A funny thing happened while watching football

well...first the bills are beating the pats at half time...that almost never happens

but more interesting, i had just awoken from my first half napping (yup I love the fall), when all of a sudden I hear my alma mater mentioned...no not stanford, not duke...those would make sense....no, the bane of my teenage years....lewiston porter high school....not usually a name you hear, well ever. But apparently they retired Daryll Johnston's number, and he was announcing the game. Yup...he is the most famous alumnus of my high school....sad, but true.

I love the Roomba

so we celebrated labor day by letting a robot do the vacuuming...

what a cute little guy robbie the roomba is...and a very effective little cleaner too....he would save a lot of time if we weren't fascinated by watching him....Sir GB followed him into every room, and watched robbie's every little move....

unfortunately tiger was out and about and missed the fun...so clearly we need to use robbie more often so tiger cat can get used to him....it could be hysterical.....i'll keep you posted!

what a wonderful birthday!

I had a wonderful birthday weekend.

Saturday, I went to the spa with truth, and then we got my interview suit, which is saucy, and i got it on the cheap....YIPEEE!!!!!

Then I had a lovely surprise party.....that truth and sir gb planned, and the lovely lynny made many, many monkey decorations, which are fabulous and in fact still up in our apartment.

Sunday sir gb and i went to my favorite burger joint, clarke's for an excellent burger and then spent the rest of the day watching silly movies, it was fabulous.

Then on the actual big day.....i went and had lunch with some of my lovely ladies.....got some sweet shoes for my suit, and then....came home, did a little work, had champers and opened pressies.....Let's just say I have an awesome group of people, including my family and friends that got me some really cool stuff.....these included really cool books (including this awesome book on knitting animales....they are so awesome!), but one of the coolest things....well...yes i know i am a gadget freak and it isn't romantic at all....but sir gb got me a roomba......now I am the proud owner of a robot!!!!!!!! It is awesome...

Now Tiger just really enjoyed the box the Roomba came in....she played in at all last night....

Tonight we are headed to the A's vs Red Sox match....hopefully the Sox will pull their shit together....I am sick of watching them suck!

Apology

Apparently some of my readers do not find nut kicking or rochambeaux funny. I can understand how that is a delicate area (As a sociologist I would be remiss not to mention there appears to be a gender effect). So for all of you who don't find rochambeaux or nut kicking, mea maxima culpa

My run ins with america's funniest home videos

So I haven't paid any attention to this show in about 20 years....but I have had 2 america's funniest home videos moments in the past two days....this is way more often than i would like to have happy.

But yesterday, truth and i were in the grocery, and we saw a dad and his like 10 year old kid play fighting....and in the reversal from traditional home video footage, the dad came close to kicking his sun in the nuts about 6 times.....finally to end the battle the dad gave him a titty twister...i mean who does this with their kids...it is totally fucked up.

then today i read this interesting piece on slate about how you tube has transformed our viewing of these sorts of videos, and we are now watching people get hit in the nuts alone on our computers, rather than as a happy family or group....Robert Putnum, why couldn't you have used this example instead of bowling....i mean rochambeaux is much more interesting than bowling...nut kicking.....always funny!

Cows with Accents

I mean who knew (apparently these people)....I thought only animated cows had accents....but apparently it is true.

I wonder if Tiger cat has a british meow from growing up with Sir GB? hmmmmm....must investigate!

My 200th post!!!!!

Nothing too exciting to report....I am stil in the dark about my birthday party, but I am excited about my trip to the spa for my theraputic mud wrap.

It will be a nice break, as I haave ben working my ass off since I got back from Montrel, and probably will be doing so until I go on vacation in december.

But hopefully there will a big payoff for all of the work....time will only tell.....until then i'll wonder when this birthday extravaganza will occur.....

it's coming soon....

yes, soon i will be 30...well next monday the 28th......all i know is there is a party....sometime, somewhere....the rest is a mystery....which is always intriguing...

so what am i doing to get ready....getting job applications ready....hence there is now an academic website, knitting and crafting up a storm...also preparing my self for job talk shopping....sir gb is buying me a suit for my birthday, which is a pretty sweet gift....but i am starting to need adult like clothes to go to work, I am co-teaching with karen this fall, so I have to keep up....

but in the mean time....we have got an early birthday greeting to my brother-in-law, greg, and a happy anniversary to my parents on the 28th (yes, the same day as my birthday, but 5 years earlier---they aren't shady.....although that would make for even more ridiculous family stories).

New pictures

So, I thought I would give you all some exciting photos....here are the last ones fom the beach

And here are some of montreal....i loved the biodome and the botanical gardens..so yes, many plants and animals!!!!

ASA is done

So I gave my presentation this morning. It went well, of course I ran out of time, as one does. But it went over fairly well. Things I have learned....reading from a script....not my style....I do much better with bullet points and going with the flow....but that is just me....but things are all well in the world...I made many useful contacts for getting a job, and now we get to play in montreal for almost two full days!

Yippeeee!!!!!

B/c when i get back it is time to put the nose to the grindstone and get to work!

Montreal Update

It is a slow day here in presentation land. I don't have to go to a session until 12:30 and even then it is optional. Although I definitely have to put in an appearance at the Cooley Mead address this afternoon. The winner this year is Lynn Smith Lovin. While my research is in no way connected to hers, she is just one of the nicest sociologists around, so of course I will attend. My ulterior motive.....networking. I am on the job market, and it is important to be seen. But that is going well...so not too much stress, but why mess it up know.

But talk 1 went well. talk 2 is tomorrow morning at 8:30....I have been practicing with sir gb...so it should be fine.

But montreal is a beautiful city, if you haven't been, get your butt up here, it is wonderful.

Greetings from Montreal!

