alycat's random thoughts

hells yeah

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:36:43 GMT

I am gonna eat the hell out of some cupcakes on my Labor Day trip to NYC!!!! Gmail noticed me talking about cupcakes with my now-in-NY sister, and offered this link. Oh God. WANT! (Does anyone have any particular recommendations for places to try or avoid in NY?)

Update on caffeine overload: doing better since lunch, except I fear that lunch contained MSG, so now I am working on suppressing a migraine which is also made worse by caffeine.... sigh....

Twitchy

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:12:36 GMT

I hate that icky feeling I get in my stomach when I drink too much coffee. Blech.

Don't ask why

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:53:43 GMT

I have this random camp song stuck in my head:

McDonald's is my kind of place
They serve you rattlesnakes
Hamburgers up your nose
French fries between your toes
And the last time that I was there
They stole my underwear
McDonald's is my kind of place!

I wish I understood the actual brain mechanisms that lead to these totally random memories that spring up. I wonder if anyone's ever done research on this.

But anyway, is this particular ditty a West Coast thing? Have any of you ever heard it before?

A Challenge

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:34:53 GMT

In the interest of combating my eternal perfectionism and self-berating tendencies, my therapist has instructed me to "try to do a half-assed job of something" (while, presumably, also trying not to tear my hair out in frustration at my lack of perfect performance.)

This is gonna be hard.

First I need to decide what task, activity or hobby to half-assedly take on... any suggestions?

miscellaneous

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:42:54 GMT

Birthday adventure at Hampton Beach this week was SUPER fun despite the horrendous rain. While we did not manage a walk on the beach, we did play lots of arcade games and eat yummy treats. Who knew that chocolate-dipped Oreos could be so good?? (....OK, that's not too surprising akshully...). Now that I've scoped out the scene there, I'd HIGHLY recommend a big group trip up there at some point this summer -- ideally on a sunny day this time, and with some adult beverages thrown into the mix!

We rearranged our living room furniture recently, and I FINALLY have room in front of the TV to do my belly dance DVD. It rocks! I love it! It's really fun and easy to follow, yet challenging enough that I will not get bored doing the same routine several more times. I especially liked the part where the woman explained that skinny girls would have trouble getting the right "jiggle" that you're aiming for with the shimmy. I don't think I will have that problem! I'm really excited about the possibility of my tummy pooch being put to good use :)

Normally I don't do the celebrity gossip thing, but I've had this morbid curiousity about Michael Jackson's kids that I just couldn't shake. I *almost* bought a copy of People or some such at the drug store yesterday, but I decided to turn to the free interwebz instead. While I (obviously?) don't feel any personal loss over his death, I was surprised at how sad I got watching the YouTube clip of his daughter Paris at the memorial service. From the outside, it seems bizarre for anyone to think of The King of Pop as "Dad." But ultimately, he'll be mourned by his family just as anyone would be.

whaddya know?

Wed, 06 May 2009 20:38:58 GMT

Zero migraines in 2 weeks, and all it took was lots of people showering me with attention and presents! *grin*

uh oh.

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:40:24 GMT

Our honeymoon in Cancun is a mere 4 weeks away, and Mexico is on travel advisory because of swine flu. fuuuuuuck! Now I miss the days of only worrying about those pesky drug cartels.

Hello baby!

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:25:29 GMT

I now have two nephews!
Damon Scott, born April 5, 2009
6lbs. 9oz

Can't get enough of these adorable faces :)

weekend blur

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:54:16 GMT

Iron Chef was lots of delicious fun, except I got a killer migraine that just kept coming. Apologies to komos and faux_eonix for ducking out at the earliest possible moment; I had to go home, crawl into bed and suffer for like 4 more hours before starting to feel better. And if Sunday was any indication, I can probably expect a rebound headache today. Meh.

Sunday was a frenetic Zipcar shopping run. New fishies were obtained. We got the world's tiniest cory catfish. So. Freaking. Cute! The big cory looks like a whale next to this guy. I love tiny things that look like miniatures of bigger things! eeee! We also got another female molly to balance out the 2 males who would not leave the original lone female (now pregnant, we believe) alone. While we have yet to see if we get overrun by molly fry, the trick seemed to work and the males have calmed down a lot. Apparently they no longer feel like they have to guard the one female constantly. The tank is flourishing and we are thrilled. It really feels like a mini ecosystem.

Speaking of tiny cute things, I have a new nephew!! Damon Scott was born at 1:30pm pacific time, apparently not a giant like my first nephew, he only weighed in at 6lbs 9oz. No pictures yet. I can't wait to see him when I visit LA in a few weeks!!!

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:45:04 GMT

Funny work news: In a committee meeting yesterday, the chair kept referring to our reduced doctoral numbers as "shrinkage." It took a lot of self control not to snicker each time.

