astounds me.
Check this out: some crazy lady who loves John Bolton claims that Barack Obama is, in fact, an illegitimate love child of Malcolm X. Great Flying Spaghetti Monster, what a scandal!! Riiiiiight.
Here's what Gawker and some other dude have to say about it.
Seriously, people. Stop with the ridiculousness. It's not going to work. And if it does, I'll be seriously fucking-ass disappointed.
At the same time, it's like all these claims that he's a Muslim or an Arab. Intended to scare "certain people", but to the rest of the population it's like, WHO CARES. What's so wrong with being Arab, Muslim, or even the son of Malcolm X?
I had a whole post about the job search in my head, but this is what inspired me to put "pen to paper."
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Cats vs. Dogs
I like reading the science chick blogs. They're fun and interesting and it's rapidly become a part of my day that I look forward to, perusing the chick science blogs.
One thing that I have noticed is the propensity of the bloggers to be cat people, to the point that they blog about their cats quite a bit. FSP and Dr.A come to mind, and I know I've come across others.
I myself am a dog person. I am going for a totally super scientific poll on the right, check it out. I would like to find out if there is truly a correlation between female science blogger and cat lover, and if so, think about why from there, and then, think about why I am not a cat person, besides being a bit allergic. Even if I weren't allergic, I would totally like dogs better.
One thing that I have noticed is the propensity of the bloggers to be cat people, to the point that they blog about their cats quite a bit. FSP and Dr.A come to mind, and I know I've come across others.
I myself am a dog person. I am going for a totally super scientific poll on the right, check it out. I would like to find out if there is truly a correlation between female science blogger and cat lover, and if so, think about why from there, and then, think about why I am not a cat person, besides being a bit allergic. Even if I weren't allergic, I would totally like dogs better.
Labels:
other science chicks,
rando
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Euphemisms
I was over at Ambivalent Academic's blog post, who was inspired by Dr. Isis's blog post, and has now inspired this post. See, because of the cornucopia of lady-parts discussions in the blogosphere today, I realized that today, I have used the following words:
Anyway, I am not a prude. IRL, I am happy to say any sorts of real words in place of euphemisms.
I suspect that it is because of Candid's recent post about the search terms people got to her site with. I don't want people coming around because they are looking for ways to feed their porn habit. So....I guess I will stick with the euphemisms for now.
Because in all reality, I really do like the word "bajingo." Has a nice ring to it. I happen to like mine, and will never stick thumbtacks into it :).
- cooter
- vajayjay
- hooha
- twigs and berries
Anyway, I am not a prude. IRL, I am happy to say any sorts of real words in place of euphemisms.
I suspect that it is because of Candid's recent post about the search terms people got to her site with. I don't want people coming around because they are looking for ways to feed their porn habit. So....I guess I will stick with the euphemisms for now.
Because in all reality, I really do like the word "bajingo." Has a nice ring to it. I happen to like mine, and will never stick thumbtacks into it :).
Labels:
blogging,
funny,
other science chicks
Just Felt Like Sharing Some Ridiculosity
Over at my favorite Ivy League tabloid-ish site I discovered a post about a Whartonite who just won the first ever $1M/year for life lottery.
Except that he's already a millionaire, he's in banking.
And he lives in London, so he won't have to pay federal taxes on it.
And he basically says, "That's great and all, but it's not going to change my life."
Man, talk about....I don't know just....wow. It's not like he did anything wrong but something is wrong with the picture. Flying Spaghetti Monster, why oh why would you do something like that? Why??
Except that he's already a millionaire, he's in banking.
And he lives in London, so he won't have to pay federal taxes on it.
And he basically says, "That's great and all, but it's not going to change my life."
Man, talk about....I don't know just....wow. It's not like he did anything wrong but something is wrong with the picture. Flying Spaghetti Monster, why oh why would you do something like that? Why??
Labels:
rando
Shit and Other Such Matters
I've been told by an industry contact that it will be hard to get a job with them, and I think they were my #1.
Shit shit shit!!! Poop on a platter!
Oh yeah, and crap. Crap crap crap!!!
Just my luck to be graduating during a shitty-ass downturn! Craptastic! Craptacular! I am so happy. Right.
Shit shit shit!!! Poop on a platter!
Oh yeah, and crap. Crap crap crap!!!
Just my luck to be graduating during a shitty-ass downturn! Craptastic! Craptacular! I am so happy. Right.
Labels:
job search
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Muffins and Voting
If you think my title is a non sequitur, it is. I just feel like talking about two totally different things.
MUFFINS
Last night I made pumpkin spice muffins, 12 mini ones and 6 full size ones. They were delicious. I think Mr. PhizzleDizzle ate 2 large and several small just last night, and then more for breakfast today. This makes me happy. I have plenty more pumpkin to make more too. I have never been a very talented baker (Asians don't really bake - and who to learn to bake from but your mom? If your mom doesn't bake, you are shit out of luck, like me), but these were quite good and I am feeling super badass.
VOTING
Procrastinator that I am, I registered to vote today, the very last day you are allowed to do so. No, it is not because I am a bad citizen and have not exercised my right before, it is just that since moving to this state, I had not registered and there were no elections so I just never did, until now.
Anyway, there were a few signs of the sad state of our society. I go to register, and I am paired with a very friendly young lady (god, did I just say that? that means I'm old. shit.) who filled out my forms. A few things to note:
1) She asked me whether I wanted to register with a party of be unaffiliated. I ask, "What does that really mean?" What I am looking for are implications of being registered or not. Like, black-box wise, what does that mean. Does that mean I get literature? Does that mean they will call me all the time asking for donations? What does that mean?
The girl thinks I am asking about what it means in a much simpler sense, "Well, there's the Republican Party...."
I am thinking to myself, "omfg, I know that." Like, either she's crazy, or the people that come in are just that uneducated, or I don't know.
So then she thinks that I think that if I register as a member of Party X, I am required to vote straight ticket come Election Day. Good god, I know that's not true. Do people think that's true? Then what the fuck is the point? Jesus Louisus, we need a national Civics class or something. Damn.
So she asks the lady next to her, who appears to be a veteran of voting affairs. She assures me that I can vote any way I want on Election Day regardless of how I affiliate myself.
I assure her that I understand that, but I want to know what the implications are. She says, they might send you literature.
I consider political literature to be propoganda and I prefer to find my own information, so I said, forget it. I am marked down as unaffiliated.
2) Then she has to take my previous address from which I was a registered voter. She does not know the Postal abbreviation for this state, which is fine. I don't know all of them either. Then, the older lady said, "State X? You mean Biggest City in State X?" *turns to girl* "You'll have to put that down."
Girl thinks that Biggest City is actually another state, and asks me what the code is for that. OMFG. I said, "No, I was not in Biggest City, I was in Small Town." I know that what they're after is just my frickin address, and old lady is just crazy. So I'm like, lemme just tell you my address.
The thing that drove me crazy was this totally weird concept of cities, states, and other such domains being equivalent, or they couldn't tell them apart, or what. It was just insane. This made me sad.
3) Finally, I am asked to look over my form before I sign it.
I notice that in the area where you are supposed to check your affiliation, it tells me that the only way to vote in primaries is to be affiliated with that particular party. Well, if there is a primary in the future, you better be damned sure I want to vote in it. On top of that, that's the kind of relevant info I wanted to know when I asked about it in the beginning. Like, the MOST important thing. Jeeza Louisa. So I'm like, well I change my mind then. This would have been helpful to know before, put me down as Party X (as if you can't guess what I put).
So, in the end, I am registered. I am going to exercise my right to vote. However, while taking part in this glorious privilege of ours, I am saddened to know that people are that fucking stupid. Either the Election people were stupid, or they come across so many stupid people that they are forced to conclude everyone is stupid and go down to stupid levels. Because I never meet anyone who assumes I'm that stupid, not even troll-y male professors. They at least give some benefit of the doubt, like that I know that there are two (major) fucking political parties in this country, and that gosh golly, we are allowed to vote however we fucking choose on Election Day.
god save us.
MUFFINS
Last night I made pumpkin spice muffins, 12 mini ones and 6 full size ones. They were delicious. I think Mr. PhizzleDizzle ate 2 large and several small just last night, and then more for breakfast today. This makes me happy. I have plenty more pumpkin to make more too. I have never been a very talented baker (Asians don't really bake - and who to learn to bake from but your mom? If your mom doesn't bake, you are shit out of luck, like me), but these were quite good and I am feeling super badass.
VOTING
Procrastinator that I am, I registered to vote today, the very last day you are allowed to do so. No, it is not because I am a bad citizen and have not exercised my right before, it is just that since moving to this state, I had not registered and there were no elections so I just never did, until now.
Anyway, there were a few signs of the sad state of our society. I go to register, and I am paired with a very friendly young lady (god, did I just say that? that means I'm old. shit.) who filled out my forms. A few things to note:
1) She asked me whether I wanted to register with a party of be unaffiliated. I ask, "What does that really mean?" What I am looking for are implications of being registered or not. Like, black-box wise, what does that mean. Does that mean I get literature? Does that mean they will call me all the time asking for donations? What does that mean?
