I think that's the last of the major updates for now, sorry it's been so long. Hopefully there will be lots of exciting things happening that I can write about to keep y'all entertained...
03 December 2007
A miniature pumpkin
We had dinner at Barry and Ana's sometime near Halloween (sorry, the dates run together a bit for the last 3 months or so), and they had carved the cutest mini-jack-o-latern I'd ever seen!
I think that's the last of the major updates for now, sorry it's been so long. Hopefully there will be lots of exciting things happening that I can write about to keep y'all entertained...
I think that's the last of the major updates for now, sorry it's been so long. Hopefully there will be lots of exciting things happening that I can write about to keep y'all entertained...
Granny Virigie's 100th birthday...
Granny Virgie had a massive party for her 100th birthday. It was loads of fun! There were lots of people there that I haven't gotten to see in a long time. She got a letter from the President, a flag that had been flown over the Captiol in DC, and a bunch of other stuff. We all had a good time, and Granny Virgie seemed to enjoy herself.
Me and Granny Virgie
Dad, Me, Clay and Blake
Ava, Delbert, the grandkids and gret-grandkids
The tractor cake!
I got Sandra a tractor cake pan (okay, so it was really for Clay mostly), and Clay and I made a cake it in.
Of course, Clay had more fun eating the icing than actually icing the cake.
Of course, Clay had more fun eating the icing than actually icing the cake.
My defense...
It official! I passed my defense - or as my boss insisted on calling it, the "final examination". It went pretty smoothly considering all the chaos leading up to it (like last minute changes to the presentation),
and my committee seemed pleased with the talk, etc. I got a good number of questions (and I was able to answer them all), and some great feedback from the audience and from my committee.
The boss even bought champange and gave a toast.
Of course, it wouldn't have been the same without Macy to help me prepare and to give me a good-luck cuddle before I left.
Phil was there too, and that meant a lot! (So were my good friends Joel and Libby, also in the picture below, and Jamie Rae, and Stacy).
Now all that's left are corrections and getting my papers submitted...
and my committee seemed pleased with the talk, etc. I got a good number of questions (and I was able to answer them all), and some great feedback from the audience and from my committee.
The boss even bought champange and gave a toast.
Of course, it wouldn't have been the same without Macy to help me prepare and to give me a good-luck cuddle before I left.
Phil was there too, and that meant a lot! (So were my good friends Joel and Libby, also in the picture below, and Jamie Rae, and Stacy).
Now all that's left are corrections and getting my papers submitted...
Macy LOVES laundry day, especially the part where you get the laundry out of the dryer:
I decided it was because the clothes are so warm, and not because she likes to muss up the clean clothes. So, to test this theory, I got a heating pad, put it on the bed and turned it on low. Sure enough, in no time at all, Macy had clamied it!
Unfortunately, the heating pad is now covered in Macy hair, so I guess it officially "belongs" to her...
I decided it was because the clothes are so warm, and not because she likes to muss up the clean clothes. So, to test this theory, I got a heating pad, put it on the bed and turned it on low. Sure enough, in no time at all, Macy had clamied it!
Unfortunately, the heating pad is now covered in Macy hair, so I guess it officially "belongs" to her...
07 October 2007
The answers to the three forbidden questions:
How's work going? Very, very busily. Stressul. Better than it has in a long while, though.
When are you going to graduate/defend? I defend on November 26 at 2:30 pm (that's 50 days from now! Holy crap!) I "walk" at graduation in May, either the 9th or the 10th (A&M has two days worth of graduations, and the day for my college has not been posted yet).
What are you going to do next? Move to San Diego! I have a post-doc job interivew in 2 weeks, and hopefully something will pan out. There are several labs that I would be interested in joining, but it's a matter of timing and funding as to which one.
When are you going to graduate/defend? I defend on November 26 at 2:30 pm (that's 50 days from now! Holy crap!) I "walk" at graduation in May, either the 9th or the 10th (A&M has two days worth of graduations, and the day for my college has not been posted yet).