I am hanging in Montreal for the American Sociological Association Meetings....So far it is a lovely city. Pretty low key, easily walkable...and good food. All things I like in a city. The hotel is lovely.

I have my first presentation today, and then my second on monday morning. The time change is kind of a pain in the ass, and this is precisely why i am making a pot of coffee.....

Just thought I would update you with my whereabouts......

Wish me luck

My First Nobel Laureate

Yesterday at UC Berkeley visiting Coye, talking about our NSF project, we went to see the Xlab....who do we run into...but George Akerlof....nobel laureate. If you aren't familiar with his work, he is most famous for the market for lemons. Of course...all sorts of horrible things went through my head....luckily i didn't say any of them.....they include such winners as:
so how did you fair in the lemon market
would you like some lemonade
how about those lemons

But was most interesting, was that when he met Karen he said, "I know who you are, I cite you all of the time." Karen was kind of excited, she says she never knows who might now

CAT TOWN

This shit is ridiculous....if Tiger would just let me put clothes on her, I would have my own cat town.....

Attack of the Bob

So many of you may know that my mom's house is frequently invaded by a dog named zona, we'll we have our own version.....

BobCat...his name is actually Robert....if we close the front door, he'll come up on the balcony....he is a total menace and attacks the precious tiger.....i have taken to fending him off with a spray bottle...it seems quite effective.....

here is a photo of the little bastard invading our house

poor little lost penguins

apparently these little guys go adrift on ice flows, and end up in brazil....not a bad place to end up....

Being stuck in Lebanon

Well, I am not there, I am in the peaceful confines of CA, it might be hot, but no one is bombing us.

As many of you may or may not know my favorite celebrity chef is Anthony Bourdain, he is brash, obnoxious, but also incredibly insightful and gets to travel the world trying out new and exciting foods....sweet job, no?

Well, Anthony was in beirut filming a show when the bombings started......check out his tales of beirut...

Mid week update

Hello faithful readers....I know you miss my updates from the beach....I am back in steaming hot CA....it has been in the high 90's and the low 100's....totally icky....

but in other news....i hate Dell....totally the lamest company ever.....so i had an inspiron 5150, basically its motherboard died twice.....which is 500 dollar repair....totally lame...so i said screw you and got a new laptop....my new compaq and I are very happy.....I am busy moving files, and keeping my life together....

The ASA is in a few weeks and I need to get my presentations in order....I haave two, plus, I have to get ready for the job market, I already have 20 jobs to apply to, and I am getting a couple of papers ready for publication....completely crazy......

update on the status of the dissertation....it should be read in august, so i should have it in september, which is good, b/c i have a class to co-teach with karen at the end of september....oh the joy.....

Beach update

So...today was the annual gerbil clan putt putt tournament.....this year held at Tim Buck 2. And I am proud to announce that I won!!!! Sir GB second, Zach attack third and Meg came in last....poor thing....

In other news....we went to manteo yesterday, and I got to play with pirates...which is always fun...and go to another lighthouse.

And before I forget, today is Meg's birthday.....So wish her a happy day as well...in another year she can rent a car!!!!! Yippee!!!!!

So here are today's photo entries!

Hi, I'm a shark....

you might wonder what the appropriate response might be.....if you are my mom....the response is.....

"i'm a shark too, you asshole."

This is a classic of the beach house....basically you can say anything and add the tagline, you asshole and it is awesome.....

today is juji's birthday, so if you know her, or if not, wish her a happy day!

if you want to see pictures of the trip...click here

oh by the way the official sport of a gerbil family vacation is spongebob jellyfish game...if you don't know it, you are really missing something from your life.

Update from the Beach

All is well here in NC....no hurricanes, although there was the threat of a tropical storm....but we survived. We went Kayaking today, which was fun...although it took me about a half an hour to get used to it, but Sir GB was a natural....

Joss the niece is having quite a good time with all of her aunties and her grandparents doting on her....she is a very sweet little things.

In other news, Sir GB mastered the duck, which is clearly important.....

So the Gerbil is actually traveling

So Sir GB and I are currently in Richmond, VA en route to Whalehead, NC, home of the Gerbil clan beach house....with two new additions this year, baby Joss, and Sir GB....let's hope they both survive....

At least I have my book about the effects of stresson all sorts of biological and psychological outcomes, why zebra's don't get ulcers. don't get all stressed about it being sciency...it is the easiest science book to read ever....ok...maybe that isn't true, but I have found it fascinating....

So....we'll keep you posted on our progress....but sir gb is ready to go...so i must away

Set my dissertation free

We have now reached day 90 of captivity. My dissertation has been in the clutches of my advisor. We haven't heard if it is alive or dead, no lovely pictures of it with a newspaper, so we know it was alive that day. We can only hope for the best, and that maybe we'll hear something in the near future regarding its whereabouts. If you have any information regarding its location or progress please post a comment!

Things I think the cat does while we are out

well...i found this on the interwebs the other day...frankly it is easier to clean up beer bottles than catch mice, either way, those are both Sir GB's jobs, so we'll let him decide.

Congrats to the Homeland

Italia pulled it out today. Sure they needed penalty kicks...but we'll take it. Especially against the French.

Although the most ridiculous moment of the game, Zizzou headbutting an Italian player. Not a classy way to retire from international soccer.

Adventures with Tiger

So some of you might be wondering how I am adjusting to living with a cat (and a Sir Grizzly Bear)....well, everything was going fine....until yesterday....

I was sitting in my office (aka the couch) working on something or the other, when I notice Tiger has come in and she has one of her mouse toys...until that is I realize the mouse toy is moving.....it is not a mouse toy...it is in fact a baby mouse...luckily Sir GB was home, and I requested politely that the mouse be removed (i.e. "Get that out of here"). He promptly did his duty, after which he explained to me that Tiger does this about once a year...so I figure I am good to go for awhile.....when about 10 minutes later, who saunters in with another mouse....Tiger Cat....what an evil little thing she was. But apparently we have two years of mice out of the way. Sir GB promptly removed it as well..... Needless to say Tiger Cat was given a time out......she had to stay in Sir GB's office for a couple of hours until she could behave....who knew having a cat was kind of like my visions of having an evil toddler.....

