Relaxation

After a stressful, frustrating, disappointing day in lab, I am thankful for the calm stirring of a thick chocolate peanut butter batter, frustration melting away with each stroke, while the stand mixer sits in the corner, unplugged and ignored.

After a stressful, frustrating, disappointing day in lab, I am thankful for the sheer childlike delight at piping peanut butter frosting on top of fluffy domed cupcakes, a smile slowly spreading across my face as the frosting perfectly envelopes each cupcake.

After a stressful, frustrating, disappointing day in lab, I am thankful for the relaxing task of a sink full of dishes, my brain slowly shutting down with each repetitive swirl of the soapy sponge around and around and around the plate, realizing that I don't care if the dishwasher is ever repaired.

For a brief moment, there is peace, until the ding of an email from my boss instantly drags me back down into unhappiness. And all has returned back to normal.

Water Woes

As sad as I was to have to move, I figured there was at least ONE perk (well, in addition to paying $975 less per month) -- moving on up. The two previous places I've lived, I lived on the bottom floor. While this has many benefits (moving couches, carrying in groceries, stays cooler in the summer, etc), it has the unfortunate problem of gravity working against you. Any water which leaks from above came pouring right down onto me (see here, here, here, and here if you need refreshers on the floods of 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010). But now, in my new place, I am on the top floor (of a two story building). Finally! Gravity is in MY favor! It was finally Karmic Plumbing time, in which my water dripped on those below, instead of vice versa!

Haha. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Three weeks ago, there was a leak in the pipe below my sink, which flooded the kitchen.

Two weeks ago, our garbage disposal broke, so water leaked out the bottom of the garbage disposal.

Last week, our dishwasher stopped draining after the final rinse cycle.

This week, our dishwasher won't even run (probably because of the three inches of water in the bottom that we can't drain).

You can run. You can hide. You can try to defy gravity. But if you've been tagged for life with the Ultimate Plumbing Curse, you just can't escape them.

Perhaps this is all just one big sign that I'm supposed to stop cooking and exist on takeout and paper plates for the rest of my life.

New Digs

What do you do when you don't have time to maintain the blog you already have?

You start writing for a second one, naturally!

I was so flattered when Brian over at LabSpaces invited me to blog for his new collection of science blogs that I just couldn't say no. But I also didn't want to give up my little home over here for the past five years, so I'll be writing both here and there.

So don't worry, no need to delete me from your RSS reader quite yet... just feel free to add on my second home, if you are so obliged! And look for things to pick up a bit around here too...

Come join me over at Disgruntled Julie's LaboRANTory!

Joke’s On Me

While sitting here banging my head on the desk, trying to decide whether it would be more therapeutic to laugh or to cry, I just realized something.

My life?  Is a joke.  I’m not anywhere near so bad off that I deserve pity – I have a roof over my head, a (frequently disgruntling) career path that pays me just enough to survive, a husband (albeit in another state), wonderful friends, etc.  On paper, my life is great!

But then these little things happen, and just pile up one on top of another.  And really, who has so many little disastrous things?  It’s just too much!

And that’s when I realized my life must really be a joke, and I am here for the comedic relief of everyone else.  Are there cameras following me everywhere I go, a la The Truman Show?  These things surely must be staged to provide excellent “reality” television for everyone out there to see how I react.  Will she have a breakdown?!  Will she break plates out of frustration?  Oh, she handled that rationally.  Let’s throw something else at her to see what happens!  Are you all watching me on some streaming internet site from work?  Did you just see me wave at you?  (Sorry for the unwashed messy hair and way-too-big pajamas; I’ve been sick.  Though I’m sure you must know that based on the number of times you’ve seen me blow my nose the past few days.)