The girl thinks I am asking about what it means in a much simpler sense, "Well, there's the Republican Party...."
I am thinking to myself, "omfg, I know that." Like, either she's crazy, or the people that come in are just that uneducated, or I don't know.
So then she thinks that I think that if I register as a member of Party X, I am required to vote straight ticket come Election Day. Good god, I know that's not true. Do people think that's true? Then what the fuck is the point? Jesus Louisus, we need a national Civics class or something. Damn.
So she asks the lady next to her, who appears to be a veteran of voting affairs. She assures me that I can vote any way I want on Election Day regardless of how I affiliate myself.
I assure her that I understand that, but I want to know what the implications are. She says, they might send you literature.
I consider political literature to be propoganda and I prefer to find my own information, so I said, forget it. I am marked down as unaffiliated.
2) Then she has to take my previous address from which I was a registered voter. She does not know the Postal abbreviation for this state, which is fine. I don't know all of them either. Then, the older lady said, "State X? You mean Biggest City in State X?" *turns to girl* "You'll have to put that down."
Girl thinks that Biggest City is actually another state, and asks me what the code is for that. OMFG. I said, "No, I was not in Biggest City, I was in Small Town." I know that what they're after is just my frickin address, and old lady is just crazy. So I'm like, lemme just tell you my address.
The thing that drove me crazy was this totally weird concept of cities, states, and other such domains being equivalent, or they couldn't tell them apart, or what. It was just insane. This made me sad.
3) Finally, I am asked to look over my form before I sign it.
I notice that in the area where you are supposed to check your affiliation, it tells me that the only way to vote in primaries is to be affiliated with that particular party. Well, if there is a primary in the future, you better be damned sure I want to vote in it. On top of that, that's the kind of relevant info I wanted to know when I asked about it in the beginning. Like, the MOST important thing. Jeeza Louisa. So I'm like, well I change my mind then. This would have been helpful to know before, put me down as Party X (as if you can't guess what I put).
So, in the end, I am registered. I am going to exercise my right to vote. However, while taking part in this glorious privilege of ours, I am saddened to know that people are that fucking stupid. Either the Election people were stupid, or they come across so many stupid people that they are forced to conclude everyone is stupid and go down to stupid levels. Because I never meet anyone who assumes I'm that stupid, not even troll-y male professors. They at least give some benefit of the doubt, like that I know that there are two (major) fucking political parties in this country, and that gosh golly, we are allowed to vote however we fucking choose on Election Day.
god save us.
REJECTED
My paper just got rejected.
Sigh.
On to revamping it for the next conference.
Sigh.
On to revamping it for the next conference.
Labels:
Grad School
Monday, October 27, 2008
Tagged!?
It appears that ScientistMother has tagged me in a meme. I didn't even know what a meme was until they started showing up all over these blogs that I read! Ha. Yes, I'm green. Anyway, here goes:
The Rules
1) I can say all 50 states in alphabetical order in less than 20 seconds.
2) I once went to an event/conference where I not only shook Colin Powell's hand but met Ian Wilmut (the man who cloned Dolly) and sat next to George Lucas at lunch.
3) I have really, really soft skin. Losing that a touch though - must be the age :P.
4) I had cranberry sauce and stuffing for the first time ever the Thanksgiving when I was 18 years old.
5) I do not get the Asian glow. I can drink a lot of alcohol and my skin does not flush at all. LUCKY ME!
6) I am 132 lbs. I couldn't think of anything else and decided to take a stand for the ladies of modern times and post my weight on the Internet. I think it's bizarre how asking how much someone weighs is more offensive than asking how much money they make. Geez, it's a number. We should stop caring so much. Caring is a noose that makes you fat! That's my humble opinion. I am 132 lbs, smokin' hot, and proud of it. Snap.
Ok, now I am supposed to tag people. Except that the bloggers I "know" are few and far between, plus they've mostly been tagged, so I'll just do a few. Forgive me.
I tag Eugenie, Juniper Shoemaker, and....umm....can I double tag Candid? She's been tagged already but we don't yet know 6 random things about her. :)
The Rules
- Link to the person who tagged you. -
- Post the rules on your blog.
- Write 6 random things about yourself.
- Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
- Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.
- Let the tagger know when your entry has posted.
1) I can say all 50 states in alphabetical order in less than 20 seconds.
2) I once went to an event/conference where I not only shook Colin Powell's hand but met Ian Wilmut (the man who cloned Dolly) and sat next to George Lucas at lunch.
3) I have really, really soft skin. Losing that a touch though - must be the age :P.
4) I had cranberry sauce and stuffing for the first time ever the Thanksgiving when I was 18 years old.
5) I do not get the Asian glow. I can drink a lot of alcohol and my skin does not flush at all. LUCKY ME!
6) I am 132 lbs. I couldn't think of anything else and decided to take a stand for the ladies of modern times and post my weight on the Internet. I think it's bizarre how asking how much someone weighs is more offensive than asking how much money they make. Geez, it's a number. We should stop caring so much. Caring is a noose that makes you fat! That's my humble opinion. I am 132 lbs, smokin' hot, and proud of it. Snap.
Ok, now I am supposed to tag people. Except that the bloggers I "know" are few and far between, plus they've mostly been tagged, so I'll just do a few. Forgive me.
I tag Eugenie, Juniper Shoemaker, and....umm....can I double tag Candid? She's been tagged already but we don't yet know 6 random things about her. :)
Labels:
Meme,
other science chicks
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Keeping up with the Jones'
I generally don't care about "stuff" as much as the next girl, well, because I'm pretty damned abnormal. And because it's easy to not care about stuff when everyone around you doesn't care either. And is a guy. And is a big nerd.
So, things like the latest Dooney and Bourke bag or whatever are just things I don't give a shit about.
However, lately I have been feeling a bit "behind" because I'm still freakin' in school, and my best friends from college have been working since we graduated. They both just bought homes with their hubbies, and now are three-entity families (married couple + adorable dog). All of these things are recent developments, the marriages, the dogs, and the homes. Suddenly, I'm like, when are we going to have a home? When can I get a dog? I so miss my dog at home but university housing of course does not allow pets.
Anyway, I think the answer is about five years from now, or some far off date like that.
Sigh. I'm so behind. I guess I don't really care, we are totally on different life tracks, but lately I've been going to visit them and I feel like a child with my University housing and them with their fabulous titles/deeds. I guess I am a child, in certain ways, but I guess that has its perks too. Grad school forevah!!!!
So, things like the latest Dooney and Bourke bag or whatever are just things I don't give a shit about.
However, lately I have been feeling a bit "behind" because I'm still freakin' in school, and my best friends from college have been working since we graduated. They both just bought homes with their hubbies, and now are three-entity families (married couple + adorable dog). All of these things are recent developments, the marriages, the dogs, and the homes. Suddenly, I'm like, when are we going to have a home? When can I get a dog? I so miss my dog at home but university housing of course does not allow pets.
Anyway, I think the answer is about five years from now, or some far off date like that.
Sigh. I'm so behind. I guess I don't really care, we are totally on different life tracks, but lately I've been going to visit them and I feel like a child with my University housing and them with their fabulous titles/deeds. I guess I am a child, in certain ways, but I guess that has its perks too. Grad school forevah!!!!
Labels:
Grad School
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Crazy Dreams
I have been so obsessed with code lately that last night, I had this dream:
Kramer from Seinfeld was in it. There was a police chief who was in charge of a large portion of southwestern Washington State, though in my dream it was the greater Seattle area. Kramer and I were looking at the map together.
The police chief was also a large C++ templated class. Don't ask me how, but in the dream, a police chief could totally be the same as a C++ class. I could see him being instantiated.
new Classname
and I'm like, ohhhhhhh, wow, he's big and important.
wtf.
Kramer from Seinfeld was in it. There was a police chief who was in charge of a large portion of southwestern Washington State, though in my dream it was the greater Seattle area. Kramer and I were looking at the map together.
The police chief was also a large C++ templated class. Don't ask me how, but in the dream, a police chief could totally be the same as a C++ class. I could see him being instantiated.
new Classname
and I'm like, ohhhhhhh, wow, he's big and important.
wtf.
Labels:
Grad School
Friday, October 24, 2008
Camel Toe and Mr. PhizzleDizzle
So I'm reading Candid Engineer's hilarious post on camel toe, when Mr. PhizzleDizzle comes by and sees me reading it. Then my very sweet, sheltered, adorable (and born and bred in America) husband asked, "....what is camel toe? I'm a little afraid to type it into my search bar."
He is so funny.
He is so funny.
Labels:
i love the hubby,
other science chicks
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Exploding eyeballs
I am about to have exploding eyeballs. I cannot look at many many lines of code a moment longer.