But here are some pictures of the cat, and one of Sir GB

Flip flop adventures

So several weeks ago I lost one of my favorite flip flops while wandering from the gym to my office...which is like a five minute walk. I suppose it had fallen out of my bag. I spent a week looking for it at about every lost and found on campus. Then yesterday, on my trek from the gym to the office, what do I spot....the mysterious flip flop, just hanging out in front of the financial aid building....

How strange! So the flip flops have been reunited...and are happy again! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dr's tom and kathy's excellent adventure

so...many of you may know that my parents, the aforementioned drs tom and kathy came all the way from historic lewiston, ny to palo alto to see me graduate....well....dr kathy has posted many of her pictures on her blog...i suggest you check them out...

dr kathy's blog


this has inspired sir gb to want to go to yellowstone....hmmm...i declared only if i didn't have to stay in a tent or walk too far.

also an fyi...thank you all for the graduation good wishes and pressies....thank you notes will be on their way shortly...the damn move got in the way of good manners...i hate it when that happens.

oh and good luck italia tomorrow....i need a team to cheer for to battle off sir gb's england squad...

moving time

so we are in the new place. it is very charming....

All of the books are unpacked (Sir GB has 7 bookcases full, many shelves double stacked), I am about halfway through the clothes, so now we are just trying to organize.

Tiger is adjusting nicely to her new surroundings...I am adjusting to living with a cat. Tiger has not noticed Cheetah (the life sized ceramic cheetah, who is not actually life sized, but i like to pretend), but she does love Grandmother's coffee table....she doesn't have claws, so she isn't doing any damage.....I'll have to get some good pictures of her lounging on it.


I have to publically give a big thank you to our helpful movers, Curtiss, Ena, Tahu, Terri and Phillip....yes, Phillip the dog...he was quite helpful.

May I introduce Dr. Gerbil

So, yesterday I walked through my graduation ceremony. My dissertation should be finished in August or September, but I went through anyway. Next year I'll be a research associate at Stanford (that is my offical title). But it was a good time....Here are a few photos.... one of me and my boys....Sir GB and Curtiss and one with the parentals...Drs Tom and Kathy.

European Adventure

So Sir GB and I are headed to Europe for Christmas and New Year....

The original plan was to fly probably into London and go to Otley to see Mum and brother Michael and his wife Penny, and then head to Sleaford to see Dad and Anita. Then on to London for a few days....

Well that wasn't really working out on airmiles....so....instead we are going to Paris first, then flying to Manchester going to Otley, then Sleaford, and then Madrid. It will be exciting nontheless I have never been to any of these places. So we'll be gone for about 2.5 weeks...at which point after a hectic summer and fall, we'll both need the break....

So it should be an interesting winter break!

In Honor of the World Cup

I present....

Penguins playing Ducks in Football!!!!

The tale of the tam.....

So...I am lazy...I have had my regalia for about a month....It has been sitting in a box in my bedroom....ooops...

Tonight I took it out of the box...and I must say I am a big fan of the hat....who knew I would look cute in a tam....I will have to take some pictures....perhaps when sir gb returns i can make him take some....

maybe this means i can transitions to berets....what a wide world of hats for me....although there is one i can never wear....that sweet pope hat. But you can learn how to make one here.

Grim and Mandy aka the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

I have realized that I call this show Grim and Mandy, I feel it is because Billy is inconsequential to my existence.

Back about a year ago, when my hair was significantly blonder, people noted my physical similarity to mandy (yes I have a pink dress with a black ribbon around it...if it only had a flower). In addition apparently I have a personality to match. I think it might be the sneer....

But I must say, this is one of my favorite cartoons....which is actually a big component of my television viewing.....much to Sir GB's dismay....

Any show with an angry little girl bent on world domination who enslaves the grim reaper...well that is ok with me.....

HAPPY MONDAY

So we just found out we got the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant we applied for in January. Unfortunately b/c I don't have my Ph.D. yet, I couldn't be a PI. The NSF has rules about these things, but I am a Senior Investigator on the grant, which is cool and can go on my vita...sot hat is always good....adding lines can never hurt....well unless you make them up.

That is about it for Monday. Sir GB is out in Monterrey with the Ladies, and then to Hearst Castle tomorrow....meanwhile, I hold down the fort in the park.

I survived

That is the trip to Lake Tahoe with Sir Grizzly Bear's mom and her friend Sybil (whose name invokes one of two images to people....Sybil from faulty towers, or the lady with all of those personalities...fortunately this Sybil was much more sane). The lake was beautiful, but it had snowed on Saturday which is kind of next level....snow in late May....

I only had one temper tantrum....clearly I can't wait until 3pm to have lunch when I haven't had breakfast....but luckily i kind of made a joke of it, and made everyone laugh by noting how important it is to keep me on my feeding schedule.....which Sir GB realizes it totally important for everyone's safety.

But I feel I have won them over...as I usually do, with my charm and wit.....I don't know why, but parents love me....

Pictures will be arriving shortly.....

In other news, the parental units arrive in two weeks for graduation....should be interesting...dr kathy has never been to California, and dr tom hasn't been since he was a wee slip of a lad, so Sir GB and I will show them around. We are headed to SF on Friday, Half Moon Bay saturday during the day, and then we have a party on Saturday night, Sunday graduation and then dinner at Three Seasons...which is super yummy....Then they head home.....but we will see them soon in the outer banks....

Which I know you will all be delighted to hear we have gotten back up spongebob games....

