...getting teary thanks for Dr. Phil.
...deciding that I do need a 5th cup of tea.
...being able to debate my outfit for a relaxed concert for hours at end.
...starting on Wikipedia to learn about Stephen Jay Gould and ending up on YouTube. Dammit.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Growing up
So yesterday I felt I had a very 'adult' moment that despite my banana being fully ripe, kind of squishy and with several bruises, I forced myself to eat it all so that I could get some fruit with my lunch. Not too long ago I would have pitched it, or turned it into some kind of baked good or pancake. So I do feel as though I am maturing with time.
I also had a very civilized evening last night, dinner at my friend Jess's where we had delish mac and cheese, salad with a homemade vinaigrette, garlic bread and cookies, and ate in her very grown up (coordinated! painted! with surround sound!) living room. We discussed work and watched a movie, although the maturity did drop for a bit when she called her boyfriend to swear at him for messing up the entertainment system as he had just installed a brand new Xbox.
I'm at the point in my life where other people perceive me as an adult. I know several people who are engaged, married and even a few with children. I live myself in an apartment many would call civilized purely due to the fact that we have a china cabinet within which different kinds of glasses and tea cups are lined up in a row. But I still don't consider myself an adult. This is partly due to the fact that I'm still in school, the grad school life being one that still encourages sleeping in when you can, and taking long lunches whenever possible, especially if the food is free. I am essentially financially independent, but its not with a whole lot of finances. I probably will not consider myself to be properly an adult until I have a 'real', well paying job, or even until I buy a house or something similarly scary. But that brings us to another child like moment - I still have no real idea of what I want to be when I grow up. A big point right now is ideally not having to go back to school after I finish this degree. I'm frankly getting sick of having to work in the evenings and weekends, and would like a job where I can wear cute outfits, and that will ideally give me a blackberry ;). I think I want to save the world, and one day be elected to Parliament but the details of which are still hazy. Le sigh.
So as I sit here surrounded by papers and a sleeping kitty, trying to keep the tv turned off so I have a fighting chance at productivity, I feel both buoyed by the good results I had yesterday and discouraged that I need about 300 more of those before I can graduate. But once I graduate, I have to stop hitting the snooze button on life, so maybe I shouldn't be in such a rush..... ;)
I also had a very civilized evening last night, dinner at my friend Jess's where we had delish mac and cheese, salad with a homemade vinaigrette, garlic bread and cookies, and ate in her very grown up (coordinated! painted! with surround sound!) living room. We discussed work and watched a movie, although the maturity did drop for a bit when she called her boyfriend to swear at him for messing up the entertainment system as he had just installed a brand new Xbox.
I'm at the point in my life where other people perceive me as an adult. I know several people who are engaged, married and even a few with children. I live myself in an apartment many would call civilized purely due to the fact that we have a china cabinet within which different kinds of glasses and tea cups are lined up in a row. But I still don't consider myself an adult. This is partly due to the fact that I'm still in school, the grad school life being one that still encourages sleeping in when you can, and taking long lunches whenever possible, especially if the food is free. I am essentially financially independent, but its not with a whole lot of finances. I probably will not consider myself to be properly an adult until I have a 'real', well paying job, or even until I buy a house or something similarly scary. But that brings us to another child like moment - I still have no real idea of what I want to be when I grow up. A big point right now is ideally not having to go back to school after I finish this degree. I'm frankly getting sick of having to work in the evenings and weekends, and would like a job where I can wear cute outfits, and that will ideally give me a blackberry ;). I think I want to save the world, and one day be elected to Parliament but the details of which are still hazy. Le sigh.
So as I sit here surrounded by papers and a sleeping kitty, trying to keep the tv turned off so I have a fighting chance at productivity, I feel both buoyed by the good results I had yesterday and discouraged that I need about 300 more of those before I can graduate. But once I graduate, I have to stop hitting the snooze button on life, so maybe I shouldn't be in such a rush..... ;)
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Spare the cute ones!
