Seriously

Budget Hero

2008-10-01T14:42:00.001-04:00

saved us for 13 yrs, but appearently I believe in big government.

I have an obsession.

2008-09-10T15:12:00.002-04:00

Several actually.
Google reader is a problem.

It lets me indulge my feminist "they're out to get us and we must fight back" side.

It keeps me in the loop on the growing train wreck that is the election. And Sarah Palin, who I'm mildly obsessed with.

It lets me spend too long looking at items for the wedding and reception I am having (ok sort of) and the wedding(s) I would have if I was given $50,000 with serious strings attached (eg, could only spend on the wedding itself).

Maybe after the festivities are over I'll try some of the recipes I've been ignoring.

(P.S. Woj, this is for you.)

good housekeeping

2008-03-05T14:00:00.002-05:00

This (little gem of a guide) is also printed (almost word for word) in an encyclopedia style cookbook my mom has (which has some really good, but really time consuming recipes). It was her mom's.

My favorite line is "he is master of the house...you have no right to quesiton him". Did women of the 50's really not cringe at that?

google reader

2008-02-27T09:29:00.002-05:00

If google ever crashes, I might cry. Scratch that. Will cry.

Between gmail, gchat, picasa, google docs, and now google reader....A lot of my life is on their server, somewhere in the wild internet (where exactly DOES internet mail get hosted anyway? Do I WANT to look this up?). Google reader is amazing though. One glance, and I can see what new news there is, read about Katy's latest adventure, see new recipes. Amazing.

What Not to Wear

2008-01-31T14:28:00.000-05:00

I don't have cable right now, and I miss this show a lot.

However, regular trips to the LAFitness on City Ave keep me in full supply of the best part of the show, the clips of horrible and/or horribly fitting clothes. Now, I understand...its a gym...you're (theoretically) working out, sweaty, and not in your finest. I am not a matching-outfits-at-the-gym type, and don't expect anyone else to be. That being said, let's discuss some of this past week's finest:

The shorts over leggings look. I generally disapprove of leggings, except for running outside and yoga, but I know they're in style so I try to give this a bye. And I know people with hip anxiety sometimes do this for coverage. However, there's nothing stylish or concealing about wearing gray soffee shorts that fit you more like Brazilian cut panties than shorts over black leggings. Sadly, the girl who wears this to the gym also likes...
Showing off the belly button. As is likely to be agreed by anyone who has ever worked an event at the Tweeter Center, any shirt through which a casual observer can clearly see your belly button (especially if there's no piercing to draw attention to it) is way too tight. Which brings me to...
Spandex. Just because it can stretch enough to fit you does not mean you should wear it. This is even more important for non-spandex materials.
The short short. On males. New Years Resolution time draws a lot of people to the gym who haven't worked out since college. If you attended college in 1983, it is best to invest in new shorts, even if the old ones still fit. This will prevent people from thinking - even for a split second - that you borrowed your 16 year old daughter's cheerleading shorts.

2008

2008-01-02T09:09:00.000-05:00

Going back to work after 12 days off stinks.

However, being off the entire week of Christmas is kind of sweet.

A Katy Rank Moment

2007-11-26T13:25:00.001-05:00

I was in the parking lot at the new Target, and there's a brand new sign that reads:

OTHERSTORES ->
Other Properly Spaced Words ->

I almost called Mrs. Lev to vent my complaint to someone who would understand. Aren't there people who proof these things?

got these in my email

2007-11-16T10:56:00.001-05:00

And I love them.

Where was this mousetrap when I needed it? And I thought mice didn't actually like cheese because of the sugar content...was that some mice-preserving LIE when we were told to use peanut butter?? hmm....

And this is simply a PSA (ignore the unpleasant wording). Really, you don't look cool and it takes a lot of my self-control to not fix it for you.

doing it

2007-11-05T08:41:00.000-05:00

I beat Katie Holmes by over an hour at the NYC Marathon, which I think is awesome (in part because I assume she has access to trainers and such that I don't have!). Amazing experience, but I wouldn't make running my sole extracurricular. Too solo (obviously). Everyone around you at the finish line is concerned with themselves, and not that excited about your accomplishment as a group.

That being said, I'm wearing my medal to work tomorrow. And did enjoy the random congrats from strangers on the sidewalk in NY.

Peacocks in the city

2007-10-04T08:45:00.000-04:00

There's a peacock that lives on the west side of the Schuylkill River. I think it a female, since its not too brightly colored. I've seen it a few times, and every time I wonder how it got there. Did it escape from the zoo? I don't think they can fly (though Wikipedia oddly doesn't mention it). I'm starting to wonder if it was placed there in an effort to reguvinate the wildlife of Fairmount Park. It does have an ankle bracelet. Sounds like an obvious plan to me...use your limited park maintenance budget to bring in a fancy bird or two to break the monoteny of all the geese!!

Other sightings in the park:
~ Guy on bike with gun. While stopping at a water fountain during my short jog last night, I noticed two guys on bikes riding into the parking lot. They looked average enough, like Joe 20-Somethings Who Played High School Football and now are a little chubby and leisurely biking the city in their Random College Sports Team tees for exercise. Then one wiped his face on his shirt, exposing his gun. After mildly panicing for about 20 seconds, I also realized they both had on headsets and radios, and that there's a police substation in the side of the boathouse I was in front of. OK, so glad they're patrolling the park, but shouldn't bike cops look a little...fitter?

~ Woman jogging in a bikini top. Spandex shorts, fuel belt (how people run with these I have no idea), Ipod, and string bikini top...Granted, she wasn't well endowed, but I'm not either and I don't think a triangle top with a tie in the back and at the neck offers sufficient support. Then again, the only fat on my body was what's in said top, maybe I'd feel differently. Or maybe not.

Commentary

2007-09-04T16:28:00.000-04:00

I have yet to figure out why some males (I say males because I've never seen a female to do) think it is OK to make random comments/yells/give advice to total strangers. Some gems from various dates as of late:

From a car on Kelly Drive:
Run Faster Fatass

Guy on stoop on the walk home from Kelly Drive (different day):
You don't need to sweat so much, you look fine as it is in those pants!

On the walk home from Kelly Drive (different day):
Random Guy 1 at Gas Station: I need to run too. Will you take me on your trail?
Random Guy 2 (noting 1 was ignored): Hey, I don't think she knows what you mean by trail.
Random Guy 1: I want to go on the trail, come on, take me on your sweet ass trail!

Balding guy in convertible as I walked to work:
Nice ass!
(side note, I thought, somehow, he said nice bag and was being sarcastic about my lovely canvas shoulder sack filled with shoes, a sweater, lunch etc., until he turned the corner and waved to me and I realized the sad truth.)

And my favorite...
Random Middle Aged Jogger passing me on the Off part of a HIIT series:
You know, you could run for longer if you slowed down.

rolling rolling rolling

2007-08-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

Today I drove to work in an effort to ease my trip to and from our fundraiser at the Linc tonight...so I had to pay a ridiculous fee to park on campus...I accept this today, sheerly because of the amusement factor of the parking garage.

It has a 7.5 MPH speed limit.

Does your car show 0.5 mph increments? Mine barely shows 1 mph increments.

Maybe I'm tired, but that was really funny at 7:52 this morning.

Also amusing, this garage must have the only 7.5 mph speed limit signs in the world, because a search for google images didn't turn one up! But I love this cartoon!

Are you kidding me?

2007-08-10T16:30:00.000-04:00

Do people really base their dinner choices on their conception of what their date will think?

"red meat on a date has become such an effective statement of self-acceptance"

"Hamburgers, she added, say you are down-to-earth"

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/09/fashion/09STEAK.html?em&ex=1186804800&en=f269f7a170e39f66&ei=5087%0A

I have never given my order thought beyond a) what do i want and b) will this make a mess and on occassion, c) will this reheat well...

The Poor Constitution

2007-08-02T14:06:00.000-04:00

Actually, I'm not exactly sure how this falls with the seperation of church and state, since technically, the government doesn't control the media. (But this article is referencing newspapers in Texas. I can't help but have some leaping conclusions).

I don't even know what to say, aside from quoting a quote in the article: "Do you have any idea how blatantly offensive this boneheaded move is to the thinking public?” I am somewhat amused, although not suprised, at the 'Christian' backlash/fear of Bibles being disgarded.

And to answer the question at the end: Yes, I do mind getting AOL Disks. Who uses AOL anymore? Such a waste of plastic.

On a side note (its on my mind because someone referenced it on NPR the other day), lets remember that these Bible Belt folks who keep talking about the importance of keeping "family" life "traditional," have a significantly higher divorce rate than us heathen-area-dwellers.

