Conflicted

Today, sitting in my mailbox, were information packets about Ohio State University and Indiana University law schools. My older sister Rachel thinks that I would make a good lawyer and know that idea has begun to grown on me, hence the info on law schools. Both that packets were really informative and got me kinda excited about law school. On the other hand, I'm nervous about applying. I'm not saying that getting into grad school was really easy but applying to law school is much more intense and competitive. Not to mention that law school is a lot harder. I'm also nervous that everyone would be much smarter than me. And that the first day of law school is going to be like this:

Monsterous

The book for this week's review is the Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi. The book tells the story of the search for the "Monster of Florence", a serial killer of several couples in Florence over about a 15 year period. Mario Spezi is a crime journalist that covered the Monster killings for the onset and as a result is considered an expert on the crimes. Douglas Preston (an author of thrillers) moves to Florence with his family and learns (from Spezi) that the house that he has rented is near the site of one of the killings perpetrated by the Monster of Florence. Preston and Spezi decide to write a book about the killings and discover that the people of Florence have a short-term memory when is comes to the killings. And that was the most interesting part about the crime because it was never really resolved (not everyone was convinced that the murder was caught). It was interesting to hear about the investigation and how it was so obviously shaped by the people in charge. And how the Italian government (and the police force) can control the press (journalist can be charged for hampering prosecution through the press). But I did learn a cool Italian term. During one (of the many trials about the Monster of Florence), one of the friends of the suspect keeps saying that he doesn't know the suspect very well, they were just "picnicing friends" and to this day, this term is used to described friends that are involved in sordid doings. I enjoyed this book that explored a well know European crime that is not known very well in the US and apparently Thomas Harris borrowed some the details about the Monster of Florence for his Hannibal Lector novels. And this book made the news when Mario Spezi was arrested and jailed for crimes relating to the Monster of Florence (which just shows how sensitive to these crimes).

Wigfield Wigout!

This week's book for review is Wigfield by Amy Sedaris, Paul DiNello and Stephen Colbert. These same three people were involved with the TV show "Strangers with Candy" and if you have ever seen that show, that will prepare you for the type of dysfunctional humor in Wigfield. The story begins with a author (Russell Hoakes) receiving an advance for a book about the disappearing small town in modern America. As he attempts to write a novel containing 50,000 words (and burning through his advance) he stumbles upon a quasi-shanty town of mortuaries and topless bars at the base of a huge dam. The dam is scheduled to be destroyed and the town of Wigfield it so be flooded. So Russell goes around interviewing the people of the town and trying to help save the town. The town is beyond dysfunctional (ignoring the fact that there are 3 mayors for a town that is not actually a town) partially due to the defunct plutonium disposal canal that makes to ground temperature about 120 degrees (therefore pets and children are not recommended). I found the book hilarious but this may partly be due to the fact that I listened to the book on CD (and read by the authors) so part of the hilarity was due to delivery of the lines. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Strangers with Candy or the work of David Sedaris.

Review in two

This is my first blog post on my new fancy laptop that arrived on Friday afternoon (and Lucy and Vaughn arrived about 5 hours later). After finding out that I needed to charge the pump for the airmatress, Lucy and Vaughn stayed in my room and I slept on the couch. On Saturday, we went to Lehmans (in Kidron) and Lucy was impressed /overwhelmed by the size and selection of the store. Afterward, we have lunch a local Amish restaurant and then returned back to my apartment. Lucy worked on setting up the laptop while I worked on dinner (we had naan and chicken with tandoori marinade). She had some problems getting the internet figured out (included a evening trip to Wal-mart to get a wireless router and a call to my internet provider on Sunday morning) but she got it set up and now I can use my laptop any where in my apartment. During the times we could get Vaughn to actully sleep, we talked or watched season 4 of The Office, episodes of Dead Like Me or Portiot mysteries. Vaughn has been pretty good during the weekend although he has been going to bed much later that he should (he finally fell asleep about 10pm tonight) after waking up three times last night. I was able to get him back to sleep for a little while longer so I could make stuffed french toast for Lucy after their morning nap. Hopefully he sleeps better tonight and Lucy is hoping to time her leaving tomorrow so he is at his maximum goodness. Good Luck! I will be posing a book review tomorrow (I took a personal day at work so I could have some extra time with Lucy and Vaguhn in the morning).

PEGGY: Teach me to walk.
COTTON: You ready to hate me more than you ever hated anyone in your life?
PEGGY: I already do.
COTTON: Then we're halfway there.

Cheesetastic

This week's review (only one day late) will be about Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch. The novel is about two elderly cheesemakers (Corrie and Fee) in Ireland (County Cork) looking for two people to take over their business. And two such people arrive in the form of Kit, an American trying to recovery after the death of his wife, and Abby, Corrie's granddaughter returning to Ireland from the south Pacific after leaving her philandering husband. The plot was relatively simple and slightly predictable (and honestly not enough talk about actul cheesemaking). Despite this, these novel was not without its charms mostly due to the Irish characters (and the fact that Father Ted gets mentioned). I enjoyed the book, I didn't love it, but it was interesting.

Dust off your drug nicknames!

I had drug training yesterday at work and at the end of the training we played Jeopardy with the basic premise of how well do you know your drug lingo. One the my favorite running jokes on King of the Hill is Bobby's excessive knowledge of drug information due to drug prevention lectures at school (and sex ed lectures). And apparently, it's been awhile since my last health class because there were some nicknames that I did know (including that I didn't know what black tar heroin looks like which I think is a good thing).

HANK: Hey there, Bobby. I guess they found a cure for the cooties? Heh, heh, heh.
BOBBY: I don't know. What are cooties?
HANK: Well, when I was a boy, that's what they called the germs you got from girls.
BOBBY: Oh, you mean like chlamydia?
HANK: Huh?

BOBBY: I have to do all the work because Dad's new employee is a drug addict.
HANK: Now Bobby, Leon's a little slow on the draw, but that doesn't mean he's on drugs.
BOBBY: You gotta trust me on this. When you've heard as many former athletes lecture at your school as I have, you get to know all the signs.

HANK: Now, I know we've talked a lot about how you should never do drugs, but from now on you'll be taking medication after every meal.
BOBBY: So, do I smoke it or snort it?
HANK: It's a pill, Bobby.
BOBBY: So I guess I'll just pop it.

Serve the People!

The book for this week's review is "Serve the People" by Yan Lianke. The novel is set in China in 1967 after the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The story recounts an affair between the wife of a Division Commander in the Army and a house servant and ramifications of the affair against the backdrop of repressive Communist China. Due to the nature of the story, the novel has banned in China (and considered unpublishable) but found an audience due to excerpts and discussion posted online (and thus found an American publisher). The novel gives a really interesting inside view of Communist China following the Cultural Revolution. One of my favorite time periods to read about is post World War II, mainly the 50s and the 60s, since the end of the war really created a power vacuum in Eastern Europe (it doesn't hurt that I've had two really good teachers for classes about this period that I took at the Academy and Purdue). And I love reading banned books! Besides the sexual nature of the story, the Chinese government says the novel slanders the Army and Mao Zedong. It especially interesting to read a novel about China during the height of the Communism now in the context of China's increasing involvement in the world economy and politics (not to mention becoming a more capitalist society).

I'm hoping to read all of Richard Price's Lush Life this week, but since the novel it pretty long, I may be reviewing a previously read book, I'm thinking maybe Jane Eyre or Villette or possibly one of my favorite books ever Catherine Called Birdy.

People in Columbus must be losing their S

College football is certainly in full swing this weekend. I got the watch the Oregon/Purdue game (I've live close enough to Penn State that the Penn State game got shown on ABC). I was disappointed that Purdue lost (in the 2nd overtime) but they played a really solid 1st quarter (I was afraid that the game would not even be close). I saw that Michigan was beat by Notre Dame (I'm always torn which team to root for, but in the end I always want a Big Ten team to win, especially since Notre Dame insists on being an Independent for football but not any other sport). Since I live only about an hour from Columbus, lots of people from work are alumni of Ohio State (about 75% but there are 3 other people who went to Purdue). At about 4 yesterday, some people were talking about the Ohio State/USC game tonight. I will admit that I miss going to Purdue games with Lucy (or Bridget and Orrin). Sometimes it was annoying sitting in the student section with drunk people throwing water bottles (or worse). But one year Lucy and I had really good seats on the 30 yard line right behind the Purdue bench. There is just something so cool about thousands of people cheering (and sneaking in water or hot chocolate and not paying $5 for a drink).