Poor Sir GB has no idea what he is getting into...but it will be fun, he just needs to remember that a certain amount of alcohol is necessary to survive such events....

Things I learn from the mass media vol 1.

So...from reading and seeing the Da Vinci Code....clearly I.M. Pei is the new head of the Priory Scion.

Also learned from television....vampires and succubi can't enter your threashold unless you invite them in....so be careful who you let into your house....you never know if they are a force of evil, a mormon...but what is really the difference?

lacrosse semifinals

so, I am watching the syracue vs uva game....and I am disturbed by the commentary on the duke lacrosse situation.

1) The denial by lacrosse pundits that there is a problem with lacrosse...and this is purely a duke lacrosse problem. I will not deny that Duke had its problems, but....I have rarely met a men's college lacrosse player that didn't feel a certain sense of entitlement and this sort of feeling that they are above the law.

2) One point I think they did point out correctly, that a lot of the problems we are seeing across college athletics are caused by alcohol. Having spent a large portion of my adult life on college campuses, it is not just the athletes, it is a pandemic problem. I think partially caused by the rather puritanical view of most Americans to not let their children learn to drink responsibly before college. Europeans have us on this one. What these commentators have missed is that this problem is not just limited to athletes, it is across campuses. It is just that when athletes are involved, the university is involved and thus, heightened media attention.

3) The major thing these commentators are missing is group behavior. All of these people are asking for individuals to stand up in the face of wrong doing. Well....home many people do that....what have we learned from many years of social psychological research, people tend to conform to the group. Even a token group identity produces a great deal of pressure to conform due to the effects of social desirablity. Do we not learn lessons from the past....oh wait...we don't....and that is why we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.

4) Do you want to know my view on the Duke Lacrosse situation.....at first, I wouldn't have been surprised. When I was at Duke, I was glad I was friends with them, they had my back. But I was always aware it was a situation where I knew something could go horribly wrong. Perhaps we can blame it on the CSI effect...and yes it is real, but the lack of a conclusive dna sample makes me a bit skeptical.

New Baby Friend

So my friends Dani and Pat just had their second baby...Jacob.....I think he is pretty good looking for being born on Friday!

by popular request

Some new pictures of the "Joss"

Yup...she is cute...photos courtesy of Dr. Kathy

New Apartment Mate

So...in the end of June Sir Grizzly Bear and I will be moving into a new place together. We just picked it out today...so I am moving back to mountain view. It is a nice place, much bigger than my current place, with a much larger kitchen......so I am happy. It also has a huge balcony for my plants, and for enjoying the sun...but not too much, as I burn way too easily....as I was reminded yesterday at Mateo's birthday party.....I am pretty much a lobster today.....it hurts to touch my arms.....

New Monkey Genus!!!!!!

This kind of made my day....it hadn't been going that well...until.....
this... new monkeys in africa!

And here are the cute little guys in action!

Gettin' the job done

So truth and i went to get some things at wallgreens...and I needed some tp....

As we were heading home...i read the back of the package....

"Soft... but not too soft. With an extra layer to get the job done."

That cracks my shit up quite literally.

Meet my new Llama Steve

He is down there at the bottom of the page....he is cool...check him out....

Apparently the name steve is catching on....while reading deadspin today they named a horse steve

In other news we were supposed to go to a birthday party tonight, but the birthday girl is ill....poor thing...although we may still go...waiting to hear from the newcastle and german brigades....

Oh...I forgot to mention....there is another new steve....steve moose stevenson...he is from canada and has a lovely maple leaf sweater. He likes to watch me work and watch the tv...so we get along well....

Life in the Park

So...I am still recovering from the sprained foot....which means a lot of sitting on the couch....and with Sir GB in Vancouver at a conference, I have to do everything myself....poop....

But I have been rather productive...paper number 3 from the dissertation...it is almost done....paper number 2 will go out in about a week or so.....still no word on paper number 1.

I have done a lot of programming for our next experiment....

I must remember to upload my knitting photos and update gerbil knits as several projects have been completed recently.....damn...i am a slacker....maybe later today....

C is for Cookie

I discovered this hysterical video today C is for Cookie I highly recommend it.....

I like it when they shave rosie's head....it is sweet!

Weekend Update

So...the foot is improving, but I can only walk short distances....otherwise it hurts a lot.

I threw a little birthday dinner for tahu last night....it was a nice little sicilian feast....

here is the menu

I am just busy writing papers and knitting up a storm....it seems a lot of people I know are having babies....I should be posting some finished objects on my knitting blog soon enough....

oh...i forgot...i just got my copy of on homans, in which Karen and I have a chapter. While not in Hungarian....it is still kind of exciting! Yeah I probably need to get out more....

and in other news, I was absolutely delighted while at Kepler's books today....I disovered that Simon Schama is giving a talk in may. I am definitely going. I loved his specials on the history channel.

last but not least....i ordered my regalia.....instead of the gold sociologists have white....so....i'll get to wear that once a year for a while....i think it looks like a batman beyond version of academic regalia.....pretty sweet

Sir Grizzlie Bear Comes to His Senses

So he has returned to Sir Grizzlie Bear from Sir Grizzlie Bastard.....he called last night realizing the errors of his ways....apparently I am hard to resist.....so my singledom only lasted less than a week....that is good....b/c it sucked.....but I am kind girlfriend....so I guess I won't make him repent too much......

Happy Easter all of you Christians.

I got a LLAMA

His name is Roo....or more specifically steve roo llama stevenson....I adopted him...no he doesn't live in my apartment....it is too small for a llama....instead he lives at a llama sanctuary...

