Почeму, Вэроника?

Visiting Potential Postdoc

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:38:52 GMT

Today at work:
-Finished the actin/tubulin staining protocol
-Went to lunch with Anna (Starbucks and No Anchovies)
-Tried making a composite image out of a bunch of live cell pictures, realized I must definitely subtract the background in order for it to work well
-Reading a paper on Live-cell Imaging that so far is pretty basic, but at least reminds me of some principles to keep in mind
-Will go to a presentation by a visiting postdoc that we are trying to woo

After work:
-Need to stop by a motorcycle parts store and see if I can find a small bit that would fix my bike (keep your fingers crossed that they have it)
-Must clean my car since I am taking the visiting postdoc to the Desert Museum tomorrow morning
-Dinner with KC

Also:
-Need to find a new place to live. Soon.

Fat

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:07:48 GMT

Guess who bought 2000 calories worth of junk food just now? Guess who's going to eat it all?

This is why I'm fat.

Flaming Monkey Testicles

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:21:23 GMT

I think I just got stung by a bee. Sonuvawhoha. Bees are not supposed to be on the floor of my kitchen, waiting for me to step over them so that they can cling to my foot and sting me. What is wrong with the world?

At least I'm now fairly sure I am not severely allergic. No death for me yet! Yay? Boo? Undecided.

Then again, maybe it wasn't a bee. The only facts I have are that my foot was stinging, something was clinging to it, and after I brushed it off I could only find a dead bee on the ground. Maybe it was a false lead, planted by small foot-fetishy aliens. Or some other bug that does not want a bad rep. Who can say for sure.

Being paranoid, I shall stay up for a few more minutes to make sure I don't develop a reaction, then I shall sleep.

Flaming monkey testicles, I say.

Germany's 1979 entry in Eurovision.

Mon, 18 May 2009 07:37:24 GMT

You must be so proud of your people, Sabrina.

This is for you, Jacob

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:11:25 GMT

Rose.

is.

Esor backwards.

2009 revision of my list of 100 things to do before death

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:07:00 GMT

Here are 100 fresh (or refreshed) goals to strive towards. My running total of goals achieved based on this list system is 4.

Travel:
1) Ireland

2) England/Wales/Scotland

3) go on a west-coast road trip that catches the Californian redwood forest(s) (don't know if there are multiple or not), Oregon, Washington, Canada, and, if possible, Alaska
4) see the Aurora Borealis
5) European museums
6) Thailand
7) Australia

8)New Zealand
9) Japan
10) hike Havasupai Trail
11) move out of Arizona (at least for a bit)
12) try out a cruise

13) China
14) Hawaii
15) India

Self-Improvement (Physical):
16) work out to the point (and continue afterwards) of having a nice-looking body
17) be able to do the splits at least one way
18) 6 mile run in 54 minutes or less
19) finally learn a bit of tumbling (somersaults and such)
20) learn to tight-rope walk
21) take up rock-climbing
22) take up archery
23) learn to lock-pick
24) learn to dance well, if in a random hodge-podge style
25) learn ballet basics
26) learn some sort of hand-to-hand defense thingamabob
27) learn to juggle up to 5 objects well
28) learn to kayak
29) learn yoga

Self-Improvement (Mental):
30) read at least 20% of the textbooks I own but have somehow managed to never really read (I currently own around 25) to at least 80% completion
31) learn at least one stringed instrument to a competent level
32) learn piano to competency
33) learn Russian to decent level
34) French to decent level
35) Japanese to decent level
36) relearn math, going beyond the calculus 2 cap I have so far obtained
37) Spanish to competency
38) Finally learn about electromagnetism
39) Learn some basic engineering principles
40) Study relationship between music, emotion, thought patterns, and human condition
41) Try to figure out/comprehend large, connecting patterns

Self improvement (Certifications):
42) EMT training (almost done with this)

43) MCAT, again
44) get into med school
45) take subject-specific GRE for biochemistry, cell and molecular biology... and do well on it
46) get into grad school

Self improvement (Art):
47) take some more art classes
48) make and publish comic (probably web-based) for at least a year
49) improve figure drawing abilities

