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Boston Legal looks back to The Practice

2006-10-19T10:05:00.000-04:00

I believe that Boston Legal is one of the funniest shows on television. There is just a certain quirkiness about that show that makes me laugh. The show is in its third season and began as another The Practice was coming to an end. This show was more of a drama and while I believe that the producers are the same for both shows there was a distinct move towards comedy. Perhaps the writers thought there were too many Law and Order shows and they needed to move in the Ally McBeal direction.

Anway, I think this season of Boston Legal is trying to capture some of the more dramatic aspects of The Practice in addition the wonderful quirky humor typical of BL. There has been a murder trial that has spanned the past three shows and will continue next week as well. While there have been murder trials before somehow this one has a more serious flavor reminiscent of a series three years gone.

Perhaps ABC is trying to entice more viewers. This isn't really a criticism of the show. Not yet. Time will tell...

Just a Theory...

2006-10-09T11:22:00.000-04:00

Mike Mussina will never win a World Series. The last time the Yankees won was in September 2000. Mike Mussina was signed to the Yankees in November 2000. Since has has played with this other team, the Yankees have never won the World Series.

Perhaps he should have never left the Orioles....

Bugs and Perverts...

2006-08-16T00:04:00.000-04:00

I hate them both. They are ewy and slimy and make you feel all and icky and gross. I don't want either of them in my life. No more!!

Where are you?

2006-08-01T23:33:00.000-04:00

http://luleidemistafina.blogspot.com/

I miss this blog. I wish it would return.

Dear Steven...

2006-07-24T11:19:00.000-04:00

Real or not...it's still pretty funny to see this billboard driving on the Cross Bronx Expressway.

2006-07-19T22:40:00.000-04:00

Yidin??

There are no words....

Just Shut Up and Jump

2006-07-09T23:02:00.000-04:00

Today I went skydiving out in the Hamptons and I must say it was an incredible experience. I truly recommend it to all. There is something surreal about having an adrenaline rush freefalling at 10,00 feet while at the same time sensing a calmness and serenity surrounding you.

What a day!

I Like This Dude

2006-06-20T00:39:00.000-04:00

To Quote Steve...

2006-06-19T15:16:00.000-04:00

"Mets fan are gracious intelliigent human beings. Yankee fans are louts"

Happy Father's Day

2006-06-16T14:04:00.000-04:00

One trait I have inherited from my dad is his sense of humor. While many people do not appreciate my sense of humor and don't laugh and the things I find amusing, at least there is another person in this world with whom I can laugh.

Thanks Dad!

I love you and Happy Father's Day.

Three Days of Rain

2006-06-08T00:50:00.000-04:00

A few thoughts before I go to sleep...

Unexpected adventures are wonderful.

I have crushes on both Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper. Tonight I saw them both up close and personal!

This play was nominated in the categories of scenery and lighting. Before I the play, I thought these were "not so important" categories. After they play, I must admit, the lighting and scenery were quite excellent. So now if people ask me how the play was I will reply, "They should really win a Tony!"

2006-06-07T00:34:00.000-04:00

Matisyahu

It's been a while since Matisyahu has been on the blog. Miriam, if you ever see this, this blog is for you.

Local Favorites Are Not My Favorites

2006-06-06T16:36:00.000-04:00

Today I was looking at movies for my queue (love that word) and I noticed Netflix had the following section: Local Favorites for Bronx, NY. Among the movie titles in this section were: Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Dr. Doolittle 2, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, and Cuban Blood.

I added Y Tu Mama Tambien and Ushpizim instead.

Commercials I Like

2006-05-30T18:06:00.000-04:00

1. At first I thought they were extremely odd. Then a good friend of the family, Danny M., was imitating them the other day and they started to amuse me. Vdub in da house!!

2. I have always loved the Citibank identity theft commercials. Here are some I found on the web. They always make me laugh.

3. This last commercial one is one of my favorites. It's a K9Advantix commericial with the sweetest little dog at camp writing a letter home to his parents.

Sunny days

2006-05-19T14:38:00.000-04:00

It was brought to my attention yesterday that there is no excuse why as a theoretical biophysicist I cannot take a laptop and work outside all day instead of being couped up in a room without windows. This is so true! I am surprised it hasn't occurred to me until now to do something like that. My only problem is that I don't have a laptop. I'm not sure I can afford one either. But this idea is so tempting that I need to think about this seriously. Wouldn't' it be lovely?

Arvin Sloane and Pharoh

2006-05-17T14:46:00.000-04:00

Alias. It's almost over. Five years. I thought I would share a quick thought about one of my favorite characters, Arvin Sloane. My sister and I have had many an argument over when this man is evil or not. I was always on the side of not. I know he's killed many people, lied, and committed treason, but he loves his wife and loves Sydney like a daughter. To that my sister always replied, "Who cares that he loves these people, he still is an evil man that does evil things." Maybe I just always like the bad guy. Maybe I just want to look for the best in people.

Upon watching the last two or three episodes, I have come to some new conclusions. Sloane's main obsession over the course of the show has been with this 15th century "prophet" named Rambaldi. I believe that Sloane has become obsessed and believes so strongly to such an extent that he has lost his bechirah (ability to choose and make decisions). Perhaps Rambali truly was a powerful entity with a prophetic power. If this is the case, and Sloane is part of his master plan, then Sloane cannot control his actions anymore because Rambali has chosen him.

I realized this when I thought about Pharoh's situation in Egpyt. The Torah mentions to us that G-d "hardened his heart". The reason being that G-d had his master plan that involved he Jews being in the land for a designated amount of time, ten plagues, all of that good stuff. Pharoh, having suffered enough after the first few plagues would have let the Jews go but G-d was not finished and had to harden his heart so that the plan could go on.

I am not equating Rambaldi with G-d.

However, because this is TV world, I can, within the story of Alias, believe in power of Rambaldi.
So Sloane may have killed Nadia but he would never be able to choose Nadia over Rambaldi. He is part of a plan that it outside the scope of his decisions.

Lindsey disagrees with me. Oh well. We'll have to see what happens in the next two episodes.

ID-CLASS: 30408-00811
PROFILE: SLOANE, ARVIN
Case File: MOSCOW-E640, TAIWAN-E630, BRASILIA-E651, MADRID-E645, BERLIN-E647, VIRGINIA-E641, MOROCCO-E650
Present Location: Los Angeles
Date of Birth: 10/31/50
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 175
Sex: M
Race: Caucasian
Wife: Emily Sloane
Daughter: Nadia Santos
Mother's Maiden Name: Bishop

Training/Special Skills: World history, Linguistics
Languages: English, French, Hebrew, Spanish, Russian
Education: Doctorate in Linguistics, m. Finance
Experience: Recruit, 01-25-69.

Personal Details:
Obsession with Milo Rambaldi motivated him to commit many terrorist acts over four decades. Beginning over 30 years earlier when he joined the Army Corps of Engineers, he started on a long journey to discover Rambaldi's endgame and fulfill his personal vision. He continued to collect Rambaldi artifacts, and justify his actions when he found out that he is part of Rambaldi's master plans.