Prince Harry serving on Afghanistan front lines
Why do they have to send the one with non-thinning hair to the front lines? This says that the fact that he was serving was supposed to be on a media blackout, but was recently broken by the Drudge Report. I have a love/hate relationship with the Drudge report, it does serve a valuable purpose in making a lot of stuff known that might otherwise be. However, it cannot pretend its not part of the news media and there are a few things which should not be reported on. This will have an impact on Harry's safety (if he's not being pulled back in response) and so I hope they considered carefully the impact of this report.
Why do they have to send the one with non-thinning hair to the front lines? This says that the fact that he was serving was supposed to be on a media blackout, but was recently broken by the Drudge Report. I have a love/hate relationship with the Drudge report, it does serve a valuable purpose in making a lot of stuff known that might otherwise be. However, it cannot pretend its not part of the news media and there are a few things which should not be reported on. This will have an impact on Harry's safety (if he's not being pulled back in response) and so I hope they considered carefully the impact of this report.
Reading week.... not
So it's my first year as a graduate student and I have for a long time thought that once I got to reading week I would be annoyed and sad to keep having to go to work when all the undergrads are off having fun in the sun. And I have been terribly envious of all the people posting pictures of their lovely looking vacations, especially from the people who went on this year's Queen's biology field course to Argentina. This time last year, I was tramping up hills galore in Mexico, looking very outdoorsy and while not having a proper vacation, I was warm. Oh so warm.
These days, as it is currently -16 degrees in Montreal, the closest I'm getting to Mexico is when I break a sweat on the elliptical. Le sigh.
But I have to admit, that beyond the holidaying envy (which is somewhat assuaged by my plan to run off to Costa Rica next winter with my labmates).... working through reading week is not that bad. The shuttles are still running and there was about 6 people when I took it on Monday and Tuesday. The traffic seems not so bad. My friend who I carpool with is back now, and so I've gotten to ride in comfort (thanks to Starbucks both mornings) the last 2 days. And it's blissfully quiet out here on Mac. I don't have to try 2 different bathrooms to find an available stall. There are no undergrads screeching at each other outside my door. I'm even being pretty productive. So while I would prefer to be on a beach, being in my lab listening to Kylie Minogue is really not so horrible.
Liz (see the roomie at the right) has been posting several messages to the cat recently as she's been working from home and had more opportunity for the cat to get her up in the morning. When I'm going into work I often get up before the cat thinks is sane so I'm usually safe from her trying to get me up. So without that option for blog writing, and no undergrads to rant about, I'm not quite sure what to finish this post with except for..... HAWKESLY! Seeing him tomorrow night, so excited, although I don't seem to have developed the tourrets that Ashleigh has. With that bit of non-PCness I guess I'll get back to work.... ;)
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Welcome to CANADA
Dear undergrads sitting next to me in the library study area: complaining about being cold will not bring you sympathy when you're wearing a TANK TOP with half of your stomach showing. It was -17 this morning, you're sitting next to a window. Could there possibly be a draft? The sweatpants you're wearing are a good start on the bottom, as are your giant weird moon boots but I think you're working against yourself with your choice of wardrobe for your top half.
I'm currently sitting here because my primers that I need to start working today aren't here yet, and I can have my coffee here as I work (fine, look at articles while I check facebook, but I am organizing my thoughts....). You are likely sitting here studying for your upcoming Biochemistry midterm while skipping another class to do so. I think I'm beginning to see a trend in your logic.....
I'm currently sitting here because my primers that I need to start working today aren't here yet, and I can have my coffee here as I work (fine, look at articles while I check facebook, but I am organizing my thoughts....). You are likely sitting here studying for your upcoming Biochemistry midterm while skipping another class to do so. I think I'm beginning to see a trend in your logic.....
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Ahhhhh
Ingredients for a great night:
-eating KD and dogs
-American Idol with cute boys singing and Paula being absolutely batshit (your voice is coming from beautiful colours.... WTF?). I want to know what she's on.
