The Armchair Nomad

Return of the Occasional Bloggerette?

2008-07-23T22:46:00.002-05:00

Seems it's well over a year since I've bothered to write anything here, despite the occasional nudge from assorted parties. Yours Truly is toying with the idea of reclaiming her small corner of Teh Interwebs, though with a change of venue: http://armchairnomad.wordpress.com.

In the meantime, go read someone else's blog. Or go sit in the sun! It's summer, fer cryin' out loud!

Happy Fourth of July

2007-07-04T17:27:00.000-05:00

From sea to shining sea...and to those overseas as well!

Quizzie Time: Decades Gone By

2007-07-04T00:42:00.000-05:00

Loosely (very loosely) inspired by this post and exchange:

The Thirties. Take this quiz!

That's reasonably close. I would've said '30s/'40s. Or as the Little Brother once said, "You were born old." Thanks, bro. It's true, though.

And on an even more random note...

What Kitchen Utensil are You?

Hmm. I'd have said "bowl" because I use them much more often than plates. I guess I do have a tendency to expound whilst cooking, a natural outgrowth of which includes emphatic gesticulation while holding cutlery. Knives are pretty darned useful, too, though.

Theory vs. Practice

2007-06-18T12:12:00.000-05:00

Gee.

Relief

2007-06-12T23:33:00.000-05:00

I admit it: not being the World's Greatest Law Student frequently worries me. I fret that this means I won't be the World's Greatest Lawyer, and will therefore not have a job, &c., &c. (I never claimed this was a rational fear.)

However, as the Great and Wise Nomad Mom--who would be an outstanding President but who'll never take the job--is wont to say, "if Ted Kennedy can make it through, so can you." Just now, I've come across another weapon for her arsenal for whenever I end up taking the bar and if, God forbid, I ever end up in a courtroom due to some truly evil stroke of misfortune:

But the hype was at times nearly overwhelming. To take just one example, it was often said that Mrs. Clinton had been judged one of the top lawyers in America. But both books point out that she failed the District of Columbia bar exam when she took it fresh out of Yale Law School. (Bernstein’s recounting of her years at Yale give the impression that she trained as much to be a social worker as a lawyer.) Of the 817 people who took the exam with Mrs. Clinton, Bernstein tells us, 551 — that’s 67 percent — passed, “most from law schools less prestigious than Yale.” The fact that Mrs. Clinton failed is not a scoop — after keeping it a secret for many years, she revealed it in a little-noticed
passage of her memoir, Living History — but it will receive new attention now. (She was also, by the way, unimpressive in the courtroom, and Bernstein reports that her worried Rose Law Firm partners “began steering her practice toward nonjury work.”)

Phew! I feel better already. Don't worry, though--I've no plans to run for Senate, President, or First Lady of anything, or even to try a hand at cattle futures. In all fairness* to HRC, though, hindsight appears to offer a cautionary lesson on hype for aspiring political power brokers: very few of those aspirants will in practice be consistently brilliant strategists or truly great politicians.

*However, having one's White House portrait painted with one's hand on one's book is, well, tacky. On that point, I am unshakeable.

With Bated Breath

2007-06-05T09:57:00.000-05:00

I hope these bettors are wide of the Mark:
Bookies are certain Harry's a goner.

William Hill Plc, a London-based bookmaker, is so sure of Harry's demise that it stopped accepting wagers and shifted betting to the possible killers. Lord Voldemort, who murdered Potter's parents, is the most likely villain, at 2-1 odds, followed by Professor Snape, one of his teachers, at 5-2.

``Every penny was on Harry dying, and it became untenable,'' said Rupert Adams, a William Hill spokesman. ``People are obsessed about this book.''
[...] Rowling has refused to give any clues about which characters will be killed off. Writing on her Web site last month, she asked people not to spoil the ending for fans by speculating about the outcome.
``I want the readers who have, in many instances, grown up with Harry, to embark on the last adventure they will share with him without knowing where they are going,'' she wrote May 14.

I do hope Harry survives, but as I always tell amused friends, I'll be even more devastated if Ron & Hermione die. I say "Ron & Hermione" because I think they are entertwined and one will not survive the end without the other. (Yes, I know, hopelessly sappy romantic.) I have only a few other simple requirements for JKR:

At least some of the Weasleys must survive.

And perhaps the most important of all, Remus must live, marry Tonks, and live happily ever after, because no one deserves it more.

But as for Harry's fate? You'll find no opinion here! Honestly, I enjoy reading and listening to others' predictions, but I've tried hard not to formulate any of my own speculations on that point. (Which is probably to everyone's surprise.) This time, I don't want predictions to burden the reading experience; I want to see what JKR has been plotting all these years.

HT: Marginal Revolution

Two Separate Thank-Yous

2007-05-28T10:54:00.000-05:00

One:

I hope this means that both Rosie and The View can now slide back into their respective obscurity, and nevermore will I be subjected to news reports of "what ridiculous, and occasionally physics-defying, twaddle Rosie held forth on today" or, really, any other "who said what on The View." (Honestly. Women. I swear...) O Bliss! Nevermore!

Two--and significantly more important:

Thank you, on this Memorial Day, to the thousands upon thousands of brave men and women who have given life, limb, and sacred honor to defend this beloved country. "Thank you" is too small and insignificant, but it is the best we can do in honor of your heroism and sacrifice, of what you have done for us and for peoples around the world, and for what you continue to do.

Happiness is...

2007-05-24T00:28:00.000-05:00

Sticky kisses. (The hardworking Little Bro will appreciate this.)

Real Men Do Not...An Occasional Series, Parts 1 & 2

2007-05-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

Real men do not...

1. Wear fuchsia.

2. Tattoo enormous angel wings across their backs. (And if, for some wholly inexplicable reason, they have such a tattoo, they ought not jog by me, shirtless. Twice.)

Ha! (ish)

2007-05-08T12:44:00.000-05:00

Well, it may be entirely possible to think one has a quasi-decent understanding of assorted international agreements--TRIPs! Paris Convention! Berne Convention! Patent Cooperation Treaty!--or to think one does, and yet to know that it is equally possible to have answered every single exam question incorrectly.* However, I did correctly answer that Canada is the 2nd largest country in terms of area, unlike a gaggle of TV anchors. Ha! Small victories.

*Actually, I think I got one right. The other 19, not so sure. Fortunately, most everyone else was probably in the same boat.

Observations over Ice Cream

2007-05-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

I'm not persuaded that Segolene Royal's economics are much more than wishful thinking (I grant you I'm watching a translation, y no hablo el frances), but I am persuaded of her excellent taste in blouses.

Difficult Questions

2007-05-03T11:25:00.000-05:00

Do I love ~~Trip Tucker III~~ Enterprise enough to purchase Seasons 1-4?

Update: Ayuh, apparently I do!