Lastly, lets give a bit of props to the Pope, who is appearently at least slightly openminded/logical and is hopping a little bit on the Go Green bandwagon. (Side note: He's been "spending his time reading and walking scenic landscape"? How is this relevant to the article? And doesn't a (sort of, depending on how you look at it) world leader have...things to do?)

how can you not love this?

2007-08-01T09:34:00.001-04:00

I don't know how Katy found this, but I LOVE it (how can I not? cookies!)

Higher Ed makes GAWKER

2007-07-27T13:51:00.000-04:00

History in the making. And a great read for higher ed dorks (And love to the write in vote for those of us who took "Administration of Student Life/Why XXX Thinks Everyone Should Go To A Small, Very Expensive Liberal Arts College").
For extra amusement, check out the original poll.

Also, the TIME article on Obesity and HE would be more interesting if it tied in socioeconomic status. For some reason, I think obesity rates increase as income drops. But, confirming that could blow the article, since we all know college going drops almost exponentially with income.

Ok, I'm done being a nerd for this afternoon.

Addendum:
There's a good discussion on this topic HERE, Thanks Em!!

How do you know you're an adult?

2007-07-24T09:32:00.001-04:00

I have found two clear lines:

1) Cool summer weather is not disappointing, but a blessing (especially when it falls on moving day). Doesn't matter to me if its 60 degrees out at night and the pool water is getting chilly. I haven't even been in a pool (well, a non-hotel pool) all summer. Or last summer. And weather in the 70s? OK!

2) You need movers. There is a point in everyone's life when its just not practical anymore to scrounge up friends/acquaintances/anyone you know who likes beer and pizza enough to haul boxes and furniture out of one apartment and into another. This point is clearly demarkated when said friends would hate you forever after spending their entire day on said move (especially when it involves two flights of steep, narrow stairs and a pretty substantial amount of furniture that has never seen a dorm room).

Hello late-20s.

On Traffic.

2007-07-18T09:35:00.000-04:00

I've gotten spoiled having moved out of the NY Metro area. I don't content with serious traffic on a daily basis anymore. But yesterday...karma, or something like it, bit me. After an 18 hr flight (plus 2 hours check in/exit customs and and hour luggage collection/entrance customs), I got to chill outside JFK with my bags and about 20 people waiting to pick up their relatives from some (presumably Caribbean) location while my parents meandered for two hours through early morning rush hour (why they didn't leave prior to 7:30 am, when I called to tell them I was through customs, I have no idea). Then we took a two hour ride for the 18 miles home. I bummed around for a while, had lunch and a pedicure, and saw my grandmother, who gave me six bags of Chips Ahoy. I managed talk her out of the Ensure. (I'm not sure if just doesn't like it much, and has it because the doctor recommended it for her to put some weight back on, or if she really thinks I could possibly have a need for it, in which case she needs some glasses.) And I got on the road to PA at 2:50 pm, thinking I'd miss the traffic and slide into Philly well before 5...

Not so much. The day turned into a even crueler joke of the roads, beginning with a ten mile backup from an overturned dump trunk on the turnpike. 3.5 hours later, I made it to my new apt to sign the lease, and then sat in construction for another 90 min to go to my till-next-Monday-abode. Sweet.

But this time in traffic did have some positive yields:

1) Apparently there's fake cows out there somewhere. The Cream-O-Land truck's graphic (sadly somewhat hard to view on their website) clearly says their product is made from "real cows," leading to me question where the rest of our milk is coming from. Perhaps I should be buying organic, or I'm risking milk from...fake cows??

2) I saw a billboard for 1060AM. So, it turns out, there IS a Philadelphia equivalent of 1010WINS, one of the few NY things I miss. It even has a "give us 22 minutes we'll give you the world" thing going on (Both are CBS radio stations though, so I guess its not slogan-theft). While I am very pleased with this find, they need to recruit less grating announcers.

off off and away

2007-07-05T15:48:00.000-04:00

I leave for South Africa tomorrow night. Actually, I'm driving up to NJ tonight and South Africa at 5:20 tomorrow night. For some reason I am unaware of, we're supposed to be at the airport 3 hours prior to departure. Since the traffic to JFK can be horrid, my poor dad is taking the day off to drive me and one of my cohort/co-travelers to the airport. I'm reasonably sure that if we leave at noon we'll be there by 2, but poor Dad is going to hit serious Friday afternoon traffic leaving the city. Oh well.

I also just found out this guy I went to college with is going to some sort of rugby camp in Durban the same time I'll be there. Our paths won't cross, since I'll be in Cape Town and Johannesburg, but its still sort of cool. (Not that having half of my cohort come on the trip isn't cool too!!)

I'm really excited. It took a while. This has been in the works for so long, its almost snuck up on me. I've spent a good portion of today printing out our "recommended readings" to read on the plane, since that just hasn't happened. At least I finished Mandela's autobiography...and I did manage to pack without staying up half the night (probably over pack at that). I'm pretty convinced I forgot something though. I don't need contacts anymore, so its not that. My passport and tickets are in my purse, so not that...my earrings are lost at the gym (so I might buy myself a present abroad!)...I know my camera and charger is in my backpack along with the converter, and my roommate is bringing an Ipod plug and a blackberry (eek, but could be useful)...oh well. Not like I'm going on Safari.

On a side note, lets note how not flat South Africa is...I was reading a little blurb recently about a woman who set a new world record for time (as in total days) to run a marathon on every continent. She remarked that the Soweto (just outside Johannesburg) marathon was not only crazily hot, but also really hilly. Runners World mag also did a write up on the Comrades Marathon recently. Its not actually a marathon, but an ultra -- 50+ miles and HILLY, hills that according to the article, dwarf Boston's Heartbreak Hill. Scary. The elite take 6 hrs to finish, and the training programs on the site aim for sub-9hr and sub-11hr. I'll pass, thanks :)

oh, prom

2007-06-28T11:15:00.000-04:00

I had an interesting discussion with an old friend last night, who was lamenting the fact that the majority of her friends have gone from single to married/otherwise seriously involved in the past two years. While that's only about 50% true (and hence more of a perception), my arguement that its not a factor of said friends 'changing' but a factor of the fact that said friends are in their mid-20s+ fell on deaf ears.

Anyway, the less frustrating part of the conversation turned to her randomly running into my HS prom (and date-night) date at some corporate drinks event. Appearently he's going to Harvard Business School next year and got married recently. And I saw this card on Postsecret this morning, and kind of want to send it to him to see if he knew. But I don't have his email (and haven't seen the guy in 8 years, aside from 5 min at the Thanksgiving football game a couple years back), so obviously I can't. Oh well :)

need a laugh?

2007-06-14T09:18:00.001-04:00

or a cry?
I don't have time to discuss this right now, but wow. (Also, some of the imbedded links are amazing...in a very...interesting defination of amazing).
http://crazytalk.typepad.com/bluegrassroots/2007/06/fun_at_the_crea.html

the progress of women

2007-06-13T09:24:00.000-04:00

Overheard on the train platform this morning:

Woman 1: Why you here?
Woman 2: I going to work.
Woman 1: I didn’t know youse got a job. Why you git a job? You got a nice booty, why you git a job? Girrrl, you should get yo self a man instead.

I kid you not.

ok, so...

2007-06-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

I start work on Monday. This is excellent for a few reasons:
a) I'm broke
b) I'm broke
c) I'm bored
d) I'm really unproductive when I have nowhere to be

And I think I'm really going to like my office and it'll be a good position for a couple of years. I figure I'll have to stay in some capacity at Penn for 5 yrs or so if I opt to go for it and pursue an Ed.D. starting this spring (and figure if I should take out more loans to cover the taxes on that or what....)....but that's ok. I think I like Philadelphia. I've seen more of it the last few weeks since school ended, and its pretty cool. Its amazing how much time school takes up (which makes me not terribly excited to do a doctorate part time but I'll cross that bridge when the time comes).

I'm also kind of hoping going back to the working world gives me more time for my extracurricular life, er, rugby. This year I missed two games and probably half a dozen practices, which is about what I missed in the last 6 years. I may not be a super-star (or even a plain star) but at least I'm reliable (that count for something, right?). While I have a horrid guilt complex, the priority shifting that paying massive tuition (read: over a year's salary) brings also inadvertently helped me realize its ok to not make rugby tops all the time. Given the time of year, I haven't seen any rugby people in weeks (which is true, though I doubt it was noticed since I didn't really have the opportunity to hang out this season anyway)...and there were actually events the last two weekends, but I missed them for long-standing plans with family. That priority shift probably is a good thing, seeing as I hardly ever see the family and noones getting any younger...

I have a question

2007-05-24T14:30:00.000-04:00

What do (chronically) unemployed people do all day?