Therefore, I am going to go watch Days of Our Lives on TiVo, much to my husband's chagrin.
Therefore, I am going to go watch Days of Our Lives on TiVo, much to my husband's chagrin.
Labels:
Grad School,
TV
Random Tipsy Post - Man's Job??
I am high on crappy beer because I bought crappy beer because it was cheap and the economy sucks. I may be posting (unwisely?) tipsy like Dr. Isis but I'm sure she had better shit than I. I'm ashamed to even say what it was.
I am watching some show on TV in which they follow around the Parking Authority. It looks like the bastard sibling of COPS. Kinda sad. There are two women driving around putting boots on cars, and they are talking about how "People say booting is a man's job". Wtf? Putting a boot on a car is a man's job? Why? It makes no sense to me. Their boss is like, "The female booters, they may be small but they pack a punch, you know what I'm saying?"
I can't, in my tipsy state, quite explain why this perplexes me so, but it does. To me, that's like saying writing books is a man's job. It seems like a totally gender-neutral endeavor to me, and here they are facing shit from people. Someone enlighten me, what does being a booter have to do with gender? I don't get it. If people are all gender-ified about that shit, then what the hell hope do we have for science and engineering? Shit.
I am watching some show on TV in which they follow around the Parking Authority. It looks like the bastard sibling of COPS. Kinda sad. There are two women driving around putting boots on cars, and they are talking about how "People say booting is a man's job". Wtf? Putting a boot on a car is a man's job? Why? It makes no sense to me. Their boss is like, "The female booters, they may be small but they pack a punch, you know what I'm saying?"
I can't, in my tipsy state, quite explain why this perplexes me so, but it does. To me, that's like saying writing books is a man's job. It seems like a totally gender-neutral endeavor to me, and here they are facing shit from people. Someone enlighten me, what does being a booter have to do with gender? I don't get it. If people are all gender-ified about that shit, then what the hell hope do we have for science and engineering? Shit.
Labels:
economy,
Gender Shiz,
TV
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
More Poetic Waxing, This Time about the Mr.
We have neighbors with an adorable little boy. Little boy is a toddler, not quite 2 years old. This little boy has taken quite a liking to the husband, despite the husband's general lack of interest in or experience with children. The little boy trusts and is totally relaxed and familiar with Mr. PhizzleDizzle (as he is with me, though it's slightly less surprising).
This morning, the mother of said little boy knocked and asked if Mr. PhizzleDizzle could give his expert medical opinion on whether little boy needed stitches, because little boy had just fallen and hit is lip, which was exceedingly fat and had bled for a while. I adore this little boy and felt so bad for him and his big fat lip. Anyway, little boy is so comfortable with Mr. PhizzleDizzle that he actually didn't move and allowed the husband to touch his mouth and pull on his cheek a little to look inside his mouth to examine. He didn't fuss or cry, turn away, or seem to give any indication that he was afraid, nor that Mr. PhizzleDizzle hurt him, despite the fact that he was inspecting his big boo-boo. That's how gentle, sweet, and wonderful Mr. PhizzleDizzle is. Little boy trusts him that much.
Talk about a melting hearts. Both of them do.
Say it together now, AWWWWWWWWWWW.
This morning, the mother of said little boy knocked and asked if Mr. PhizzleDizzle could give his expert medical opinion on whether little boy needed stitches, because little boy had just fallen and hit is lip, which was exceedingly fat and had bled for a while. I adore this little boy and felt so bad for him and his big fat lip. Anyway, little boy is so comfortable with Mr. PhizzleDizzle that he actually didn't move and allowed the husband to touch his mouth and pull on his cheek a little to look inside his mouth to examine. He didn't fuss or cry, turn away, or seem to give any indication that he was afraid, nor that Mr. PhizzleDizzle hurt him, despite the fact that he was inspecting his big boo-boo. That's how gentle, sweet, and wonderful Mr. PhizzleDizzle is. Little boy trusts him that much.
Talk about a melting hearts. Both of them do.
Say it together now, AWWWWWWWWWWW.
Labels:
i love the hubby
Mercurial Revision Control System
Today I'm going to talk a little tech. You know you like it, baby.
I would like to wax poetic about Mercurial, a code revision control system. Not only do I use this for "writing" my thesis (whaa? writing? Is that what I'm supposed to be doing?), but I use it to write code for my research. And it's so fabulous I could wet my pants. I never thought I could love a revision control system so much.
My love/hate relationship with revision control systems began when I was in college, and I was taking my first computer science course. Unlike most of my classmates, I had never dorked out on computers before, I was fresh fresh fresh. And we had an assignment that required us to use RCS, an antiquated revision control system. I remember staying up reaaaaaally late a couple of times working on this assignment, but messing up the non-intuitive RCS and losing a lot of work, and then I was so mixed up and confused about the state of my code that it totally sucked. I almost cried that night. I remember calling my friend and flipping out. I shouted, "I fucking HATE RCS!" multiple times.
Well my friends, thank god those days are over. I freaking LOOOOVE Mercurial. This is how I feel:
Forever.
The best thing about mercurial is the patch queue system, known as mq. This allows me to work on a large piece of cooperative software, keeping my changes separate, intuitive, easy to manage, and easy to update. I don't think the audience of this blog is all that teched out, so I won't go into it more, but suffice it to say that I wanna marry Mercurial. I really do.
I would like to wax poetic about Mercurial, a code revision control system. Not only do I use this for "writing" my thesis (whaa? writing? Is that what I'm supposed to be doing?), but I use it to write code for my research. And it's so fabulous I could wet my pants. I never thought I could love a revision control system so much.
My love/hate relationship with revision control systems began when I was in college, and I was taking my first computer science course. Unlike most of my classmates, I had never dorked out on computers before, I was fresh fresh fresh. And we had an assignment that required us to use RCS, an antiquated revision control system. I remember staying up reaaaaaally late a couple of times working on this assignment, but messing up the non-intuitive RCS and losing a lot of work, and then I was so mixed up and confused about the state of my code that it totally sucked. I almost cried that night. I remember calling my friend and flipping out. I shouted, "I fucking HATE RCS!" multiple times.
Well my friends, thank god those days are over. I freaking LOOOOVE Mercurial. This is how I feel:
Forever.
The best thing about mercurial is the patch queue system, known as mq. This allows me to work on a large piece of cooperative software, keeping my changes separate, intuitive, easy to manage, and easy to update. I don't think the audience of this blog is all that teched out, so I won't go into it more, but suffice it to say that I wanna marry Mercurial. I really do.
Labels:
Grad School,
Tech Stuff
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Currently I Am....
...lying on the couch, working on setting up experiments to test something I just wrote and doing other "meta" work, eating chocolate chips, and watching Days of Our Lives on TiVo.
Aaaaaaaaaaah.
Aaaaaaaaaaah.
Labels:
rando
Oh yeah
I forgot to mention that I spoke to my friend who graduated a couple years ago and has an industrial lab job.
His take, it won't be impossible for me to find a job, but it won't be easy. A lot of places could probably only offer short-term industrial postdocs. Hm. I think that would be ok. Sigh.
His take, it won't be impossible for me to find a job, but it won't be easy. A lot of places could probably only offer short-term industrial postdocs. Hm. I think that would be ok. Sigh.
Labels:
job search
Fast Update
This weekend my MIL raved over my latest haircut, which is totally hott. Yes, with 2 t's.
I went on a bike ride which caused my ass to hurt extensively.
Today, I walked *one mile* to work in fabulous pointy heels. I love these shoes. They are green, faux croc skin, pointy toed pumps, and they are just freakin awesome.
Work work work. That's it!
However, I recently discovered hulu.com, and so I am working with random TV noise in the background. Have you ever seen that show "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia"? Well, it's damned funny.
Fin.
I went on a bike ride which caused my ass to hurt extensively.
Today, I walked *one mile* to work in fabulous pointy heels. I love these shoes. They are green, faux croc skin, pointy toed pumps, and they are just freakin awesome.
Work work work. That's it!
However, I recently discovered hulu.com, and so I am working with random TV noise in the background. Have you ever seen that show "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia"? Well, it's damned funny.
Fin.
Friday, October 17, 2008
In Which I Consider Academic Jobs
My plan had been to finish up the degree in the next few months, search for an industrial lab job (while I wait for Mr. PhizzleDizzle to finish his degree), and then spend a couple years in industry before trying my hand at academia, with both of us going on the market together.
However, with the job market currently in the shithole, I put out some feelers for a few academic jobs, and now I'm kinda scared. Am I really ready to do something like that? Would they even want me? My pub record is only eh, though I think it's going to be shored up as I finish up. It's so scary to put myself out there. I waver between thinking that I totally suck and they are going to laugh at my interest to thinking, damn, I am hot shit and they're going to snap me up like I'm free cotton candy.
I can't decide which I am. My self-evaluation skills are severely bipolar schizophrenic.