Hereby and Forthwith Concluded

2007-05-01T20:06:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I should not be allowed to chose my own topics, for I shall inevitably have chosen something much better suited for a dissertation, without realizing it upfront.

Manual Gaming Gone Wild

2007-04-28T23:59:00.000-05:00

Rock, paper, scissors? You ain't seen nuthin' yet. I'm not at all familiar with Lovecraft, but seriously, how does this not sound fun?

From the RPS-101 Outcome Guide: Chainsaw DICES Turnip, Turnip STAINS Cup, Cup HOLDS Beer, Beer AFFECTS Chainsaw USE. Wow.

Delightfully nerdy. (Would 'Mesh prove to be the champion of this game, too?)

Not a Popularity Contest

2007-04-16T18:48:00.000-05:00

This is a refreshingly realistic observation:

I am somewhat pleased by the fact that very few of the frontrunners in either party are particularly likeable. We have had 7 elections in a row in which we were supposed to
care about how much we "liked" the candidates [...]
[...]

We're not electing a dad or a mom or a best friend. We're electing someone who is supposed to: show up on time and sober every day, even when he's on vacation; work his (or her) tail off; juggle an enormous amount of responsibility; use good judgment with little information or time to respond; appoint reasonably competent people
to wield enormous (and sometimes lifetime) power; engage in hardball political negotiations with a sometimes-hostile and sometimes-stupid Congress.

I want a competent President who uses his head and who, at least occasionally, sees things "my way". I don't care if he or she is a jerk.

Quite so. We're electing a President, not a Prom King.

Quizzie Time: L.M. Montgomery

2007-04-16T08:41:00.000-05:00

Which L.M. Montgomery Heroine are You?

Way to make my morning!

TT Ben

Reflections

2007-04-15T14:26:00.000-05:00

What's in a compliment?

I don't mean a throwaway "Cute shoes!" or an "I love that dress!" but rather a real, substanative compliment, one you will never forget and will always strive to fulfill because it concerns a trait or goal you value most highly. Though the speaker probably didn't know it would strike you so deeply, it did... And you gathered it into your head and heart so that you might try to incorporate it in order to one day be more deserving. In nearly twenty six years, I can think of exactly two--which is probably as it ought to be, else one's head should be sorely swelled.

Funny things, words.

Where I wanna be...

2007-04-14T17:46:00.000-05:00

Springtime in Princeton. Funny how just a picture can bring back all the emotions associated with this time of year there...for Yours Truly, it was always intensely bittersweet. It still is...and being unable to go to Reunions this year doesn't help any. Next year, though, next year.

Thanks to TH.

Q: Who could possibly have predicted this?

2007-04-14T17:12:00.001-05:00

A: Pretty much anyone with a pulse. See "Well I'll Be Darned -- Norks Ignore Deadline to Shut Down Nuke Plant." (Don't you just love Andy McCarthy?) As a friend once remarked, Kim Jong Il may be nuts, but he knows what he wants and is acting very rationally. Et voila... Some days ago--maybe it was last week?--C-SPAN2 had on a panel discussion regarding NK, and one of the panelists drily remarked that it would be very interesting if someone were to do the research to find an agreement of any kind, nuclear or otherwise, that NK had actually ever followed. Indeed it would.

Nor is it difficult to predict that Ahmadinejad & co. have been taking copious notes for quite some time. Whatever else they may be, naive and stupid they are not, particularly given their most recent success.

SmorgasBorge

2007-04-01T01:51:00.000-05:00

Happy April Fools', y'all!

Some year I'll remember to plan some sort of practical joke, but this year, it will have to be someone else's wit instead. A few days ago, I was noodling around YouTube, looking for Victor Borge clips to show El Novio, and I was pleasantly surprised to find several.

For your April Fools' amusement, some vintage Borge--comedy with a musical touch:

Hungarian Rhapsody

Two versions of "Phonetic Punctuation"

Czardas duet-duel

Intro (in Minneapolis) Parts 1 and 2

Warning: since this is comedy from a slightly different day and age, you may find it lacking in shock and offense. You may, however, laugh anyway.

Yip, yip, yip

2007-03-27T01:15:00.001-05:00

For the Nomad Little Bro: little Flat-coat furballs.

The Hammie and The Broccoli

2007-03-27T00:58:00.000-05:00

I used to use the expression "toe-wigglingly happy," though I think people found it puzzling. But no more! With this expert demonstration by a wee hamster experiencing the transcendent joys of His First Broccoli, the days of befuddlement are ended!

Courtesy of Cute Overload, purveyor extraordinaire of warm fuzzies and the greatest site on the interwebs.

Fusion Flauting

2007-03-22T23:28:00.000-05:00

Despite my firm--nay, passionate and immutable--string loyalties, I do think this "beatbox flute" concept is creative and well-done...as well as very entertaining listening:

That and I have a soft spot for Axel Foley and the Beverly Hills Cop theme.

Quizzie Time: Tarot Card

2007-03-19T23:20:00.000-05:00

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised

The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

h/t Jeff the Baptist

Hmm.

2007-03-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

Is there anyone who actually adores writing research proposals? I'm going to guess no...

Teensy Study Break

2007-03-13T12:36:00.000-05:00

I saw printouts of these lying in the building printer this morning and thought they were entirely too funny (and entirely too true!) not to pass on:

Application for a Boys' Night Out
Application for a Girls' Night Out

Hehe...Yes, I'm sure those have likely been floating around in cyberspace for years, but (1) they're still hilarious and (2) see blog subtitle above.

Movies that Move Men?

2007-03-11T13:12:00.000-05:00

From the Amazon.com Screening Room Blog:

The Today show conducted a survey that stated guys actually enjoy "chick flicks." That's all well and good, because far be it for us gals to stereotype what gets men choked up. Yet, looking at their Top 7 Movies That Make Guys Cry list, something seems amiss. Do guys really know guys who cried in The Notebook? In Titanic? In even Gladiator?The rest of their top four are Dead Poets Society, Rudy, Saving Private Ryan, and Legends of the Fall.

Intriguing! I have to agree: a few of the titles Today lists don't really seem to belong on that list. For the male reader(s) out there, which is more correct, the Today list or the Amazon list? Do both miss the boat? What movies, if any, have tugged at your heartstrings or have otherwise strongly affected you emotionally? Why? By all means, please weigh in; I'd love to hear!

Yes, I looked for a video clip of the classic Tom Hanks/Victor Garber "Dirty Dozen" scene from Sleepless in Seattle (possibly one of the Nomad Dad's favorite movie moments ever), but couldn't seem to find one floating around there on teh interwebs. I would've figured it would be out there. Anyone else know where one is?

