20121229
List time
1) The cells (yeah those that I screwed up on before break) lives! YAY I have experiments. Oh wait. Oh well better than the alternative.
2) Have now tried honeydew green rooibos and apple-spice chai.. The rooibos is very good (thanks Kate!) and conveniently caffeine free so I can actually drink it on weekdays after work. The chai is somewhat lackluster. Maybe it's because I'm used to Tazo's chai tea but this version seems very...bland. Not very fruity and certainly not very much of that distinctive blend of spice that is the main reason I keep buying chai.
3) I went and saw RISE OF THE GUARDIANS today, which I liked very much (though I'm sure it's not to everyone's taste) and bought my tickets for it early. ...so I took a brief walk through the mall before show time and discovered that a bunch of clothing stores are having sales and managed to find the plain, long-sleeved tees that I have been hunting for at 5$ each. VICTORY IS MINE.
4) I mentioned wanting to try the cheap Monoprice drawing tablets while at home and my father decided that since he has no idea what to get me for presents, ever, I should just order it for Christmas and he'll pay for it. This is the tablet that costed 51$, shipping included (needless to say my Wacom costed MUCH more) and it came in yesterday! So far the verdict is that the sensitivity setting is way different and there's less of a gradation, at least in Photoshop, for changing the size of the brush based on pen pressure. As in it goes from very small to very large VERY quickly. Also the drawing surface is textured, which I'm not sure how I feel about. On one hand it's more like sketching on a textured sketchbook. On the other hand it SHOWS in Photoshop. I think I prefer the Wacom because if you drew smooth and wanted texture you can still do a filter later on, whereas if you drew textured...it's not so much of an option anymore. Anyway, the package came from the driver installation disc and replacement tips (bless them, Wacom would never do as much) so on the whole this is a pretty good deal for traveling tablet that's going to inevitably go through some wear and tear and possibly get tea spilled on. The only thing to note is that I can't install both drivers on the same computer. Or at least Photoshop Does Not Like It and will not have the sensitivity setting for one if the other is also installed. I run a windows 7 with PS CS6 and I'll admit I panicked a little when the Wacom sensitivity suddenly died on me. (All fixed now though!)
2) Have now tried honeydew green rooibos and apple-spice chai.. The rooibos is very good (thanks Kate!) and conveniently caffeine free so I can actually drink it on weekdays after work. The chai is somewhat lackluster. Maybe it's because I'm used to Tazo's chai tea but this version seems very...bland. Not very fruity and certainly not very much of that distinctive blend of spice that is the main reason I keep buying chai.
3) I went and saw RISE OF THE GUARDIANS today, which I liked very much (though I'm sure it's not to everyone's taste) and bought my tickets for it early. ...so I took a brief walk through the mall before show time and discovered that a bunch of clothing stores are having sales and managed to find the plain, long-sleeved tees that I have been hunting for at 5$ each. VICTORY IS MINE.
4) I mentioned wanting to try the cheap Monoprice drawing tablets while at home and my father decided that since he has no idea what to get me for presents, ever, I should just order it for Christmas and he'll pay for it. This is the tablet that costed 51$, shipping included (needless to say my Wacom costed MUCH more) and it came in yesterday! So far the verdict is that the sensitivity setting is way different and there's less of a gradation, at least in Photoshop, for changing the size of the brush based on pen pressure. As in it goes from very small to very large VERY quickly. Also the drawing surface is textured, which I'm not sure how I feel about. On one hand it's more like sketching on a textured sketchbook. On the other hand it SHOWS in Photoshop. I think I prefer the Wacom because if you drew smooth and wanted texture you can still do a filter later on, whereas if you drew textured...it's not so much of an option anymore. Anyway, the package came from the driver installation disc and replacement tips (bless them, Wacom would never do as much) so on the whole this is a pretty good deal for traveling tablet that's going to inevitably go through some wear and tear and possibly get tea spilled on. The only thing to note is that I can't install both drivers on the same computer. Or at least Photoshop Does Not Like It and will not have the sensitivity setting for one if the other is also installed. I run a windows 7 with PS CS6 and I'll admit I panicked a little when the Wacom sensitivity suddenly died on me. (All fixed now though!)
20121226
Have just tried to explain to my father my theory that we get warm more quickly when drinking something hot than when eating something because water has a very high specific heat.
