Monthly Archives: January 2011

Things to be thankful for 11-15

January 25, 2011

11. Putting in brand new disposable contact lenses for the first time. Everything is a bit clearer. And crisper. And more enjoyable.

12. Cinnamon sugar, old fashioned donuts. They’re a little sticky and sugar spills all over your shirt with each bite, but they’re delicious and absolutely worth the mess.

13. Teaching someone something. Especially when you’re looking at them while they think, think, think and you can tell exactly when everything comes together to make sense.

14. Sitting in the middle of the floor in a used bookstore, browsing through a bunch of unique, absurd, old books. Where did these books come from? What made their previous owners sell them off? How many different people have turned their pages?Books are the best things.

15. Even though they bruise your fingers with shades of juicy purple; and even though their thorns catch at your sleeves, reminding you not to be too greedy; and even though their seeds get stuck in your teeth for hours after you’ve finished enjoying them, nothing provides happiness quite like eating blackberries right from the bush.

Posted in: 365, happy things – No Comments

LEGO makes everything better, right?

January 21, 2011

Being a graduate student is pretty great because you get to do a bunch o’ cool research and you get to set your own hours and the people you work with are really cool (generally) and you get to make a difference and it’s super rewarding and blah, blah, blah. I mean, it is all of these things. And many more. I really do enjoy it. But sometimes there are bits that aren’t so good. Like when you have to grade problem sets.

This photograph represents what I will be doing with a good portion of my weekend. I threw my LEGO buddy in there to provide a sense of scale. His feelings mirror mine. Lots of people dislike having to spend the occasional quarter being a teacher’s assistant because they think it detracts from their ability to get research done. While this may be somewhat true, I actually like the teaching part. It’s a nice way to break up the routine of research and sometimes students can be really receptive to learning science. Which is wonderful.

But, yeah. Grading three inches of homework? Not so fun.

Posted in: 365, photograph – No Comments

Haiku 03

January 11, 2011

They come. Suddenly.

Filling the night sky with joy.

Snowflakes swirl and dance.

Posted in: 365, haiku – No Comments

Wonderful things 6-10

January 10, 2011

6. Waking up refreshed without your alarm going off.

7. Nachos. Warm, melty colby jack cheese nestled over and under a cascade of perfectly crunchy corn chips summited by an expanse of beans and jalapeños and black olives and cilantro and guacamole and sour cream. With a side of salsa. For one bite, before sogginess begins to slowly set in, your taste buds are treated to the highest level of tastiness.

8. Putting on a warm shirt, fresh out of the dryer. It crackles and clings comfortingly against your skin.

9. Successfully listing all of the letters on the smallest line at the optometrist’s.

10. The smell of pine trees on a lazy summer afternoon.

Posted in: 365, happy things – No Comments

Book survey

January 9, 2011

1. What author do you own the most books by?

Either Anne McCaffery or Brian Jacques.  There was a wonderful used book store in my town when I was younger and I read (and bought) all of the Pern and Redwall books that I could find.  These two series fostered a great appreciation for fantasy in me which strongly persists to this day.

2. What book do you own the most copies of?

The Hobbit.  I have two paperback copies and an annotated hardcover version with lots of awesome, old-timey sketches.

3. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  I believe that Mark Twain is the greatest American author of all time.

4. What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?

The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino.

5. What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?

The Great Typo Hunt by Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson. This book is a work of nonfiction and, summarized poorly, focuses on the cross country road trip of a pair of friends who change various typos which they encounter as they travel. The idea is interesting and appeals to me on some levels but the book itself is quite boring and full of itself.

6. What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?

I struggled with The Scarlet Letter.  I was unable to generate enough interest with the book and failed to put in the requisite amount of effort to benefit from it.  I’ll try again sometime when it’s not required reading for school. I am hopeful that will help.

7. What is your favorite novel?

This is very difficult. I really enjoy Cat’s Cradle, In Watermelon Sugar, and The Truth About Celia.

8. Play?

Something by Neil Simon.  I’ll take a comedy over a tragedy any day.

9. Poem?

Most things by Robert Frost are beautiful and simple and amazing, but If by Kipling might be my favorite.

10. Work of non-fiction?

Any of Vonnegut’s essay collections are wonderfully thought provoking.

11. Who is your favorite writer?

Hmmm.  In order to name someone new and not repeat myself, I will go with Bill Watterson.  The man’s genius is real.

12. What is your desert island book?

I’d probably cheat a little and grab some sort of anthology.  I recently purchased a large collection of the works of John Muir. I haven’t completed it yet, but he was so good at focusing on the small, simple beauties found in nature; having his work as a companion might help make the isolation of a desert island a bit more enjoyable.

Books completed so far in 2011: 2
Currently Reading: Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons by Kurt Vonnegut

Posted in: 365, book blog – No Comments
« Older posts