HANK: Don't let them tease you too much. Remember, you're the mascot, not the placekicker.

2 for 1

I didn't write a book for last week so this week I am going to review 2 books. First up is Austenland by Shannon Hale. The premise of the book is an Austen addict attempt to overcome her obsession with Mr. Darcy by having one last hurrah at a vacation spot that recreates the Austen universe (including the manor house (a la Mansfield Park), costumes and a ball (a la every Austen novel except Mansfield Park). Now when I first heard about this novel I really wanted to read because I was curious if or how the author would work in some of Austen's themes and plot points. She did but not very well. There are a few subplots and the main plot line that are borrowed from Austen but the introduction of them is so clunky that it doesn't really work. And the are some subplots that are so obviously from Austen that you wonder why the heroine doesn't immediately recognize them (and is puzzled about what is going for several frustrating chapters). The dialogue between the hero and heroine that is supposed to be in the Austen universe doesn't have the same spark.
The second book (and first non-fiction book) is Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (an evolutionary biologist). In this book, Diamond attempts to explain that dominant ancient civilizations were a product of environmental factors rather that any inherent intellectual or genetic advantage. It was really interesting because Diamond not only discussed topics like better land farming (like the Fertile Crescent) but domestication of local plant and species, geographic barriers (like the Sahara Desert preventing the spread of technologies from the southern part of Africa northward), infectious diseases (leading to decline of certain populations and the greater prevalence of diseases in groups with greater populations), and the willingness to adapt to new technologies (or be conquered). I never really thought in depth about domestication of local plants and animals but Diamond discusses that ancient peoples of Latin America and Australia were at a disadvantage because there were few local animal species that would be worthwhile to domesticate (or even could be domesticated). The book was really thought provoking (and well researched!)

You keep using that word

This scene from the Princess Bride totally describes an experience from work today. I've been working with this study director who keeps wanting to put in sentences/edits that don't make sense, specifically the term in lieu of in sentences. But today I wanted to check with him about an edit so I asked, "Do you mean taking into consideration the body weight losses in these animals?". He said "Isn't that what in lieu of means?" My response: "No."


"Your mother is a Spanish dictionary" - Peggy Hill

Movie Time

I spent time with some of my favorite cousins this past weekend and of course one of the movies that we watched together often was RAD and I have included a remixed trailer for your viewing pleasure.

Sock him one!

The novel for this week's review (slightly late!) is Winnifred Watson's "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day". The novel is about an out-of-work governess named Miss Pettigrew who is mistakenly sent to a singer named Miss LaFosse who is in need of a maid. Intially, Miss LaFosse's lifestyle clashes with Miss Pettigrew's ideals but Miss Pettigrew soon becomes indispensable to Miss LaFosse and her friends and viewed in this new light Miss Pettigrew decides to accept any new adventure that comes her way. It reminded me a little bit of Auntie Mame, it's never to late too start to live! live! live! The novel was first published in 1938 but went out of print at some point. In 2000, the novel was republished by Persephone Books, which is a publishing house that specializing in forgotten novels of the 20th century (mostly woman authors). I think that it is really cool that specialized publishers like this can thrive and introduce today readers to authors that would otherwise be forgotten ( and you can even suggest novels for the company to publish). Another really cool publishing house is Felony and Mayhem, which specializes in long ago murder mysteries usually from the UK, think more of Agatha Cristie than Mary Higgins Clark. I have a few books from Felony and Mayhem including two written by the wife of the former British ambassador to the United States. To read more about the books from Felony and Mayhem (and some from Persephone) you can visit this great bookseller called Bas Bleu (French for blue stocking which is a slang term for a woman who reads), they have really interesting books and gifts (including a useful reading pillow which I use every night when I read in bed).

Men In Film

Here is the really cool short of famous men in film (with beautiful cello music by Bach). I'm not sure if this is sad or not but I know almost all of them (once it got to James Cagney, there was only one that I could not name a film that I had seen the actor in). Although what is up with leaving out Orson Welles? Oh poor Harry Lime.

reboot

This past weekend, I drove home to celebrate Lucy's 27th birthday. But mostly it was an exercise cuteness for Ellis and Vaughn. When he is not spitting up, Vaughn is very smiley and just starting to giggle a little bit (we'll see if he starts giggling like his mother). And Ellis was pretty much obsessed with Vaughn. I would be feeding Vaughn a bottle and Ellis would be running around and every few minutes he would stop by the couch and say "Baby Vaughn" or "That's a baby". He wanted to hold Vaughn as well (which he did, but only when he was sitting) and hold Vaughn when Ellis was walking. Both of my nephews are getting so big! Lucy says that Vaughn is starting to outgrow his 3 month clothes (which means he can wear the awesome onesie I got for Lucy's baby shower!) and Ellis will need some fall/winter clothes in near future (so there is no chance I that will get him shorts that look like baby hot pants).

PEGGY: I was once one of the finest mothers in all of Texas, and now I can't even wipe a baby. And I have to watch those two, Cotton and Stupid, with their beautiful new baby that they don't even want!

Two Companions

The book for this week's review is Eva Moves the Furniture by Margot Livesay. The story centers on Eva, a young Scottish girl who mother dies during Eva's birth and she is raised by her father and his sister. When Eva turns six, she begins to see these two companions, an old woman and a young girl, who profoundly help shape Eva's life adding both positive and negative influences in her life. The companions allow for a novel that mixes the possibility of supernatural/external forces that effects choices the we make and our own internal forces or the question of free will. The prose is beautifully written and the plot is both heartbreaking and life affirming. I can't recommend this book highly enough as it is thought-provoking and memorable.

And I am older than:

I am younger than:

Going for Olympic Glory in Shorty Short Shorts

The 2008 Summer Olympics started on Friday. I love the Olympics probably because I remember staying up late watching the gymnastics all-around in 1992 with Lucy or in 1996 when my cousins and I were obsessed with the gymnastics (for several reasons, including that we like to make fun of John Tesh who had no idea what was going on and we thought that Tim Dagget looked like Pee Wee Herman). So I watched women's volleyball and swimming during the weekend and I stayed up to watch the prime time coverage on Monday including the swimming finals and coverage of the men's gymnastics final. Does anyone else think that the IOC/FIG should just get rid of the men's floor exercise (although Lucy does do a hilarious impression of a male gymnast during a floor routine)? It is totally pointless and the moves that they use to transition between tumbling passes and the least masculine moves ever. Not to mention they men perform the routine in really short shorts that just look ridiculous. The high bar and the pommel horse are way more interesting and the men get to maintain their dignity by being allowed to wear pants ( one of the American gymnast had chicken legs that were super pale, he looked like Hank Hill).

HANK: What's it gonna be, doctor? Whirlpool? Deep-heat massage? Or are you just gonna tell my son to play through the pain, because I'll support that.

Finally...

For anyone who has every seen the episode of The Office in the second season where Michael accidentally grills his foot on a George Foreman grill by attempting to have bacon ready to eat in the morning, you will be pleased to know that there is a prototype for a Wake n Bacon Alarm Clock. Just place a strip of frozen bacon in the clock the night before, the bacon starts cooking about 10 minutes for the alarm goes off and ta-da cooked bacon.

LUANNE (on Ritalin): Welcome home. I cooked you brunch and I tuned your car and I fixed your mower and I ate the brunch.

Twilight is a no go

Let me preface this review by stating that I enjoy the occasionally children's/teen novel. I love the Harry Potter series and enjoy Artemis Fowl series (the first book of which accompanied Lucy and I on our trip to Europe and was read at least four times in total, once aloud to Lucy in hostel in Brussels). So please don't think that my dislike for the book "Twilight" is due to a dislike of all books in this genre. The reason that I read "Twilight" is because there was a lot of comparisons in media between Harry Potter and this novel. The premise of the novel is a romance between a teenage girl and a vampire. And I hated it. The plot was not very interesting or compelling and the characters were rather one-dimensional or at least they did not give the appearance of any depth (or maybe didn't interest me enough to want to think about any hidden depths). The "heroine" was a bit to much damsel in distress for me (I swear there is a reference to her being klutzy) and has some self-confidence issues and the "hero" seemed a bit to prissy and a milquetoast. And occasionally the dialog bordered on teenage melodrama. I rather reread Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, A Wrinkle in Time or any of the several hundred better written novels for children/teens.

