Trying to buy a lighter weight gi but everything is unisex cut and I am, according to the height by weight chart, in between sizes. My female classmate says that it fits well if you're slender hipped...but what does that even mean? I'm trying to google what waist to hip ratio would qualify as slender hipped but I keep getting these things about healthy weight, the importance thereof, and how to flatter slender hips which is supremely unhelpful. I tend to get pants one size up from the tops in anything that comes as a set, but this is not an option here...so I guess I'll buy everything one size bigger and wash the top in really hot water or something, because that's the benefit of buying things that are 100% cotton.
Labcoats, gis, nerdy t-shirts...everything's unisex cut and I'm nearly always in between sizes. Why is this?
On the other hand I remembered to finally print out the forms to register to vote! (Yeeeeaaaaah democracy.)
20120831
20120826
20120812
I need to get that paper out stat
I woke up this morning and realized that 5 years will be the longest I've ever spent at one school, ever, and even at 4 years that's ties for being the longest at one school thus far, given that if I define the last day that I spent at the school as the Last Day the breakdown of my childhood is:
3-4
4-5
6-9*
9-10
10-10
11*
12-13*
14-17*
18-20*
21-now*
This is....strangely frightening.
---------------------
*Note: I'm counting my age as of the Last Day, and since my birthday's in the summer, the asteriks marks all the schools where I entered in the beginning of the school year, like everyone else, as opposed to being dropped in the middle. I guess what they say about people settling down / getting more stable as they get older is true. For some variation of it.
3-4
4-5
6-9*
9-10
10-10
11*
12-13*
14-17*
18-20*
21-now*
This is....strangely frightening.
---------------------
*Note: I'm counting my age as of the Last Day, and since my birthday's in the summer, the asteriks marks all the schools where I entered in the beginning of the school year, like everyone else, as opposed to being dropped in the middle. I guess what they say about people settling down / getting more stable as they get older is true. For some variation of it.
20120811
I can math, REALLY
Moment of Stupid today:
Classmate asked me how old I was and I literally could not remember -- tried to calculate it in my head (for some reason kept thinking I was older than I am), which unfortunately happened in the middle my attempt to do put his wrist in a lock-hold and thus the spectacular failure of both the math and the lock-hold. Apparently I can't access both the math portion and the muscle memory portion of my brain at the same time. Or maybe I can but I just need to wait for the other bit to become actual muscle memory (intrinsic instead of extrinsic knowledge). In either case there was a moment where there was someone else's hand right in my face and I literally stood there because I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do with it.
...and then we both burst out laughing because it was really ridiculous.
In other news there was a spontaneous lecture on the difference between research in neurdevelopment and neurodegeneration today, by yours truly, because a classmate showed interest, so score one for the fandot.
Classmate asked me how old I was and I literally could not remember -- tried to calculate it in my head (for some reason kept thinking I was older than I am), which unfortunately happened in the middle my attempt to do put his wrist in a lock-hold and thus the spectacular failure of both the math and the lock-hold. Apparently I can't access both the math portion and the muscle memory portion of my brain at the same time. Or maybe I can but I just need to wait for the other bit to become actual muscle memory (intrinsic instead of extrinsic knowledge). In either case there was a moment where there was someone else's hand right in my face and I literally stood there because I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do with it.
...and then we both burst out laughing because it was really ridiculous.
In other news there was a spontaneous lecture on the difference between research in neurdevelopment and neurodegeneration today, by yours truly, because a classmate showed interest, so score one for the fandot.
20120810
Sometimes there is no explanation
A while ago I mentioned that I was going to write a post about bullying and the time feels about right tonight.
Bullying is one of those things that is shared across cultures and according to news media people use to consider it to be a rite of passage of sorts until the more recent years, where the string of suicides had made people realize that maaaaaaybe we should find safer rites of passage.
