Roadie Number 50-something

I'm in the process now of devising my "Roadie" playlist for the drive up to Gainesville.  So far I have Sweet City Woman by The Stampeders and You Are The Woman by Firefall.  One of the things I miss most about my time in Florida are the three-and-a-half-hour-long drives from my home (Gainesville) to my home (Palm City).  I have about 50 "Roadie" cds from 2004 to present all scattered in the back seat of my car.  There isn't any particular theme that I assign to these playlists.  Each song is just a feeling, a memory--happy--for the most part.  I rarely drive in Ithaca so I don't have much opportunity to listen to my Roadie playlists.  A long time ago, I named my iPod "Jeanne's River of Dreams." Listening to music is like breathing to me and so while I do listen to a lot of music in my apartment, in my living room, in the kitchen when I'm making a sandwich, while I'm brushing my teeth, when I'm showering, while I'm falling asleep at night, nothing really compares to that solitary drive where the melody of a song meanders with the road and it's just you humming a tune that you love so much--escape.  Ah, moments, moments.  I've only been home for a few days, but already my heart feels so full of--I don't know, many things, but they're good.

I ate way too much, but it was soo, soo delicious.  Hats off to you, Jennifer and Dad!  Hope you all had a lovely holiday.

Happy Ho-ho-holidays!

I love Christmas.  I spent the better part of my weekend decorating and holiday shopping.  Check out my apartment:

This tree cracks me up.  I got it for 3 bucks at this crafts store, but I find it adorable.

I miss you all so much, but only two more weeks until I finally get to come home!

What ever happened?

I'm not terribly fond of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, but the cinematography is beautiful and the film has a rockin' soundtrack.  I've always loved that scene where Kirsten Dunst runs through some hallway and music from The Strokes rushes in.



I'm just taking lines from that song, but the notion of forgetting--completely erasing one's past--seems so sad to me, but I suppose sometimes, it's just easier that way.  Anyways, I'd like to run down the blindingly white halls of Weill and have Julian Casablancas sing "I want to be forgotten, and I don't want to be reminded."  Liberation, maybe?

The Christmas countdown has commenced long ago.  Wheeee, exciting!  I still have so much holiday shopping to do (yargh), but hopefully the weekend will allow me to complete my gift search for the majority of people on my list. 

It's beginning to look a lot like...

When I went out to the break area to wash out my coffee mug the other day, I discovered:

I'm assuming Scott's assistant is responsible for all this.  Cute, no?  No doubt, Christmas is in the air.  Man, these have been very trying weeks/months, but the end of the term is approaching and I'll have more to add later, but hope you're enjoying December.  I'm definitely looking forward to seeing you all so very soon.  Now cue Mariah Carey.
 

Dusty vs. Jack

or...



I think I prefer The White Stripes version, but yeah, that's essentially all there is.  Nature.  Beast.  Hello!

And now...it's been real.  

Feliz Navidad

A health benefits fair was offering free flu shots and so my lab mates decided to take advantage of this marvelous opportunity and go.  Though goaded by my friends to follow suit, I declined the offer and insisted that I haven't had the flu since I was about 10.  I have the immune system of an ox (Do oxes get sick?  I dunno, but if they do have strong immune systems then that is what mine would be akin to)!  With that, I thought it best to sit comfortably, injection-free, in my chair and scan the Justice headlines on CNN.  Naturally, because irony is such a dear friend of mine, I later caught the flu a mere 2 days later.  Plans to take over the world were foiled by a virus.  I suppose there's next week then.  So the past week, I've been battling a 104 degree fever, but oddly enough the fever and chills weren't what bothered me.  It was the torture of staying confined in my apartment--trapped in my thoughts.  Terrible.  Anyways, during my recoup, I did accomplish many things.  I watched both, count 'em BOTH, Paranormal Activity 1 and 2, watched all the seasons of Parks and Recreation, finished my documentary on the galaxy, finished another documentary on serial killers, and of course I watched a few chick flicks here and there.  Dirty Dancing is cute.  Patrick Swayze (back in the day) and Jennifer Grey are cute.  The whole soundtrack--cute.  So yeah, I totally got my TV watching on that week. 

I taught my last genetics lab a few days ago.  Talk about bittersweet.  I'll miss my students (most of them, not all) but I'm happy that I can finally put more energy into my research.  I wrote on the board their last assignments for the term: "This week: Think about microbes and stuff; Next week: Eat lots of food" (in light of the Thanksgiving holiday).