Truth and I adopted him....we were going to get a sheep.....but a llama needed us more.....since I don't have a real pet, I will live vicariously through Roo

An Amusing Easter Tale/Tail

Many moons ago....when I was a little gerbil....we spent Easter with my paternal grandparents....if I recall correctly, I wanted to get up and get my basket and find eggs, etc....as small children do....well my parents said I had to wait for my grandparents to wake up....well we all knew they slept a lot later than we do....so I decided to wake up my grandmother by singing that classic easter song.....here comes peter cottontail.....well....I was about 3 maybe 4 and this didn't come out quite right....in fact....i jumped on her bed and sang "here comes peter cock and tail"....needless to say this woke up grandmother and I think got my dad in trouble....oops...

and to this day it is a classic holiday song in my family.....

remembering this made me chuckle...not many things have lately...so I thought I would share it with you my faithful readers...

Update on the Gerbil

I want to thank all of my family and friends that have been so excellent lately...Those who have called, emailed or stopped by to check on me...or have helped me get up and down my stairs....crutches aren't easy. My foot is getting better, although it has turned purple....see the photos....I'll try to get a better one, but it is hard taking pictures of my feet.....

I am doing ok....

Bad things happen in Threes

So I have had a pretty shitty past 24 hours....so I am hoping bad things only happen in 3s.

I am newly single, have sprained my foot falling down a flight of stairs at school, and my grandfather is dead. That is the short version.....the long version, I don't want to go into it....so if you actually know me, don't call...It is too hard to get up and reach the phone....I have to get the crutches, etc....so it is likely you will get the answering machine anyway.....and I don't really want to talk about anything...I am OK.....I am just having a shitty day.

Just thought I would update you, my faithful readers.

day two at sse

so.....what you missed from last night....is that...aromas is the best bar in athens georgia...if you go, ask for taylor or scott....and please discuss punk and/or indie rock/philosophy or anything else random...

they are total sweeties.....and will serve you a nice glass of wine and perhaps a bela bartok....and if you have to ask who that is....well....you are shit out of luck...

well...other observations from the conference....there is a certain awardee of the cooley meade award that resembles a yellow gummi bear..... please investigate and submit answers...a knitted gift will be awarded to the first correct comment....Kristen, you are not eligible....

yesterday...what i forgot to mention was that we were on lock down......George W. Bush was at the UGA campus and we were not allowed to leave our building between 9 am and 2pm....it was lame....it rocked...i saw a police steve dog stevenson...and it was cute...but they wouldn't let me play with it...b/c they are lame.....

so...tonight we headed back to aromas....where we were named the favorite regulars...except we won't be back next weekend...so sad...if you are in athens...see those boys...

WE GOT A MUG

So we came to the social structure and emotions conference and all we got was a stupid mug....


actually kristen and i are having fun.....but we did get mugs....i'll take a picture when i get home on sunday!

we have found jesus, god, success it is gwynnet, the mammoth chicos of doom...and of course the home depot....

oh and we found steve snap snap stevenson...who is a girl.

Hungarian Version

So several years ago I wrote a chapter with my lovely advisor for the following book:

Creating Social Trust in Post-Socialist Transition


I had an english version of the book...but today I received the Hungarian Version.....

Clearly this will be of much use in the future....well at least I can put it on the bookshelf....

The McRoberts

So...apparently I have been a bit confused....in watching the duke games....I have been impressed with the freshman bigman #2 McRoberts....I kept talking about him as Omar McRoberts, which I thought was a slightly odd name for a very large white man....well...then I discovered the source of my confusion.....
Omar McRoberts is a professor of sociology at U of Chicago, he wrote this cool book, streets of glory....

The basketball player is Josh McRoberts....but I will not remember that and continue to call him Omar....so there you go....

Also I hate Lee Malchionni.....the man missed a wide open dunk in the most embarassing way....then.....airballed a 3 pointer....please coach K don't let him play!

Lil' Devil

Oh the cutest niece ever is sporting some sweet duke apparel

She clearly knows who to cheer for (can't use the word root.....it is naughty in the antipodes)

This year's rochambeaureGuard

You may remember last year Truth and I invented the RochambeaureGuard, an elite nut punching group.....

the origins
the first round
round two

Well I have found this year's first installment Tony Skinn

Here is to many more Guards being inducted this NCAA tournament!

ps we adopted a llama online today....

The Wrong Chaney Retired Today

The man the epitomized coaches looking like the mascot has retired.....

Who doesn't love Joh Chaney, well maybe John Calapari, but that is just because Chaney threatened to kill him in the best press conference ever!

Here's to one of my favorite coaches...

What a week....

I might be the crabbiest person I know, or at least the most easily aggravated...so while everything under the sun pisses me off, I am having a really productive week......
I sent off a paper to a journal
I sent a paper to a paper competition
I finished a draft of chapter 7 of my dissertation
I got a paper accepted at ASA (written with my partners in crime, or exchange theory Karen and Coye).....
You don't even want to know what is drving me nuts these days....but all I am saying is don't mess with my coffee or my grant money...it will make me really, really mad.

But for everyone's enjoyment, here is a photo of pigasso....he paints with his snout...it is cool....

Back from Mendocino

It was a great weekend, away from email, work and all sorts of annoying things.....

We drove along rt1 along the coast on the way up, it was gorgeous, but about half way up it started to rain, and it rained the entire time we were there......but that was ok....

we stayed at a super cute B&B the mendocino village inn, they had a wine and cheese every night and excellent breakfast!!!!!! The food was great and it was such a cute and friendly place.

On sunday, when it rained and rained and rained, we ended up driving through the redwoods, and then going wine tasting...yum, yum....then I had a massage at the spa next door....all very lovely....

We came back today, we would have been back earlier but some of the roads up there were flooded due to several days of intense rain....ooops....

by the way...muffin head has asked to be referred to as sir grizzlie bear....I guess I'll let it go.....

I've been hiding

OH the stress of being a grad student.