Spouse, Emily Sloane deceased in 2002, alive in 2003, and once again deceased in 2003. Had an affair with Irina Derevko and a relationship with CIA psychiatrist Dr. Judy Barnett. Believes himself to be Sydney Bristow's real father. Former head of SD-6, he turned himself in to the CIA, providing information that was used to dismantle more than two dozen terrorist cells. He also claims to have given up his Rambaldi lust and fashioned himself a philanthropist and humanitarian through Omnifam, a world health organization. Found out that he had a child with Irina Derevko, named Nadia Santos, whom he used to locate a Rambaldi artifact. He later saved his daughter from The Covenant, and convinced her to join his newly formed APO unit in Los Angeles.

He is now heading APO under the suspicious and watchful eyes of the CIA, Marcus Dixon, Sydney and Jack Bristow.

On my mind...

2006-05-16T00:12:00.000-04:00

Does it bother you, should it bother you, when people you know who used to be relgious aren't relgious anymore?

I'm not bothered. Do I want to be?

Sorry...

2006-05-16T00:10:00.000-04:00

I can't help it. Too much Gray's Anatomy tonight. So long for the summer. I will miss you Alex

An Eponine Moment

2006-05-14T23:20:00.000-04:00

An now I'm all alone again, Nowhere to turn, no one to go to. Without a home, without a friend, without a face to say hello to.

Don't worry...it was just a moment.

Gad Elbaz

2006-05-14T15:53:00.000-04:00

Kind of catchy!

Kosher Meat

2006-05-09T14:10:00.000-04:00

So this post doc in another lab told me today that kosher meat can never taste as good as non kosher meat. I asked him why he thought so. He then told me because kosher meat you have to cook until it's well done to get all the blood out-the meat isn't allowed to be pink anymore.

I wonder why he confused have rare/medium rare meat with the issue of drawing the blood out of the meat as part of the koshering process. He's a smart guy-he can't have thought that pink meant blood...strange....

Cinco de Mayo Success!

2006-05-08T14:09:00.000-04:00

This past friday night was not only shabbos but also Cinco de Mayo. So the theme of Friday night dinner was Mexcian. I thought that I would share a recipe that went over quite well. I call it Mexican Cabbage Salad but Howie called it Mexican Medley-and I like that better.

Mexican Medley

1 bag of shredded lettuce
1 red onion
4 plum tomatoes
1 jalapeno pepper
cilantro

Dressing:

4 limes juiced
3 TBL red wine vinegar
sprinkling of chili powder and cayenne pepper (adjusted to desired level of heat)
salt and pepper

You can make it and serve the same day but I let it marinate for a day and it tasted great!!

Out of Respect

2006-05-01T20:38:00.000-04:00

So I was supposed to visit my grandpa tomorrow. However, I have to be in Manhattan the following morning pretty early so I wanted make sure that it was ok that I wouldn't spend the night there and instead go back home to the very safe Bronx (as established in the previous blog). But alas tomorrow is no good. He doesn't like the idea of me driving at night. So we've changed our date to Wednesday to Thursday morning.

I wonder if he is against me driving at night all the time or only when he knows about it. I'll just assume it's the latter :).

Bronx Is Not All Bad

2006-04-29T21:58:00.000-04:00

Here is a map of Morris Park and surrounding areas, where the blue ballons point where murders happened in 2005. It seems my neighborhood is safe as long as I know where the invisible boundaries are, beyond which bad things can happen.

The second map is for the whole Bronx. It's almost comical--there are blue ballons everywhere except for Morris Park!!

Information about Trader Joes

2006-04-24T20:28:00.000-04:00

I would like to tell people a little bit about Trader Joes. It's a wonderful grocer with wonderful food, but beware, you cannot do your entire food shopping there. I tell you this because my grandmother went there on an outing today and wanted to buy Ivory Soap, but they don't have it; she was shocked. So I began to tell her about all the good soaps and tasty treats she can buy there despite lack of Ivory soap so the next time she goes, she won't leave empty handed.

1. I'll start with soap because that is what started this blog: There is this one soap called "Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Peppermint Pure-Castile Hemp Soap" that I have not personally tried but I know quite a few people that swear by this soap as the best there is.

2. The next soap product is "Purify-Tangerine Sugar Scrub." Perhaps it's more of an exfoliant after the hemp soap (or the Irish Spring I use :)) but it's wonderful! It has a lovely scent that is not overwhelmingly citrusy; it doesn't leave you skin oily, but rather soft and smooth and just wonderful.

3. It's getting close to Summer and we all love sorbet-but how many times have you tried to find some when all you find is dairy stuff. Trader Joes to the rescue! They carry a wonderful brand "Sharon's Sorbet." I have tried the rasberry, mango, and coconut-all were splendidly refreshing and parve.

4. Trader Joes carries Empire chicken. While many of you live close to kosher butchers, the Pathmark near me isn't nearly as reliable as Trader Joes. They also carry this kosher brand of meat but Rabbi Heber doesn't reccommend it so I won't either.

5. There is this most delicious sharp cheddar cheese Tilamook brand which has a funny looking hashgacha that the Star-K says is ok and I love it. Now other kosher cheddars (well some of them I suppose) just taste bland after eating this one.

6. I will sum up here: There are many many kosher tasty snacks--chips, pretzels, cookies, an array of dried fruits, chocolates, breads, and a good Tabouli salad, a good Mayo with no preservatives, good spaghetti sauce...you get the point-there is good food-good prices-experience Trader Joes for youself!!

Forces against me?

2006-04-21T13:34:00.000-04:00

I know they aren't against me. But...

But why don't I know numbers by heart anymore? Why don't I have a PDA where all numbers are listed? Why don't I have a working phone card? Why does my mom not have internet access? Why is no one home so that I can use a computer? And why does the phone ring when I am in the shower? And why do I have my phone on silent accidentally when I am expecting a call?

Why do people say things that aren't true? Why can't I just accept that I misunderstood? Why don't people call you back? Why do they call but don't acknowledge the fact that I am upset?

Why can't I write a stupid poster? Why do I have a mental block?

Why are boys stupid (no, not you)?

Why do I have to dissapoint people all the time? Why do I disappoint myself?

Why am I spontaneous at the wrong times?

Why can't I commit to anything?

Why did a get a Egg and Chesse from Dunkin Donuts when I make better one myself?

Why do people have to get sick?

Why is life unfair?

Why why why??

And I know that the forces aren't against me.

Coolest Shabbos Invitation I have ever received

2006-04-05T00:41:00.000-04:00

M.L.T.

2006-03-29T22:32:00.000-05:00

Mutton, Lettuce, and Tomato.

Those who are familiar with The Princess Bride will recognize this sandwich. I had never heard of mutton and always thought it was a made up sort of meat. However, today's "Dining out" section had a whole article about mutton-not so popular in America-but it's real!!

Orthodox Apprentice Interview

2006-03-29T22:29:00.000-05:00

The interview is about a half hour long but very interesting even if you don't watch The Apprentice.

I know I'm a dork

2006-03-26T16:27:00.000-05:00

Check out this song

How I Found G-d

2006-03-06T22:58:00.000-05:00

No Need for Groundhog

2006-03-05T23:48:00.000-05:00

There is no need to wait and see if the groundhog sees his shadow to determine the arrival of Spring. I know when Spring is around the corner. In about three weeks or so the weather will warm up, the flowers will bloom, and people will gather outside. How do I know? My allergies are back. My allergy to Spring starts early-before the pollen-that's when it gets really bad. Right now I just can't breathe, lots of sneezing, eyes tearing-but really-it's nothing in comparison to the pollen. Anyway, getting back to the point-this is not a cold-it's the begining of Spring.

