Two Buck Chuck may no longer be $2/bottle in CA. Faced with a tax hike on businesses to balance the budget, it could go up to as much as $2.50. Article here, it looks like we may see wine prices generally raise in CA. :(
In other totally unrelated news, I lost my voice. Or more correctly, the damn cold virus stole my voice.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Dumbfounded
Holy crap, I'm going to the UK this summer. About 5 min ago I found out I was awarded the (a?) History Dept Alumni Fellowship for $10K. This, combined with my TA sabbatical guarantees that I can do a research trip to both England and Scotland in the summer and fall of 2009. Holy shit this PhD thing is actually going to happen. I'm still waiting to hear about the 2 Mellons I applies for, and if course I will decline this fellowship if I get one of the larger full-year ones, but this means I can actually do my research!!!
Can't celebrate [too much] yet, must write conference paper...
Back from SoCal
S had a SWA credit she had to use by the end of the year and further demonstrated her sweet nature by using it to buy tickets for L, I and herself to fly to SD for MLK (ha! a veritable alphabet soup). We spent a very nice 3 days at my Dad and stepmom's place on Coronado. We went to the beach, hiked in Torrey Pines, went dancing, cooked, and drank a lot of really good wine. The weather was absolutely beautiful (high 70s), and it felt like a little piece of summer. I'm still not 100% back to work, but I hoping the break has left me refreshed and refocused. I have a conference paper to write/finish and one more grant app, and then I can turn to my dissertation work. I'm almost there - just a little bit more to go.
And in other news, we have a new president. I like the guy, I really do, but I'm concerned about the pedestal he has been hoisted up on and the cult of personality that is developing. They were selling I Heart Obama t-shirts in the San Diego airport. 1) San Diego is a conservative military city, 2) it's the freakin' airport, and 3) I've never seen anything like this with any other elected American official. It reminds me of the Britney Spears obsession of the late 90s and early 2000s. I just hope Obama can do what he needs to do and handle the pressure. I really don't want to see him in a LA tattoo parlor getting lips tattooed on his wrist, shaving his head, and then going after the paparazzi in his best Batman's the Penguin impersonation. He's not perfect, he's just a man (a smart one, but still just a man). I think he's the best man for the job, but I also hope people realize the incredibly difficult job he's undertaking, that he's not going to solve any (much less all) of the world's problems in the first month in office, he's going to make mistakes, and he needs time. I'm always concerned of head over heels googly-eyed love, this this is the worst case I've seen of it since Middle School.
And in knitting news: I know I need to update my WIP tool bars, I also need to post some new pics. I finished my cherie amour sweater (and wore it to ReallyTIny's place on Thursday night), and have started a new sweater called Pink, in green. This is my first attempt at a top down raglan with bust shaping. I'm at the "bust point" and so far so good. Enough room for the bazoomgas, but not so much room I'm swimming. now I have to figure out how to star the decreases in such a way that I don't have bust darts literally making a direct bee line to my bust points. All for post-paper completion.
And in other news, we have a new president. I like the guy, I really do, but I'm concerned about the pedestal he has been hoisted up on and the cult of personality that is developing. They were selling I Heart Obama t-shirts in the San Diego airport. 1) San Diego is a conservative military city, 2) it's the freakin' airport, and 3) I've never seen anything like this with any other elected American official. It reminds me of the Britney Spears obsession of the late 90s and early 2000s. I just hope Obama can do what he needs to do and handle the pressure. I really don't want to see him in a LA tattoo parlor getting lips tattooed on his wrist, shaving his head, and then going after the paparazzi in his best Batman's the Penguin impersonation. He's not perfect, he's just a man (a smart one, but still just a man). I think he's the best man for the job, but I also hope people realize the incredibly difficult job he's undertaking, that he's not going to solve any (much less all) of the world's problems in the first month in office, he's going to make mistakes, and he needs time. I'm always concerned of head over heels googly-eyed love, this this is the worst case I've seen of it since Middle School.
And in knitting news: I know I need to update my WIP tool bars, I also need to post some new pics. I finished my cherie amour sweater (and wore it to ReallyTIny's place on Thursday night), and have started a new sweater called Pink, in green. This is my first attempt at a top down raglan with bust shaping. I'm at the "bust point" and so far so good. Enough room for the bazoomgas, but not so much room I'm swimming. now I have to figure out how to star the decreases in such a way that I don't have bust darts literally making a direct bee line to my bust points. All for post-paper completion.
Friday, January 16, 2009
5th Grant App off
I sent in my 5th grant application today. 5 down, one to go. All I have to finish for the PBK is wait for my transcripts to come in and pick my writing sample. Although I'm glad to be nearing the end of this phase of grant-aps, I'm not as cheerful about it as I wish I was.
Now begins the 2-3 month waiting period before I find out if I actually won any of these grants. The writing was a real pain, but the waiting is going to drive me nuts. You see, before I was anxious, now I'm getting scared. I've hit the 1/2 way through the marathon point and am tired and scared of the remaining miles. And scared is bad because it gets you stuck. Anxiety you can channel into work, scared just makes me want to come home, eat cookie dough, drink beer and watch Harry Potter.
What am I scared of? Not getting funded, not being able to get to the UK for research this year, having to go through all of this again next fall, not getting funded again, having to rethink this whole PhD thing all together. I'm scared I'm not doing enough (not reading enough, not reading the AHR and Perspectives, and not on H-net, and not going to talks, not presenting enough of my own research, definitely not published enough, and not doing enough other things because I'm trying to get my grants out my TA work finished and a million other little things done) And then even if I do finish, that I'm not going to be able to get a job. I'm scared I'm not going to be able to have a career in a field I really like doing something I'm really good at.