Bernard Lewis Lecture & New AEI Mag

2007-03-11T12:44:00.000-05:00

While poking around online to see whether AEI had put up its own video of Bernard Lewis' 2007 Irving Kristol Award Lecture, which I watched on CSPAN 2 last night--which I hope they do eventually--I noticed that AEI is producing (has released) a new magazine in print and online, The American. Undoubtedly everyone else is already aware of this and I'm behind the times as usual! Thought I'd mention it anyway. Since I really should go feed fish and work on writing my due-uncomfortably-soon prelim that has repeatedly gotten second billing to this semester's plentiful and substantial academic obligations, I only perused the titles; nevertheless, it looks promising. Whoever does have time, go forth and read.

Stop the Presses

2007-03-01T00:25:00.000-06:00

Slackenerney...writes a thesis?? Now there's a plot twist for you!

At any rate, perhaps that will reassure El Novio: if even Mike Slackenerney can write a thesis, I'm sure I can too, someday. (I don't think you're actually reading this, but you can be reassured all the same.) Today, however, is not that day.

What's Leubh Got to Do With It?

2007-02-14T13:09:00.000-06:00

In honor of Valentine's Day and celebrations everywhere of love and/or flowers and sweetened fat in the form of chocolate--70% dark, please!--John McWhorter discusses a bit of the history of that certain feeling:

Recently I was on a panel about language "usage and abusage." The idea was for me and three other language specialists to answer the audience's questions about why there is such an epidemic of "sloppy grammar" afoot in America. "Why are people using interface as a verb?" "What's with ‘nucular'"? [...]
The reality that animals and plants have changed eternally has gained a pride of place in enlightened conversation, such that creationism is on the defensive. On the other hand, the general public has yet to join the 21st or even 20th century when it comes to language. The educated person is taught that a language is something enshrined in its "right" form in dictionaries and Strunk & White, such that any departures from this book and guide are "mistakes."
In fact, it is every bit as inherent and inevitable for languages to change as it is for animals and plants to. What we are taught to recognize as "mistakes" are simply tomorrow's version of the language.
Valentine's Day provides an object lesson, in that humble yet marvelous word — love. A simple, proper word, some might believe. But, in fact, like all words, it has a chaotic mess of a history.
It is one of several offshoots of a little piece of lexical kudzu that some bands of land-hungry Neolithic farmers infected in Europe. We only know so much about them. Apparently they were eager to make the world safe for horses, wheels, and patrilineal inheritance, and they emerged either on the steppes of southern Russia or in what is now Turkey. But the language they brought with them when they spread westward into Europe is the seed for most of today's European languages.
In that language there was a word, leubh, that meant "to care" or "to approve of." In each region of Europe these people's language spread throughout, leubh settled in with them and morphed into different shapes and meanings, rather like Web log became blog.
By two millennia ago, this was happening to leubh in the language that was soon to become "Englisc." The word love was one outcome — one may well have love for something that one cares for or approves of. Love was as a noun, but quickly started being used as a verb as well. That is, when you say, "I love you" to someone, you are using a word that began as a noun just as fax, interface, and green-light did.
Yet we would have little interest in an early Englisc-speaking shepherd scolding us for using love as a verb. And love was only part of the story anyway. Meanwhile leubh also morphed into what we know as leave — not as in departing, but as in the archaic expression "I give you leave to … ," or in other words, it meant "approval." This leave is more alive to us as it was bound into the word belief — belief means approval. Like other nouns, belief was turned into the verb believe.
Plus, notice the jump from leubh to leave: people started "mispronouncing" leubh just as you-know-who pronounces nuclear as nucular. But the planet keeps spinning and we have no sense that the "proper" pronunciation of belief is "beleubh." It was the same with the transformation of leubh into love. Every time we say love or belief, we are, technically, mispronouncing leubh!
[...] One could note that the word love is the descendant of an ancient word that contained within it desire, approval, belief, and permission. That's sweet, but a tad antimacassar.
The word love that we will hear in such proliferation today is one dollop of restless horsemen's heedless splattering, unconcerned with its multifarious fates, of leubh all over Europe.

Ultimate Nose Shot

2007-02-07T19:53:00.000-06:00

Because the world's cutest black wet noses are Flat-coat noses!

The Danio Diaries

2007-02-06T22:59:00.000-06:00

Since I probably shouldn't be blogging about my own ~~benchtop misadventures~~ research even though it's rather tempting, how about someone else's instead? Ergo, tomorrow morning Keith Cheng is giving Grand Rounds, speaking on "From Cancer Genetics to Surprise Insights into Human Pigmentation from Zebrafish." From the condensed descriptions of what they do:

In order to discover new vertebrate genes that control tissue differentiation, we have performed a screen for histological mutants using larval array technology developed in our laboratory. Both organ-specific and multi-organ mutations were found, including
one with cytological phenotypes highly reminiscent of cancer. We expect the mutations to affect key decision points in processes including cell polarity, cell proliferation, and cell-cell interaction.

Oooh, tissue differentiation! Most interesting, no? Dr. Cheng's most recent Big Splash is the identification of the gene causing the golden mutation in zebrafish, the putative cation exchanger slc24a5. Should be a good talk all around!

Tale of Two Driveways

2007-02-05T12:15:00.000-06:00

Mr. Edwards' Builds His Dream House: the Saga Continues. Reminds me a bit of the days back in the 'Bunk & the 'Port. (Which, as an added bonus were practically the safest places to be during the Gulf War.)

So There!

2007-02-05T11:26:00.000-06:00

I'm with Jim Geraghty:
Aw, heck, why don't they just introduce a resolution declaring, "We, the Senate, like all the good parts of the war and disapprove of all the bad parts. We demand all credit for anything that goes right, and reject any blame for anything that goes wrong"?

If only. Think how educational, how enlightening it would be for your constituencies--oh wait, no, so much for that idea.

(One Reason) Why I Love Nino

2007-02-04T22:02:00.000-06:00

I'm generally not in the habit of laughing when reading for law classes. That goes for Admin as well even though I'm finding it interesting so far, but laugh out loud I just did. The passage responsible for such a phenomenon--? It's as follows, in what I hope is a fair use excerpt, with the amusing part bolded. (I know it's a bit long, but I prefer not to abridge substantially excerpts even more than they already are.) At any rate, I chuckled, though perhaps you mightn't.