I have been in hiding lately....so much stuff going on....I am trying to get an article ready for submission. Karen is supposed to give me feedback. I am trying to write chapters for my dissertation....Only two more chapter drafts to go....then I have an entire draft....talk about crazy....Karen and I are trying to write a paper about emotions...I don't know anything about emotions....Of the 5 primary emotions, I am only good at anger...so...you know, that paper is going very slowly...it is due on wednesday, but that isn't happening...oh wait that is tomorrow...it definitely isn't happening...

Oh and my part time job is a major time suck, I have just had to say, oh i don't think so to a bunch of stuff, but that is good, it gives me practice of saying no....which is very important....

but luckily on saturday morning muffin head and I are out of here....we are going somewhere....muffin head is keeping the location secret...we'll be gone until monday with no laptops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yeah I know....that qualifies as big excitement around here.....

You know you have insomnia when

It is 4am, you have already been up for over 2 hours, and you decide it is fabulous that curling is on tv.....so you decide to watch, hoping it will put you to sleep.....

But no....you stay wide awake through the entire damn thing......

Congrats team USA.....

I must admit, I have kind of followed curling through the olympics....oddly enough it has been the only thing I followed through the olympics..... c'est la vie

I've had my breakfast, I might as well get my ass to the gym....

I've added Frappr

So if you want me to know where you live....you can mark yourself....if not...well then don't....

But the link is on the sidebar...I just thought this was a bit of a fun project....I like maps.....

or you can click here

OK...I am a BAD FRIEND

So, as I am sitting here on my couch being sick, I look over and what to I see....Dana D's (I guess she is now C, but whatever, her name is Dana D) birthday present. OOOOOOOOOOOPS....Sorry darling.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, a day early.....


I will call tomorrow, and send the pressie off tomorrow am....

Love you

Goldbug!

plus....a little happy birthday pic.... courtesy of cuteoverload.com

Joss' Valentine's Picture

Oh yes, she is a cutie!

I have developed a cold. I feel like crap....I think I got it from muffin head. Bad muffin head.....

But I thought this little cutie would cheer some of you up!

Some recent knitting creations

So yup, I knit....it happens....

but I wanted to show off a few of my latest creations....

First Tez's new hat

Second, Muffin head's valentines day scarf (my first attempt at cables)

Charles Barkely king of NBA comedy

As many of you may know, I love Sir Charles. He is completely ridiculous. He had many great comments from last night's All-star extravaganza....

Hey Kevin, let me tell you somethin’. There are subliminal messages, and there are real messages. Like if I hit somebody in the head with a hammer, that’s a real message. When I offer you Altoids…” ***

Kevin Harlan: “Here is Hakim Warrick, playing with the Grizzlies, from Syracuse University.”
Charles: “I gotta call Jim Boeheim, they gotta get a weight room up there.”

***

“I told you, when I saw (Dirk Nowitzki) in Germany before he got to the NBA, I told him, I’ll give you any amount of money you want to go to Auburn.”

***

Reggie Miller: “Gonzaga. That’s my dark horse. Gonzaga.”
Charles: “They ain’t that dark.”

***

“When you play for the Wizards, (Gilbert Arenas) is like Michael Jackson… he’s playin’ with a lot of Tito Jacksons.”

***

Kevin Harlan: “(Andre Iguodala) had 9 dunks, and 4 threes. He was on fire.”
Charles: “He wasn’t on fire, he was just excited he got to shoot in a game.”

***

“One thing (Nate Robinson)’s got goin’ in his favor, he can’t get depressed. He plays for the Knicks. Trust me, nothing’s going to shock him now. His emotions are as low as they can go.”

Courtesy of Deadspin
An excellent place for random sports info and humour....

When the Olympics attack.......

It is my day off from the gym, and I find myself sucked into....catch this...curling....yes....

ok...this isn't that surprising...i watch a lot of random stuff on the tv, but, i found myself intrigued by it....and being actually amazed by some of their stills....yes, I need to get out more.....

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Just a little monkey love on V Day....

New Pics of the Niece

She is getting fatter, which means she is getting cuter!!!!!!!!!!! Because babies, like puppies should be a little pudgy....

She is a cutie

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!!!!!!!

So I realized I missed many friends' birthdays....sorry about that...my head is firmly in the basement, where I spend most of my days.

A happy belated/early birthday ---we know I won't remember in a few days....this is coming from a woman who at the moment can't match her shoes.....

Brandy
Marisa
Sonya
Michelle
Laura

Marx, Darwin, DuBois, Stanford (the monkey) and I wish you all the best! Sometimes I get bored in the lab....oops.

Scrubs....

So....I was watching scrubs and the mandy moore character does the same thing this super annoying girl in my department does.....when ever I say something funny...she doesn't laugh, she just says ..."you're so funny". It drives me fucking nuts! I mean who doesn't laugh at the crazy stuff I say....that is just strange.

A funny thing happened while writing my dissertation

So I was headed to get a latte with Tahu, when I realized half-way to the coffee shop, that I was wearing two different flip flops....the worst part was, they were totally different types of flip flops, one was a thong type, and the other one just has a band across the foot.

yes...these are the things that happen when you spend most of your day in a windowless office writing about exoteric forms of exchange. oh what a life...but it was pretty funny!

pictures from guadeloupe

So...if you want to see my photos....you can check them out here.....

guadeloupe

it rocks! I highly recommend it,

a word of warning, if you don't like random flora and fauna pictures....don't go to the link!

JACK BAUER ROCKS

So I know this is a total rip off of Chuck Norris, but it is much better when it is written about my TV boyfriend Jack (Sorry MuffinHead, but you know I love him)

jack bauer rocks!

If you watch 24 this will make you giggle

It is way past my bedtime

and i can't sleep, so I am watching touching evil on tivo, definitely a show to give you nightmares....