For a while I was considering whether or not to write about it because, let's face it, most of the people I know who reads this share similar political and philosophical views with me, and anything I say will be preaching to the choir. Then I realized that maybe I should talk about it because my friends are at the stage where they are getting married and having children, the oldest child is around two, and the concept of bullying and discrimination is something that is taught, if not by parents, then by society and media, in which case a passing explanation that Bullying is Bad is not enough to combat it. People have noticed an active role in parental teachings, not just in what is right and wrong, but what are the correct actions, or what should be done, does make immense difference in how children treat others in school. That takes extra time. That takes extra effort. Both of which are hard to give for an abstract problem. By which I mean yes, there are starving children in the world, but it's abstract -- how many of us lose sleep over it. So I wanted to make it more personal, because it is personal for me, so I hope the people close to me, at least, could see why it's a big deal and can hopefully make the extra effort. And then I felt all my preaching is getting...not so much condescending as well...as someone who doesn't plan to procreate, how much right do I have to lecture others on how to deal with their toddlers? Which led to me second guessing how much of the delay (because this post has been years in coming but I just wasn't ready to talk about it until more recently) is just me being cowardly...which led to more second guessing...which led me to conclude that, okay, I'm just going to write this, and people can make of it what they will.
So let me use many many words to tell you why the phrase "bullying builds character" has always bothered me, since I learned enough English to understand it....
Bullying is one of those things that is shared across cultures and according to news media people use to consider it to be a rite of passage of sorts until the more recent years, where the string of suicides had made people realize that maaaaaaybe we should find safer rites of passage.
For a while I was considering whether or not to write about it because, let's face it, most of the people I know who reads this share similar political and philosophical views with me, and anything I say will be preaching to the choir. Then I realized that maybe I should talk about it because my friends are at the stage where they are getting married and having children, the oldest child is around two, and the concept of bullying and discrimination is something that is taught, if not by parents, then by society and media, in which case a passing explanation that Bullying is Bad is not enough to combat it. People have noticed an active role in parental teachings, not just in what is right and wrong, but what are the correct actions, or what should be done, does make immense difference in how children treat others in school. That takes extra time. That takes extra effort. Both of which are hard to give for an abstract problem. By which I mean yes, there are starving children in the world, but it's abstract -- how many of us lose sleep over it. So I wanted to make it more personal, because it is personal for me, so I hope the people close to me, at least, could see why it's a big deal and can hopefully make the extra effort. And then I felt all my preaching is getting...not so much condescending as well...as someone who doesn't plan to procreate, how much right do I have to lecture others on how to deal with their toddlers? Which led to me second guessing how much of the delay (because this post has been years in coming but I just wasn't ready to talk about it until more recently) is just me being cowardly...which led to more second guessing...which led me to conclude that, okay, I'm just going to write this, and people can make of it what they will.
So let me use many many words to tell you why the phrase "bullying builds character" has always bothered me, since I learned enough English to understand it....
20120806
20120805
I wonder if I can print this out as a flyer...
7 things extroverts should know about their introvert friends. Courtesy of tumblr.
I'm going to take a moment and be deeply, immensely grateful for the invention of emails, IM, and text messaging. And the internet in general. I mean I would be, incredible as it may seem, even more of a loner if it weren't for our technology since, unless I implied / promised that I would call someone, it takes nothing less than family emergency and me nearing a potential melt down for me to even call a close friend.
My thesis adviser doesn't get it. He's all "Oh you have trouble reaching so-and-so? Call them" while in my head my first reaction will always be "ASDF!@#% NNOOOOooooooooooooooo."
So: thank you, text-based information networks.
I'm going to take a moment and be deeply, immensely grateful for the invention of emails, IM, and text messaging. And the internet in general. I mean I would be, incredible as it may seem, even more of a loner if it weren't for our technology since, unless I implied / promised that I would call someone, it takes nothing less than family emergency and me nearing a potential melt down for me to even call a close friend.
My thesis adviser doesn't get it. He's all "Oh you have trouble reaching so-and-so? Call them" while in my head my first reaction will always be "ASDF!@#% NNOOOOooooooooooooooo."
So: thank you, text-based information networks.
My day began with tea, oreos, and blueberries.
I am baking a chocolate cake.
The lone professor has finally (!) signed the paperworks.
I don't even have to go to lab today.
I am going to sit around and doodle things in my sketchbook until the cake is done. And then I will have cake. And I will eat it too.
...can I declare this my birthday weekend instead?
I am baking a chocolate cake.
The lone professor has finally (!) signed the paperworks.
I don't even have to go to lab today.
I am going to sit around and doodle things in my sketchbook until the cake is done. And then I will have cake. And I will eat it too.
...can I declare this my birthday weekend instead?
