Friday Five

Stolen in part from DemiOrator:

1.) What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was an undergrad living in a dorm at a midwest state school.

2.) What were you doing 5 years ago?
I was embarking on the worst decision I ever made - starting graduate school.

3.) What were you doing one year ago?
Contemplating where I was going to live and what I was going to do while I tried to finish my dissertation without funding as it was terminated at the end of Sept. 2004. - thanks asshole bossman.

4.) What were you doing yesterday?
Getting pulled over by a cop for an "illegal lane usage" infraction. Yes, there will be a forthcoming blog on this.

5.) Five snacks you enjoy

• fruit
• jelly beans
• soft chocolate chip cookies
• "hot" chips (jalepeno or other)
• licorice

6.) Five songs I know all the words to.

• Baby Got Back (by Sir Mix-a-Lot)
• In Da Club (by 50 Cent)
• We Didn't Start The Fire (by Billy Joel)
• Undergrad Fight Song (by F. I. Lankey) and Alma Mater (by Bernard Traynor)
• Happy Birthday (to you?) (I don't know who was the original composer)

7.) Five things you would do if you had a million dollars

• Pay off credit cards
• Open a stock market account
• Travel to Australia and New Zealand
• Take my dad, brother, and boyfriend with me to a Wings game (with good seats)
• Take my mom, sisters, and any friends who could make it to a day spa

8.) Five things you like doing

• sports - individual and team
• crafts - cross stitching, crochet, sewing, beading, etc.
• hiking/camping - particularly a wedding of the two... backpacking
• parlor games - board games, cards, and puzzles
• vegging in front of the TV and watching home improvement shows - HGTV, DIY, TLC, etc.

9.) Five bad habits

• speeding
• not exercising regularly (or at all sometimes)
• not "letting go" of things that piss me off
• taking on more than I can handle competently and confidently
• overeating

10.) Five things I would never wear again

• leg warmers
• pegged pants
• mismatched socks
• plastic earrings
• stacked shoes (don't like being taller than bf)

Well, there you have it. Another me-me blog. Have a great weekend!

Am I The Only One?

I've noticed that I have become extremely lazy lately. Does this happen to other people? I have so few things to do that I end up getting nothing done.

The sum total of things I needed/wanted to do this past weekend were:
finish sealing the deck and return the deck furniture to its place
change my passwords on accounts that are expiring
work on my cross stitch project
work out
create my blog entry for Monday
go to the store and get some fruit
balance my checkbook
go through my mail
fold my laundry

This is what I got done:
bought diet coke (no fruit)
watched tv
did 1/2 of one work out tape and then quit

Now, a few days later there are a few more things on the list that "must" get done. This is what I did today:
changed my passwords
created a blog entry
went through my mail
folded my laundry
washed the dog
repacked my suitcase
created blog entries for the next four fridays
cleaned out my email folders
cross stitched
plucked my eyebrows
and, generally, just got shit done

So, why when I had a whole bunch of time did I get nothing done and then when I had to get things done, I got more done than I needed to get done in a fairly short amount of time. It's as if there is a critical mass of chores. When there are fewer chores than that critical mass, I just don't do anything. Time pressure seems to be required as well. What is that?

Science Is Worthwhile

PBU Topic for the week: Hurricanes and Global Warming

I am constantly disheartened by the complete lack of understanding of science by an "average" US citizen. I am grossly stereotyping - just go with it. As someone who is in science, it makes me sick to my stomach to see government as well as individuals bastardize science concepts and studies.

Besides the ignorance of basic foundations in science, statistical data is often manipulated to make a dramatic point and people can't distinguish good statistical reporting with bad manipulation/mutilation. It's rampant in commercials. Four out of five doctors agree that... yeah, okay, that means 20% didn't think so. But people will buy into the product. Then a store offers a 20% sale and this is huge and earth shattering. Even more illuminating is the commercial (I forget the product it is endorsing) says something along the lines of saving you half your money. THEN, goes on to say, "that's 50%" . Um, yeah, got that. 50% means 1/2. Thanks for clarifying. But, then, I think about it. Does this mean that, on average, the u.s. consumer does not understand this simple math? We. Are. Doomed.

Anyway, back to basic foundations of science. If we ignore the inherent problem assumed when we consider statistics, which is "higher" math and not required at most schools for most programs at secondary or post-secondary curricula, we see that there are still problems. I like to use the example of the dihydrogen monoxide example. A few years ago a joke was put out on the email mass forwarding system that we should ban dihydrogen monoxide. I forget how exactly the email story goes but the core is that someone said it should be banned, wrote up a petition, then asked people sign it AND THEY DID. The petition stated all the bad things. Things such as it could kill you in large quantities, it could carry toxic materials, it caused reduced visibility in the air, blah, blah, blah. Okay folks. Water can make you die, it does have the ability to be a solvent for toxic chemicals, and it the major component of rain, snow, and fog. Good luck getting rid of it. But people just don't care to look under the surface. They want the easy way out. Did these people ask to hear an explanation about how dihydrogen monoxide "caused" all these problems? Of course, this is assuming they didn't have chemistry, oh, say, EVER.