I think I like Autumn best.

Breakin the Rules

2006-02-28T21:28:00.000-05:00

Today I went to visit Anya in her lab. We were chatting and then she decided to paint my nails. It was a girly sort of chat so I decided to agree with this girly sort of thing. Then I looked at my nails--they were red. I can't remember the last time I have worn a darker color than "butterscotch"-perhaps it was ninth grade when nailpolish rule came into existence. I think after today I will go back to no darker than "butterscotch" but for now...I broke the rule :).

Sabotage and Samoas and Another Word that Starts with Sa...

2006-02-27T23:41:00.000-05:00

Today after much apprehension-I did not give my journal club presentation. Something was wrong with the projector. The joke of the lab was that somehow I must have clipped a wire this morning so that when the all the technicians and electrician people came to try and turn the thing on-they couldn't--and now my talk is postponed until next week.

I did not clip any wire.

In other news: Today I bought a deliciously tasty flavor of ice cream: Edy's Girl Scout's Samoas Cookie--Limited edition--I could not resist.

Also, what would be a word for a volley of gunfire? It's a five letter word starting with "sa...".

Munch Exhibition at MOMA

2006-02-22T22:27:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure at this point if I can exactly express my reaction to the Edvard Munch exhibition that I saw today. I have never left an exhibition so emtionally drained.

"The mood is the main thing and nature is simply the means"-A quote from a description of one of his paintings...not quite the Impressionist approach!!

Above are a few of the pictures that I can't get out of my mind...

Matisyahu Moment and What Chabad Is Not

2006-02-16T14:14:00.000-05:00

Two thoughts I thought I would share today:

1. I was sitting at Starbucks-sipping my caramel macchiato-grooving to the background music-when a song from Matisyahu came on. King Without a Crown is a wonderful song-just kinda amusing to see how mainstream it has become.

2. What is role of Chabad in far off places like Prague? It's not so tourists can have a place for shabbos. I am not saying that it can't be...but after consulting an official member of Chabad yesterday C. told me that while many people who run Chabad all over the world offer their food and homes and company to those Jews/tourists-the tourists are not the main concern. The focus is on the people of that community in which they live-to bring Judaism to thoses who are disconnected from it.

But what happens when you have a tourist who is disconnected from Judaism and seeks out Chabad?

Note: This is not a criticism-just a response to a story I was told of yesterday of somehone who had a negative experience. I know that Chabad does wonderful things for communites and people and tourists too-

B's Rant

2006-02-03T10:21:00.000-05:00

Just passing it on...

To the folks at American Apparel:

Whether thigh high socks are the next "in" thing or not is irrelevant compared to the utterly demeaning advertisements you feel are the best way to get your message across. Nearly every advertisement that I have seen by American Apparel screams its message loud and clear. "Wear American Apparel clothing, look like a slut."

It's easy to draw customers with sex. But by doing so, you turn every single woman into a sex object. Isn't there a way American clothing stores can sell their clothing without objectifying its female models? (Do you even have male models??). This particular advertisement (Feb issue Urbanite Baltimore 2006) was particularly disturbing,"Vanessa, a Cubana... manages one of our stores.." Ok. So now your customer knows a couple of things. One, women from Cuba have small brains and are willing to take off their clothes to make a few bucks. Two, store managers at American Apparel are women with small brains, who will take off their clothes as part of their job description.

As a woman, I value my body, my image, and myself too much to step into an American Apparel store in any city. I value all the women out there who are victums of sexual violence, of sexual discrimination and of verbal abuse. It is attitudes like those at American Apparel that perpetuate those messages that lead to these behaviors.

As one woman, I will do my best to continue to spread the word to friends and family that until you, as a company, begin to show some respect for women as human beings, American Apparel is not a store that needs our business.

Green Bean Recipe

2006-02-02T20:18:00.000-05:00

So there isn't really a theme to this blog-I post things that I find interesting-or random thoughts for the day when the mood strikes me-but I do know that most of the time this blog is not for recipes-I have other blogs sites I visit that are specifically devoted to that such as 101cookbooks .

However, my dear sister did not have a pen and because I love her and she is the kallah I will post the recipe.

The following if from Jamie Oliver's cookbook "Jamie's dinners" but according to B. it's Sara's green bean recipe-but I can only take credit for finding it and sharing it. If you like the tangy mustard/vinegary sort of flavors then I recommed this highly-BUT-it is much better served warm than cold.

4 handfuls of green beans
2-3 heaping tsps of good French mustard
2 tbls of white wine vinegar
7 tbls* of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 med. shallot
1/2 clove of garlic

Bring to boil a pan of water, add the bean, cover with lid, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, but mustard, vinegar in a bowl and all the olive oil (*I don't add all the oil-just until I like the consistency and taste). Then add the salt, pepper and chopped shallot, and garlic.

Drain the beans and when they are still hot add the dressing.

Now if you must serve them "not hot" make sure to take them out of the fridge to get them to at least room temperature-but really-eat them while hot-they are very very tasty!!

Enjoy!!

Quote of the Day from NYT...

2006-01-30T10:29:00.000-05:00

LONDON, Jan. 29 — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged Sunday that the United States had failed to understand the depth of hostility among Palestinians toward their longtime leaders. The hostility led to an election victory by the militant group Hamas that has reduced to tatters crucial assumptions underlying American policies and hopes in the Middle East.

"I've asked why nobody saw it coming," Ms. Rice said, speaking of her own staff. "It does say something about us not having a good enough pulse."

A Tribute

2006-01-17T00:59:00.000-05:00

Larry was like a grandfather, an uncle, a cousin-he was family. When he introduced me to friends or colleagues I was sometimes the niece, sometimes the granddaughter-I think technically speaking he was my first cousin twice removed-but this is a mere technicality. We were close. He and his wife lived around the corner so shabbos visits were frequent. There was always a story or a joke to be told-it was always worthwhile.

He was a pilot in WWII. One story he told me was of when his plane was shot down in Japan. He was sitting in the raft, alone, waiting to be rescued. Part of the emergency kit came with a radio to build to communicate. He said it took him hours and hours to build and finally it was finished-but it didn't work. Larry's theory is that it was never supposed to work-it was just something to keep you busy while you were waiting to be found.

He was a world famous biochemist with many many scientific achievements. I remember at one point he semi-retired from doing labwork because he said he was taking away grant money from the many graduate students that he trained that continued on in science. When I was little he would always tell me to come to his lab and he could make me lemonade with citric acid, sugar, and water.

Larry Grossman passed away from Alzheimer's Disease-but left this world after a fulfilling life of love, family, kindness, humor, and science.

I love you Larry.

Maybe this is why I don't like crowds...

2006-01-12T09:47:00.000-05:00

Read this.

Where am I?

2005-12-13T23:04:00.000-05:00

I have fallen off the face of the earth into the world of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. I'll be back after Monday, December 19th.

Even football players get stickers?

2005-10-10T21:01:00.000-04:00

So I was watching the Ohio State vs. Penn State football game after shabbos and I noticed that on the helmets of the Ohio State players were stickers-I was told these were "leaves".

Whatever they were-I learned that these "leaves" were earned when a good play was made.

It was at that moment I realized that you can be in first grade and recieve stickers for answering a question or doing a good deed and you can be in college playing football making a good play...

Basically-no matter how old you are-apparently stickers will always be motivators.