-my roommate's magic hands getting rid of the tension in my neck
-Barack slapping down Hillary in Wisconsin
-the West Wing on DVD, and early to bed (also not having to get up super early tomorrow!)
Combined with the possibility I may have solved one of my lab troubles, I'm having a pretty good night. Hope you are too.
-eating KD and dogs
-American Idol with cute boys singing and Paula being absolutely batshit (your voice is coming from beautiful colours.... WTF?). I want to know what she's on.
-my roommate's magic hands getting rid of the tension in my neck
-Barack slapping down Hillary in Wisconsin
-the West Wing on DVD, and early to bed (also not having to get up super early tomorrow!)
Combined with the possibility I may have solved one of my lab troubles, I'm having a pretty good night. Hope you are too.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Dear Mother Nature....
ENOUGH WITH THE SNOW ALREADY! Jeez...... flinging myself across snowbanks to get onto the bus at 7 o'clock in the morning is NOT my idea of fun. While I was happy to hear that the colder winter has led to much improved conditions in the north, there's a nice cold Canadian winter and then there's the insanity currently going on outside my window. 'Kay? Thanks, Anna
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Up and down
Today was a day when things both went well and then not so well, as you will see as my day goes from good thing to bad thing...
7:17 am: awake but decided to not try and make the early bus, so hit the snooze - GOOD THING
8:54 am: girl at Tims manages to give me coffee instead of tea, which I realize once I'm sitting on the bus, and feel I still need to drink it because I'm a) cold and tired, and b) trying to be a good person and not waste food - BAD THING (as you will see later)
9:02 am: Christine shows up on the bus, saving me from feeling like I have to read. Huzzah - GOOD THING!
10:08 am: get to the lab to find the thermocycler occupied - OK THING, go off to the library to read instead.
11:48 am: have yummy cheese and broccoli thing for lunch - GOOD THING.
11:49 am: squirt cheese on my sweater - BAD THING. (Damn you boobage!)
12:30 pm: get PCR in, feel quite perky! GOOD THING.
1:09 pm: realize that perkiness due to a much greater amount of caffeine in my system than usual, and feeling a headache coming on to attest to that - BAD THING.
3:45 pm: have gotten a lot of good reading done today - GOOD THING.
4:00 pm: find NADA on my gel - VERY BAD AND ANNOYING THING THAT MAKES ME WANT TO THROW THE THERMOCYCLER AGAINST THE WALL....deep breaths...
5:00 pm: leaving school at 4:30, have gotten home in record time, pleased that my ride to Mac will also be going in the spring - GOOD THING.
7:00 pm: leave gym feeling as though I could have killed the little old lady who kept stealing my exercise ball whenever I moved away for a few minutes, or the girl who stayed on the elliptical I have reserved for 5 minutes longer than she was supposed to - BAD THING.
9:00 pm: have eaten yummy dinner (burger with sweet potato fries), made cute valentines and Obama wins the Potomac Primaries!!!!!! VERY GOOD THINGS.
11:54 pm: am tearing around the house cleaning because I think there is still caffeine in my system, until have to stop because Liz goes to bed - BAD THING.
So I'm now in my own bed but am still feeling peppy. It's a good thing I don't have to go out to Mac tomorrow! ;)
7:17 am: awake but decided to not try and make the early bus, so hit the snooze - GOOD THING
8:54 am: girl at Tims manages to give me coffee instead of tea, which I realize once I'm sitting on the bus, and feel I still need to drink it because I'm a) cold and tired, and b) trying to be a good person and not waste food - BAD THING (as you will see later)
9:02 am: Christine shows up on the bus, saving me from feeling like I have to read. Huzzah - GOOD THING!
10:08 am: get to the lab to find the thermocycler occupied - OK THING, go off to the library to read instead.
11:48 am: have yummy cheese and broccoli thing for lunch - GOOD THING.