Let's not even get into the issue of "organic". I would like to refer you to A Gentleman's C blog who posted a personal story about how some people have been brainwashed by the idea of "organic".

And finally, we arrive at the topic of today. After so much ranting on my own part about the general (seemingly embraced) ignorance of the u.s. citizens on the topic of math (particularly statistics) and science, I think it best to just give you another link to check out. I could not more eloquently state the argument than the feature author of "George Bush's 'Wager' "entry on the John Kerry For President 2008 blog.

This ranks right up there with forest fire suppression instead of controlled burns, never ending oil reserves, 'evil' genetic engineering, and "intelligent" design.

Oh, big sigh. Should we take bets how long it is until the world just completely falls apart? I give it another century... tops. Unless there are dramatic changes in politics and natural resource consumption by 2106 we will either be gone from WWIII or on an irrevocable path to total environmental destruction.

Gee, my posts have just been so light-hearted and happy lately.

Surprise Saturday Session

I've been meaning to blogroll for a while. Decided to get around to that this evening. I am unwilling to pay for the "gold" service so I only get one blogroll. Since I wanted categories, I had to manually enter the political and friend links into my template.

Here is a breakdown of my blogroll:

Academic blogs - the top ten of my academic blogs. I only read seven of them regularly but the other three are worthy of linkage. The " ** " at the end of the blog name means that it has been updated in the last 48 hours. They are in alphabetical order to remove any favoritism I might be inclined to indicate. I will admit that my most favorite is Confessions of a Community College (CC) Dean. He regularly updates every weekday a.m.

Political blogs - the top five. I listed these in the order I visit them (ie: priority). I don't normally have the patience to find new political blogs that I enjoy. There are just too many sites with information that is too dry, not to my "side", or poorly written. Just fyi that although I check in on these blogs fairly regularly, the first two are the only ones that I am pretty sure I will still be reading in a year.

Friends' blogs - I have a fairly close circle of friends and most of them don't blog. Hence, not a big list here. I think the average update is every month or two. I just didn't want to leave out the people who at least made an effort to create a blog. Besides, I might one day get sick of this and become a monthly blogger. I have already had a blogging drought.

These are general classifications. Sometimes the political blogs are personal and sometimes the academic blogs are political or personal. I hope that you might find one or two of them interesting. Happy reading.

Friday Firsts

Well, keeping to the frivolous friday theme... here is yet another meme of sorts.

Firsts:

1. What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
look at a clock

2. What is your first memory?
I don't remember which of the two listed here were first. I remember trying to walk home from a park and getting waylaid by a "concerned" adult (I was three) while trying to cross a busy road (I think my mom said it was 4 lanes). I also remember hiding under my grandfather's office desk and noting the water damage ceiling as well as the scary basement where my uncle did woodworking (it wasn't well lit and between the big table saws and sawdust covered floors it was scary to me - again, I was only three).

3. If you won a million dollars, what is the first thing you would do with it?
Pay off my credit card.

4. When was the first time you kissed someone of the opposite sex who isn't a parent or relative?
Um, when I was 5. But I didn't progress past kissing for many, many years.

5. What was the first career you planned on having?
Harp player. I should have stuck with that idea. I was smarter at 9 than I gave myself credit for being.

A Letter

A few of the academic bloggers that I read have been posting open letters to students. I am not teaching because I thought I would be done with the dissertation and living in Canada so I turned down the reappointment for the fall at the CC I was at in the spring. So, I am writing a letter to my advisor. I wouldn't be able to actually send it as it might doom me to never finishing so I am posting it here.

Dear Bossman,

I know you don't care about me. Fine. Try caring about yourself. You look bad when three out of four students in your 2000 class don't finish their degrees. One of them just left the group and is currently floundering in a different one. This indicates that the student just might have been a rotten apple. The student who did finish refused to give you any forwarding contact information. That should tell you something. The third student left the group suddenly but not after being in clear emotional and research trouble for years. The fourth student was unceremoniously left to fend for herself when you would not keep her on stipend any longer. The fourth student is me.

Now, let me tell you about my situation and why you should deal with me. I was pissed that you wouldn't pay me. I won't lie. And the department I am in is set up in such a way that we don't have teaching assistantships. That meant I had absolutely no opportunities to earn a stipend through traditional school venues. You refused (point blank) to write a letter of recommendation for any grants I might apply to and said further that you didn't think I could possibly get one which is why you wouldn't "waste your time".

Our esteemed institution is in one of the four largest cities in the US. This fact translates into a rather high cost of living. I am the oldest of four children with divorced parents. Exactly how did you think I was going to manage to continue to live there, pay for insurance (as required for enrollment), enrollment fees, and auto expenses without a stipend. I guess I am just not lucky enough to have parents willing to support me for four months like student #2 (the only one to finish so far).