Several weeks ago, it all started when I found out I was going to have to move out of the wonderful condo I have been renting the past three years.  Back in March, I contacted the owner and asked if she would be amenable to doing a shorter-term lease, since I am hoping to not need a full year to finish my Ph.D. (unrealistic wishful thinking on my behalf).  She said yes, it was fine, and we set a date to sign my new, short term, renewable lease.  I emailed back and forth to confirm all questions I had – that I would not be asked to sign a full year lease at any point; that she would not attempt to find another tenant until I was done; etc.  Over and over she reassured me that the place was mine as long as I needed it, and she would never rope me into a full year lease.

The day before we were supposed to sign the lease, she emails me, informing me that she changed her mind, and I would be signing a 3-month lease followed by a year-long lease.  She didn’t care what she had said previously, this was how it is and I could take it or leave it. 

So, I’m leaving it.  I had one month to do a move that I was not expecting to do, and it has frayed my every last nerve.  There are very, very few places that will allow you to do short term or month-to-month that are not excruciatingly expensive, so I am moving into an apartment with a roommate.  Yes, it’s a major step downward, and now my husband and I are going to have NOWHERE to ourselves since I will be living with someone, but let’s save that letdown for another day, shall we?

So, I found somewhere to live.  I’m not happy about it, I’m not looking forward to it, but I also know that I adapt extremely well, so I am sure it will all work out, even if I feel like I am regressing in life.  I get to have an AMAZING! WONDERFUL! EXCITING! birthday this weekend spent moving one-fourth of my belongings to my new place, and three-fourths of my belongings into storage in Philadelphia.  (I’ll spare you the details about how despite reserving the move-out date weeks ago, and paying my $400 move-out fee, the management company double booked, and now some girl is calling me up screaming at me all the time because she needs to park her truck in the spot I reserved for my move-out.)  I’ve been quite sick the past two days, which have put a huge damper on my packing efforts.  Yesterday, I spent all afternoon sleeping on the couch, and today I was feeling a bit better, but opted to stay home from lab again so as to be able to catch up on some additional sleep and do some more packing.

Since my place is a disaster, I’m trying to do the best to separate what is going to Philly versus what is staying with me in DC.  Things to Philly are stashed in the living room, whereas things staying with me have been packed in boxes and stored in my extremely large (for inner city living standards) bathroom.

The bathroom which flooded this morning.

The very same bathroom which flooded two months ago, and looked like this 10 minutes AFTER the water was shut down (it was like Niagara Falls before they turned the water off):

Now, imagine that much water (perhaps a bit more), but gushing from my toilet instead.  And now, imagine all my packed boxes with the belongings I planned on keeping with me in DC soaking up all that toilet water.

Oh, but wait.  Certainly you already knew all this, because you were watching it unfold.  My life?  Is a joke.

Epiphany

Bright and early Sunday morning, as I was headed down to take dose my lab animals, I had an epiphany.

Remember back in elementary school when some classrooms had a “class pet” and students were able to take the [rabbit/guinea pig/hamster/other animal in a cage] home sometimes over the weekend?

What if the same could be done with lab critters?

Friday night comes, and you stack up all the cages, pack the animal toolbox up with syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, calipers, drug, and whatever else you need…. and take your work home with you.  Then, instead of the weekend morning ritual (alarm goes off obnoxiously early… nearly throw phone across room in frustration… lie in bed thinking about how much you hate the lab… how much you hate your animals… how much you hate your life… how much you hate that you are the only person in the lab stuck with daily dosing as opposed to M/W/F… how much you hate that your PI always talks about how he always took the Sabbath off during his research fellowship but doesn’t extend you the same courtesy… hate that you are the only one in the lab in a long-distance marriage yet never get to sleep in with your husband on the 2-4 days per month he comes to visit… hate your PI… etc etc etc), you could climb out of bed, quietly shuffle out to the living room, get yourself situated, dose your animals from the comfort of your pajamas, and then climb right back into bed.

I really think I’m on to something here.  I’m going to be starting another much larger study pretty soon, so maybe I’ll use this as a bargaining tactic.  “Why sure, PI, I’d be delighted to come orally doze a bazillion mice every day so you can get the drug into clinical trials ASAP… as long as I don’t have to physically go in on weekends to do it!”