In my view, the theoretical justification for Chevron is no different from the theoretical justification for those pre-Chevron cases that sometimes deferred to agency legal determinations. As the D.C. Circuit, quoting the First Circuit, expressed it: "The extent to which courts should defer to agency interpretations of law is ultimately 'a function of Congress' intent on the subject as revealed in the particular statutory scheme at issue.'" An ambiguity in a statute committed to agency implementation can be attributed to either of two congressional desires: (1) Congress intended a particular result, but was not clear about it; or (2) Congress had no particular intent on the subject, but meant to leave its resolution to the agency. When the former is the case, what we have is genuinely a question of law, properly to be resolved by the courts. When the latter is the case, what we have is the conferral of discretion upon the agency, and the only question of law presented to the courts is whether the agency has acted within the scope of its discretion-- i.e., whether its resolution of the ambiguity is reasonable. As I read the history of developments in this field, the pre-Chevron decisions sought to choose between (1) and (2) on a statute-by-statute basis. Hence the relevance of such frequently mentioned factors as the degree of the agency's expertise, the complexity of the question at issue, and the existence of rulemaking authority within the agency. All these factors make an intent to confer discretion upon the agency more likely. Chevron, however, if it is to be believed, replaced this statute-by-statute evaluation (which was assuredly a font of uncertainty and litigation) with an across-the-board presumption that, in the case of ambiguity, agency discretion is meant.
It is beyond the scope of these remarks to defend that presumption (I was not on the court, after all, when Chevron was decided). Surely, however, it is a more rational presumption today than it would have been thirty years ago-- which explains the change in the law. Broad delegation to the Executive is the hallmark of the modern administrative state; agency rulemaking powers are the rule rather than, as they once were, the exception; and as the sheer number of modern departments and agencies suggests, we are awash in agency "'expertise."' If the Chevron rule is not a 100% accurate estimation of modern congressional intent, the prior case-by-case evaluation was not so either--and was becoming less and less so, as the sheer volume of modern dockets made it less and less possible for the Supreme Court to police diverse application of an ineffable rule. And to tell the truth, the quest for the "genuine"' legislative intent is probably a wild-goose chase anyway. In the vast majority of cases I expect that Congress neither (1) intended a single result, nor (2) meant to confer discretion upon the agency, but rather (3) didn't think about the matter at all. If I am correct in that, then any rule adopted in this field represents merely a fictional, presumed intent, and operates principally as a background rule of law against which Congress can legislate.
If that is the principal function to be served, Chevron is unquestionably better than what preceded it. Congress now knows that the ambiguities it creates, whether intentionally or unintentionally, will be resolved, within the bounds of permissible interpretation, not by the courts but by a particular agency, whose policy biases will ordinarily be known. The legislative process becomes less of a sporting event when those supporting and opposing a particular disposition do not have to gamble upon whether, if they say nothing about it in the statute, the ultimate answer will be provided by the courts or rather by the Department of Labor.

Scalia, Judicial Deference to Agency Interpretation of Law, 1989 Duke L.J. 511, 516-517. Hmm. Perhaps you had to be there :)

Perks

2007-02-01T00:25:00.000-06:00

Hmm. Perhaps I shouldn't have dismissed a career as a trial lawyer out of hand.

On the other hand, one worries about being disowned for such a thing ;)

Rising Star, Part the Second

2007-01-25T21:08:00.000-06:00

Regular readers might remember my mentioning a young violinist several months ago. As it turns out, I recently happened across a flyer indicating that the talented Tai Murray will indeed be playing here in Minneapolis. How cool is that?

As you might imagine, I'm looking forward to the concert :)

"Pigs' Ears"

2007-01-25T20:06:00.000-06:00

Since I'm taking Admin Law this semester*, I thought this was an interesting aside on earmarks (regarding the President's SOTU reference thereto), statues, agencies, and the business of enforcing the law:

"[O]ver 90 percent of earmarks never make it to the floor of the House and Senate-they are dropped into committee reports that are not even part of the bill that arrives on my desk. You didn't vote them into law. I didn't sign
them into law. Yet, they're treated as if they have the force of law."
They're treated as if? That is to say, earmarks do not have the force of law, since "committee reports" are not part of the statutes passed. So who exactly treats them as though they were legal mandates? Why, the executive branch agencies whose funds Congress is appropriating in each spending bill. In other words, the officials who (in general) answer to the president in actually spending the money Congress appropriates-they're the ones who are treating nonstatutory earmarks "as if they have the force of law." Which they don't have.
Could the president then take unilateral action to ignore earmarks and spend the appropriated funds on other agency purposes consistent with each agency's statutory authorizations? It sure looks that way. What keeps presidents from doing this is not any constitutional principle supporting the earmarks practice (and by the way, when did "pork barrel" become "earmarks"? can we call them "pigs' ears"?). It's relationship maintenance between the branches of government, loftily called "comity," which presidents are loath to violate. And agency heads especially hate the idea of ticking off members of Congress.
[...]

"Pigs' ears!" Hmmm. Interesting. I'm only two weeks in, but that sounds all right to me. I admit that until the speech the other night, I was unaware that earmarking practice included extra-statutory insertions: I had oh-so-naively assumed Congress only sneaked them onto bills and the like. Silly me. Although--is extra-statutory placement of earmarks a constitutionally permissible practice?

Regardless, methinks Mr. Franck makes a good point with his final remark.

The end Bush seeks may be frustrated by the means he has recommended. If every earmark gets a vote in Congress, it gets put in the text of the spending bill, and henceforth has statutory protection from executive nullification, since there is no line-item veto, and there won't be one any time soon. If, on the other hand, the president
undertook to spend every dollar appropriated on executive-branch priorities in each agency, ignoring all nonstatutory earmarks, then after the howling died down we might well see some reduction in the magnitude of the practice.
Indeed :)

* If you're interested, my other courses are International Intellectual Property; Law, Biomedicine, and Bioethics; Advanced Human Genetics; and professional ethics for grad students/future researchers.

Welcome, Little One

2007-01-25T19:50:00.000-06:00

A warm welcome into the larger world to the littlest Myers--who I hope didn't give his mom too hard a time of it--and a big congrats to his mom and dad!

Driving Dunaway

2007-01-23T11:19:00.000-06:00

I don't watch The Apprentice, nor am I likely to do so this season even if it has moved to warmer climes, but I would definitely consider watching if the tasks were more like these (including the comments). Hehe.

I have a sneaking suspicion the Nomad Little Bro & Friends might line up to participate, too...

Ye Mighty

2007-01-20T22:22:00.000-06:00

Is there any topic under the sun for which there is no blog or other species of website? One has to wonder. Just now, during a virtual foray regarding a completely different topic, I stumbled across an Egyptology Blog...oh, and there are others, The Eloquent Peasant, for example.

There was a time I wanted to be an Egyptologist, and like so many others, every encounter with the artifacts of that past civilization (including breathlessly narrated television programs) still tugs at my insides and probably always will. If you are also one of those folks, well, enjoy the links!

Snicker-snack

2007-01-20T22:16:00.000-06:00

Cool. Alack, if only 'twere not so expensive.

Baby Tiger

2007-01-19T11:57:00.000-06:00

Is it possible to be cuter than a baby tiger? Yes...if you're a sleepy baby tiger.

Thanks to CO, of course.

You don't say

2007-01-19T10:35:00.000-06:00

Though I saw it here, I enjoyed Flea's "It is almost as if the press has inexplicably chosen not to hold them to account for their own clearly stated beliefs and convictions" so much on this cold, windy morning that I just wanted to add my own little bit of linky love.