When I was forced (because there really was no choice) to move back home, I did so with the plan to finish the dissertation. We talked about it. You knew the plan. I sent you emails concerning the plan. I picked up a low-paying part time job (adjunct at CC) in order to build my CV and continue on the path for "the plan". The plan was for me to defend this summer. It's September. I'm bitter.

Now, I know I didn't entirely hold up my end of the plan. I was suppose to have my dissertation done at the end of July. At that point I had only sent you three chapters. However, I don't think there is any excuse reasonable to explain why you felt it acceptable to ignore my e-mailed chapters. I finished the dissertation in August. I supplied a hard copy to you via snail mail as well as an electronic copy via e-mail.

Thank you for acknowledging the receipt of the electronic copy. At least I will have that to take to the graduate school board when I have to circumvent you. It is here that we come to the place where I tell you why you should deal with me.

It's not pretty but here it is - I am a girl. The department's faculty and graduate student body is predominately male and caucasian. It is well-known to be a "boy's club" of sorts. I will play this to my advantage if I need to. It looks bad for the department to have a less than 50% graduation rate. It looks even worse to have a woman leave the department with no degree even though she has published (as first or second author) six research papers in respected journals, given two conference posters, presented an excellent research seminar, landed a job, and written a full-length, typeset, and copy-edited dissertation. I have never missed a deadline, performed sub-par in classes, or failed to meet any goal set for me by the department. I will play on the sympathy of the graduate school committee. I already have an advisor/staff member of the grad school in my corner after the "vacation issue" we had last year. I have a strong supporter in the Teaching for Excellent center. I have a faculty member in a department outside of my own that I have spoken with and gotten the support of. I will not be ignored. And, I have set the ball in motion.

You are old and tenured. I know that you do not fear me. But I am tired of not being able to live my life because of you. I have done everything required of me. I declined a good job in order to be available for my defense. I have not seen my boyfriend in three months in order to be available for my defense. I am nearly broke in order to finish my dissertation and be available for my defense. I will get my degree. I will get the thing I have earned!

So, when the chairperson of the graduate academic committee calls, don't be so surprised. You should have answered my e-mails. You should have taken my calls. I am not going to be ignored any longer. I am tired, tired, tired and so pissed off that it is a surprise my hair doesn't spontaneously burst into flames. I will not go away. I will not shut up, be shut down, or shut out. When you die, I might just come and dance on your grave. At the very least, I am going to come and burn a copy of my dissertation on your headstone. Fuck you. You will not win this little war.

The Canadian Dream

Well, PBU was a little too much work today and I am tired... so, no political tirade this post.




Get Fuzzy's American Dream: Fish Market

G.F.'s "Canadian Dream": Being warm with Leaf tixs

And still, I'd rather be canadian. Now if my advisor would just read my fucking dissertation so I can set a defense date and finish this crap-tacular degree thing and move! DO NOT GO TO GRADUATE SCHOOL! Or, at least, not in a science (chem, bio, phy, mat sci, etc). I can't really say anything on the other departments although applied math doesn't seem too bad (from the outside).

I can't wait to be warm and watching hockey. Less than a month for the hockey thing! Woohoo! Now, do I cheer for DRWs or EOs? Show my true colors or defer to the bf's. Who am I kidding?? GO WINGS!!

Friday Fun

It seems that between my joining with PBU and generally uneventful life that I have time for frivolous posts about, um, once a week. Or, another way to say it is that I have adopted a new policy of posting self-centered memes, lists, and quiz results on Fry-days. I am only upset that I didn't publish this earlier. There is another blogger who just posted it yesterday and she wrote nearly half of the same answers I had come up with. I wrote this on Monday. Grrr. Well, I guess that is what I get for holding back posts.

Here is this week's edition: "List of Seven"

7 Things I want to accomplish before I die:

1. Travel, travel, travel (Great Wall of China, Barrier Reef, Pyramids, Easter Island, Antarctica, Machu Picchu, Moscow, Alaska, Thailand, etc.)
2. Defend my Dissertation (which is already f**king written)
3. Complete an Ironman (but I would settle for a marathon - that is the part of an ironman that I can't do yet)
4. Learn how to have style (this includes dressing "better", getting a "real" haircut, and wearing makeup)
5. Get married
6. learn to play another instrument (bagpipes or cello are high on my list)
7. Learn to 'smell the roses' on a regular basis (aka: chill out)

7 things I can do:

1. organize anything
2. roll my tongue, flare my nostrils, and wiggle my ears
3. cook/bake (better at baking)
4. parallel park anything equal to or smaller than a 15-passenger van
5. read a map correctly
6. stand up and speak in front of a variety of audiences (wedding receptions, classes, seminars, speeches, tourist talks, and training workshops. I just don't do sales pitches)
7. throw a frisbee forehand

7 things I can NOT do:

1. can't seem to cultivate the kind of patience I would like to have
2. play any sport at a competetive level (although can hold my own on the 'community' leagues)
3. speak a foreign language fluently
4. fix automobiles (beyond changing a tire or fluids)
5. stay on a diet
6. write (grammar, spelling, and punctuation continue to elude me)
7. knit (I am a single needle gal and prefer to crochet)