Rules

2005-09-29T13:45:00.000-04:00

The following were the "Rules" that hung on the kitchen cabinet for years. I don't know where my mother got them-but they are rules to follow....

Growing up Means

Giving up dependency wishes

Building frustration tolerance

Acquiring empathy

Internalizing self-discipline

Yielding gracefully

Giving up entitlement

Blending oneself in to a bigger unit.

Laughing at ones self

Enjoying process

Planning ahead

Keeping commitments

Believing in the Rules of the World

Rules of the World

The world is not fair.

Everybody has a boss.

Living involves hassle.

Nobody is entitled to anything.

True pride is self-respect and
must be earned, not gifted.

Being loved is only free for babies.
after that reciprocity is required.

Everybody goofs, a lot.

Everybody is laughable.

Staying Happy involves work

The Matter of Mind

2005-09-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

I am reading a book written by Jeffrey M. Schwartz and Sharon Begeley entitled "The Mind and the Brain-Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force." I wanted to wait until I finished the book to comment and discuss it-but I just had to quote this little story that Dr. Schwartz brings as an example of the mystery of how something "as sublime and insubstantial as thought or consciousness can emerge from three pounds of gelantiouns pudding insdie the skull..."

He quotes a short story first published in a sci-fi magazine Omni written in 1991 by Terri Bisson. The story begins with an alien commander and a scout that just returned from his mission on Earth:

"They're made out of meat."
"Meat?"
"There's no doubt about it. We picked several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, probled them all the way through. They're completely meat."
"That's impossible. What about the radio signals? The messages to that stars?"
They use the radio waves to talk, but the signals don't come from them. The signals come from the machines."
"So who made the machines? That's who we want to contact."
"They made the machines. That's what I am trying to tell you. Meat made the machines."
"That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat?"
"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. These creatures are the only sentient race in the sector and they are made of meat."
"Maybe they're like the Orfolei. You know, a carbon-based intelligence that goes through a meat stage."
"Nope. They're born meat and they die meat. We studied them for several of their lifespans, which didn't take too long. Do you have any idea of the lifespan of meat?"
"Spare me. Okay, maybe they're only part meat. You know, like the Weddilei. A meat head with an election plasma brain inside."
"Nope, we thought of that, since they do have meat heads like the the Weddilei. But I told you, we probed them. They're meat all the way though."
"No brain?"
"Oh, there is a brain all right. It's just that the brain is made of meat."
"So...what does the thinking?"
"You're not understanding, are you? The brain does the thinking. The meat."
"Thinking meat! You're asking me to believe in thinking meat?!"
"Yes, thinking meat! Conscious meat! Loving meat. Dreaming meat. The meat is the whole deal! Are you beginning to get the picture, or do I have to start all over?"

Here is a copy of the whole story...just in case you want to read the rest that was not in the book.

From Science to Science Fiction?

2005-09-12T14:33:00.000-04:00

I came across a small little article in the Science section of the NY Times last week entitled, "Parasitic Hairworm Charms Grasshopper Into Taking it for a Swim." Basically this lab in France studies these worms that live in water-somehow change their form and live dormant in these grasshoppers until they feel the time is right to return to their homeland-the water. When the time is right- the grasshoppers have a sudden urge to jump-jump into the water-basically commit suicide since they don't swim-and the worms exit out and live a happily ever after. So the scientists are trying to study exactly how the worms take control-what happens to the brain function of the grasshoppers-all that kind of stuff.

This article just seemed to me the classic situation of aliens invading and control human minds-kinda scary huh? If worms can control the grasshoppers....who knows....:)

A happy ending

2005-08-24T10:56:00.000-04:00

My usual routine in the morning is to go to the coffee shop, get a pasty, and go to the lab. This morning was no different than any other morning except when I arrived at the lab I noticed my wallet was missing. I still had my purse but somehow my wallet escaped.

Since I had only been in two places I retraced my steps to no avail. The security guard told me that nine times out of ten people's wallets were returned. I went back to lab to sit and wait because I coudln't really focus on anything but calls I would have to make-cards I would need to cancel.

About five minutes later this nice woman calls me and told me that he son found my wallet!!! I ran over to her apartment and picked it up. I only had about six dollars in cash so I gave it to the little boy that found my wallet.

There are good people in this world...

United Drummers of Yisrael

2005-08-22T20:49:00.000-04:00

So there were some dudes on the subway playing their drums, and preaching peace, love, understanding, or something like that. Their shirts each had a big magen david on it and they were wearing tzitzit. I was curious.

I asked them why they wore fringes on their shirts. They replied that keep all the laws of G-d-like shabbos and kosher and even wear the name of G-d on their foreheads. To me the latter is singly the responsibility of the Cohen Gadol but I didn't bother with that. I stuck with politics-I simply asked them how they felt about the disengagement.

Yossi replied that the Bible talks about the fact that when the Jews don't behave that the land will spit them out.

I can only improve my actions so that we will merit the land once again.

Post Script

This just something I found on Google-I don't claim it to be comprehensive-I don't really know much about these people-

They seemed like nice guys on the subway.

They can certainly play those drums...

An Interview from Aljazeera

2005-08-15T18:48:00.000-04:00

I don't quite get how this article ended up here, but you should really read it.

Interview with an Israeli settler

Now I can't cheer...

2005-08-15T10:33:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I know that knocking on wood is not the appropriate Jewish thing to do but now I can't cheer "Hip Hip Hooray" anymore either.

Apparently,

HIP! HIP! HURRAH! - Hip, we're told, derives from the initials of the Latin words 'Hiersolyms est perdita,' 'Jerusalem is destroyed.' German knights, not a very bright bunch, were supposed to have known this and shouted 'hip, hip!' When they hunted Jews in the persecutions of the Middle Ages. 'Hurrah!' by the same strained imagining, is said to be a corruption of the Slavonic word for Paradise (hu-raj). Therefore, if you ever shout 'hip! hip! hurrah!' You are supposedly shouting: 'Jerusalem is destroyed (the infidels are destroyed) and we are on the road to Paradise!'

I don't know if this is real or not, but hey, the phrase is now ruined.

Well, I can't remember when I have ever said this. Basically it's the priciple of the matter

Must Read

2005-08-10T22:55:00.000-04:00

A Phantom Tollbooth.

The Giver.

Please add more....

Cell phone dilemma

2005-08-01T23:29:00.000-04:00

So I have had this cell phone of mine for about two years now. Being the loyal Verizon customer, I am now entitled to a $100 credit. But I like my phone. I can make calls-have an alarm-text message-it has nice green LCD screen...why do I need a phone with a color screen, that's way more complicated, that has a camera, that has a video, why why why do I need all of these things. I think it's a tad silly that the most basic of phones now has to come with all these features. Maybe they could have just improved the reception capability, or built it so that when you drop the darn thing-it doesn't break. I don't know-I am not sure why I am against these technologies-I just don't want them on my phone.

Nevertheless-if this phone breaks and I don't use my credit-I will end up spending lots more money which I certainly don't want to do. Maybe I should get a new fancy phone and just keep it as a back up for when this one breaks. Maybe I should just embrace technology and make friends with the new fancy phone.

Further discussion....