Disgruntled Julie: A True Hero

This evening, I was just minding my own business at home when I heard a blood-curdling shriek come from across the hall, causing me to immediately jump up and make sure everyone was okay.

(Weeeellll…. kind of.  I had just finished elliptical-ing, and one of the big benefits to owning your own elliptical is that no one sees you while you work out, so first I had to put on a shirt, and then I cracked my door open a few millimeters to stick out an eyeball to make sure the screams weren’t because an axe murderer was lurking in my building.  Then I tentatively took the few steps across the hall, leaving my door open and my body pointing back towards my door, in the event said axe murderer answered, in hopes that I’d be able to bolt back to the safety of my own unit and slam the door in his face.)

My across-the-hall neighbor opened the door, pale and shaking.  “Oh (gasp) my (pant) G-d (pant, gasp) it’s (pant, pant, gasp)…. a (pant, pant, gasp)… (pant, pant, gasp, pant, building up the suspense….) MOUSE!”

Dun DA DUN!  SCIENTIST TO THE RESCUE!

I cornered the mouse, trapped him on a dustpan, and picked him up by the tail to carry him outside where he scampered off to freedom (and by scampered to freedom, I probably mean someone else’s apartment, where he may meet his ultimate demise via a mousetrap).

On my way out, my neighbor caught her breath enough to tell me that I was her hero.

That’s right.  Disgruntled Julie: Saving Single DC Women from Eenie, Weenie Terrifying Mice.

Well, at least one technique from the lab is useful in a real world setting.

(I really don’t understand why people are so terrified of mice.  Does she look vicious?)

The Sweetest Donation

Several weeks ago, I received what may very well have been the sweetest, most adorable request ever.  So sweet and caring that it is enough to pull me out of my current blogging/reading blogs/Twitter break (things are just a little overwhelming right now, and I need some time away).

The email came from BethAnn, whose snarky science alone is almost enough to make me want to move to Nashville and switch to neuroscience research…. almost.  I may as well go down and join the lab, considering the number of times I have found myself on their lab webpage (first for the football bet, then again when she posted a shameful picture of me forced into an Eagles jersey, and now once again for my dismal performance in the NCAA tournament pool).   In fact, BethAnn has informed me that I have quite a few readers from her department… so special shout out to anyone from Vanderbilt neurology!

So, back to this email.  BethAnn has two adorable children, one of whom very recently turned 7.  Amelia and her brother, Colin, are both running in the Shade Tree Trot on May 1st, a 5K for the Shade Tree Clinic, a Vanderbilt run free clinic for the uninsured.  In lieu of presents, Amelia asked her family to donate money to the clinic.  Is that not the sweetest, most un-selfish thing you have ever heard?  I know when I was 7 (and uh, 17, and possibly again when I turn 27 and am in dire need of monetary gift funds towards a new laptop...) I would not have thought to ask for donations to a charity instead of receiving birthday presents.

Amelia and Colin have decided that if everyone they know will contribute $2 to either or both of their sponsor pages, the clinic will thrive and they will play a role in helping to save the world.

Let’s think about this for a moment.  Two children, who are running a 5K (and how many of you adults out there struggle with running a 5K?  I know I’m not the only one…), want to make a difference by asking everyone to donate a mere $2 to a great cause.  Two dollars. 

So please, help Amelia and Colin meet their goal, and consider donating $2 to one or both of their collections (or certainly, more than $2!), and help show children that they CAN make a difference, and we will help them along the way.

Donation pages located here – Amelia and Colin.

To make your donation even sweeter, I am going to ship off homemade cookies to two of you who donate (regardless of amount of donation).  Donate to one, get one entry.  Donate to both, get two entries.  After you have made your donation, comment and let me know.  I’m working off the honor system here, because if you lie over donating a mere $2 to help support two kids running for a great cause… well, shame on you.  I know none of MY readers would do such a thing.  (Note: cookie shipments valid for U.S. addresses only, due to shipping costs.)