Also: suspect that parents have in fact packed away my mass in food to take back with me. No complaints though since affection in my family is shown with food, apparently, so am going to interpret the amount of freezing I will have to do upon arriving home tomorrow as appreciating affection. There is a lot of affection. Some of which are probably crunchy.
Also: suspect that parents have in fact packed away my mass in food to take back with me. No complaints though since affection in my family is shown with food, apparently, so am going to interpret the amount of freezing I will have to do upon arriving home tomorrow as appreciating affection. There is a lot of affection. Some of which are probably crunchy.
20121222
20121221
20121220
20121218
20121217
20121216
Outed myself as ace to another friend today and her comment is that maybe I'll "feel differently" when I'm no longer working so many hours a week (there were other comments as well). For which I tried to explain to her why I find that kind of talk is a bit not good (sexual orientation is not a result of life style nor -- the more troublesome implication -- something that could be "cured" if you changed your life style) and she said by the way of excuse that she's never heard of "asexuality" before today.
And then we moved on to other topics and I discovered that her opinion on the restaurant calling customers "fat girls" incident (x) and she announced that she considers both sides to blame, meaning that the bartender should not have done what he did but the girls shouldn't have made such a fuss about it because they really are overweight. Because she considers obesity to be a fault of the individual, as a marker for...I don't know, lack of self control? Will to exercise? And so I spent some time explaining why THAT is a bit not good.
...and I ...don't want to lecture my friends and I try so very hard not to come across as a snobbish know-it-all, but when someone makes comments like that not out of ignorance but because they didn't have all the information, I can't help but want to provide the information because I really do believe that they wouldn't have the same opinion if only they knew better. And isn't that presumptuous of me? Who am I to assign myself the role of the educator? To designate what the "better" of knowing better? I have the right to speak up on asexuality because I am ace but should I refrain from commenting on the wrongness people making judgmental remarks on people who don't fit the "skinny" expectations of the society because I am, myself, "skinny" and therefore don't have first person experience of the discrimination, save for the brief period in 5th-6th grade when I was chubby? Should I not speak up for trans discrimination because I am cis? I don't think so. There's really no conflict-free way of making a stance, and the best way I can think of to handle this is to point out what I think is wrong, do my best to explain why that is and engage an active discussion about it, and always defer to the people who have first hand experience of the topic. I really can't think of a better way to handle it than that.
Also I'll admit that I'm still smarting a little from her variation of "it's just a phrase / it's not real" comment on asexuality, not because I don't encounter it often, but because she's my friend and I honestly didn't expect her to make that kind of comment. I don't think I am being too judgmental or holding my friends to too high a standard when I expect them to acknowledge what I am telling them first instead of having an initial response, almost reflexively, to deny. Though I suppose I should give her credit for honesty, the fact that she had zero ill intent, and definitely zero clue that she had just spent a few minutes trying to invalid my experiences.
It was all very civil. We had hot chocolate and our time together ended on amicable terms, so it definitely could've been worse.
And then we moved on to other topics and I discovered that her opinion on the restaurant calling customers "fat girls" incident (x) and she announced that she considers both sides to blame, meaning that the bartender should not have done what he did but the girls shouldn't have made such a fuss about it because they really are overweight. Because she considers obesity to be a fault of the individual, as a marker for...I don't know, lack of self control? Will to exercise? And so I spent some time explaining why THAT is a bit not good.
...and I ...don't want to lecture my friends and I try so very hard not to come across as a snobbish know-it-all, but when someone makes comments like that not out of ignorance but because they didn't have all the information, I can't help but want to provide the information because I really do believe that they wouldn't have the same opinion if only they knew better. And isn't that presumptuous of me? Who am I to assign myself the role of the educator? To designate what the "better" of knowing better? I have the right to speak up on asexuality because I am ace but should I refrain from commenting on the wrongness people making judgmental remarks on people who don't fit the "skinny" expectations of the society because I am, myself, "skinny" and therefore don't have first person experience of the discrimination, save for the brief period in 5th-6th grade when I was chubby? Should I not speak up for trans discrimination because I am cis? I don't think so. There's really no conflict-free way of making a stance, and the best way I can think of to handle this is to point out what I think is wrong, do my best to explain why that is and engage an active discussion about it, and always defer to the people who have first hand experience of the topic. I really can't think of a better way to handle it than that.
