Trichloroethane

Pronunciation: \ˈdüsh\

2009-10-18T21:03:00.003-04:00

From the article Men at Their Most Masculine, photographer Chad States photographs his subjects in the pose and setting they find most masculine. Each photo in the set includes a quote from the subject.

“I am masculine because I abandon women after taking their love. Because when you study Freud, you don’t let him study you. Because I study philosophy, not literature.”

Pardon me while I hurl.

Realization

2009-10-13T21:58:00.002-04:00

So there I was, standing on my toilet, naked as the day I was born. Desperately looking around for something heavy and within reach. When I made the unfortunate discovery that my bathmat is of a particular shade that can best be described as "cockroach brown".

I watch TV

2009-10-04T18:33:00.002-04:00

So I finished the second season of Heroes last night and I liked it. Why are people all like, that season sucks blahdy blah blah?

Sure, some of it was cheesy and/or made no sense but the same is true of the first season.

And I'm sorry but I have to say, I am not a fan of Sylar. Also, he's gay right? I mean, him seducing Maya was just an act to get his powers back right? Because I'm sorry but there is nothing that says "I like vagina" about that character.

Things I am good at

2009-10-04T17:55:00.001-04:00

Looking someone dead in the eye as if to say "that's right Ms. Trader Joe's check out clerk, I am eating pot stickers and frozen yogurt for dinner tonight".

No accounting for taste

2009-09-28T23:12:00.007-04:00

So I hear this fugly dude is supposed to be the big Hottie McSexypants who is causing Jennifer Aniston to cry into her Wheaties every morning. I have a pretty high tolerance for "interesting" looking men (I have a celebracrush on Tim Roth for fuck's sake) but honestly I don't see it with this asshole.

What's up peeps, are y'all blind? He's uglier than the formatting on this blog post, which I am too lazy to fix.

Accomplishments

2009-09-13T21:43:00.003-04:00

This weekend I did the following:

(1) About 10 hours of lab work.
(2) About 2 hours of prep for the lab I'm teaching.
(3) Ran for 30 minutes.
(4) Did a load of laundry.
(5) Went out for dinner and drinks with friends.
(6) Took care of plants and pets.
(7) Blogged.

Kids buy shit

2009-09-13T17:04:00.008-04:00

I just watched a really interesting documentary about marketing to kids, posted on Sociological Images.

Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood

We didn't have a TV growing up, so I only ever got to watch commercial free videos (usually from the public library) at home or PBS (Sesame Street and so on) at my friend's house. I would never give up TV now that I'm an adult. If I lived alone I might give it up in it's purest form (i.e. on an actual TV) but I would definitely still watch on my computer. And I am not ashamed to admit that some days I just want to come home and watch stupid reality television to rot my brain for a while.

But! I have to admit that I think my parents made the right call with keeping TV out of our home when I was a kid. If I had kids (god forbid) I'm pretty sure I wouldn't keep a TV in the house either.

Stuff

2009-09-10T21:11:00.002-04:00

(1) laying down to watch the season premier of Glee after a long day was exactly as awesome as I expected it to be. Except the season premier was even better than the pilot posted on Hulu. The genius thing about the show is that it's an idea that sounds stupid but is in fact brilliant.

(2) I'm about to start training for a half marathon. This is also a stupid idea, but hopefully it will also be brilliant.

Cheering up

2009-09-08T21:29:00.003-04:00

I need some. I've been in a foul mood recently, for no apparent reason. Not even pictures of cute kittens and handsome men can warm my heart.

Rambling

2009-09-03T22:14:00.005-04:00

It's kind of sad but really, the only thing I want to blog about is TV right now. I don't like talking about work and there isn't much else going on right now.

Don't get me wrong, I love my work. But I find it kind of boring to talk about with non-scientists. It's not really a conversation so much as me assessing what level of science literacy the other person has, then giving them the appropriate song and dance about my research. Even bright people working in related fields can be difficult to talk to because I've come to realize that loads of scientists know shit all about evolution. I don't think it would be an overstatement to say evolution is the unifying theory in biology and yet I recently spoke to a biomedical engineering PhD student with clumsy and incorrect grasp of evolutionary biology.

Sure you might argue that a grasp of evolutionary theories is not required for a biomedical engineer but that's where the underlying theory bit comes in. Unless you're working exclusively on human and/or human derived cells there is one basic aspect of your work that depends on evolution. That is, common descent. The reason you can use mice to study human disease is because we were one species a long time ago.

Bringing it back to TV (and my previous post) it makes me crazy how evolutionary biology is presented on Heroes. Every time the words "evolutionary imperative" are uttered on the show, I cringe. Also, I know it's supposed to be science fiction but even if there were mutations that allowed telekinesis, flight and super fast healing, you couldn't identify them all using the same set of molecular markers. That's not how molecular markers work damn it! In my mind, this is where it crosses from science fiction into fantasy. Oh Heroes, I wish I could quit you.

I watch TV

2009-09-01T23:40:00.011-04:00

As I explained my friend over lunch today, it's not that I don't want to date anybody it's that I don't want to date anybody more than I want to go home and watch three episodes of Heroes in a row before heading to bed.

Yes it's true, I'm a little bit late to the party but I've been watching the first season of Heroes (starting last Sunday) and I'm totally hooked. I have to admit that in part, I wanted to watch it because of Spock 2.0 but now that he's come out of the shadows I don't care for him much. I think the problem I have with the character is that he's just too powerful. I suspect this may also become true of Peter Petrelli now that he's learning to control all the powers he's absorbed. I also didn't like when Jessica broke free and tased the shit out of her psychiatrist, because I think it would have been more interesting to see her struggle with the split personality thing a bit more instead of her just getting out of prison and killing more people with her superhuman strength.

But the character I care even less about than Spock 2.0 is Simone Deveaux. I wasn't even surprised when she got shot, just bored.

Also, can we talk about how grossed out I am by the long, lingering scenes with Peter Petrelli and Claire Bennet, knowing that they dated when she was "18" and he was in his 30s? Ew dudes, ew.

But guest appearance by George Takei and Stan Lee are winner, to be sure.

Pop Kulture Korner

2009-08-25T21:31:00.018-04:00

So, I am a nerd. I know some of you might find this shocking, but I assure you it's quite true. And as a nerd, I like nerd things. In fact, I love the quintessential Nerd Thing, Star Trek. I also like trivia, and I retain a frustrating amount with brains cells that could otherwise be put to good use curing cancer or something. Mix the two together and I am a nerd who has seen every Star Trek movie staring the original crew, and remembers that the whales in Star Trek IV were named George and Gracie.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I am that kind of nerd.

