Merry Christmas Eve!

Back on the couch, still freezing.... going to go and watch tv online in bed but first wanted to wish everyone the very happiest of Christmases! (and Hannukah, and Kwanzaa, and Festivus, and.... whatever you celebrate, make it great!)

Ah, Christmastime

I love Christmas break.

I am sitting on my couch, watchin the Hills, after helping the Mumster decorate the house, in my pjs and am very comfy. Christmas is awesome.

I've spent the last few days shopping with friends, having dinner and parties with people, wrapping, its just been very pleasant. The holiday also started off spectacularly by going to see the 'Nutcracker' with Liz before we left for our respective homes. It was absolutely beautiful. I had been a little stressed out that day with packing, errands, and a number of e-mails from my supervisor over stuff I thought was done with up until we left for the ballet, but I've now convinced mysel to take a break and not think about work until at least after Christmas. I will have some writing to do at that point, but I have enough to do getting ready for the holiday before that. 
I've thought of some more serious things to post about, especially some pet peeves I've recently developed based on opinions expressed by other people about grad school, but I'm not feeling smart enough to express them tonight. 

If I don't get a chance to post again before Christmas, have the happiest of holidays! (I hope you get a great haul of presents!)

P.S. Am a sheep, joined Twitter. You can follow me on the side too.

Sleepy yet bored

So filled out one of these silly things: (Guadalupe Storm Petrel, who oddly enough seems to reference the subject of my honours thesis)

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train - bus, yes - SUCKED
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort 
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors - hopefully this coming year, post MSc!
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - glorious summers working
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa - my lifelong dream!!
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia - want to so bad!
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House - if being outside and looking in counts
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - does Peter Mackay count? I so need to use that photo some day...

92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant

Dammit, just found more things for my to do list....

Ha!

A recent article published in OIKOS showed that increasing beer consumption among scientists was correlated with fewer publications, citations and overall impact in the literature.

But I totally beat this trend because I prefer VODKA. Take that! 

I have a committee meeting in a few minutes, please excuse me while I try to keep myself from vomiting from the stress....

Update: it went fine, as usual. I am a dork.

Roller coaster

This week has been... interesting to say the least. I've had both highs and lows, based on how I feel about the data I'm currently analyzing. There's more variation than there should be, but I think I'm addressing it and the results are still valid. I had really hoped to get a publication out of this stuff, even a small one, but I keep dithering on whether it's actually doable. I have decided I'm writing up the article, to be a chapter in my thesis and to be reviewed by the communities I work with though, so the work will not be for naught even if its not quite up to publication. I really enjoy the graphs I gotten from it though.
So the work has been up and down. Similarly, so has my actual will to work. I have 4 days left of real productivity to be sought after, before I get to go home for the holidays and see some friends I haven't seen in over a year! There will be shopping, and baking, and parties..... I really can't wait.
The crazy snow we got hasn't helped either. It has been lovely to look at and induce dreams of christmas, thus adding to the lack of will to work, and making getting home a nightmare. It took me 2 and a HALF hours to get home on Tuesday! I stayed home Wednesday, only to venture out later and marvel at all the ice coating the trees, which was really quite lovely.
(I took pictures of this magical ice on my Blackberry but they have unfortunately turned out rather blurry, sorry!)
In any case, this week has actually finished off quite well and I've completed the stuff that needed to be, which for grad school, is pretty damn good.
I'm looking forward to the weekend, lots of relaxing and also hope to have fun with a few people. You have a good weekend too!
P.S. A good thing - I'm pretty happy with how Ignatieff is doing so far as the head of the liberals, I think he's striking the right now in terms of being open to talk, but maintaining the hard line. I will, however, miss Stephane Dion very much. In case you ever read this - my friend Christine and I will totally take you out for drinks to drown your sorrows. Give me a shout, it'll be a blast, we'll braid each other's hair and talk about the environment.

Christmastime

In other news, I have too many people on my Christmas list and Twig is getting tired of transcribing cards for me....