Friday, February 15, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hiking
It was so nice this weekend that we went hiking on my friend's birthday. We went to Great Falls park and hiked one of the Billy Goat trails which basically involved a lot of rock clambering, including one slope at about a 70 degree angle. It was fun though and I got a good workout, especially my arms from using them to lever my body around from rock to rock.
My camera is broken, so my friend lent me her camera to take some photos. Here are a few:
My camera is broken, so my friend lent me her camera to take some photos. Here are a few:
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
fiction, (c) 2003, 326pp
rating: *****
People have been telling me to read this book for years, and I sort of put it off because it seemed to angsty. Recently though, I've been trying to read the books that "everyone" has read and talks about so that I might be able to converse about them intelligently. (In the last couple of years, I've read The Corrections, The Time Traveler's Wife and The DaVinci Code for this same reason). The Lovely Bones is the most recent in this string of novels.
For people living under a rock, The Lovely Bones is Alice Sebold's first novel. It is about a young girls named Susie Salmon who is brutally raped and murdered. She goes to heaven and watches over her family and friends as they attempt to cope with her death and move on with their lives. Through her eyes, we see how her death changes her friends, family and even total strangers. In heaven, Susie herself also gets a chance to grow and change as she learns to cope with her own death.
The Lovely Bones could easily get maudlin and depressing. It could easily have become the literary equivalent to a Lifetime Television Movie about "dealing with death". However, Sebold is very careful to avoid those kind of cliches and instead presents a fresh and interesting look at this subject. While this book is cerainly not an "upper", there is a definite element of hope and the reader feels less badly for Susie and more so for her family members who are forced to go out without her. In a way, Sebold makes death - even violent death - feel almost mundane for those that are dying and presents it as part of the normal cycle of life. There are lots of great characters in this book, from Susie's alcoholic grandmother to her childhood acquaintance Ruth who grows up believes that she can see ghosts and spirits. The writing is evocative and detailed without being tedious. This book was never dull and I finished it under two days. I highly recommend it - turns out all those who recommended it to me were entirely correct.
rating: *****
People have been telling me to read this book for years, and I sort of put it off because it seemed to angsty. Recently though, I've been trying to read the books that "everyone" has read and talks about so that I might be able to converse about them intelligently. (In the last couple of years, I've read The Corrections, The Time Traveler's Wife and The DaVinci Code for this same reason). The Lovely Bones is the most recent in this string of novels.
For people living under a rock, The Lovely Bones is Alice Sebold's first novel. It is about a young girls named Susie Salmon who is brutally raped and murdered. She goes to heaven and watches over her family and friends as they attempt to cope with her death and move on with their lives. Through her eyes, we see how her death changes her friends, family and even total strangers. In heaven, Susie herself also gets a chance to grow and change as she learns to cope with her own death.
The Lovely Bones could easily get maudlin and depressing. It could easily have become the literary equivalent to a Lifetime Television Movie about "dealing with death". However, Sebold is very careful to avoid those kind of cliches and instead presents a fresh and interesting look at this subject. While this book is cerainly not an "upper", there is a definite element of hope and the reader feels less badly for Susie and more so for her family members who are forced to go out without her. In a way, Sebold makes death - even violent death - feel almost mundane for those that are dying and presents it as part of the normal cycle of life. There are lots of great characters in this book, from Susie's alcoholic grandmother to her childhood acquaintance Ruth who grows up believes that she can see ghosts and spirits. The writing is evocative and detailed without being tedious. This book was never dull and I finished it under two days. I highly recommend it - turns out all those who recommended it to me were entirely correct.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Let the games continue...
In the end, I cast my vote for Hillary Clinton (like 55% of the other people in my state). I feel at peace with my choice, and suprisingly I really really want her to win.
I had been kind of ambivalent for a while as it's hard to decide between Obama and Clinton on the big issues. They have voted identically 90% of the time (though Obama has missed 16% of the votes and Clinton has only missed 6% of the votes). The things they split on are all relatively minor and pretty much come out in a wash (if you agree with this blogger, and I do).
Honestly, I just like the tone of Clinton's campaign better. Maybe I've been beaten down by 8 years of the Bush administration, but I just don't buy this message of hope. I mean, I buy that Obama means it. It's just a little too sunshine and rainbows for me. All of this optimism ... it's just too much for me. I actually prefer Clinton's pragmatism and calculated political outlook to Obama's almost revivalist cry for change. So I voted Clinton on that basis.
