20110531

Hella Good 10 AM Sandwich

Once you've stopped snickering at the title of this post, feast your eyes...


It's never too early for a sandwich, especially one with pesto, thinly sliced Vidalia onion and tomato, oven roasted turkey breast, and baby arugula -- my favorite elitist vegetable -- between two slices of my favorite whole grain, gluten-free bread. I do so love myself a good sandwich.

I'm getting excited for summer's heirloom tomatoes. What are your favorite summer treats?

20110529

Gradmutation, Mooving, and Substitutions

I am sure that all you blog stalkers were missing the graduation posts. Well, it's your lucky couple of weeks! Those of us on the quarter system are just starting to get prepared to don the most ridiculous outfit people seem to take seriously (any opportunity to wear academic regalia is an opportunity to snag!) and get our pomp on.

Check it:


What it is.

I'm getting a little bit excited, I won't lie. The quarter will be over, I'll be hanging out with my mom and younger sister for a few days, and I'm really excited to meet everyone's families and for people to meet two of the most important people in my life! It's going to be a celebration.

Commencement is on June 9, after I proctor an exam that morning and grade it that afternoon (unless I can bribe another grad student to do it instead... any takers? Seriously...). But the real fun is going to be on the following day when we have a graduate group party. My adviser will say nice things about me, I'll get a little engraved cowbell, and I'll feel pretty great about myself.

It's a strange graduation because, well, I won't be getting my degree. So I'm going to be a Mistress of Science* with that asterisk denoting my expected conferral date of September 2011. I don't really get a break from grad school, so it's not really the end or beginning of anything. I will be back on campus the following week working as a grad student researcher and studying for the preliminary exam. That's the thing about grad school. It never ends.

Never-the-less, I get to wear a hood and funky sleeves! ...Think how excited I'm going to be when I get to wear some stripes!

NEXT: Mooving. I realized today when my upstairs neighbor was quite possibly running on a treadmill in tap shoes that I will be out of my little apartment of love, the Nat Flat #1, in less than a month! That's all I have to say. YAY.

Finally, a few substitutions to my 24 before 24 list! #8. I'm doubting that I'll learn how to crochet and crochet well enough to make a blanket by Thanksgiving. So, I'm cross-stitching a birth record. I have a mean satin stitch! #21. Instead of seeing the San Francisco Ballet, I'm going to hear the San Francisco Symphony. Smiling. That's what I'm doing right now.

20110528

Rainy Days, Papers, and a Little Diamond


I'm listening to Billy Joel while I blog. Billy is the chicken noodle soup of music to me. I grew up listening to him, watching his concerts on TV. There's a Billy song for every moment, every situation. For instance, Billy Joel on a drowsy rainy day sings "Summer, Highland Falls" and "Falling of the Rain." When I'm feeling like a love song, I've got "You're My Home" and "If I Only Had the Words (to Tell You)." When I'm feeling a little feisty, it's all about "Stiletto" and near the end of the quarter, with paper deadlines a few moments away, I'll put my turntable on 78 and play "Running On Ice" -- I particularly like the line about being a statistic.

Anyway, I had a nice day out and about. I went to tea list. where my friend Sarah just got a job. I hung out there grading papers for about five hours and enjoyed two cups of chai, their iced tea of the day, gluten free cookies and some tasty fruit (who knew honeydew could have so much flavor?!). These papers are killing me, so I have to get them over with. A fun fact according to the author of the last paper I read? Puberty starts at birth.

I don't have much else to say on that topic. OK, one more thing. Not one paper is formatted correctly. Not one. It's effing APA! It's not rocket science, people. TOP 10 PUBLIC UNIVERSITY according to the U.S. News and World Report. Really.

On a more positive note, over a week ago, I received a new schnozzola stud via mail. It has a teeny tiny diamond and I think it looks very cute and sophisticated. See below:


So that knocks #7 off my Golden Birthday to do list!

Now, to get back to grading. It hurts, Dear Blogosphere, it hurts. Enjoy one last photographic evidence of May showers and flowers!

20110525

Little Music, Little Update

I've been listening to my driving mix quite a bit lately. It's about two hundred songs guaranteed to keep the mood positive, mouths singing, and eyes wide open.

E.g.:
  • Ben Folds' Lovesick Diagnostician (one reason why the fake Way to Normal is way better than the real one)
  • Hall & Oates' Rich Girl (high and dry, out of the rain, it's so easy to hurt others when you can't feel pain!)
  • Lily Allen's Friday Night (if I was a feisty drunk, this would be my song)
  • Rick Astley's... Never Gonna Give You Up (it's just so good!)
  • Conor Oberst's Sausalito (this is a great Northern California summer song -- not the greatest quality, unfortunately)
It makes driving to and from River City that much more fun.

