flight. High speed train lines would do wonders, especially here in the Northeast, if they were made a bit more affordable. But public support of public transit is really lacking.
  
• On corruption: why are people not forced to pay back money they stole? For example, the person in charge of taking care of juries here in Philly apparently stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the city. That money was to go towards providing coffee and some sort of breakfast food to jurors when they came into serve. Granted, it's a perk, but it was nice (and relatively cheap). Since the woman stole the money, jurors are no longer provided with any perks, and the lady got off scott-free. No retribution to pay, and she's moving to another state. Shouldn't she at least have to pay the money back?
  

Random Snippets

• Had a nice weekend, still trying to get unpacked (I swear, I think I just need to throw out about half our stuff). But we did get some pictures hung and some rugs laid down, which always seems to be the last thing you do.
• Got caught in a rainstorm yesterday. We biked down to Reading Terminal to pick up some produce, and, man! What a storm on the way home! I was soaked, and so glad to have a dry roof over my head. Alex ventured out a bit later to do some drills on his bike and he got caught again! Yuck!
• Our roof leaks. I think we are cursed.
• One of my biggest pet peeves? People who hold long conversations in the library. Take it outside, folks!
• I have yoga today. Yay!
• We watched Best in Show this past weekend. Such a hysterical movie!
• We went out with some friends on Friday to this college bar called "Mad 4 Mex". Yeah, I know. It was really, really awful. The burritos were $9(!) and super crappy and they couldn't even make a margarita. I feel really lucky that where I went to college, there were ALWAYS decent burritos for way less than $5. AND? They were open 24 hrs a day. Oh, Freebirds, how I miss you!
• I can't find the thingy that connects my camera to the computer. I have a ton of pics I'd really like to show you!
• I got a new pair of shoes and they've given me 6(!) blisters. Ouch.

Tuesday Snippets

1. man, was this weekend HOT. I mean, really, really hot. And the air was stagnant. Here, I thought that moving closer to the park would mean cooler temps, but apparently not.
2. Sometimes when it's really hot, you actually WANT it to rain. Weird, right?
3. My cat has lost her mind. She wakes us up at 5am to chat. Really loudly.
4. We have mosquitoes in our backyard (no big surprise there). Really wish I wasn't such a tasty morsel to them.
5. I am having to deal with some bureaucratic bullshit lately. It does not make me happy.
6. I think we are almost moved in. The kitchen is done (thank god), as is the bar (LOL) and the "TV room" (is that what it's called if it's one giant room?).
   
7. There is a Veteran's Memorial literally two houses down from our new place. We went there yesterday and watched the re-dedication ceremony. It was nice.
8. My Dad and his friends rode in a Memorial Day parade yesterday. I think they had fun.
9. I got lucky today - had to head over to the library, and it rained while I was there. When it was time for me to leave, it stopped raining. Then, when I got back to lab, it started raining again. Sometimes, it's the little things.
   

A Few More...

Just for Randi

Haiku TGIF Friday

Defendants pled out
Jury duty over now
Don't have to go back.

***

Thankfully no plans
for the long weekend still have
boxes to unpack.

***

Looking forward to
resting, relaxing, eating
enjoy the backyard!