Daylight Savings Proposal

I’m not a fan of Daylight Savings Time to begin with… I think it’s a bit outdated.  After all, most of us are not farmers and do have electricity, so the need to push back the time in the fall to gain light an hour earlier isn’t the necessity of years past.  And as much as everyone enjoys gaining an hour in the fall, springing forward is a real pain.

I don’t think the government is going to go along with my elimination of DST, so I have a suggestion.

How about, instead of 2am Sunday morning, we end DST at 10am Monday morning?

We assemble into lab meeting and start discussing general lab business.  At 9:59, the person presenting for the meeting stands up to talk, opens their powerpoint presentation… and suddenly it becomes 11:00am.  Lab meeting over, everyone dismissed.

I wouldn’t mind if that hour disappeared from my life…

Blues-Buster

Little Known Fact: I love the Olympics.  Especially winter.

I mean, really.  Downhill skiing.  Luge.  Curling.  Snowboard half pipe.  An event in which you have to ski around a course and then shoot a gun.  What’s not to love?  I really wish the Snowpocalypse had come this week instead, so I could stay home and watch all the daytime not-so-popular events too.

So, you’ll have to excuse my absence for the next week, but there are more pressing matters on my TV.  Though, I promise this weekend I will FINALLY take the pictures from this  month’s Daring Cooks’ challenge off my camera and get them on my blog, since the posting date was only, oh, four days ago.  No biggie.  Better late than never, right?

Anyway, figure skating is one of the events I am not so crazy about.  I still watch, of course, and appreciate with awe the ability to spin around four times and land on a toothpick-thick blade on a sheet of ice (while I, meanwhile, cannot stay upright wearing a full-width pair of boots, and wiped out on my lazy ass neighbors’ unshoveled sidewalks so badly on Tuesday that my knee is still the size of a grapefruit)… but well, I’d rather watch skiing.  Except when it comes to Johnny Weir.  I know he’s controversial and all, but he brings the attitude that makes it so exciting to watch him.  And frankly, I thought he did far better in the freestyle program tonight than his scores indicate.

I had a really, really, really crappy day today.  I self-medicated with an extremely thorough kitchen scrubbing (I find getting the burnt-on gunk off of burners is way more therapeutic than either ice cream or alcohol), but even after scrubbing until my hands bled, I still wanted to strangle someone.  And then I found this gem.  Every time I watch it, I feel better and better.  Because what could possibly be a more perfect match than a flamboyant figure skater and Lady Gaga?

So next time you’re having a crap day, watch this.  You’ll feel better. 

The Snowpocalypse

We disrupt our regularly scheduled blogging (hahaha… I wish I had the dedication to blog regularly) due to digging out from under three feet of snow.

People, there’s a lot of snow out there.  And, aside from the minor detail that the melting snow freezes and turns to ice and I am certainly going to slip, fall, and break something next week walking to lab, I am LOVING it.  Of course, I say this as someone with no sidewalk to shovel and no car to dig out.

 

My all-time favorite childhood book was Joe and the Snow, and these past few days have really been like the book coming to life (hopefully, however, as the snow melts my condo building won’t float away…).

 

After a bout of food poisoning last week and three days out of the lab, a week off seemed to rejuvinate me and helped to get over my frustrations in the lab.  I also learned, however, that I can spend a full week trapped inside… and never once be bored.  I knitted.  I caught up on TV.  I read four books.  I organized and cleaned like crazy.   If this whole science thing doesn’t work out, I’m pretty sure I could cut it as a housewife without feeling cooped up.  What can I say – all those years of learning to entertain myself as an only child are paying off.

The last time D.C. had a worthwhile snowstorm, I was a sophomore in college.  My roommate and I woke up early, walked down to the Ellipse and made snow angels in the pristine snow.  This time around, I didn’t have anyone to “play” with, but was thrilled to have several days to explore various areas of D.C. within walking distance, all of which were even more delightful than normal buried under three feet of snow. 