However, with the job market currently in the shithole, I put out some feelers for a few academic jobs, and now I'm kinda scared. Am I really ready to do something like that? Would they even want me? My pub record is only eh, though I think it's going to be shored up as I finish up. It's so scary to put myself out there. I waver between thinking that I totally suck and they are going to laugh at my interest to thinking, damn, I am hot shit and they're going to snap me up like I'm free cotton candy.
I can't decide which I am. My self-evaluation skills are severely bipolar schizophrenic.
Labels:
economy,
Grad School,
job search
Thursday, October 16, 2008
I love public television
It seems like the only news that really seems honorable anymore....
Currently watching "Torturing Democracy" (documentary about how the US made the shift to allowing horrible interrogation methods). It's incredible, to watch, and is making me feel so dirty, sad, and aghast.
Currently watching "Torturing Democracy" (documentary about how the US made the shift to allowing horrible interrogation methods). It's incredible, to watch, and is making me feel so dirty, sad, and aghast.
Help?
How do I subscribe to comment stream for a wordpress blog after I've made a comment?
Blogger has a nice "email me followup comments" but I haven't noticed anything with wordpress, and I've missed some @PhizzleDizzles until I happen to wonder if anything happened and went to check on it.
Spanks! :)
Blogger has a nice "email me followup comments" but I haven't noticed anything with wordpress, and I've missed some @PhizzleDizzles until I happen to wonder if anything happened and went to check on it.
Spanks! :)
Labels:
blogging
As the election approaches...
the more I feel this way.
I am so afraid that it won't actually happen, I'm afraid to believe this nation is really capable of electing a black man as president, but I so hope hope hope it will happen! Because I just think of him as a man, the better man, to do the job. And I think Michelle Obama is the cat's pajamas.
I am so afraid that it won't actually happen, I'm afraid to believe this nation is really capable of electing a black man as president, but I so hope hope hope it will happen! Because I just think of him as a man, the better man, to do the job. And I think Michelle Obama is the cat's pajamas.
Labels:
politics
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Live Blogging the Debate - In Which I Grow More Annoyed with McCain
"I'm so proud of her". What is McCain, Palin's father?
"Bresh of freth air". Hahaha.
Who the hell is Joe? Good god, stop talking about this Joe the Plumber, Joe the Rich Guy, Joe the shut-the-hell-up.
"Pro-abortion"?? Who the fuck is pro-abortion in this country? I don't think anyone is pro-abortion. What a smearish term. No one is pro abortion.
Stop fucking saying pro-abortion! There is no goddamned 'pro-abortion movement' in America. What the fuck kind of people do you think walk around encouraging people to have abortions? Lame.
I like this idea of the tax credit for college tuition in exchange for service. I had a similar idea myself a few years ago that all college grads either do teach for america for a year or military or peace corps. I never thought people would go for it though. America is too individualistic, "whateva, whateva, I do what I want!" But the tuition tax credit is a good incentive.
McCain, didn't your mother teach you not to interrupt? You've interrupted Schieffer and Obama a number of times now.
When did I get so annoyed with you? I think when you picked Sarah Palin.
Before her, and your desperate disgustingness in mongering and slinging ads and rallies lately, I actually considered voting for you. I thought to myself, this time around, I'm going to have to take a close look at your voting records, etc. But that door has been shut.
I'm so anxious for Nov. 4, it's not even funny. Seriously.
GOBAMA!
"Bresh of freth air". Hahaha.
Who the hell is Joe? Good god, stop talking about this Joe the Plumber, Joe the Rich Guy, Joe the shut-the-hell-up.
"Pro-abortion"?? Who the fuck is pro-abortion in this country? I don't think anyone is pro-abortion. What a smearish term. No one is pro abortion.
Stop fucking saying pro-abortion! There is no goddamned 'pro-abortion movement' in America. What the fuck kind of people do you think walk around encouraging people to have abortions? Lame.
I like this idea of the tax credit for college tuition in exchange for service. I had a similar idea myself a few years ago that all college grads either do teach for america for a year or military or peace corps. I never thought people would go for it though. America is too individualistic, "whateva, whateva, I do what I want!" But the tuition tax credit is a good incentive.
McCain, didn't your mother teach you not to interrupt? You've interrupted Schieffer and Obama a number of times now.
When did I get so annoyed with you? I think when you picked Sarah Palin.
Before her, and your desperate disgustingness in mongering and slinging ads and rallies lately, I actually considered voting for you. I thought to myself, this time around, I'm going to have to take a close look at your voting records, etc. But that door has been shut.
I'm so anxious for Nov. 4, it's not even funny. Seriously.
GOBAMA!
Labels:
politics
Assumptions
I was thinking about the venerable FSP's Random Person encounter post and how screwed up it was.
What it seems to boil down to is that the person in question had certain assumptions about FSP and could not comprehend the fact that the assumptions were wrong. I described the post to Mr. PhizzleDizzle, who, bless his heart, could not comprehend what sort of idiot would act that way. Being a White Male, he is very supportive of me but doesn't always understand what kind of shit can happen to non-White Males.
This made me think of an encounter of my own this summer. It was not even in an academic setting. I had just finished doing a 100-mile bike ride and was at the post-ride food area standing in line waiting for some food. Despite having just biked 100 miles, I still looked like, well, not like a Computer Scientist. I am a chick, after all. Plus, I matched and am cute.
Anyway, I notice another guy in line, who did look like a computer scientist (he had long unkempt unruly hair and looked like a slob), and he was wearing a t-shirt that said, "ACM International Symposium on Computational Geometry". I first noticed the shirt's first part, the "ACM International Symposium on" part because I myself have been to many Symposia sponsored by ACM, however I stopped short when I saw the Comp. Geo. because that is not my field. So I went up one level of commonality, and said:
"Hey, I'm a member of the ACM too".
Do you know what this jackass said?
"OooooooOOOoooooh" (implication, do you think you're SPECIAL?)
Seriously, what the eff? I was so shocked I just looked at him, trying to comprehend what he meant. Then some distraction off in the distance happened that caused us all to look towards it, and then it was his turn for ice cream so he ordered, and then left. So I never got to respond.
There are a few things I wish I could have said, but I can't decide which is best.
1) "Wow....I'm guessing you've never been laid."
2) "Hey asshole, you realize I'm getting a PhizzleDizzle, yes? Put that in a pipe and smoke it, BITCH!"
3) "Hey dipshit, I know you think I'm some sort of script monkey for some massive software company that doesn't have a soul, but I'm actually ABD. Go fuck yourself."
It boils down to the fact that I'm sure he thought I was some sort of low level test engineer or something, and that I thought being in the ACM put us in the same boat, whereas he knows that in reality, he's a Computational Geometrist, i.e. he does math and theory and publishes, which makes him brilliant, particularly because of his long hair, which is always a sign of brilliance in my general field (unless you have two X chromosomes). I couldn't possibly even understand how much I'd insulted him because I don't even know what academia is.
I described this encounter to my husband, who was incredulous. It seems every time I tell him a ridiculous true story, he is incredulous. Bless his heart, it would never occur to him to be such a jackass. He even has a mentee (chick) who worships the ground he walks on because he's been such an effective teacher and mentor to her. He judges on merit. So to know that people judge based on something else blows his mind.
If people as sympathetic as my husband can't fathom how someone could be that much of a troll, how can people who are unsympathetic? The unsympathetics would probably just flat out not believe me. Sigh.
What it seems to boil down to is that the person in question had certain assumptions about FSP and could not comprehend the fact that the assumptions were wrong. I described the post to Mr. PhizzleDizzle, who, bless his heart, could not comprehend what sort of idiot would act that way. Being a White Male, he is very supportive of me but doesn't always understand what kind of shit can happen to non-White Males.
This made me think of an encounter of my own this summer. It was not even in an academic setting. I had just finished doing a 100-mile bike ride and was at the post-ride food area standing in line waiting for some food. Despite having just biked 100 miles, I still looked like, well, not like a Computer Scientist. I am a chick, after all. Plus, I matched and am cute.
Anyway, I notice another guy in line, who did look like a computer scientist (he had long unkempt unruly hair and looked like a slob), and he was wearing a t-shirt that said, "ACM International Symposium on Computational Geometry". I first noticed the shirt's first part, the "ACM International Symposium on" part because I myself have been to many Symposia sponsored by ACM, however I stopped short when I saw the Comp. Geo. because that is not my field. So I went up one level of commonality, and said:
"Hey, I'm a member of the ACM too".
Do you know what this jackass said?
"OooooooOOOoooooh" (implication, do you think you're SPECIAL?)
Seriously, what the eff? I was so shocked I just looked at him, trying to comprehend what he meant. Then some distraction off in the distance happened that caused us all to look towards it, and then it was his turn for ice cream so he ordered, and then left. So I never got to respond.
There are a few things I wish I could have said, but I can't decide which is best.
1) "Wow....I'm guessing you've never been laid."