Random Snippets

• Friday night, we checked out the local Chinese place for some take out. As we're standing outside, waiting for our order, we hear what sounds like gunshots "pop,pop,pop,pop". I look at Alex and ask if he thinks those were shots? Mind you, this is, maybe 7pm on Friday night, it's still light out, there are tons of people milling about, hanging out everywhere. Everyone reacted, coming out of their houses, wondering what went on, etc. Pretty soon (as in, perhaps, 2 minutes) there were cops and fire trucks everywhere, heading toward the sounds of the shots. We got our food, and headed back home, only to find the shots were fired approximately a block from our house. We subsequently set the alarm and proceeded to rationalize our choice of neighborhood. Turns out, truck ran over a Philly bike cop and dragged him for a ways. In order to get the driver to stop, the cop shot at his vehicle (or maybe in the air? I'm not sure). They caught the driver (who was theoretically trying to hit & run) and the cop should be OK, with some leg injuries. I have to say that scenario seems better than the scenarios running through our heads at the time of the shooting....
• We headed to NJ for Alex's triathlon on Sat morning. We swung by the old place and picked up some things that were left there and dropped some stuff off at the Salvation Army. Then we headed to NJ, hitting up Walmart and our favorite chain restaurants. I can honestly say were were overwhelmed by the size of restaurants and stores in NJ. Walmart looked like an airplane hanger you could park a 747 in. We even hit the mall. Ohhh, we're such suburbanites!
• I think, to a certain extent, NJ deserves most of the stereotypes that are out there. NJ seems to take on the personality of the cities it's closest to. South Jersey tends to gravitate towards Philly, while North Jersey is basically a suburb of NYC. NJ is perhaps the worst driving I have ever seen (and I'm from CA, supposedly Californians are terrible drivers, according to everyone here!). They follow you so closely, no matter what speed you're going, they slam on the brakes a mere few feet from the stop light, and they peel out at nearly every light. Also, for some reason, they have traffic circles every few miles (ever seen one of those? Yeah, they suck and are super confusing and stupid and terrifying on MAJOR ROADS). And there are basically NO LEFT TURNS. I am not kidding. If you want to go left, you have to make a right, then make a left and then go straight. How this is better that having a left hand turn signal? I have no idea. So basically, it sucks to drive in Jersey. Avoid it at all costs.
• Triathlons are insane. Alex did really well and I am super proud of him, but these people are crazy. A 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a half marathon (13.1 miles) all in one day? Are you kidding me? I sat at the state park for over 8 hours, watching people compete. Let me tell you, the cheer-ers deserve a lot of credit for being out there all day long. I could literally nap all day today :)
• After the race, Alex and I were both starving, so we headed over the The Cracker Barrel at 5pm on a Sunday. Apparently we are 75 years old. We both ordered Chicken and Dumplings (their specialty). The food was OK, but reminded me a little too much of canned food that old folks might like. The entrance to the restaurant is a store, with odds and ends like old fashioned candy, garden accouterments, and lots of things about Jesus. It also had a dancing chicken dancing and singing to "Who let the hens out? cluck, cluck, cluck". It felt oddly like Disneyland, although the crowd was a little too old.
• We spent the majority of last evening in bed, watching cable TV (which we don't have at home). We watched "Mythbusters", which is always entertaining, and stumbled upon "Hoarders", which honestly confused me and stressed me out. A LOT. I just don't understand why people won't throw their shit away? So weird.
• Traffic in NJ/PA is not even close to how bad traffic is in LA. Driving back this AM was a PIECE of CAKE!
  

Too Much to do..

• we moved this past weekend - it was kinda a mess. I didn't have enough boxes and was still packing as friends arrived to help. Both our old street and our new streets are very narrow. Alex scraped a car as he went by - causing more of a headache than we needed.
• our friends are lifesavers and troopers. They helped us load and unload two truckloads of our junk and stuck around for pizza afterwards. It was awesome. I felt very loved since this is literally the first time anyone but my parents have helped me move. And I've moved A LOT.
  
• the new place is super duper. It's so lovely, I am waiting for something to be wrong with it.
• that something that is wrong with it happened the night before last. The roof leaks - right over our bed. Oh yeah, I am super excited about this. But the landlord seems really responsive and the roofers are coming today, hopefully.
• bike commuting is not as easy as it seems. People who drive are kinda jerks. But it is really nice to go door to door in less than 30 minutes. Faster than walking for sure!
  
• Alex is doing a half iron man triathlon this weekend. For the uninitiated, that's a 1.2 mile swim in a reservoir, a 60 mile bike ride and a half marathon (13.1 mile run). In one day. Yeah. Should be fun!
• I'm not sure what's going on with this weather lately. It was really hot and humid a couple days ago, then it was pleasant (like, 70s), and then it went back into the 50s and it's been freezing, raining and chilly for days now. Summer anyone?
• Working in my lab has gotten pretty lonely. There's only 2 of us. We don't have a lot to talk about. I am so ready to be done it's not even funny.
• We finally got our engagement pics back. If you promise not to tell my mom, I might post some.
  