So I heard that this show, The Big Bang Theory, is liberally peppered with Star Trek references. And last night while I was waiting for Futurama to come on, I saw that there was an episode of The Big Bang Theory involving something called "rock, paper scissors, lizard, Spock" so I decided to watch.

Now this show is an American sit com, which means that it has a laugh track. This makes my ears cry. My roommate entered the living room and asked me what I was watching, then told me it sounded like Seinfeld. I agreed, "yeah it's very 90s".

Here's the thing, the content of the show was actually okay. Like, I would maybe watch more episodes. Except for the laugh track, I just can't deal. So I probably won't be watching it again. And I can't be the only one, right? Sure Arrested Development was popular because of its brilliant, hilarious writing and acting but I think people also appreciated the absence of a laugh track.

At best, a laugh track is neutral and acts as background noise. At worse, people stop watching the show because it's annoying. Plus it encourages lazy writing since there's a forced pause after every joke and a cue to for viewers to laugh. So my question is, why are laugh tracks still used?

Kids nowadays

2009-08-22T22:18:00.004-04:00

My friend forwarded me an e-mail she received, regarding a class I am TAing this coming semester. It reads:

Hello,

I got your name from Blank department web site. My son, Blankity Blank is a junior at Blank. He is registered for Blank 101 Lecture and LAB in the Fall 2009 semester.

Blankity would benefit from formal one-on-one tutoring for about 2 to 3 times a week. I was wondering if you would be available. If so, please let me know as soon as possible and what the fee would be. I am writing this email on Blankity's behalf as he is working long hours.

Regards,

Mommy Blank (Blankity's mother)

I'm not sure which I find more ridiculous. The fact that she wrote the e-mail for him or the fact that she thinks he needs tutoring 2-3 times a week in any course, let alone Blank 101. If her kid does need the intense hand holding of tutoring 2-3 times a week perhaps he should reconsider an academic career of any sort.

Words

2009-08-20T20:12:00.001-04:00

I don't care for the word "throbbing".

Family tree

2009-08-18T19:49:00.003-04:00

Two weeks ago, my uncle mentioned that my grandmother's family name has been traced back to cristãos novos, new Christians. If you aren't familiar, this is a term that was used in Spain and Portugal to single out Jewish and Muslim converts to the Roman Catholic church.

Later, my uncle got on the topic of my grandfather's family. My grandfather's father was a German man who married an Irish Catholic woman and moved to Brazil. We don't know very much about my great-grandfather, "he was running away from his Jewishness" said my uncle.

Later still, my uncle tells us that he met the niece of my great-grandfather. He says that she was French, and that although she never confirmed it, he suspects that her father was killed in a concentration camp.

I find it interesting, these religious threads woven into my family history. But more ubiquitous than the religious aspect is the whispery, half told nature of these stories. Because we have long been deprived of the close physical proximity that I assume maintains these types of things, our family stories are more like rumors than anything else.

2009-08-16T18:56:00.002-04:00

Given the length of most of my recent posts, it seems like I should move to twitter. Am I really that big of a tool?

Things I would like

2009-08-09T20:59:00.001-04:00

Dental insurance.

Monday

2009-07-27T20:54:00.003-04:00

Ever have one of those days where you get home and the only logical thing to do is to stretch out on your bedroom floor in front of a fan and eat ~~most~~ all of a Trader Joe's frozen pizza covered in sriracha sauce?

I feel 100% better now. Except my knees still hurt.

Nibblet

2009-07-15T20:59:00.003-04:00

PETA suggests that the Iowa State Fair make their Michael Jackson sculpture out of a non-dairy spread, instead of butter.

Clearly PETA is not a legitimate animal welfare organization and is in fact, an elaborate form of performance art.

FML - grad school edition

2009-07-10T22:01:00.003-04:00

My problems are not like normal people problems.

Right now my most pressing, keeps-me-awake-at-night problem is how to find and maintain a particular species of parasitoid fly in the laboratory. There are many random subproblems that I won't bore you with. Also, how do I best spend $1933.61 on lab supplies before the end of August.

But on the other hand, I can't really complain when another pressing concern I have is "which of the Hawaiian islands will I visit when I go collecting this December?"

Win some, lose some.

Haiku

2009-07-09T21:35:00.002-04:00

Sweet Georgia peaches
The Platonic ideal of
Fruit, you are summer.

The future is now

2009-07-09T20:55:00.002-04:00

I welcome our Google overlords.

As a grad student who does grad student type things I've been thinking about getting a net book, I can't wait to get one with Google's operating system. It better not suck, if I have to wait until 2010.

True Facts

2009-07-07T21:08:00.017-04:00

My neighborhood is both awesome and frustrating.

I interact with pretty much the same ten people or so every day. Adviser, lab tech, post docs, office mate, undergrads, roommates, bus driver. I see more new and attractive people in the ten minute walk from my bus stop to my apartment than I do in the other 23 hrs and 50 minutes of my day. And they are all, most definitely, gay.

Let us now pause to consider the wise words of Jonny "The Gay Pimp" McGovern.

Speaking of beautiful, (allegedly) gay men can we all agree that this is basically sex in jpg form?

And while we're on the topic of Spock, you should probably check out Leonard Nimoy's photography here. Because he is my childhood hero and the original BAMF. And I love him even more since he's been rocking the old man jacket/khakis combo while doing the whole red carpet thing for the new Star Trek movie. Because he's Leonard Mother Fucking Nimoy and he's too old for this fancy pants bullshit god dammit.

That is all.

Open Letter

2009-07-06T20:18:00.004-04:00

To the gentleman on the elliptical next to mine at the gym today:

It's cardio not labor. I'm trying to watch MTV's finest reality programming and your Lamaze breathing is really distracting.

Secret

2009-07-03T21:09:00.004-04:00

I kind of wish Sir David Attenborough was my grandfather and Sir Ian McKellen was my great uncle. They could be total douche bags in reality, but in my pretend world they'd be totally awesome relatives.

I'm psychic

2009-07-02T19:54:00.003-04:00

My adviser shares space with another faculty member and I am friends with that faculty member's grad student.

Tuesday around noon I was suddenly filled with the certainty that my friend's adviser was pregnant, and I told him that while we were waiting for our yoga class to start Tuesday evening.

Today in lab meeting, his adviser announced that she is about 3 months pregnant.

I don't actually think I'm psychic but more likely, I subconsciously picked up on some subtle cues. But I do think it's a sign I should go to medical school.

Funniest damn thing I've heard all week

2009-06-30T22:01:00.001-04:00

Me: Hold on, I forgot my hat.
Friend: Oh no, you might have to walk across campus without getting complimented on your hat!

