Notable Quotables

I'm exhausted and short on words right now so I'll let a couple of quote-worthy snippets from two recent emails serve as my post:

"Have you been through the part where you say, 'Ok, I know you really liked that Josh, it looked cool in your undergrad dorm room, but we're not hanging it over the mantel' thingy yet? Or the part where you wonder what to do with 2 can-openers, 8 whisks and 12 wooden spoons? Ah, the good ol' days." ~ my married classmate and friend Sean on Josh and I entering into roommate-dom

"Whenever you get some time after your camping trip (during which I'm sure you actually did wear a gunny sack at one point or another---ewww---nature), holla. I can't believe a member of clan Palit would voluntarily camp, like, in the woods." ~ my sister on her fascination with what she once referred to as "reverse evolution"...camping.

xoxox

T.G.I. the Friday Fiver!

1. What don't you understand?
The stock market, arbitrary values assigned to money/exchange rates, solar/lunar eclipses, and insurance.

2. Name someone in your life with blue eyes:



3. When is a lie not really a lie?
When it's less a lie and more "not the whole truth".

4. When is the last time you got really dirty?
Basically, I got nuthin'. I guess I didn't shower for 2 1/2 days when I went camping a month ago and the bottoms of my feet were the color of tires by the end of the trip. Also, after a stint in the wet lab at school pouring up models I always find bits of dried stone and impression material in my hair for days afterward.

5. Are you a lefty or a righty?
I'm a righty but my sister is a southpaw loyalist. I support her and her marginalized brethren, however, and bought her a bumper sticker a few years ago that says "Left On!"

One dollar, Bob!

I'm half-expecting the forever-young Bob Barker to walk into my new apartment any minute with that long, skinny microphone of his and offer me either a collection of exercise tapes or a trip to Holland. The last 5 days have been a whirlwind of physical labor and showcase showdown-worthy acquisitions. Not only did I move into my new pad, I've been getting (for the most part) new furniture and...wait for it...a new car! (cue the Price is Right music in your head and imagine Rod Roddy rambling off the specs of my sexy Ford Fusion as you read this)



I'm so excited to have a fun new set of wheels and thank the 'rents gratuitously for their help. I haven't had my own car since high school (save for random semesters at a time when my sister was abroad and I snagged hers) so it's been a blast for me to be the driver instead of the drivee these past few days. I'm also beyond geeked that it's a 5-speed manual and know that my Daddy had to put in some special requests to fulfill my need for speed. If you need a ride anywhere, anytime in the near future, holla atcha girl ;)

At any rate, the new digs are great and even though progress is coming slowly because Josh and I are on completely different work schedules, it is coming along. On the docket are painting, screwing things into the walls, and a major trip to IKEA. I'm hoping to get the lion's share of the shopping done before Friday when Josh and I leave to camp out of town with some Kentwood buddies. I'm looking forward to a weekend on the lake even though eating pizza for three days in a row while moving hasn't done much for my girlish figure. Is it weird if I sunbathe in a wetsuit?

Happy Hump Day!

xoxox

Good morning, Friday Fiver!

Name the last person you...

1. Hugged:
Josh. He's 6'0'' and I'm 5'3'', a perfect height discrepancy for hugging :)

2. Smiled at:
Mitsuo, my fellow lab rat (although he's a DDS, PhD and I'm simply a 1/4 DDS). Mitsuo came to our lab from Japan a little over a year ago and I've been trying to help him improve his English since then. My favorite mistake of his was when it took us 2 hours to figure what he meant when he said he was "hanging on" after a night out drinking with his buddies (read: hung over).

3. Deceived:
I'm no George Washington but I'm not one to deceive.

4. Glared at:
The obnoxious frat boys celebrating their brother's 21st birthday at Monday night
trivia at Conor O'Neill's, an event traditionally favored by graduate students. One of them kept elbowing me in the ribs while eating his spinach artichoke dip and the rest got wasted and shouted out offensive and immature faux answers. Mature, boys. Graduate women just love it when a man can belch loudly and then make a lewd joke about Osama bin Laden.

5. Lusted after:
I would be lying if I didn't say newcomer Brandon Routh of Superman Returns fame didn't make my heart race faster than a speeding bullet.

xoxox

Around the World in 80 hours

I've spent an obscene amount of time since Friday exploring the globe with Google Earth, an incredible satellite imaging program that I can't believe I didn't know about. In the past 80 hours I've visited Mt. Everest, the Pyramids in Giza, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, St. Peter's Basilica, the sunken USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor, the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon and more and guess what...no jet lag! Sure, it's creepy in a Big Brother sort of way to be able to see pictures of your car parked in your driveway taken by a satellite. And of course I got goosebumps when I realized I could make out actual sunbathers working on their tans along the strip in South Beach. But in terms of seeing the most amazing sites our planet has to offer that I may otherwise never see, I'm hooked. I'm not just talking the big stuff, either; this satellite picked up the Epcot Center golf ball and the HOLLYWOOD sign in the Hollywood hills. I could basically identify every major casino on the Vegas strip and Josh even found the Swissotel we stayed at when we visited Chicago in April. Awesome! Definitely check it out if you haven't already. However, I'd advise you to save downloading the program for when you have a lot of free time. I've been late for more things this weekend because of Google Earth than I'd like to admit. I guess if I can't be an astronaut, this is a wicked close second.