Haiku Movin' on out Friday

Have been collecting
boxes for weeks - finally
time to pack them up.

***

Our last weekend in
our little house, so many
memories to keep.

***

New neighborhood, new
house, new chapter in our lives.
We're moving on up!

Walking the Perfect Square by Reed Farrel Coleman

I got this book for my mom for Christmas this past year. She is really into murder mysteries, and I had heard a review of this book / author on NPR several months earlier, so I decided to check it out. This is the first book in a series by Coleman, following ex-cop Moe Prager on some mysterious situations. This first book finds Prager, recently retired due to injury, looking for a missing college student, Patrick Maloney. The book is set in the late 70s Manhattan (and some surrounding areas) as well as modern day (well, at least 1998) and the chapters jump back and forth between the two times. Prager is a great character. The novel is written in first person, following Moe as he searches for the lost kid, getting involved in political corruption, solving unexplained situations, and making friends along the way. This was a great detective novel. It was well written, Prager is interesting and realistic, but he also has some faults. But he seems like a genuinely moral person, acting, a lot of the time, as the moral compass of the book. He's a hard drinker, but he's also a family man, keeping in touch with his brother and sister throughout the book, and making it a point to call his daughter on her birthday. He seems to genuinely like people, and "makes friends" with quite a few of the more bizarre characters. And he seems non-judgmental, which is hard to believe for an ex-NYPD! I thought this book was really excellent, for a number of reasons. The writing was believable and gritty, and almost written with a NY accent (can you do that?). The scenarios were not so out there that they were unbelievable: political corruption, friends selling you out, a lot of money changing hands, tragic consequences, etc. The majority of the story was wrapped up very nicely, and the narrator gives the reader a nice "what happened to whom" at the end of the book, making a tidy story. There were some aspects of the story that seemed a little bit more cheesy, or over-the-top, but that really didn't bother me. I couldn't put the book down and I was drawn into the novel almost as soon as I picked up the book. Plus, it's a book published by a small, independent press, which I love to support. If you're a fan of detective novels, give Coleman's work a try. I'm already into the second in this series and it looks just as good as the first!

Random

1. Both Alex and I ran the Broad St. run last Sunday. 10 miles from start to finish. The weather decided to change rapidly right before the race and it turned out to be 90 and humid (instead of the 60 and not humid it had been the week before). Nothing can really prepare you for that, let me tell you. I ended up walking a bit of the run, trying to take it easy on my body, and I did the whole run in about 2 hrs. Not record time at all, but something I am proud of. 10 miles seems far, even now!
2. We are moving in less that two weeks to a house we finally got the keys for last night. People actually said "hi" to us as we walked down the block. Weird, but nice! And the house is totally new all over - stainless appliances, new paint, jacuzzi tub, new windows, heater, a/c. And a 75 gallon water heater. I am pretty sure we will NEVER run out of hot water!
   
3. My computer broken. I mean, like, really broken. The screen went blank and apparently something in my motherboard died. So, it's been sent off to Apple land to be fixed. Hence, no pictures or anything interesting like that for at least two weeks. I am working off a computer in lab, which is kinda a pain.
4. This weekend, we are having engagement pictures taken. Don't tell my mom. It's gonna be a surprise late Mother's Day gift sent to her.
   
5. I am actually excited about going through my stuff and getting rid of a bunch of it. We are renting a gigantic Uhaul - and we are crossing our fingers it will fit down our street (it's a pretty narrow street)!
6. It's pretty hard to go to work when it's 80 and gorgeous outside. I would be so content to sit outside and read. Man, it's been a loooooong time since I've been able to do that!
   