Dear Congress, Please Go Home

2007-01-16T14:17:00.000-06:00

I think the Nomad Little Bro, a certified econ and finance enthusiast, will find this item particularly interesting. Behold, investment returns from when Congress is in session compared with those from when Congress is out of session.

Hmmmm. Ouch. Surprising? Not very. I can't help but wish law students and law professors were clued into these sorts of things, though. I worry that all too often "regulate!" or "legislate!" is their very first impulse. So she says as she heads to day 1 of Admin Law...

Thoughts from a walk home

2007-01-16T09:19:00.000-06:00

It's interesting, the things that pop into your head during a cold, late walk home as you try to ignore the fact that you can feel your face slowly freezing. For instance,

What would happen if a woman had absolutely nothing and no one to henpeck?

I can only imagine that to be an extremely frustrating state of affairs. :)

Those Benchtop Blues

2007-01-14T00:37:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of KBee...not only do Ph.D. students have a comic strip to humorously depict our plight*, we apparently have an unofficial theme song as well (or perhaps an epic lament lacking only a hound dog): Ph.D. Blues.

Ph.D. Blues (Prins/Wilhelm)
I'm a Ph.D. student,
I'm working night and day.
I'm writing a dissertation,
and get a lousy pay.

I thought I'd be in business,
but I could not decide.
I waited and I waited,
and ended up in science.

Getting a degree.
If you don't know what to do.
I was looking for adventure
I was looking for the truth.

I started out with reading,
all pieces I could find.
Spent two months at the xerox,
till I was half blind. [Which is what I should be doing. -Ed.]

[...] RTWT

Happily, I'm not yet at jaded and bitter :) That seems to be a later stage of grad student development.

*Yes, yes, I know we chose it. Nevertheless...

For the billionaire, spelunking, BASE-jumping crowd...

2007-01-12T14:14:00.000-06:00

...there will be more!! Probably the rest of the world knew this, but I didn't, so I'm going to bounce around enthusiastically anyway. However, memo to Absolutely Everyone Involved with Said Movie: please don't kill it, please? Batman Begins was almost uniformly good and it would be a shame if the sequels didn't live up to that standard, not to mention a waste of some excellent cast members as well. However, I do have faith...after all, Batman went to Princeton.

Speaking Truth to Gibberish

2006-12-13T12:44:00.000-06:00

This pretty much sounds like the definition of "awesome," no? The Sokal Hoax. Damn...the reading list just never stops growing, does it?

Grow Your Own

2006-12-12T00:56:00.000-06:00

Perhaps it's my science nut side speaking, but I think these are actually extremely cool, both artistically and experimentally: "Bone rings exchanged by couples."

Quizzie Time: These Boots Are Made for Rhapsodizing

2006-12-11T23:51:00.000-06:00

How can a girl resist such a quiz, I ask you? Ha! Indeed she cannot...

You Are Bold Red Boots

You like to put your most outrageous foot forward!

What Kind of Boots Are You?

Most outrageous foot forward? I dunno about that--what says the readership? But, hello, would you look at those boots! Seriously. Does not their marriage of refined lines with the spark of color cause flutterings of the heart, shortness of breath, and assorted other symptoms of infatuation? They have this air of, oh...exuberance and self-possession, of... je ne sais quoi. I confess I do own a pair of red boots--not supremely fabulous heeled ones like those above, but red boots nonetheless.

The Manolo, he would be most pleased. :P

And on the house:

You Are White Wine

Breezy and casual, you know how to have fun when you're drinking.
And even though you can kick back with a few drinks, you never let things get out of hand.
Alcohol is not a social lubricant for you... it just enhances your already sparkling personality.
You prefer to date a man who is optimistic, friendly, and funny.

What Alcoholic Drink Are You?

Quite so. Gerwurtz or Riesling, please. Although, I have learned to not to drink and translate.

"Bankers Do Models"

2006-12-07T21:55:00.000-06:00

These are for the bankers out there who appreciate an inside joke, and for those who love them and take the inside jokes with an eye roll or two. My personal favorite is the "Suffer in Style" shirt.

Disclaimer: I make nothing from the plug. Although, *cough* I daresay it wouldn't hurt *cough*... ;)

"It would prevent much and complicated misery in the world..."

2006-12-06T00:21:00.000-06:00

I could not help but be greatly amused by the following item (and also be somewhat reminded of this exchange):

"2874. There is no reason why the passion of love should be wrapped up in mystery. It would prevent much and complicated misery in the world, if all young persons understood it."

-from Inquire Within for Anything You Want to Know, or Over Three Thousand Seven Hundred Facts Worth Knowing (New York: Dick and Fitzgerald, 1856), excerpted at greater length here and here.

Oh, well, if you put it like that...!

In all seriousness, the excerpts are a charming read. If only today's society would reinstitute an expectation of gentlemanliness and respectability!

Monday, Monday

2006-12-04T11:28:00.000-06:00

It's Monday, it's cold, finals are looming all too near...time for some puppy tongue.

Brrrr

2006-11-29T23:02:00.000-06:00

According to the handy dandy Weather Channel temperature thingamajig on my computer, it is currently 9--no, wait, now it's 10--degrees outside in Minneapolis. Visual analysis indicates there is indeed ice on the inside of my windows. Taken together, this evidence can mean only one thing: winter has officially arrived and as soon as we pull out the down jackets and fur mittens (yay!) the region may be referred to as the "Frozen Taiga of the North," and the Little Bro may now call to let me know how warm it is in California. Just thought I'd share :)

The upside? "It's always summer in the fishroom!"^TM

Hot chocolate, anyone?

Tempest...

2006-11-29T22:51:00.000-06:00

...in the Mondale Teapot.

I'm sure I've said this before, but...

2006-11-27T22:21:00.000-06:00

The next time I think it's a good idea to leave something until the very last minute, please, well, please DO something drastic! (I once requested to be threatened with beets and it worked reasonably well.)

Will I never learn?

Goodbyes

2006-11-16T13:17:00.000-06:00

RIP, Milton Freedman.

Out-tooled

2006-11-13T22:39:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's true!

Some folks at Claremont McKenna have taken political junkyism to a Whole New Level with the creation of...Fantasy Congress! (Does Pomona wish they'd thought of it first?) The Nomad Little Bro, a proud CMC alum and government (and finance) junkie, mentioned this brilliant new development recently, and a scroll through the Corner just now reminded me of it. Very awesome.

I have a hunch at least a few friends out there could get very excited about Fantasy Congress ;) Maybe more than a few, even.

Now if only they'd add a "Bury that bill!" t-shirt, or perhaps "Step away from the purse strings!"...

----
Hey, Little Bro, have Pitney, Kesler, & Co. formed teams too? Oh, and Bernard Lewis is speaking at the Ath next Tuesday! Pity you're not still there. And yes, I *heart* my Claremont Review of Books, even though it didn't come until, like, October.