Open Letter

2009-06-24T19:33:00.003-04:00

Dear US politicians,

I don't care if you cheat on your wife, no really. I mean, it kind of sucks for your wife but I am not she. I am of the philosophy that, as long as the work gets done (and done well) your off hours are none of my business.

What I do care if that you persist in this charade of getting up on stage and talking about how very, very, truly sorry you are that you put your penis in somebody other than your wife. Sorry for getting caught, maybe. With the apologizing and the stepping down from positions and whatnot you are making me aware of your penis, and I do not want to be aware of your penis.

So next time you get caught sneaking off to Argentina with your mistress or whatever how about you keep it between your family and you, and leave me out of it.

Thx,

EDS

No regrets

2009-06-20T18:18:00.003-04:00

I saw Star Trek again. Equally entertaining as the first time, probably because the plot is so irrelevant to ones viewing pleasure.

Houndstooth

2009-06-07T20:20:00.004-04:00

So fucking classy it hurts.

Short movie reviews

2009-05-31T21:39:00.002-04:00

Night at the Smithsonian: like somebody dropped acid and watched the history channel.

Star Trek: awesome. Awesome like ZQ's sneakers.

Picky

2009-05-10T00:31:00.002-04:00

Had my annual physical yesterday. The NP I saw told me I have OCD tendencies because I pick at my skin. It actually makes a lot of sense, now that I think about it. I wash my hands often, as soon as I get home, after I tie my shoe laces, after touching any kind of animal. If I don't, I can't focus and I feel uncomfortable. I assumed it was just really good hygiene practices instilled at an early age by my parents but even my mom is baffled by some of my quirks, like having to shower before getting into bed every night. I also wonder if it explains the amount of water I drink.

Either way, I think it's an asset in my line of work, and my adviser also admits to a history of OCD tendencies.

Summer

2009-05-08T23:09:00.004-04:00

Here is the most temperate region I have ever lived in, and it has indicated to me that I can never live further north. I don't know if it's the increased day light or the warm weather and it certainly is aided by my recent academic success, but these past few weeks have been bursting with joy, it permeates my body. I am alive and the sun is shining and life is not full of every possibility it once was, but there are still plenty more doors ajar.

Minor details

2009-04-28T21:42:00.001-04:00

Oh yeah, also..

PhD candidate in the hizzouse.

I've been one for a week today and I have to say, damn it feels good.

Open Letter

2009-04-28T21:32:00.003-04:00

Hey you dirty hippies,

Are you really going to let Iowa be a shining beacon of progressiveness compared to California?

Get your shit together, pronto.

EDS

Secret

2009-04-23T20:06:00.004-04:00

Hey y'all, I think I have a thing for Tim Roth.

I mean, what the hell right? There's just something strangely compelling about that aggressively awkward little man. Maybe it's a sign that I need to start dating again.

Open Letter

2009-04-19T23:20:00.008-04:00

Hey fuckwad,

I'm sure being the Sunday night trivia dude at some grotty bar in Atlanta was totally your life dream so maybe learn how to do it right.

First of all, nobody is here to listen to you being clever. So shut the fuck up, read the questions clearly and give us the fucking answer in a timely manner.

Second of all Lolita's real name is Dolores. There is both a Lolita, TX and a Dolores, TX. Therefore, when you ask "what Texas town has the same name as the title character in a Vladimir Nabokov novel?" Be prepared to give points to people who write "Lolita/Dolores".

Third of all, do not fucking argue with me motherfucker. Have you ever prepared for qualifying exams? Yeah, didn't think so. Have you ever had PMS? No? Well let me tell you. It sucks. Multiply it by 150 and that's an approximation of how I feel ALL THE FUCKING TIME right now. So even if you're going to be a totally illiterate douchenozzle who doesn't know a Vladimir Nabokov novel from his asshole, don't be a dick about it. I am not an idiot, in fact I am probably 2 to 3 times smarter than you (and even if an Oscar worthy performance has cleverly disguised some MENSA shit, I am clearly better read than you), so do not repeat "I asked for the MAIN character" in that condescending little prickass voice at me, motherfucker. Dolores = Lolita. They are the same motherfucking person. I understand the meaning of the words "title character" however since Lolita = Dolores, you are not allowed to withhold points for people who provide both names as the answer.

In summary, suck a big fat one you stain of week old monkey jizz.

Fuck you,

Me

P.S. I firmly believe that the country is currently in the shitter due to exactly your kind of ignorant, pig headed, close minded, assholery.

Observed

2009-04-09T21:44:00.002-04:00

No less than 5 cop cars on the side of I-75 with a nice, late model car pulled over. Two black men handcuffed on the hood of one of the cop cars. Traffic starts to move and about 100 feet further down are two cop cars, connected by jump cables.

There's nothing quite like cops from the bedroom communities adjacent to a big city. Bless their hearts.

(And no, I wasn't driving so I was absolutely free to rubberneck).

Today...

2009-03-31T20:02:00.005-04:00

...is a good day to contemplate our species' capacity for evil. And to consider how we might, in our small ways, act against it.

Mmm.....

2009-03-29T20:47:00.000-04:00

90slicious

6 months

2009-03-27T21:46:00.005-04:00

It's been six months since you were an asshole. September 23rd, 2008. I know because I wrote it down, where I write down all the secret, hurtful things.

It's been six months that I've thought why bother meeting anybody new? They're just going to be an asshole eventually. It's like gravity or the second law of thermodynamics.

Everything falls, everything falls apart.

Black out

2009-03-26T00:02:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I fainted in my adviser's office.

It was the strangest thing, one minute we were standing in front of the white board talking about statistics and then all of a sudden my vision goes black and the next thing I know I'm on the floor with a very concerned adviser propping me up.

I was pale as a ghost with sweats and shakes for a while but once I got my blood sugar up I was okay. Felt a bit hung over this morning but with none of the fun times last night. Fellow students were in awe that I worked so hard I literally passed out, but to be fair I'd given blood 6 hours before. Although I'm sure stress contributed, since I've never so much as felt light headed after donating before.

What I did today

2009-03-14T19:53:00.004-04:00

Studied for qualifying exams.

Ate lunch alone.

Took the dog for a long walk in the rain.

Did laundry.

Cleaned my room.

Income taxes.

You wish you had my life.

Open Letter

2009-03-10T21:34:00.005-04:00

Dear Jake,

You know I think you're the cat's pajamas. I mean, Bubble Boy? Sheer brilliance.. I laughed, I cried, I learned to love a little more.

I would give my left kidney to be in a Heath and Jake sandwich, if you know what I mean. Also, I lost my virginity after watching Donnie Darko so you know, thanks?

But dear boy, why? And where have your nipples gone?

It only gets funnier...

2009-01-25T19:46:00.004-05:00

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

...the more times you watch it.