Besides hanging in Sacramento, the end of the quarter is getting close which means things are about to get crazy. I have papers to grade, papers to write, and a presentation to make. I've really been enjoying my applied longitudinal data analysis "class" or basically just hanging out with some of my favorite fellow grad students and the best professor at Davis talking about one of my favorite topics... stats. It's cementing what I sort of learned last quarter in that multilevel modeling class.

In my class on development in adulthood and aging, we've begun our presentations and practicing for the big preliminary exam. I'm starting to get a little nervous but excited at the same time. I am looking forward to rereading some of the articles I read last year... we'll see how I feel about it this summer though!

I'm starting to make plans to visit Salt Lake, so mark your calendars Utahns! It's looking like I'll be there the last two weeks of July. I'd love to grab lunch, etc, with you... that is, if you can separate Daphne and me. :-)

And, back to work! Keep it clean!

20110519

Songs I've Been Enjoying, etc.

A year ago or so, I would do a five things Friday. Here's one of those... except it's Thursday! But who's checking?

I was listening to Ray Charles quite a bit for a week because of the Kentucky Derby (I love his One Mint Julep). This is one of my favorites:


I've been on an awfully awesome 80's kick. All the world's a candy store. He's been trick-or-treatin':


And I've posted a link to this song before, but it's one of those that you really cannot listen to too much:


This tickles my Mormon funny bone:


And eh, there's nothing else I can say:


P.S. My friend, Andrew, drew a portrait of me on the TA office white board. It's been up for well over a week... makes me feel pretty cool...


20110514

Good Morning Cloudy Skies

First, I apologize for the lack of blogging. I am alive and well, busy and happy.

Second, a very happy belated birthday blog mention for my sister! There's nothing like sisterly love. I am so grateful for a wise, sweet older sister who is my friend for life! And not by choice. ;-) Thanks, Em, for all the love and support and advice!

Third, I've enjoyed a lazy Saturday morning (don't worry, it's going to be a productive afternoon and evening!) after a particularly lovely Friday evening. I'm enjoying the cooler weather as a storm comes our way. It's prime photography overcast. Had I planned it, I would have taken my instant camera out and about. But that would require thought and there's not a whole lot of that going on today. Anyway, some delightful photos for your enjoyment.

I love the hot pink!

Cherry season! My favorite. Can't wait for Rainier cherries!

Just lovely.

I love the deep purple stems.

Just a little random.
Happy weekend!

20110508

Kick... and Push... and Coast

My thesis's song.


I have a ten page paper to write tomorrow. It's a... situation. When I went grocery shopping today, I got some tasty treats to keep me going. The Swedes and Crystal Light energy which is one of the best inventions ever. Now in Grape!

This is my last attempt at procrastination.

To the Google Scholar!

20110505

Fleurs and Summer Plans (Summer Not!)

Went on a stroll today. Saw many things...

I hung out with a cat (don't tell Ben!) and we watched some ducks waddle by.
Saw a beautiful trumpet vine!
And some lovely white roses (?).
Calla lilies are happy.
Gorgeous roses!
Yesterday I received news that I have a readership for the summer! Unfortunately, it was summer session one which goes into July and we all know what's happening in July (!!!) so I declined. Well, today I got better news that I have instead a readership for summer session two! And it's not just any old readership. It's with Nicole W. Dog and cat lovers beware! The rabbit girls are in the lecture hall!

So looks like this summer is going to be another marvelous one + prelim studying. I put a plus sign there because I'm an optimist!

MOVING PRELIMS DAPHNE READING RESEARCH
CONTINUED EXPLORATION OF THE GOLDEN STATE

See! Fantastic.

20110503

Cherries, etc, and Thoughts

I love fuchsia.
I swear the leaves on these trees just appeared!
...Sometime between the end of last quarter and getting back from Montreal.
The most dangerous mixed drink known to development.
Served in a punch bowl with a tiny ladle.
There are cherries! Already! On this tree!
Seeing cherries made me think of last year. During the summer, I'd go to the Wednesday farmer's market and buy a bag of golden rainier cherries, munch and listen to the band, and take in a little sun. I've grown up a lot since then. And I feel like I've changed much in the past few months.

The growth has been in quiet but substantial ways. With accepting the offer to stay here at Davis, there's been a lot of clarity in making goals. A sense of stability as I know what I want. Well, at least for now. I'm not afraid to put down roots and really focus on being in California. At least four more years. Ahhhh...

Well, anyway, some nights it's nice to reflect upon where I've been and where I'm going. It's really only up from where I've been. Here's to the rapidly approaching summer!

20110501