On the one hand, having lots of time on my hands is nice. My apartment is pretty clean. I've started cooking again. I've opened books with titles other than "Declining by Degrees" and "Higher Education Finance" recently. I bought a couple of trashy magazines (eg. Glamour, such guilty pleasures). I've not only been sleeping more than 6 hours a night, but I've been sleeping well past 7 am!! And I think I'm finally going to wash my car and clean the rugby dirt out of my drivers seat today...

But on the other hand....daytime tv is is awful (not that nighttime tv is much better!). I find it really easy to spend hours doing nothing, and then wonder how its 7 pm and I haven't been to the gym yet. And while its been nice this last couple of weeks, I know I'm going to need more in my life soon....

And that's a real possibility!! A job I'm interested in checked my references...and I had another good interview....so...we'll see....with some luck, things will be more in line in the next couple of weeks!! YES. I hate having life "pending". Organization is so important to me.

checklist

2007-05-15T11:25:00.000-04:00

papers: check
comprehensive exam: check
degree: check (though the diploma proof is pending in the mail!)
job: hmm, working on that one.

3 out of 4 isn't bad, right?

Tear

2007-04-26T10:51:00.000-04:00

I'm an emotional basketcase this week anyway, but Matt's final GSE-Admissions Blog brought a tear to my eye. Seriously.

One week. 16 pages.

Happy hour.

(I heart Tequila.)

feeling very

2007-04-24T11:34:00.000-04:00

One week to write a cohesive legal research paper. Did you know these things are generally about 1/2 footnotes?

I feel like this wouldn't be a big issue if I had, oh, any legal background.

If I do well on this paper, I should be offered immediate admission to any law school of my choice for being simply amazing.

heh.

The Mullet

2007-04-19T15:42:00.000-04:00

In Philadelphia on a dreary "spring" day in 2007, I saw what I believe to be one of the most impressive mullets in the world.

Since I (sadly) don't carry a digital camera all the time, I must describe it (Google Images won't yield anything even close):

20ish male with dirty blond curly-ish hair about 2 inches long

from the front: a bad lack of haircut/semi-mop, as is popular with the college-aged artsy and/or trendy set

from the back: waist length dreadlocks...but only from the region that at one point in time would have been used to create a tail...

weeeee!!

2007-04-10T16:39:00.000-04:00

I just finished writing 11 pages about rugby, specifically the "movement" to make women's rugby varsity on the collegiate level. While its in case study format (and I don't completely consider case studies academic work), I'm pretty excited about it...mostly because I get to monopolize 15 minutes of the class' time tomorrow talking about rugby.

teehee.

feelin' green

2007-04-07T17:18:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I went to a conference for school/work/interviewing. The keynote speaker was Al Gore (who is surprisingly funny). He also had a 95% or so liberal audience of student affairs professionals, so the cracks about the election and current politics were well received. This 2 hours was by far the highlight of the conference (especially considering I spent 2/3 of it in the dungeon of placement interviewing, which may or may not pan out...). For the first time in my life, I'm motivated to recycle...and glad I have a gas efficient car for reasons other than my own wallet!!

Due to the T-4 weeks countdown to the end of the semester, and accompanying T-(2 case studies, 2 short-ish papers, and 2 long papers (one of which I haven't even done a lit review for)) countdown, I am going to refrain from detailing all the best parts, but I did find his website:

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

I am also planning on going to Alaska sometime in the next couple of years now, because I want to see the glaciers before they're tiny or gone...

Pledging

2007-03-16T08:59:00.000-04:00

your virginity to your father?

Right now the Today show is doing a segment on the Purity Ball. The claim is that its growing out of the "abstinence movement" and is to help reduce the 80% (!?!) of high schoolers who have sex by their 18th birthday. First, I find it pretty hard to believe that 12 yr olds (well, at least the 12 yr olds I grew up with, maybe "things are different now") REALLY understand what a vow of chastity means. Also, its unclear (to me at least) if this is a vow of purity till marriage or till their 18th birthday. And I don't think that this can be good for parent-child communication. What if they ARE "involved" in HS and thinking about sex and then don't feel comfortable talking to mom/dad about it because of this pledge from middle school?? Lastly, I really get the impression that part of this vow is having your father "protect" you till you have a husband to "protect" you. Ugh. What happened to empowerment?

However....My biggest issue....

There's no mention of the sons. The boys these daughters are (or are not) have sex with. Appearently noone cares about their purity.

I hate double standards.

on the road...

2007-03-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

Things I've seen while on the road in the past few days:

1) The Toddler Spa. This is disturbing for so many reasons that I don't think its necessary to type out.
2) A lady that got hit by a car. I heard the screech while on 17th and rounded the corner onto Walnut in time to see people rushing to her. By the time I was close enough to see what was going on, it was obvious she was ok. She was sitting on the curb and people were retrieving her shopping bags and shoes (ballet flats) for her. The driver was in tears and calling someone (the insurance or police I'd guess). On a side note, she was not in a crosswalk. Us jaywalkers should probably keep this incident in mind.
3) A taxi driver that let someone (me) unparallel park....seriously, the driver waited for me to pull out of my space, despite that it made him miss the green light. I'm not sure if he was trying to run up the meter, or if Philly cabbies are just that much nicer than NYC cabbies.
4) 6 girls with beehives camping on the grass outside the library. I wish I had a camera with me this morning. I also am rather curious as to why they had beehives, and why they were camping out on Penn's campus (sleeping bags and all, assuming they didn't drag them out there for an 8:40 am study session).
5) The finish line. I finished my second half marathon (the first being in fall 04) on Sunday in 1:59:58, just shy of my two hour goal. Not bad considering that miles 4ish-9 were uphill and I lost about 20 seconds/mile on my pace for that segment. Luckily, what goes up must come down, so 9-12 were pretty nice....then the 1/4 mile uphill to the finish line! A masochist planned that.

Free

2007-03-06T16:13:00.000-05:00

from comps!!! (At least for the next 4-6 weeks, until I find out if I passed, or just didn't fail and have to re-do a portion)

By 1:30 pm on Friday, I was drunk off $16 worth of Mad4Mex's best. Excellent. We do have the best cohort ever. Seriously. I need to make time to hang out with these folks more before we scatter back around the country. (On the downside, the end of comps signals its time to REALLY get moving looking for jobs!!)

techno-jealousy

2007-02-26T23:30:00.000-05:00

I'd like to preface this with the admission that I am a huge geek. (sort of...I used to actually be a computer geek, sans gaming, and then I went to college and technology really took off while I kept my 1996 hand-me-down desktop. I've fallen so far behind I've become a "user." My dad had to recover my pc for me when it crashed last year. He's a miracle worker; he managed to save all my music and photos.)

Lately I've been a little jealous of the sleek Mac Books (or iBooks or whatever the latest one is called). I love how light and thin they are. I love the little magnetic power plug (and I want to know how it works). I love the jewel-like graphics. I find the bubbly open-and-close a little annoying, and I dislike the commercials where the young and hip guy isn't nice to the pudgy middle aged guy, but I can overlook these things. 2/3 of my comps group has these little numbers, and I'm jealous that they don't consume 1/2 of their backpacks. Also, EW showed me how she can color code her iCal and file folders, and I want to color code too.

But I've always been a PC girl, and my laptop is only 6 months old, so I haven't been browsing options....until today. We had a group presentation and one of my group members brought their laptop. Its a newer version of mine, essentially the same computer, but with Windows Vista. And Office 2007. Its beautiful. It has lovely desktop features. Its WAY nicer than my circa 2003-release software. Instead of studying for my huge exam of Friday, I've spent the better part of the last hour browsing upgrading so my PC can have pretty software too, but its way out of my price range at the moment. Sigh. I hope MK brings his computer to class more often so I can drool from the next desk.

the crackberry

2007-02-19T17:35:00.000-05:00

I cut class for the first time in grad school today. I just couldn't go. My prof wasn't there anyway, and was sending a PhD student as a guest speaker. I'm sure he was good, but I couldn't do it. I went to the gym instead (this was way more appealing, and will also allow me to go home after class at 9, instead of rolling in at 11 pm all gross and still unshowered). I'm not going to revert to my undergrad days and make a habit of this, but man it felt good.

Karma did nab me a smidge and I had to run with a flimsy hairtie and floppy hair. Granted, I did pack my bag this morning instead of last night, but I bet its somehow divine punishment anyway. I have NO IDEA how people run -- or do anything hot -- with their hair down. The one piece I couldn't get to stay back was driving me batty, not to mention the parts sticking to my neck. Yuck. Gross.