Again!

My new big girl shoes

2009-01-18T20:32:00.004-05:00

My parents wanted to know what I wanted for Christmas, so I sent them my Amazon wish list and a link to the same type of converse that I have been wearing since I was in my mid-teens. My old pair of shoes had worn almost all the way through, so that I could push the inner lining out through the bottom if I wanted to.

I do almost all of my shopping on-line these days, because it's the future damn it. My mom is old fashion though, and she won't buy things on-line. So we shlepped through two malls trying to track down a pair of black, low top converse, size 6. The exact same shoes are on zappos.com for exactly the same price and free shipping. Although I did not get a new pair of shoes out of the experience, it did renew my appreciation for zappos.com, and on-line shopping in general.

So thank you zappos.com, for allowing me to purchase my favorite sneakers and a pair of smoking hot heels without leaving the comfort of my home.

Secret

2009-01-18T20:30:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I read craigslist personal ads because they make me feel better about myself.

Let's play...

2009-01-12T17:53:00.003-05:00

Where in the world did I spend my weekend?

Pardon our dust

2009-01-08T21:23:00.000-05:00

We are currently remodeling to better serve your needs.

Open Letter

2008-09-14T23:56:00.008-04:00

Dear Roommate,

If you have, by some unfortunate series of events, managed to live here for two months without figuring out how to work the dishwasher you should at least be too ashamed of this to bother me repeatedly with questions on how to work this most mundane of kitchen appliances.

EDS

P.S. Yes, I too am familiar with the "turn it off then back on" method of getting the cable to work. Yes, I already tried it. It's not working because Comcast sucks shit. Stop asking me if I've tried turning it off and then back on. I have.

Karma

2008-09-14T14:08:00.006-04:00

So last night I discovered I had a flat tire. Huh, that's unfortunate. I'll deal with it in the morning.

This morning I moved all the crap out of my trunk (and there is a lot of crap, for reasons that are irrelevant to my story) and pull out my spare.

While I'm jacking up my car, a former AAA employee walks by with his dog. He gives me a hand, and he tells me that he was going to sleep in today but his neighbor fell while smoking crack last night and died. So the ambulances and police woke him up early this morning. Awkward silence.

Turns out my spare is flat. So I inch along the back roads until I get to the gas station near my house. A helpful biker pulls up next to the passenger side window and motions frantically down towards my tire. Since I really don't feel like leaning across and rolling down the passenger side window, I yell "I know, my spare is flat.. I know" until he either hears me or gives up.

When I get to the gas station, the air pump is out of order. Of course. So I get back on the road and inch my way to the next closest gas station. Where the air pump only accepts quarters and all I have is nickles and dimes. Thank you, gas station attendant man who changed my nickles and dimes into quarters.

Back on the road with a no longer flat spare, I finally make it to a Pep Boys where I sit in the waiting room that smells like tires for two and a half hours. My tire is now good as new.

a short exchange on elitism

2008-08-25T22:55:00.003-04:00

Friend: What's up with arugula? Is it grown on gold or something?
Me: Gold, and the crushed dreams of the working class.
Friend: With their tears as the water supply.

Question of the day

2008-08-25T21:56:00.001-04:00

Today the tech in my lab asked the (not entirely hypothetical) question:

If somebody says "guess what song I have stuck in my head" and then starts singing Never Gonna Give You Up, is that the real life version of being Rick Rolled?

This ain't my first rodeo

2008-08-22T15:21:00.004-04:00

Today was the last day of TA training. It's been a long three days.

The "capstone" experience for the training was to deliver a 15 minute lecture on a topic of our choice. I picked the evolution of virulence, targeted for a junior level evolution class.

I was nervous, because I loath public speaking. I like teaching, but I will never become faculty because I have no desire to stand in front of people and speak. Through out the training, it was stressed that this is about communication, so even if you don't want to teach the training can be applicable to your future career.

Giving a lecture will always be my last choice for communicating with people. I have tutored groups of students and I have mentored in the lab and I think I'm a pretty damn good teacher in these settings. I've been complimented a number of times by the people I have taught.

So there I was, tired, caffeine deprived, and hungry giving my talk. And then came the critique. While I did well responding to questions, apparently I come across as too casual. Too young. I use the world "cool" and "neat" when describing a Very Important Theory.

The person who gave a talk after mine was a very formal looking Economics PhD, in khakis and a navy blue polo. And after his talk several people commented on being enthusiastic about your subject, and how it helps draw students in.

I raised my hand and asked why it was enthusiasm when the other guy did it but "too young" when I did it.

Basically, I look young. I speak casually. The students will take advantage of me because they won't see me as an authority figure. I was frustrated and ready to burst into tear, wailing "that isn't fair!" so instead I dropped it so we could finally go to lunch.

Now, I have the spirit of the stairwell.

I like who I am, and I know I'm a good teacher. It's true that I am casual and it's true that I am young, but if the students think that they can get away with shit because of that, they have another thing coming.

It's no bigfoot...

2008-08-19T22:02:00.002-04:00

But people are still discovering new species.

I'm pretty busy right now and I'm only going to get busier. I've got TA training, a big experiment, classes, and some other random shit coming up within the next two weeks. Meanwhile, I also need to finish writing a paper. So I'll either be maintaining radio silence or posting like crazy to procrastinate (like right now).

Hooray consumerism!

2008-08-18T20:59:00.004-04:00

I just bought this t-shirt. I'm very excited.

It's both clever and aesthetically pleasing. And it's too hot to wear right now, which gives me the added bonus of fantasizing about how in another two months it will be cool and crisp and I can wear 3/4 sleeves again.

I wanted to believe

2008-08-17T22:57:00.004-04:00

But the DNA says human and opossum.

What fascinates me about this story, even now that it's been shown to be a hoax, is that these people even tried. Did they really think they would get away with it? They offered up a corpse and DNA samples, they must have known the hoax would be revealed within days. Was it just for the fifteen minutes of fame?

Ordem e progresso

2008-08-17T10:58:00.004-04:00

Once, a male friend of mine asked me if I didn't wish I could have lived fifty or 100 years ago, when life was simpler. I stared at him, as if he was crazy. "If by simpler you mean not be able to own my own property, decide who I marry, control the number of children I have, or possibly even vote.. I have absolutely no desire to live in the past", I responded.

"Huh, I hadn't thought of that" he said.

I'm reminded of this exchange after reading this article in the Daily Mail (it's in a section titled "Femail", I'm not even going to dignify that with further comment). And I have to ask, what's up with people and their "simpler time" fetish? I mean, whatever tickles your pickle, how your live your life is of no concern to me as long as you aren't hurting anybody. But if you actually think that the 1930-50s were a better time to live in (particularly if you are of the female, non-white, non-Christian persuasion), then I think there's a word for that.. what is it.. hmm..oh yeah! Delusional.