Non-funny work news: The Dean of the school announced yesterday that they will most likely have to make some staff layoffs in order to meet our budget targets for next year. As someone whose job is up for renewal or termination in June, I think now is the time to get scared.

The so-called "personhood" of "pre-born" babies

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:07:46 GMT

This salon piece about reproductive issues mentions some really scary cases of women not being allowed control over their bodies. Yikes.

I like this comment from reader bernbart:

I think these people have the brain power equivalent to an undeveloped fetus for which they want to give personhood.

The religious fascists should restate: "We won't rest until every state recognizes that pre-born babies are persons, just like you and me,"

to this..

"Screw the Constitution and Separation of church and state.

We won't rest until every state recognizes that our religious beliefs must be the law of the land, and you must all be forced to believe that pre-born babies are persons, just like you and me,".

just checking

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:28:35 GMT

Eating a salad for lunch cancels out the heavily frosted cake I ate for dessert... right?

*sigh* I am so hopeless at dieting. At least I've been exercising, but it's hard to say if I'm ahead of the game once you factor in the bad eating habits.

oh, teh funniez!

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:14:23 GMT

I highly recommend Totally looks like to anyone as bored at work as I am.

what a day!!

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:23:05 GMT

I am home sick, with CNN.com in one room and NPR in the other, and no TV in between... but it's cool, I think the excitement is coming through. I just wish my intestines weren't trying to tie themselves into knots. What did I eat?

EEEE!!! The history-making is about to begin!! It sounds so hokey, but I feel remarkably proud today. Haven't felt that in a patriotic way since.... ever?

OH HAI!

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:43:58 GMT

Greetings, peoples of the interwebs! I hail from the scary land of Overwork, where lolcats and LJ posts are just a memory. But it's 4:30pm, my boss is already gone for the holidays, and it's like a ghost town in my office. Hence, I take a moment for slack. Hi!!

Not much exciting to report. Except that it's been a while since I griped about migraines so I shall mention that

One of the drugs my doctors tried on me was an antidepressant called desipramine. We started at a low dose that didn't do me much good. The turning point was revving it up to an actual antidepressant-level dose. I was initially weirded out by this option because I felt like it would mean artificial happiness, or a floaty detached at-least-I-don't-care-anymore kind of feeling. But actually, it's been a great thing. I do feel more positive and less hopeless, but not in a canned way. Just like, sure, life isn't perfect, but it's not that bad either. I've even felt like my sense of humor has improved - I'm a lot more likely to laugh at things my hilarious Nearly Hubby says, and to respond in kind. Which is cool.

As for the headaches, they have lessened in frequency and severity, which is fantastic. My triggers are still my triggers, unfortunately: bad weather, booze, etc. will typically still cause a migraine, but I've become much less likely to have them for no apparent reason every other day of the week. I think this is the best we're going to get for now. But it's good enough. For now. Yayz! :)

EDIT: After rereading a few of my most recent posts, I have to say, the current state is significantly better than "a bit better." I was at that "I can't live like this" stage for so long, it seems like a miracle I did live! And now I feel more like someone who sometimes gets headaches rather than a barely-functional chronic pain sufferer. So, yeah, this is DEFINITELY good :)

We'll be leaving the squishies behind as we travel to Connecticut for Xmas. I always feel guilty leaving my babies, although it's for a much shorter trip than last time, and anyway they still got fed in our absence so I'm not really sure they noticed the difference.

My appetite has been a little out of control lately. I can't seem to get enough of the sweet stuff! This is nothing new, although it seems like I'm giving in even more that usual. (I'll attribute that to January looming ahead with resolutions and restrictions.) Now that it's for-real winter, I've definitely lost whatever exercise advantage I had from moving to the new place and walking more every day. BUT I just sprang for our very own rowing machine. We're gonna get so buff using this thing! Hells yeah! I have yet to properly break it in, so I'll have to let you know if it lives up to expectations. But the hope is that it will circumvent the I-hate-the-gym excuse for not exercising. It should also provide a fantastic cardio and core body workout. HOT WEDDING BODY, HERE I COME!

A bit of levity... you know you need it!

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:14:38 GMT

Forget about the collapsing economy. Forget about terrifying right wing she-beasts. What you need is a giant turkey leg to gnaw on, and a yard of beer to wash it down.

By which I mean, who's up for a trip to King Richard's Faire in Carver???

The Faire runs through Sun, Oct. 19. As cook_ting goes to class on Saturday mornings, I think we'd prefer to go on a Sunday. If we were to go on a Saturday, we'd have to leave Somerville at 1:00 or later. Not sure if that would give us enough time... what say ye?

I think the best dates would be Sept. 27 or 28, or Oct. 5.

Other, potentially less ideal options are this coming weekend (if it's not too soon for you), and the faire's final weekend, 10/18-19 (during which it could be mobbed? I dunno.)