What are you going to do next? Move to San Diego! I have a post-doc job interivew in 2 weeks, and hopefully something will pan out. There are several labs that I would be interested in joining, but it's a matter of timing and funding as to which one.
06 October 2007
General update
I've been meaning to post this for a while, but haven't found the time. We got a lot of rain there for a while, and we were bombarded with frogs! Big, noisy frogs and small, cute ones like this:
Macy is pretty good about not biting the big ones, she just chases them, but she can't seem to help herself with the little ones! She is getting better, though.
Macy has really adjusted well to living in an apartment again, although she will only go outside with me. For some reason, she barely even acknowledges Jamie Rae's offers to take her outside. She used to do that to Joel and Dave too, so I guess it's not that big of a deal.
A couple of weeks ago I took her to work and while we were waiting on a gel to run we went for a long, long walk. It didn't seem that hot outside to me, but apparently Macy didn't agree:
When Phil came to visit recently, we went to the Co-op to get Macy some shampoo, and decided to get her some of their "home-made" goodies. Unfortunately, she was allergic to them!
It was very tramautic to me, but Macy seemed quite unbothered for the most part.
Sandra and Clay came to visit a few weeks ago, and it was great! On Saturday, we took Clay to campus and walked around the pre-game festivities. He seemed to enjoy himself a lot, but when we finally got back to the pick-up, he tuckered out pretty quickly:
He sure doesn't miss anything when he's awake, though. When they came to pick me up at work on Friday, I showed him the big blue 37 degree incubator and a few other things. On Saturday we popped back in so that I could pull some plates out of the 30 degree incubator and when he saw me get them out, his face lit up and he said "It's a little incubator!" (The 30 degree is only about 1/3 the size of the 37 degree incubator). Friday night Sandra showed him my Aggie Ring and said "Aunt BB's got one just like Mom's". He took both our right hands and stared and stared. Then he took my left hand and said "Where's that ring?" We told him to ask Uncle Phil. Later when we talked to Phil, Clay asked him about it, and Phil told him that it was still in the shop. Clay got very frustrated and said "Just go pay for it! OH MY GOSH!" and threw himself on the couch in disgust. Apparently he thought Phil hadn't figured that part out yet and should have.
Things are busy as usual. My defense date is November 26th, so things are actually a little bit busier than normal, but then again, they're always busier than they seem! I am going to San Diego in a few weeks - Gill and Jimmy are coming over to visit, and I will do some more experiments at UCSD - and I am very excited about that, but also very stressed. Still it will be good to see Gill and Jimmy and Phil (especially Phil).
Macy is pretty good about not biting the big ones, she just chases them, but she can't seem to help herself with the little ones! She is getting better, though.
Macy has really adjusted well to living in an apartment again, although she will only go outside with me. For some reason, she barely even acknowledges Jamie Rae's offers to take her outside. She used to do that to Joel and Dave too, so I guess it's not that big of a deal.
A couple of weeks ago I took her to work and while we were waiting on a gel to run we went for a long, long walk. It didn't seem that hot outside to me, but apparently Macy didn't agree:
When Phil came to visit recently, we went to the Co-op to get Macy some shampoo, and decided to get her some of their "home-made" goodies. Unfortunately, she was allergic to them!
It was very tramautic to me, but Macy seemed quite unbothered for the most part.
Sandra and Clay came to visit a few weeks ago, and it was great! On Saturday, we took Clay to campus and walked around the pre-game festivities. He seemed to enjoy himself a lot, but when we finally got back to the pick-up, he tuckered out pretty quickly:
He sure doesn't miss anything when he's awake, though. When they came to pick me up at work on Friday, I showed him the big blue 37 degree incubator and a few other things. On Saturday we popped back in so that I could pull some plates out of the 30 degree incubator and when he saw me get them out, his face lit up and he said "It's a little incubator!" (The 30 degree is only about 1/3 the size of the 37 degree incubator). Friday night Sandra showed him my Aggie Ring and said "Aunt BB's got one just like Mom's". He took both our right hands and stared and stared. Then he took my left hand and said "Where's that ring?" We told him to ask Uncle Phil. Later when we talked to Phil, Clay asked him about it, and Phil told him that it was still in the shop. Clay got very frustrated and said "Just go pay for it! OH MY GOSH!" and threw himself on the couch in disgust. Apparently he thought Phil hadn't figured that part out yet and should have.