One thing that struck me while I was reading the article is how fear seems to have played a role in all of the women's decisions to live in the past. I understand fear, I'm a very fearful person. Pretty much everything scares me, from strangers to school to an occasionally crippling feeling of inadequacy. So I feel for the women, who fear the world they were born into. But never once have I thought that returning to a less enlightened past is the correct way to deal with my fears.

I live in a flawed time. Children still starve, hundreds of crimes of every nature are committed daily in the city I inhabit, the homeless still freeze underneath highway overpasses. But these occurrences are not a modern invention, people have always been calloused towards others, greedy, and violent. And I believe that in addition to being flawed, this is also the best time yet. Never have so many people had so much freedom. Freedom from famine, freedom from disease, freedom from oppression. It's not a bad time to exist.

Denying this and running away to a make-believe past is one way to deal with this flawed time. I prefer to stand up to my fears and face forward.

Gone native

2008-08-02T14:46:00.003-04:00

Check out my peach tree.

Well, more of a peach sprout actually. But maybe by the time I have a garden to put it in it will be big enough to call a tree.

Dear Senator Clinton

2008-07-21T20:53:00.006-04:00

It's true, I would have liked to see you win the nomination. It would have been amazing to vote for the first female US president.

But I got to say, watching you kick ass and take names isn't bad either.

Hey there lil' green buddy

2008-07-20T10:06:00.002-04:00

From icanhascheezburger.

I am one of G-d's chosen people after all

2008-07-19T18:21:00.004-04:00

In my school e-mail inbox today I found a message with the subject line "Jewish Egg Donor"

It read:

Jewish Atlantan Professional Couple are seeking an anonymous Jewish Egg Donor through The Atlanta Center for Reproductive Medicine. In order to qualify, interested women must be between the ages of 21-32, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. $6,000 monetary compensation will be paid for your generosity of spirit, as well as all incurred medical costs. V.I.P. treatment; No Travel Necessary.

Please telephone (678) 841-1090 if interested.

Huh? What's up with that? Did they just send out a mass email to everyone with a Jewish sounding last name?

Grasp of the English language, I no haz

2008-07-14T11:39:00.005-04:00

According to my sitemeter page, one of the most common ways that people find my blog is searching about how to address a PhD or some derivative of that. This lands them on this post, and over a year later I still get the occasional comment.

Like this one:

"Well, when I get stabbed in the stomach in the middle of the street or have a horrible accident happen to me, I'm gonna be screaming doctor.

If a person with a PhD comes to my aid... I will merely shun it and simply die. I think it's ridiculous to connote such power to a person just by putting "Doctor" in front of it."

I'm not sure which is worse. The fact that the person completely missed the point of the post even though Ed and I discussed it in some detail via comments? The fact that he or she came up with the unlikely hypothetical of a PhD coming to the aid of someone who has just been stabbed in the stomach? Or the fact that the person appears to be completely incapable of formulating a coherent thought in text form?

I thought disabling anonymous commenting would eliminate verbal spewage in my comment section but apparently people on the internet are capable of holding in their diarrhea of stupid long enough to create a blogger account.

Saturday Night Movie

2008-07-12T23:48:00.012-04:00

So I'm watching Thelma and Louise tonight.

Why is every guy in this movie a raging asshole?

God damn, Brad Pitt is cut.

Speaking of Brad Pitt and his penis..

Oh Naked Brad Pitt With A Chubby, how I've missed you. We had so much fun with you in college. You're like an old friend to me.

Anyway, why am I watching this movie alone on a Saturday night?

Because I have no life outside of the lab. And I'm never going to get laid again, and I'm going to die alone and my thirty cats are going to eat my face. But I'm so not bitter.

Women in Western Art

2008-07-12T21:43:00.010-04:00

Some time ago I saw this video, and I was thinking about it today. It's a slide show of portraits from five hundred years of Western art.

Does any one look familiar to you?

When I first saw it, I was startled by the woman who appears at 0:43 because for a split second I saw myself, merging into the next portrait. Thinking that perhaps I had imagined the resemblance, I found the video again today and again I was startled.

Is it just me? Am I such a narcissist that I see myself in random places, even when the resemblance is slim to none?

Girl cooties

2008-07-10T19:18:00.003-04:00

So we're going to the drive-in on Friday and I thought I'd stop by Target and buy a couple folding chairs for the comfort of all people involved. Lots of summer time fun involves folding chairs so I consider it an investment.

I get to the camping section, and I find a decent selection of chairs ranging in price from about $5 to about $20. I'm standing there, debating whether I should get the $5 one without the armrests or the slightly more expensive model with armrests.

But wait, that's weird... there are two prices for the same model.

One is $8.99 and the other one is $11.49.

The only difference? The cheaper one was Pepto pink and the more expensive one was navy blue. Does the vagification of the chair cause a depreciation in value? What gives, yo?

Since I am nothing if not cheap, I decided to get the model sans armrests. This model was available in both red and blue however there was no price difference between the colors.

Melancholy Sundays

2008-07-06T20:59:00.005-04:00

I'm sitting on my porch in the twilight, watching the dwindling crowds from the Pride festivities this weekend. It's been a lonely, quiet weekend during which I mostly slept while people ebbed and flowed under my porch and windows.

I've contemplated numbers of things in between my slumber. A friend called, desperate for distraction from calling somebody else.

Should I continue blogging? If so, what direction should I go in? Should I make an effort to be scientific, to network? Or should I quietly move elsewhere to anonymously put down the secrets that whisper to me in my somnolence, more solitude on top of solitude?

Tomorrow the week will start again, and my day will be filled with chatter and things to be done and these decisions will probably flee until the next quiet weekend. Once the summer haze has dissipated, where will I find myself?

Alone, but only sometimes lonely?

It seems a comfortable state, the path of least resistance. Will I mourn these quiet hours once I am old? When I could have been out dancing, in the bright raiments of youth.

Matchy matchy

2008-06-27T19:26:00.006-04:00

"What a lovely color you have on!"

"Why thank you! But it's not nearly as nice as the blue you're wearing"

"You're too kind but really I must insist, your blue is superior"

"Haha oh you, we'll just have to agree to disagree"

Your esteemed blogger, the early years

2008-06-24T01:07:00.002-04:00

BRB, again

2008-06-19T23:35:00.002-04:00

Back on Wednesday. And I've learned my lesson, checking a bag and bringing my lap top this time.

Dear California

2008-06-19T18:10:00.003-04:00

(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Never doubt that you did the right thing.

What an asshole!

2008-06-17T19:04:00.003-04:00

I mean, who does that?