The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti

This book was honestly the first piece of feminist literature I have read. It didn't really tell me anything I didn't know, per se, but it did emphasize and coalesce thoughts and ideas in my mind.
The hypothesis of this book is that people (the book points at men, but realistically women are involved, too), for a myriad number of reasons, mostly religious, are obsessed with female virginity. Girls are seen as having this magical thing called virginity, which the author argues is technically undefinable, which must be "saved" for their husband. This idea creates a number of problems. Firstly, girls (and women) do not have ownership of their bodies, creating a situation where women will not become educated about health care, family planning choices or prevention of STDs. Secondly, girls who no longer have this magical virginity are seen as "damaged goods" or less worthy of pretty much everything (family, relationships, etc.). These rules generally only apply to "innocent looking white girls" as opposed to any "women of color". These ideas also create an odd relationship between women's value in society and their sexuality, which, when you think about it, is really strange. Why would what you do in the bedroom have anything to do with your job, or your life outside the bedroom? For some reason, however, sexuality is tied to morality. This book makes a lot of valid points, has sufficient footnotes (although not extensive) and is written to a younger generation. I wasn't totally thrilled with the way the book was written. Being an academic, I tend to like books that are well written and well cited. I am also a bit snobbish and like to read books by authors who should be an expert in their field. Valenti writes like a blogger, and I found the whole book to be written like one long blog post. Not bad, just different from my academic reading. I did, however, really like this subject matter. In case you are wondering, here is my opinion on the whole thing:


I grew up attending private school all the way through high school. I know where a lot of these ideas in this book are coming from. I saw them firsthand, saw them developing over time into something that is now marketed and paid for by our tax dollars. I started high school at this really tiny Conservative Christian high school in a town near to where I grew up. There were literally less than 30 kids in my freshman class. The people were nice enough and I quickly made friends with a girl called J. J was a little different, wore "grunge" clothes and has pierced ears and a streak of blonde in her dark hair. Although people liked her, she didn't really have many friends, definitely no girlfriends. She told me one afternoon that one of the teachers had molested her the year before, when she was in 8th grade. I'm not sure what exactly had happened, but when I got there, the teacher had been relieved of teaching duties and was transferred to the "administration office". As far as I know, he was never punished. Even then, I remember a attitude of "she wears weird clothes and does her hair weird so she must have deserved the molestation somehow". I don't remember being bothered by this attitude at the time, but I certainly am now.
At this same school, we had PE last period. All the girls changed in the bathroom and headed out to the soccer field. I remember some girls coming in late to change, having just met their boyfriends behind the dumpster for a quickie bj. This was shortly after signing the "purity contract" with their pastor and parents, swearing before Christ to stay a virgin until marriage. Needless to say, I did not sign said contract, and there was no pressure from my parents to sign it.
After I left the school, the married Algebra teacher got a 16 year old student pregnant. The last I heard, he had left his wife and had gotten an apartment for him and the 16 year old and the baby. I wonder how they are doing now?
After we all graduated (I switched to a new school in my sophomore year), I returned to a friend's house for a big graduation party, including all the people I had started high school with and some others who were a class above or a class below us. The girl's parents were out of town, so we all spent the night at her house and drank wine coolers and hung out. At some point in time, the girl who gave the party, G, was looking for her boyfriend, F. F was nowhere to be found, although he did turn up sometime later. He had taken another girl, A, back into the bushes behind the house for a little hanky-panky and had left her there. It turned out to be my job to help A on with her panties, as she was too drunk to get them on properly.
In high school health class, we were blatantly lied to about the effectiveness of birth control methods and how the pill works. And the teacher was supposedly a nurse!
I've also been on the receiving end of quite a bit of the virgin/whore dichotomy. I have a pretty outgoing personality, and I like to meet new people. I've been accused of being too flirtatious, of being slutty because I want to go dance on the dance floor, or being a whore because a lot of my friends are guys.
Most of these stories are harmless, silly things that happen in high school (and, arguably, beyond). The thing that concerns me the most is the hypocrisy. The telling people one thing and doing/living another. Hypocrisy is the number one reason I highly dislike organized religion, and would never subject my children to any of it's bs. I would rather be up front with my children about sex. About birth control, condoms, STDs, the whole thing. Be up front, educate yourself and then at some point, when your kid grows up, they have to take responsibility for themselves. And you have to trust that you gave them a good enough education that they will insist on using a condom, or getting yearly checkups, or advocating for women's health. I'd hope to raise responsible, socially aware kids than kids that are so ignorant they don't know if a blow job can get them pregnant (trust me, I've had this conversation....).
As a biologist, the thing that concerns me the most is the lack of education. The dirty lollipop or the dirty piece of tape, the idea that a girl (or woman) is "used" - the whole thing is ridiculous and disturbing. Along with the paternal ownership of a girl's body - the whole idea is just inane. And, call me silly, but I'd want my kids (or anyone else's kids, for that matter) to be equipped with as much education on subjects as possible, before they are faced with the decision to have sex or not have sex.
The upside? I've started reading more about this whole "feminism" thing. Turns out? I guess I am one :)
Commentary an reviews can be found here.