7 things that attract me to other people:

1. sense of humor
2. intelligence
3. some shared interests
4. a few vastly different interests (we can learn from each other)
5. responsibility (to themselves, to me, to the earth, to society)
6. charisma
7. a willingness to try new things or go new places

7 Celebrity crushes: (I feel like this has been overdone with the 5-stars-you-could-sleep-with-and-your-partner-could-not-fault-you thing but I am going to put a somewhat random list together anyway)

1. Michael Buble (lovin' his music right now)
2. Matt Damon (watched Bourne Supremacy last night and currently feeling very "warm" towards him - this may be fleeting)
3. Bill Maher
4. William Petersen (Gil Grissom) although George Eads (Nick Stokes) and Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders) are just as appealing. I just love CSI (las vegas) no matter how much B.S. it is. Gotta love any show that tries to make science and scientists cool.
5. Paul Teutul Jr.
6. Colin Firth
7. Will Smith

7 things I say most often:

1. so (I was told when I was in 9th grade speech class that I used too many 'ands' - 'so' was the new 'and')
2. um (anyone who says they don't use this is lying or a politician with speech writers)
3. yeah (okay, I should say 'yes' but I am lazy)
4. seriously (this is a curse of the family - we all abuse this one)
5. like (sigh - I have tried to erradicate this terrible word usage but it, like, just keeps rearing it's ugly head)
6. lol (a lot of online chat in my life)
7. what? (8 years of marching band did not do good things for my hearing)

Hope everyone has an excellent weekend!

The Bossman

Okay, this post would be really short if I just got to the point. If you just want to read "the point", go to the last paragraph. Here is the timeline of my life leading up to this post and my complete frustration...

Oh, about six years ago I decided grad school was a good idea. I am not as smart as I thought I was. The smarter thing to do would have been to just get a better industrial job. Anyway... I went ahead, took the GRE and applied.

Nine months later, I make the choice of schools. I don't regret the choice. I know much more about myself and where I want to live having tried a different place than I was used to. Turns out - a huge city is kind of a waste for me. I don't go out that much. I just need a large school nearby to support any cultural outings and adult education I might be inclined to pursue. A pro hockey team in the near area is a big plus too.

So, five years ago I embarked on the whole grad school thing.

One year into it, I thought about quitting. Classes were terrible, I was definitely not "cream of the crop" at this "Ivy League of the Midwest", and my research was confusing. I just couldn't face going back to work as a tech so I didn't leave.

Two years into it, I thought about quitting. My cat had died suddenly after spending six days in intensive care. He was two. My qualifier (a year two oral exam and written project "grant" of sorts) was ripped to shreds. They told me they weren't "sure" I should be there but didn't kick me out. Yeah, okay, that meant war. Even if I wanted to leave I wasn't giving them the benefit of choosing that option. They would have to kick me out. My research was already published and my chair (who isn't my advisor for the 2nd yr thing - just how they do things) had changed the presentation guidelines a mere 5 days before my talk (power point out the window - we were doing this old style and that meant chalk talk). I did not feel entirely responsible for the bad performance on the talk and my advisor was one of the "hands-off" types who wouldn't read my proposal before going up for the exam so it was as good as it could be given it was written by me and proof read by other grad students. But the idea of quitting was still appealing - I was broke from kitty bills, I had no personal life, and the department didn't seem to "want" me.

Three years into it, I thought about quitting. I didn't just because I didn't know what else to do with my life. Nothing happened that year. I mean nothing. My research tanked, my paper writing was just one big writer's block, and good friends started to graduate - leaving me even less of a social life.

Fourth year arrives and I was thinking about quitting. We have to write and defend (orally) a research proposal on some topic that is not related to our own research. Some people don't follow that rule so much but the feeling is that if your committee will sign off on the topic then you can do it. Even if it is your own research thinly veiled as something else because you changed the central metal by putting the next one in the family there instead. I decided to go the high road and do something completely unrelated. I actually got a compliment from my advisor after the presentation/defense (*gasp*). That was a high point. But then he wanted to have a heart-to-heart about why I was there, what I wanted to do, what I liked about grad school, yadda, yadda, yadda. Thereby turning the whole experience into something painful where I had to lie. I hate grad school and everything having to do with him, the research, and the hoops we have to jump through. Do I tell him that? I think not. Then the talk about me quitting will rear it's ugly head again (it was brought up after the qualifier). And frankly, my anger is wearing thin at this point. Can I finish just to spite them all?

The end of the fourth year also meant giving my departmental seminar. I thought it went well. I was a little fast which meant a 50 minute talk turned into 43. One prof hated it, but then again, he hates all things our group (a little school politics). One prof congratulated me later that day when she saw me in the hall. (I think it is important to point out that it wasn't a end-of-seminar on-my-way-out pat-you-on-the-back compliment) And she isn't known for empty praise so I felt pretty good about that compliment. Still, the bossman wasn't so enthusiastic and I was still wondering if I should just quit. Am I just the suckiest grad student ever?? Clearly, my language skills are lacking... suckiest?