50) improve figure sculpting abilities
51) do at least one figure sculpting project at greater than or equal to a life-sized scale
52) try hand at metal sculpture
53) do at least 1 decent-sized subtractive piece in some sort of stone
54) write a book (at least 300 pages)
55) learn to design and make my own clothes
56) work on a floor length loom again
57) learn to weld well and find excuses to use the skill
58) design and make some really kick-ass Halloween/fetish-ball/dia de los muertos/random costumes
59) learn to paint decently
60) concoct some series of art works in at least sculpture, pastels, and fibers
61) flesh out and actually do some of those photo projects you've been thinking about (might need to learn/improve photography skills to do so)

Material:
62) own a nice house with a nice bit of nature (of the lush, green, with a creak or pond or waterfall variety) attached to it
63) own a good-sized garden

64) get a guitar
65) get an art studio of some sort

66) get a full length keyboard or piano
67) purchase and productively use at least one item from every section/aisle of a Home Depot/Lowe's style store and in so doing actually learn how to navigate those giant labyrinths

Personal (a.k.a. Random):
68) Climb lots and lots of trees
69) become more confident
70) be less harsh/sarcastic with people (be nicer)
71) Doctors without Borders
72) sex in library and forest (separately)
73) get into work by 8:00 am each workday for 4 weeks
74) have own family
75) keep a clean room/house/apartment for over 6 months
76) actually decorate the places you live in
77) learn to ride a motorcycle and see if it's something you'd actually be interested in
78) be a street medic at a large protest/demonstration -- though (if Wikipedia can be trusted) without the anarchist philosophies
79) find out if my "fake opera voices will vastly improve group performances of the happy birthday song" theory is correct and if so popularize its novel approach to communal singing
80) create a Rube Goldberg machine
81) teach at a university or med school
82) orgasm without being touched
83) go to a big science conference
84) sleep in a hammock
85) make "perfect" naan
86) jack off 12 times in one day
87) have fun with henna (non-toxic variety)
88) get interested in something/find driving force/motivations/emotions
89) learn to twirl pens/pencils really well in different ways
90) vow of silence for a month
91) experiment with meditation
92) research at a post-doc, post-med-school level
93) construct a house/cottage... or at least add onto a building

Geeky:
94) get decent at GM-ing but also be a player character in other GMs' groups
95) watch entire extended Lord of the Rings trilogy in one day

Long-shot:
96) help invent artificial womb or some other way to grow a baby outside of a human
97) figure out how to successfully make a baby using 2 sperm's DNA (Dolly the sheep inspired method, maybe?)
98) start selectively breeding for or genetically engineering intelligent pets (cats and dogs) with opposable thumbs
99) start a combination orphanage/private school/hippy commune/elitist academic institution
100) hit a broken juke-box back into life

4% done with the first round of my life

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:28:53 GMT

So last year Becky decided to make a list of 100 things to do before she died. To my knowledge, she never finished it. I, on the other hand, created one of my own. Within the year of 2008 I completed four goals on my list!

~~1) finish a list of 100-things-to-do-before-death and post it on Live Journal before Becky does~~
hahaha! Take that, Becky!
~~2) Machu Picchu~~

~~13) swim/bathe in some natural hot springs~~
Easy, considering I had been planning on doing this in Peru. I like the whole hot spring thing though. It was fantastic!
~~42) CPR~~
Yep, I got my certification in order to enroll in Pima's EMT class.

Which brings up the EMT certification goal. I am almost done with that, but I need to sign up for and take the written national exam. Then it's just a bit of paperwork and wallah!

Now it is time to review, update, and edit my list. More blogs to follow once I do all of that.

Jogging

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:05:11 GMT

I have recently started jogging. This will be the third week; hopefully it will stick. I am aiming for Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays, though last week I only managed Thursday and Friday. I am using a point system, as I tend to think of things in rpg mechanics. Jogging a lap around a track earns me 2 points, walking earns me 1 point. On the first week my goal was 16 points, and I have been increasing it by one point a week.

But I am les tired.

Nightmare

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:53:23 GMT

For some reason I put a length of chain in my mouth to clean it, but I forget that it is not food so I bite down on it firmly. This causes a tooth to come out. I rush to apply pressure with paper towels, which stops what little bleeding there was, but my mouth is filled with an acidic taste. I save the tooth, which has a hollow outer segment and a thin root, planning to immediately go to the dentist when they open. Then another tooth comes out. And another. I look in the mirror and the whole back of my left upper gums is starting to degrade and come off. The rest of the gums that remain look red and swollen. then I start spitting out broken shell shards. The dream ends about there.