20120802
20120730
Hey my powerpoint slides finally passed or maybe he just ran out of patience but most likely both as in it got closer to what he wanted and he doesn't want to deal with me anymore but either way he's going to sign the paperwork and then I won't have to deal with him for another year hallelujah I feel like I won.
20120727
20120726
You can actually put anything in it, it just may not taste right
Today a random man poked me on the bus and asked if I "cooked Japanese or Chinese food". Then he wanted to know if I cook it at home. Then he wanted to know the name of "you know, those roll...things...that you fry..." and then he wanted to know if you put vegetables in spring rolls.
The strangest part of this conversation was that usually when I don't feel like dealing with people I put on my earphones and people leave me alone, but somehow this gentleman decided to persist and initiate physical contact which was...okay, more than a little irritating.
Here's a hint: if someone is wearing earphones and giving you short, terse answers? She doesn't actually want to talk to you. Please respect her wishes. Thank you kindly.
(Thankfully he didn't initiate until just before my bus stop so I escaped via leaving bus and didn't have to deal with "Sorry, I'm not interested in talking to you nor do I find your attention flattering" ordeal.)
The strangest part of this conversation was that usually when I don't feel like dealing with people I put on my earphones and people leave me alone, but somehow this gentleman decided to persist and initiate physical contact which was...okay, more than a little irritating.
Here's a hint: if someone is wearing earphones and giving you short, terse answers? She doesn't actually want to talk to you. Please respect her wishes. Thank you kindly.
(Thankfully he didn't initiate until just before my bus stop so I escaped via leaving bus and didn't have to deal with "Sorry, I'm not interested in talking to you nor do I find your attention flattering" ordeal.)
20120725
Why's it always beetles
Kept meaning to update and even made notes to myself about what to write but these days experiments are going 7 days a week and things are kinda busy so when I do get a free moment I feel more like drawing to unwind than writing (which requires more brain cells, not to mention grammar). However, I'm currently logging back in to report that I've been hearing this weird noise tonight that, for the longest time, I thought were noises due to things being piled precariously, as they shifted weight. That sometimes happen. However they don't happen that frequently. As in once every five minutes. Turns out? The noise was weird because I've never hear the sound made by a really massive beetle bouncing off the ceiling (sometimes literally, it seems a bit directionally challenged).
After initial flailing (late night battles with beetles are one of those few moments in life where I remember fondly of living with my parents and am not happy to be an independent woman, because I can no longer make my dad go deal with it) I actually managed to successfully herd the massive beetle of massiveness back out the door, alive and no worse for the wear (meaning the beetle -- I was very cranky at this point).
Except then somehow, within the next fifteen minutes the beetle managed to find its way back in through a warp in the bottom of the door frame. (Was going to wait till winter again before getting landlady to fix it.) I was dozing off when I heard the distinctive clicking of its wings. So yeah: directionally challenged. At this point I'm exhausted and lost all patience with this particular arthropod -- if you can't be bothered to stay alive after I went out of my ways to help you then -- well---
--I smacked it with a rolled up magazine. Quite a few times, actually. It didn't do a darn thing. Have I mentioned it was massive? With massive hard shells covering its wings?
Herding wasn't working because of the directionally challenged thing, so eventually I gave up and hauled out the vaccum cleaner, sucked it up, and deposited it in the bathroom and closed the door because I just can't deal with it anymore. I wanted sleep.
Then I sat down on my bed and realized that all that flailing and vacuuming had made me quite wide awake so now I'm on my computer blogging about it.
I don't want to go out when it's chilly and kind of damp and walk to the unlit garbage area where there are even more insect to free a beetle that will probably find its way back somehow, anyway, because the thing is out of its little beetle mind.
I also don't exactly fancy the idea of a massive beetle incubating inside my vacuum cleaner either.
Perhaps if I need to use the bathroom later tonight I will be attacked by the ghost or not-so-ghostly beetle. It is possible. And if I were to perish mysteriously within the next ...oh eight hours or so, I want "death by beetle" in my eulogy somewhere, got it? Good.
After initial flailing (late night battles with beetles are one of those few moments in life where I remember fondly of living with my parents and am not happy to be an independent woman, because I can no longer make my dad go deal with it) I actually managed to successfully herd the massive beetle of massiveness back out the door, alive and no worse for the wear (meaning the beetle -- I was very cranky at this point).