Things are busy as usual. My defense date is November 26th, so things are actually a little bit busier than normal, but then again, they're always busier than they seem! I am going to San Diego in a few weeks - Gill and Jimmy are coming over to visit, and I will do some more experiments at UCSD - and I am very excited about that, but also very stressed. Still it will be good to see Gill and Jimmy and Phil (especially Phil).
The end of an era...
My lease ended last week and I had to turn my Jetta in. It was a very sad day. Joel went with me to the dealership, and then, when it was over, he took me to lunch at Olive Garden. I had to stop and take a picture as we left:
The Jetta and I have many good times. Trips to Austin, the Panhandle, Dallas, Houston, the Hill Country, camping...Too many to name. She was a great car. I hope her new owner treats her well.
The Jetta and I have many good times. Trips to Austin, the Panhandle, Dallas, Houston, the Hill Country, camping...Too many to name. She was a great car. I hope her new owner treats her well.
05 August 2007
30 July 2007
Three questions I never want to hear again:
How's work going?
When are you going to graduate/defend?
What are you going to do next?
None of the answers to these questions has changed in the last 3+ years, so please STOP ASKING
When are you going to graduate/defend?
What are you going to do next?
None of the answers to these questions has changed in the last 3+ years, so please STOP ASKING
28 July 2007
At last!
Today I decided to take a day for myself (in between trips to work) to sort a few things out that I had been putting off. The number one thing on the list was to find some jeans, since I am down to two pair, one of which will not be appropriate to wear for very much longer since the holes in it are getting quite big. After much searching at every place I could think of, I finally gave up and went to Target to get some face cream. As I was walking to my car, I realized that Old Navy is right next door, and that Phil always has pretty good luck with his shopping there, so I went in.
I spent most of the visit shopping through the clearance racks and not finding much. I did find a bralette-minus tank top to try on, which fit okay, even though it was a size too big. While trying it on, I noticed the advertisement for the new styles of Old Navy jeans. One in particular, "the Sweetheart" fit, looked promising, so I decided to try a pair on. (Normally the problem with jeans is that, although the tag says they are my size, they are always too big). I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did the jeans fit, but they fit really well, and for an extra bonus, there was a pair in my size that was missing the button so they were 50% off! Woohoo! I made my purchase and headed to Wal-Mart, where I got 5 dungaree buttons for $1.26, then went home and reinforced the area where the button is supposed to go with a patch and put the new button on. I am so excited that I can find jeans to fit right off the rack! Amazing! And they aren't too expenise, either.
Now, if I could just find some shorts that I like...
I spent most of the visit shopping through the clearance racks and not finding much. I did find a bralette-minus tank top to try on, which fit okay, even though it was a size too big. While trying it on, I noticed the advertisement for the new styles of Old Navy jeans. One in particular, "the Sweetheart" fit, looked promising, so I decided to try a pair on. (Normally the problem with jeans is that, although the tag says they are my size, they are always too big). I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did the jeans fit, but they fit really well, and for an extra bonus, there was a pair in my size that was missing the button so they were 50% off! Woohoo! I made my purchase and headed to Wal-Mart, where I got 5 dungaree buttons for $1.26, then went home and reinforced the area where the button is supposed to go with a patch and put the new button on. I am so excited that I can find jeans to fit right off the rack! Amazing! And they aren't too expenise, either.
Now, if I could just find some shorts that I like...
29 June 2007
Rain, rain go away!