Haiku "Yogging - I think the J is silent" Friday

Prepping for Broad Street
A ten mile run from north
to south through Philly.

***

A race including
Thirty thousand people wow!
Largest ten miler.

***

All I can think about
jog-jog-jiggity-jog from
my Dad's running days.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know what a huge fan of used book stores I am. While visiting Colorado last summer, Alex dropped me off at this great book store called Poor Richard's in downtown Colorado Springs. (As an aside, I'm not really sure why I feel the need to describe where / when I obtained this book, but, for some reason, in my mind, the book and the experience of vacation are inextricably linked). It was my perfect idea of a store, with a used book store, a coffee shop that sold delectable confections and also wine and beer. I loved that place and could have stayed there for much longer! Anyways, I picked up The Awakening by Kate Chopin while there. I'm not sure where I first heard of this book, but I do remember it was a controversial book at the time it was published (late 1800s). I'm a big fan of controversial books - anything that gets people riled up is usually a really good book, right? And this book was a really good book. The Awakening is about Mrs. Pontellier, an upper class housewife in New Orleans society. The book opens upon Mrs. Pontellier summering on an island with her two children and her husband. Her husband periodically returns to New Orleans to continue working, while Mrs. Pontellier stays at the resort with the children (and their "nanny" - Chopin actually calls the childrens' nanny a "quadroon" which was acceptable terminology at the time, but I feel is somewhat unacceptable terminology now - there are many examples of this throughout the book, which I suppose is a risk one takes when reading historical literature). At the resort, there are many families vacationing, and the reader is introduced to many social niceties and interesting dialogue, especially a lot of sayings in French or French Creole. The story is of the "awakening" of Mrs. Pontellier - that is, she discovers she is her own person, that she has her own feelings and her own self worth and that no one owns her or can tell her what to do, not even her husband. The awakening occurs gradually, over a several month period, and Mrs. Pontellier ends up shunning different societal traditions, realizing that she is in love with a man who is not her husband, and discovering that she is able to do things on her own, which is very much appealing. She somewhat abandons her children, abandons her household, leaves her husband to his trips across the country and lives her life for herself for a very brief period of time. I thought this book was brilliant, and I thought it illustrated well a struggle that women still have to this day. The idea of societal pressures, the pressure to "look good" (in whatever way you want to take that, physically, financially, job-wise, etc) and the pressure to have the perfect household, the perfect kids, the perfect marriage, etc. contrasted with what you, the individual wants, where you want to go, what you want to do with your life and how you want to portray yourself. These are all very pertinent issues that I struggle with on a daily basis. The Awakening is brilliantly written, if a bit old fashioned. It gave me a glimpse into what life might have been like over 100 years ago - and it illustrated the struggle we all still continue with. I identified with Mrs. Pontellier on many levels, and I nearly wanted to pull her out of the book and make her real so I could have a conversation with her. Chopin was a wonderful writer who received absolutely no credit for her controversial novel - I am looking forward to reading more of her work.

What a Week Haiku Friday

Rollercoaster ride
emotional and happy
feeling lucky, sad.

***

Home is so quiet
muffled, silent, only breath
Moue misses sister.

***

On my finger, a
ring, signifying a new
start, life together.

We're Engaged!