11:49 am: squirt cheese on my sweater - BAD THING. (Damn you boobage!)
12:30 pm: get PCR in, feel quite perky! GOOD THING.
1:09 pm: realize that perkiness due to a much greater amount of caffeine in my system than usual, and feeling a headache coming on to attest to that - BAD THING.
3:45 pm: have gotten a lot of good reading done today - GOOD THING.
4:00 pm: find NADA on my gel - VERY BAD AND ANNOYING THING THAT MAKES ME WANT TO THROW THE THERMOCYCLER AGAINST THE WALL....deep breaths...
5:00 pm: leaving school at 4:30, have gotten home in record time, pleased that my ride to Mac will also be going in the spring - GOOD THING.
7:00 pm: leave gym feeling as though I could have killed the little old lady who kept stealing my exercise ball whenever I moved away for a few minutes, or the girl who stayed on the elliptical I have reserved for 5 minutes longer than she was supposed to - BAD THING.
9:00 pm: have eaten yummy dinner (burger with sweet potato fries), made cute valentines and Obama wins the Potomac Primaries!!!!!! VERY GOOD THINGS.
11:54 pm: am tearing around the house cleaning because I think there is still caffeine in my system, until have to stop because Liz goes to bed - BAD THING.
So I'm now in my own bed but am still feeling peppy. It's a good thing I don't have to go out to Mac tomorrow! ;)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Me and libraries
Over the years, I've formed somewhat one of a symbiotic relationship with university libraries. It's where I do my best reading and writing - and sometimes even of stuff related to academia! As many know, I had a long standing, deeply committed relationship with Douglas Library at Queen's and thinking of our break up still brings up some sad memories. (See me breaking up with it on Convocation day).
I am currently in the Mac library, trying to write responses to as many articles as I can in the next hour or so, and of course have been distracted. But it's OK because I already have a number done and know that soon the atmosphere of the library is going to sweep me away into a fit of productivity.
My fellow inmate, I mean MSc student Christine posted a while ago about people having their cell phones in the gym, which I absolutely agree with as being insane. I don't even bring my cell phone to the gym as I often only go there and back in less than 2 hours and really if you need to contact me, its because of some international emergency and lets hope that my gym won't have the fishing show on that point, but rather the news so I can find out for myself. There are a number of people who make calls while at my gym, usually when I'm wanting the mat they are currently half stretching on, and restraining myself from lobbing a weight at their head. Though they're not as amusing as the little old ladies who wear their pearls to work out. That'll be me in fifty or so years.
My cell phone is my buddy, no matter how often I leave it somewhere and it must take lonely messages for me, but I find it kind of liberating to step away from it. Though, I can't completely step away as the faux bling I put on it is often getting stuck to my clothes these days....There are days that I really want a blackberry so I can always get my e-mail too but as I am enough of an e-mail junkie as it is, I don't think it would be healthy at all.
Whoops, I did just recieve a text message though! I think that I shall answer it and hopefully that my new amore Mac will soon help me seem brilliant for yet another day.
Monday, February 4, 2008
The States are SUPER
It seems that its not only in Texas, but everything is bigger in the States. Their food (have you ever stopped for lunch somewhere in Maine on your way to the East Coast? The plates are HUGE!) is big, many of their women's hair is big, and both their football and a day of the week we Canadians know as just plain old Tuesday (or for us lapsed Catholics, Pancake Tuesday!), are SUPER.
SUPER.
What makes the football super? Is it the 6 HOURS of pre-show leading up to it? Is it Paula Abdul lip-synching her way through what she is praying is her comeback? The Kanye playing as the Giants came in (well, Kanye is pretty super actually....). The fact that the Pats lost in the last minute? Well, that's just kinda sad in my book. I was pulling for them, they worked really hard all season but the picture of Bridget Monyahan (Tom Brady's babymama who he left for Gisele Bundchen) looking pretty cheerful last night did make me laugh.