That being the following:

Picture me driving home, pissed off, because a visiting ex-coworker blew me off for dinner after I made special arrangements to have dinner with him. And Adam calls, while I'm waiting to make a left turn at a small intersection in the back streets near my house.

"Hold on, I'm making a left turn" I said.

And not two seconds later, the middle aged man driving the car coming in the opposite direction put his hand up to his ear, to mimic a phone.

And then wagged his mother fucking finger at me.

I'm so pissed off right now I can't even think.

Have some pictures

2008-06-15T23:05:00.003-04:00

D'oh

2008-06-11T23:32:00.001-04:00

Sorry peeps, I returned from my travels to discover that Comcast sucks shit. This is the first time in days there's been internets at home. I'll be blogging again soon.

BRB

2008-06-04T08:52:00.002-04:00

Going out of town, leaving my computer here.

Back on Sunday.

Politics as usual

2008-06-03T22:39:00.007-04:00

As I watch Obama give his speech in St. Louis I have to admit that I feel a little bit let down. Sure Obama's okay I guess, he has his faults. So does Clinton. I didn't vote in the primaries in part because I didn't have a compelling reason to choose one over the other.

But I feel tired from tensing up every time I hear some dude open his mouth about Clinton. What's he going to say this time? That's she a harpy? A bitch? A cunt who should just give up already? There are plenty of reasons not to support Clinton, but the fact that she is a strong and tenacious woman is certainly not one of them.

People have been saying since Iowa that she should bow out and stop wasting Obama's time and resources. Part of it is election fatigue, I understand, I feel it too sometimes. But every god damn inch that Hillary Clinton has won is an inch less that I hope our first female president won't have to fight for.

And I am in awe of the fight in that woman.

I'm famous!

2008-06-02T19:32:00.001-04:00

Kind of..

My blog got quoted (with typo) in the blog for the local weekly.

Open Letter

2008-05-31T13:02:00.004-04:00

Dear writers and producers of House,

Jesus H., could you have made a more depressing season finale? I mean, seriously not to spoil it for people who haven't seen it yet (and should probably stop reading now) but damn.

Okay first of all, I'm glad I didn't get the chance to watch it when it originally aired since a sunny Saturday afternoon is pretty much the most cheerful time ever and it still bummed me out.

It's not enough that you had Amber die, no you had to wake her up so everybody could say their tearful good-byes. And the you had the man who loved her turn off the machine that was keeping her alive!

But even if we didn't have to watch Wilson and Amber spooning in bed together knowing Amber would be dead in a few hours.. all of the other characters got to have a shitty time also!

Kumar reveals that his parents were shot and killed in front of him when he was 6 years old. And 13 finally gets tested for Huntington's only to find out that, surprise! She's positive.

I can't believe you let House come out of his coma, but then I realized that it was only so that Wilson could turn his back on House for the partial responsibility of killing Amber. Right before Wilson goes home and finds the note the Amber left the night she got into the bus accident.

When it was all over I had to wander out onto my porch and just stare off into space for a while before I could function enough to make lunch.

Damn, that was harsh.

Peace,

EDS

We also have airtran

2008-05-29T23:04:00.003-04:00

I just had a long talk with my roommate about how much Atlanta sucks. And it depressed me.

But then he told me that he saw Big Boi turning onto our street the other day, and I felt better.

Sorry!

2008-05-26T15:51:00.002-04:00

Between moving and setting up a big experiment and getting ready for a conference in early June I've been too busy to blog.

I promise as soon as things settle down I'll be back to blogging regularly. Probably about the evolution of virulence and male strip clubs. Not at the same time though.

I am exhausted

2008-05-18T21:41:00.003-04:00

I've moved at least once a year in the past five years. I think I would like to not move again for a few years now.

But I love my new place, and my brand new bed should be here within an hour and twenty minutes (but seriously, who delivers on a Sunday between 8pm and 11 pm? Mattress Firm apparently). I will have pictures some time soon. Probably when I finally getting everything put away.

Audience participation

2008-05-15T17:07:00.002-04:00

So I read several of the Science Blogs on a semi-regular basis and my recent platypus post has got me thinking it's kind of fun to write about science (clearly my vacation from classes has already started to make my brain melt).

What do you all think? I'm guessing some of you will be really bored by it but that's what the scroll bar is for. If you are interested, what kind of topics would you like to read? Do you have any burning questions that you would like me to address? Tell me, I'm all ears.

Speaking of ow...

2008-05-15T08:36:00.003-04:00

My friend wants to try out for Atlanta's roller derby teams. And I'm going to the open house with her on Saturday. I will be blogging it.

Ow

2008-05-13T23:17:00.002-04:00

I tried capoeira tonight, and it kicked my ass. Why do I keep forgetting that I'm a completely uncoordinated and clumsy person?

I was productive...

2008-05-11T12:15:00.001-04:00

And now I'm going to go get a fancypants haircut.

Well, not a really fancypants haircut since I can't afford those but I am going to an honest to god salon. I can't wait to get my hair unpoofed.

Platypus? Platyplease!

2008-05-11T02:03:00.014-04:00

As some of you may have heard, a draft of the platypus genome has recently been published. Since the platypus lineage split off about 166 million years ago, they have some features that seem pretty quirky to us eutharian mammals.

Here's a quality reproduction of part of one of the figures in the Nature paper published this week:

In case you can't appreciate my ouvre, that's a platypus (monotreme), a kangaroo (marsupial), and a rat (eutharian).

All three groups evolved from the therapsids, a mammal-like reptile from the synapsid lineage. Meanwhile the sauropsids, which split from the synapsids about 315 MYA, have evolved into birds and reptiles.

This ancient split between what eventually became platypus and what eventually became reptile is interesting because the male platypus is a venomous animal. This is already unusual and totally bad ass for a mammal but it gets better.

The genes for platypus venom come from a duplication of the beta-defensin gene family, which we all have. In fact, the venom genes in snakes and lizards also arose from a duplication of beta-defensin genes, completely independent of the duplication in the platypus lineage. That is so cool!

Another really cool thing about the playtpus is that males have five X chromosomes and five Y chromosomes and let me tell you, that's a whole lot of sex chromosomes. It still isn't clear how sex determination even works in these animals.

In case you have a spare subscription to Nature laying around and you want to see the article yourself, it can be found here. If for some reason (god knows why) you don't have a subscription to Nature but you want to read the article anyway, let me know and I'll hook you up.

And since we're on the topic evolution, here's a segment from "This I Believe" on NPR where a plaeoanthropologist talks about how she doesn't believe in evolution.