Robert Mitchum Continues to Terrify Me!

In a previous post, I mention that watching Robert Mitchum in The Night of the Hunter freaked me out to no end. Well tonight I watched Cape Fear (the good one with Gregory Peck) and I don't think I have ever be so terrified of a movie villain. He is so creepy because he kind of lumbers along and look a little drunk so you have no idea what he is going to do. I enjoy thrillers, but I hate when the hero has a gun and then hesitates to use it when they are being threatened. I'm just saying if a man is threatening to sexual assault your daughter and you have a gun would you a) run towards him and get into a physical altercation or b) shoot him in a way that will incapacitate him?

HANK: In case I'm incapacitated for any reason, do you know how to revive a man's heart with a downed power line?
BOBBY: No.
HANK: Well, there's really no wrong way to do it.

More Examples of My Nerdiness

A week or two ago, I thought it might be nice to have a set (of at least four) of mugs for visitors. So you may ask what kind of mugs did I get. Jane Austen mugs of course. Each mug has a quote for a Jane Austen novels (one from all six novels and a second quote from Persuasion). I thought about putting a picture up of all the mugs so everyone could guess what mug goes with what novel, but two of the mugs have the source novel listed.

During one of my visits back to the farm when I was living in Iowa City, my aunt, my mom, Lucy, Rachel and I went shopping for a wedding dress for Lucy. My aunt asked me what I liked about Iowa and the first thing I said was I liked that Iowa had a deposit on plastic, glass and aluminum so there was a lot more recycling than in Indiana. There is no deposit in Ohio by there is a conveniently located drop-off for recycling. They accept almost everything that can be recycled except they only accept no. 1 and 2 plastics. So now when I see that something is a no. 5 or 7 I get upset because I can't take it to be recycled!

PEGGY: Bobby, I'll have you know I consider myself one of the great environmentalists of our time.

MR. McKAY: Propane just perpetuates the whole culture of backyard barbecues. Paper plates. Plastic forks. Meat!
HANK: I've sold three grills today using those exact words, but with a more positive attitude.

7 months younger than Fraggle Rock, 1 year older than the Muppet babies!

Today is my birthday, and I turned 25. I can't believe how old I am! Okay, I'm not that old I know. I had a pretty uneventful birthday, I watched some movies, took out my recycling, went to the library and worked on two quilts (I finished piecing the top for yet another baby quilt, but this one is for a friend). My mom and sisters sent me a certificate for a class at the local YMCA and some clothes for a class (it will most likely be a yoga type class). And my mom sent me one of her cast iron pans (already seasoned! And the perfect size for cornbread!) filled with a birthday scotcharoo (thanks to John and Jen for bringing the pan to me). The scotchroo went great with the roasted chicken and potatoes (roasted with sage, garlic and rosemary, so delicious!). Bridget and Silas sent me a birthday card (designed by Silas) all the way from Ireland and Carol sent me a lovely card as well. Thanks everyone for you birthday wishes!

BOBBY (watching a dryer): Let's get this one. It's like watching TV, only the show is about wet clothes.

Review No. 2

For this week's review, I going to discuss the book "I Was Told There Would Be Cake" by Sloane Crosley, which is a collection of essays in the similar vein of authors like David Sedaris or David Rakoff who write essay about their own (and by extension their families) neurosis and idiosyncrasies. I enjoyed a majority of the essays, they weren't as funny or outlandish as those by David Sedaris but also none were as sad as some of his essays. The majority of the essays in the book are about single life in New York like balancing jobs that don't really go anywhere, moving to a new apartment, and dealing with possible illnesses. There are a few essays that I really identified with about growing apart from friends from high school and feeling guilty about spending less time with some of your friends. I know that there are some days when I feel like I haven't made an effort to stay in contact with people that I spent time with everyday in high school or shared interests with in college. Overall, the book was quite enjoyable and I recommend getting it from the library (maybe not buying it).

Don't worry, I won't be posting only book reviews, there will be a regular post in the next few days!

My Favorite Jane Austen

As I have mentioned before, Jane Austen in one of my favorite authors ever. And while "Pride and Prejudice" is her most famous, it is not my favorite book. My favorite Jane Austen book is her last book "Persuasion". The story is about Anne Eliot, the middle daughter Sir Walter Eliot. The story opens with, after years of financial mismanagement, the Eliots have decided to rent their family home (rather than retrench or cut back on expenses) to Admiral Croft who has returned home (very wealthy) from the recent Napoleonic Wars (this is on of the few novels of Jane Austen that mentions the wars that occurred during her lifetime). Sir Walter and his favorite daughter Elizabeth(the eldest), both of whom are extremely snobby and concerned about social position, and leaving to live in Bath (and take Mrs. Clay with them, the daughter of Sir Eliot's solicitor and friend of Elizabeth who hopes to marry Sir Eliot) leaving Anne to finish preparing the house for Admiral Croft and his wife before visiting her younger sister Mary (a hypochondric) who lives with her husband and children near her (Mary's) in-laws in a house called Uppercross Hall. Is it here at Uppercross Hall that Anne meets and befriend the Crofts and is reunited with her former finance (who happens to be Mrs. Croft's brother), Captain Fredrick Wentworth, also made wealthy by his involvement in the Napoleonic wars. Eight years before, Anne and Fredrick had been engaged (he was a poor naval officer at the time) and Anne was persuaded (hence the title) by her neighbor (and friend of her mother who had passed away in Bath, causing Anne to dislike spending time in Bath) Lady Russell to refuse Fredrick and break the engagement. I don't want to go to in depth with the plot because I don't want to ruin your enjoyment of the book. The reason I love this book more than something like Pride and Prejudice or Emma is because it incorporates so many recurring themes in the other novels and presents those themes very well. When I took a class about Jane Austen, we often discussed how Austen presented ideals that were common in the evolving middle class, namely marrying for love and not money and determining a person's "internal" worth. I wrote a paper about how the heroine often creates a "family" that personifies these ideals. I think that the family that Anne constructs for herself (specifically because her own family is not very supportive) is one of the best representation of this family with middle class ideals. The dichotomy between the haughty and snobby Eliots (Walter and Elizabeth) and the Crofts (and Fredrick) makes this very clear. On one hand there are the Eliots who are unable or unwilling to change despite that they are destroying their very way of life by refusing to live within their means and on the other the Crofts, who have built their lives based on their own skills. And I think that Anne is the most mature and well drawn Austen heroine. She is aware that she was persuaded wrongly to refuse Fredrick and she remains constant to him even though there may be little hope that he returns her affection. Anne is somewhat of an anomaly because she is oldest of all Austen heroines (at 27) and she is not described as a great beauty or outgoing (like Elizabeth Bennett or Emma Woodhouse), in fact is it often mentioned that Anne has lost her "bloom". And the same is true of Fredrick Wentwoth. He is not extremely handsome or overtly charming (like Darcy, Mr. Bingley, or Henry Tilney), he is much more reserved (like Anne) but as the reader you are never really in doubt of his feelings or motivation. I highly recommend this book to any Austen fan or anyone who enjoys novels set in the 1800s or who enjoys an interesting love story.

This is the first of my weekly book reviews, I will try to review a book every Friday (or during the weekend). I am hoping to do a mix of some of my favorite books and books that I have recently finished. I have recently joined Paperspine (which is like Netflix for books) so hopefully I will get a wide range of books read and reviewed (if you are interesting in starting Paperspine, let me know and I can tell you more about it).

From Mundane to Exciting

My weekend has been full of both mundane and (slightly) exciting. The mundane being the usual dropping off my recycling and paying some bills. But there were a few exciting things that I did this weekend. On Friday after work I went to Target to pick-up a few things and decided to go the Meijer to get a few groceries for the weekend. And now I am in love with that Meijer! It has a really good selection of international food include AeroMint bars from the UK which I love. Then on Saturday, I went to Lehman's for the first time. Firstly, the store is huge! Secondly, they have all sorts of things at the store from kitchen needs to hand tools. And they has so beautiful reproductions of stoves and refrigerators. The store is about 30 miles aways so I won't be going every weekend, but it would definitely be a place that I would take visitors. Today, I haven't done anything too exciting, I did make a cheesecake in the new springform pan I got at Lehman's. But it's still chilling so I haven't tasted it yet.