2) "Hey asshole, you realize I'm getting a PhizzleDizzle, yes? Put that in a pipe and smoke it, BITCH!"
3) "Hey dipshit, I know you think I'm some sort of script monkey for some massive software company that doesn't have a soul, but I'm actually ABD. Go fuck yourself."
It boils down to the fact that I'm sure he thought I was some sort of low level test engineer or something, and that I thought being in the ACM put us in the same boat, whereas he knows that in reality, he's a Computational Geometrist, i.e. he does math and theory and publishes, which makes him brilliant, particularly because of his long hair, which is always a sign of brilliance in my general field (unless you have two X chromosomes). I couldn't possibly even understand how much I'd insulted him because I don't even know what academia is.
I described this encounter to my husband, who was incredulous. It seems every time I tell him a ridiculous true story, he is incredulous. Bless his heart, it would never occur to him to be such a jackass. He even has a mentee (chick) who worships the ground he walks on because he's been such an effective teacher and mentor to her. He judges on merit. So to know that people judge based on something else blows his mind.
If people as sympathetic as my husband can't fathom how someone could be that much of a troll, how can people who are unsympathetic? The unsympathetics would probably just flat out not believe me. Sigh.
Labels:
Gender Shiz,
other science chicks
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
In Which My Husband is Hilariously Sheltered
The hubster grew up totally sheltered and forced to do things like play his Musical Instrument for hours at a time, kick ass at school, and not watch any TV. Unlike my childhood, which, though sheltered, was not quite so strict.
So basically, he doesn't know anything about pop culture pre-2000 or so.
We are pretty into crossword puzzles, and his lack of knowledge about basic pop culture is a serious handicap to him, and he's always asking me for help on some clues.
Yesterday:
Hubby: "What's 'Lucy's landlady'? I think it starts with an E and ends with an L."
Me: "Ethel. You know, from 'I Love Lucy'."
Hubby: "What is that, a show?"
Me: ".....You've never heard of 'I Love Lucy'??"
Hubby: "I think I'm getting it mixed up with another Lucy. Wasn't there a Lucy in the Jetstones or something?"
Me: ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!! "JETSTONES????"
Hubby: "Or maybe....wait, no, there was like a Lucy in that cartoon, right?"
Me: "What cartoon?"
Hubby: "The one with the dog?"
Me: "You mean Snoopy?"
Hubby: "Yeah! Snoopy, that's it."
Seriously, how does a human like my husband even exist? Seriously. I love him. He's so sweet.
So basically, he doesn't know anything about pop culture pre-2000 or so.
We are pretty into crossword puzzles, and his lack of knowledge about basic pop culture is a serious handicap to him, and he's always asking me for help on some clues.
Yesterday:
Hubby: "What's 'Lucy's landlady'? I think it starts with an E and ends with an L."
Me: "Ethel. You know, from 'I Love Lucy'."
Hubby: "What is that, a show?"
Me: ".....You've never heard of 'I Love Lucy'??"
Hubby: "I think I'm getting it mixed up with another Lucy. Wasn't there a Lucy in the Jetstones or something?"
Me: ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!! "JETSTONES????"
Hubby: "Or maybe....wait, no, there was like a Lucy in that cartoon, right?"
Me: "What cartoon?"
Hubby: "The one with the dog?"
Me: "You mean Snoopy?"
Hubby: "Yeah! Snoopy, that's it."
Seriously, how does a human like my husband even exist? Seriously. I love him. He's so sweet.
Labels:
funny,
i love the hubby
Frickin' Giants!!!
I had a pretty good GC week, until the Giants defense decided to suck hairy troll balls and give up 35 points. That nets me -7 points for their performance. Suckass!!!!! SUCK.
Labels:
sports
Monday, October 13, 2008
On Shoes
I have kind of a deep post I want to post but I don't have the wherewithal to handle it at the moment as I am responding to my paper reviews and should focus on that. So, I will post about my weekend shoe experience that does not require as much deep thought.
This month was my birthday, and I got my $5 Off coupon from DSW to go hog wild with.
I went to DSW, one of my favorite places in the world, on Saturday and DID NOT FIND SHOES TO BUY.
I am severely devastated by this. I wanted something seriously fantabulous, and I did not find what I wanted. :(:(:(:(:(
My coupon expires at the end of the month, I will go again soon in the hopes that they have gotten in new shipments. Cross your fingers.
This month was my birthday, and I got my $5 Off coupon from DSW to go hog wild with.
I went to DSW, one of my favorite places in the world, on Saturday and DID NOT FIND SHOES TO BUY.
I am severely devastated by this. I wanted something seriously fantabulous, and I did not find what I wanted. :(:(:(:(:(
My coupon expires at the end of the month, I will go again soon in the hopes that they have gotten in new shipments. Cross your fingers.
Labels:
shoes
I Love Football
Is it weird that every week I look forward to football for the sole purpose of seeing how my ESPN Gridiron Challenge team is doing? I seriously can't wait, by Wednesday I'm itching for some GAMES!!! Ok, not the sole purpose, my other reason is to see if my hometown team kicks some ass. Which they did today.
Anyway, I already loved football before this, but my virgin year of playing this game has me hooked. Seriously.
This talk of football brings me to a related subject. Recently I met a girl who works for ESPN in their sports marketing department. I think this is basically the coolest job ever. I know I'm supposed to love computer science, but maybe I can figure out a way to do computer science research for ESPN? I don't know. I just think it's awesome.
Even MORE so because I felt a kinship with her. She was a very cute Asian girl busting it out in what I'm sure is a male-dominated industry/workplace. Half of the reason why I thought she was so awesome was because she had this job. I pictured her kicking ass and taking names on a daily basis, saying "Yeah, I work for ESPN. Put that in a pipe and smoke it....bitch!"
So, to the dickwads of the world who think pretty chicks can't do CS, I say, "Yeah, I'm getting a PhizzleDizzle in Computer Science. Put that in a pipe and smoke it....BITCH!"
Anyway, I already loved football before this, but my virgin year of playing this game has me hooked. Seriously.
This talk of football brings me to a related subject. Recently I met a girl who works for ESPN in their sports marketing department. I think this is basically the coolest job ever. I know I'm supposed to love computer science, but maybe I can figure out a way to do computer science research for ESPN? I don't know. I just think it's awesome.
Even MORE so because I felt a kinship with her. She was a very cute Asian girl busting it out in what I'm sure is a male-dominated industry/workplace. Half of the reason why I thought she was so awesome was because she had this job. I pictured her kicking ass and taking names on a daily basis, saying "Yeah, I work for ESPN. Put that in a pipe and smoke it....bitch!"
So, to the dickwads of the world who think pretty chicks can't do CS, I say, "Yeah, I'm getting a PhizzleDizzle in Computer Science. Put that in a pipe and smoke it....BITCH!"
Labels:
Gender Shiz,
sports
Friday, October 10, 2008
Damn, Son!
For some unknown, stupid reason, I just looked at my stock fund balance sheets.
Holy shit.
Holy shit.
Labels:
economy
Politics, Running, and My Dad
I've noticed many of my posts are kind of stream-of-consciousness. As I externally examine my "blogging process" what I will often do is make a title, and then proceed to write about something else entirely, and then eventually get around to the subject I originally intended. And then I might go back and alter the title so that it works.
Today, I am trying to make the title match before I start, but I have already failed and done exactly what I just described. HAHA!
Anyway, today's subjects are 3 (tenuously) related things.
1) Sarah Palin makes me want to poke red-hot poo-laden pokers into my eyes.
2) I read in Runner's World yesterday that she has done a 3:59:56 marathon. This IMMEDIATELY made me consider running a marathon for the sole purpose of kicking her ass, even though I have never done more than a half marathon. But the thought is percolating...Anyone else want to join the "Beat Sarah" brigade?
3) Yesterday my dear father called me to ask how I felt about the economy. What could I say? It sucks. Mr. PhizzleDizzle and I have lost a crap ton of our meager savings, though we are "staying the course" and riding it out. My dear wonderful dad then launched into a tirade about W, and how much he's a blithering idiot and how the damned GOP has fucked up all this shit. I am so glad. If my parents were Republicans I think I'd want stick red-hot poo-laden pokers into my eyes. Again.
4) I've been wondering this for days now - what the hell does it mean to "field dress a moose"? Seriously, who the hell cares if this is something she can do? Because I don't even know what poo it means.
Today, I am trying to make the title match before I start, but I have already failed and done exactly what I just described. HAHA!
Anyway, today's subjects are 3 (tenuously) related things.
1) Sarah Palin makes me want to poke red-hot poo-laden pokers into my eyes.
2) I read in Runner's World yesterday that she has done a 3:59:56 marathon. This IMMEDIATELY made me consider running a marathon for the sole purpose of kicking her ass, even though I have never done more than a half marathon. But the thought is percolating...Anyone else want to join the "Beat Sarah" brigade?