2005-07-28T23:50:00.000-04:00

I would just like to republished a part of TRW's blog and my response with EN:

TRW was asked whether evolution was fact of theory and she replied:

It's a theory that could be a fact it you hold that a day of Creation was the billions of years that it took for the tiny bug to become a person...although I have issue with the fact that I may have come from apes. In fact, I just plain old don't believe it. Very distantly related, possibly. Direct descendants? Absolutely not. (We're also distantly related to ישמעאל, but we try to avoid that as well...)

-This led to the following-

Sara said...

TRW,

You should really read Rabbi Brown's book on evolution-or perhaps it was in Gerald Schroder's book-I think you own them both and are both very good-anyway-these books discuss evolution from a Torah standpoint-for example-the main difference between apes and humans is that we have a neshamah-did we exactly "evolve" from apes-or maybe they existed and from something that might have resesmbled an ape-or you know-a guy with a big forehead :)-and Hashem placed a neshamah into that being and then Man came into existence. Science and Torah certainly do not conflict-the Ramban discusses some kind of evolution in his commentary on Bereishis. What I am mainly remind people when they question me about these so-called "conflicts" is that I believe that while the concept exists-a Higher being is rnning the show....

9:52 AM

EN said...

I agree with TRW on this one. It is only a theory, so why evolve a theory to make it coinside with Torah is beyond me. There really is no purpose, and I don't think (not that I am an expert on these matters) that reading Schroder's book is called limud hatorah.

6:04 PM

TRW said...

Sara-'Member my sister went with you to the lecture and didn't understand a word? I'm afraid us non-scientific folks have a bit of trouble with it...:/

Just a moment, en..I didn't say I thought it was shtus, I just said I'd never thought about it before. When books like Dr. Schroeder's come out, I think they're wonderful-showing how science and Torah don't have to be at odds with each other, which many academics have trouble with. I don't think it's a bad thing at all!! I just don't fully understand the theories of evolution in general.

6:11 PM

Sara said...

en! I don't even know where to begin and maybe this is not the place for it, but just because you say that reading a book that discusses Torah AND science is not limud torah-how can you say that there is no purpose!!!!!!

TRW-I certainly agree that for non-science folks some things can be complicated. But EN--this does not excuse the fact that you can just simply disregard the word evolution-when the Ramban discusses it-so the Ramban is teaching us something on Bereishis and this in not limud torah???? Hashem created the world to run according to Teva (in a general sense ok??) and you are saying that there is no point in trying to understand it-that is what people do when they create theories-try to understand the world-prove or disprove these things and move forward in a better understanding.....

8:48 PM

EN said...

sara- What I am saying is that these books are similar to the ban on slifkind. It is trying to stuff understanding of God into ideas that can not be proven (hence the word theory). Learn the Ramban, that is enough to know, not, some new fangled authors who are learning science and stuffing Torah to fit that view. The Ramban never used the term evolution which seems to imply continues change, he said the world came from something the size of a mustard seed. If he felt it was important to descibe and explain the how and why I am sure he would have . It is not like his work is as concise as Rashi.

9:24 PM

Sara said...

I don't think TRW wishes this discussion in her blog. I have many more things to say-but will just conclude that I feel so sad that you feel a person has to stuff science into Torah. Torah encompasses everything-I don't think stuffing is required-just something tasty on Thanksgiving.

New fangled authors-well, I am not sure what you consider new-people consider the Chofetz Chaim new-and unless you are of the Sefardic persuasion-then you follow much of the halacha from what he has taught.

And I suppose if a Rabbi of my community has published some of his thoughts on Torah-he is just another new fangled author that shouldn't have bothered...

11:47 PM

So since I ended the discussion on her blog-I decided to continue it on mine....

Prep for L.A.

2005-06-15T17:28:00.000-04:00

It's time to start getting ready for the conference in L.A. so today I watched L.A. Story. It's a 1991 film starring Steve Martin-a lovely goofey little movie that pokes fun af the ridiculousness of the Los Angeles mentality while weaving a sweet romance theme that only an actor such as Steve Martin can be part of. Watch it and enjoy.

My car is not feeling wel-the AC is not working. I discovered this last week and had an odd fellow named Izzie look at it. Well, the very nice mechanic could not fix my air conditioning but he told me that it was OK to drive to Baltimore so off I went on Sunday for Shavuot and cheesecake with my family. I drove back last night without much of a problem-windows open and I pretended I had a convertible-a type of car I don't ever want-way too loud and wind blowing around your car isn't very exciting-you just feel like you need a nice long shower when you get home because you have a layer of wind/dust on you from the trip. This morning I was going to bring the car to a different mechanic and then the car didn't start. So after towing it to the station I just sit by the phone, waiting like a girl waits for a guy to call after their first date. I'm still waiting-maybe I should just take the hint that my car is not interested. But I am still hopefuly because I have been good to my car and I think he'll reciprocate and we get together once again. We've had a relationship for seven years, lotsa miles and I'm not leaving without a fight. I hate waiting. I hate not having control over this situtation. I'm sorry this blog doesn't really make any sense. I think it's time for some cheesecake.

The brain is amazing!

2005-06-03T12:14:00.000-04:00

Just a short little blog today. I just think it's amazing how memory works. Today I was eating vanilla pudding and all of the sudden I had a memory of my stepmother making this tasty treat with vanilla pudding, cool whip and fruit cocktail. I hadn't thought about this snack in probably more than ten years but it just popped in my head when I had the pudding this morning.

I guess this just shows me that for all the times I think I blocked something from my memory, it's probably still there waiting to be remembered.

To quote Ben Stiller's wife...

2005-05-18T14:00:00.000-04:00

Hasta L'Chaim

Upon reexaming what Ben Stiller's wife said, this is utter nonsense because life in Spanish is vida and not vista. Nevertheless, I just like the way it sounds...and I think she must as well.

TV Jews

2005-05-16T09:24:00.000-04:00

In many movies and tv shows there are scenes that have characters that are supposed to be orthodox jews. Sometimes it's in the extreme (black suit, long long beard, thick dark-rimmed glasses) and in these cases I don't get offended (most likely because it is so extreme and not a part of a my everyday life or I know it's just utter exaggeration). But yesterday I was very annoyed at the show Gray's Anatomy. One of the stories from yesterday had a girl who was supposed to be orthodox, whose perhaps were obviously not even close to such observance, perhaps they were reform jews. This girl had some problem with her heart and the only way to treat her was with putting a valve of a pig in her. From the begining of the scenes with this girl "Esther" she certainly did not opitomize a "bas yisroel." The manner in which she spoke with the doctors was very very condescending and rude and when the doctor commented on her long skirt and asked if she was Omish she replied in a very condescending manner "Haven't you ever seen an orthodox Jew before?" She ranted and raved that she couldn't have a valve from a pig in her body, "no way in hell" to quote her. In another scene the doctor came in while she was davening and after she finished shemoeh esrei she said to the doctor in a very holier-than-thou manner that she "had to speak to G-d first because He was more important than some doctor."

In the end the doctor found a valve from a cow that they could use. Esther wanted a rabbi to "bless" her before the surgery and so they found this women to say some kind of mishebarch. Forgetting the women-rabbi which also doesn't quite fit, the behavior of the girl who was claiming to be orthodox-her arrogance and condescending nature was just utterly terrible and embarrassing.

I honestly think (now I haven't asked a rabbi yet) but if there were really no other way to treat her, Judiasm preaches life and if the pig valve were the only way to save her I would think it might be ok.

I don't want to sound hypocritical-my language might not be wonderful and I certainly have many areas in which I can improve, but when I speak to people who aren't Jewish, or aren't relgious, I try to be very careful to make a kiddush Hashem.