Now, year five rolls around. At this point, my advisor decides to "motivate" me by telling me he won't fund me after Oct. Great. Just great. And whaddya know... I don't make that deadline. Oh no. Not even close. I stay in town through November and then am forced to move home and live with my mom. Oh, the shame. And again, that nagging thought, "should I just quit?". Here I am, nearing 30 years old, in year five of this stupid project, broke, all hoops jumped through except for the thesis/defense, and without support from my advisor. Well, fuck him! I'm finishing without his help. The stipend suspension really fueled my spite fire.

And so we come to this past spring. Unsupported by my advisor and living at home, I needed a job. I adjuncted (can I use that as a verb??) at a community college which renewed my interest in finishing my degree on it's own merits. It reminded me that I really do love to teach, even the god forsaken field I am in. Of course, I made almost no money and it was a giant time sink. I remained poor and didn't get much progress made on the thesis. Blah.

Finally, we arrive at this past summer. I decided, to hell with the debt, I needed to work on campus where I had no family distractions (and no big screen TV with Tivo). Plus, I needed access to the U library. I stayed with two of the nicest people I have ever met. They let me crash on their futon for a month and a half while I finished writing my dissertation. My goal was to finish before September. That included defending and turning in my final document. Obviously, that didn't entirely work out. I did, however, finish the document before the end of Aug. (except for chap. 10 which I may not need to include anyway).

And now... "THE POINT":

I hate my advisor, graduate school, and my dissertation. I gave the stupid document to the bossman nearly three weeks ago. Seven of the nine chapters are based on work already published. The corrections should not take this long. And, he hasn't even communicated to me when I should return to campus to meet with him. Also, no defense date. Not even the go-ahead to set one. Fucker. I will officially be a sixth year grad student in a week. This was suppose to take 4-4.5 years. I was suppose to be supported by stipend and not incur more debt (had to take out loans to pay the insurance because the school screwed me over). My research was suppose to be good not mediocre. Sigh. I know that plenty of others have similar stories... I just didn't think it would be this bad. I guess I am particularly frustrated because up until now I felt like a lot of the barriers were things that, to some extent, were self imposed. Now I am being held up by something completely external... and I hate him for it. I wanna be done!!! Waaaaa!!!

Yes - Fear The Grandmothers!

This week, PBU has chosen a topic which is a little small on the grand scheme of things but highlights an important message. We must concern ourselves with prosecuting to the fullest extent those senior citizens that insist on protesting and/or carrying knitting needles on board aircraft. *snicker*

I abbreviated the article for those readers with a short attention span that like blogs to only be three paragraphs long. If you want to read it in full, please follow this link.

Rosemarie Jackowski, 68, is appealing before the Vermont Supreme Court her conviction for disorderly conduct at an anti-war protest on March 20, 2003, at the Four Corners (a jury found the 4-feet, 10-inch grandmother guilty last year of intending to block traffic and annoy drivers). Saltonstall, her lawyer, said Judge Suntag made a mistake by telling jurors that if they found that Jackowski knew she would block traffic, then she intended to block traffic. "Intending for something to happen and knowing something will happen are two different things," said Saltonstall. Saltonstall argued that even if Jackowski stopped the flow of traffic, she didn't intend that to happen. In the same way, when the government drops bombs in Iraq, it does not intend for Iraqi civilians to die, but it knows that will happen, he said. But McManus, who prosecuted Jackowski, said the two need not be separated. My addition: this guy will never be hired as a spin doctor for Bush - loser

Police asked Jackowski, one of 12 protesters, to leave the street. McManus said that when Jackowski refused to move from the intersection, she showed that she intended to block traffic and knowingly annoy drivers. Jackowski had only a single goal in mind. "Her full focus was on the death of innocent Iraqi children," said Saltonstall. The protest sign carried by Jackowski, she and her lawyer say, clearly showed that. That sign, though shown to the jury during the trial, was not provided as evidence for the jury to more thoroughly review later. McManus said he never wanted the jury to view the sign, which included a photograph of an Iraqi child, because it would arouse the jury's passions. "A picture of a dying baby on a gurney is only intended to inflame the jury," said McManus.

FYI: the maximum penalty for disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, is two months in jail and a $500 fine. The local Reparative Board, however, typically requires defendants to perform community service. Jackowski stated that she would refuse to perform community service, preferring to go to jail instead saying, "The reason is, how can you do that if you're in a state of resistance to the government?" Saltonstall said based on his experience, it will be six to 12 months before the Supreme Court decides the appeal.

Mmm, 6-12 months to figure out if we should send a 68 year old woman to jail for two months because she slowed up traffic in some town in Vermont protesting the deaths of innocent children directly caused by our government's warmongering ways. Okay... I'll bite, what else is on the docket? Oh wait, I know. There is that case of the 79 year old man with prescription pot who is being tried for possession with the intent to sell as his teenage grandson asked about that possibility in a public restaurant and a nosey-uberchristian-right-wing-it's-none-of-my-business-but-I-will-butt-in-anyway decided to take that overheard comment to the cops which then got totally misrepresented and misquoted when they took her statement (totally made that up - but could happen).