3) Yesterday my dear father called me to ask how I felt about the economy. What could I say? It sucks. Mr. PhizzleDizzle and I have lost a crap ton of our meager savings, though we are "staying the course" and riding it out. My dear wonderful dad then launched into a tirade about W, and how much he's a blithering idiot and how the damned GOP has fucked up all this shit. I am so glad. If my parents were Republicans I think I'd want stick red-hot poo-laden pokers into my eyes. Again.
4) I've been wondering this for days now - what the hell does it mean to "field dress a moose"? Seriously, who the hell cares if this is something she can do? Because I don't even know what poo it means.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Reviews
Other people in the science blogosphere have blogged about article/paper reviews before, and I thought today might be my turn.
I got some reviews in the recent past, and one of the reviews has a criticism that is so ludicrous that I actually laughed when I read it. Many other bloggers have complained about how their reviewers clearly have not carefully read the paper, and thus had a particular complaint that was addressed and explained in another part of the paper. But this one....this one is just so basic that I laughed. NO ONE with a reasonable amount of experience (or if no experience, critical thinking abilities) would have reacted to how this person reacted to a particular facet of my paper. It is so ludicrous that it does not even warrant a sentence to explain. To think that what they think is a problem is just....the kid obviously is a junior grad student.
I am trying to think of a good example to explain the ridiculousness of this part of the review. Let's see....let's say you write a paper that uses some sort of a constant C in a larger methodology. In a blurb explaining your methodology, you expand the C out into its larger defintion so as to give context as to its origin, and all components to the definition are also constants. The complaint is then that in the larger methodology, it is too costly to keep computing C over and over again, and thus the entire methodology is flawed because it is so costly. This, when it is obvious that you can just precompute C, which is what anyone else would have assumed, and that is the value used in the methodology, rather than idiotically computing a constant over and over again.
At the same time, the vehemence with which they object to this particular aspect of my paper is also alarming. They even placed 2 exclamation points at the end of the sentence. I bet, as they get older/more knowledgeable, they will continue to be as vehement, and be seen as confident and correct when in fact, they are full of horseshit. This is not quite as funny, and I do not laugh at this.
The only thing that gives me hope is that I am confident that no review committee member could possibly take this seriously and it won't be the source of my not being accepted (though other reasons might). Sigh.
I am trying to decide if I should be snarky in my rebuttal and say something like, "I trust the review committee will ignore comment X from Reviewer Y due to the idiocy of the statement, and whosoever has this person as a graduate student will fire them immediately."
I got some reviews in the recent past, and one of the reviews has a criticism that is so ludicrous that I actually laughed when I read it. Many other bloggers have complained about how their reviewers clearly have not carefully read the paper, and thus had a particular complaint that was addressed and explained in another part of the paper. But this one....this one is just so basic that I laughed. NO ONE with a reasonable amount of experience (or if no experience, critical thinking abilities) would have reacted to how this person reacted to a particular facet of my paper. It is so ludicrous that it does not even warrant a sentence to explain. To think that what they think is a problem is just....the kid obviously is a junior grad student.
I am trying to think of a good example to explain the ridiculousness of this part of the review. Let's see....let's say you write a paper that uses some sort of a constant C in a larger methodology. In a blurb explaining your methodology, you expand the C out into its larger defintion so as to give context as to its origin, and all components to the definition are also constants. The complaint is then that in the larger methodology, it is too costly to keep computing C over and over again, and thus the entire methodology is flawed because it is so costly. This, when it is obvious that you can just precompute C, which is what anyone else would have assumed, and that is the value used in the methodology, rather than idiotically computing a constant over and over again.
At the same time, the vehemence with which they object to this particular aspect of my paper is also alarming. They even placed 2 exclamation points at the end of the sentence. I bet, as they get older/more knowledgeable, they will continue to be as vehement, and be seen as confident and correct when in fact, they are full of horseshit. This is not quite as funny, and I do not laugh at this.
The only thing that gives me hope is that I am confident that no review committee member could possibly take this seriously and it won't be the source of my not being accepted (though other reasons might). Sigh.
I am trying to decide if I should be snarky in my rebuttal and say something like, "I trust the review committee will ignore comment X from Reviewer Y due to the idiocy of the statement, and whosoever has this person as a graduate student will fire them immediately."
Labels:
Grad School,
research rant
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
TV, TV, and Food
In an effort to avoid reading about the Gini Index and how it relates to this problem I am working on (the connection is not obvious, why do software writers suck at documentation??), I thought I would make a quick post about TV, TV, and Food.
TV #1: I am glad Clark is gone from ANTM. Man, she was annoying. She took one good picture the whole time, and she was a small-minded girl who talked shit but couldn't back it up. I hope the people back in her "small town" who would [paraphrase] totally judge the crap out of Isis judge the crap out of her for kissing a girl earlier in the season.
TV #2: While I kinda like some of Kenley's clothes in Project Runway, I wish she would leave already. She is soooooooo whiny!! GAR!!! I used to like her until she became a whiny little beotch! Damn girl, take your criticism with grace, please. I like the other three's stuff better anyway, so why didn't they just kick her out already???
Food: Today I tried a Gyro from a local establishment and was VERY disappointed. See, I lived once in a place where there was an abundance, ABUNDANCE of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. The gyros, kebabs, dolmas, koftes, tabbouleh, etc. were all fabulous. This was not. And I fear I will not be able to have a real gyro again for a long time, if that's the best this town offers. Bleh. This makes me very sad.
TV #1: I am glad Clark is gone from ANTM. Man, she was annoying. She took one good picture the whole time, and she was a small-minded girl who talked shit but couldn't back it up. I hope the people back in her "small town" who would [paraphrase] totally judge the crap out of Isis judge the crap out of her for kissing a girl earlier in the season.
TV #2: While I kinda like some of Kenley's clothes in Project Runway, I wish she would leave already. She is soooooooo whiny!! GAR!!! I used to like her until she became a whiny little beotch! Damn girl, take your criticism with grace, please. I like the other three's stuff better anyway, so why didn't they just kick her out already???
Food: Today I tried a Gyro from a local establishment and was VERY disappointed. See, I lived once in a place where there was an abundance, ABUNDANCE of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. The gyros, kebabs, dolmas, koftes, tabbouleh, etc. were all fabulous. This was not. And I fear I will not be able to have a real gyro again for a long time, if that's the best this town offers. Bleh. This makes me very sad.
Labels:
ANTM,
Food,
Project Runway
The Ultimate Optimization Problem - Choosing a Mate
Today I would like to wax poetic about Mr. PhizzleDizzle.
When I was in college at ILU, there was a famous course about Optimization and a famous TA which spent one discussion section explaining Optimization using an apt analogy, the S.O. selection process. Essentially, it is a mathematical breakdown of "bird in hand vs. two in the bush."
Allow me to illustrate with personal data (click to enlarge):
Out of the perhaps 10,000 men PhizzleDizzle has ever met (girl crush on Dr. Isis notwithstanding, I swing only one way), you can see from my plotted histogram that very few people of the male variety come close to being compatible with PhizzleDizzle. What TA from ILU was teaching in his course was, what if you are dating someone who falls on the right side of the bell curve? At what point do you cease to persist in moving even further right?
Fortunately for me, I have a hubby who falls so far right that I stopped wondering long ago. So, here are reasons that I love Mr. PhizzleDizzle:
*1) He absolutely adores me. This is very important.
2) He thinks I am very smart.
3) I think he is even smarter. Feminism aside, I don't think I could stand to be with a man that was not as smart as I am. Maybe I am just an intellectual snob, but I want smart babies (when the time comes).
*4) He takes care of his business. That means I do not have to do the stereotypical woman thing and nag at him to do XYZ. He takes care of it. Perhaps more than I take care of my shit. This makes my life easier.
*5) He likes to give me unsolicited backrubs and footrubs.
*6) He supports my desire to be better than I am. Even if it means being better than he is. He is not afraid to let me beat him at anything. This includes physical endeavors like Tennis and mental endeavors like finishing Crosswords before he does.
7) He is cute.
*8) He is not afraid of me.
8a) He is not afraid of the fact that I am smart, beautiful, fabulous, and technically inclined. He does not require an empty, vapid sycophant for a wife. He is secure enough in himself to never have to put me down. He is not afraid to ask me for help, EVEN IF IT INVOLVES THE COMPUTER.
9) He has given me no reason roses (but not on V-day because that would be unpragmatically expensive, appealing to PhizzleDizzle's desire to save money for shoes, purses, and technical gadgetry).
10) He has written me goofy poems.
11) He has never, ever, ever been negligent in the saying "I love you" department, even though in many other regards he is like a typical male and shies away from such things as the color pink, decorating things, tears, and feelings.
12) He helps me be more self-sufficient by teaching me how to use things like power drills and awls.
13) We have the same snide sense of humor when we are alone.
14) I wore a green goopy mask the other day after washing my face, and he didn't make one single joke.
*15) And finally, he has an absolutely adorable butt.