Also I'll admit that I'm still smarting a little from her variation of "it's just a phrase / it's not real" comment on asexuality, not because I don't encounter it often, but because she's my friend and I honestly didn't expect her to make that kind of comment. I don't think I am being too judgmental or holding my friends to too high a standard when I expect them to acknowledge what I am telling them first instead of having an initial response, almost reflexively, to deny. Though I suppose I should give her credit for honesty, the fact that she had zero ill intent, and definitely zero clue that she had just spent a few minutes trying to invalid my experiences.
It was all very civil. We had hot chocolate and our time together ended on amicable terms, so it definitely could've been worse.
Life hack
When my second box of brown sugar solidified (as in, I tried to break
it with a hammer but only managed to smash it into 3 giant chunks type
of solidified) despite of the fact that I kept it in a plastic bag, I
was frustrated and looked up "how to declump brown sugar" on the
internet. This is what I found:
You take your solid chunk of brown sugar
Put it in a ziplock bag
And stick in a slice of bread
Then you let it sit.
I was kind of skeptical of this because, as I've mentioned, I had a LOT of sugar that was REALLY solid. ...so I stuck in 2 slices of bread ...and let it sit overnight at room temperature...and it WORKED.
As in when I poked at it this morning the edges of the chunks crumpled back into the texture sugar was supposed to be and then I, thrilled, took out the bread, put the plastic baggie on the kitchen floor, and pressed down with the base of my palm and the chunks ALL WENT BACK TO BEING SUGAR GRAINS.
I felt like I just completed witchcraft. Except it was not magic, it was two slices of bread.
Anyway: the wisdom of the internet also says that if you keep the de-chunked sugar in the freezer it will prevent it from solidifying again, so I've labeled and dated the bag and put it in the freezer (this is so similar to what I do in lab that I nearly typed "sample" there instead of "bag"), and if someone will remind me in a few months I'll let you guys know how well the second tip works as well!
Also you can still eat the bread. It's got a bit of sugar on it but the bread (I used whole wheat, I don't think this matters though) isn't soggy or anything.
You take your solid chunk of brown sugar
Put it in a ziplock bag
And stick in a slice of bread
Then you let it sit.
I was kind of skeptical of this because, as I've mentioned, I had a LOT of sugar that was REALLY solid. ...so I stuck in 2 slices of bread ...and let it sit overnight at room temperature...and it WORKED.
As in when I poked at it this morning the edges of the chunks crumpled back into the texture sugar was supposed to be and then I, thrilled, took out the bread, put the plastic baggie on the kitchen floor, and pressed down with the base of my palm and the chunks ALL WENT BACK TO BEING SUGAR GRAINS.
I felt like I just completed witchcraft. Except it was not magic, it was two slices of bread.
Anyway: the wisdom of the internet also says that if you keep the de-chunked sugar in the freezer it will prevent it from solidifying again, so I've labeled and dated the bag and put it in the freezer (this is so similar to what I do in lab that I nearly typed "sample" there instead of "bag"), and if someone will remind me in a few months I'll let you guys know how well the second tip works as well!
Also you can still eat the bread. It's got a bit of sugar on it but the bread (I used whole wheat, I don't think this matters though) isn't soggy or anything.
20121215
Exam's over and everyone's punchy and filled with good will. ...sort of sweaty good will, but good will never the less. Guys I am having the most awesome day and no amount of chores in the remaining hours can take it away from me. Also I'm buying milk so there will be both tea AND hot chocolate for me today.
20121212
Tried to trap moth in kitchen cabinet since failed to lure it out with light (what kind of moth doesn't follow light?), forgot that the cabinet was not sealed to the wall -- a fact that was brought home to me this morning when I accidentally poured tea dreg over the moth, who was in the sink (apparently really concentrated chai tea has potential applicability as insecticide?). Had to remove carcass with paper tower (EXTREMELY UNPLEASANT) since my kitchen sink doesn't have garbage disposal and the moth'd probably block the drain, and having it moldering away in the drain is a new and shining item I'm adding to the very long list of Things I Do Not Want to Have to Deal With. Though I suppose one conclusion we can reach is that tea does, however indirectly, make everything better. Someone ought to get a chuckle out of that.
I also had a very nice dream in which I'm piloting ships for interplanetary travels, and the moment when the ship breaks orbit is amazing. Also apparently my subconscious can dream up pretty good inertia dampeners.