Today my parents celebrated 28 years of marital bliss.  My parents and I were eating dinner with the television on one day and suddenly the theme song to Green Acres began to play.  As soon as it came on, my dad grumbled, saying under his breath, "I hate that song."  My mom and I just laughed and asked why.  When my mom was living in California and my dad in the Philippines, my mom would call him once a month on a Sunday.  Which Sunday of the month and at what time she would call was the mystery, but without fail, my dad would wait all day in this public recreation area (which is where the only phone in my dad's province was located) and every time he waited, Green Acres would play.  He waited for her for 3 years before they decided it was finally time to get married.  Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
   
I started listening to some Christmas tunes last week.  Thanksgiving is next week and so no, I don't think it's too early to whip out the Christmas Partay playlist.  I'll admit, I actually began listening to Christmas tunes back in June, but whatevs.  It's all good.  I'm looking forward to a visit from mom again next week.  Sadly, it costs significantly more to travel back home than it does to fly here to New York which is why I'll be spending the holiday here. 

I'll kick off the Christmas season with one of my favorite tunes...



Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Everybody's workin' for the weekend

I like to indulge in the simplicities of life.  To me that defines a good weekend--it is nothing extravagant, but it sure is comfortable.  Thank goodness one of the TAs had to go out of town for the weekend so we weren't stuck grading the students' dang fly exam.  So far, these kids are 1 lecture exam, 1 microbe lab exam, 3 lab reports, 6 quizzes, and 1 final away from being completely donzo with this god awful class.  I've dealt with so many panic-stricken kids in the past few weeks, I'm beginning to feel more like a therapist than a teacher.  This class is like no other I've ever taken before and it still amazes me how much they must endure for one measly 5 credit class.  But like I've been telling my kids, any hardship that you go through, this too shall pass.  And it's true.  Come mid-December, we will all wash our hands clean of Genetics 2810.  Hurrah!

Anywho, the weather (surprisingly enough) has been absolutely lovely these past few days.  I hate how my mood tends to reflect the weather patterns here, but I will take any sunny day I can get, honestly.  Sunday has become my favorite day.  I went to lab in the morning to take pictures of my canavanine assay, went to mass and afterward I grabbed a coffee and sat at the Barnes and Noble to read my book.  People watching is great.  I noticed this old husband and wife (presumably so) browsing the $10 section and debating what Elvis cookbook to buy.  Adorable.  Later, I went for a run and ended the afternoon in lab to deconvolute my microscopy images.

This past week, Aaron Ciechanover came to deliver his Racker lecture and then he visited us in our lab.  Apparently, him and Scott go way back and are pretty chummy.  This guy was hilarious and had a lot of charm.  But he did offer some sage advice which I felt was quite apropos since many of us have no idea what we want nor where we're going in life (well, not completely true for everyone, but I will repeat what he said regardless of where you are in your life): "It's important to study and do what you love.  I mean who knows why a banana curves, but there are people who study it because that's what they love." 



Good night.   



I really like that song too.

Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

Things change, but there are just some things that will always remain the same.  You're so right, my friend, so right.  Whenever I reflect on my past, I always envision myself as this child peeking into a window and through this window are my memories, but this child-like version of myself can't enter this fortress which houses those precious memories, though try as she might.  One mustn't strive to live in a fortress forever because there's beauty and life that exists beyond those walls.  Anyways, I hope everything turns out alright for you, though I know it will no matter what the outcome may be.
 

This was such a productive and fulfilling weekend.  I spotted these enormous marshmallows at Wegmans today and had to buy them because they thoroughly amused me.  Here's a photo to give you some perspective on the sheer magnitude of these monsters.  Spook-tacular, yes?   

And now, I leave you with a song...



Happy Halloween!

Bermuda, Bahama, Come on pretty mama!

I just purchased my tickets to go home!  Wheeeee--I can't wait to leave this place.  See you all so very soon!



December 23-January 4. 

Tomorrow never felt longer, but soon...

Abstract Pumpkins

Some friends and I went on an "art trail" which is basically where local artists showcase their work in their studios and homes.  My favorite artist was this retired physicist who painted with watercolors and gardened during his spare time.

Impressive, no?  I give him props since watercolors are so difficult to manipulate.  I'd like to think that when I retire, I'll do the same: paint and garden.

Despite the chilly temperatures, October through December are definitely my favorite months of the year.  I went pumpkin carving today.  It was good fun, though needless to say, I don't think I should make a career out of this. 

Pitiful.  I'm not sure where I was going here.  I wanted to put glasses on this fellah, but then one thing lead to another and somehow I ended up with a hybrid of Salvador Dalí and a tiger/bear of some sort.  Oh, well, it's..."abstract art."   

The next time somebody extracts DNA, won't he/she be in for a surprise, eh? 

Dance Your Ph.D!

There's this contest that Science (yeah, this is totally legit!) is having where contestants are asked to create an interpretive dance of their Ph.D. research thesis.  Check out my friends' video about human protein phosphatase.  Woop woop...they made it to the finals!

Contestant vids

Cornell's very own

These vids are pretty dang good.  Feast your eyes!

Ugh...there are some obnoxious, drunk undergrads singing Britney Spears outside my window now.  She had some good hits, but come on, let go!  Sometimes the convenience of living so close to lab doesn't compensate for the raucous bar noise that spills into the streets and into my window.  I've contemplated moving so many times, but I've already grown accustomed to the walls of my small, studio apartment and so I renewed my lease.  I imagine I'll live in the same apartment for the next 3 years or at least until I grow tired of it all and finally muster up the energy to just move already.