This girl "esther" who was created by the writers on the show was perhaps taken from a real life story-or based on someone that the writer knows. He most likely isn't making it up completely. It's sad that this was the representation and image that was created last night.

I suppose it got to me because it wasn't just a fat-shlumpy looking old guy with a beard but a teenage girl with an attitude that was supposed to be orthodox.

Google maps

2005-05-13T10:20:00.000-04:00

I would just like to take this opportunity to give a plug for google maps. The maps are very readable and clear. The cool part is that you can switch to satellite mode and instead of a cartoon-like picture you can see the actual roads!

Shabbat shalom umivorach!

"Saluting Israel, Celebrating America...Two Golden Lands"

2005-05-09T23:16:00.000-04:00

The above theme of this year's Israel parade on June 5th highlights the fact that I am truly living in Galut. There is no excuse for taking a day that is meant to celebrate the independece of Israel and celebrate our galut as well. If you want to take a day to reflect on the good of America then perhaps do so on July 4th or Thanksgiving or some other "American" type of holiday. Israeli independence day is just not the time to celebrate the fact that life is here "wonderful" .

This is wrong. This is galus I suppose...

I need to move...

Cramming

2005-05-03T14:29:00.000-04:00

I don't really believe in cramming for a final but in the end that is the situation in which I find myself. Why am I doing this? Unfortunately, I happened to be in the hospital for part of Pesach and while someone mentioned to me that some kind of disaster follows him every Pesach I fear that the disaster struck me this year. Thank goodness I am feeling better but here are the lessons I learned while being the hospital:

1. You need a patient advocate. Someone to get the nurse, make sure the results are given to you, and listen as you are getting instructions for the doctor in case you may have further questions.

In my case my PA was my father. He is a doctor at the hospital I went to (which is why I chose that
particular hospital) and so I think he had a lot of "pull" and connections and all that jazz which made my life much easier. Perhaps it is unfair that doctors relate to doctors differently that regular people but I am happy that at least I was able to take advantage of the situtaion. Interestingly enough, my bed was on the floor where psychiatric patients are admitted as well. My father being a psychiatrist knew many of the nurses and doctors on this floor so I had to make sure I was a good patient and the doctors and nurses took care of me because I was Dr. Q's daughter. Funny thing: one of the nurses when I was first admitted thought I needed a psych consult because my dad has asked for my chart :). I think by the third day I was going crazy so that I actually may have truly needed one.

2. Hospitals are not places for healthy people-only people who are sick or having a baby.

3. It's amazing how many different places you can by stuck by the phlebotomists.

4. Ask your local orthodox rabbi before you are in the hospital for what you can really do on yom tov/shabbos.

5. Ice chips are delicous when you haven't eaten in two days.

6. Visitors and phone calls really make you happy.

7. Why does everyone come to check your vitals, take blood, ask you questions when it's 7:00am and then you can go for hours without seeing anyone? Haven't they heard of the concept of sleeping in?

Ok, I know that most of you may know all these things, but this is what I came out with after this experience.

Now it's back to studying because I got nothing accomplished over Pesach.

Cramming is silly. I will remember none of this on Thursday.

No food

2005-04-20T16:03:00.000-04:00

I am not quite sure why when Pesach arrives there is no food left in the house. However, there seems to be this philosophy of "downsizing" so when it gets closer and instead of buying more food you just put it off until after Pesach. So now the situation is that I have three beers in the fridge and well, maybe a pint of milk left, and some tea (as you can see, nothing really substantial). I think I need to go out tonight...and have a beer when I come home? Hmm...

I went to this thesis defense seminar today. The guy that defended was from China. In 2002 he had gone home for a visit and got stuck in China for a year! Well, the happy ending was that he came back and finished his thesis. It is very hard for me to imagine getting to that point.

It's too bad I am not from the US so I could visit my country and get stuck there. Of course I will have to be from a country with a beatuiful beach and I would just relax there for a while until I could come back. Why did I have to be from a borning place like Baltimore?? I am not sure I would want to get stuck there...

Happy April 20th. (Is 4/20 such an exciting day anyway...) Drugs destroy brain cells. Case in point: I had to point out to a friend of mine what day it was and he didn't remember until I reminded him. Why do I even know this stuff? My head is filled with useless information.

Oh well...

1+1=?

2005-04-14T09:31:00.000-04:00

When Dr. Sibley told me that I don't think in a logical and staightforward manner I knew that although this could sound like an insult it wasn't. He just didn't get how I arrived at the right answer when I went in some roundabout way to get there. How did I get into science when I don't think in this logical and straightforward way??? Why do I like this stuff when the typical scientific mind thinks in a step by step way? Was I suppose to do something else and I am missing my calling? I hope not. I like this stuff....

Also, I figured out how to add links. Note the interesting group I have posted.

2005-03-28T22:27:00.000-05:00

Why is it that when you put words to music suddenly you can't understand the words and you have no clue what the artist is saying when he/she is singing the song? Maybe some people have better ears for these kind of these of things. There is the occasional song that I know all the words to, or have looked them up, or after listening tens or hundreds of times I finally get it, who knows, but I suppose that for me, at least, it is the beat, rhythm, or melody that moves me.

I suppose that is why I always seem to like songs that are just sung along with the guitar, or the old-school kind of rap from people like Method Man, Wu-Tang clan, even Cyprus Hill! It's the sound rather than the words. Same sort of deal with classical music, it's just melodies for a different mood.

Anyway, the excitment for today was that Jenny and I teamed up and completed the crossword puzzle from Monday's NY Times. Apparently Monday is has the easiest puzzle and it just gets progressively more challenging each day of the week, but it's a start! The two most exciting words we finally figured out:

famous large deep-blue rock: HOPEDIAMOND
seized illegaly: USURPED

Finally, in the world of biophysics, Steve has decided NOT to go to Michigan which makes me very happy. Now after this rotation I will go back to the theoretical world.

Ok, just some random thoughts to keep up the blog momentum.

2005-03-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, here is another useless thought that I had yesterday while eating very tasty cookies. Pillsbury has these cookies that I suppose are seasonal, plain sugar cookies that have a pumpkin, or tree, or heart, or in this case a bunny-depending on the appropriate holiday. I know these cookies are just full of chemicals, however I love baking just a few at a time and having nice warm just-baked cookies any time I desire. Well, last night I was making my cookies that have this bunny on them and I had a flashback to the Donnie Darko movie. For those of you who have not seen this movie there is a freaky bunny in the movie and now my cookies are scary.

If I can figure out how to post pictures I will show you pictures.

Will I continue to eat these cookies? Of course! I will just have to push the scary freaky bunny out of my mind.

2005-01-03T11:50:00.000-05:00

So I have been told by a few of my readers that they expected more out of my blogs. Now I am not sure if they expected more because my life is supposed to be more exciting or perhaps I should have more to say than that I am addicted to Carmax (which I still am by the way :) ). In any case I will try and make this blog more interesting/entertaining but I am sure that there will be days that I will go back to the random occasional thoughts because I enjoy posting those for my amusement.

I am now back in the Bronx. It took only three hours and seven minutes this morning which was a wonderfully uneventful trip. At 9:15 I couldn't go to work. I chatted with my roommate and then decided to go grocery shopping. Now it's 12:00 and I made it to the school building but am not quite ready to work. I haven't read a paper or thought about learning all those new modelling/dynamics programs in so long now that I just don't want to get back into it.