More pictures of the snowiest winter in D.C. history can be found here.

Crafted-It-Forward

Many, many (many) moons ago, I posted about participating in a Craft-It-Forward, in which one person sent me a homemade gift, and in exchange, I would pass on homemade gifts to 5 other people.

Rebekah kicked it off and sent me an amazing lemonade sugar scrub.  I LOVE the scent of lemon, so I really, really enjoyed the scrub.  I’ve been meaning to make some of my own!

I also saw that Amy was participating, so we agreed to send each other something as well.  Amy sent along ridiculously amazingly delicious Oregon Blackberry Jam (so good, I forwent the scone and just at the jam out of the jar with a spoon) and some yummy vanilla shortbread.

For my outgoing crafty gifts, I decided to make scarves.  Since it was supposed to be a surprise, I just asked each person their favorite colors, and tried to pick something out of my stash that matched.  I hope everyone has been enjoying their scarves, especially in this extra cold and snowy winter!

Rina over at Gotta Little Space wasn’t picky and listed a variety of colors, so off went a cozy blue, purple, and black variegated scarf in her direction.

Geeka said she liked green, so I abided to her wishes, even though I was super tempted to make her a black and gold STEELERS themed scarf!

Profgrrrrl likes eggplantish-purple and sage green, and since she lives in a warmer-weather climate, I tried to do a more open, lacier scarf which wouldn’t be quite so heavy as the others I made.

Lucy Pigpuppet  said she liked rainbow stripes or anything “bright and happy-looking.”  I had the perfect yarn in mind as soon as I read that!

Amy said she was on a yellow kick, but unfortunately, I had no suitable yellow yarn in my stash.  I gave her a list of colors to chose from (which I admit, must be tricky when you have no idea what you are receiving!) and she picked a pumpkin orange.  

And, lastly, Jenna finally received her scarf last week!  A girl after my own heart, Jenna said her favorite colors were black and white (not that I don’t enjoy colors, but I can’t think of any color combination classier and more timeless than black and white!).  Jenna even posted a picture on her own blog of her sporting the new scarf!  I hope it keeps her (and her adorable baby bump) toasty warm throughout the cold streak in Dallas! 

Thanks for your patience and waiting so long, and I hope you enjoyed participating as much as I did in the Craft-It-Forward!

(If anyone is interested in pattern information, all the details are on my Ravelry page.  And if you’re on Ravelry, friend me so I can see what you are working on, too!)

Asparagus and Walnut Pasta

One of the advantages to long-distance marriage is that I’ve been working my way through the massive list of recipe ideas which include ingredients I love, but Husband hates. This was an excellent candidate, as asparagus is my favorite vegetable and Husband refuses to eat it… and walnut are my favorite nuts, whie Husband is not a nut fan in general (unless they are in the form of peanut butter). Unfortunately for Husband, I think I liked this enough that it’s going to stay in the rotation even when we are living together again – good thing he knows how to make peanut butter and jelly!

Asparagus and Walnut Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 pound whole wheat rigatoni
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup grated Asiago cheese
• 1/3 cup lightly toasted walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain well.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Add green onions and garlic and cook 3 to 4 minutes more.
3. Add cooked pasta to skillet, then stir in cheese and walnuts.

Nanaimo Bars – Daring Bakers

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

I couldn’t think of a more appropriate dessert to make right now, considering the Olympics are just around the corner.  For those of you who are not familiar with Nanaimo Bars, they hail from Nanaimo, British Columbia, and are more or less the official dessert of BC.  Seriously, they are everywhere.