DALE (speaking into a tape recorder): Survival diary update: I have been drinking dewdrops found on the forest leaves, and I have been eating mushrooms and moss. Mostly mushrooms. My rabies has taken a turn for the worse. I am starting to hallucinate. When I close my eyes, I can see strange characters running around chasing colorful geometric shapes in a dark and infinite limbo. I have stopped closing my eyes. I fear I am going mad! (Dale's stick house collapses) Survival reminder: need hammer and nails. (Dale notices that his tape recorder has no batteries) Also batteries for tape recorder. (Dale throws his tape recorder away and speaks into a pine cone) Also need new tape recorder.

Because my nerdiness knows no bounds!

One of my favorite books is The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I bought my copy from Shakespeare and Company bookshop (it is stamped with the store name) in Paris during my senior year of high school. Every time I think about that book it reminds me of the summer before college, living in the little house and building our new house, reading the book and listening the The Invisible Band CD by Travis over and over again. My local library has a very good selection of books on CD (I listen to them at work), so I thought that I would see if they had a copy of The Woman in White on CD. But when I checked the catalog, the library only has one Wilkie Collins book (the still very good book The Moonstone, but that book it not as good as The Woman in White). So what did I do? I bought a copy of The Woman in White (from Amazon for about $6) for the explicit purpose of donating it to the library. Because I love this book that much. I am thinking about doing a weekly book review (on Fridays), so let me know if anyone would enjoy this or if I should just keep my opinions to myself!

HANK: I am a finely tuned ex-high school athlete. I spent four years holding guys like you upside down over toilets.
CANE: I don't care how many guys you held in the men's room, you still can't beat us.
HANK (to his friends): What do you say, you want to teach some punks a little respect?
BILL: Yeah!
DALE: Very little!

Admitted foolishness

I watched the first 2 seasons of Lost religiously, I mean every week, no talking, subtitles on so I wouldn't miss anything. And I would watch the summer reruns just so I wouldn't forget anything. Then came a big chunk of time between the 2nd and 3rd seasons and I forgot all the important stuff. Then the producers announced that they have decided that when the show was going to end and I thought great, I can just wait for the last season to come out and then I can watch all the seasons in a month long extravaganza. But when I went to the library on Monday, there it was the first season crying out "Watch me, you know you miss me! You know you want to!" And I did, I checked it out, and then instead of stretching it out during the week, I watched the whole thing on Saturday and Sunday. Damn you JJ Abrams, I'm hooked again! The library has seasons 2 and 3 as well which means once season 4 comes out (and I watch it) and I can be all caught up in time to watch the ending of the series on TV (there are two seasons left, with 17 episodes each, airing with no repeats). And honestly, I forgot how good the show was and how groundbreaking and innovating the structure of the show was when it first aired. I mean at this point it has so permeated popular culture, it's hard to think about what it was like way back in 2004 when it first aired.

HANK: You've got to think long-term, Bobby. Auto shop is where boys become the men that girls will want when they become women. It worked for me.
PEGGY: The proof is in the pudding. And I am that pudding.

Reunion rap-up

So, as mentioned the blogs of my family members, over the 4th of July weekend, I attended our family reunion. I had worked a few extra hours early in the week so I could leave work a few hours early on Thursday and Mom and Lucy (and Vaughn of course!) were nice enough to drive a little out of their way to pick me up and we got to drive through the Amish country together to Aunt Carol's house. I shared a room with Lucy and Vaughn the first night, but then I had a room for myself (I know how extravagant!). I had a wonderful time with everyone (and all the babies, there were 5 all together!). It rained almost everyday, but it was nice to sit out on Carol's porch in the cooler weather (even though there were a lot of mosquitoes!). I rode back to Ashland with Rachel and Bridget (we were only slightly smushed in the van until we dropped Orrin off the airport). But all in all, it was nice to have a few extra hours of visiting time with them, and the babies were quite well behaved. And then I will be heading to the farm next weekend to celebrate Silas's 3rd birthday!

PEGGY: I am field-tripping in an hour and I can't remember any good songs for the bus. What does that John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt do again?
BOBBY: He goes out, people shout. Not a lot more is known about him.

That guy!?!?

That is what I exclaimed when I saw the end of "In the Heat of the Night". Since I've watched so many episodes of Law and Order and read so many Agatha Christie mysteries, I can usually pick up on certain clues and at least have an inkling of the ending. But not with this movie, even so I enjoyed it. I like Sidney Poitier at lot, but I must say I enjoy him more in movies like To Sir with Love and Lilies of the Field than The Defiant Ones and In the Heat of the Night. I also finally saw the PBS adaptation of Mansfield Park, which was better than the BBC Adaptation of Persuasion, but not as good as the Andrew Davies adaption of Northanger Abbey (or Pride and Prejudice). I couldn't believe how much Mansfield Park got compressed (to only 1 and 1/2 hours!). Of all Austen novels, Mansfield Park is my least favorite mostly because I think that Fanny is the hardest heroine to like. And I also have problems with Edmund (the hero), he kind of a milquetoast and completely obvious to that fact that Fanny is in love with him. This plot device sometimes drives me crazy which is odd because some books that I really like have that as part of the story ( for example Roger and Molly in Wives and Daughters and David and Agnes in David Copperfield). But that could be because the secondary characters are more interesting than those in Mansfield Park (which is another reason that Mansfield Park is my least favorite, the secondary characters in that book are boring and not very likable).

"The clock radio smells like my Game Boy, but it tastes like my library card. I wonder if it smells different when it's on?" - Bobby

Weekend gone by

This past weekend, I visited Rachel, Trey, and Ellis mostly to be a companion to Rachel while Trey was at a networking function for most of the weekend. I helped Rachel run errands (and reign in Ellis) on Saturday and then we met Trey downtown for a delicious dinner at a place that specializes in Central American cuisine (I had some really good tamales with excellent guacamole). And then Rachel and I watched a movie while Trey put Ellis to bed. We also watched episodes of the Simpsons from the first season (back when the show was still really funny and well written). Since I have moved, I've been looking for a nice sized table for my sewing/guest room. On Sunday, Rachel took me to Ikea (the first time I'd ever been there) and helped me pick out both a table and a really nice chair (that is really comfortable, which will be nice when I am quilting on the frame). i finally finished putting it together (I broke down and purchased a screw gun, my arm got tired) so here a picture of my swanky new set-up:















The trunk to the right of the table is the trunk that I found at a garage sale over Memorial Day weekend that is now full of quilting fabric (and the plant is basil, this room gets some really good sun during the day).

DOCTOR COLE: Just have your office send over your worker's compensation forms, and I'll sign off on them.
HANK: Worker's comp? Do I look like a hobo to you? No, sir, I am not going on welfare.
DOCTOR COLE: If you insist on working, I'll write you a prescription for pain medicine.
HANK: Whoa there, Dr. Feelgood, I work at a propane dealership, not Woodstock.
DOCTOR COLE: Then I'm sorry, but all Western medicine can really offer you are drugs and nothing. But some people have had good luck with yoga. I hear there's a studio over in McMaynerbury.
HANK: Yoga? Isn't that a cult?
DOCTOR COLE: The group that rented the space before them was a cult. That's probably what you're thinking of.

Someone please explain to me

It is getting pretty hot here and as a result a strange phenomenon that I never understand is back: men driving without shirts on. Where are they going? They obviously are not going to any business or running errands. So does the heck are they doing or going? The only thing that I can think of is these men are just driving around for fun which is another thing that I don't get. It could be that living in a very small town where driving down the main drag lasts for about 3 minutes (5 if you really want to slow down) has led me to missing the appeal of cruising.

HANK: Boomhauer, where'd everybody go?
BOOMHAUER: Yeah, man, I tell you what, man, I took Dale to the dang ol' truck... muffler fallin' off, man, ain't got no brakes, sparks flyin' everywhere... I told him, man, you wanna fix that thing, use dang ol' duct tape, man.
HANK: What? They took Bobby to Snapz?