Frivolous Friday

After two rather serious posts, I thought I would lighten the mood with some "interesting" quiz results about moi. :)

*looks at the current world's population* You must have a lot of frustration then.

Your Career Type: Investigative

You are precise, scientific, and intellectual. Your talents lie in understanding and solving math and science problems. You would make an excellent: Architect - Biologist - Chemist Dentist - Electrical Technician - Mathematician Medical Technician - Meteorologist - Pharmacist Physician - Surveyor - Veterinarian The worst career options for your are enterprising careers, like lawyer or real estate agent.

DAMN! I had always hoped that I could blame my (near) complete failure in the lab on my poor career decision - turns out - this is what I am suppose to be doing! Aaaargh!!

Your IQ Is 135

Your Logical Intelligence is Exceptional Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Genius

Oh yeah, baby, who's your brilliant blogger!

Your Slanguage Profile

Canadian Slang: 50%

Aussie Slang: 25%

British Slang: 25%

New England Slang: 25%

Southern Slang: 25%

Prison Slang: 0%

Victorian Slang: 0%

OMG - I'm already becoming one of "them"!

American Cities That Best Fit You:

65% Honolulu

65% Seattle

60% Denver

60% Las Vegas

60% Portland

I'm suppose to be living in Hawaii?!?

Your Famous Blogger Twin is Wil Wheaton

You're a friendly, funny guy (or girl) next door With more than a touch of geekiness

I think it is no coincidence that I had a major crush on this guy when I was, um, about 14. Now there is an embarrassing tidbit about myself which I would never think of if I just posted those silly list memes.

Your Element Is Earth

You excel at planning and strategizing. You could be a champ at chess or Survivor. Well grounded, you are able to be realistic and rationalize. On the inside, you have a hard core. It's tough to phase you. You are super productive, and you are able to think anything through. Focused and super charged, your instincts are a good guide for your next step.

Pepperoni Pizza

Robust and dominant. When you go for something, you go full force. You tend to take control of situations easily. And in return, you get a ton of respect.

You Should Try Kite Surfing

Surfing to the extreme! Catch some air, but don't get carried off!

So, let's recap... I am a hardcore bitch who is smart enough to do anything she wants but should probably settle for a job in Vancouver in her current field while subscribing to the sci-fi channel and plan my next vacation for Hawaii where I can learn to kite surf. Also, I should always try to avoid stupid people. Yeah, that sounds about right...

If any of you are just dying to find out "what you are", the links to each of these quizzes is listed below.

What pisses you off?

What's your ideal career?

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

What slanguage do you speak?

Which american cities best fit you?

Who's your famous blogger twin?

What's your element?

What's your pizza personality?

What extreme sport should you try?

ID

ID - not just for identification anymore. ID, or "intellegent design", was spending some big time in the media before the hurricane. Now, not to diminish the huge scope of Katrina and the backlash that has/will come of it, I want to return to ID for a moment. I want to take this opportunity to tell everyone to start supporting the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I think that I can truely endorse the Church as a wonderfully clear and thorough doctrine for us all to embrace. Check it out!

http://www.venganza.org/

Spam Sucks

I've had to enable the comment verification function for the comment field. Sorry to put you, the commenters, through this extra step. I've had to delete three spam comments in the last few days. It's annoying and I want it to stop.

Grassroots Effort

I recently found out about a left-of-center grassroots effort of sorts courtesy of one of the blogs I read. The idea is that we all blog about one particular topic on the same day that it will have more impact. Kind of like an associated press thing. I figured that since I am often strapped for topics of conversation and unwilling to improve my english skills enough to masterfully rant about politics that this was a good way for me to get a little policital on your a** once and a while. Normally, we are suppose to post on Monday. Clearly, I missed that deadline on my first week! Oops. Also, I will need to update my template to reflect my membership but I don't have time today. Hopefully later this week...

So, here it is. The shared word of the Progressive Blogger Union for this week.

Topic: Hurricane disaster and money mismanagement

Check out this link for interesting stats and info concerning the facets of poor government response at all levels. And a personal story shared by the organizer of the grassroots effort, Deb:

"I work with a search and rescue man. I asked him what he thought was going wrong. He said: His team of 50, from Washington State, is trained for water rescue. He made many calls to try to get his eager-to-help team down to N.O. Team members were willing to pay for their own transport and housing. But he was told there was nobody that could assign his team to work under any particular leader. He was told that the best the team could hope for was to stand around in the general area near the chaos and chance that someone would happen to notice them and put them to work. The team decided it was not prudent to make the trip based on the answer that they got from FEMA. That's just one of how many resources that FEMA brushed off.....?"