Anyway....while I was on the treadmill (I cannot wait for warmer weather/later sunshine) I noticed the girl next to me had a blackberry....sitting on the ledge (like where one would put an ipod or similar)...and she had an ipod too, so it wasn't some new fangled musical one or something. Now the kicker...she kept checking it!! What the HELL is so important it can't wait 30 or 40 minutes till you're off the treadmill? She looked young, maybe 19, but even if she's somehow way older, what can't wait? I don't ever want to be that tied to my email. Ever. (I check it like 34242 times a day as it is....)

insanity in the snow

2007-02-14T10:19:00.000-05:00

I thought I was a little ridiculous this morning since, rather than waiting for the weather to pass, I left my apartment at 7:40 this morning to make it to the gym more or less in time for work (under the assumption that everyone would be a little late anyway). Then I saw a guy out running.

It was still sleeting a bit.
There's 3 inches of snow covered with a layer of ice on the ground.
Philadelphia appearently doesn't believe in snowplows.
I fell (and am admitting it) walking to campus wearing my snowboots.

How the HELL was he running?

I thought the people who've been out running the last couple of weeks were a little crazy. I admire their dedication -- and cold tolerance -- but I'll stay partial to the treadmill when conditions call for any gear commonly associated with snowsports. This guy though, running on ice with winddriven sleet pelting your face...that's not dedication, that's insanity...

with the money that will be spent on this

2007-02-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

You could feed the homeless of at least one city for what I'm sure consumers will blow on this one....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17120663/

"...a sweat-free four-minute workout that will give you the same results as a grueling 90-minute session at the local gym."
"four minutes aboard her company’s machine is equivalent to 45 minutes of resistance training, 30 minutes of running and 20 minutes of stretching."

sorry folks, nothing is equivilent to 30 min of running but 30 min of running (not that there's not similar cardio that is, well, similar)....and how the hell do you speed up stretching?

sigh.

So many better things those marketing dollars could be spent on.

good and bad ideas

2007-02-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

Across the weekend

Friday
good idea:
making cupcakes
bad idea:
making cupcakes on an empty stomach

Saturday
good idea:
going to the most productive (yet still enjoyable) practice you've attended in years
bad idea:
having a small breakfast and not bringing a post-practice snack, so that by the time you've arrived home to work on school stuff, despite the fact its Saturday afternoon (sigh), you are literally nauseous from hunger.

Sunday
good idea:
doing your long run in the evening so you can be productive (eg. read for class x2, draft a paper, and attend a comps meeting, and go grocery shopping and make dinner for mon/tues) during the day
bad idea:
eating a cupcake and cookie during the meeting which is conveniently scheduled over dinnertime, then running 10 miles on a 1 pm lunch and said dessert items. (lack of nutrients + high fat content = unhappy tummy)

oh wow

2007-02-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

how I want a cupcake

I also have this urge to make cupcakes and send them to Katy and see if I can beat the cupcake shop. Considering I've never made a cupcake (well, I probably helped my mom when I was a kid, but I don't really recall it and they probably came from mix), I might need to do a few practice runs first. Shame. teehee. Maybe this will replace cookies for my Friday-or-Sunday afternoon baking project.

brrrrrrr

2007-02-05T10:49:00.000-05:00

It is incredibly cold.

Its currently 11 degrees here, with a windchill of 10 below. The high -- 19 degrees, with a wind chill of 3. Granted, I shouldn't be complaining. It was in the 50s until, oh, 3 week ago. And I could be in Madison or Ann Arbor, where the wind chill is another 10 degrees lower......and that's not going to happen.

So Mom, I think you'll be happy -- I've officially deleted the job/HR sites of Michigan and Wisconsin from my favorite places and will no longer be considering jobs in the upper-middle portion of the country, as appearently I am a huge pussy about the cold. (Also, side note, thank goodness for treadmills, or I wouldn't be getting any cardio exercise for quite some time, seeing as we're not forecast to break freezing until at least Friday).

Lets blame it on the 5 years I spent in Texas. Wind chills in the 40s don't even make the map!

(Also, side note #2: I just noticed the wind chill in central IL is 20 below. Moments like this I thank the heavens that I left my plant job -- I don't even want to think about spending the day working around the stills or --eek-- loadout (which was right on the river) in this kind of cold.)

I rock

2007-01-25T10:26:00.000-05:00

For the second time in as many weeks, I've given myself a (very mild) black eye.

Last week, I held (something close to) crow pose for about 15 seconds and was busy congradulating myself when suddenly, plop, my face was on my mat. I really don't remember falling. I do remember landing though, because I hit my nose square on. It was sore for days. My eyes tend to be puffy anyway, especially if I haven't gotten my beauty rest, so I didn't notice the mild brusing -- on both sides -- till a classmate asked me what happenned the next day.

And this morning, as I was reaching for my water bottle, the bar on the Smith machine decided to pop out right in front of me and smack me in the face. These things have minds of their own, I swear. So I have a little abrasion under one eye and its a little swollen. Nothing serious, although I did warn my mom so she doesn't freak out when I see her Saturday like she did last year when I turned up to Easter (or sometime around then, I forget) with a legit, although not overly swollen, black eye.

I'm amazing.

I am SOOOOO excited

2007-01-23T11:11:00.000-05:00

I just ran downstairs to tell a coworker about this and I think she thought for a second I had a serious emergency.

I found this today---

www.mapmyrun.com

Its AWESOME. A new google-earth integration. You can put on the hybrid map and trace out a trail in a park or similar point by point. Much cooler than the clip-on-free-from-the-health-insurance-vendor pedometer (that I'm not sure is so accurate anyway). Of course, this will be much more useful when I make it off the treadmill and outside again, but that will require some nicer/warmer weather and longer lasting sunshine!

Oh. Seriously, nothing can be more exciting today.

brrrr

2007-01-17T11:21:00.000-05:00

Ok, so its really not THAT cold outside.

But in comparision to the "winter" we've been having....we might as well be in Alaska. While I HATE the cold for the most part, I'm excited for two reasons (as my office has been hearing me discuss pretty much all month):
1) I would like to go snowboarding sometime this winter. And since I'm a poor graduate student, it needs to be on the east coast. Hence, we need the cold to allow for snow (or snow making).

(Now for the more exciting point)
2) I shut my window last night for the first time since that bizarrely cold day in December, before it hit 65 around Christmas. While I do like having fresh air and all, I don't like being forced to have it because the heat in my building is set at approximately 90. Seriously, with the window closed I can sit around in my skivvies when its 40 degrees out. Such a waste. I'd complain, but technically the place is a condo, so even if the heating costs drop, only my landlord might reap the benefits.

Also:
Stinks to live in the ice-covered parts...especially when you're in the south and a freeze is news, much less actual ice...
Really though, the most disturbing part about this article for me is that the strawberry crop may be damaged...sigh...

friday amusement.

2007-01-12T10:34:00.000-05:00

Despite a fairly disappointing premier, this is pretty amusing. I can't get it to link into here, so scroll down to Lizzy.

Also, in response to Bush's new military announcement:

tact

2007-01-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

The federal government never ceases to amaze me, in both its effectiveness and ability to control the news media. For instance, I doubt this would ever make the news on any American held station, even the more "liberal" ones.

"The letters were sent to more than 5,100 Army officers listed as recently having left the military. But this figure included about 75 officers killed in action and about 200 wounded in action."

How appalling. How horrifying that must be for the families. It angers me that more money is spent on "defense" than education annually, and yet the military cannot even keep track of their personnel well enough to not try to reenlist the dead.

Update: Amusing video, good point. Thanks Val.

I made another pie

2007-01-05T15:24:00.000-05:00

Its also pretty. Lattice work. Though not as pretty as the one I made for Clifton Christmas a couple of weeks ago. I cheated this time and made the lattice strips fat...mostly because I was starving and needed to get it into the oven (what a lame excuse). But its for work people tonight anyway, so I guess as long as it tastes good, noone will mind. Here's my best-pie-to-date (from the CC event):

Amazing and captivating, I know.

Maybe despite my recent success in graduate school I should consider opening a bakery.

Or not. I can't see myself getting up at 4 am for work, at least not on a regular basis.

more 80s return

2006-12-22T12:20:00.000-05:00

So I'm innocently watching tv, and a commercial comes on...

"I've searched all over New York, and couldn't find a Bedazzler"

WHAT? What? I haven't even heard that term since I was in the 3rd grade.

Appeaently the Bedazzler is back. "Sparking rhinestones and gleaming studs" (How great is the product when you're advertizing the thing holding the "stone" to your clothing?) The ad goes on to say you can Bedazzle cardigans and jeans for under $30 each, saving tons of money from the designer versions.

I wonder who will buy this. They didn't even say New and Improved.