That said, I already knew off the bat that I have an extremely strong dislike for Nanaimo bars.  I really enjoyed this challenge, however, because it allowed me to pinpoint exactly why I detest them so much.  The middle layer is always described as a “custard”… which I think of as kind of a thick pastry cream or pudding.  I like custard.  I do not, however, like the “custard” layer AT ALL.  Now that I’ve made it, I realize that it’s hardly a custard, but more of a glorified buttercream… and I loathe frosting.  Seriously, hate it.  That nauseatingly sweet, tooth-dissolving flavor and texture is a HUGE turn off for me.  But please, don’t let MY dislike of Nanaimo Bars turn you off.  A simple test – if you savor the frosting on your cupcake and save it to the very end, make these – fast!  If, like me, you try to wipe off every last drop and still wind up throwing out half of the cake because it is too “tainted” with frosting…. well, just make these for your Olympic opening ceremonies party, but pass on trying one out yourself. :)

The first part of the challenge was to make homemade graham crackers.  I opted to pass on the gluten free version, not because I am opposed to gluten free baking, but I am making an extreme effort to cut down on groceries, and by making these with regular all-purpose flour, I already had all the ingredients on hand.  I rolled out my dough on the thicker side, and LOVED the results.  Instead of crunchy like a normal graham cracker, it had the exact same flavor, but was soft, similar to the difference between a gingerbread cookie and actual gingerbread.  I liked these so much that I’m not sure if I’ll ever buy another packaged thin crispy graham cracker again!

 

Graham Crackers

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 7 tablespoons butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup honey
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Add the cubed butter and cut in until the mixture forms a coarse meal.
2. Whisk together honey, milk, and vanilla.  Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together.
3. Turn the dough onto plastic wrap and chill until firm, 2 hours or overnight.
4. Sift a layer of flour on the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle (depending on the size of your work surface, you may want to divide into two balls of dough), about 1/8 inch thick (mine were 1/4 inch think).  Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares.  Move to parchment-lined baking sheets and prick surface with a fork.
5. Bake for 12 minutes at 350F, or until golden brown in color.

 

Nanaimo Bars

Ingredients:

• For Bottom Layer:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
• For Middle Layer:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder or vanilla pudding mix
  • 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• For Top Layer:
  • 4 ounce semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Melt unsalted butter, sugar, and cocoa in the top of a double boiler.  Add egg and stir to cook and thicken.  Remove from heat.  Stir in graham cracker crumbs, nuts, and coconut.  Press firmly into an ungreased 8x8 inch pan.
2. Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and confectioner’s sugar together.  Beat until light in color.  Spread over bottom layer.
3. Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat.  Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

Competition Results

So… long story short… I did not win the camera bag.  But, honestly, I can’t really sit around feeling sorry for myself when I had such a HUGE outpouring of support from a whole bunch of people I don’t even “know”!  Numerous individuals re-tweeted my message, asking their friends to vote for me as well.  Several of you posted on your own blogs asking your readers to vote for me.  Geeka even made all her lab minions vote for me throughout the day – and who doesn’t love a little abuse of power?!  Really, you all are amazing!

I initially offered up a hand-knit scarf and batch of cookies to four individuals if I won.  I can’t, however, just let this go without showing my appreciate.  Instead, I’ve decided to randomly select 5 individuals… and send you either a scarf or cookies (your choice).  I went ahead and entered all the names and number of times you said you voted into a big old spreadsheet (and those of you who submitted numerous votes without entering just to vote out of the goodness of your hearts – super big thanks to you too!!), and went on over to random.org and let it chose the numbers.

These numbers correspond to…

Josie
The History Enthusiast
Psych Post Doc
Costing Anon
thesciencegirl

If that’s you, send me an email (link is on the menu bar under ‘contact’), let me know if you’d like either a scarf or cookies, and I’ll be in touch to get the details!

Winners have until January 31st to claim their prize; otherwise, I’ll re-draw a new name.

Big hugs to everyone who voted!

BIG, HUGE Favor!

Remember just a few weeks ago when I posted about the new camera bag for which I was lusting? I mean, seriously, seriously drooling? But cannot purchase for myself because Husband is desperate to pay off his mega-medical school debt ASAP?

Well, I’ve entered to win one. And I need your help.

See, here’s the thing. There are a ton of entries. Literally, hundreds. Two winners, who acquire the most votes, will receive a brand new gorgeous camera bag. My poor Canon, carelessly shoved into tote bags, overnight bags, and carry on suitcases, is quivering in delight at the thought of a proper home.