That fact is only increasing my contempt

I've been really stressed the past two days at work, trying to get a report finalized and mailed to the client. I finally got it done today, but not without much gnashing of teeth. The report was not mine, I was finishing it for a writer who has since transferred back to the department he came from (he in fact had never finalized a report and his supervisor was really busy, so there were several of my co-workers finishing the writer's work). For about 5 minutes, I was worried that I wouldn't get the report done today, but fortunately one of my co-workers knew exactly how to fix the problem (and he asked me if this was a report that belonged to a writer who left which led to the comment that was used for the title). One good thing about this mess was now I know how to fix this problem in the future.


"Do it, you monkey boy! I'm the boss of you!"-Jimmy Witchard

Exciting Weekend

This past weekend, I drove three hours to Ann Arbor to celebrate Memorial with Rachel and family and my parents. We all went to some garage sales on Saturday, where I got this really cool trunk, a picture, and some quilting fabric. And then mom and I helped Rachel (and Ellis to a lesser extent) clean and organize some of her stuff downstairs. Then on Sunday (when Mom, Dad, and Trey were on their back from the hardware store) Lucy called to let us know that Vaughn was on his way, and only 11 days early!! He looks so cute in the pictures on her blog, but I want to know where are mother/baby pictures? So after hearing about my newest nephew and spending lots of time with Ellis and everyone else, I headed back to Ashland on Monday afternoon. The drive to Ann Arbor is not too long (and according to Rachel, I will be making this trip monthly). And now I can't wait to meet little Vaughn Charles!

BOBBY: I hope Grandpa treats the baby better than he treats you.
DIDI: Oh, he will, Bobby. Until the baby crosses him.

Movie Reviews

Last Saturday I went to the movies to see Iron Man, which I really enjoyed. I've just recently started to like Robert Downey Jr.'s movie, and he was really well cast in the role. But as much as I enjoyed that movie, it was not the best movie I have seen in the last week. That would be the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. The novel is about a woman who moves with her family from the agricultural south to the industrial north and gets involved in the struggle of the millworkers. I've read Wives and Daughters and really enjoyed the novel, so I figured I would like North and South and I was right. It was really well acted and the cinematography, especially the scenes in the mill, was really beautiful. Right after I finished the movie, I wanted to watch it all over again. And I wanted to start reading the book immediately. Even more, I am willing to try reading Charlotte Bronte's Shirley, which also takes place with the backdrop of a cotton mill. I took a class at Purdue all about the Bronte sisters and I read all the books except for Shirley. Try as I might, I just could not get through the last third of the novel (but that was probably due to the fact that I thought that the story had come to a successful conclusion but Charlotte did not a tacked one another 150 pages although I did learn the about Luddites, which is a reference I like to use from time to time). So next time I'm at the farm, I will have to remember to bring it back with me.

"Hank, this is hard. And Bill's not carrying my share of the load." - Dale

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers (and mothers to be) that I know and love (and there are a lot of them!). You all are amazing!

PEGGY: It is my day -- I should be able to do anything I want.
HANK: Not anything. You can't kill a man. Then you'd go to prison. And with that attitude, they'd put you in the hole.

HANK: Peggy's just not like you, I guess. You devoted your whole life to raising me, and let's be honest, you loved every second of it.
TILLY: Well, actually, I took odd jobs as often as I could, just to get out of the house. Don't you remember the year I drove a taxi?
HANK: No. Wait, I remember one year you had a yellow car.

Many apalogies

I know I haven't posted in a while, I really don't have a good excuse other than I am sick, but that is just this week. Last Thursday, I went to the This American Life event in Mansfield which was great. There were clips from the upcoming season of the TV show (on showtime) as well as outtakes from the first season and stories that never made it on the show and a question and answer session at the end of the show that was really interesting. But what I didn't except was that a girl from work was there. We both didn't except to see someone that we knew so that was a nice surprise. We chatted before the show started and we talked about how much we both like listening to NPR and podcasts (and she recommend this great podcast called RadioLab which I started to listen to today, and it was really good). Then on Friday after work, I drove home to the farm to celebrate Mother's Day a little early (with Rachel and family). I had a nice weekend at home, even though we worked the cows and Rachel and I mucked out the goat stall. And I got to spend lots of time with Ellis (and he was so tired, it was very easy for me to put him down for a nap/bed). On the downside, I think he gave me his cold. But I don't feel so bad now, earlier this week I had a sore throat and I felt really tired. Work is still going pretty well, it's a little more intense over the next few weeks because I have a lot of stuff due (and a few of the studies that I am writing up are a bit more interesting because the is some actual toxicity in the study unlike the previous studies I worked on).

"All his dreams from now on are gonna be about leaving. And then some high school guidance counsellor is gonna tell him to follow his dreams. Then how will he end up? A fruit pie salesman with a whoopie cushion living in Wichita Falls." - Hank

Extra points to who ever can identify the source of the title of this post!

Some poems for your Monday

This Is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

And spoofs of the poem:
Variations on a Theme by William Carlos Williams
by: Kenneth Koch

1
I chopped down the house that you had been saving to live in next summer.
I am sorry, but it was morning, and I had nothing to do
and its wooden beams were so inviting.

2
We laughed at the hollyhocks together
and then I sprayed them with lye.
Forgive me. I simply do not know what I am doing.

3
I gave away the money that you had been saving to live on for the next ten years.
The man who asked for it was shabby
and the firm March wind on the porch was so juicy and cold.

4
Last evening we went dancing and I broke your leg.
Forgive me. I was clumsy and
I wanted you here in the wards, where I am the doctor!

"Yeah, I'll get them to do something nice for each other! That's even better than my plan of turning them both against Luanne!" -Bobby

Reviews

Today, I went to a place that I thought no longer existed, the discount theater. That's right, there is a dollar theater in Mansfield. So today, I saw Penelope which was pretty good. I recognized a lot a British stars, besides Richard E. Grant, Lenny Henry (from Chef!) and Nick Frost (from Hot Fuzz! and Shaun of the Dead (the heavier set guy) so that to me is the mark of a good movie. The theater isn't to far away, and the movies that are shown there are a better good selection of big budget movies (like National Treasure 2) and more independent movies (like Penelope and Be Kind Rewind). There is a second theater is Mansfield as well that shows first-run movies and there have a lot of special events (like Met Opera showings and a This American Life live event (which I am going to!). And tonight, I watched the Turner Classic Movie Essential: The Night of the Hunter. I don't think that I like Shelly Winters (but that could be the result of the movies of hers that I have seen, like Patch of Blue where she plays a horrible woman). But Robert Mitchum scares the crap out of me, because of this movie, and because I have the parts of Cape Fear where he is particularly menacing (if you have seen this movie, you know what I am talking about!). I liked the movie, but it made me cry because I just felt so sorry for the little boy John.

PEGGY (singing):
Fan Fair can be Fun Fair,
But if you don't wait your turn in line,
Well, that's unfair!

Future Plans

So I decided that I would start swimming a few days a week for some exercise (and stress-relief). For awhile, I thought that I wouldn't be able to find a pool in Ashland (I thought that I would have to drive to Mansfield and I couldn't figure out if I could actully use the Ashland University pool). But then I remembered that I could look for a local YMCA. And it turns out that there is one not to far from my apartment. And even better, there is open adult laps swims everyday from 6-7:30 am and 5-6pm, which means I can swim right before/after work. So next week, I am going to get my membership and start swimming. I am really looking forward to it, especially since there is already lap swims scheduled for people so I don't have to try and avoid kids playing.

BOBBY: Dad, I know what I want to do with my life. I can be a motivator. All I need to do is find a field where I have no potential. Hm. I'd make a terrible dam-builder.
HANK: Why don't you just try to be good at something?
BOBBY: Don't try to motivate a motivator, Dad.