Almost the holidays

2006-12-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

But alas, sure doesn't feel like it.

a) I'm sick. Its been coming and going for the past 4 or 5 days, and I think has firmly settled itself in my head. And neck. Basically I feel like my sinus cavities are going to explode. It's not too bad when I'm up and about, but when I go to bed (and I'm extra tired!) I can't breathe and it makes sleeping awkward. Major, major dry mouth. Yuck.

b) Its rather warm out. Like Christmas-in-Texas kind of warm. And its supposed to rain on Saturday and be around 50 all through Christmas (which stretches, sans gifts because I've gotten to old for the relatives, from Sat till Monday)...Weather.com insists north jersey has a 38% chance of a white Christmas, but I only have one in my memory of 25 years, so I think they're full of crap (unless a random flurry or snow on the ground counts).

c) I'm not done for the semester yet. This school has finals/class-&-papers-for-grad-students through Dec. 20. WHO PLANNED THAT?!? And we go back on Jan. 8!!

d) I haven't done any baking really. I'm hoping to reinstate my old tradition of cookie-trays for holiday functions this year (which means 4 trays, so around 6 batches of cookies)...Thurs and Friday I'll be in the kitchen. In the meanwhile, I'm going to remind myself what an awesome job I did on my first ever double-crust apple pie at Thanksgiving...

can't say it better

2006-12-12T09:38:00.000-05:00

than Katy

I downloaded and cropped my photos as a writing break last night. Tonight, the upload. You have no idea how much restraint this requires.

when opportunity knocks...

2006-11-30T12:51:00.000-05:00

make it lemonade!

Normally fairly frugal and practical to a fault, I signed a check this morning to put a deposit on a study-abroad excursion (a 10ish - ish due to the lengthy flights-- day trip led by my history professor) to South Africa for this summer. Now, one may ask, how does a graduate student living on loans pay for a trip like this? Answer: another loan! My insides drop and twist at this, but lets be realistic -- when am I ever going to go to Africa? I'm way too practical. And travelling to countries/continents of this sort really require organized tours. Its not the sort of thing one books on the spur of the moment via Orbitz. And besides, its an education expense and I have the next, oh, 10 to 15 years to pay off the massive amount of debt I'm accruing this year, right?

I keep spinning around in my chair with excitement. Good thing I have the office to myself today.

Guess What? We can vote too!!

2006-11-28T13:28:00.000-05:00

Saturday's A Rugby Day posted a letter that was published in this month's rugby magazine. The magazine was nice enough to put in an editioral bit response about women's rugby along with it.

It amazes me that in 2006 there are still people out there who appearently believe a woman's place is limited to being at home in the kitchen.

i'm a youngin!

2006-11-28T11:53:00.000-05:00

So according to realage.com, I'm not quite fully legal...

Calendar Age 25.4
Difference -5.1
My RealAge 20.3

I think this is terrific. That's a full 20% off! The test gave me recommendations for better health, like flossing more and cutting down on the red meat I have a couple of times a week, but I'm not too concerned. Wearing my seatbelt and exercising regularly keep my age down way more than flossing would!

Speaking of exercise, I ran a 5 mi race (43:07) this weekend at a better pace than my last 5k in March (27:45)...guess all those intervals on the treadmill are paying off! I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with running.....I don't like it much in general, but where else are you just competing with yourself (seeing my blazing speed, its not like I'm an Olympic contender)? I'm still patting myself on the back a little bit about this little victory : )

the kitchen

2006-11-23T09:49:00.000-05:00

I got here yesterday right as my parents returned from the grocery store with enough supplies to make dinner for a small town. And I know everyone will come bearing a veggie and possibly a dessert. I'm kind of excited about this, as it means leftovers!!!! I did my part yesterday afternoon with crab stuffed mushrooms and a homemade apple pie. This is way no easy feat, as my mom has a small kitchen, and was also trying to cook. It was fairly major chaos, especially as the puppies wanted to help. So three hours, 4 pints of mushrooms and 7 peeled-by-hand apples later, I finished. And I went to see a couple of friends of high school....right before I was about to come home with a splitting headache, my mom called to tell me I needed to buy a new pie. Let's make something clear here before I go on: I don't buy pie. I don't buy cookies. I don't buy baked goods!!! I don't even buy pie crust (its really not hard to make!) I take some pride in my baking skills! How, why, you ask, did she tell me to buy a pie?

Because I left my pans on top of the stove to cool, and somehow, in a sequence of events that's not totally clear and I don't care to try to repeat, in the trip from stove top to refrigerator, mushrooms were spilled, filling side down, into my pie.

She apologized at some length. I think she thought I was going to be really pissed. I was sort of flabbergastered instead. How does that happen? And did she SERIOUSLY think I would buy a grocery store pie??

I'm making a new one today, with apples peeled by mom, after the turkey gets out of the oven.

Additionally...

2006-11-21T10:57:00.000-05:00

Ugg boots were NEVER attractive, especially not with short skirts (how is chopping off one's calf and one's thigh around the widest part of each flattering to anyone?). Hence, the new furry version of the Ugg is ALSO not attractive. Not with short skirts. And not with spandex pants.

Seriously people. Spandex pants (except on a track or in the gym, possibly) were a bad idea in 1986. They're STILL a bad idea twenty years later. Only like 0.5% of the population can pull them off. The very skinny look extra emiciated in them (if you can see your knee tendons through your spandex, you're too thin. Are you reading this, girl-who-I-keep-thinking-is-going-to-keel-over-on-the-treadmill?). The rest of us just look like sausages, for one reason or another. If you happen to be in the 0.5% that has amazingly well proportioned legs of good tone et al, well, spandex away, but please have the curtosy to do it with a tunic (::stiffling a gag::). I don't want to be able to read the tag on your panties.

Media Fury

2006-11-16T12:57:00.000-05:00

I refer you to Blondie's Post about the latest and greatest.

As I need to go write to the editors now, I will refrain from further comment at this time.

spotted

2006-11-14T16:44:00.000-05:00

I saw a few things on my way to campus this morning that demand comment. (And as I am obviously a fashion queen, I feel entitled to do so). Sometimes these moments make me I had a camera, but I find it a little creepy to take photos of strangers. There's been several of these semi-creepy people on the river trail lately, making me wonder if there's a huge art class somewhere requiring action shots of joggers. But I digress.

Seen today:
1) girl wearing cropped tights (sigh), pointy flats, a jean mini, and a teeshirt declaring "Dare to be Different". Ironic, no?
2) girl who was very obviously coming from the gym, smoking a cigarette. As she was already immensely thin, I have a feeling it was lunch.
3) (this was actually a week or so ago, but its noteworthy) homeless lady in my neighborhood yelling LOUDLY at random people, including some in cars, as she passed them. She called me a "DIRTY COLLEGE WHORE". Guess the rugby teeshirt and running pants tipped her off.

soggy sunday

2006-11-13T07:17:00.000-05:00

I came home early on Sunday to go to a conference (which I am making my first appearance at this morning now) to find my cat deceased on the living room floor. On the upside, I have good reason to believe he died peacefully in his sleep of something congential and unpreventable (he was only 3, and not appearently ill). And it was the weekend instead of first thing Monday morning. Even so, I couldn't move him and had to call for help from someone amazing. The cat was "buried" in his carrier in a bin around the corner along with his toy and a pair of socks. He had a weird obsession with socks, clean or dirty. The poor guy (not exactly named) would even dig them out of my bag sometimes.

Happy trails little guy, and hope there's lot of dogs for you to chase and socks to be tossed around in pet heaven.

news?

2006-11-06T18:38:00.000-05:00

I cannot wait for tomorrow to be over. Actually, Wednesday. I am SO TIRED of the election ads/polls/"news"/etc. Gag me. Don't get my wrong -- voting is important, and I am registered...but not in PA, and I'm not going through the effort for a absentee ballot for NJ's senate race. Maybe I'm a bad citizen, but call it a side effect of grad school -- I'm good about voting even in the locals normally. But right now...give me normal news! Normal commericals! Anything not involving an elephant and a donkey!

update: This morning (Tuesday) I was passed by 2 pickup trucks blaring "vote for "so and so"". This are the first F150s I've really noticed in the Philadelphia area, and it might be a smidge ironic that they were advertising the Republican candidates.

Props to NJ

2006-10-25T19:33:00.000-04:00

and how often can we say that??

Since I went to grad school, I've been pretty out of touch with the news, so I about fell out of my chair when I got a text about this this afternoon.

