Summer fun coming to an end : (

Big summer this year. I'm sad to see it end, but this semester should be really good. I've shaken some things up in the lab. Actually, I've changed labs. I am now a member of the Robertson Lab! This means that this might me my last semester teaching at Berkeley, because hopefully, come spring time, I'll be funded by Lynn. But even if I'm not, this change was much-needed and is very much a happy thing.

I'm finishing up an EEG project... or trying to. Why are there always problems with my data? Argh. I'm confident this study will wrap up in a good way, it's just taking longer than I anticipated. This fall should see its completion and a manuscript submitted. Then I can focus on a new track of research in my new lab.

Nathan in the EEG cap

Nathan and I spent all day yesterday rearranging our apartment, because we got a foosball table. A friend of a friend is going to be wandering about the country for a year doing doctorly things, and so we're storing his foosball table. So it's only a loaner, but still pretty cool. Do you know how many ways you can improperly put together a foosball table? Well, I do! After much time spent constructing and reconstructing the table yesterday, Nathan and I played a best of 5 tournament. I killed him in the first match (think 10 to 1, booyah!), but sadly, and I swear through illegal means, Nathan beat me in the next 3 matches. Alas, I lost the tournament. And I ended up with a sore elbow, acquired no doubt through overly- excited and turbo-charged playing.

Whoo-hoo Foosball!!!

The apartment looks really nice now. Nathan and I have created an office space in part of our living room that was previously a box storage spot. So now we've got a desk set up at a window with a fabulous view of the Bay, Cesar Chavez park, Alcatraz, and Berkeley. The foosball table is quite a bit bigger than I was expecting, but we made it work. I actually really like the way we rearranged the furniture and I'm going to enjoy our "new" apartment. In fact, I think I'll get to that now while I celebrate the last day of my summer with a cup of coffee in my Berkeley mug and some Little People, Big World : )

Desk area

View from desk

Pretty People = Alyson Hannigan & Alexis Denisof

'Willow' and 'Welsey', also known as Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof, are pretty people and a beautiful married couple. I've been watching "How I Met Your Mother" recently. Good show, though I have a hard time watching it without a beer in hand. I wish Alexis Denisof was in more stuff.

Heh heh, it's bacon!

Nathan and I are going to a friend's birthday party today. This friend likes bacon, so naturally I'm gift wrapping a package of bacon as his present. That's normal, right?

Delicious!

Someone's really proud of this package of bacon. Look at the care with which it was placed on this red fabric.

I think giving bacon as a gift is pretty awesome. Who wouldn't love getting a pound of bacon for their birthday? Well, maybe a vegetarian. I happen to love bacon. In fact, I convinced Nathan to cook 3 lbs of bacon just last week. I was giving myself "bacon rewards" all weekend.

Sleepy time

I love to sleep. I hate to get up in the morning. Thank god for coffee or I'd never get out of bed. You know who else likes to sleep? Animals. Animals like to sleep. Pandas, puppies, kittens, my cats especially. I love to watch my kitty boys sleep too, they're so cute and furry. Check out all these adorable sleepyheads.





And the kitty boys de resistance...

Upside-down kitty head in all its glory.

Harry Potter...this shit just got real

I'm all for short blog posts these days (if blog posts happen, period). This one is about revelling in the upcoming release of the new HP movie. Nathan and I just bought our tickets last night, and we can't wait. Sadly, we missed out on the midnight show's tix, which we usually attend.

The last time a new HP movie came out, I, in true uber-dork form, knitted us some Griffindor hats. Thankfully a shred of everyday-garden-variety nerdiness still lived in us and we successfully suppressed the urge to actually wear these hats at the movie. We were still nerdy, don't get me wrong, we went to the midnight release. This being said, I do have a fake HP wand that came with candy lightning bolts in it, which I might have to sneak into the new movie. We'll see what Nathan has to say about that. He'll probably try to steal it from me to use himself. Oh, I just remember that my mom got me a time turner necklace...so many possibilities. I wonder how far Nathan would let me go in my pursuit of dorkdom...I'm guessing far.

And our orange-haired tabby cats are named Fred and George. And they're twin brothers. And, no, it's not a coincidence.

We both have shiny, happy fits of rage

Not much to say, but I like the Moldy Peaches. Oh, and we sure are cute for two ugly people.


Anyone Else but You


Jorge Regula


Lucky Number Nine


Who's Got the Crack?

A new post

It's summer vacation and I've survived another semester, another year really, at Berkeley. Nathan and I have a beautiful new apartment with a window ledge for our kitty boys to sit on. We took an awesome vacation to Disneyland and Tempe. And right now we're both on our computer waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. The agenda for today: Coffee, reading (for fun!), Monopoly, and a game night with some friends. All and all, I think it's going to be a pretty good day.

I so very much enjoy my out-of-school time, I just wish I could channel more of this enjoyment into my research. Graduate school is an interesting entity. You begin a program knowing that you have an interest in this field; knowing that you would like to work in this area and figure out things that no one else ever has; knowing that you're ready to make a huge commitment to your education. How are you welcomed into this program? With a spirit-crushingly strong hug of toil. After two years in my program, my sharpened interest has been whittled down to an almost-dull point.

I haven't written on my blog in so long that I just wanted to post something here. I should make the effort to post some new pictures, but I'm too lured by the aroma of coffee in the kitchen.

Ok, just a few. These are pictures from my mom's visit in March when we spent a super fun day wandering around San Francisco.