*PhizzleDizzle's absolutely required characteristics for ALL women when selecting mates.
This brings me to a (brief) rant.
I wish my male colleagues would more often marry fellow brainiacs instead of women I do not want to talk with at parties because they are utterly boring. I am not saying non-intellectually inclined people have nothing to offer, I am just saying that I don't want to talk about whether you look thinner this time, your highlights, or the rubber stamps you just bought from Michael's that are so adorable. I have great respect for men who marry challenging women. I have one male colleague who married a seriously kickass woman and I like him all the better for it. Not only is she an incredible athlete but she got better grades than him in college (in the same technical major) and is very, very smart. She rocks his ass at many athletic disciplines too, for which I worship her capabilities, and this does not bother him at all. In fact, he brags about it.
I wish they had girl babies. They would raise some seriously awesome, strong, kickass girl babies (who I am sure would be willing to put gas in the car). However, they have two boy babies, whom I hope will grow up to like kickass girls instead of inane ones.
When I was in college at ILU, there was a famous course about Optimization and a famous TA which spent one discussion section explaining Optimization using an apt analogy, the S.O. selection process. Essentially, it is a mathematical breakdown of "bird in hand vs. two in the bush."
Allow me to illustrate with personal data (click to enlarge):
Out of the perhaps 10,000 men PhizzleDizzle has ever met (girl crush on Dr. Isis notwithstanding, I swing only one way), you can see from my plotted histogram that very few people of the male variety come close to being compatible with PhizzleDizzle. What TA from ILU was teaching in his course was, what if you are dating someone who falls on the right side of the bell curve? At what point do you cease to persist in moving even further right?
Fortunately for me, I have a hubby who falls so far right that I stopped wondering long ago. So, here are reasons that I love Mr. PhizzleDizzle:
*1) He absolutely adores me. This is very important.
2) He thinks I am very smart.
3) I think he is even smarter. Feminism aside, I don't think I could stand to be with a man that was not as smart as I am. Maybe I am just an intellectual snob, but I want smart babies (when the time comes).
*4) He takes care of his business. That means I do not have to do the stereotypical woman thing and nag at him to do XYZ. He takes care of it. Perhaps more than I take care of my shit. This makes my life easier.
*5) He likes to give me unsolicited backrubs and footrubs.
*6) He supports my desire to be better than I am. Even if it means being better than he is. He is not afraid to let me beat him at anything. This includes physical endeavors like Tennis and mental endeavors like finishing Crosswords before he does.
7) He is cute.
*8) He is not afraid of me.
8a) He is not afraid of the fact that I am smart, beautiful, fabulous, and technically inclined. He does not require an empty, vapid sycophant for a wife. He is secure enough in himself to never have to put me down. He is not afraid to ask me for help, EVEN IF IT INVOLVES THE COMPUTER.
9) He has given me no reason roses (but not on V-day because that would be unpragmatically expensive, appealing to PhizzleDizzle's desire to save money for shoes, purses, and technical gadgetry).
10) He has written me goofy poems.
11) He has never, ever, ever been negligent in the saying "I love you" department, even though in many other regards he is like a typical male and shies away from such things as the color pink, decorating things, tears, and feelings.
12) He helps me be more self-sufficient by teaching me how to use things like power drills and awls.
13) We have the same snide sense of humor when we are alone.
14) I wore a green goopy mask the other day after washing my face, and he didn't make one single joke.
*15) And finally, he has an absolutely adorable butt.
*PhizzleDizzle's absolutely required characteristics for ALL women when selecting mates.
This brings me to a (brief) rant.
I wish my male colleagues would more often marry fellow brainiacs instead of women I do not want to talk with at parties because they are utterly boring. I am not saying non-intellectually inclined people have nothing to offer, I am just saying that I don't want to talk about whether you look thinner this time, your highlights, or the rubber stamps you just bought from Michael's that are so adorable. I have great respect for men who marry challenging women. I have one male colleague who married a seriously kickass woman and I like him all the better for it. Not only is she an incredible athlete but she got better grades than him in college (in the same technical major) and is very, very smart. She rocks his ass at many athletic disciplines too, for which I worship her capabilities, and this does not bother him at all. In fact, he brags about it.
I wish they had girl babies. They would raise some seriously awesome, strong, kickass girl babies (who I am sure would be willing to put gas in the car). However, they have two boy babies, whom I hope will grow up to like kickass girls instead of inane ones.
Labels:
Gender Shiz,
i love the hubby
Oh, the comedy
I am feeling much less bone-tired right now, oddly because I went for a run. Runs are those things that always do you good, and no matter how much you know it's going to do you good, you are still surprised that after you got your tired, cranky ass out there to do it, you feel better. Go figure.
Anyway, today, I received in the mail....
A CREDIT CARD OFFER FROM WAMU!!!!!!! Apparently I can get a 0% fixed APR until 2010, with a great rewards program with lots of points and a non-trivial credit line! Sign me up! Sounds awesome!
I can't wait to mail it in and see what happens. Riiiiight. Oh, the comedy. I wonder if the Senior VP who signed the letter offering me this great deal even has a job anymore. The comedy is almost too much. I can't take it.
Anyway, today, I received in the mail....
A CREDIT CARD OFFER FROM WAMU!!!!!!! Apparently I can get a 0% fixed APR until 2010, with a great rewards program with lots of points and a non-trivial credit line! Sign me up! Sounds awesome!
I can't wait to mail it in and see what happens. Riiiiight. Oh, the comedy. I wonder if the Senior VP who signed the letter offering me this great deal even has a job anymore. The comedy is almost too much. I can't take it.
Labels:
funny
Monday, October 6, 2008
Tiredness and the Female Fear
Today, I am extremely tired. I just want to go back to sleep, for several hours. It's a full body tired, not the kind that can be alleviated by a Power Nap. I know that it was partly because I had a fun weekend, and spent Saturday night on a futon, the kind of futon that would completely rock out any college dorm but is currently rocking out the apt. of my semi-freshly graduated sister, but the other part of me has the Female Fear.
The Female Fear is that fear which any woman who has gone near a johnson in the last month has, which is that she is pregnant. This month, the Female Fear has struck me because I keep trying to compare how tired I am with how tired I think I should be given the weekend, and I feel like I am more tired than I should be. Which doesn't mean anything, but given that I really DO NOT want a mini-PhizzleDizzle right now, I can't help but have the Female Fear. It's enough to make me want to avoid Mr. PhizzleDizzle like the plague. Well, wait, no it's not because I happen to find Mr. PhizzleDizzle very sexy. At any rate, given that my mother just subtly reminded me that I should have some bebes, and my uncle said basically the same thing this weekend, I have bebes on the brain, making the Female Fear very salient.
This whole thing makes marriage a funny institution, in my mind. It's like one day, you're not supposed to have any bebes, but then ONE DAY later, you're supposed to get on it like rabbits and produce some kickass members of the next generation. Seems pretty arbitrary to me, given that Mr. PhizzleDizzle and I were together for a long time and pretty much totally committed long before we actually said "I do."
Anyway. I am sure the Female Fear will alleviate tomorrow when I feel less tired, only to rear its ugly head again as the Day of Reckoning (i.e. first day of period) approaches, in which I will constantly wonder in the back of my mind if it will come. Which it always does, because I'm good about doing what I need to do. Not that that stops the Fear.
The Female Fear is that fear which any woman who has gone near a johnson in the last month has, which is that she is pregnant. This month, the Female Fear has struck me because I keep trying to compare how tired I am with how tired I think I should be given the weekend, and I feel like I am more tired than I should be. Which doesn't mean anything, but given that I really DO NOT want a mini-PhizzleDizzle right now, I can't help but have the Female Fear. It's enough to make me want to avoid Mr. PhizzleDizzle like the plague. Well, wait, no it's not because I happen to find Mr. PhizzleDizzle very sexy. At any rate, given that my mother just subtly reminded me that I should have some bebes, and my uncle said basically the same thing this weekend, I have bebes on the brain, making the Female Fear very salient.
This whole thing makes marriage a funny institution, in my mind. It's like one day, you're not supposed to have any bebes, but then ONE DAY later, you're supposed to get on it like rabbits and produce some kickass members of the next generation. Seems pretty arbitrary to me, given that Mr. PhizzleDizzle and I were together for a long time and pretty much totally committed long before we actually said "I do."
Anyway. I am sure the Female Fear will alleviate tomorrow when I feel less tired, only to rear its ugly head again as the Day of Reckoning (i.e. first day of period) approaches, in which I will constantly wonder in the back of my mind if it will come. Which it always does, because I'm good about doing what I need to do. Not that that stops the Fear.
Labels:
Female Fear
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The City and the Pooch
I spent this past weekend in The City. I think it's pretty funny how wherever you are, The City is the biggest, baddest city around, but when you compare relative big bad cities, they each seem to almost compete for the "The" moniker. To be the biggest baddest city ever.