All Astonishment!

2006-11-11T18:08:00.000-06:00

Go Tigers: it's a bonfire year!

8-1 on the year? Goodness, gents! I am pleasantly shocked indeed. And to everyone who can attend the bonfire, enjoy!

Oy

2006-11-07T22:46:00.000-06:00

Oy. Sigh. I am but one little lass with one little vote, which I did wield, albeit to no avail; nor have I anything to say at the moment, for there's been quite a bit of worthwhile chattering by others recently. Do, however, remind me not to leave funding applications until the last minute: I'm not yet fully qualified as a professional mendicant, so writing this bloody stuff is going to take a while yet. Plus, I hate filling out applications in general. What I would like to say is:

"Hi! I'm cute (for a baby scientist, anyway) and bouncy and I love biology, especially the really cool biology our lab is doing. In fact, I love it so much I enlisted for a PhD, which will be totally awesome, I'm sure, but now I need money. Please fund me! Thanks!" ("Vote for Elle!")

Don't you think that would work?

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T23:59:00.000-06:00

A happy Halloween to all!

Nostalgia

2006-10-29T16:28:00.000-06:00

While reading an assigned paper for my grant writing class, I ran across this sentence: "Thus, in addition to reduced levels of intracellular p55Gag processing, rodent cells diplay a significant defect in viral egress."

I've been feeling particularly nostalgic of late for the Good Old Days, so you can imagine my pausing for a little amusement. Egress, by Jove! Why, I do believe that's the only other use of egress I've ever seen. Viral egress, eh? Quick, fine the little suckers! :)

Quizzie Time: Narnia and Hogwarts

2006-10-29T11:30:00.000-06:00

Just the thing for a Sunday morning...

As Jill, you are confident, respectful, and a little bit bossy! You have an acquired taste for adventure, and love any challenge that you have to face.

As Minerva McGonagall, your strict facade is complimented by a warm heart, and you always do what is for the greater good.

Alas, I suspect that the greater good is probably well served by my shuffling off to do work...

There can be only one...

2006-10-25T22:30:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Ben:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
0
[other] people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Sweet! Sweet vidalia onions, even!

Assuming this result is in fact correct, the explanation is that although my familial name is not an uncommon one, our particular spelling is rather non-standard. When two of the most common spellings are used, the program indicates there are 25 or so other ladies out there pretending to be me. I’m told the non-standard spelling occurred on an ancestor’s army papers. Mind you, I have never in my 25 years of communicating my name to others had anyone manage to replicate that feat. But hey, who am I to argue?

And speaking of spelling…

Oh, and bonus points towards a Halo Pub tiny for spotting the reference…

The Ultimate Fan

2006-10-18T23:25:00.000-05:00

You know, I can see how these could do rather well in Boston/Northern New England. But the real fans will be sure to get theirs autographed before they head to the great ballpark in the sky.

"Googlian Monk"

2006-10-12T00:07:00.000-05:00

Hehe.

I just love the word "smite." Alas, not unlike "gargantuan," one so rarely has the opportunity to use it in a sentence.

Quizzie Time: Seasons

2006-10-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times...
You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings. Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

The New Lab Sport: Extreme Sequencing

2006-10-08T12:17:00.001-05:00

Today's mild nerdiness:

A $10 million prize for cheap and rapid sequencing of the human genome was announced [Oct. 5th] by the X Prize Foundation of Santa Monica, Calif.

The terms of the prize require competitors to sequence 100 human genomes of their
choice within 10 days, and within six months those of a further 100 people
chosen by the foundation.

[...] The announcement of the prize brought together two former rivals, Drs. J.
Craig Venter of the Venter Institute and Francis S. Collins, head of the National Human Genome Research Institute, which financed the government project to sequence, or decode, the genome.

The government and Dr. Venter sequenced draft versions of the genome. The cost of the version that the government completed in 2003 was probably around $500 million, though no precise figure has been given.

Some experts foresee a medical revolution if the cost of DNA sequencing can be brought low enough that a person’s genome could be decoded as part of routine treatment. Several companies have developed novel methods of sequencing, with the eventual goal of decoding a human genome for as little as $1,000.

The foundation has not determined a critical parameter, how complete the genomes need to be. The present “complete” human genome has many gaps and is only as complete as present technology can make it.

A worthy, if audacious goal. Perhaps the competitors would like to start by practicing on some model organisms, such as the zebrafish, for instance? Please? We're definitely in need of an improved genome build, and you all know that model organisms are crucial for research efforts to benefit humans. (Improved annotation would be lovely, too, thanks.)

Way to Go, Bro

2006-10-08T11:01:00.000-05:00

I'd like to take advantage of this virtual soapbox to congratulate the Little Bro on his gainful re-employment: real I-banking just like he's wanted to do! Very soon he will be a denizen of San Fran, the land of Ghiradelli and shiny gold shorts, and a happy hedgehog co-owner! (All the while carrying out a torrid affair with Excel, no doubt ;)

Well done, bro, very well done, I'm really proud of you! I'm sure your soul will appreciate in value quickly...

Wait...isn't SF C.O. HQ? Now I'm jealous!

Middling to Mediocre

2006-10-03T12:35:00.000-05:00

Up at NRO's higher ed blog this morning, more unfortunately unsurprising news regarding just how little we learn (entire post below):

"On the heels of the ISI report, which examined civic and historical knowledge, comes a report on skill levels of high school, two-year colleges, and four-year colleges by the Conference Board. The survey asked emplyers about the skills and knowledges important in the coming economy, then asked them how there recent applicants hires measured up. Here are a few results just in areas of reading and writing:

Only 3.4 percent of respondents rated high school graduates "Excellent" in reading comprehension. 38.4 percent rated them as "Deficient."
Only 4.2 percent rated two-year college graduates as reaching "Excellent" in reading, while 25.9 percent gave four-year college graduates "Excellent."
For two-year college grads, 12.8 percent gave them "Deficient" in reading, while 5.1 percent judged four-year college grads deficient.
A mere 0.8 percent of respondents gave high school grads "Excellent" in writing, while a whopping 72 percent rated them "Deficient."
For two-year college grads, 46.4 percent gave them "Deficient" in writing, while 26.2 percent of respondents gave four-year college grads "Deficient."

[But I'll bet you a sundae many of the students feel really good! -ed.]

The study also tabulated areas of "Humanities/Arts," foreign languages, science, and government/economics."

Oh dear. I'll try to read the report later, but that doesn't make it look terribly promising. I'll readily admit that I have a long way to go before I'd consider myself well-educated* according to any standard, and that after four years of college, two years of law school, and one-plus year of grad school my writing ability is but a shadow of its former self,** but still....!

* I absolutely stand by that.