Few and far between

I know that I should post more, I have been meaning too, really. I'll play catch-up a little bit by blogging about last weekend when I went to my aunt Carol's house for Easter. I had Friday off from work so I drove to her farm, and I went the "back-way" on route 250 which was a very nice scenic drive. My cousin Jacob and his wife Jessica (who I never met before Easter weekend) over for dinner on Friday night (we had some very good chicken enchiladas). And then my cousin Elizabeth and her husband Rob and new baby Robert came to Carol's on Saturday afternoon and we all had fun making food for lunch on Sunday and holding the baby! And we decorated eggs on Saturday night (which I haven't done in a few years) while waiting for Rachel and family to arrive at the farm. They arrive a little after 10:30 and I helped them all settle in and kept Scout with me in my room. Then on Sunday, we had a very nice meal (for which I made apple pies, scalloped potatoes, and cinnamon rolls). And I headed back to my apartment in the late afternoon, driving back on the interstate which was not a bad drive back either. I want to thank Carol for her wonderful hospitality over the Easter weekend and I will be sure to visit her often (including to coming to help bake/decorate cookies for the famous cookie walk after Thanksgiving).

"You're the lead monkey on the back of this ostrich." - Buck Strickland

Making up

Okay, so I am making up for lack of posts by having two posts in one day. I heard a book review of a book about a Cleveland radio station (the Buzzard) that played a major role in introducing new rock and roll artists. And as a result this was in my head all day:

"Why don't you have the girl turtle fall in love with a boy turtle. See then the song it about something." - Hank

Everyday grind

I know that I have been lagging in writing post, but I assure you all that this is not due to being overworked, but lack of inspiration. Work is going pretty well, my 30 day review last week went fine and I think that the workload will start increasing a little bit in the near future (which is fine by me, I'm getting better/faster at writing reports.) I'm getting used to the hours as well (I'm actually home about 2 hours earlier than compared to grad school hours). In the evenings I mostly work on Lucy's baby quilt while listening to music/an old This American Life episode or watching Law and Order. So there is nothing to exctiing happening to me other than getting into a routine at work. But I will be heading back to the farm for Lucy's baby shower in a few weeks!

"I am a twelve year-old boy! I am this child's nephew! I cannot do this. I cannot do this! If anyone makes any dinner, I'll eat it, but that's it. All I'll do is eat!"-Bobby Hill

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Make sure you wear green and kiss an Irish person!


(I promise a full post soon!)

Some Sidewalk Chalk

I was watching CBS Sunday morning (I love Charles Osgood's bowties) and there was a story about an English artist named Julian Beever. He draws 3-D pictures on the sidewalk, but the pictures are only 3-dimensional when viewed through a camera. And here are some pictures:

If you want to see more you can visit Julian Beever's Website.

"Heck, Peggy, why don't you make the art? It can't be very hard. I mean, even the people who do it for a living don't seem very good at it." -Hank

The good thing about living in a complex with kids

someone gets to enjoy a snow day:

The little red things are roses.

"Mr. Hill, it's Hugh Jimmerson. My heat's gone out. I've tried wearing turtlenecks, but they make me look French."

Happy Bicentennial!

This is the 200th post to this blog! I can't believe that I have made that many posts and there are people who read it! I thought that for this post I would talk about two of my favorite things, my family and Jane Austen. As some of you may know, PBS has been airing the complete Jane Austen on Masterpiece every Sunday. In my opinion, the series got off to a rocky start with a poor adaptation of Persuasion, but improve greatly with a stellar Northanger Abbey (but I didn't see Mansfield Park but I heard it was not so good). But now the series in the best section with the great A&E/BBC version of Pride and Prejudice airing the last three weeks and next up will be the delightful Emma (also from A&E/BBC). So even though I have seen this version of P and P too many times to count, I watched it again. Watching it is bittersweet, because although I enjoy the movie a great deal, it makes me miss my mom and sisters. Of all the times that I have seen P and P, only once have I seen it without one member of my immediate family watching it with me. And being alone here in Ohio (and feeling a little lonely), I was happy to watch it, but I teared up more that once (including at the end, when I was also sad that it was over).

""I didn't know it was loaded" is not an acceptable excuse. "I wasn't there" or "I never met those people" are better excuses. When I was your age, I used to get so excited about hitting the target that I'd run right out onto the range. That's how I lost this thumb, and later, this eye. If it weren't for the NRA safety guidelines which I eventually accepted, I'd be a stub standing here before you."- NRA INSTRUCTOR

This is what I think about at work

Every time I read a protocol that has a section about resorptions (in terms of fetuses) all I can think about it the episode of "The Office" when Dwight talks about resorbing his twin in the womb (and now having the power of both a full grown man and a baby).

PEGGY: Hank, do you think I'll turn into one of those women you see at the Mega Lo Mart who wears white stretch pants and doesn't tuck in her shirt any more?
HANK: Not for many, many years.
PEGGY: Oh, so you've thought about this.

Gimme Six!

So my first week at the new job went pretty well. Reading the SOPs is boring, but I have been doing more relevant work. And next week I am attending 3 pre-study meetings (including one for a study I will be analyzing/writing the report). So that is exciting but kind of nerve wracking because I have no idea what I am supposed to do beyond having the study protocol read for the pre-study meeting. The department supervisor said I did a good job with the formatting test that I finished on Friday. I must say it is so strange to not have something to work on in the evening (homework, reading etc.). But now I have plenty of time to quilt and read for pleasure (right now I am rereading Northanger Abbey). And I read a little bit during my lunch break (I bring my lunch to work everyday, it reminds me of elementary school). Another nice thing about work is is that I can listen to my iPod often (so I get to keep listening to podcasts). And while I was listening to an NPR books podcast, I heard about this really interesting book about a six word memoir (for example "Like Charlie Brown, not as popular."). SMITH magazine collected six word memoirs from lots of people (both famous and not) . And you can read some of these submission by clicking here. My favorites are "brush with death, comb with life" and from Stephen Colbert: Well, I thought it was funny.

(From Hank's permanent record)
- Fourth grade: Kicked out of chorus for refusing to sing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?"
- Ninth grade: Told debate team to "shut the hell up."

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! And Happy James Taylor Day!!!

DALE (to his turtle): C'mon, I'm not leaving without my kiss. I can wait. I can destroy you.

First Impressions

So yesterday was my first day at work. It went pretty well, I got to meet all the people in my department, who all seemed nice. And it met my direct supervisor (who interviewed me) and she is very nice and helpful (and she is slowly easing me into the work). The past two days I have been reading SOPs (standard operating procedures) and putting together my training manual (including organizing it, my favorite section title "Guidelines for Describing Anomalies") I'm in the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology group (DART for short). And the company has lots of toxicology related seminars that I can attend (and many that look really interesting). I do get President's Day off next Monday so that is good. Well, I'll keep you all updated as the weeks progress.

LUANNE: Okay, we wave this sign around, and Jeff Gordon sees it. He comes up to us in the stands and is so taken by our charms that he asks one of us to marry him.
PEGGY: Well, honey, it probably won't be me. I have got a ring on my finger.
LUANNE: Yeah, and big feet.
PEGGY: I'm only ignoring that because a man is on fire.

Dispatches from Ohio

Yesterday, mom and dad moved me into me new apartment in Ashland. I have a nice sized two-bedroom apartment in a complex about 5 mins from work (and not to far from the university and downtown). I got internet installed (obviously). I plan on exploring Ashland (and a little bit of nearby Mansfield) at little bit this weekend (mostly finding the post office, the library etc.). My apartment is nicely furnished (all I really need is a sewing table). I will have some pictures posted soon.

PEGGY: The Thai food was Tammi's idea. The notion of taking it out was mine.
LUANNE: You know, someday I would like to travel through Thairabia and see those pyramids.

Each Brand New Arrival

Here is my surprise from the barn tonight!
Frappie had two little kids today, both female. Here is a picture of them nursing:

(The black one is in the back, so you might not be able to see her) They are not named yet, but we are open to suggestions.

PRINCIPAL MOSS: Teacher's statement...response from the parents...okay, looks like all our ducks are in a row. Peggy, you're fired.
PEGGY: But the Dooleys forgave me!
PRINCIPAL MOSS: Let's see -- there's nothing in here about forgiveness. There are procedures for administering legal spankings, which you violated at every turn, and there are procedures for terminating a teacher, which I followed to a T.

Finished!!!

I finally finished quilting Rachel's quilt. I have to put the binding on still, but that is the easiest part (mostly because my mom sews the binding on for me!!)