There’s a lot of people trying to win this bag, so this is where I shamelessly beg for your vote.

To vote, go here, scroll down to the first poll, and vote for me -- #95. (You can detour and read my resolution first if you so desire… I think it’s a good one!). And, per the rules, you can vote as many times as you want. Which means after you vote, you just click on “Return to Poll” and click on 95 again, if you so desire. You can vote as many times as you want between right now and noon (CST) Friday, January 8th.

I wish I could offer some amazing reward for voting for me, like a hefty gift card to Banana Republic. Since the reason I am trying to win the bag is because I cannot afford to purchase the bag… that would be rather contradictory. But what I can do is make things… specifically, warm cozy knitted things and tasty baked goods things. So, if you vote for me, comment on this post for each time you vote (honor system) and if I win, I will randomly choose 4 individuals and make you a custom scarf and a batch of cookies. Vote for me 30 times, have 30 chances to win. Of course, if you simultaneously happen to be a knitter and have an overload of scarves AND are anti-cookies, you can just vote out of the goodness of your heart without having to enter. (And, even if I don’t win, I am sure I will randomly select a few individuals to thank you anyway!).

Thank you, thank you, thank you, from your favorite poor disgruntled graduate student.

(Note: Due to shipping costs, I will send a scarf anywhere in the world, but only those in the continental US will receive cookies.)

2009: A (Personal) Year in Review

Yeah, yeah.  I know.  Everyone is already over the whole new year thing, and the train has already left the station.  But, suffice to say,  the end of 2009 and start of 2010 has been a bit… less that desirable, and I am running a bit behind here.  December was plagued with no electricity, followed by a plumbing valve issue in which,  no joke, my toilet started spewing soapy water like a geyser (that was a fun one to clean up), and of course, leaving me without water for 2 days while the condo plumbing was searched for problems.  Then, my laptop bit the dust (it had been having problems, so fortunately everything except my Lightroom custom presets were backed up)… and this week, my desktop decided to stop connecting to the internet.  And today was the icing on the cake – received a call from the condo manager that water was leaking from my unit into the basement.  He searched our bathroom and couldn’t find any problems from this end, but tomorrow they are turning off all the water to the building and tearing out drywall to see if they can locate a problem.  Awesome.

So, that said, things are running a little behind.  Here is my belated personal year in review – later this week, I’ll do a lab (lack of) progress year in review!

January 2009:

Every year, the best part about January was attending the Pennsylvania State Farm Show – a giant indoor affair in which farmers from across the state bring their prize livestock, tractors, and produce for competition.  The Farm Show Arena is mere miles from my house, so despite the traditional “Farm Show Blizzard” we would always make the trek to visit the animals and eat the amazing food (personal favorites include fried mushrooms, mushroom soup, vanilla milkshake, and potato doughnuts).  This year, we took Husband for his first farm show!

 

We also braved the crowds and the cold and went to the Inauguration.  When you live in walking distance, how can you not go?

February 2009:

The beginning of February brought the Superbowl… and with it, a sixth Lombardi trophy for the Steelers.  So maybe we didn’t even make the playoffs this year… but at least we are still Sixburgh!  To celebrate the occasion, I threw a big Superbowl party…. complete with the amazing edible stadium.

March 2009:

In March, Husband and I, along with another friend, took a tour of the Naval Observatory.  It had been on my to-do list for quite a while, but tours are only offered a few Monday’s a year, so it’s something that needs to be scheduled far in advance.  We were all far more impressed than we thought we would be, and it was a crystal clear night, so they even broke out the gigantic telescope so we could check out Jupiter.  If you are in the DC area, I highly recommend checking out the Naval Observatory!

   

April 2009:

By the time April rolled around, Preppy Chemist had moved up to D.C. and was settling in, so I offered to take her on a cherry blossom monument tour.   Preppy Chemist moving up to D.C. was definitely one of the highlights of 2009 – someone who started as a casual blogging acquaintance has rapidly turned into one of my closest friends in DC!