The really convincing part of the dream, the part that made me think it was real, was that I tried to wake up just after the first tooth came out but I couldn't. It freaked me out though; I woke up breathing very rapidly.

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:23:25 GMT

5.5 hours till class. 4 chapters in need of reading. My mind loves impending deadlines, my body loves sleep. Have at, both of you.

I should be studying. Ha! Haven't said that for a while.

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:15:57 GMT

I finally discovered a preparation of coffee that I can enjoy. You put 2 servings worth of water in the machine, 1 serving worth of coffee... grounds, grinds, grounded beans? to be filtered in the machine, then 1 packet of hot chocolate mix in the actual pot.

It doesn't hurt that the coffee I'm using is supposed to have a chocolate flavor.

I've noticed though, that with lack of sleep and lots of caffeine, when I start to crash my vision flexes like in the matrix when the walls bend around Mr. Reeves. Only not quite as dramatic.

Still has an aftertaste of coffee though. Oh well, we must consume what we must consume in order to feel like we have mastery over our bodies and lives.

I need to read my EMT book, but I don't want to. I also need to study for the exam tomorrow. Lots to do, and I'm in a lazy funk. Joy.

I wish I knew where my pliers were. And I need crazy glue or some sort of strong binding thing. I'm not sure I'll have time to properly make a steam-punk costume by tomorrow night (with a 10 hour class thrown in there somewhere) but I at least have an idea for a head piece.

I wonder what materials I have to make a steam-punk strap-on. Maybe a caulk gun transformed into a death ray that is conveniently holstered on my pelvic region.

Bought lots of posters today and decorated my cave at work. Got rejected for putting up a Stewie "Go to Hell" poster though. Now I'll have to put it up somewhere around here.

Also starting to learn how to juggle four tennis balls. Not good at it yet. I've got the 3 cascade down pretty well, and can juggle 2 in each hand (a little bit). Juggling 2 in each hand is more difficult for me.

going to force myself to finish chapter 7 now.

A Humble Request

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:12:48 GMT

Do you like cumming? If you do, please go see Hamlet 2. It is simply one of the most amazing films I have seen.

http://hamlet2.invertedcreative.com/

Woke up laughing

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:32:06 GMT

Dreamland is fading, so I'm not quite sure how it makes sense in context -- but my dream just ended with a man arguing with his boss/teacher/overseer. His last words were something like "Liberty over thin hair" and then the room full of his coworkers, led by the main woman from The Office, silently look at each other before simultaneously miming pulling out chest hair and breaking it in half.

...This somehow supports his argument. It's making less sense as I'm waking up more, but I still find it funny.

Methinks the test does not know me very well. But I like the pictures.

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:01:17 GMT

Your result for Which Chess Piece are You Test?...

The Queen's Knight

Congrats! Only 4-5% of the population score this!

The Queen’s Knight is armed with rose-colored glasses. The mundane comes to life and nature becomes expressive of spirit. The interesting thing about this Knight is the ability to switch from fantasy to reality. There are exceptions to the rule, but this is the type that may have had imaginary friends as a youngster. Their stuffed animals also were great companions. The Queen’s Knight will see the good in almost anyone or anything – but their depth of emotion can remain hidden even from themselves. Circumstances tend to reveal sudden responses.

Not all life is rosy and this Knight is not exempt from disappointment or frustration with humanity. They may feel incompetence when dealing with their own ethical values. Things aren’t simply white black, but a grand battle of Good versus Evil. Evil must be reckoned with but Good shall eventually win. It is not that they fight evil, but that they fight for the essence of moral good. Doing something good is quite satisfactory for them and indeed increases their happiness. It is when something is not reciprocated to them that they are saddened and disappointed by others. They learn that others aren’t as self-sacrificing.

The Queen's Knight is dominated by an inner world of intense feeling and deeply rooted ethics. They seek to form their life based on their views. They are highly curious of those around them so are readily accepting of others unless their values are being threatened. They promote insight and understanding amongst others and contribute well thought ideas. They however can be a bit too idealistic.