You have probably all heard about the huge amounts of rain Texas and Oklahoma are getting, but you may have no idea how hard it is raining. It comes down in massive side-ways sheets as if someone were emptying giants buckets from the sky. Yesterday, it rained so hard that if you were out in it, you couldn't even see in front of you! From the safety of my lab, this is what you could see:
The picture was taken with the camera on my phone, so I don't know if you can really make out the sheets very well, but they are there. Half an hour later, when it stopped for a short bit, this was the view:
It's crazy! And there's more rain predicted...
The picture was taken with the camera on my phone, so I don't know if you can really make out the sheets very well, but they are there. Half an hour later, when it stopped for a short bit, this was the view:
It's crazy! And there's more rain predicted...
26 June 2007
New home...
I started moving to a new place on Friday and have FINALLY managed to finish today. It rained so much these past few days that I wasn't able to get it all in one go. Not to mention the fact that my little Jetta only holds so much! Still, it is nice to be done. Most everything fit, but I will have to take the few things from the attic to the Panhandle to store until I have a house again.
Hopefully this will be the last place that I live here in CS!
Macy is really enjoying apartment life. Lots of things to see and smell, and she loves our roommate Jamie Rae a lot. She spends a lot of her time sleeping in Jamie Rae's reading chair.
I was really worried about how she would take the move, since she was so upset over my trip to San Diego. She did seem traumatized a bit by the actual moving of stuff from one place to another, but now that we are all settled in, she is very happy!
One good thing about living with Jamie Rae so far (and I'm sure there will be many) - I have eaten breakfast every day! I don't know why the change has occurred, but I'm sure that Phil and Mam-maw are applauding.
Oh, I almost forgot - as a bonus, I get my very own bathroom! I can finally put out the decorative towels...
Hopefully this will be the last place that I live here in CS!
Macy is really enjoying apartment life. Lots of things to see and smell, and she loves our roommate Jamie Rae a lot. She spends a lot of her time sleeping in Jamie Rae's reading chair.
I was really worried about how she would take the move, since she was so upset over my trip to San Diego. She did seem traumatized a bit by the actual moving of stuff from one place to another, but now that we are all settled in, she is very happy!
One good thing about living with Jamie Rae so far (and I'm sure there will be many) - I have eaten breakfast every day! I don't know why the change has occurred, but I'm sure that Phil and Mam-maw are applauding.
Oh, I almost forgot - as a bonus, I get my very own bathroom! I can finally put out the decorative towels...
14 June 2007
I recently got sucked into Facebook, and am now addicted to it....Like I needed anything else to help me procrastinate!
Why is it that it is so easy to put off doing things? You know you are going to regret it later, but inexplicably, you procrastinate anyway. Sigh. I have so much to do, so much writing and other work, and yet here I am on blogger...
Why is it that it is so easy to put off doing things? You know you are going to regret it later, but inexplicably, you procrastinate anyway. Sigh. I have so much to do, so much writing and other work, and yet here I am on blogger...
04 June 2007
25 May 2007
"Sunny" California...
Well, I am finally back from San Diego, welcomed back to Texas by the wonderful, heavy heat of May. It was such a relief to be warm again! San Diego is nice, but is too chilly for me this time of year.
The drive out was pretty good - we got to see pretty much everybody - Mom before we left (she came to the Ring Day activities); Dad, Sheila, Mam-maw and Papa in the Panhandle; Gran and Bill at Cline's Corner, NM (they drove up and met us there); and Justin in Dewey, AZ. Most of the drive was great - lots of interesting and beautiful landscape, new things to see...The last 8 hours was horrible, though. We were SOOOO happy to get to San Diego, finally. I didn't do much but work while I was there.
Work was good. I really enjoyed visiting the lab that I was in, and I learned a lot. I got some really great data (at least I think so, we'll see when it comes to writing the paper). For now, it's back to the grindstone here in College Station, hopefully to finish up by the end of the summer!