That being said, if Obama ends up being the candidate, I will support him fully. This is not the time for a schism in the democratic party considering the possible republican candidates. Granted, of the three front-runners, McCain is the least crazy. At one time, he was semi-moderate (or at least, as moderate as one can be in the Republican party). Now he's been flip-flopping all over the place, selling his soul to the uber-conservatives for the presidential nomination.
I had been kind of ambivalent for a while as it's hard to decide between Obama and Clinton on the big issues. They have voted identically 90% of the time (though Obama has missed 16% of the votes and Clinton has only missed 6% of the votes). The things they split on are all relatively minor and pretty much come out in a wash (if you agree with this blogger, and I do).
Honestly, I just like the tone of Clinton's campaign better. Maybe I've been beaten down by 8 years of the Bush administration, but I just don't buy this message of hope. I mean, I buy that Obama means it. It's just a little too sunshine and rainbows for me. All of this optimism ... it's just too much for me. I actually prefer Clinton's pragmatism and calculated political outlook to Obama's almost revivalist cry for change. So I voted Clinton on that basis.
That being said, if Obama ends up being the candidate, I will support him fully. This is not the time for a schism in the democratic party considering the possible republican candidates. Granted, of the three front-runners, McCain is the least crazy. At one time, he was semi-moderate (or at least, as moderate as one can be in the Republican party). Now he's been flip-flopping all over the place, selling his soul to the uber-conservatives for the presidential nomination.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Book #5: Getting Stoned with Savages
Getting Stoned with Savages by J. Maarten Troost
nonfiction/travel, (c) 2006, 256pp
rating: ***
A couple of years ago, I read (and loved) The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost about his time living on Kiribati, an atoll in the South Pacific. I found it extremely funny and engaging and was looking forward to reading this new book.
Getting Stoned With Savages finds Troost back in the South Pacific, first on the islands of Vanuatu, and then on the islands of Fiji. Troost describes life in Porto Vila, the main city on the main island of Vanuatu. He spends an inordinate time talking about the joys of kava, a hallucinogenic drug that is taken regularly by the men and women of the South Pacific. He goes in search of real live cannibals and gives us a little bit of history about the islands. The end of the book talks about having a baby in the South Pacific and the joys and struggles with that.
Overall, this book lacked the magic of the first one. Troost himself seems to understand that, and explains it in the last chapter. An atoll is the great equalizer - while he and his wife were looked at strangely in Kiribati, eventually they were accepted by the locals and were subject to the same whims of nature and the supply chain as everyone else. In Vanuatu and Fiji, Troost lived the life of an expatriate. I got the sense that he really had to go looking to find things worth writing about. His life in Vanuatu was not unlike the time I've spent in places like Nairobi. Sure, there are the trials and tribulations of a third world country (and yes, I am glad my data collection in Kenya ended prior to the civil unrest there), but there are also bars and malls that cater specifically to expats.
So, while this book wasn't bad, it's not as good as the first one.
nonfiction/travel, (c) 2006, 256pp
rating: ***
A couple of years ago, I read (and loved) The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost about his time living on Kiribati, an atoll in the South Pacific. I found it extremely funny and engaging and was looking forward to reading this new book.
Getting Stoned With Savages finds Troost back in the South Pacific, first on the islands of Vanuatu, and then on the islands of Fiji. Troost describes life in Porto Vila, the main city on the main island of Vanuatu. He spends an inordinate time talking about the joys of kava, a hallucinogenic drug that is taken regularly by the men and women of the South Pacific. He goes in search of real live cannibals and gives us a little bit of history about the islands. The end of the book talks about having a baby in the South Pacific and the joys and struggles with that.
Overall, this book lacked the magic of the first one. Troost himself seems to understand that, and explains it in the last chapter. An atoll is the great equalizer - while he and his wife were looked at strangely in Kiribati, eventually they were accepted by the locals and were subject to the same whims of nature and the supply chain as everyone else. In Vanuatu and Fiji, Troost lived the life of an expatriate. I got the sense that he really had to go looking to find things worth writing about. His life in Vanuatu was not unlike the time I've spent in places like Nairobi. Sure, there are the trials and tribulations of a third world country (and yes, I am glad my data collection in Kenya ended prior to the civil unrest there), but there are also bars and malls that cater specifically to expats.
So, while this book wasn't bad, it's not as good as the first one.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Crockpot White Beans and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Crockpot try number two! The chicken fajita stuff was pretty good, though more like a modified chili than anything else.