** People persist in assuming I must be a good writer. I'd like to believe it, but sitting down to try to write anything coherent these days (say, for my grant writing class) forces me to question that assumption. I would like to lay the blame on the difficulty of trying clearly to express complex subject matter, but I think it falls much more heavily on Yours Truly.

A Little Humor Goes a Long Way?

2006-10-02T20:54:00.000-05:00

Hmmm...I could be waaay behind the curve--not an infrequent occurrence, mind you--but if it's accurate, then this report is (1) reasonably funny, and (2) interesting, no? Shades of Florence* & Co., what?

*Florence of Arabia was probably my second-favorite book of the year, the first being Reading Lolita in Teheran.

Sculptural Science

2006-10-02T17:16:00.000-05:00

You know it took all of one sentence to convince me I want to go stroll through this nifty-looking "Quark Park" installation! According to the website, it's only up through November--is this not an injustice to the out-of-towners?--so you'd better hurry over, if you're in the area. Enjoy!

Front Row Seats

2006-09-27T22:47:00.001-05:00

Yes indeed, just noticed that the GOP has selected my next-door neighbor for the 2008 convention venue. Way to go, guys! Who knows what the next two years will bring, but regardless, it will be fascinating to see the convention hoopla up close and personal-ish.

How Little Students Know

2006-09-27T09:01:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, this report is incredibly unsurprising.

Expression of the Day

2006-09-25T22:37:00.001-05:00

"the great ganglions of history"

Snipped from Francis Collins quoting C.S. Lewis in Collins' The Language of God, for which I splurged over the weekend and am not supposed to be reading until the assignment for my grant writing class is finished. Oops. I return to (re)writing anon.

On a completely unrelated note, Happy Shostakovich's 100th Birthday! Consequently, MPR has been featuring him all day, which not only makes for wonderfully interesting and provocative listening but also makes the listener mindful of the history of his time and place. In addition, Shostakovich is a welcome respite from the year-long Mozart 250th celebrations: one can have too much Mozart.

Tidings of Great Joy?

2006-09-24T23:18:00.000-05:00

I have long lamented that my phenotype is one of straight brown hair with nary a freckle in view, rather than curly red hair with an abundance of freckles. (Just one of the reasons I love Weasleys, can you tell?) However, I do not envy the redheads everything, for both they and I have the pale skin plague. Is there yet hope for us persons of pallor?* I wonder whether or not we have the same allele, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. Much good all that would do in the Minnesota winter, of course!

* I don't know the original source of "persons of pallor," but as far as I know, it's borrowed from James Taranto. I give the expression points for being both delightfully cheeky and for allowing me succinctly to express the perennial disappointment of being sorely lacking in the melanin department.

The Mighty Zebrafish

2006-09-18T22:49:00.000-05:00

As you, friends and readers, may well know, I love my lab. For that reason, I am pleased to note that a subset of our previous and current fish work has been featured today on the UMN website. After all, one can't have too much science (although I do have a good deal to do before I sleep).

**Disclaimer: the ideas, opinions, and other scribblings of this blogger are in no way affiliated with or representative of her laboratory--likely the opposite--and ought not be taken as such.**

Just One of Those Things

2006-09-13T20:16:00.001-05:00

I kind of hate to admit this, but I will probably never love opera. Who knows, someday I may be utterly blown away by one and change my mind, but I suspect the likelihood is rather small: there's just too much singing. The orchestral parts, mind you, can be lovely. But the singing...

Nugget of the Day

2006-09-10T23:11:00.000-05:00

Goes to Victor Davis Hansen for his pithy "immune to notions of deterrence." As with all things, it's best in context. RTWT.

2006-09-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

A little Friday amusement, at least for the Mainers and Bean's devotees out there, at a New Yorker's expense:

Travelers in Maine have long flocked to L.L. Bean's mother-ship store in Freeport and been delighted to discover that it really is open 24/7 and buzzes with shoppers even at 3 a.m. But none was so surprised perhaps as Alex Kuczynski on a recent visit. "I've long been a customer of Bean's fleece jackets and flannel pajamas," she reported in yesterday's New York Times, "and it never occurred to me that the company makes much of its profits from hunting gear.
Wandering among the camouflage hunting outfits and Gerber Ripstop knives is like finding out your new beau is a member of the N.R.A., hates his mother and splits the check at dinner." The secret is out.

Hmmmmmmmmm. You don't say. In all fairness, the full article is here, in which Ms. Kuczynski demonstrates she is not entirely unaware of the origins of L.L. Bean and not completely insensitive. But I still get to poke fun at New Yorkers! ...If only they knew what chuckles they provide for the poor-relation blue staters, who, nevertheless, do appreciate the tourist dollars (even not always so appreciative of the tourists themselves).

Although, just to be on the safe side, I do suggest never showing her the Cabela's catalog. (And no, I will never own that.)

FYI, the proper technical terms, at least in my household, are "Bean boots" and "Bean bags."

Oh, and by the way...

2006-09-07T22:05:00.000-05:00

...don't mind us, we'll be building another building or 47. Hmmm. I don't recall hearing about anything other than a new chemistry building and the walkways and whatnot. Then again, I've been pretty distracted this summer, so I'm willing to give the PTBs the benefit of the doubt. However, I request full disclosure of all further building plans for the next 30 years or so. In triplicate, on acid-free paper. Thanks.

Reminds me of a classmate's quip a few years back that when he was a rich alum, he'd give money to tear down a building and replant some grass. (I'm paraphrasing, but I think that's pretty close.) And you know, I may be a peniless young alum yet to really make her way in the world, but I shudder to think of how little green space may be left by the time my currently nonexistent children matriculate. (Yes, El Novio has been informed that is where my children will be going.) Oh well, I'll just be relieved it's not another Frank Gehry heap o' metal.

I should stop procrastinating, shouldn't I.

Happy First Day of School...Now Please Give Me Back My Summer, Thanks

2006-09-05T17:16:00.001-05:00

This, in a nutshell, is how today has felt.

Here's to you,

2006-09-03T00:44:00.000-05:00

Mr. Political Blogger Guy. So funny, so true! [h/t TH]

What about Ms. Political Blogger? I guess she'll just have to settle for good beer ;)

That's "Dr." to you!

2006-09-01T19:28:00.000-05:00

That pretty much says it all, doesn't it?

Ladies and Gents, Friends and Loved Ones, I am exceedingly pleased to announce that I received word just today that the admissions committee has unanimously approved my request to change from JD/MS to JD/PhD and the requisite paperwork is being processed.

This is thrilling news indeed, especially because it means I get to hang out in an academic lab for the next couple of years! (Yes, I'm still a starry-eyed grad student, not yet a bitter one.) And, honestly, it makes one's day to hear oneself called a "strong applicant," even if one personally doesn't feel that way.

And on that note, I wish you a wonderful long weekend! As for the future Dr. Nomad, well she's going to go sit in the Comfy Chair and attempt to simultaneously read for Patents and deny that classes begin on Tuesday...or just pester El Novio. We shall see.