I also had a very nice dream in which I'm piloting ships for interplanetary travels, and the moment when the ship breaks orbit is amazing. Also apparently my subconscious can dream up pretty good inertia dampeners.
20121211
20121210
20121209
Do people even still use ribbons
Just spent 2+ hours wrapping things and am ready to start flailing because I realized that one of the things I ordered HASN'T COME IN YET and there's glitter everywhere, because of the cards and methinks it's time to type up my annual recap letter for some of my more out-of-touch friends.
The holidays are upon me.
The holidays are upon me.
20121206
LIST TIME
1) Labmate made these oatmeal cookies with white chocolate and dried strawberries in it and it's really, really awesome. She forwarded me the recipe here. I mean normally I don't even like oatmeal cookies and I ate three of these under not-starving conditions, so. Uh. I highly recommend the recipe?
2) The husband of my former teacher who passed away earlier this year send around the newsletter. I guess I'm still on the mailing list, which is kind of awkward because I've never even met the husband, much less talked to him. Also it's less of a newsletter and more of a summary of her last moments, the funeral, and the aftermath. It came in just today like a particularly unexpected punch of emotional trauma and now I will have to spend the next day trying to drown my sorrows in tea.
3) As a result of the UCLA accident my school is taking preventative measures by having us fitted for lab coats. Which we are required to wear, in theory, at all times when we're in the lab and outside of clean areas ("clean area" is what it sounds like -- it's clean, it's usually our desks where we can eat something during particularly long all-day experiments). This does not make a lot of sense because lab coats will not save us from the sort of mistakes that happen at UCLA and anyway, most of the things I work with I need to be careful with because I need to protect the samples from me, not the other way around. I mean the chances that I'll be severely harmed by half a liter of ice is extremely slim. Then again, according to my PI, when he was a post-doc their department passed a mandate to lock up all storage containers for radioactive chemicals (so that only the lab people have access) because some post-doc somehow ended up ingesting some. I mean the solution doesn't even address the problem! So maybe calling it a "solution" is a bit of a stretch. Hm.
4) Ashley's successfully mustered her first trimester (and the in fact not limited to morning morning sickness) and continues to baffle me with her tendency to describe her baby using fruit. WHY.
5) Stupid proteins. My shoulder hurts.
6) I have tried netflix. About half of the things on my to-see list is not available, so I will probably not have an account and continue to borrow Lucy's for the odd show that's on there. Are cookies acceptable currency?
7) It's been nearly 6 months since construction and we still have odd people in fluorescent vests and hardhats wandering through. WHY.
8) There are more things but I can't remember them at the moment, so I'll probably do another list at some point.
2) The husband of my former teacher who passed away earlier this year send around the newsletter. I guess I'm still on the mailing list, which is kind of awkward because I've never even met the husband, much less talked to him. Also it's less of a newsletter and more of a summary of her last moments, the funeral, and the aftermath. It came in just today like a particularly unexpected punch of emotional trauma and now I will have to spend the next day trying to drown my sorrows in tea.
3) As a result of the UCLA accident my school is taking preventative measures by having us fitted for lab coats. Which we are required to wear, in theory, at all times when we're in the lab and outside of clean areas ("clean area" is what it sounds like -- it's clean, it's usually our desks where we can eat something during particularly long all-day experiments). This does not make a lot of sense because lab coats will not save us from the sort of mistakes that happen at UCLA and anyway, most of the things I work with I need to be careful with because I need to protect the samples from me, not the other way around. I mean the chances that I'll be severely harmed by half a liter of ice is extremely slim. Then again, according to my PI, when he was a post-doc their department passed a mandate to lock up all storage containers for radioactive chemicals (so that only the lab people have access) because some post-doc somehow ended up ingesting some. I mean the solution doesn't even address the problem! So maybe calling it a "solution" is a bit of a stretch. Hm.
4) Ashley's successfully mustered her first trimester (and the in fact not limited to morning morning sickness) and continues to baffle me with her tendency to describe her baby using fruit. WHY.
5) Stupid proteins. My shoulder hurts.
6) I have tried netflix. About half of the things on my to-see list is not available, so I will probably not have an account and continue to borrow Lucy's for the odd show that's on there. Are cookies acceptable currency?
7) It's been nearly 6 months since construction and we still have odd people in fluorescent vests and hardhats wandering through. WHY.
8) There are more things but I can't remember them at the moment, so I'll probably do another list at some point.
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