It's been a whirlwind week, that's for sure. So many things going on and so many emotions. I'm not sure I've taken it all in yet. Alex and I got engaged last night. I now have a fiance. I am a fiancee. How odd. Hasn't really sunk in yet. In case you'd like to know, here's the story.
I got home last night soaked from the rain and not having an umbrella. Alex had the kettle on for me so I got into my sweats and had a cup of tea and just sat for a bit. Alex suggested wine and pizza for dinner, so I changed back into my regular clothes and we headed out to the liquor store and the pizza joint. As we got to the pizza place, Alex stopped me and said something to the effect of, "We've been going here for a really long time, right?". I turned back to him and he had a ring in a box and he asked me to marry him. Not down on one knee, just having a conversation. It was over in a flash. I was giggly and also sad and weepy. He was all proud. It was super cute. We got our pizza and went home and called family and friends to let them know.
It's been a long time coming, I'm sure everyone knows that. We've been together for 4 years, and have been living together for 3. My parents are thrilled, and his are as well. I've been having permagrin for most of the day. The ring is a diamond, but it's called a "raw" or "unfinished" diamond. It has a ton of occlusions, alot of brown and gray flecks in it. We picked it out at a jewelry store here in Philly and asked the guy to make us a ring. It came out exactly as I wanted it to. It doesn't look like a traditional ring, it's unique, and nobody thinks it's a diamond! Love it! Oh, and I'm petting my cat. That's why it looks like I have a pelt underneath my hand Haha!
So, that's the story - no date set, no place booked, nothing is planned. I hope to get the PhD before we walk down the aisle. All we know is that we'd like our family and friends to be there and that Randi's a matron. Of honor, of course. Haha! LYLAS!

Romeo and Juliet

This review is of The Acting Company & The Guthrie Theater's Romeo and Juliet at the Annenberg Center on Penn's Campus.

Last night, we made the HUGE mistake of attending Romeo and Juliet performed at the Annenberg Theatre here on campus. I have to admit, like most Shakespeare, I have a soft spot for this play. We read it in high school, and I remember the satisfaction in finally being able to understand it after long classroom discussions. Both Alex and I were understandably brain dead after such a terrible day, but we both thought that the last Shakespeare show we had seen had been so amazingly good, that we might want to see this show. The company putting on the show was billed as "Tony Award Winning", so I thought it couldn't be bad...However, we the theatre kept sending out ads by email on discounted tickets, special "meet & greets" with the actors and other incentives to come see the show. I received a phone call that my tickets had been majically upgraded from the balcony to the orchestra section (when does THAT ever happen?). And the lobby was eerily quiet when we arrived for the show - the audience seating was nowhere near full. The show was billed as "modern", or as "trying to teach a new generation about Shakespeare". OK....I'm not sure what that means, but considering I was probably one of the few people who enjoyed Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, I thought that this billing couldn't be a bad thing, right? The show started with the traditional dialogue,

"Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."

I was so excited to hear that opening - brought back so many memories. However, all of the cast was dressed in, say, late 1800s-ish formal wear. Not super modern, right? And how would that costuming appeal to "a new generation"? OK, well, maybe I'm being too picky. No, wait, it seems the men are dressed in linen suits that are wrinkled. The womens' outfits fit oddly. As in, maybe they were padded or something (not like they are wearing a bustle, but perhaps an odd corset? Huh. That seems weird. Right? I mean, costumes made out of linen seem like a really bad idea, but most backstage areas have garment steamers, so that should have been taken out right away. And any stage production (especially, I would imagine, a "Tony Award Winning one) would have a tailor to fit costumes to the actors, right? And then the dialogue started. There is something to say for Shakespeare. He really knew what he was doing. I mean, the words and poetry are so beautiful, even with horrible actors saying the lines. It literally sounded like amateur hour, perhaps a show put on by the local high school or junior high. Romeo was whiny and ridiculous, not overly dreamy and romantic. Juliet had a pitch to her voice that was unbelievably annoying. I think she was trying to "project", but just ended up shouting. The Nurse, who is somewhat of a comic relief, was (holy lord) shouting on the top of her lungs. Mercutio was (methinks) trying to portray a "gangster type" as well as a "comic type" as well as a "pimp type". It was a little much. There was a guy who was wearing sunglasses (perhaps for youth appeal?) and appeared drunk most of the time - oh, and had no lines. Odd. The dialogue was said wrong. Things like "silly girl" were added to sonnets. There were pelvic thrusts involved, and several mocking gestures to boners. I realize that Shakespeare was written for the proletariat, and that such writing was crude in manner and suggestive in dialogue. But, I much more appreciate subtlety than outright crudeness, especially at a play billed to be for the "younger generation". I could go on and on, I am sure. But I will call it at that.
Needless to say, we left at intermission, along with, as far as I can tell, half of the audience (which was not a big audience to begin with). I am not sure what type of acting is required to act Shakespeare, but I feel that, in general, it requires real talent. These sad amateurs might have been wonderful at a more "modern" play (hardy-har-har), but for this, lacked real talent and understanding of what the words and poetry are trying to portray. Romeo and Juliet had no chemistry. There was no reason for them to be together, and Juliet was portrayed as a child, running and skipping about in mock high-heels. Its unfortunate that this was such a bad show. The first bad show we've seen at this theatre in over two years. Just, whatever you do, don't go see this show.