In other news, this past weekend was fun and productive. Josh and I bought our first major purchase together...a new couch! While it's not the one I originally posted about from IKEA, it's sturdier, cushier, and we got a great deal. In the store, I started thinking about how a purchase like this is a big step in our relationship and how I'll probably remember our first couch forever. I'm sure I got a little misty eyed thinking about our lives together both present and past. When I lovingly asked the newly-employed Josh what he thought about this major life step, his reply was: "Yeah, I think it's good...if you can front the money." Not exactly the romantic sonnet of a reply I was expecting but hey, at least he's practical! We pick it up on moving day (this Saturday!) and I can't wait :)

Finally, Saturday was Josh's sister Jamie's 21st birthday and she ventured over to Ann Arbor so we could take her out. A few friends from our summer crew joined us at Goodnight Gracie and LIVE for some fun cocktails and I've posted a few pictures below. I'll be busy this week packing, organizing, and busting tail in the lab but expect my thoughts on the new documentary Wordplay about Will Shortz, the editor of the Times crossword puzzle; a few of us are going to see the film tomorrow night because we get a 2 for 1 deal at the Michigan Theater with our Borders Rewards cards! Believe me, 30 + hours of lecture a week could drive anyone to become a crossword fan, nay, addict.

I know what you're thinking so I'll just say it myself: what's a four letter word for a wanna-be astronaut, general science enthusiast, and casual crossworder? NERD!

xoxox

Me and the birthday girl, Jamie. Cheers to 21!

Hmmm. Anyone else think Scott's trying to pay homage to...

...this painting entitled "Son of Man" by Renee Magritte?

Courtney, Stacy, and yours truly

Quote of the evening

"You can have my stem cells, they're for sale. Just don't take my eggs!"

~ Katrina on experimental research. In lieu of a summer job, Katrina has signed up for and participated in numerous studies for the psych department earning upwards of $8/hr these past few weeks. This morning, she had electrodes stuck to her head monitoring her brain waves as she tried to solve what was later disclosed as an unsolvable puzzle.

addendum

Two things I forgot in my earlier post; one makes me happy, the other bums me out.

Happy
The successful launch of the space shuttle Discovery yesterday. Everything seems to be intact and I heard on NPR yesterday that NASA is planning 13-16 more launches for the shuttle before it retires in 2012! I wish so much that I could be an astronaut. Can you imagine the soul searching that would be inspired by seeing the Earth, everything you've ever known (or thought you knew), from space or the moon? *sigh* Que increible.

Bummed Out
Ben Wallace, arguably the face of Detroit Pistons basketball, has signed to play for the Chicago Bulls. Now, I know that this will probably be the last contract Ben gets (he's 32 years old and in the NBA, that's approaching retirement...hmph) and Chicago offered him a great deal. I'm sure Ben also left on wonderful terms from the Pistons and their quick signing of another big guy suggests that Ben tactfully let the team know he was planning to leave. It's just that the Pistons are doing something right by playing selfless, tough, team basketball rarely seen in the NBA now and Ben basically embodied that philosophy. Frankly, I'm devastated.

xoxox

Freedom, indeed

Ahhh. I'm back from the 4 day weekend I finagled out of my mentor. Technically, Monday was not a holiday for employees of the University and seeing as how I don't really command any vacation days in this research program, I had to drop the "I was planning on spending the long weekend with my parents" bomb. Kablooey! Don't get me wrong, it's totally true but it's just a well-known fact that most parents, whether accomplished cancer researchers or not, cannot turn down good ol' family time in good conscience. I just exploited it a lil' bit. Thus, I was granted a pardon and I spent the long weekend eating, sun bathing ("like a lizard on a rock" as my sister once described my sol- worshipping tendencies), shopping, wedding-ing, reading, and sleeping. I'm thrilled to have a shortened week now as I'm already way over the hump!

At any rate, I've been pretty emotionally polarized lately and thought it might best to blog my thoughts in discreet sets rather than stream-of-consciousness. Here goes:

Things that have elated me recently:

- I've finally found the time to crack open a book or two lately. All this science and dentistry leaves my brain's right lobe to wither away and even if I don't burn through my must-read list in the next 6 weeks, it's relaxing and a nice change of pace to sit down and read.

- Moving day draws near. While ordinarily this would stress me out beyond belief, you cannot imagine the joy I take in knowing that in a week and a half I will have a dishwasher and my own washer and dryer. That and knowing I will not be living on a major road (traffic at 6:15 am is LOUD!), will not be living below someone, and will not have to deal with any more college-style bass nearly brings me to tears.

- I heard a rumor that the seventh and final Harry Potter book will be released on 7/7/07. Eeeeeee!

Things that have bummed me out recently:

- my cell phone has bitten the dust. I can't hear out of it and the screens are blank white. Fortunately, it's being replaced for free on Friday so I guess I'm not bummed out about it anymore. Nevermind!

- My knees are inflammed and painful. I had a sports M.D. check me out and he sent me to physical therapy for my IT band issue and my inflammation. I'm very impatient when it comes to health-related appointments and despise having to leave work for them. Although the physical therapist was wonderful and kind, I almost spatted "hurry it up already, lady!" as she was analyzing my stride. Fortunately, my IT band seems to have healed so with some ice and strengthening, I should be okay to start training for the Detroit Free Press half marathon. Hey, I guess I'm not bummed out about this anymore either! I knew keeping a blog would come in handy!

- I have cavities :( My family dentist confirmed that I had two class II incipient lesions when I went in for a cleaning over the holidays but they were so small we decided to watch and wait. I'm bummed out and blame my pre-sugar free vanilla days at Starbucks.

- Global warming. I'm really looking forward to seeing An Inconvenient Truth but know that I'll probably feel anxious for a while after watching it. At least that anxiety is a good call to action, right?

Well, this is a weird post and I briefly considered revising it but I'm very hungry and can't stop thinking about my Mom's homemade vegetarian Swedish meatballs in the fridge. I hope that you, my lovely readers, reflect on what's been (as I eloquently put it) "bumming you out" lately and like me come to realize it ain't no thang but a chicken wang.

Good day.

xoxox