All this fills me with warm evolutionary biologist fuzzies. I don't know how somebody can look at the platypus and its ten sex chromosome and not want to know how and why these chromosomes came to be. I can't imagine not being filled with glee at the discovery that snakes and platypus got their venom in the same way.

I just can't understand how somebody could only want to know enough to stay alive and comfortable. I just can't understand how somebody can look all this, say god did it, and call it a day.

Pop Kulture Korner

2008-05-11T00:09:00.009-04:00

So I was reading a post over at Jezebel (and I'm assuming that you already read Jezebel since I mean, why wouldn't you?) and it referenced the Pink song "You and Your Hand" (or "U + UR Hand" for my younger, hipper, more textually gifted readers).

And I couldn't help but notice what's listed under "related videos". By which I mean, I couldn't help but get lost in the giant time suck that is YouTube. What fascinated me was how two songs could be superficially related, a la "related video" window, but still worlds apart when it came to registering on my feminist offense-o-meter.

Don't get me wrong, pretty much all pop culture is so saturated with misogyny that in my post-patriarchy gynotopia there will be no pop culture because it will have all been destroyed in the revolution. But I digress..

So I'm down with Pink. She's a'ight for the most part, although "Stupid Girls" kind of left that bitter taste of "I'm special! Not like those other yucky girls" in my mouth. But whev, more on this later. I do enjoy rockin' out to "You and Your Hand" so lets see YouTube thinks I might also enjoy.

Hmm.. "Before He Cheats", maybe he'll remember his last ex who trashed his truck with a baseball bat. I'll admit this song is actually kind of awesome, although not as awesome as Goodbye Earl. I mean, vandalism is totally wrong and I'm not condoning it but I am 100% supportive of Carrie Underwood decision to DTMF. I can see how it relates to telling skeezeballs to go fuck themselves but points off for taking a pot shot at fruity drinks.

"Call Me When You're Sober". Let me just say I would also completely support the decision of Amy Lee to dump her band, she has a powerful voice and it's painful to hear it drowned out by mediocre instrumentals. Anywhoo, Amy Lee DTMF for excessive drinking. Less skeezey than just kind of sad since presumably Carrie Underwood's ex-boyfriend was just a douchebag but Amy Lee's ex-boyfriend was an alcoholic.

Okay, "Girlfriend".. I don't really know where to start with this train wreck of a song. I realize that when you like somebody and they don't like you back it can make you wallow in self-pity for a bit. That's just pride fucking with you. But this song and "Sk8r Boi" are all pretty much about how the dude is a special and unique snowflake that other girls are too stupid to appreciate. This really pisses me off.

Systemic sexism means that you don't get to opt out. If you're cool enough and like enough "dude" things, you don't get to be an honorary dude. When you tear down a woman for not drinking whiskey, or for wearing make up, or for waxing her cootch you're tearing all women down. Discussion about the various concessions that we make to get by in a sexist society is one thing, taking a piss on other women because you personally don't do all that stupid girl shit? Well that's a whole 'nother game.

I hope that one day women realize they're shooting themselves in the foot when they tear down other women.

I think it's interesting that "You and Your Hand" has a bunch of links to other grrl power (I think? I'm still confused about how to characterize the relatedness) songs by other artists and in other genres, but the "related videos" for other songs tend to stick to the same sing.

Conclusion: I can't believe I spent my Saturday evening watching bad pop videos on YouTube and then writing a blog post about it. I see myself turning into a crazy cat lady, sans cats. I am done rambling now. A hot shower sounds way better than proofreading my post.

I'm having an awesome day!

2008-05-10T15:08:00.005-04:00

I'm being so lazy it's almost criminal.

Unfortunately I woke up just after seven but I lazed around in bed until eleven, when I finally got dressed. Then I went to the mall and bought these awesome pants, on sale.

Then I stopped by Target, which was kind of aggravating because there were so many people there. But I got a good pair of work out shorts, since my friend and I have started going to the gym and my one pair of sweat pants are kind of gross after a week of sweating in them. And I'm going to wash them and all but they were already kind of gross after half a week of sweating in them.

Since I was feeling a bit peckish after all that consumerism, I stopped for a lunch and had a delicious tofu burrito bowl.

Now I'm laying in bed and I might take a nap if I feel like it.

Tomorrow I'll start being useful again since my apartment needs to be cleaned and I need to start packing boxes for a move later this month. But for now, onward with the laziness!

It's all over...

2008-05-09T20:58:00.001-04:00

And I didn't fail a single class.

Things I hope I never have to say at a party

2008-05-04T13:34:00.008-04:00

"I study spider sex."

Of course, a big part of that is because I'd get really tired, really fast of having to defend my "useless" research.

I'm all for basic biological research ("really?!" You say, "I find that hard to believe") but sometimes I wonder what drew somebody to a research project in the first place.

I can't imagine writing a grant proposal or statement of purpose where you talk about how excited you are about spider sex.

That said, one thing I did find interesting in the article is that they don't actually know how the spiders detect UVB light.

It's Friday and my adviser just told me to go home

2008-05-02T18:43:00.003-04:00

So I'm going to do something unusual.

I'm going to meme it up, yeah baby.

1. What was I doing ten years ago?

Wallowing in thirteen year old angst, hating myself and everybody else.

2. Five things on my "to do" list:

Go to the gym.
Register for housing at the EEID conference.
Finishing my last paper, due on the 9th.
Make another three hundred caterpillar cage lids.
Party every day and every night.

3. Snacks I enjoy:

BBQ flavored Ruffles potato chips.
Chips and salsa.
Cucumber slices.
Cheese and crackers.
Edamame.

4. Five things I'd do if I were a billionaire:

Buy myself an apartment.
Buy my family whatever they want.
Visit California, Illinois, and New York.
Invest.
Donate.

5. My 5 bad habits:

Chewing my nails.
Picking at scabs and zits.
Leaving dishes in the sink.
Being judgmental.
Procrastinating.

6. Places I've lived:

Simi Valley, CA.
Miami, FL.
Berkeley, CA.
Oakland, CA.
Atlanta, GA.

7. Five jobs I've had:

Animal care staff at a zoo.
Math and science tutor.
Lab tech (I filled this position several times in different labs).
West Nile Virus hotline operator (this job sucked and it destroyed a piece of my soul that I will never get back).
Graduate student (I get paid and I work my ass off so I think it qualifies as a job).

News Nibblet

2008-04-29T15:17:00.008-04:00

So the US Congress is finally considering pulling its head out of its collective ass. And the abstinence only crowd is throwing a hissy fit over it. Shocking, I know.

Valerie Huber, chief executive of the National Abstinence Education Association, makes use of the classic "I know you are but what am I" rhetorical device and claims that the high teen pregnancy and STD rates are a result of not enough abstinence only sex ed.