KAHN: She blinded me with science... doo, doo, doo! She blinded me... WITH SCIENCE!
HANK: Pretty good job, Kahn. I've never heard that song with only one note before.
KAHN: Yeah, it all about rhythm.

KAHN: Look how easy it is to get into this country. I can't believe I had to learn the Bill of Rights. When am I gonna use that?
DALE: You'd be surprised, Kahn. I take the fifth on a daily basis.

More Video Fun

This is a combination of two things I enjoy: my iPod and the show Daria

In the Good Old Days

Square One TV: The Mathematics Of Love

From back when I watched PBS after school everyday.

Out of Touch

PBS has started it's months long Complete Jane Austen last night with a sub-par adaptation of Persuasion. I thought it was horrible. The book was compressed so much into the 90 minutes that none of the secondary characters were explored at all and the main characters were barely explored. I thought neither actor in the roles of Anne or Captain Wentworth were well cast, not to mention that the actor in the role of Captain Wentworth didn't look old enough, and he didn't look like he was a navy captain. Overall I am very disappointed with this entry in the Masterpiece Classic. I think that the Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility adaptations will be much better solely on the fact that Andrew Davies, who did the wonderful adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in 1995 with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, is adapting those two novels. I can't say that I am surprised about the cutting down of Persuasion. I was very unimpressed with the recent PBS adaptation of Jane Eyre, specifically in the cutting and the casting. The movie was almost four hours long, so I felt they could explore more of the books. I didn't like the casting of Mr. Rochester; again I thought the actor was too young. Mom, Rachel, and I agreed that maybe PBS is trying to appeal to a wider audience. And this seems to mean compressing and making the movie more modern (you know showing how the novel is still relevant rather than allowing the reader/audience to make those connections on his/her own). So I guess PBS is no longer trying to appeal to people who have read the book before seeing the movie.

HANK (reading): "The elf-lord Flyfandel knelt upon the bed of dandelions. 'Young wanderer,' quoth he, 'I have woven you a magic breastplate'"-- Ugh! Bobby, television!

CLEA: Surely as I am Clea and the Crystal of Kilmarian shines upon my brow, our forces shall rally and vanguish the goblin horde! What say ye, Hindbottom?
BOBBY: Aye, my fell axe thirsts for blood to avenge my father Borak, my swift brother Rigmor Tallenbeard, and --
HANK: Dangit, Bobby, no more elves at the table.

No Longer Unemployed

I have official accepted a position with a company in Ashland, Ohio (which puts me 5 hours from home and 3 hours from Aunt Carol). I will be starting on February 11th. So now I am in the process of finding an apartment and then setting up utilities and finding a bank etc. I am excited about the new job but I'm nervous about starting and becoming an actual grown-up.

HANK: You can keep the pen. It's from some company that makes Viagra for lizards.
MAN WITH SNAKE: Does it work for snakes too?

Some good news

The past week has been kind of exciting. I got not one but two job offers as well as a second interview with the company in Columbia City (to meet the rest of the staff). So now I have to make a decision about which position to accept (and wait to see if I get an official offer from the people in Columbia City).

Merry Christmas

"Welcome Christmas, bring your cheer
Cheer to all the Whos far and near
Christmas day is in our grasp
So long as we have hands to clasp
Christmas day will always be
Just as long as we have we
Welcome Christmas, while we stand
Heart to heart and hand in hand"

-How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Rough and tumble but merry

It has been beyond a rough couple of days. As I mentioned my grandmother passed away which has created a very emotional two weeks. And then my car broke down on my way back from Ohio (about four hours from home). I had two interviews last week. On Wednesday, I had a on site interview with a company in Ashland (which is in Ohio). And then on Thursday, I had an interview with a small consulting firm in Columbia City (IN). Both interviews went pretty well and I think both positions (which are a little similar) will allow me to get more experience in regulatory toxicology. But due to the holidays, both companies will not get back to me about the positions until January. I set up an interview for a lab position at Purdue for Wednesday (but I have moved back to Thursday due my vehicle situation. ) The bright spot of the past two weeks is that all my sisters were home which made everything a little bit easier. And all my nephews were home, I forgot how small newborns are! I been having lots of fun with all three! And soon they will all be here to celebrate Christmas at the farm. Merry Christmas to all!

HANK: Now, I'm not gonna mention any names, but due to last year's unfortunate kissing incident, mistletoe is banned from this year's Christmas party.
(Everyone looks accusingly at Bill.)
BILL: Peppermint schnapps makes me sloppy.
DALE: Enough with your party, Hank. Help me figure out what to get Nancy for Christmas. I'll never top that oil painting I commissioned last Christmas: "Nude Dale In Repose." Tasteful, yet you can see everything.

On love, In Sadness

It has been a really long time since I have posted and I apologize. My grandmother passed away on Dec. 11th. She has been in poor health for a few years, but I still remember spending a lot of time with her when I started attending Purdue. On Mondays, I used to go to her house after class until my sorority meeting and we would have dinner together and work on the crossword (I admit that she knew way more of the clues than I did). And she taught me how to quilt, and I still have that quilt that we worked on together. I will always cherish those memories of spending time, and I know that I will think about her every time I start (or even finish) a quilt and how glad I was to be able to share something that she was so passionate about. I will miss her dearly.

Off on a turnaround

For most of September through November, my job search was highly unproductive. But in the past few days, it has been much better. I had my interview with the lab at Purdue on Tuesday, which went pretty well. The research sounded really interesting (though not in my area of expertise) but the PI stressed more about the personality and work style fitting with the rest of the lab personnel (there are about 6 people in the lab). She said that she would let me know about the position by the end of next week. And then yesterday I got not one but two calls about other position. One was for a job with a company in Des Moines for a toxicology position and I think that we will setting up an interviews in Des Moines sometime before the holidays. The other position in with a regulatory consulting firm in Columbia City (which is near Fort Wayne). I talked with the office manager (it is a small firm about 4 consultants and then the office manager) and she encourage me to visit the website and learn more about the projects that they work on and then we can set up an on-site interview (or phone interview if I wanted) before the holidays because they would like someone to start in January. So the past week (including the phone interview last Thursday) have been really encouraging! And more importantly Rachel and family will be here tonight, so that will be nice to see them all!

DALE: Pirate? Gondola operator? Waiter? Pirate waiter?
HANK: He's supposed to be gay, Dale.
DALE: Really? I don't see it.

I'm a what?

A good result

I had my phone interview with the head of the Study Analysis and Report Writing Department from the company in Ashland today. It went pretty well, the position sounds really interesting and would be a good starting off point for me since I am interested in regulatory toxicology. I would get to interact with study directors and the clients as well as gain some experience in FDA regulation submission. The interviewer said that he and HR would contact my references and then we would set up an on-site interview.

"That's good Bobby, keep throwing me those curve balls"- Hank Hill

The turning of tides

For once, I have good news about my job search. I am meeting with the people from one of the labs at Purdue next Tuesday. I went to the website for the lab and they seem to be researching really interesting stuff involving membrane transport (and they seem to be publishing about two papers a year including this year in Nature). And today, I set up a phone interview for Thursday with a company in Ashland in Ohio. I will let you all know the outcome of the phone interview on Thursday.

"Give me liberty or give me death! But only the kind of liberty you find in a controlled, well-regulated society." - Dale Gribble

I'm German, so I like rules

I just finished watching this really interesting documentary called "Helvetica" which is the most commonly used font in the world (think Target, the Gap, Crate and Barrel, street signs, your tax return forms, all that is Helvetica in different weights and spacing). Helvetica was created in the 1950s in Germany (Helvetica means the Swiss in Latin) to be clean and easy to read. But by the 1970s there was a rebellion against using Helvetica. Including a very outspoken German graphic designer that said Helvetica, with all its letters looking so very much alike, was an army (and he was the source of the title). There were lots of interviews with graphic designers and typographers, and I guess I never really thought about the fonts that I use everyday. One of the graphic designers was comparing how he and his wife remembered the location of a restaurant. She remembered it as down the street from the dry-cleaners and he remembered it as down the street from that sign with poor spacing.

"I'm going to teach you all a little dance. The avoid-dance. Who has a child who keeps a messy room? The next time you walk by Junior's room, shut the door. Don't look at what infuriates you. Just do this little dance. Shut the door. Shut the door. Shut the door..." - Anger Management Instructor

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, I hope you all get to spend it with friends and family!


