Newton's Third Law of Graduation

Ah yes. Last but not least .... In my experience, this below law has been the most prominent. Paraphrased, it would be, "Two steps forward, one step and a stumble back."



Piled Higher and Deeper, by Jorge Cham
www.phdcomics.com

Pop a cherry

Nectarines topped my list of fruit about a month ago, but now my favourites are cherries. Not just any cherries. Big-a$$ Okanagan cherries.

If you have never tasted Okanagan fruit in all their summer glory, you are truly missing out. I kid you not. The warmth of the BC Okanagan region makes for the most fabulous apples, oranges, peaches, nectarines, cherries, you name it. And if you're anywhere near the area, there are kajillions of fruit stands along the roads selling their wares at dirt-cheap prices. Okay, that's my bit for Tourism BC.

So anyway, back to the cherries. I like to munch when I'm working, so I bought a 3-lb box (~1.3kg) of cherries for 9.00CAD. Ginormous, plump plump plump cherries. Massive, way-too-big-for-its-stem cherries. I can just encircle them with my thumb and forefinger. Huge. a$$. cherries. Practically mutant, I tell ya. The farmers probably watered the cherry orchards with green apple sparkling soda. (Aside: Why the h#ll is it soda?? They're a Canadian company. Pop.) Try chopping that tree down, George.

The great thing about these mammoth cherries is that the size of the cherry pit is still the same, so all that extra mass is sweet sweet cherry meat! Sweet chunk of cherry. And after I'm done with the flesh, I like to suck on the pit, roll it around in my mouth, bite on it, while I think. By the time I spit it out, the cherry pit is polished clean. An all-around fantastic fruit.

And damn yummy.

Nuclear pomme

Last week, during the heat spell in Vancouver, I found the slight tang in President's Choice Naturally Flavoured Green Apple Sparkling Soda quite refreshing. So I bought a 2L bottle for my long hours in the lab.

What I didn't realise at the time was that the bottle is clear, and that the nuclear green colour is from the bevie itself. It glows. Like a mug o' radiation.

I can't quite understand why they would think to make it naturally flavoured, yet add artificial colouring to it. Not to mention a colour that makes it look like it has a half-life.

I should've brought a black mug to the lab instead.

Over the hill? This way, please.

I have a young-looking face and I still occasionally get id'ed, so I sometimes like to think that I can still blend in with the young'uns.

Well, being summer and all, there are a lot of high school kids working their summer jobs. The other day I was at Superstore picking up some fruit, and as the "kid" behind the checkout handed back my credit card, he said, "Thank you, ma'am."

I got ma'am'ed. Ouch.

Newton's Second Law of Graduation

Piled Higher and Deeper, by Jorge Cham
www.phdcomics.com

Stick people

I am not a particular fan of the waif look that many Asian women are sporting. Women that eat like birds and don't like any activity more strenuous than walking to their car or making stars out of wrapping paper strips.

I can't stand women with thighs slimmer than my biceps or calves, who look like the slightest breeze may take them to Kansas City, and on whom a Size 0 doesn't seem to fit right. They just look so unhealthy, almost Ethiopian.

You could chalk it up to envy, since I have a "North American" figure and a healthy appetite, but in the end, I'd take my chunky thighs over their pretzel stick figures.

Newton's First Law of Graduation

This is a comic strip I recently found - Piled Higher and Deeper, by Jorge Cham of Stanford University, about grad student life. Hilariously funny. Here's a great introduction for you. (Unfortunately, fully applicable to me.)



Piled Higher and Deeper, by Jorge Cham
www.phdcomics.com

So much for plans.

Fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck FVCK.

I don't usually swear, but this warrants a good chain of profanities.

I was planning on presenting my project at the beginning of Aug.

I just learnt from a labmate that my senior supervisor is going to be away from tomorrow until Aug 04. Starting Sept, she'll be away on sabbatical for a year (that part I already knew, though). Fvck.