But let's turn our attention to pancakes. I mean Tuesday (I'm in the library and am in the mood for something sweet, thus the food freudian slip). Tuesday is, in my opinion, going to be super because of the sheer insanity of it! Over twenty states holding primaries (I think, its been almost an hour since I've checked CNN), incredibly close races being duked out among both the Democrats and Republicans.... it's going to be amazing! I am pulling for my buddy Obama (as 22 minutes said 'Once you go Barack, you can't go back'), hope that Huckabee gets smacked down for his Creationism loving ways but overall, am looking forward to the coverage. Nothing makes me giggle like pundits trying to sound smarter than they actually are, and find causality when really people vote for the guy who they like, or the woman who they think is all soft and emotional, and likely not the guy who wears the weird underpants. (Sorry Romney!)
SUPER.
What makes the football super? Is it the 6 HOURS of pre-show leading up to it? Is it Paula Abdul lip-synching her way through what she is praying is her comeback? The Kanye playing as the Giants came in (well, Kanye is pretty super actually....). The fact that the Pats lost in the last minute? Well, that's just kinda sad in my book. I was pulling for them, they worked really hard all season but the picture of Bridget Monyahan (Tom Brady's babymama who he left for Gisele Bundchen) looking pretty cheerful last night did make me laugh.
But let's turn our attention to pancakes. I mean Tuesday (I'm in the library and am in the mood for something sweet, thus the food freudian slip). Tuesday is, in my opinion, going to be super because of the sheer insanity of it! Over twenty states holding primaries (I think, its been almost an hour since I've checked CNN), incredibly close races being duked out among both the Democrats and Republicans.... it's going to be amazing! I am pulling for my buddy Obama (as 22 minutes said 'Once you go Barack, you can't go back'), hope that Huckabee gets smacked down for his Creationism loving ways but overall, am looking forward to the coverage. Nothing makes me giggle like pundits trying to sound smarter than they actually are, and find causality when really people vote for the guy who they like, or the woman who they think is all soft and emotional, and likely not the guy who wears the weird underpants. (Sorry Romney!)
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Recently....
Sometimes I feel as though it would be nice that I could just have an announcer do a brief summation of what happened to me last week, because as I get to the end of the weekend and face Monday again, I must admit the details of what has just passed are hazy. Which is in part why I'm neurotic about writing in my lab book what I've done, what I want to do next, etc.
Lab work really has not much progressed since I last posted. No longer seen to be contamination though (knock on wood), but a weird byproduct of the reaction. Hopefully I can clear that up this week and finally be moving forwards.
I saw the SPICE GIRLS on Thursday, and it was amazing. I was singing and dancing, and rather enjoyed that they seemed to be like my friends, they were bantering and laughing. Though they do have better shoes than me (other than Mel C, I appreciate her independent streak but some of her outfits.... *shudders*). So I am listening to more Spice Girls these days, hopefully it can keep me from throwing a thermocycler across the room.
Haven't felt at my best this weekend so rather than fulfilling my ambitious plans of gymming both days and doing lots of homework.... I watched the West Wing and ate ice cream. Erk. Next week, I swear, or I think that's what I swore....
Lab work really has not much progressed since I last posted. No longer seen to be contamination though (knock on wood), but a weird byproduct of the reaction. Hopefully I can clear that up this week and finally be moving forwards.
I saw the SPICE GIRLS on Thursday, and it was amazing. I was singing and dancing, and rather enjoyed that they seemed to be like my friends, they were bantering and laughing. Though they do have better shoes than me (other than Mel C, I appreciate her independent streak but some of her outfits.... *shudders*). So I am listening to more Spice Girls these days, hopefully it can keep me from throwing a thermocycler across the room.
Haven't felt at my best this weekend so rather than fulfilling my ambitious plans of gymming both days and doing lots of homework.... I watched the West Wing and ate ice cream. Erk. Next week, I swear, or I think that's what I swore....
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