Other suggestions are welcome, however here are our restrictions:
-We're going to CT to see family Oct 11-13 (Columbus Day long weekend).
-Previously-scheduled birthday happenings on Oct 4 might rule that one out for some folks.

Finally, Nearly Hubby and I would be down to rent a Zipcar for the day, but ideally we'll be able to work out some carpools.

Huzzah!

Too hilarious not to share

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:59:45 GMT

Perhaps you've seen this already, but I had to share. I was tickled to find out that a couple of organic chemists put together NanoPutians, i.e. anthropomorphic molecules. These are actual molecular structures which happen to look amazingly like stick figures. Not only is it hilarious, it is apparently Actual Science, as it was published in the Journal of Organic Chemistry!

I think my favorites are the NanoMonarch

and the NanoScholar :)

Yes I am a nerd, but c'mon, this is pretty cute.

The basic body shape is composed with SCIENCE as follows:

Then the legs are attached:

Best of all are the NanoProfessionals!!!!!

...and here I thought OChem was boring!

People totally look like their dogs

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:26:29 GMT

After a few weeks of walking to the T along the bike path (aka dog park), I can confirm that this is reliably true. Plus, science says it's so! See funny photos here.

ups and downs

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:06:38 GMT

My work presentation this week went very well. I've gotten "great job" emails from several of the office directors, and the dean whose baseline facial expression always strikes me as vaguely disapproving said "it couldn't have gone better!" GO ME!!

In other good news, I treated myself recently to an Amazon splurge, and the spoils are finally arriving! I have a new George Winston CD, a copy of Gaiman's The Dream Hunters, and one of those big exercise balls - purple of course! - to encourage me to pick up an exercise routine again. Thanks go to Nearly Hubby for inflating it for me, even though it required several minutes of energetic and very suggestive pumping. *snicker*

Unfortunately, the migraines are royally kicking my ass yet again. I'm basically back up to the highest point of headache frequency I've ever had (which is a few to several per week). It feels like everything that could potentially be a trigger, IS a trigger for me. The pills I'm on aren't helping, and the neurologist who prescribed them is still "on sabbatical" until the second week of September. Admittedly, I've been slacking on my wellness routine since the packing phase of the move. I feel like I never have the time for it anymore. But I've reached that point where the choices are to stay in bed and cry a lot (which would totally lead to more migraines and require more sick days than I have) or once again do all the little things within my power to prevent migraines. Steps 1, 2 and 3 will be getting more exercise, starting up the meditation habit again, and going in for regular massage therapy appointments... all of which will begin this very weekend. MOTIVAYSHUN, I HAS IT.

Oh! Another good thing. POOH on the nutritionist who acted like walking home from Harvard doesn't count for shit... because I have totally lost weight! I don't know how much because I haven't been willing to step on the scale. But all of my pants are noticeably bigger lately, to the point of needing to cinch in and pin the waistband of a pair without belt loops. That was inconvenient but uplifting. And while my love of tasty foods will likely remain unabated forever, I've been much more conscious of portion sizes and the need for additional veg (as has Chef Munki, kudos to him!).

Do you know a good tailor?

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:43:44 GMT

I need to get a bridesmaid's dress taken in. I've used Eleni in Davis Sq. for hemming pants, but I don't know whether to trust her with a gown. Any recommendations? Preferably in Cambridge or Somerville.

A slow Monday

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:50:35 GMT

The network at work was down all morning. As all of my files are saved on the shared drive, I rapidly gave up trying to work.

To entertain myself, I started poking around in the documents saved to my computer (basically all personal stuff). Luckily I remembered that weeks ago I saved The Big Read list. I’ve been too busy to go through it, but this became the perfect opportunity.

A bit behind the LJ times, but here you go - The Executive Summary:

- I’ve read 27% of the books
- I loved 11%
- I hated or don’t ever intend to read 14%
- I actively intend to read 4%
- The remaining 44% do not clearly register on my radar.

As a book lover, I was pretty surprised at the small number of books I’d actually read off this list*, not to mention the scant number of ones I intend to read. I was also tempted to strike out several items which, in the end, I did not; I figure I should probably keep an open mind about books that many people consider to be culturally significant. Still, it confirmed for me that my tastes run more on the modern side, and my aversion to "classics" has held fast.** I actually feel like the list is a bit dated. There are oodles of amazing, significant, more recent books missing. Maybe in 25 years, all my favorites will be on the classics list??

*well… 26% sounds small to me, but thankfully it far exceeds the estimated 6% of the average adult…
**This is one reason why I'm actually looking forward to the classics meeting of Book Club. I'd love to hear plugs for classics from people whose opinions I trust! By the way, I intend to read Miller's Tropic of Cancer, another remarkable book not on this list, but one I've never read.