Today I finished the first sketch of my first results chapter from my dissertation....so far, not so bad....it wasn't due until tuesday.

I am so sore due to the new exercise regime led by the lovely and charming terri, who I am pretty convinced is trying to kill me so he can have my tivo and tahu can have all of my shoes and handbags.....but it is good for me, b/c dissertations can make you get very out of shape....so I head back to the gym tomorrow after a day off.

Although Wednesday I had a run in at the gym with a fellow duke alumnus. He was class of '97, I knew his brother who was my year. Let's just say this guy is a big improvement. Odd I never knew there was an older fusco brother when I was there.....oh the funny things that happen.....

In other news...I am hosting a West Indian dinner (meaning the Caribbean not a part of India) on Saturday night. It should be a good crowd. I think it should be a lot of fun.....or I hope so...thank goodness I finished up this very first draft so I can cook on saturday....

The laptop is finally back

I am now back with my old friend my laptop. It was so strange without it. But I am all productive again. Soon I'll be posting pictures from my vacation and some interesting tales of my adventures.

Like two minutes ago, some stranger walked into my lab, and was just looking around for something. I was like um, this is an experimental laboratory, what do you think you are doing? He was looking for an extention cord....so totally bizarre.

Well look forward to more random postings from me.

Baby Joss Pics....

So my mom went to Wellesley to see the baby this weekend....and here is a link to her photos.

I think she is pretty cute....I like it when her hair sticks up......

http://drralphie.blogspot.com/2006/01/baby-jocelyn-collage.html

Updates soon to come

So my laptop's motherboard was fried, so I am in the midst of getting it repaired, plus getting a bunch of papers sent off. One should be almost done, and the other is due wednesday at noon, so then nothing to do with those until we get feedback. I am just busy catching up. The trip was fantastic, and I am kind of sad to be back, but the daily grind is what makes vacations so fabulous.

So hopefully next week I'll have a bit more time......

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I'm back

I am home safe and sound and returned to a bunch of emails and a lot of work....if you are expecting a post card from me...well...it might be on its way tomorrow....

Guadeloupe is great...Muffinhead and I had a fabulous time....but now back to the grind...if only my laptop wasn't still in the shop....i hate it right now.....

T-MINUS 5 HOURS

And we are off to the airport. I am getting a bit antsy to get out of the rain. I can't wait for sun and ocean water warm enough to swim in. We'll get to test if the amount of french I learned in high school has actually remained...let's just put it this way, it could be really interesting.

I am about to go pick up muffin head as we must return one of my christmas gifts as it is a bit too small for my thick neck....who knew one could have a thick neck...well except for those professional athletes who have larger necks than heads....hmmm...maybe I should give up sociology to become an athlete...although anyone who has seen me try to do anything coordinated will know this is a horrid idea.....hmmmm...what to do.....

Post-Christmas Update

All went very well with dinner. Somehow we fit all 13 people in the apartment. The food was excellent, and everyone seemed to have a great time. The Brits did manage to keep me awake until 3am, much to my dismay...Those boys they sure like their red wine and beer.

It was a grand time, it is nice to get a group of my friends who don't necessarily know each other together and see what happens....in this case all went well.

I am just finishing off some work, and then off to pick up a few things for our trip...yay we leave tomorrow night.....hopefully....all will go smoothly and I won't get attacked by too many jellyfish...but at least this time I have the right tools to deal with the situation.

Muffinhead and I will try to blog from Guadeloupe...but I have no idea how much internet access we'll have.

I hope everyone had as delightful of a holiday as MH and I did.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

A break from Grant Land

So while trying to get a grant off to the NSF my laptop has decided to die....well it has some sort of battery issue...so it is taking a vacation to visit dell, which means I am spending many a long hour in the lab working on the grant. In one way it is good and I can't eat too many treats, or procrastinate by cooking or something fun like that...

Which leads to my next task....I have managed to somehow end up with somewhere between 11 and 13 people coming to my apartment for christmas dinner....how are the going to fit...hmmm...that is an excellent question...but somehow I will make it happen....

This is one of those rare situations when my kindness (for some reason everyone laughs when I say I am being kind or nice...hmmmm) gets me into some trouble...I just don't think people should be alone on holidays...People were so nice to me last year when I could have been alone, I had to repay some sort of karmic debt.

in other news...i have learned how to do cables while knitting...so those of you who tend to receive my knitted projects can be afraid....there is a new pattern out there that I am mastering. I am working on a scarf for muffin head...he won't wear a hat, his is grey, and I am making a scarf for myself (I oddly enough never make thngs for myself) and mine is ice blue....

I will try to post again after the christmas dinner, and before muffin head and I go off to Guadeloupe.....and we'll see if we can post from there....

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

While I face the wrath of some by using the phrase happy holidays, I am tough enough to risk it.

For y0ur holiday pleasure....A christmas story re enacted by bunnies http://www.starz.com/features/christmasstory/

Enjoy and don't shoot your eye out this holiday season....

ps photos from my trip to boston will be up shortly....

Headed to Beantown

So Andrew and I are headed to Boston tomorrow for a little holiday cheer with my family and to meet my new niece, Jocelyn. I have procured some nice pomade to recreate that sweet mohawk she had at the hospital.

Andrew is meeting most of the family for the first time...so hopefully he isn't too scared....hehehehehe.......

So...I'll be without blog for a few days...but photos will be forthcoming upon my return.....

Have a happy weekend!

picture of my nieces

so...my two nieces met....apparently daisy...the dog, likes jocelyn, the human. I am sure their mom was quite happy about that. I'll be meeting them for the first time on friday. No news on who else Jocelyn has spit up on...although rumour is Zach was the first victim......

Let's hope I am ready for the cold....i make no promises.....