So anyway, I will leave it unsaid which big bad city I went to, but I had a good time. Family, friends, beer, and football....another way to easily make PhizzleDizzle happy. However, one way to make me unhappy is for my team to lose. Which they did. GRRRRR!!!!!! All my shouting at the television didn't seem to make them play any better, for some reason! I can't imagine why not :).
Anyway, I think with the unlimited sushi on Friday, the beer and bar food this weekend, I'm up 5 pounds. Excellent. It's a good thing I've got a Mr. PhizzleDizzle already and I don't have to care :). Regardless, it is worth it. I love my poochie!! It needs feeding and sometimes it deserves treats (though maybe I give it too many). Plus, as mentioned before, I'm a food slut! Which means overall I eat well and will live long to continue to take good care of my precious poochie. Because it deserves love, not hate. That's right girls, my advice for a hot body is to
LOVE THE POOCH.
That's the only way it will love you back.
So anyway, I will leave it unsaid which big bad city I went to, but I had a good time. Family, friends, beer, and football....another way to easily make PhizzleDizzle happy. However, one way to make me unhappy is for my team to lose. Which they did. GRRRRR!!!!!! All my shouting at the television didn't seem to make them play any better, for some reason! I can't imagine why not :).
Anyway, I think with the unlimited sushi on Friday, the beer and bar food this weekend, I'm up 5 pounds. Excellent. It's a good thing I've got a Mr. PhizzleDizzle already and I don't have to care :). Regardless, it is worth it. I love my poochie!! It needs feeding and sometimes it deserves treats (though maybe I give it too many). Plus, as mentioned before, I'm a food slut! Which means overall I eat well and will live long to continue to take good care of my precious poochie. Because it deserves love, not hate. That's right girls, my advice for a hot body is to
LOVE THE POOCH.
That's the only way it will love you back.
Labels:
Food
Friday, October 3, 2008
Unlimited sushi
Today, my mood is infinitely improved. I had a good phone meeting with le advisors, who remain upbeat and excited about my dissertation (as do I - amazing, isn't it?), and this evening I am going to a place for all-you-can-order sushi with my friend.
I think that's about all I need to be happy. I think I will eat about this much sushi tonight and get as fat as I can. That would be delightful:
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm......sushi...............
I think that's about all I need to be happy. I think I will eat about this much sushi tonight and get as fat as I can. That would be delightful:
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm......sushi...............
Labels:
Food
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Power Naps
Today, I am pleased to announce that I retain the power of the Power Nap.
In college, which I only vaguely remember as a series of problem sets, lectures, and work, I perfected the power nap. I had one particular course which was an hour and twenty minute lecture, right after lunch, beginning at 1:30. The fact that I usually slept like, not at all, plus the food coma aspect made me exceedingly droopy eyed during class.
I tried sitting in the front row so once so that I would be too scared of the professor to sleep. It didn't work. I head-banged like a champion that day. How embarrassing.
My solution was the leather couch. There was a leather couch, slept on by countless sleepless college students before me, that was right outside where I ate lunch. Around 1:10, I'd pound a half a cup of coffee. At 1:15, I'd go to said couch, set my alarm for 10 minutes, and sleep, soundly, beautifully, wonderfully. At 1:25, I'd wake up feeling like a champion. It never failed me. Some people can't do the power nap, they must have at least 45 minutes to have any effect on their sense of well-being. Not so for me.
Today, I was ready to die at my desk. I have not taken a power nap in quite some time. I was not sure if my increasing age would affect my abilities. I tried it. I put my head down.
It's been about...I dunno 15 minutes or so, and I again feel like a CHAMPION. Ready to keep rewriting those damned scripts.
In college, which I only vaguely remember as a series of problem sets, lectures, and work, I perfected the power nap. I had one particular course which was an hour and twenty minute lecture, right after lunch, beginning at 1:30. The fact that I usually slept like, not at all, plus the food coma aspect made me exceedingly droopy eyed during class.
I tried sitting in the front row so once so that I would be too scared of the professor to sleep. It didn't work. I head-banged like a champion that day. How embarrassing.
My solution was the leather couch. There was a leather couch, slept on by countless sleepless college students before me, that was right outside where I ate lunch. Around 1:10, I'd pound a half a cup of coffee. At 1:15, I'd go to said couch, set my alarm for 10 minutes, and sleep, soundly, beautifully, wonderfully. At 1:25, I'd wake up feeling like a champion. It never failed me. Some people can't do the power nap, they must have at least 45 minutes to have any effect on their sense of well-being. Not so for me.
Today, I was ready to die at my desk. I have not taken a power nap in quite some time. I was not sure if my increasing age would affect my abilities. I tried it. I put my head down.
It's been about...I dunno 15 minutes or so, and I again feel like a CHAMPION. Ready to keep rewriting those damned scripts.
Labels:
Grad School
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Today I am angry.
I am angry because some scripts that I had written last week which were good and helpful and useful have disappeared. Here is what happened:
1) The drives were being backed up.
2) Thus, the drive with state A of my directories were copied.
3) The information was copied to a bigger, better drive, taking a few days.
4) In the meanwhile, I made changes and my directories entered state B.
5) The new drives were put up, eliminating state B and reverting to state A, i.e. WITHOUT MY HANDY NEW SCRIPTS.
I am just in a bad mood today. I'm not sure why. This is part of it. But there are others reasons and I just feel war-pathy. Dammit.
I am angry because some scripts that I had written last week which were good and helpful and useful have disappeared. Here is what happened:
1) The drives were being backed up.
2) Thus, the drive with state A of my directories were copied.
3) The information was copied to a bigger, better drive, taking a few days.
4) In the meanwhile, I made changes and my directories entered state B.
5) The new drives were put up, eliminating state B and reverting to state A, i.e. WITHOUT MY HANDY NEW SCRIPTS.
I am just in a bad mood today. I'm not sure why. This is part of it. But there are others reasons and I just feel war-pathy. Dammit.
Labels:
Grad School,
research rant
Children
Today I was reminded by my mother that she was younger than me when she had me. HINT HINT.
My mother is usually a most excellent mother, and I love her. I have always been confused by the plethora of shows, books, and movies that discuss the fraught relationships between mothers and daughters. I mean seriously, what the heck? I never related to Amy Tan books, nor the relationship between Calista Flockhard and Sally Field in "Brothers and Sisters" and other such things, where daughters are annoyed at their mothers who really just want the best for them but are just annoying in how they do it, and they have periodic heart to hearts where they decide they actually love each other. BARF.
But anyway, this is the first time my mom has done anything stereotypical in this regard, by having a veiled hint for "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO SHOW US ONE OF THESE?"
My sister and I had a good laugh about it. I'm sorry Mom, you're just going to have to wait!!
My mother is usually a most excellent mother, and I love her. I have always been confused by the plethora of shows, books, and movies that discuss the fraught relationships between mothers and daughters. I mean seriously, what the heck? I never related to Amy Tan books, nor the relationship between Calista Flockhard and Sally Field in "Brothers and Sisters" and other such things, where daughters are annoyed at their mothers who really just want the best for them but are just annoying in how they do it, and they have periodic heart to hearts where they decide they actually love each other. BARF.
But anyway, this is the first time my mom has done anything stereotypical in this regard, by having a veiled hint for "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO SHOW US ONE OF THESE?"
My sister and I had a good laugh about it. I'm sorry Mom, you're just going to have to wait!!
Labels:
parents
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Easy Food
It's no secret to people that know me IRL (in real life) that I am obsessed with food. I eat every 2 hours or so in order to stay sated. When I say, "I'm hungry" to Mr. Phizzle Dizzle (which is about 7 times a day), he just says, "You're always hungry."
Although this blog seems to be defunct, I think the description of food slut fits me just about to a T.
As a result, I am often searching for good restaurants, good recipes, but also...EASY RECIPES. You see, as a future PhizzleDizzle holder I do not often have time to make elaborate meals, though I do enjoy doing so semi-often.
In today's NYT, I was delighted to find this article , which discussed cooking with your rice cooker. I have a trusty little rice cooker which I love, and today I tried this recipe from RecipeZaar, my favorite recipe site. It was pretty good, and EASY as 1-2-3. I subbed some of the water for chicken broth, but otherwise it was pretty much the same. Easy peasy! Just thought I would share.
Although this blog seems to be defunct, I think the description of food slut fits me just about to a T.
As a result, I am often searching for good restaurants, good recipes, but also...EASY RECIPES. You see, as a future PhizzleDizzle holder I do not often have time to make elaborate meals, though I do enjoy doing so semi-often.
In today's NYT, I was delighted to find this article , which discussed cooking with your rice cooker. I have a trusty little rice cooker which I love, and today I tried this recipe from RecipeZaar, my favorite recipe site. It was pretty good, and EASY as 1-2-3. I subbed some of the water for chicken broth, but otherwise it was pretty much the same. Easy peasy! Just thought I would share.
Labels:
Food
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