Take Which Chess Piece are You Test? at HelloQuizzy

Camping and Hiking

Mon, 19 May 2008 05:00:01 GMT

Yesterday I went up to Rose Canyon (or something like that) with Jen and Mike to camp out. The site was awesomely huge and spread out from others. Ours was even on a hill of a sort. I brought mushrooms and baby bell peppers for roasting over fire and Mike came up with the idea of stuffing cheese in them. mmm. I also brought chocolate cake mix and oranges, with the intent of making chocolate cake in scooped out oranges on hot coals. It didn't work so well (didn't taste that great) but it was fun. We went through a bunch of madlibs and went to bed with the sounds of loud, drunken college students in the background.

Today I woke up to sounds of gobbling. Jen and I are fairly sure there must be wild turkeys up there. We packed up and then started hiking around 9. We finished hiking around 5. I didn't get home till 7. It kicked my ass. Sure, we only hiked somewhere around 10 miles, but the majority of it was uphill. We work our way around some huge area, thinking that we have gone as high up as we are going to, only to find out we have to go up to the Mt. Lemmon summit. Then, after we just barely started going downhill, we couldn't find the last trail-head (which would have led us directly to our car), so we ended up walking down the ski-slope-whatever-road on track for adding an extra hour or two to our time, until two awesome people (with, randomly, rocks in their car) came down the road and let us hitchhike.

I wanted to just curl up and die several times after seeing more inclines. And I'm going to have to do the same thing for the same amount of time in Peru (at 10,000 feet higher). Plus, there will be two extra 5 hour hiking days added on to that.

My body hurts, I'm going to bed.

And I apologize for switching tenses so frequently.

At least I didn't break anything (I hope)

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 06:33:21 GMT

Either my sense of balance is leaving me as my age progresses or my room was actually more messy than I could handle. I fell today. It would have been amusing, if I hadn't bashed my knee and toe as a result of it. I took a giant, unplanned lunge step like I usually do, only as I was putting my foot down I found out (too late) that there was no where to put it. So it end up on slippery papery and clothes and crap, and I ended up with a toe that kind of hurts.

But it helped motivate me to do 3 loads of laundry. So... yee-ha!

Tis the season: Jimas

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:38:03 GMT

This year's birthday is an important one. As of today I am 24. 24, as we all know, is 42 backwards. And 42 doubled is 84. As it happens, I was born in 1984. What this portends, I do not know, but I suspect it is highly significant.

Oh, yes, and movies and board games from noon till midnight (or so -- there is work tomorrow after all) today if any are interested.

HooHa

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 06:16:21 GMT

You are singing to the duck billed platypus, my friend.

Singing to the duck billed platypus.

Have a Good Four Day Weekend!

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 03:22:01 GMT

President quiz going around

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 01:23:24 GMT

Not that I care about these things too much, or that I think a person's stance on "hot" issues defines them, but I thought the quiz was interesting.

Quiz!

1 Mike Gravel 93% similarity
2 Dennis Kucinich 86% similarity
3 Christopher Dodd 85% similarity

Hired

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:34:17 GMT

I have a job! Unofficially.
At 11 am I start to make it official. Yeah for papers needing to be signed.

Who's free tonight (Thursday) to celebrate? Is there a "wife swap" thingamajig going on?

Yes!

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 06:46:07 GMT

Props to legolastn for spreading the news!

Dumbledore!

It's like my entire world view has been validated. Thanks J.K. Rowling!

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 04:27:06 GMT

Eye is still twitching, but I have to look at a computer screen to work
tired
Tired
Want to go drinking for Laurel's 21st
Need to study neurobiology a little
need to work

Procrastinating

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:41:23 GMT

Wonderfalls is wonderful. There are flaws, naturally, but I choose to overlook them. Time for bed, my muscles are sore from shoveling rock.

Why did you leave me?

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:23:33 GMT

Dan,

I can understand how you might be upset with azureowl. I even get the obsession bordering on stalking. And of course, blocking her on facebook is a natural response to her betrayal. However, why did you block me as well? Didn't we have some good times? I thought there was a real connection between us. But now... now we're not even internet acquaintances. How could you throw out all of that history-- all of that emotion? I'm hurt. Hurt, and confused. I died a little tonight, Dan. And you're the murderer. The murderer of my soul. I sit here crying. Crying and bleeding from the void where my heart used to be.

-Jim-