Because you know what is really bad for teaching kids? Information. Like say for example, a comprehensive lesson plan. Because well-informed decisions always turn out so poorly.

But it's okay, because it's not ideologically driven. Says Ms. Huber:

"Compare this with healthful eating. We know that obesity is rising in America. That doesn't mean though that we minimise the optimal health message.

We still stress good eating habits, we still stress exercise, knowing that, unfortunately, many Americans are not going to listen."

Healthful eating is great and all but you know what would curb the so-called obesity epidemic? Abstinence only nutritional education.

We just have to start teaching kids that eating before you commit to a single dish for the rest of your life is bad, because you might occasionally eat something that tastes yucky. And you'll probably get food poisoning.

But it's not all fun and game. The agenda that Ms. Huber is pushing is a dangerous one. The saddest part of the article is a quote from a 15-year-old girl who says,

"I'm pretty confident I can keep my abstinence vows, it was pretty hard reaching that decision, because living in this world today, it's almost expected of you to 'do it.' But with my religious upbringing and convictions and commonsense, it's really not that hard."

The US Census Bureau estimates that, for 2000 to 2003, the median age at first marriage was 25 for women.

Perhaps Kirsten is an unusually precocious 15-year-old and she really can say that celibacy will be the best choice for her over the next ten years or so. More likely, she is a fairly normal 15-year-old, and sex still seems kind of scary and maybe a little gross. Meanwhile, the grown ups that Kirsten trusts are telling her that abstinence in the only way. Statistically, most of those grown ups are hypocrites.

In a few years, what if Kirsten decides that celibacy doesn't actually sound like such a good idea? Would it be better if she had the knowledge to protect herself or the guilt for failing at her purity pledge?

What if Kirsten decides to get married some day. Would it be better if she did it to publicly proclaim her love and devotion to a life partner or because she really would like to stop feeling guilty about having sex?

What is Kirsten was your friend? What if she was your sister? Or your daughter? Statistically speaking, the people you care for will almost certainly have sex outside of marriage. Wouldn't you rather that they do so in joyfully and in good health?

Temporary note: if the link to the article doesn't work it's not because the link is broken. I can't get any BBC news pages to load right now.

Wow...

2008-04-28T21:11:00.007-04:00

Just... wow.

I have another post in the works but I had to put this up so you all can lose faith in humanity too.

With this reminder of our practically unlimited capacity for evil, comes a reminder of our truly astonishing ability to survive. It is my fondest hope that one day we will no longer be reminded of our capacities.

My new look

2008-04-27T10:29:00.009-04:00

D. Licious is in the house, thanks to Sara.

I hate school

2008-04-26T18:27:00.008-04:00

In other news, I have a pair of leopard print Rocket Dog sneakers that are awesome but I had no idea Rocket Dog made high heels.

I have no reason to wear heels, ever. Also I'm not usually a fan of metallics, and definitely not of gold. And hearts aren't really my thing. But I love these shoes. And I would be like 6 feet tall in them, which would be fucking awesome.

If you're not watching...

2008-04-22T19:58:00.008-04:00

The Midwest Teen Sex Show, then what the hell are you watching?

I mean, damn..

Two bits

2008-04-22T17:20:00.003-04:00

Caught in my spam filter, an e-mail advertising in the subject line: "make yourself look really spiny!"

Is that a good thing? Really? Because I for one prefer things non-spiny.

Walking by the pool in my apartment complex, it smells like summer. I watch a dad in the water tossing his little girl up into the air. It reminds me of something my parents used to do with me, back when I was very young and very small.

They used to toss me back and worth between them while in the water. Imagine their surprised when one day I stopped giggling long enough to vomit all over. I don't think we played that game again.

Mambo #5

2008-04-19T16:19:00.008-04:00

Remember this song? I do.

I was fifteen, working at a zoo, and we had a radio in the back where we kept some of the birds at night. One of the few stations we could pick up was Y-100 and they would play this song almost every hour.

I had a wicked crush on one of my co-workers. I saw him again last time I was in Miami and it was amusing to think he once gave me butterflies in my stomach. I think you really only get those kinds of crushes when you're younger, I can't imagine feeling that way about anybody now. That's mostly a relief but still, it kind of makes me feel sad and old.

Not that I'm a hugely jaded person (okay, that's a lie) but when I meet a good looking guy now, it isn't long before I start wondering what's wrong with him. We all have something wrong, we all behave like assholes to the ones we care about sometimes. We all have scars that influence the way that we behave in a relationship.

And that's fine, and human, but it's a lot of work. And it's why I'm not sad when I'm single and free of that work.

The funny thing is though, when I hear Mambo #5 (and that isn't very often these days) I can still feel a little bit of the feeling I had when I was fifteen. It's not a current feeling, it's an echo, but it still makes me smile.

Update: In case you were wondering what made fifteen-year-old-me weak in the knees. Yes, we had some fugly uniforms. But god help me, there's just something about tall, lanky boys.

Open Letter

2008-04-16T08:06:00.002-04:00

Dear John Holman and Don Sebastiani,

Give it up. If you really want to throw away $1.8 million let me know and I'll send you my address.

Best,

EDS

One of these things is not like the other

2008-04-14T17:03:00.004-04:00

From the World Health Organization:

"...In the developed regions, which include Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, the ratio is about 10 per 100 000 live births or less."

Trichloroethane

Pronunciation: \ˈdüsh\

Realization

I watch TV

Things I am good at

No accounting for taste

Accomplishments

Kids buy shit

Stuff

Cheering up

Rambling

I watch TV

Pop Kulture Korner

Kids nowadays

Words

Family tree

Tweet

Things I would like

Monday

Nibblet

FML - grad school edition

Haiku

The future is now

True Facts

Open Letter

Secret

I'm psychic

Funniest damn thing I've heard all week

Open Letter

No regrets

Houndstooth

Short movie reviews

Picky

Summer

Minor details

Open Letter

Secret

Open Letter

Observed

Today...

Mmm.....

6 months

Black out

What I did today

Open Letter

It only gets funnier...

My new big girl shoes

Secret

Let's play...

Pardon our dust

Open Letter

Karma

a short exchange on elitism

Question of the day

This ain't my first rodeo

It's no bigfoot...

Hooray consumerism!

I wanted to believe

Ordem e progresso

Gone native

Dear Senator Clinton

Hey there lil' green buddy

I am one of G-d's chosen people after all

Grasp of the English language, I no haz

Saturday Night Movie

Women in Western Art

Girl cooties

Melancholy Sundays

Matchy matchy

Your esteemed blogger, the early years

BRB, again

Dear California

What an asshole!

Have some pictures

D'oh

BRB

Politics as usual

I'm famous!

Open Letter

We also have airtran