The drive out was pretty good - we got to see pretty much everybody - Mom before we left (she came to the Ring Day activities); Dad, Sheila, Mam-maw and Papa in the Panhandle; Gran and Bill at Cline's Corner, NM (they drove up and met us there); and Justin in Dewey, AZ. Most of the drive was great - lots of interesting and beautiful landscape, new things to see...The last 8 hours was horrible, though. We were SOOOO happy to get to San Diego, finally. I didn't do much but work while I was there.
Work was good. I really enjoyed visiting the lab that I was in, and I learned a lot. I got some really great data (at least I think so, we'll see when it comes to writing the paper). For now, it's back to the grindstone here in College Station, hopefully to finish up by the end of the summer!
08 May 2007
Things I haven't been able to find in Pacific Beach...
Adam's Best Vanilla Extract
Wolf Brand Chili
Good Panhandle beef
Cast iron skillets (depsite the fact that we have been to several stores, including a proper cooking utensil shop!)
...and several more things that don't currently come to mind. Thank goodness for the internet - I'll never have to go without!
Wolf Brand Chili
Good Panhandle beef
Cast iron skillets (depsite the fact that we have been to several stores, including a proper cooking utensil shop!)
...and several more things that don't currently come to mind. Thank goodness for the internet - I'll never have to go without!
Sunset in San Diego
Phil and I took a wander into PB the other day, and ended the trip at Tourmaline Surf Beach, which is near Phil's apartment. The sunset was beautiful.
The work is going well in the lab that I am visiting. Hopefully it will continue to do so. Unfortunately, I haven't done much site-seeing or picture-taking, so I don't have any photos (other than the one above) to post!
The work is going well in the lab that I am visiting. Hopefully it will continue to do so. Unfortunately, I haven't done much site-seeing or picture-taking, so I don't have any photos (other than the one above) to post!
21 April 2007
Macy's least favorite past time....
Do you want a bath?
Those words strike fear and loathing in Macy's heart every time she hears them. In fact, she can recognize the word "BATH" when you spell it out. I started calling it a scrubbing a while ago, but now she knows what that means too.
She really hates the running water
and refuses to enjoy being scrubbed
and especially hates waiting for the shampoo to do its job
and always tries to get out before it's time.
She doesn't much like getting dried off either.
Those words strike fear and loathing in Macy's heart every time she hears them. In fact, she can recognize the word "BATH" when you spell it out. I started calling it a scrubbing a while ago, but now she knows what that means too.
She really hates the running water
and refuses to enjoy being scrubbed
and especially hates waiting for the shampoo to do its job
and always tries to get out before it's time.
She doesn't much like getting dried off either.
20 April 2007
Start'em out early...
My sister, Sandra, called today to tell me about Clay's (my nephew) latest antics. She said she heard him crying and went to see what the matter was. She found him holding one of his thumbs with his other hand. She asked him if he had smashed his thumb, he said no. She asked him what was wrong, and he said, "my Aggie hurts!". Confused, she asked again what was wrong. "My Aggie HURTS!!!" he said. Still confused, my sister asked him to show her what hurt. Very frustratedly, he shoved his tiny hand in her face, thumb up in a Gig'em sign, and said, "my AGGIE HURTS, Momma!"
(For those of you unfamiliar with the handsigns of the Southwest Conference, click here)
Speaking of Aggies, I am officially a "card-carrying" member of the Aggie family now - I got my Aggie ring on the 13th! The Aggie Ring is the most recognized symbol of the Aggie spirit, and can be easily recognized from across a crowded room. I am very proud of it, and now, after only a week of wearing it, feel naked without it:
My very good friend Libby, who started graduate school the same semester as I did, also got her ring that day, and we had a grand old time doing Ring Day stuff.
Libby and I have shared a lot during our graduate school years, and I am very happy and very proud to have shared my ring day with her. My mom, Phil, Jamie Rae, Karla (and Arnie and Karla's dad) and Chelsey all came out to help us celebrate, as did Libby's husband and son. Sadly, I didn't manage to get any pictures with anyone but Libby! Terrible oversight on my part, and I'm very disappointed about that (no offense, Libby). It was a great day!