The State Supreme Court in New Jersey said today that same-sex couples are entitled to “the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the civil marriage statutes.”...The court’s eagerly awaited decision found that an arrangement akin to that in Vermont, which authorizes civil unions between same-sex couples but does not call them marriages, would satisfy the New Jersey constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.

and I'm ok with this :) Its certainly a step in the right direction!

and this week

2006-10-24T23:09:00.000-04:00

My neighbors seem to be having a party right now, rather than a screaming match. Its definately the one above me. Its 11 pm on a Tuesday night. I have a 50% completed (just 4 page) paper due tomorrow. And have to be at work by 9. I haven't finished the reading for any of tomorrow's 3 classes. Oops. I really shouldn't have gone to rugby tonight, or played on the internet for 2 hours today, or spent 2 hours at the gym (between cardio and lifting for the first time in ages and the walk to and fro) yesterday. This staying up late thing is become a theme for me, a theme I need to end ASAP. Oh well. Tomorrow, we shall end it. Tomorrow we shall begin being ahead of schedule. I'm even going to bring stuff with me to Nationals to read this weekend. Somehow I feel like I'll have a little time, as the people who are playing will be wrapped up in their rugby thoughts. Actually, I am not sure about this since I haven't traveled with this team. If I were playing (this is the realist in me writing here) this weekend, I'd be on a serious tightrope in my mind, and would likely be blasting angry music via headphones to myself. I used to do this back when I was in shape and (somewhat) confident and all that, but there was more on that last week and I'm sure will be more on that in the future. But right now, I need to finish that paper....

update: we're currently listening to "Can't Touch This". Normally, I wouldn't care but its really distracting right now. And annoying. sigh.

crazy?

2006-10-19T22:25:00.000-04:00

Is it normal to do things you're not good at? I don't mean things like cooking when one's skills limit them to mac and cheese and hamburgers. And I don't mean the essential things in life either, like a part of your job you struggle with.

Rugby has always been such an uphill battle for me. I wasn't an athletic kid. Hell, I was the "easy out" kid. The one that was continually picked last in grade school gym class; the one noone wanted on their team because she was slow AND couldn't catch (or see for that matter, since glasses weren't allowed in gym without goggles, and THAT wasn't going to happen). I picked it up in college for a variety of reasons, the most obvious being that rugby accepts everyone, which is important if you're looking to play a sport and have literally zero athletic experience. Hell, compared to the fall of 2000, I'm an Olympian these days.

But lets be honest...not so much. I have a good grasp of the rules, the strategy, the game in general. I'm not THAT out of shape. I'm reasonably strong for my size (though admittedly weaker and slower than when I graduated college, though I plan on finishing fixing that this winter). I'm dedicated, passionate, and a pussy. I've been giving this a lot of thought lately, as it's occurred to me its been about 6 years....and I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing by still playing. Is it time to move onto somewhere where I have a real shot of improving, like running (not that I'll ever qualify for Boston, but I'm pretty confident that I could make some improvement on my current times, and I do want to do a marathon), or triathlons (though I'd need to improve my swimming...and buy a bike)? Or do I keep sticking it out, and find some way over this big huge mental block that keeps me from running and hitting with the vigor that I know my body could handle, the vigor that happens on the (rare) occasion I stop thinking and just go. How do I capture that vigor, make my body just go instead of holding back and letting people push me around (and I mean that in the physical manner)?

And back to my original statement, is this normal in general? Do other people put themselves in these situations, make themselves look like jackasses on a regular basis, work hard for minor victories that are a huge deal to them and inconsequential to anyone else in their immediate vicinity (ie. when I somehow tackled the wing (right off a breakdown) on Sunday, even if it was a smidge high)? Am I crazy for not pursuing a hobby I'm better at, like scrapbooking or crocheting or baking?

where I've been

2006-10-19T09:57:00.000-04:00

This is a fun little tool.

Here's all the states I've ever physically been in, including airline connections and driving through.

create your own visited states map

And the list dwindled a bit by omitted drive-throughs/non-final destinations...

And further refined by omitted places I've only been to for rugby (I'm hesitantly leaving Washington on here. Technically I've been there, but I was around 2 and have no recollection of it. I was 7 or 8 when I went to Vermont and Wisconsin, so at least I remember the pretty fall leaves and the snow, respectively!)

And just for kicks, the states I've lived in:

Heck, let's go all out...Countries too!

create your own visited countries map

Note to self: I need to travel more
:)

sigh

2006-10-18T00:34:00.000-04:00

My neighbor is having a screaming match. I think she's on the phone, because no one seems to be yelling back. She also has a pronounced Indian/Pakistani/something accent, so all I can really make out is "fuck you" and "no you listen to me." This isn't the first time. Last time someone else was there, because I heard the door slam twice. I'm actually not positive if its the neighbor directly above me or next door (or maybe across the hall), because the arguement is strangely more audible from my hallway and closet/office/pigsty. Regardless, while she's not keeping me up (its 12:30, and alas, I haven't finished my paper because I chose to have two phone conversations in the vicinity of an hour, which while fun, were not academically productive), I do feel bad. Not bad exactly. Sad. For her. I've been there, in that awful screaming neverending fight about nothing or everything where all at once you want to make it all "poof" disappear and you want to make things "like they used to be" and you want your insides that are lying somewhere in the gutter of your intestines rather than your chest cavity to return to normal. And I don't, ever, ever want to be in that place again.

Things like this, that remind me of things that were, remind me that I'm a little afraid of life. I'm a little afraid I won't get happily ever after and instead I'll get a mid-life divorce, and having been through a (obviously, see above) messy early life break up (of a fairly long term for early life relationship), I have NO IDEA how people deal with getting divorced from someone they've been with for 10, 15, 25 years. No idea. Maybe that's why there's such a market for therapists.

Soccer

2006-10-17T16:41:00.000-04:00

For some reason, the embedding isn't working....but this is terrific : )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxY7AsgOxBY

amen

2006-10-10T09:44:00.000-04:00

While I was walking to yoga (gasp) last Friday, I passed by a church in my neighborhood advertising for their Sunday sermon. I stood in front of it for a minute wishing I could take a picture, and then it occurred to me I have a camera phone. (I think I'm just a little old for that to be a logical thought, since my first cell phone was in the days before free nights and weekends, when it was actually for emergencies (and in my case, LD) and not a primary line) Sadly, its not the clearest photo...

But you can read the main part -- "Suffer, Suffer, Suffer". Now tell me, who is going to walk by the church and think "oh, the reverend/priest/dude will be talking about how we are burning in sin in life and will continue to do so in the afterlife! What a terrific way to spend Sunday morning!" Maybe as a confirmed Catholic, who like many confirmed Catholics who never went to church outside a few random Holy Days and the brief period where we had to sign in during the Confirmation Class series (that's trust right there), I just don't understand the draw of the church....or maybe this is as ridiculous a concept as I think!

terrific reason for grad school

2006-10-06T10:46:00.000-04:00

right there. mm. ha.

power

2006-09-28T18:31:00.000-04:00

Power bridges the gap between responsibility and authority, as per the wisdom of my "Managing People" professor.

Regardless, I don't think I'd mind having this kind of power:

in the spirit of overheardinny

2006-09-26T15:53:00.000-04:00

I've decided to create an occassional feature called (ever so creatively) Overheard At Penn.

Today's edition: Elitism at the Ivies

Guy: Are you kidding? I DID NOT sleep with her!
Girl: Why should I believe that?
Guy: Because she goes to BARNARD! I only have sex with PENN girls!
~Locust Walk

(question: Would anyone at A&M would ever have this conversation, replacing Barnard with, say, Texas?)

full

2006-09-21T09:15:00.000-04:00

Recently there was a story in the news about the link between sleep deprivation and obesity. Appearently people who sleep less than 4 hours a night at 73 percent more likely to be fat. Now there's two points to make here: 4 hours a night is basically a long nap, and 73% is a HUGE jump. I generally sleep 6-8 hours a night, and prefer more like 9. However, last night I got a whopping 2.5 hours of sleep due to some poor planning on my behalf (::cough:: writing a paper ::cough::). Between last "night" and this morning (milk and cookies, a lot of them, at 2:30 am, and a full fat & sugar Starbucks Caramel Macchiato and pumpkin muffin en route to work, and four fun sized Smores candy bars) I have consumed about a full day's calories. Let's point out that it is 9:13 am. I have every intention of having lunch, and dinner. While I will not necessarily be eating (particularly at lunch) out of hunger, I will be eating in an effort to keep enough caffiene and sugar in my system to keep me alert, or at least reasonably functioning, through work, class and practice. Then I will go home and go to bed. Immediately.

I am aware that today basically be a huge binge. I'm not about to fight it, as I'm way too tired and too concerned with not falling asleep at my keyboard, not to mention managing to not only finish my work but also edit my paper prior to 1 pm (note to self: is this an appropiate time to blog?). However, I also realize our bodies are pretty self regulating and I'm not going to wake up having gained back the 20 lbs I've lost this past year (though the water retention will indicite otherwise I am sure). And I can eat like a normal person again tomorrow. But what about those people that don't sleep? If they are regularly self medicating as I am today, no wonder they are obese.