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cups great Northern beans, sorted and rinsed
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 onion, chopped
* 6 cups water
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/8 tsp. pepper
* 3/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
* 2 oz. can sliced black olives, drained
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
PREPARATION:
Mix all ingredients except tomatoes and olives in 3-4 quart slow cooker. Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours or until beans are tender. Mash some of the white beans while in the crockpot to thicken mixture. Stir in tomatoes and olives and cook 10 more minutes until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese5 serving
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cups great Northern beans, sorted and rinsed
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 onion, chopped
* 6 cups water
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/8 tsp. pepper
* 3/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
* 2 oz. can sliced black olives, drained
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
PREPARATION:
Mix all ingredients except tomatoes and olives in 3-4 quart slow cooker. Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours or until beans are tender. Mash some of the white beans while in the crockpot to thicken mixture. Stir in tomatoes and olives and cook 10 more minutes until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese5 serving
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Applying to Graduate School
FemaleScienceProfessor discussed graduate school applications today. Because I am a digital packrat (oh fine, I'm a material pack rat as well), I still have all of my undergraduate papers in a file neatly marked "undergraduate". Within that file, next to all of the papers I wrote for my undergraduate degree in English Literature, I found my graduate school application essay. And you know what? It's good. I wrote a damn good essay for getting into graduate school. I discussed relevant, challenging courses, summer research experiences, extra-curricular activities that had a direct bearing on what I wanted to do. Fine, what I actually settled on for my dissertation is absolutely nothing like what I said I wanted to do, but that's more because the school that I decided on doesn't really have a program for what I really wanted to do.
When I applied to programs, I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist. Unfortunately, there are tons of young, eager undergraduates who are enamoured by the court system, don't want to go to law school or medical school, and fall into applications for forensic anthropology. All of the universities I applied to with big forensic programs were likely inundated with strong applicants for very few spots. This is perhaps why I was turned down for all of those schools. I applied to several other schools with weaker forensic programs, but excellent overall programs in anthropology/primatology/paleontology/osteology/biology/etc. I tailored my application letter slightly differently with these programs, and I was accepted into all of them (I think - hard to remember now).
I could have done a masters degree and tried for the forensic stuff again, but I went for a Ph.D. program with a less specialized program instead. And now I do nothing having anything at all to do with forensic anthropology. Was this a good decision? Only time will tell.
When I applied to programs, I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist. Unfortunately, there are tons of young, eager undergraduates who are enamoured by the court system, don't want to go to law school or medical school, and fall into applications for forensic anthropology. All of the universities I applied to with big forensic programs were likely inundated with strong applicants for very few spots. This is perhaps why I was turned down for all of those schools. I applied to several other schools with weaker forensic programs, but excellent overall programs in anthropology/primatology/paleontology/osteology/biology/etc. I tailored my application letter slightly differently with these programs, and I was accepted into all of them (I think - hard to remember now).
I could have done a masters degree and tried for the forensic stuff again, but I went for a Ph.D. program with a less specialized program instead. And now I do nothing having anything at all to do with forensic anthropology. Was this a good decision? Only time will tell.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Slow Cooker: Try #1
I am a lazy cook. So I bought a crock pot, friend to all lazy cooks. Here is the first recipe I am trying!
INGREDIENTS:
* 2-1/2 lbs. boneless beef top round steak I used chicken
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 oz. envelope fajita seasoning mix
* 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
* 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
* 1/4 cup flour
* 1/4 cup water
PREPARATION:
Trim excess fat from beef and cut into 2" pieces. Combine with onion in a 3-4 quart slow cooker. Mix together fajita seasoning mix (either purchased or your own homemade) and undrained tomatoes and pour over beef.
Combine flour with water in a small bowl and stir well to mix. Add gradually to crockpot and stir well. Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 15-20 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve stew with hot cooked rice or hot couscous. 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
* 2-1/2 lbs. boneless beef top round steak I used chicken
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 oz. envelope fajita seasoning mix
* 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
* 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
* 1/4 cup flour
* 1/4 cup water
PREPARATION:
Trim excess fat from beef and cut into 2" pieces. Combine with onion in a 3-4 quart slow cooker. Mix together fajita seasoning mix (either purchased or your own homemade) and undrained tomatoes and pour over beef.
Combine flour with water in a small bowl and stir well to mix. Add gradually to crockpot and stir well. Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 15-20 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve stew with hot cooked rice or hot couscous. 8 servings
Friday, January 25, 2008
Letters of Recommendation
I read Female Science Professor's post about writing letters of recommendation. I posted a comment that got long, so I thought I would take the discussion here.