Except then somehow, within the next fifteen minutes the beetle managed to find its way back in through a warp in the bottom of the door frame. (Was going to wait till winter again before getting landlady to fix it.) I was dozing off when I heard the distinctive clicking of its wings. So yeah: directionally challenged. At this point I'm exhausted and lost all patience with this particular arthropod -- if you can't be bothered to stay alive after I went out of my ways to help you then -- well---
--I smacked it with a rolled up magazine. Quite a few times, actually. It didn't do a darn thing. Have I mentioned it was massive? With massive hard shells covering its wings?
Herding wasn't working because of the directionally challenged thing, so eventually I gave up and hauled out the vaccum cleaner, sucked it up, and deposited it in the bathroom and closed the door because I just can't deal with it anymore. I wanted sleep.
Then I sat down on my bed and realized that all that flailing and vacuuming had made me quite wide awake so now I'm on my computer blogging about it.
I don't want to go out when it's chilly and kind of damp and walk to the unlit garbage area where there are even more insect to free a beetle that will probably find its way back somehow, anyway, because the thing is out of its little beetle mind.
I also don't exactly fancy the idea of a massive beetle incubating inside my vacuum cleaner either.
Perhaps if I need to use the bathroom later tonight I will be attacked by the ghost or not-so-ghostly beetle. It is possible. And if I were to perish mysteriously within the next ...oh eight hours or so, I want "death by beetle" in my eulogy somewhere, got it? Good.
20120721
Conformity approved
Remodeling of lab is done, except it isn't -- there are parts of our ventilation that are different from the blueprint the construction workers got (read: a result of the duct-tape and glue patch-ups that have happened over the past decade), which meant that the crew is still wandering around, causing massive panic when they get lost in our building and propose to seal off a lab when they, in fact, meant the lab one floor up.
20120715
Good things
I have returned from my vacation and my brain's sporadic interpretation of the ground swaying like the boat on the ocean to inform you, my dear readers, that I have discovered really good mint green tea today, totally by accident, when Lucy and I were recovering from Comic-Con by the way of lunch. It came from a plastic bottle. It shouldn't be this good. It was. It also read, on its packaging:
It's called "Sweet Leaf green tea", mint and honey flavor. If you like mint-flavored things or tea flavored things even remotely I'd highly recommend it!
So this topped off a day where I stopped by the Peanuts booth when they were doing signings and Vicki Scott drew Marcie for me. Which topped a weekend where Lucy came over. Which topped off a week of vacation.
...at which point I said, screw it, it's late on a Sunday and I'm not going into lab. One more day will not make that much of a difference to the overall progress of my work but it will make a lot of difference on my happiness this month, when I look back on it, years from now because, right now? I find myself almost bewilderingly happy with Life, the Universe and everything.
(My God, what is in that tea?)
We found this great flavor while traveling through Morocco on bicycles. Our folks weren't very excited about the semester of class we missed, but at least we came home with the most delicious tea recipe ever...and a couple of kilim rugs for our college apartment.
...we are still inspired by Clayton's granny, "Mimi," who taught us never to use ingredients we can't pronounce. We hope you have as much fun drinking our tea as we have making it.<3
It's called "Sweet Leaf green tea", mint and honey flavor. If you like mint-flavored things or tea flavored things even remotely I'd highly recommend it!
So this topped off a day where I stopped by the Peanuts booth when they were doing signings and Vicki Scott drew Marcie for me. Which topped a weekend where Lucy came over. Which topped off a week of vacation.
...at which point I said, screw it, it's late on a Sunday and I'm not going into lab. One more day will not make that much of a difference to the overall progress of my work but it will make a lot of difference on my happiness this month, when I look back on it, years from now because, right now? I find myself almost bewilderingly happy with Life, the Universe and everything.
(My God, what is in that tea?)
20120708
20120706
Writing: day 2
It's really hard to spell multiple sclerosis for some reason. Also, I've migrated by to being on the chair but the curtain needs to be closed because otherwise my screen is too shiny.
I am writing the discussion part (only bit left besides the methods section) right now, and I have a strong urge to discuss how manuscript writing is really educational for the grad student but really hard on the eyes. All that staring at the screen, you know?
I am writing the discussion part (only bit left besides the methods section) right now, and I have a strong urge to discuss how manuscript writing is really educational for the grad student but really hard on the eyes. All that staring at the screen, you know?
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