Also, what the hell are they doing only sleeping 4 hours a night? Go to bed!!

the good life

2006-09-19T16:08:00.000-04:00

I love postsecret. I've discussed this before, but every week it amazes me. On occasion, I get an urge to send a card in. I realized this afternoon though that my "secrets" are, by and large, very benign. This is obviously a good thing, and makes me feel pretty damn lucky....

I should just speak up

2006-09-07T16:56:00.000-04:00

So walking home today in my favorite (also only) fall skirt (its pink corduroy and just above the knee) some guy riding his bike in the other direction said (not called out, but said, in a speaking tone) "big legs, big legs". I KID YOU NOT. I freely admit I have big legs. In fact, while I prefer to think of them as sturdy and lightly padded, like a good dining chair, I will even admit my calves don't really fit into knee high boots (except the ones from the "women's" store, disturbing since the rest of me is a couple of sizes and a few stones too small to shop there). However, this does not forgive the audible commentary of a complete stranger (think it all you want, heck, I do it too) talking to himself (had he been pointing them out to a friend or something, I'd somehow be less annoyed, probably because I make inappropriate remarks too loudly sometimes, or so I'm told anyway).

Too bad my mouth was full of pretzel at the time, or I'd have said something.

rolling, rolling, rolling..

2006-09-07T13:33:00.000-04:00

So I've moved to Philly officially. Two+ weeks ago. I've started my assistantship, and started class yesterday. I have a paper due next Wednesday....that requires 6 chapters of reading prior to writing. I'm a little stressed already (in some part because I haven't written a paper since, oh, 1998, at least not one that wasn't scientific/lab-ish).
Anyway. There's lots and lots I've been wanting to write about, but alas, I don't have internet at home...and I've been busy during the day...but I'm settled in at work now and I think I can catch up in some downtime (on the job, heh).

: )

Speaking of downtime, I had some at work this morning and took the time to catch up on the Eagle's World Cup blogs (fabulous, I'm totally living out my dream being an international athlete via the internet) and via the great women's rugby blog, found a blog of a new teammate that I also greatly enjoyed reading!

World Cup!

2006-08-29T12:57:00.000-04:00

The women's rugby world cup kicks off this week with the US playing England (actually, I don't know if this is the first game, but its the first one that matters, right?)
I haven't been online much as of late, so I was excited to see all the updates to the Women Eagles page (which is, of course, more current than USA Rugby's page, which hasn't gotten around to posting the roster for the first game yet). I was also pleased to see daily training updates by the scrumhalves on their personal blogs (Lee and Claudia)-- bringing us all a part of the action! Just reading these things makes me excited -- I canNOT imagine what it must me like to be a part of it!! I'm so excited to see the US v England game via webstream...now to decide to cheat and check the score/recaps/etc on Friday or wait and watch it Friday evening! (I have to admit, I'm pretty jealous of all those -- including some current and former teammates -- who are making the trip to Canada to see things live!)

time flies

2006-08-18T14:47:00.000-04:00

Its already Friday. And not in the TGIF sense (I've been off all week) but in the "where did the week go?" sense....this is the only day this week I've really bummed around too. Well, if your defination of bumming around all day includes a tetnus shot and nearly passing out in the doctor's parking lot (fabulous).

So I've spent some time this afternoon uploading teammates' Saranac photos to my Yahoo site for one-stop ordering, and started thinking about the gift I got at my going-away roast (see below).

I've posted this photo not for your amusement, so quit laughing : ) , but to illustrate my thought/advice of the afternoon: always be proud of what you do, and who you are because your past will always be with you.

Even after 7+ years and living in 3 other states : )
Also, now you may laugh, because I just looked at the photo again, and the pirate bandanas + the lei from the guys who invaded our dinner + the sunburn + yearbook marching band photo ala (strange shade of brown) teeshirt = one hot chick. mmmhmm.

the muffin

2006-08-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

I've developed a dangerous affinity for muffins. I've always liked them. When I was in HS I regularly made batches of blueberry muffins (ala Betty Crocker) for breakfast. But its gotten worse. At my last job, the one thing the cafe did right was muffins -- specifically cranberry walnut. They were amazing. And huge. And I hold them responsible for keeping at least some of the post-college-misery pounds on my extremities. I'm two days out of that job, and will no longer be headed to the cafe for a monster muffin at 9 am 3 days a week. I thought about this this morning when I got up, and proceeded to go to the Stop and Shop and buy myself a (n equally fabulous and huge) banana nut muffin for breakfast. This could be a problem.

2.5 days left

2006-08-09T13:45:00.000-04:00

at work. if I stay all day Friday. Needless to say, I'm not doing much. Certainly not a full day's work. So I'm filling out stupid myspace polls (here) instead.

Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be.

1. Who was your best friend?
Jackie

2.What sports did u play?
haha. marching band doesn't REALLY count...

3. What kind of car did you drive?
a red '91 VW Fox

4. It's Friday night, where were you at?:
football game, or in my room with my friends playing Gestures or similar

5. Were you a party animal?:
see above.

6. Were you considered a flirt?:
right.

7. Ever skip school?:
i took a couple of "sick days" senior year, does that count?

8. Were you a nerd?
pretty much. not like a creepy Star Wars type, but definately a nerd. maybe dork is more appropiate.

10. Did you get suspended/expelled?
no

11. Can you sing the fight song:
I'm sure I could with the band's accompaniment

12. Who was your favorite teacher
Mr. Saint

13. Favorite class?:
Calc

14. What was your school's full name?
Clifton High School

15. School mascot?:
Mustang

16. Did you go to Prom?
yea

17. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
not if I had to relive it as it was. It wasn't too bad in the scheme of high school sucking but still.

18. What do you remember most about graduation?:
that I was deathly ill at Project Graduation and spent half the night hiding in the bathroom.

19. Favorite memory of your Senior Year?
um....?

20. Were you ever posted up on the senior wall?
what's a senior wall?

21. Did you have a job your senior year?
yea, i worked at Soups and Scoops.

22. Where did you go most often for lunch?
the band room. we weren't allowed to leave and the cafe was grossssss.

23. Have you gained weight since then?
yes.

24. What did you do after graduation?
see 18.

25. When did you graduate?
1999

26. Where are most of your classmates?
mostly in the NJ/NYC area, I think. Seeing as my two trips to Clifton bars in the last 7 years has involved me running into numerous classmates, I think this is a reasonable assumption (I only remember about half of the ones I've run into who the people I was with insist we went to school with, which is a little disturbing)

27. Are you going to your ten year reunion?
is it free?

28. Who was your home room teacher?
whomever my second period teacher was that year. I think it was Mr. Saint.

29. Who will repost this after you?
Someone really bored at work (Katy, you are right!!)

and onto more fun before I do a little work....

Repost this survey with memories of your college days. If your college isn't listed on the survey, change it so it is. Pass it along to see what you remember, and to see what other people remember.

When you attended college, where did you live?
Year 1: Kruger 306
Year 2: FHK - Fowler 419
Year 3: FHK - Fowler 419
Year 4: FHK - Keathley 1xx (120?)
Year 4.5: Treehouse Apts #711

Who was/were your roommate(s)?
Year 1 - Sara(h?) Farris
Year 2 - Courtney Cox
Year 3 - Courtney, then Brandy then Katy Gann
Year 4 & 4.5 - Me!

Do you still talk to them?
I talk to myself frequently

Ever get in trouble in the dorms?
I was an RA, so no : )

Something you remember when you lived on campus?
the train. 100 yards from my door.

Your campus phone number or other number?
My first number (the extension) was 63something, and my number in FHK was 3something

First party attended?
It was an "ice cream social"

Favorite Pizza Place?
pizza in Texas sucks

Favorite place to go out to eat?
Los Cucos, but I know I spelled that wrong

Did you go to the library?
not much

What was your Favorite Floor you'd always be on?
we had an ugly library

Where did you buy your books?
the MSC or Loupots

Play any sports?
rugby

Ever attend a sporting event?
I went to a lot of football games

Ever attend a concert or comedic performance?
Dixie Chicks, Matchbox 20...I was poor in college, I don't think I went to any others...

Favorite professor(s)?
not offhand. A&M isn't stellar at focusing on education. the guy (dr. lepori i think) who had us build catapults was pretty cool.

Have you ever spent the night on campus not in a residence?
like on a bench? no

Favorite night to go out on, and where did you go?
thurs night at Duds was fun, on the occassion I got to drop by

Where did you get coffee?
nowhere

Favorite Year of Halloween?
I vaguely remember getting leopard pjs one Halloween. but Halloween was never a big deal.