Unlike a lot of university, as a graduate student I am more than a T.A. I am the actual course instructor and considered to be adjunct faculty. No one supervises me; my class is entirely at my discretion. I choose my own book, my own syllabus, and I give out all of my own grades. Thus, I regularly get requests to write recommendation letters from my students. I don't get a ton of them - maybe two or three at the end of every year. Usually the students who ask for recommendations are trying to get into medical or dental school, and I think they select me because I teach a science based course. In many cases, I probably teach the only science based course these students have ever taken.
Two things have always mystified me in this whole process. First, I have gotten requests for letters from students who did not do well in my class. Why would you ask me for a recommendation if you just barely pulled a C in my class? At first, I felt a sick obligation to somehow find something good they did in my class, play it up, and send in a positive letter. Now, I just tell them that they would be better served by talking to a different professor, preferably one who gave them an "A". But even more mystifying, sometimes these letter requests are followed my long personal missives, where they tell me everything that has happened from birth. I have heard about abusive family members, family members in jail, long term medical problems, deadbeat baby-daddies and any number of other totally irrelevant things that, quite frankly, make me a little uncomfortable. I am certainly not going to reference these things in a letter of recommendation. These students would be better served by giving me a copy of their resume and a transcript.
Unlike a lot of university, as a graduate student I am more than a T.A. I am the actual course instructor and considered to be adjunct faculty. No one supervises me; my class is entirely at my discretion. I choose my own book, my own syllabus, and I give out all of my own grades. Thus, I regularly get requests to write recommendation letters from my students. I don't get a ton of them - maybe two or three at the end of every year. Usually the students who ask for recommendations are trying to get into medical or dental school, and I think they select me because I teach a science based course. In many cases, I probably teach the only science based course these students have ever taken.
Two things have always mystified me in this whole process. First, I have gotten requests for letters from students who did not do well in my class. Why would you ask me for a recommendation if you just barely pulled a C in my class? At first, I felt a sick obligation to somehow find something good they did in my class, play it up, and send in a positive letter. Now, I just tell them that they would be better served by talking to a different professor, preferably one who gave them an "A". But even more mystifying, sometimes these letter requests are followed my long personal missives, where they tell me everything that has happened from birth. I have heard about abusive family members, family members in jail, long term medical problems, deadbeat baby-daddies and any number of other totally irrelevant things that, quite frankly, make me a little uncomfortable. I am certainly not going to reference these things in a letter of recommendation. These students would be better served by giving me a copy of their resume and a transcript.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
When the snooze button becomes obsolete.
The scene: I am lying in bed, sleeping. My kitten is curled up in a little ball next to the wall on the other side of me.
The alarm goes off.
The cat wakes up, uses her super-powered spring loaded legs, jumps over me, lands on the floor, runs over to the cupboard where I keep her cat food and immediately begins to yowl for food.
Yeah. Happy morning to me.
The alarm goes off.
The cat wakes up, uses her super-powered spring loaded legs, jumps over me, lands on the floor, runs over to the cupboard where I keep her cat food and immediately begins to yowl for food.
Yeah. Happy morning to me.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Cold
I have flown away and am back on the left coast. And damn it's cold! I've lived on the east coast for ten years and every time I leave California I question my previous decisions. It was sixty degrees! Now I'm in a scarf!
But nothing was worse than when I flew from Johannesburg to New York last February. When the plane took off, it was 80 degrees. When it landed it was eight degrees. And since there was a freakish heat wave in NYC before I left in January, I didn't have a coat, scarf, gloves, hat, long sleeved shirt or close toed shoes. Now that was cold.
But nothing was worse than when I flew from Johannesburg to New York last February. When the plane took off, it was 80 degrees. When it landed it was eight degrees. And since there was a freakish heat wave in NYC before I left in January, I didn't have a coat, scarf, gloves, hat, long sleeved shirt or close toed shoes. Now that was cold.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Soulja Boy
This morning I saw Soulja Boy on "Regis and Kelly" singing the song "Crank dat". I've heard this song many times and every time I think - what the hell is he actually singing? So, I looked up the lyrics.
...
Turns out he's not saying much of anything.
Here's one of the verses:
Soulja Boy up in it (OH!)
Watch Me Lean And Watch Me Rock
Super Man Dat (OH!)