I realize this is a downer of a post, but I figured it was time to be honest with myself - I'm terrified at what's coming or not coming next.
There is one good thing in all of this, my dance technique is getting better and I'm noticing that other students in the class are looking to me as an example of good technique. I can nail doubles and often triple pirouettes on my right (the left is another messy story), and my flexibility is improving. If I could recommend Lisa Norris for cannonization, the Saint of Healing Wounded Dancers, I would. Her ability to work with students (and me!) is my biggest inspiration. Thank god for dance.
Now begins the 2-3 month waiting period before I find out if I actually won any of these grants. The writing was a real pain, but the waiting is going to drive me nuts. You see, before I was anxious, now I'm getting scared. I've hit the 1/2 way through the marathon point and am tired and scared of the remaining miles. And scared is bad because it gets you stuck. Anxiety you can channel into work, scared just makes me want to come home, eat cookie dough, drink beer and watch Harry Potter.
What am I scared of? Not getting funded, not being able to get to the UK for research this year, having to go through all of this again next fall, not getting funded again, having to rethink this whole PhD thing all together. I'm scared I'm not doing enough (not reading enough, not reading the AHR and Perspectives, and not on H-net, and not going to talks, not presenting enough of my own research, definitely not published enough, and not doing enough other things because I'm trying to get my grants out my TA work finished and a million other little things done) And then even if I do finish, that I'm not going to be able to get a job. I'm scared I'm not going to be able to have a career in a field I really like doing something I'm really good at.
I realize this is a downer of a post, but I figured it was time to be honest with myself - I'm terrified at what's coming or not coming next.
There is one good thing in all of this, my dance technique is getting better and I'm noticing that other students in the class are looking to me as an example of good technique. I can nail doubles and often triple pirouettes on my right (the left is another messy story), and my flexibility is improving. If I could recommend Lisa Norris for cannonization, the Saint of Healing Wounded Dancers, I would. Her ability to work with students (and me!) is my biggest inspiration. Thank god for dance.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Gragh!
You know what pisses me off? People who try to make forms in Microsoft Word. They think it's as easy as drawing some lines and putting titles, and then doing stupid shit like using the space bar for spacing instead of tabbing. Or don't pay attention to how someone entering in their asked for information will fuck up all of their lines and spacing and everything! All of this can be easily fixed by using tables, templates, and/or the freakin' "form wizard" function. I've just spent the last 2 hours fighting with some one's crappy formatting!
Argh!
2.75 hours until I get to go home...
Argh!
2.75 hours until I get to go home...
Bunker Dweller
Dance finishing at 2 + lecture starting at 7 = too much time in the Bunker. For those who haven't seen it, behind me are 2 of the 3 concrete walls that make up our grad lab. It's cold, strange, and lonely. I didn't want to lose time commuting between home and lecture (about a 40 min+ time loss when you factor in bus and/or walking), but now I'm thinking it'll be worth it. I'm trying to finish up my last 2 grants today. I'm close, but it's not going to happen. After this I have to write a conference paper due Jan 25 (originally due Jan 15, but now postponed 10 days, thank god). Anyway, enough dicking around, back to work.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Goofiness in the snow
As promised, here are some photos from one of the weekends over winter break when we sent skiing. A big group of us spent 4 days on the Northside of Lake Tahoe. The conditions were pretty good and I got to try out my new-to-me-skis. I never in a million years thought I would love skiing or own my own skis, but I do. And I'm getting a lot better. This year I was able to ski very comfortably down every blue slope I tried (even the one that was covered with ice and had moguls on it) and went confidently down a number of blacks.
But what you really came for is the photos:
Shit eating grins everyone!
I want the Italian gene that gives me unbridled coolness
View from Mt. Rose. Beautiful, stunning, and looking over the top of a slope where you can't actually see the slope but just see the valley thousands of feet below totally freaks my shit out. I didn't freak out or cry this time - I will defeat (or repress) my fear of heights)!
View from the top of Diamond Peak.
But what you really came for is the photos:
Shit eating grins everyone!
I want the Italian gene that gives me unbridled coolness
View from Mt. Rose. Beautiful, stunning, and looking over the top of a slope where you can't actually see the slope but just see the valley thousands of feet below totally freaks my shit out. I didn't freak out or cry this time - I will defeat (or repress) my fear of heights)!
View from the top of Diamond Peak.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Belated Happy New Year
The Irishred has been busy trekking up and down the giant country she lives in. After Phoenix to see mom, Jersey to see in-laws, and Tahoe for 4 amazing days of skiing with friends, she's finally home. It's been a whirlwind, but a good one. Due to my absence, a quick re-cap is necessary:
There was bread making, wine drinking and Silly mounting climbing in AZ:
Gifts a plenty of the fiber variety in NJ:
>
Finishing up a sweater in multiple states (all parts are now complete and only await being stitched together):
And the most decadent 30th birthday flourless chocolate mousse cake for my love:
(seriously, this has 2.5 bags of chocolate chips, 3 c cream, and 1.5 sticks of butter. I'll post the recipe and process on cucinaacademia later this week).
There was bread making, wine drinking and Silly mounting climbing in AZ:
Gifts a plenty of the fiber variety in NJ:
>
Finishing up a sweater in multiple states (all parts are now complete and only await being stitched together):
And the most decadent 30th birthday flourless chocolate mousse cake for my love:
(seriously, this has 2.5 bags of chocolate chips, 3 c cream, and 1.5 sticks of butter. I'll post the recipe and process on cucinaacademia later this week).
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