RIP, Sweet Girl...

Lonely Weekend Haiku Friday

Alex has gone to
cycle in West Point for the
Penn Cycling Team.

***

Home alone for the
weekend, whatever shall I
do? Haha funny!

***

As if I don't have
exactly one million things
to do any day!

Bad Boys of Dance

Holy Moly, you guys. I am turning into a teenage girl again! Bear with me....

Last night, Alex and I went to the Annenberg Theatre on campus to watch the Bad Boys of Dance. I was pleasantly surprised to see their performances were to popular songs that are super fun to dance to, such as "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas, "Bad" by Michael Jackson, "Crazy" by Prince and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. There were two parts to the show. The first part of the show was a story, about a guy and a girl and falling in love and how relationships are hard. The boys were dressed in jeans and colored T-shirts, making them look exactly like a Gap commercial. Their choreography was not as technical as some that I've seen. There were fewer interactions among the men, more physical lifts and tumbling. And MAN, were they STUNNING! Seriously! Very, very beautiful. Very. Did I get my across? Haha!
There is one woman in the show, Adrienne Canterna-Thomas, the wife of the founder, Rasta Thomas. She is full of energy, a great addition to the show, providing a lot of fun and distraction. The men dancing each had some particular talent - like tap dancing, tumbling, classical ballet. They have really stunning bodies, they completely interact with the audience, mostly by yelling, mouthing the words to the songs, or winking or making some funny faces or dance moves. The whole group is so energetic and so lively, I almost wanted to join them on stage. The lady next to us nearly did. She was dancing in her chair, a few times I thought she would end up in Alex's lap! The show is energetic, athletic, super cute and very attractive. AND? If you cheer hard enough, the do an encore performance to "I'm too Sexy" by Right Said Fred. Shirtless. And we were nearly in the front row. Teehee!

The Invention of Lying

I'm not sure why this movie appealed to me so much. I think, mostly, I loved, loved, loved the cast. I also thought it was a funny premise for a movie - that the whole world exists and no one tells a lie? Hysterical, right? Well....actually, I'm not sure what it was. Alex called it "cute". I thought it was "nice", maybe? I'm not sure. There were definitely some funny parts, but sometimes the dialogue was more awkward than funny. I mean, you can only tell Ricky Gervais that he's chubby so many times before it gets kinda tired, and eventually, pretty sad. And Jennifer Garner can only talk about masturbating so much before it gets somewhat uncomfortable, right? I guess, perhaps, this movie is not meant to be funny. Or, perhaps, it's not meant to be so much a comedy as a commentary on life in general, I suppose. The story goes that Ricky Gervais lives in a world where no one can lie. He falls in love with Jennifer Garner's character, who promptly tells him that she is out of his league and would not be going on any more dates with him. He gets fired from his job and has no money and has no idea what to do. He then finds out he is able to tell lies. What follows is a somewhat bizarre turn of events. His mother is dying, and he lies to her, telling her that life doesn't just end, but it continues on (in a somewhat modified version of the Christian idea of heaven). People overhear him, and the entire world camps out, waiting for him to tell them what he knows about death (and life, I suppose), turning him into a bit of a "Messiah" figure, so to speak.
I'm not quite sure what the idea was behind this movie. It was a tad slow - reminded me a bit of "Pleasantville" or other movies like it, where the characters are so naive and boring. Jennifer Garner's character keeps telling Ricky Gervais that they are not "genetically" compatible, and that she does not want to have chubby, snub nosed, little kids. Which, honestly, made her a somewhat unsympathetic character. I didn't really like her much - and I really, really love her usually. Ricky Gervais was mostly just depressing (although, I am assuming, this is what he was going for) and the whole movie just seemed to be an ill-thought through rom-com. I am a bit on the fence about this one. The cast was really good. But I'm just not sure....at least it wasn't very long...