Anyways, I love Django Reinhardt...well, all manouche jazz really, especially during the autumn season.  Ain't nothin' like a mug of tea, some oatmeal, and Django on a cold, Friday night.  Here are some favorites:






It feels like fall now...

Zoom zoom

Mom's asleep and I don't want to turn on the telly and wake her.  I escaped to my bathroom to read my book, but my back aches now from leaning against the door so I started perusing my old photos more out of boredom than anything else.

Hard to believe these were taken exactly 2 years ago when we (Mavis and the gang) embarked on our journey to CHESS.  And now...I live here.  Yowzahs, the mind does reel.  I'm finding that I'm having trouble distinguishing between years.  Sometimes 2 or 3 years ago feel like just weeks ago...days even.  But I suppose that's the nature of the beast--the beast being time.  Yesterday commingles with tomorrow and pretty soon your life is just one big stew.  Hopefully there will be some tasty bits in there though.

I tend to organize much of the music I listen to in an autobiographical manner so Andrew Bird is a good throwback to 2009. 

Tomorrow, I'm planning on taking my mom out for waffles and ice-cream.  There's a Friends of the Library book sale so maybe we'll check that out, but I know she's been itching to see Contagion. 

Have a lovely weekend, my friends.

Apples, but no apples!

I went to Ithaca's Apple Fest yesterday and today and contrary to what the name may suggest, there was surprisingly not an abundance of apples or apple baked goods.  Needless to say, there was still a lot of tasty, albeit heart attack-inducing, treats to choose from.    

My friends and I petted some goats.  Aren't they adorable?  They remind me of my pet goat I had as a kid which to my horror we later had for dinner at a party.  We're savages, I know.     

Temperatures dropped to the low 40s over the weekend and there's talk that we might receive our first snowfall.  My mom's coming to town this week so hopefully we won't get any of that terrible weather.  Fingers will be crossed.  I am so not mentally prepared for another 7 months of cold.  Snow is overrated.

Been listening to a lot of Motown recently.  I think this has to be my favorite genre of music because most every song tends to have this sunny, animated beat even if the song is about heartbreak.   

A Day in the Life

In case you were wildly curious about where I spend my time these days...

This is looking down 4 stories.

Our break room.

Lab and my workbench.

My very messy desk.

We actually have windows!

And of course, Herbert Eggbert, my plant.  It still amazes me that I've kept him alive for this long.

The Windmills of Your Mind

I've never been a proponent of change and yet ironically enough, autumn, the quintessence of transition, is my favorite season.  While I may whine and complain about Ithaca (yes, too much I know), I do love fall here and being engulfed in color--the reds, oranges, yellows, all of it. 

A friend of mine expressed her concerns over losing touch with people.  Communication between friends sometimes wanes over time because life just happens.  I used to lapse into these horrible bouts of depression because I missed people and my life when things seemed simpler.  I'd smile, but I was really a facade of what I was--happy.  I would live in a yesterday.  Nothing could compare to Florida (and perhaps nothing ever will to me), but the truth is, you (and myself as well) have to keep moving forward.  Let the proverbial tide carry you to shore and when it gets really tough just hold on because tomorrow is in the palm of your hand.  Maybe months and years will go by and saying "hello" after the silence will seem strange, but that's alright.  I'll still be here.

I really like this cover of "Hey Jude."  I tend to listen to a lot of Beatles (more notably "Hey Jude) when I'm feeling nostalgic for Jeanne's pre-Ithaca era.  I'm actually not very fond of the "na nas" at the end of the song, but the melody leading up to the end is my favorite.
   
    

Weddings, museums, and Homecoming...

One of my lab mates recently got hitched.

 Somebody took lead, while we all followed...

 I don't care much for extravagant weddings, but if I were to ever get married, as long as I had a tasty cake and a rockin' playlist to dance to, I think happily ever after my love and I would be. 

 

Here is an Emr lab family portrait.  Well, half of the Emr lab family at least.  There's my boss featured in the center.

 After spending the morning doing tetrad dissections, my lab friends and I decided to visit the Museum of the Earth.  They had quite the spread of fake dinosaur bones.  Not to mention my favorite exhibit:

...the "Ancient" plants (courtesy of our local grocery store, Wegmans).




After returning to work, we were greeted by a throng of screaming Cornell football fans.

Though we came purely for the gallimaufry of free goods (shirts, food, stickers, food, etc).  Oh, the food!  "Free" anything meant gluttony never felt so good.  The life of a starving grad student ain't too shabby sometimes.

Moon Festival was also this week, but because I was almost trampled to death from reaching out to grab a sliver of moon cake), I couldn't take any photos.  The mad rush for a meager 2 inch by 2 inch slice of moon cake was the equivalent of your Black Friday. 

 Overall, not a bad weekend...