(For those of you unfamiliar with the handsigns of the Southwest Conference, click here)
Speaking of Aggies, I am officially a "card-carrying" member of the Aggie family now - I got my Aggie ring on the 13th! The Aggie Ring is the most recognized symbol of the Aggie spirit, and can be easily recognized from across a crowded room. I am very proud of it, and now, after only a week of wearing it, feel naked without it:
My very good friend Libby, who started graduate school the same semester as I did, also got her ring that day, and we had a grand old time doing Ring Day stuff.
Libby and I have shared a lot during our graduate school years, and I am very happy and very proud to have shared my ring day with her. My mom, Phil, Jamie Rae, Karla (and Arnie and Karla's dad) and Chelsey all came out to help us celebrate, as did Libby's husband and son. Sadly, I didn't manage to get any pictures with anyone but Libby! Terrible oversight on my part, and I'm very disappointed about that (no offense, Libby). It was a great day!
06 April 2007
The lemon saga is over!
I got my car back about two weeks ago after having had it in the shop since January. It turns out that the problems I was having with it were due to a "bad" part that had been put in last summer when the air conditioner went out. On the one hand, Hooray! my car is fixed, but on the other, what the ??? Why didn't they catch that 8 months and 6K miles ago?
Anyway, I'm just glad to have my own car back.
Anyway, I'm just glad to have my own car back.
03 April 2007
The garden begins...
This weekend, I managed to put my garden in - well, most of it anyway. I planted beans, squash, okra, watermelon, cucumber, and "Early Girl" and cherry tomatoes. The big cage thing at the end of the garden is my bird-proofing for the tomatoes. I got smart this year and put it up before I planted the tomato seedlings.
The potted plants (mostly herbs) have been growing for a while, and are doing nicely:
I still have a few seedlings that are not big enough to go in the ground yet. There are several varities of herbs, hot peppers and beefsteak tomatoes:
The rows look really nice, but were a lot of hard work. Last year, I had a lot of drainage issues, especially in the larger upper part, but my neighbor, Roy, says that I won't have those problems this year.
Macy doesn't like the rows, though, because it isn't as easy for her to wander in the garden.
The only thing I am concerned about is whether or not the soil is really warm enough for the okra. That's the thing I look forward to the most. I am going to plant some more seeds in a few weeks in my Jiffy pellets just in case. Dave has never even heard of okra before, so I am especially looking forward to having a good harvest this year. Also, Jamie Rae says she has an amazing recipe for squash soup, so I'm hoping that this year won't be as wet and that the squash won't mold out again like it did last year.
The potted plants (mostly herbs) have been growing for a while, and are doing nicely:
I still have a few seedlings that are not big enough to go in the ground yet. There are several varities of herbs, hot peppers and beefsteak tomatoes:
The rows look really nice, but were a lot of hard work. Last year, I had a lot of drainage issues, especially in the larger upper part, but my neighbor, Roy, says that I won't have those problems this year.
Macy doesn't like the rows, though, because it isn't as easy for her to wander in the garden.
The only thing I am concerned about is whether or not the soil is really warm enough for the okra. That's the thing I look forward to the most. I am going to plant some more seeds in a few weeks in my Jiffy pellets just in case. Dave has never even heard of okra before, so I am especially looking forward to having a good harvest this year. Also, Jamie Rae says she has an amazing recipe for squash soup, so I'm hoping that this year won't be as wet and that the squash won't mold out again like it did last year.
30 March 2007
Springtime in Texas
Dave took this great picture of me and Macy when we took Macy flower hunting (see below for that post):
Macy and the bluebonnets
I think this is Macy's favorite time of year. My roommate Dave and I took her out to see the bluebonnets, and as usual, she had a great time. (Click on the picture for a larger view)
Of course, when we told her it was time to go, she asked:
"Do we really have too?"
Of course, when we told her it was time to go, she asked:
"Do we really have too?"
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