On a different note: my back still hurts. I thought that the pain would go away and for a few days I do believe that it subsided but now it has come back. The question is what I should do about it. I have been considering acupuncture for a while instead of traditional medicine. For some reason I think that for pain such as this a traditional doctor will tell me to take some Advil and it will just go away in good time. But it has been about two weeks!!

Alright, I'm going to pretend to go and work.

TTFN (ta ta for now)

2004-12-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

I am addicted to CARMAX. I can't seem to get enough of it. As soon as it wears off I get this feeling that my lips are dry and will get chapped and that is bad so I must put on some more. I suppose this isn't a bad addiction.

2004-11-12T13:06:00.000-05:00

I just noticed that the other graduate student (well, he is an MD-PhD student) is also a fan of Into the Woods. How do I know? Easy! If you had a little post-it note with the following:

You wish to have the cursed reversed? I'll need a certain potion first...

Wouldn't you also suspect that he likes this wonderful show are well?

2004-11-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

Alas it has been quite a while since I have blogged and really I have much about which to blog. Apparently I don't believe in state's rights. This is why my mother told me in response to my opinion that there should be universal voting laws for each of the fifty states. If Maine is going to split the electoral college then why can't Florida? There would be no such thing as a swing state and well, I would just do away with the whole electoral college anyway. I understand that people in Wyoming need as much of a say as people in Florida but I don't agree that each state can control the voting arrangements. Each place should use the same equipment and be open for the same number of hours and all of that. Now I am sure that for the most part I am in favor of State's rights. But for the whole silly presidential voting thing I am not in favor.

I know that this should have been blogged last week but I am just late, sorry.

New topic: Cell phones.

Did you know that if you were to purchase a cell phone from the Verizon store without any promotion or two year agreement that the cheapest phone there is $150!!! Yes, I know it's hard to believe but it's true. Unfortunately my two year upgrade would not be until the summer but I declared my phone dead yesterday. What to do!!!! Well, turns out that my grandfather has an extra phone and I will go this week and take his and hook that one up. In the meantime I bought that $150 phone keeping in mind that they have a 15-day return policy no questions asked. Guess where I will be returning next week? :)

2004-10-21T15:10:00.000-04:00

"A friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg eventhough you might be a bit cracked. " I don't know who said this but I saw it as a sign when I went to curves today and thought it was bloggable.

2004-10-14T13:17:00.000-04:00

Why do I always pull the doors that are clearly labeled "push"?

2004-10-04T20:15:00.000-04:00

My car has currently 123,456 miles on it. I don't think it will reach 654, 321 miles, now don't let's let ridiculous!

2004-09-27T20:36:00.000-04:00

I made a very tasty stir fry dinner and since my mom can post recipies I will do the same. However, there are no amounts, just dashes of this and that.

For the sauce: soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Cut some chicken and onion and cook in a hot pan that was heated with some oil. Then add the vegetables (I had broccoli, carrots and red peppers). Cook for as long as you want. I like my vegetables particularly crunchy so after about seven minutes I think the whole thing was ready.

It was really tasty and served on a bed of rice.

My roommate Jenny thinks I am very domestic...I'll just let her think this.

On a different note: I like hammering things. I have hung two things in my room: a mirror and a rug and it's just lots of fun.

Time for tehilim.

Have a good night.

2004-09-22T20:53:00.000-04:00

Upon coming to Einstein I have acquired many new keys-keys for my apartment, mailbox, another mailbox at school, garage, lab, and a key I don't even know what it would open. It makes me nervous because I used to loose keys many-a-time and at home we have the little combination code thing. Can you imagine though if everywhere you went the door had a code, I think that may be too many different patterns to remember.

I know have a lab. I was labless for a while but now I have a desk space and soon I'll have a project to work on. It's all very exciting and a little intimidating. Here is the website of the guy I am working with at the present time:

http://www.aecom.yu.edu/phd/faculty/gerfen.htm

Back to studying for my biochemistry exam...

2004-09-21T13:14:00.000-04:00

So why is it that I am willing to pay $2.94 for a tall, skim, extra hot, with whip, caramel macchiato, while I feel that it is ridiculous to pay $1.90 for a medium coke. I think the answer lies in the number of adjectives used to describe the drink...:).

2003-10-03T12:12:00.000-04:00

Don't you just love when you have a math problem that is about five pages long and just when it looks like it could never simplify...everything cancels out and you are left with this small, simple, sweet answer.

I hope for all my fellow bloggers and readers that if and when life gets complicated and messy in the coming year, that it should simplify into something more managable, simple, and have a good ending!

Shabbat Shalom :-)

2003-10-02T01:29:00.000-04:00

Again it's math. I think that math people are people of true genius. I also think that I have nothing in common with math people, so why do I struggle and take third semester of calculus, why???

My friend who is a third grade teacher told me that her third grade student was having trouble. Why? Because math is her favorite subject but she was very nervous for the upcoming test. Why? Because the test is on word problems and although she is really good at math, she has trouble reading and is afraid she will fail.

I sympathize with this student. It's hard when there in an obstacle in your way of understanding. I feel as if there is a huge block that prevents neurons from firing when I try to think about math and perhaps it's just not something I am capable of aquiring.

However, David O. is my new best friend because I think he will be able to help me with Python. We'll see....

2003-09-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

I would like to apologize for yesterday's blog. It was a tad harsh and obscure and I don't hate all people, not even most people, I don't think I could really hate any one person. I suppose it was mere frustration that appeared in the blog and nothing more and I will move beyond it.

It's a new day and I will have a new attitude!

I've blogged before about my computer illiteracy, so how ironic is it that I now require the knowledge of computer programing for my biophysics class at Hopkins. The only programming I have ever done was in my senior year of high school. I took a Visual Basic class with one of my favorite people Mr. W. and for a brief moment I thought that I could study something like that in college...hahahaha! Well thank goodness it was only a brief thought because I am definitely not cut out for anything that truly involves knowledge of computers. However, there is now this class. I need help!!! Who knows Python? I certainly don't but I need to for my class. So this blog is a request, a plea, I'm begging you, please help me?

2003-09-29T13:26:00.000-04:00

Life sucks and people hurt you...

2003-09-24T23:04:00.000-04:00

Yes, I admit it, I am a dork. Now that we've established that, you want to hear a joke?

A neutron walks into a bar, sits down and asks for a drink. Finishing, the neutron asks "How much?"
The bartender says, "For you, no charge."

LOL. :-).

2003-09-10T08:19:00.000-04:00

Here's something that happened last night which I just find very amusing: I went to vote in the primaries for Mayor and I knew that there was a low voter turnout. Well, it was about 6:00 pm when I went to vote and I was number 193. I asked, "Were there only 193 people that came to vote for the whole day???" She replied, "No, there were 197 people, four of which were Republican." Just found this amusing. Wanted to share it with my fellow bloggers.

2003-09-04T22:54:00.000-04:00

I'm tired...I've been staring at my Calc. 3 book for about two hours before I decided that I was not being productive. Why do I torture myself??

2003-09-02T00:09:00.000-04:00

I am for sure in the right school when Newsweek calls Goucher the "Most Happy" college. Yay for all the wonderful students and my truly favorite and wonderful teachers!!!! And it's true, you can take classes at Hopkins, since I'm taking a biophysics course there this semester, yay!!