May 2009:

In May, Husband and I attended two weddings in one day, on the weekend of our own anniversary.  It was quite a whirlwind, but we were thrilled to be able to attend both weddings!

First up, Husband’s friend from medical school was married in a nearby church and had a reception on a rooftop with a beautiful view of the Capitol!

 

Then in the evening, we attended the reception of our college roommates.  I lived with the bride and Husband lived with the groom the year they started dating, so I feel like I’ve been through their whole relationship, too!

And, of course, we celebrated our first anniversary!  Even though it fell on Memorial Day, we both had to work, but we were able to take some time out to go to a dinner at Bourbon Steak and have a few bites of our wedding cake afterward.

June 2009:

The end of May meant VACATION!  We spent 10 days through May and June traveling to Husband’s uncle’s house in Myrtle Beach, where we relaxed on the beach, took a day trip to Charleston, and visited my best friend on the way down and a good friend of ours from undergrad on the way back up.  The trip was a little bittersweet, though – as soon as we returned, Husband moved to Philadelphia for the rest of his radiology residency.  June was kind of the low point of the year – along with Husband, two of my closest friends from D.C. also moved away, and I was left without my husband and my girlfriends.

   

On the upside, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup and we spent a weekend back in my hometown for the Harrisburg Brewer’s Fest – aka “drinking for charity”!  Every year, downtown Harrisburg sponsors a big festival, closes off a few streets, and dozens and dozens of breweries show up with kegs upon kegs.  The proceeds go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and we spent the evening drinking lots of beer!  My two best friends from home came as well, and we had a great time.

July 2009:

July was a really uneventful month.  I started the first of what will be many Greyhound disastrous trips to Philadelphia, but mostly I used my newfound free time to crank out more experiments in the lab.

August 2009:

August started out with the family concert – Husband, my Mother-in-Law, my parents, and I all went to the Billy Joel/Elton John concert in Philadelphia.  It was the first time our parents were together since the wedding, and it was nice to have everyone together. 

The lab also went berry picking at a local farm, kicking off an entire week of blackberry related recipes.  Mmmm…

September 2009:

September was also a relatively unremarkable month, mostly due to two weeks with swine flu.  I also had a biopsy done on a “totally healthy, normal mole” which I thought was the end of the story.  I did, however, return home over Labor Day, and was able to hang out with two of my favorite people!

October 2009:

Husband and I took a trip up to NYC to visit an old high school friend of his.  We spent the morning walking around Chelsea Market (home of the Food Network!) and Central Park, and then met his friend at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I also received news that the biopsy returned as melanoma in situ and would have to undergo more surgery to try to remove all the cancer cells before they spread.  26 years of avoiding the sun and always applying sunscreen… and my reward is melanoma.  Harumph.

November 2009:

November was the busiest month of the year… in a great way!  I was barely in lab (two thumbs up) because I spent 10 days in the Caribbean, came home for a night to do laundry, and was then off to Boston for my first conference (details to come).

  

December 2009:

The month started off with my melanoma surgery, and even now, 5 weeks later, my foot STILL has not healed.  In fact, just yesterday I had to return to have the wound cauterized, since the stitches dissolved.. and my foot is still bleeding through two gauze pads and my sock.  But, the pathology result did come back with clear margins, so even if takes another 5 weeks to heal, it will be worth it to be cancer-free!

We had our yearly Chrismukkah party in the beginning of December… maybe even our last Chrismukkah in DC!

And lastly, I rung in 2010 fun and low key… a couple friends, lots of classic board games, and a plethora of alcohol.  I think we had way too much to drink by the time Life rolled around, because there were lots of “drunk driving” accidents!

So… what will 2010 bring?  Who knows, but I’m up for the adventure.  Hopefully, however… it will include a Ph.D.!  Disgruntled Julie, Ph.D. has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?