Run in with Steve Young

I swear the man only eats Asian food. I have run into him twice. Both times in Asian places....
Last night he was at a thai place that I was having dinner at. He doesn't look the same as on tv...but still a damn good looking man....Andrew wasn't impressed....well...to each his/her own.

First Pictures are In!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here is Jocelyn....

I totally dig the Mohawk.......very hip....

OFFICIALLY AN AUNTIE

Today I am officially an auntie....while many of you out there thought I would be having a nephew, in fact I have a niece. She was born in the wee hours of this morning, and her name is Jocelyn Faye. The mother, aka my sister, and the baby are doing just fine...the dad seems to be fine too....

When I get photos...I'll put those up too!

I'll be seeing this little muffin next week, so I'll get some of my own photos too!

Instead of Pandas....

Today we have bunnies....ok...a bunny.....

http://www.bklynbunny.com/

i really dig their logo.....see the little bunny ears and eyes in the bridge....

yeah i am procrastinating.....

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.....

Life in the Lab......

So as the quarter draws to an end....life is hectic down here.....

Data coding is almost done....which means data analysis begins....that should start on monday...so don't expect to see me without my laptop for awhile.

Once data is analyzed, paper can be finished......and sent off....very exciting

In the mean time..........NSF proposal must get done.....I know you are all wondering....hmmm....I thought she got one of those last year...well I did, but that was for my dissertation....this is for the next few years of my work with KC and CC. We are planning a big new project....once it gets funded I'll let you know.....

Oh...yeah...and there are the holidays....two holiday parties this week and a birthday party.....and it only gets more hectic from there....

I can't wait until I get to Guadeloupe......I need that vacation....

I hope all of you are having more fun than me....and good luck to those of you who aren't....I know there are oral exams, dissertations, chapters and articles to be completed for all of you academics out there....and all sorts of other real world tasks for the rest of my readers, I just have lost touch with what those are......

Enjoy the beginning of the holiday season.....


oh and to my niece/nephew....be nice to my sister and just be born.....

New Panda Friend

So....my little buddy Su Lin at the San Diego Zoo has some competition....there is a new panda cub, Tai Shan (peaceful mountain) in the US, at the National Zoo in DC.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051130/od_nm/life_panda_dc

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/default.cfm

This little dude is pretty darn adorable...he is a little older than Su Lin, but I think they would be friends....

I've been away far too long

so....to give my faithful readers an update...

data collection on my dissertation experiment is complete, the behavioral data is now in spss, and in another week the questionnaire data should be there too!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Niece/Nephew aka butterball is refusing to come out and play, perhaps the child is a little tempermental....well we all know what side of the family that comes from.....

My herbs de provance turkey was fabulous as was the cranberry chutney....I highly recommend that everyone makes their own cranberries....I can't abide by the pre-bought nonsense......

holiday shopping is done....will soon begin holiday cards....trust me, this year's version are super duper cool...even if Andrew thinks they are inappropriate for English audiences....they are just puppy haters....what can I say.

I hope everyone had a lovely turkey day....i was doing just fine until i got hit with a sinus infection....damn my sinsuses

Experiment=done

so...we have reached 150....Now let the remaining coding begin.....i know...fun and games...but I do have the lovely Julie/Julia team to help....so it should be done by break.....

I think it might be time to celebrate....except that I have too much to do....poop.....

new gym character

so....over the past week or so there has been this guy who looks remarkably familiar....then it came to me on tuesday as he was in a tank top---he looks like the ever popular A.C. Slater from Saved by the Bell....now if only the rest of the crew would arrive....i have bets that screetch will be next....stanford is the type of place that would attract someone like him....although it could be the illustrious jesse spano...

and the answer is no...i don't tivo old episodes of saved by the bell....

A Funny Thing Happened at the Death Cab Concert

So...I went with the muffins, and our men to see Death Cab for Cutie last night. Stars opened for them....unfortunately the sound was just off for them.... But Death Cab was awesome. I was fascinated by the bassist...Nick Harmer....it was funny...he was the only person without a microphone....I just guess he couldn't sing...but everyone else in the bad seemed to be able to multitask...so I was befuddled....only to discover Nick Harmer's secret skill...he also serves as a bouncer/security guard. Some dude tried to jump on the stage during the encore. Nick, grabbed him with one hand, threw him down to the ground, and only missed two measures, until a roadie came out and made sure the guy was taken away. It was totally badass...and now Nick Harmer is my favorite bassist ever!

too much cuteness

so....in addition to monkeys....i like bears....and if you want a super overload of cuteness, check out the panda cam at the san diego zoo....especially when it is looking at su lin (which apparently means a little bit of something cute---and she is very, very cute).
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/ex_panda_station.html

Why I hate Kodak Gallery

So I order something from them for Andrew's birthday approximately 3 weeks ago, and I was starting to get a bit antsy about its delivery, as Andrew's birthday is tomorrow. So I looked a little closer at my order....they had changed my address to the Geology Department....um...I don't know anything about rocks, except sometimes I trip over them. This is odd, b/c I had received something from them in late september and the address was correct....Somehow they had manage to change my address in their system. I have now sent them a very nasty email, asking them to correct the situation. I will let you know how that goes, as they may soon reach the boycott list....which is not a nice place to be.

Return of the Phantom

So some of you may know that I am convinced my office and its entire hallway is haunted by a ghost named Harry. He is not a phantom menace rather, more like a friendly ghost. He bangs around the lab, and occassionally finds things I have lost. Well this week he fixed my watch. Last week, the lovely Andrew had kindly set my watch back an hour for daylight savings time, but somehow he had managed to put it on Euro time, so I was constantly subtracting 12 from the time on my watch after noon. But yesterday the watch was back to normal. Thanks Harry!

PS. my dad (aka dr tom) kindly reminded me that Euro time as I like to call it is also known as military time