So, really, the question on my mind is, "What, the USA, a superpower? Who told you that?" This whole situation has really brought to light just how un-superpower-ish we are right now. I feel exposed. The only good thing in my mind... finally people are starting to notice the country is being "run" by a blithering idiot who appoints people far worse than just stupid. At least I am starting to feel more confident that Jeb Bush will not be on the ticket for the next election.

She's Married

Yup, my best friend is married. She came close two other times but this time it finally happened. I really like her new husband. He's smart (Dr. of Chem too), he is reasonable, he is interesting and he treats her well.

What was suppose to be a very small affair turned into a rather cumbersome party of 16. Initially, just the couple, me and his good friend were going to go to the courthouse. We were the two witnesses, which they don't actually need, and that was going to be it. Just the four of us. However, the families were having nothing to do with this plan. First Hubby-to-Be (HtB) told his parents and they were pretty insistent on coming. Of course, then Wife-to-Be (WtB) parents had to be there. Then... the grandparents got involved. Basically, it just exploded into a party of people. I think it is really nice that all of these family members were able to travel on such short notice (about 1 wk). Even HtB's sister made the trip. However, the more people you have, the more logistical issues you deal with...

All these people meant that we didn't all fit in the magistrate's office. Now, it is a sure sign that we are in the sticks when the magistrate is willing to go outside the building in order to officiate the ceremony where everyone is able to "attend". We lucked out that it was a very pleasant afternoon. A blue sky, reasonable temperatures, and a slight breeze. After a very short ceremony, we signed the documents that said we had witnessed the event and it was done. Afterwards, the pointless milling about commenced. Sigh.

Now, call me whatever you must, but I hate the pointless milling about that happens whenever you get a group of, say, more than one and there is no clear "director". The couple wanted to do two things: go to dinner at a local restaurant and take pictures at a location less than a block from the restaurant. It was probably because I was not surrounded by my family and friends that I was feeling antsy. Maybe if it was me and it were my "day" then I wouldn't be annoyed by the pointless milling about. Oh, who am I kidding, I would be annoyed. Nope, scratch that, I would be telling people to go to the picture spot. My choice - take the pictures before the sun is at a weird angle. But, no. After about 15 minutes of hemming and hawing (because no one is able to take control of this runaway train), we decide to go eat. I find out later that they had reservations for dinner that were fairly early in the evening and we really had no choice. I mean, that's fine but just tell people that... well, at least, I would. But not my day, not my deal, I just gotta follow the crowd.

After a nice dinner (where the service was downright laughable), we leave to take pictures. Actually, let me return to the dinner for a short moment. When I said laughable, I wasn't kidding. WtB and I were, quite literally, laughing. She ordered a few bottles of wine for a toast. She told the waitress that everyone should get a glass. The waitress then brings out six wine glasses and the two bottles of wine. She opens one, pours people wine (without the choice between the two) and then has to leave the area to retrieve more glasses. Then she decides, oh, maybe I should open the second bottle and give these people a choice. Oh, the bright, bright lightbulb above her head - I almost needed shades - NOT! Then, after a second set of six glasses, she goes back and retrieves 4 more glasses. And then distributes them. Did I mention that whichever wine was not chosen was carefully stored in the crook of her arm while she poured the other one. Chilled white wine. In the crook of her arm. The entire meal was handled with this level of class. It was funny it was so bad. Clearly, we were in the sticks.

And so, picture time arrives. Oh course, first we must have pointless milling about in the restaurant. We can't just get up and leave. No, that would be too straightforward. It makes me giggle, really. Finally, everyone is at the picture location. Oh surprise, no one is taking charge. And, yes, you guessed it, I could hold back no longer. I ended up ordering all the family around, where to stand, different backdrops, when to smile (to avoid traffic in the background), and so forth. People suggested I would make a good photographer - yeah, thanks, but lets wait until we actually see the pictures. The sad part is that I enjoyed myself.

I say, "the sad part" because this event really highlights just how bossy and controlling I am. Shit. I thought this only came out in family situations because I was "second in command" to my mother who was the "director" of our family. When she isn't there, I take over. This occasion, however, showed me that, no, it isn't a family thing... it is in fact a character flaw! I have no idea how to stop this/myself from happening. And so, it makes me sad. I know I have plenty of flaws but I really thought this was isolated to family stuff (and I had been making efforts to lessen the dictatorship that is "the chemgoddess"). This whole thing brings up the point that I so totally unaware of myself. I do believe that everyone can/should/may learn something new each day but this is NOT something I wanted to learn. Waaaaaaa!

On the upside, I am completely happy for WtB who is now just W. She married a really great guy, they are both officially Dr. H and Dr. W (defended Aug and June, respectively), and they are moving for Dr. H's great job in Bush Country (TX) where they both fit in just fine. (surprised? yeah, I don't get it either) Pointless milling about aside, both families are totally excited about the marriage and it looks like a great start to a great thing.

Maybe I Should Stop

This is too funny and I think balls-on accurate: blogs suck.

But in the interest of continuing with the silly self-centered blog... here is a meme that is making it's way around "blogworld" (he didn't get to that one in the list linked above).