2003-08-31T01:43:00.000-04:00

:-(...:-(...that's all there is to say right now.

2003-08-29T18:44:00.000-04:00

Two of the most relaxing experiences I have had over the past few days:

1. Sitting by the beach, feeling the sand beneath my toes, the sun warming me up, listening to the waves coming and going, all while I close my eyes taking it all in.

2. Sitting on the porch watching as a thunderstorm rolls by.

2003-08-26T19:37:00.000-04:00

The lady who cuts our grass was attacked by bees today. I wasn't home at the time, but apparently they went up her shirt, in her gloves, and stung her all over her legs as well. When I got home I gave her some ice, and applied some baking soda/water paste to the places she was stung, and gave her some Benadryl. Just want to remind everyone the proper things to do when one is stung by bees. Thank Goodness she wasn't truly allergic. It brought back memories of that movie...oh darn...it's with that kid from Home Alone...well, hopefully you guys know what I'm talking about. Speaking of bees, my mom brought home from the State Fair some kind of moisturizer that is made from bees wax that is supposed to be BEE-utiful for your skin. I tried some today. Although it was in all honesty a bit sticky when first applied, after it was absorbed, my skin felt nice and smooth and soft. Mom says that this moisturizer lasts longer than most...perhaps it does :-).

2003-08-25T22:46:00.000-04:00

"Superman Ultimate Flight takes to the skies at Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags Great America. The strong stature and phenomenal airborne experience of this megacoaster promise that mere mortals will have the opportunity to soar like super heroes and flat-out fly! A unique "flying coaster," it tilts passengers face down to the ground, while they hang suspended from the track above." -sixflags.com

This was my favorite of them all!!! In my next career move after computer animation, working for Pixar, I would like to be an engineer and build beautiful, exciting, and thrilling roller coasters, yay!!!

2003-08-21T11:59:00.000-04:00

I was reading Arutz Sheva and came across the most interesting of tours that I have never noticed before today. A day in the life of the rich and famous....

Speaking of helicopters, I once met this guy in Barnes and Noble who was a medic for the army and was part of the team that flew the helicopters. He was also a recovering addict of ten years who had Jesus and Mary tatooed on his chest and was telling me how hard it was to find a picture of Joseph to put on his chest as well. Oh the people that I meet :-).

2003-08-20T00:04:00.000-04:00

I do need to blog. There is lots to blog about. I also need to sleep. And there is lots to dream about. So I think for now I'm going to Dreamland- second to the LEFT and straight on 'til morning. If I were to head RIGHT I would end up in Neverneverland.

Sweet dreams.

2003-08-13T15:16:00.000-04:00

"Rich, somewhat troublesome, but unequaled by any other form of roll" -The Joy of Cooking.

So Dunkin Donuts used to have these delicious croissants, some of them even had chocolate in them and we used to warm 'em in the microwave and the chocolate melted and it was just quite quite tasty.

Well, I don't really eat chocolate anymore since it was deemed partly responsible for my headaches/migraines, however, I still love croissants! But where to find them?? So I have decided that I should bake some myself :-). I don't do too much baking because the rest of my family quite excels in that department. Yet, I can and do cook and bake occasionally and now that I have this craving for this french crescent I need to make them myself.

So wish me luck as I try and make these delicious tasty things. I will gladly share with anyone who would like to join me. The recipe says that I'll make about eighteen of them.

2003-08-04T16:29:00.000-04:00

As we get older I think that some people tend to believe that doors are closing on them and there are fewer and fewer opportunities in terms of jobs, relationships, adventures, whatever. My theory is that this isn't true at all. Why think that door are already closed when you can instead think that you just haven't reached the door yet and they are still open and waiting for you. Please don't think that you are 22 or 23 and the doors are closing right and left, that is just plain silly. We are young! There will be time. As long as you are not passive about life, but active. We must stay active to keep the doors opens, but if we have that mentality then everything will happen in its appropriate time and we won't miss out!

2003-07-31T23:50:00.000-04:00

I have nothing intelligent to say this evening. However, there is something I have been thinking about today that I would like to share. Pepsi slurpees are not nearly as good as Coke slurpees (I had one this afternoon because the Coke slurpee wasn't working properly). This is not even including the "slurpees" that one can purchase from a 7-11 type of store such as Royal Farms. I had a "coke slurpee" from Royal Farms the other day. Although I did like that better than the real Pepsi slurpee from 7-11, it still didn't compare to that cold, refreshing, perfect, Coke slurpee from 7-11.

2003-07-30T23:24:00.000-04:00

When I was in fourth grade I was one of the first people to type a research paper instead of writing it by hand. However, I fear that it was at age 10 that I was on the cutting edge of technology and perhaps it was downhill from there. I thought I knew computers a little bit but I'm convinced I'll never quite master all this high tech stuff. I think that deep down I know that it's useful and helpful and we can't live life without it. Yet, it takes so much time and effort and frustration and then all the error messages appear telling me I have committed illegal operations. I have never done anything truly illegal (well, I jaywalk occasionally and do download music every once in a while) but other than that I can't recall anything that I have done that would be considered "illegal."

At least I can manage for the most part and put together a poster that looks presentable.

The one piece of technology that I would recommend everyone having are these memory cards/flash disk/thumbdrive type things that you can keep on your key chain, are indestrucible, and can store 125MB or more (that's equal to around 89 diskettes!!!!), and just plug into a USB port. Here is some information about it: flash disk .

Bottomline: I like technology. Just not sure if it quite likes me back :-).

2003-07-29T16:17:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are not familiar with Arthur here is all you need to know:
http://pbskids.org/arthur/

2003-07-29T09:22:00.000-04:00

Goodmorning fellow bloggers (that means you 17E and everyone else who happens upon this site). It's 9:15 and I'm at work waiting to start my day full of exciting experiments and frustrations of errorful (my new word) computers. Alas, the day cannot begin. Where is Dr. S?? If he is no where to be found then I cannot start my day and instead I feel compelled to blog. Yet at 9:15 in the morning there is not too much to blog about today except for what I saw on Arthur this morning. Yes, I watch Arthur! It is a wonderful show that teaches such wonderful lessons and is just plain entertainingif you are partially awake at 7:30am.

This morning on Arthur: D.W. begins to recieve an allowance of seventy-five cents. In her excitement about her new found richness, she shares with her friends her new stage in life only to find that other kids in her class have been recieving an allowance of more money for over a year. At first this traumatizes D.W. as she tries to reason that she needs more money only to come to the conclusion that money isn't everything and friendship is more important.

Goodmorning to all and to all a good morning. I'm off to wait for Dr. S.

2003-07-28T22:45:00.000-04:00

Blogalogue

1. meaning to have a dialogue via two blogsites and the comments of posts.
2. refer to one, why should blogalogue have more than one meaning??

2003-07-28T22:13:00.000-04:00

I feel as though I am talking to an answering machine. The machine can't talk back and you (the readers) can't comment back.

2003-07-25T00:58:00.000-04:00

Goodnight moon, goodnight cow jumping over the moon, goodnight kittens, goodnight mittens, goodnight chairs, goodnight bears, goodnight mush, goodnight the lady whispering hush...

2003-07-25T00:18:00.000-04:00

Blog is a funny name. Kind of reminds me of pogs. My brother used to collect them and I always thought they were the strangest sort of things...