I also learnt from her that my other committee member is going to be away all of August. He won't be back until Sept. After my senior supervisor has left on sabbatical. Fvck.

I learnt that other faculty members are going to be away in August, or are already sitting on several other thesis committees and thus won't be able to take on additional students. Fvvvvvck.

Not to mention, my senior supervisor has conflicts with several members of the faculty, thus ruling them out to sit on my committee. Fvvvvvck!

I have to go find another committee member if I want to graduate this term.

Fvck.

Shameless plug

My buddy's theatre group Genus Theatre is putting on a new show City at Night.

2004 Aug 19-22, 26-28

Methodica Acting Studio
Suite 320, 440 W Hastings St, Vancouver

Tickets: Adults $12, Students $8, Matinee $8

If you enjoy tongue-in-cheek and satirical humour, this is a must-see. Or, as their motto goes, "Attendance is mandatory." Check out their website for show and ticket details!

Oh yeah, and this brilliant buddy of mine, he recently convocated with a Fine Arts degree and will be finishing his technical Master's soon. <shaking head> Wow.

I've fallen, ...!

I had dry feet, so I massaged in some healing foot cream. As I headed downstairs, the somewhat greasy cream and the plastic runner had a disagreement, so my feet went up, and I went down, landing with my full weight on my left hip.

I lay on the bottom few stairs, catching my breath and letting the pain subside a bit while I mentally tallied up the damage, and, deciding that it still hurt like h#ll, I let out a straggled wail. My big brother rushed out into the hall and asked, "Are you okay??"

And then he burst into laughter. Punk a$$.

It was a 3"-diameter welt of solid purple when I took this picture 3 days ago. It has since expanded. Today, it's the size of a very loose fist (about 5" across) with a thick edge of purple; the center of the bruise has taken on a jaundice yellow ....

I'm just happy it's above my shorts line.

All in a Day's Work

I've come to realise that working at school is good for me on many levels.

1. I actually get work done. I can really focus on my work. At home, the tv sucks up at least half of my attention. Go figure. :P Here, no distractions, it's like tunnel vision, instead of television. I don't even notice people entering and leaving the lab.
   
2. I drink enough fluids. There's a lot of compiling, so I have my bottle of water and lots of Tetra Paks of juice or iced tea. Of course, the downside is that I'm heading to the restroom every 15 minutes ....
   
3. I'm eating fruit! Same reason as above. With so much [necessary] waiting, I keep myself busy by eating and eating and eating, sometimes up to 5 fruits in the 10, 12 hours that I'm here.
   

I've taken to picking up 2 Subway deli sandwiches (for lunch and dinner; reasonably healthy) and fruit, before heading up to school to work on my project from noon (varies ...) until 10pm or midnight. I have everything I need, including spare batteries for my MuVo (I find that Vanessa-Mae is the best work music).

Of course, that's assuming I'm prepared. Occasionally, I'll forget to charge the batteries, which makes for a miserably quiet day. Or I won't get a chance to pick up deli sandwiches, which means that I'll be subsidising with crap food and mochas (Timmy H's - mmmmm ... oh, bad! bad!).

It's a double-edged sword, this working up at school.

Whath the point?

I'll never forget the time we came across the pride of San Francisco.

We brought our items up to the counter at Old Navy. Our cashier was - I kid you not - the reincarnate of Captain Hook (but without the hook). He was Latino, tall and slim; had high cheekbones and wavy hair that fell past his shoulders. He wore eyeliner, and had an earring (or two). No problem, we were cool. After all, it was San Francisco.

What really caught us off guard was his reminder to remove the price tag when we asked for a gift receipt, "becuth otherwithe, whath the point? And here'th your change, $13. Thome think it'th bad luck, but I'm not thuperthtitious." Tinkerbell voice, hand gestures and all. We flashed him a great smile and thanked him.

It was all we could do to run out of the store before we cracked up.