Then Watch Me Crank Dat Robocop
Super Fresh, Now Watch Me Jock
Jocking On Them Haterz Man
When I Do Dat Soulja Boy
I Lean To The Left And Crank Dat Dance
(Now You)
I'm Jocking On Yo Bitch Ass
And If We Get The Fightin
Then I'm Cocking On Your Bitch
You Catch Me At Yo Local Party
Yes I Crank It Everyday
Haterz Get Mad Cuz
"I Got Me Some Bathin Apes"
WHAT DOES ANY OF THAT EVEN MEAN?! What happened to songs that mean something? I'm looking forward to some artist covering this song a la The Gourds with Gin and Juice or Eva Cassidy with Straight Out of Compton.
After watching Soulja Boy, hearing the song, and reading the lyrics, I think I like it best in this form:
...
Turns out he's not saying much of anything.
Here's one of the verses:
Soulja Boy up in it (OH!)
Watch Me Lean And Watch Me Rock
Super Man Dat (OH!)
Then Watch Me Crank Dat Robocop
Super Fresh, Now Watch Me Jock
Jocking On Them Haterz Man
When I Do Dat Soulja Boy
I Lean To The Left And Crank Dat Dance
(Now You)
I'm Jocking On Yo Bitch Ass
And If We Get The Fightin
Then I'm Cocking On Your Bitch
You Catch Me At Yo Local Party
Yes I Crank It Everyday
Haterz Get Mad Cuz
"I Got Me Some Bathin Apes"
WHAT DOES ANY OF THAT EVEN MEAN?! What happened to songs that mean something? I'm looking forward to some artist covering this song a la The Gourds with Gin and Juice or Eva Cassidy with Straight Out of Compton.
After watching Soulja Boy, hearing the song, and reading the lyrics, I think I like it best in this form:
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Ridiculous Politics
Here is Hillary Clinton's statement about Martin Luther King, Jr: "Dr. King's dream began to be realised when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964."
Okay, what's wrong with this statement? She's not belittling Dr. King - she's stating a FACT. Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act because of pressure of the Civil Rights Movement, led by Dr. King. But King couldn't pass any actual law himself as he was not in a legislative position to do so. All of this argument about this statement is ludicrous.
Okay, what's wrong with this statement? She's not belittling Dr. King - she's stating a FACT. Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act because of pressure of the Civil Rights Movement, led by Dr. King. But King couldn't pass any actual law himself as he was not in a legislative position to do so. All of this argument about this statement is ludicrous.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Socks' Story
Well, it's almost Caterday - and it already is in some parts of the world. So, I give you Socks (alias "Socksy" and "Sockser" and "Fat Malformed Kitty").
You may think that the nickname "Fat Malformed Kitty" is cruel, but it's actually quite descriptive. Socksy is an extreme manx cat. He was as part of one of the many litters of kitten born and bred in my parents backyard. It started with three little orange kittens (Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod), one Mama Cat and a small pie plate of cat food. Soon it became multiple litters of kittens per year, a giant bowl of food and a little cat hut rigged on an old lounge chair. Socks was the only cat of all of the litters of kittens that made the transition between the outside and the inside.
He came in of his own volition and we took him to the vet where the vet was fascinated by his lack of tail. Out of her own curiosity she x-rayed him and it turns out that he is missing all of his caudal vertebrae as well as one and half of his lumbar vertbrae. As a result, his body weight is distributed kind of strangely and when he runs he sort of hops the back feet together. He was a sick little kitten when he wandered in. After we got him all well, we tried to put him back outside but he clawed the edges of the door and refused.
So we kept him.
(More lensbaby)
You may think that the nickname "Fat Malformed Kitty" is cruel, but it's actually quite descriptive. Socksy is an extreme manx cat. He was as part of one of the many litters of kitten born and bred in my parents backyard. It started with three little orange kittens (Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod), one Mama Cat and a small pie plate of cat food. Soon it became multiple litters of kittens per year, a giant bowl of food and a little cat hut rigged on an old lounge chair. Socks was the only cat of all of the litters of kittens that made the transition between the outside and the inside.
He came in of his own volition and we took him to the vet where the vet was fascinated by his lack of tail. Out of her own curiosity she x-rayed him and it turns out that he is missing all of his caudal vertebrae as well as one and half of his lumbar vertbrae. As a result, his body weight is distributed kind of strangely and when he runs he sort of hops the back feet together. He was a sick little kitten when he wandered in. After we got him all well, we tried to put him back outside but he clawed the edges of the door and refused.
So we kept him.
(More lensbaby)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
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