Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Things Found in My Purse

  • Duct tape
  • Scotch tape
  • Electrical cables
  • Roll-on anti-perspirant (from Days Inn)
  • Batteries
  • Padlock
  • Sunglasses
  • Advil
  • Red pen
  • Tire pressure gauge
  • Exacto knife
  • Picture of a baby
  • Post-it notes

Cheap Decorating Idea

Jeremy and I are fairly settled in the apartment but one wall remained to be decorated. We were feeling adventurous and decided to buy some wall decals online. They were pretty cheap and claimed to be completely removable, leaving no residue or damage.

They arrived yesterday and I LOVE them! They are easy to use, really don't leave any marks on the wall, and within an hour the living room looked much cooler. The trees were in honor of Jeremy's work with phylogenies and the birds echo a bird/nature theme we have going elsewhere.

Here are a few pictures:


BEFORE


AFTER




Sunday, September 27, 2009

From Mischa, With Love Pt. 2

We were awakened in the middle of the night by Mischa's barfing. Unfortunately, when we got up this morning, we were not able to locate his creation.

I'll keep you posted on the whereabouts.

Consequently, Mischa has earned some new letters after his name. Mischa, S.V.U. (Stealth Vomiting Unit)

From Mischa, With Love

Our apartment is great and we enjoy living here. Our only complaint is the street noise when the windows are open. The passing cars I can handle, but the INSANELY loud stereos are hard to deal with. Country, rap, 80s, 90s, disco - you name it, and drivers blast it. I am not vindictive, generally speaking, but there is something so rude about loud stereos I just can't resist fantasizing about retaliation.

I have decided to post a warning, and begin enforcing my own noise ordinance. Trunk rattlers will now risk being on the receiving end of a catapult filled with feline waste. Being on the second floor, I can get some speed going and fling a steaming bag of poo right into the open windows. Perhaps I will attach a note? (Pardon my French.) "Please keep your crap to yourself and I'll do the same." :)

Friday, September 25, 2009

This would make a good watercolor painting

Yesterday was postdoc appreciation day, so I posed as a postdoc and went with Jeremy to a lovely wine and cheese reception near campus. I have discovered that the secret to posing as a biologist is to ask other people "What system do you work on?" Also, wear Chacos.

En route to campus I saw a sign that read:

Lost Blue Parakeet
Answers to the Name Ellen or Randy
Please Call If Found

I found this funny. Lost pets make me sad, but a parakeet named Ellen OR Randy makes me giggle.

And then, speaking of giggling, I came across protestors who had organized a rally in response to the proposed 33% hike in college tuition. (This was not the funny part.) There were five news trucks filming. However, in the midst of the protest circle was a huge sign that said something about Solidarity in or with Malaysia. I'm not sure if this protest within the protest was related to or just parasitizing the initial march. I feel as though I should have something prepared for the future in case I have an opportunity for good media coverage!

In the background of this scene was (or course) a shirtless man hula-hooping and a young woman with a bow and quiver full of arrows.

Friday, September 18, 2009

New Observations

1. Womankind has reached a new low: I saw a girl wearing a shirt reading "Breakfast Included". (Perhaps she did not understand what this implies? Maybe English was not her first language??)

2. We have a neighborhood medical marijuana lounge.

That's all for now.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

How I know I'm not in Alabama, Indiana, or Texas

1. While strolling through the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival, we saw a young man in his early 20s wearing an enormous fake mustache and a neon green trucker hat.

2. There was a "Clean Needle Exchange" truck parked on our street yesterday.

3. I saw a man wearing saddle shoes, purple tube socks, capri pants, a woman's blouse, and a Naval officer's hat walking into Office Max.

4. There is a city-sponsored FOOD WASTE recycling program. ?? (Where does it go? I didn't think you could compost juice boxes or meat?)

5. I can buy a t-shirt with a hammer and sickle from street vendors.

6. There is a car parked across from our house with a bumper sticker that reads, "Don't Burn Out, Burn On".

7. The Pacific Ocean and the mountains are each within 10 minutes of our apartment.

8. We live in a "Nuclear Free Zone" according to the signs.

9. We don't have air conditioning and don't really need it.

10. Gas is $3.20/gallon!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Pray Before You Scratch

Jeremy and I traveled to a wedding in Iowa not too long ago. In addition to ourselves, Jeremy's parents, sister and brother-in-law made the trip. While stopped at an Exxon station on the way out of town we picked up scratch-off lottery tickets. Huddled together around the door to the minivan, we all scratched in search of small fortunes.

While we were immersed in this task, a woman with a shirt reading BRANSON walked up to us and inquired rather kindly, "Are y'all having a morning prayer meeting?"

Aha! So THAT'S where we went wrong! You've got to pray BEFORE you scratch!

We are an honest bunch, so we admitted that no, we were only engaged in a morning gambling meeting.

At least we did it as a family though, right?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Busy Spring!

Well, I've been on hiatus from blogging because life has seemed far too chaotic. My apologies!

Anyone who knows us (or is a facebook friend) has probably seen that Jeremy successfully defended his PhD, and we are moving to Berkeley, CA. Jeremy will do a two-year postdoc. We are thrilled about this opportunity, and as is usually the case when moving to a new city, I began checking out the church communities in the area. When everything else seems new and scary, I know we always have a home at the Church.

I was reading this week's Cal Newman Center bulletin, and read a quote that really resonated with me. I hope it does for you, too.

"I have the greatest admiration for atheists, because by definition they have rejected a false 'God.' The true God, if you have the privilege of knowing Him, you cannot reject....There are no lapsed Catholics, no lapsed Christians, but there are very many, far too many, who thought they were Catholics, or Christians, but did not have the good fortune to be taught the truth about God. They looked at their hideous image and said that if it was true, they refused to believe." -Sr. Wendy Beckett

Faith education coupled with faith in action is so critical. I'm interested in doing a Master's in theology, and if I ever get the chance, I think a thesis would revolve around this insight that Sr. Wendy has so eloquently shared.