Bold = have read
Underlined = love
Italics = intend to read
~~Strikethrough~~ = hated or don’t plan on reading

~~1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen~~

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

~~3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte~~

4 The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

~~6 The Bible (read parts of it, that was enough. Does the Torah count?)~~

~~7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte~~

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

~~11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott~~

~~12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy~~

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

~~14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (read some of them, they were enough.)~~

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (not sure about a strikethrough…)

25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

~~33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis~~

~~34 Emma - Jane Austen~~

~~35 Persuasion - Jane Austen~~

~~36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis~~

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

~~54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen~~

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

~~81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens~~

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte's Web - EB White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

~~98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare~~

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Yum, toxic fragrance...

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:22:39 GMT

Forget new car smell, worry about this: Toxic Chemicals Found In Common Scented Laundry Products, Air Fresheners

I hate UPS

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:17:26 GMT

I'm not sure if this qualifies for a Consumerist rant, but the asstards at UPS are driving me crazy! We bought a new mattress from costco.com, and getting it delivered has just been one hassle after another.

- Delivery attempt #1: Friday at 3pm. No "Info Notice" left on door, but tracking on UPS site indicates a delivery attempt was made. Do they not realize that people go to work?

- Friday/weekend: I am unable to make any changes to the delivery options online because I do not have an Info Notice number, because the guy failed to leave said notice on the door.

- Monday: called UPS to explain that I work during the day and cannot be home to meet the driver. They explain that a signature is required for the delivery, and they don't deliver on Saturdays, therefore I am SOL. The only other options are to have it delivered to a neighbor (not helpful - everyone fucking works! come on!) or have it delivered to the nearest UPS store (which, granted, is in Davis Sq., but the mattress is a monster weighing in at over 100lbs and I want it delivered to my door godsdamnit, is that too much to ask of a delivery company??).

- I talk to a supervisor, who agrees to contact the dispatcher, who will ask the driver to return after 5pm. I explain that we don't live at the apartment yet, so I'll only go there to meet the driver if he is in fact coming. So, the dispatcher kindly called back (after another reminder) to confirm that the post-5:00 delivery is on schedule.

- I leave work early to make sure I don't miss the guy.

- 5:01pm: What do I find? An Info Notice on the door, stating that the "first" delivery attempt had just been made. WTF? Even worse, the notice states that the driver will return on Tuesday, either from 2-5pm or after 5. NOT HELPFUL.

- I call UPS again and learn that the driver came to the house at 4:00. Naturally the customer service drone on the other end of the line has no explanation. He says the dispatcher will call me back. This doesn't happen.

GRAH!

|-------| THIS FAR AWAY FROM A GUN-TOTING RAMPAGE.

Transitions

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:31:42 GMT

WHEW!! What a weekend. We worked our asses off moving on Saturday. My back is decidedly sore, and I shit you not, my biceps are noticeably bulging today. We had much needed and much appreciated help from wildflowersoul and c_m_i on the unloading end, but damn, having just two of us loading 14 tons of books into the truck was eight frigging bitches on a bitch boat.

Somewhat masochistically, in addition to moving, we picked up a couple of craigslisted bookcases AND made a trek to Ikea the same day. Driving the U-Haul van probably took years off my life. I could never quite tell how close I was to other cars, and the rear view through the mirror was hopelessly blocked even when the truck was empty. But we made it! (And I get to do it all again next Saturday, sans highway driving, but in a 10-footer rather than a van... gulp!).

We spent big money at Ikea, but I'd say we're thrilled with our purchases. Our goodies include:
-Box spring for new bed (that fucker weighs a TON!!)
-Crazy ornate wrought iron-like headboard + feet for bed
-Comfy chair and additional ottoman
-Several rugs & runners
-Tall table and chairs for squirrel room (hopefully will allow us to sit while satisfying the squishies' need for tall trees).
-Plastic mats that go under office chairs, to protect the floor of the squirrel room
-Several decor items to be used off-label for squirrelly landscaping
-Side tables for next to the couch
-A few random kitchen items
-Delicious cookies and cinnamon rolls- WE EARNED 'EM!

Between this and the kickass future-of-the-'50s space and time travel posters that Nearly Hubby found, let me just say, our new place is going to seriously rock! I wish we could go play house this week, instead of packing up our (surprisingly voluminous) remaining crap! Sigh.

We are still not quite sure how to transfer all our living things to the new place. This promises to be a logistical nightmare. I just hope it's one which we all survive without significant trauma.

eep!

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:16:41 GMT

Well. It turns out that we'll be schlepping boxes on the first near-100-degree day of the summer (tomorrow). Crap on a crap cracker!

We plan to start early to try and beat the heat. Would anyone be willing to help out around 10am in exchange for gratitude and beer?? We don't want to overwork anyone; getting partial help with just unloading at the new place would be so very appreciated....