Random Tidbits

• Signed a lease on our new place - so super nice! A jacuzzi tub, a backyard (city style, but still really nice) and 1.5 baths! Woo hoo! And cheaper rent than we pay now, to boot! Yay! Will be living a but farther out from school (about 3 miles), but that's OK. I think I'll become a bike commuter.
  
• Hurt my heel running. I guess I do have something in common with Achilles.
• Did not run at all this weekend. Kinda bummed out about that.
• Found Oxnard Strawberries at Reading Terminal this weekend. Bought 4 lbs and made some Strawberry Shortcake with fresh whipped cream - YUM!
• Watched The Invention of Lying and really liked it - more on that later this week.
• Made plans to go to Yellowstone with practically the whole family. Poor Alex, he'll be dragged along on a memorable, family filled Model T vacation this fall.
• Finished my taxes and sent them off. Phew!
  

Polar Opposites Haiku Friday

Good and bad, sad and
mad. Looking forward, glancing
back. Where to go next?

***

Life's never as you
thought, never perfect, always
messy, surprising.

***

Growing up, moving
on: new place, new neighborhood
On to the next step!

Current Pet Peeves

For whatever reason, I'm a bit snappy lately. Not sure if it's the fact that it's gorgeous weather outside and I'm stuck inside with an endless list of experiments to do. Or that we're moving in about a month and I'm not at all prepared. Or the myriad number of things I should be doing instead of killing time reading the internet. Who knows? Therefore, I present a list of things that bug me:

• Tiger Woods - anything and everything Tiger Woods. I could honestly care less about him, his golf game, his misogynist golf club where he's playing or the fact that he missed his son's first birthday. Hello? You're the jackass that decided to screw everything in sight! You're the one who screwed up, you should pay for it. I don't feel one bit bad for you and I wish your wife would take you for all you're worth.
• The local news here in Philadelphia. No matter what station, no matter what time, the news is SO bad. The stories presented are not presented well. There are blurbs (short, with very little detail) about SERIOUS CRIME here in the city. However, apparently, because they involve minorities or poor neighborhoods, the get little, if no, air time. Instead, I have to listen to a nearly 5 minute discussion about "going green" while having sex. Seriously - they said NOT to use latex condoms! Hello, HIV?? STD?? Anyone??
• I hurt my hell somehow. I have no idea, but I'm sure it has something to do with my flip flops and walking about a hundred miles in them (whoops!). Now, my heel is killing me, I am back to wearing actual shoes and I have dance lessons with Alex tonight. Ugh. My entire life is walking - to/from work, all over my lab and my workplace. And every step hurts. Plus, I need to continue training for this 10 mile run in less than a month. Great.
  
• We have a paper towel dispenser in our bathroom at work. The paper towels are on a roll and sometimes the paper towels get stuck, or need to be re-loaded in the dispenser. Does anyone on this floor do this? I fix it every day. Is it hard to fix? No. Sometimes, I just wonder about people.
• Now, I am not usually one to complain about the weather. For the last few days, it has been gorgeous and amazing and lovely. However, it has been 90! Don't get me wrong, I like sunny warm days. But seriously? 90 in the beginning of April? Holy moly - what will summer have in store for us?
• I am so irritated about the way people are allowed to treat kids. I am not OK with a school deciding to cancel prom simply because a girl wants to bring her girlfriend. I am also not OK with kids not being able to express themselves in school. Granted, anything promoting hatred should not be allowed. But wearing clothing that depicts your religion, your sexual orientation, your identity should be fine. Even is it's screaming "I'm gay!". It would do a lot of people a lot of good to open your fucking eyes and see the world around you. A gay kid is not a threat to the fabric of society. But ostracizing one is.
  

All right, I think I'm off my soapbox for now....