* Go to Music Outfitters, enter year of high school graduation for song list in the search box [it will bring up a "Top 100"]
* Ialicize your favorite
* Bold songs you like(d)
* Strike out the ones you hate
* Bold AND strike out the ones you use to like but now wonder what the hell you were thinking
* Leave untouched the ones you don't remember

1. The Sign, Ace Of Base
2. I Swear, All-4-One
3. I'll Make Love To You, Boyz II Men
4. The Power Of Love, Celine Dion
5. Hero, Mariah Carey
6. Stay (I Missed You), Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories
7. Breathe Again, Toni Braxton
8. All For Love, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting
9. All That She Wants, Ace Of Base
10. Don't Turn Around, Ace Of Base
11. Bump N' Grind, R. Kelly
12. Again, Janet Jackson
13. I'll Remember, Madonna
14. Whatta Man, Salt-N-Pepa
15. Wild Night, John Mellencamp and Me'shell Ndegeocello
16. Without You / Never Forget You, Mariah Carey
17. You Mean The World To Me, Toni Braxton
18. Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Elton John
19. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, Prince Symbol
20. Fantastic Voyage, Coolio
21. Baby I Love Your Way, Big Mountain
22. Regulate, Warren G and Nate Dogg
23. If You Go, Jon Secada
24. Back and Forth, Aaliyah
25. Now And Forever, Richard Marx
26. When Can I See You, Babyface
27. Please Forgive Me, Bryan Adams
28. So Much In Love, All-4-One
29. Shoop, Salt-N-Pepa
30. Any Time, Any Place / And On And On, Janet Jackson
31. Shine, Collective Soul
32. Said I Loved You...But I Lied, Michael Bolton
33. Return To Innocence, Enigma
34. All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow
35. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, Crash Test Dummies
36. Can We Talk, Tevin Campbell
37. Funkdafied, Da Brat
38. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That), Meat Loaf
39. Gangsta Lean, Drs
40. Because The Night, 10,000 Maniacs
41. Cantaloop, US3
42. Whoomp! (There It Is), Tag Team
43. Come To My Window, Melissa Etheridge
44. Stroke You Up, Changing Faces
45. I'm Ready, Tevin Campbell
46. 100% Pure Love, Crystal Waters
47. Anytime You Need A Friend, Mariah Carey
48. Because Of Love, Janet Jackson
49. Linger, Cranberries
50. Loser, Beck
51. Found Out About You, Gin Blossoms
52. Gin And Juice, Snoop Doggy Dogg
53. Never Lie, Immature
54. Streets Of Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen
55. Getto Jam, Domino
56. Endless Love, Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey
57. I Miss You w/ Aaron Hall
58. Understanding, Xscape
59. This D.J., Warren G
60. Cry For You, Jodeci
61. Keep Ya Head Up, 2Pac
62. Who Am I (What's My Name?), Snoop Doggy Dogg
63. Another Night, Real McCoy
64. Your Body's Callin', R. Kelly
65. Tootsee Roll, 69 Boyz
66. I Can See Clearly Now, Jimmy Cliff
67. Never Keeping Secrets, Babyface
68. Crazy, Aerosmith
70. At Your Best (You Are Love), Aaliyah
71. Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through, Meat Loaf
72. Amazing, Aerosmith
73. Always, Erasure
74. Groove Thang, Zhane
75. Dreams, Gabrielle
76. Mr. Vain, Culture Beat
77. Mary Jane's Last Dance, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
78. Anything, SWV
79. Beautiful In My Eyes, Joshua Kadison
80. Stay, Eternal
81. Flava In Ya Ear, Craig Mack
82. U.N.I.T.Y., Queen Latifah
83. Prayer For The Dying, Seal
84. Secret, Madonna
85. Here Comes The Hotstepper, Ini Kamoze
86. Everyday, Phil Collins
87. Don't Take The Girl, Tim McGraw
88. Got Me Waiting, Heavy D and The Boyz
89. December 1963 (Oh, What A Night), Four Seasons
90. Indian Outlaw, Tim McGraw
91. Always, Bon Jovi
92. I'm The Only One, Melissa Etheridge
93. Back In The Day, Ahmad
94. Love Sneakin' Up On You, Bonnie Raitt
95. I'll Take You There, General Public
96. Always In My Heart, Tevin Campbell
97. What Is Love, Haddaway
98. And Our Feelings, Babyface
99. Bop Gun (One Nation), Ice Cube
100. I Wanna Be Down, Brandy


Hmmm, yes, I will admit it. I was on the Ace of Base love train. Even bought the CD (when I got my first CD player my freshman year of college). And the sophomore effort...

Anyway, I was looking at other bloggers who did this meme and I feel like I might be a big loser. I remember almost all of the songs of my year. Most people don't remember a bunch. I think this is a sign that I was watching too much MTV (back when that actually stood for Music Television) and listening to too much pop radio. It is also a sign of how many brain cells I should have available for much more useful information!

Also, a side note, I had no idea that Brandy had been around for so f**king long!