" 'Cause that turkey is so gosh darn moist."-Hank Hill

A sprinkling after a dry spell

I do mean to blog more than I have in the past month (but not blogging is preventing from complaining about searching for a job too much). The job search is going alright and I have learned with job sites are better. Hotjobs (through Yahoo!) is my favorite mostly because there are no solicitations on the websites (as there is on Monster). Plus the only emails I get are updated results from a job search unlike both Careerbuilder and Monster. I get stupid like reminders from both those sites including most job seekers apply for 3 jobs before landing a job (oh thanks Careerbuilder, I have been rejected from 3 jobs, thanks for your encouragement) and that a higher education can make it easier to land a job (um, Monster that hasn't really worked out for me yet). But I heard back about one of the lab jobs at Purdue asking for some references (it is for a molecular biology lab looking at ATP pumps in the cell).
In anticipation of company tomorrow night, I spent most of the day sweeping the entire downstairs (and I'm planning on sweeping once a week so the cleaning for Rachel, Bridget, and Lucy's homecoming won't be too bad). But the cleaning wasn't bad at all because mom bought a Dyson a few weeks ago (this is the model we have). I love this vacuum cleaner! It is really easy to clean out and the utilizing the attachments can be done quickly and you can use it on both carpet and bare floors. I always like to use stuff that has been well engineered and the user was actually taken into consideration during the design process.

"No, turn the other one!!"-Hank

A little delayed

I am a bad blogger, I know. I haven't had to much to write about for the past few weeks, but Lucy was home for a week (this past week) so that means time for a new post! While Lucy was here, she "helped" me work on Rachel's king size quilt (which I am still hoping to get done by this Christmas). We also made Christmas presents for family members while she was home (and some of those people read this blog so I won't say what it is) as well as weaned calves (more than once due to a fence problem.) I also finished another baby quilt for a friend of the family:
As as some of you may know, there is a writer's strike which means after next week there will be no new episodes of The Office (or anything else), so my Netflix account will be getting quite the work out until the strike is over.

"You got to pitch some woo at her, see what sticks."-Dale Gribble

Those Natural Highs and Lows

This post is very delayed, my sincere apologies. I had my interviews with Pace Anaylitical and 3M in Minneapolis last Tuesday. I took the shuttle from Merriville to O'Hare (I stayed with friends the night before so there was less driving the day of), which was actully very nice. Traffic was kind of bad so I was there only an hour before my flight was to leave (remember back in the day when you needed to be there only an hour before your flight). Fortunately, I got my boarding pass and through security in about 15 minutes. Everyone boarded at the right time but then we got to wait for more than an hour on the runway. So I was about an hour late so the first interview got cut short by the rest of the day was fine. I interviewed with 3 different people, the Toxicology group, the Environmental Assessment Group, and the Regulatory Affairs Liaison. Out of all these, the last group was the most interesting to me. My flight back was alright, but delayed (again) but I wasn't to bad, I got a sandwich and a copy of Discover magazine. I had to rush to catch the shuttle back to Merriville (I would have to wait another hour if I missed it) and then went home.
Last Friday, I heard back about the extension job (about a week later than they thought). Despite all the work I put into the presentation, I didn't get the position. According to the email, they hired someone with a more technical background (and the main guy complimented me on my excellent publication and presentation, um thanks for nothing). So I'm kinda of mad because of all the work I put into it and it went nowhere. And I suspect that it is possible that I was passed over because I am a woman, but that could not be true.
On Sunday, I joined an online recruiter network (so basically you fill out your profile and post your resume, and the website matches you with appropriate recruiters). I heard from one recruiter on Monday morning and then from another position I applied for on Monday afternoon. So after the slight disappointment about the extension job, my job search is still going okay. I applied for another position at Purdue in a lab as a more temporary position. So hopefully I will find a job soon.

"The only person I ever showed my toes to was my ex-wife. She used them against me in the divorce." - Bill

In which I rant about the postal service

I really like Netflix, it was one way that I survived my time at Iowa. I always try to send a movie back on Thursday so that I have movies for the weekend. Or I would get a disc of a TV show on DVD that I could spread out over the weekend. This week I was thwarted on both attempts. I was supposed to get a disc from a show on Thursday that I haven't gotten yet. And then I rushed to finish a movie so I could mail it back on Thursday and get a new movie on Saturday. Netflix hasn't received the movie either. Stupid postal service.

"You must be thinking of Hank Hill in West Arlen. Hold on, I've got some of his mail here." - Hank Hill

So maybe it was worth it

I heard from my adviser today, and the paper based on my thesis project was accepted by the journal Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology. It will be published in a special PCB issue in early next year. I'm really excited about it getting published, and it feels like finally the two years (and late nights) was worth it.

Also congrats to Elizabeth and Rob on the arrival of Robert Kyle!

" First, this is not the plastic head you were issued. Second, just look at the way you shaved against the grain here, here, and here. And these are the worst sideburns I've seen since chair three, which makes me suspect you cheated. F. That means you fail." - Miss Krenzer

I'm not sure if I feel better or worse

I'm catching up on some "This American Life"(TAL) podcasts, and the episode I'm listening to is about amateurs meeting professionals (or become semi-professional). (By the way, you can listen to the show on the website as well as your local NPR station). The first "act" of the show is about a high-school basketball player that was featured in a Nike Freestyle commercial in 2001 (which is when the show originally aired). The reporter interviewing the player went on and on about how cool the commercial was (and the fact that he watched lots of play-off games just to see the commercial). He commented that it was the coolest thing ever on TV, claiming "This commercial kicks the moon-landing's ass." Naturally, I wanted to see the commercial so I went to the TAL website and followed the link provided. And in the comment section, 12 of the 13 comments referenced This American Life. If you want to see this commercial click here. There is also a 30-second spot featuring only the high-schooler, Luis da Silva, here.

"Sometimes you have to enjoy life for all it's mellow, rich flavor." - Hank Hill

I guess I should have known bettter

For most of August and part September, I was really bummed about the lack of progress of my job search. But it has really been looking up in the past two weeks. My interview at Purdue went pretty well on Thursday and the head of the committee said they would have a decision by the end of next week. And then I have the two interviews in Minneapolis in two weeks (I pushed it back for a week). My aunt Emily was in town again and while she was on campus for an event, she met someone from Lilly and passed along her contact information (and I sent an email Friday night). Then today one of the people that Emily sent my resume to emailed (and called) me with some really good information (including a consulting company that might be a good fit for me). I guess I was surprised the Emily knew people in the field of toxicology but I guess I never realized how wide her network of contacts was!

"I feel so alive with pleasure!"- Peggy Hill

Grey skies are going to clear up

I heard from Pace Analytical today about setting up an interview with not one by two of the company's clients for next week. I really looking forward to the interview because all the people who I have talked with are really nice and knowledgeable (and the HR person is really good about keeping me informed and keeping in contact with me). Next Friday, I am meeting with my old boss from LifePlus LCC, where I interned last summer (and really learned a lot and got really interested in regulatory toxicology which is the position at Pace). This plus my interview on Thursday, means my job search is finally looking up.

" I followed you. Every twist and every turn. By the way, I'm going to need to follow you home."-Dale

Lost and Found

Our goat Rosalee was missing for a 2 days (and by missing it means she didn't come up to the barn in the evening). I did a very thorough search of the ditch in our front pasture because I figured that she must have gotten stuck in the mud down there, but alas she wasn't there. I was convinced that she was killed by coyotes (as we had lost a kid within the last two months to coyotes). Then yesterday mom was out in the pasture on the ATV and heard goat bleating. Turns out Rosalee got stuck under the hay feeder in the back pasture (or the ten acres for those familiar with our farm lexicon). Mom said it was a bit of a struggle to get her un-stuck but Rosalee seems alright, just a little hungry and thirsty.

"Mama's in jail. She was savin' a quart of beer for before bed, and Daddy threw it out, and she went after him with a fork. And the trailer tipped over, and everything turned upside down, and it's all gonna be on Real Stories of the Highway Patrol. And the wig I styled for beauty school is ruined. What am I going to do uncle Hank?"-Luanne