Go see a play or been in one?
I saw one at the little theater in the MSC once. But I can't remember who I knew in it. Or what it was.

Ever have a job?
yea, except for freshman year

What do you hate about your college?
how anyone who's not an ultra conservative wasp is looked upon

What did you love most about it?
the "school spirit"

Where would you believe is the best location to live?
in College Station? there's not really anyplace BAD there...

Graduated or still attending?
graduated

Year of graduation?
2003

Will you go back?
I visited for our first alumni game last fall...I'd go again...

I love youtube

2006-07-30T23:49:00.000-04:00

Postsecret amazes me sometimes

2006-07-28T17:30:00.000-04:00

Some are mundane. Some are amusing. Some are shocking. Some are sad.

Some hit home.

(ok, so its not a huge terrific secret, but still!)

Goodbye Clark

2006-07-28T15:46:00.000-04:00

So I've moved out of my Clark apartment. I lived there longer than any other place since I graduated high school in '99 (13 months!).

I'm already feeling a little sentimental about it, and I haven't even turned in my keys yet. Heck, when I was still (ok, starting to) pack last Thursday, I had a semi-irrational breakdown and started crying staying into the abyss of my overstuffed closet. Despite the perpetual traffic on the GSP, and the demon dogs next door, I had such a positive year there, my first really good year in a long time.

And then there's my roommate, or former roommate I guess. Once I move out of my interim housing (aka, mom's) and into my studio in PA, who am I going to talk to when I get home? I'm certainly going to miss going into his room when I get home from [wherever I got sweaty] and plopping down on Greg's bed to chat and being almost instantly shooed from the (supposedly) clean sheets to the carpet : )

I know there's good things to come...the new experiences of living IN a city...living in a NEW city...grad school, and the eventual new career...but for now, lets say goodbye to Clark, where the past finally became the past and I started living for today again.

argh

2006-07-22T09:24:00.000-04:00

Moving sucks. a lot.

tbc.

I'm a pussy

2006-07-19T17:41:00.000-04:00

It was near 100 degrees here in the Metro NY area the last couple of days, and we've been over 85 for longer. Its also insanely humid, like Houston humid. I walked out on my parents' porch last night, and with the addition of the chlorine smell from the hot tub my dad had openned to put, well, chlorine in, it literally felt like an indoor sauna. With a breeze.

Especially since I spent about 5 years in eastern Texas, I realize that I'm whining. For 75% of the summer the highs here are in the 80s (pretty much always humid though). I have AC in my bedroom and living room and car (sadly, the two rows around my cube at work have very lacking ac compared to the rest of the building, but its not like outside).

When I was at A&M, we played rugby in September, when its sometimes hotter than August. I remember one year it was over 105 for a week. The AC in my 40+ year old dorm broke. People were sleeping in the quad. (They renovated the following summer.) There was even 7s in July, and a 102 degree ocean breeze just doesn't do much. But this is my third summer back north. 75+ is considered uncomfortably hot for rugby here. I now think 80 is a bit too hot to go running and much prefer to sit in the AC. I'm such a pussy.

yahooo

2006-07-14T15:33:00.000-04:00

I just discovered the Yahoo Avitar!

How fun is this? Now I can change where I am, what I want to be wearing, and my haircut and color as often as I like....all within the confines of Yahoo's graphics at least...

Irony

2006-07-14T15:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning I was driving to work in my mom's Jeep (I borrowed it to get some big things to her house from my almost-former apartment) and, since I normally drive a small Acura RSX, I was enjoying the extra road-view provided by the lifted SUV. I like watching my fellow commuters while stuck in traffic. Since I leave approximately the same time every morning, I often see the same cars when the traffic is bad. (Actually, they're probably almost always on the road with me, but I only notice when in first gear for 55 minutes). There's the slightly balding guy in the convertible BMW who shaves around the Union tolls. And the hot purple Jeep Wrangler with the rainbow sticker, driven by a remarkably corporate looking lady. There's more I can't think of at the moment, but would recognize (the cars) if I saw them.

I didn't see any of my regulars on this commute, but I did see one gentleman READING THE PAPER. Now I'm not talking skimming directions, checking a text, peering at your teeth in the rearview...this guy had the morning paper fully opened on his lap. The other sections were in the passenger seat, awaiting the rest of the drive. Granted, traffic was moving at about 5 mph, but come on! We were in traffic waiting to pass accidents at the 280 on ramp and an overturned vehicle at the Essex tolls! Was he TRYING to be major accident #3 of the morning? arggh.

On a different note, I also noticed that there's hardly any American cars on the road around here. I was in a Jeep, and saw a few, and a couple of random Fords and Chryslers, but the vast majority of the cars were foreign. I love my little Acura...but this kind of startled me. I also remembered that when I lived in Peoria, IL, there not only wasn't an Acura dealer, I had one of 3 foreign cars in the entire parking lot at my plant. Perhaps the Heartland is more patriotic. Or the coasts just have better taste in cars ; )

girly men

2006-07-07T12:01:00.000-04:00

This could be the funniest thing I've seen all week.

wrc

2006-07-04T11:50:00.000-04:00

Write ESPN (see blurb here) and request WRC Coverage!! The women are ranked 6th worldwide and have a real shot at winning later this summer!

I did a head count on the roster (both Eagles and Eagles A) and there's 2 women from D2 teams (Braymer, Albany and McDonald, Hartford) which I think is awesome for D2. 3/5 of the roster (much higher for the WRC side) is from the Top 4 teams (NYRC, ATL, Berkley and MN Valks) which I guess is to be expected. I've been following this a little obsessively through Blondie's Blog (which is awesome and I have no idea how she compiles all the rugby news so efficiently) and I hope I will still have time to do so as the world cup will be played in my first few weeks of grad school!!

Whistler

2006-06-23T15:23:00.000-04:00

I want to go snowboarding in Canada. I think it'd be sweet. And less crowded than even the fairly empty (compare to NJ) mountains of Colorado. But that's not the point of my post, just came to mind when I put up the title.

Why do men whistle at women?

This is the question of the day.

I am dressed for work today in summer work clothes, specifically black capris, wedges and a nice colorful shell. I do think its a flattering outfit. Appearently I'm not alone.
The shopping center where I picked up lunch today is doing some construction. There were workers gathered around the dumpster, several of whom whistled at me (well, either me or the rather chunky middle aged guy about 10 feet in front of me, equal opportunity perhaps?) What is their goal in whistling at women? Do they expect the women to stop and give them her number? Flash them? Grab one and plant a big wet one? I chose none of these and opted to ignore them and walk on by.

I've been whistled at before. A couple of times on the street doing [whatever], more frequenrly when running. There's also the occassional honker. I can only assume these are the obnoxious teenage boys that feel the need to call attention to the fact they are old enough to drive. (I am trying to give men some credit here). Honkers tend to startle me and I don't like them much.

I guess in general I should take the whistling as a compliment. But I still don't understand.

A Good American

2006-06-22T14:04:00.000-04:00

So I was skimming the blogs today and ran into the Death Predictor on two sites. Fun right? Here's my prediction:

Emily: At age 80, you will die lonely and alone from morbid obesity

My friends get things like "At age 89, you will die fighting the Interplanetary War on Terrorism on Phobos, a moon of Mars." I get a completely feasible one. Fabulous.

My first reaction? "That's ironic". Ironic in that I am a little (ok, maybe more than a little)paranoid about my weight. I'm not a little petite thing. I never will be and never (except maybe one unfortunate year in HS) have been. However, I'm also not morbidly obese, but do harbor a definate fear of becoming so. Genetics (aka multiple morbidly obese relatives) and a serious chocolate chip cookie fixation are working against me, and despite a general awareness and efforts at maintaining regular workouts, I am really a bit worried I'll wake up one day and be startled to realize I'm wearing panties from that store on Rt17 for women who've outgrown Lane Bryant.

It also makes me sad that even at (almost) 25 I still have some of the teenage weight paranoia. Maybe it never really goes away. I'm a lot bigger than I was in High School but I'm also fitter and faster (despite an additional 25lbs or so) and happier in general. Counting calories constantly really puts a damper on things that should be enjoyable, like birthdays (aka cake and ice cream, also known in my current life as 3pm).

On a side note, I'm not sure I've ever seen a morbidly obese 80 year old. Maybe they've all lost mobility and do just sit at home all day, unlike the morbidly obese middle aged that trek out for shopping and similar.

blog = fun (?)

2006-06-15T21:54:00.000-04:00

I decided to create a blog. They fascinate me. I also have been become something of a blog troller while avoiding my (icky stinky poo) job. So it's only fair for me to have one too, right??