Just that side of ordinary

2006-08-23T22:52:00.000-05:00

This is for all those who are not the biggest fan of green apples--you know, those sweet-tart ones?--but yet inherited one from their roomate and didn't want it to go to waste. Plus, it's a Wednesday night, which needs a little spicing up.

Green apple roll-ups
Materials
Small tortillas
Smoked gouda with black peppercorns
Green apple, thinly sliced

Methods
Lay the gouda slices on tortilla and microwave ~30 seconds or so.
Add apple slices.
Roll.
Munch.
(Well, you try writing an highbrow methods section for this one.)

Results
I know it sounds weird, but it worked surprisingly well. The apples and cheese complemented each other and the tortilla did alot to tone them down. In fact, I thought they were rather tasty. Trust me. If I had more apple, I'd make another one.

"Yes, yes," you say impatiently, "Why another fridge post when there is so much else of real concern in the world?" Because, friends, sometimes I am frustrated with those concerns here (whatever it is, just stop it) and abroad (yes, Ahmenawhatsit and his cronies are nasty pieces of work and no, they ain't gonna like you whatever you do 'cuz they don't want to be your friends). Sometimes, I want to cross my arms and frown at the rest of the world and say "Why don't you get back to me when you're done screwing around?" Sometimes, I want to do some laundry and miss El Novio and mix together the mismatched contents of my fridge in creative ways in the relative quiet of my own wee bachelorette pad.

Then, having overindulged in bread and queso, I want to go to the gym--for which activity I think I still have a little bit of time. After all, if a girl gets to dress up on Friday, she should make a little bit of effort, no?

And then sometimes...

2006-08-18T22:34:00.000-05:00

...I'm just plain ol' puzzled. Why is there a feather in my strawberries?

Quizzie Time

2006-08-08T08:23:00.000-05:00

Because I don't feel like getting ready to go to work just yet...

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

30% Yankee

15% Upper Midwestern

0% Dixie

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak? (h/t Deb)

Ok, now I do.

Welcome, Sibling!

2006-08-02T20:53:00.000-05:00

***News Flash***

Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention please!

It gives me great pleasure to present the newest member of the Blogosphere, the Armchair Nomad's one and only Little Brother*! You may find him, styling himself "a cosmopolitan stag" at A Stag's Mental Leap, wherein he shall take up keyboard and pixel whenever the inspiration (or vexation, as the case may be) strikes.

So, dear readers, please join me in raising your pints of blueberry beer in a warm Bienvenido! and an Evax! for not only having graduated as a proud member of the CMC Class of 2006 but also for having a Real Job! (Dude, I think you have me beat...)

* Note: he prefers Younger Brother, but I am loathe to part with Little. He may also be pleased to hear that I have recently subscribed to the Claremont Review of Books and eagerly await my first issue.

Results?

2006-07-31T02:02:00.000-05:00

Data? What are these "data" of which you speak?

Saucy Adventures

2006-07-24T20:39:00.000-05:00

Since it was suggested a while back that I "update [my] own darned blog," here 'tis...sort of...

It may happen that after a lass returns from a fabulous and relaxing lake weekend with El Novio, she finds herself very happy--albeit slightly water-bruised and sun-crisped, but all the better for the wear--but with fruit in the fridge that hasn't much longer to live. Whereupon, she, having no prior experience in creative berry usage but encouraged by previous positive responses to her culinary adventures by that sweetest and most supportive of Novios, decides to make--all by herself!--a raspberry sauce for an as yet undetermined future use. Or rather, a raspberry-plus sauce.

Hence...

Clean-Out-Your-Fridge Berry Sauce Protocol*
Materials
Raspberries--handful (or more)
Blueberries--handful (or more)
Yellow cherries--handful, diced

1 dried apricot, sliced

1 blackberry (or more)

Some sort of sugar

Crystalized ginger, diced

Methods
To small saucepan add more than enough water to cover the bottom. Note that the yield of actual sauce liquid will be less than this amount, so adjust accordingly.

Boil. Add berries, diced cherries, and sliced apricot to boiling water; bring to medium/medium boil and stir. In order to avoid burning anything, I further reduced the heat closer to simmer as it continued and the berries broke apart, but I have no idea if that's actually necessary.

When liquid is nice and dark, stir in Sugar in the Raw (or your preferred type of sugar) and diced crystalized ginger, both to taste; simmer a bit more.

Strain out berry remains. Return sauce liquid to pot. Again on low-ish heat, add cornstarch to thicken (if desired). Add back in some of berry remains, if desired. Final sweetening/ ginger to taste. I went easy on both, but you might like yours sweet and/or with more than a hint of ginger.

Results
Judged yummy in initial taste test (n = me).
Feeds: No idea; probably varies.

Conclusions
Happy Boyfriend Rating (HBR): data not yet available.

*Disclosures: This follows the general outline of sauce recipes available via Google search, but the additional ingredients add, IMNSHO, a dash of creativity and balance out the raspberries.

Souvenir...

2006-07-10T21:39:00.000-05:00

...from a lovely weekend. Not exactly Petersburg, I know, but a good time was still had...

(Other pictures may go up later if I aquire them.)

Turning the Page

2006-06-02T21:58:00.000-05:00

New chapters begin so abruptly...

I know there are words there, but I can't decipher them just yet. Perhaps it begins "Frei aber einsam..."

"I Won't Revise"

2006-06-01T23:13:00.000-05:00

Nicked from a friend finishing up exams 'cross the Pond...(you don't mind, do you, KBee?)

'I won't Revise' (to the tune of 'I will Survive')

At first I was afraid, I was petrified!
Kept thinking I could never pass with no revision guide,
But then I spent so many nights, getting all the questions wrong,
And I grew strong,
And I learned I could scrape along,

I won't look back, to any place,
When I can swallow 15 shots and get completely off my face,
I would have revised by the clock,
I would have had no spare time free,
If I'd thought for just one second my exams would bother me...

So all my notes, are on the floor,
Don't even matter... that there's no rock night anymore...
Weren't you the one who tried to get me to revise?
You think I'd crumble?
You think I'd work towards the skies?

Oh no, not I!
I won't revise!
Unless I die of beer stains, I know I'll stay alive,
Though my money's at an end,
I've my overdraft to spend,
I won't revise,
I won't revise!!

Hey, hey

It took all the strength I had, not to act the part,
But in the end my real revision didn't even start.
I used to sit at home at night, feeling guilty to myself,
I used to try, but now I hold my head up high ..

And you see me! Somebody new!
I'm not that mixed up weird girl who wants a good 2:2
So if you feel like dropping in,chances are that I'll be free,
Coz I've done sod all revision,and I'm failing my degree ...

So all my notes are on the floor,
Don't even matter... that there's no rock night anymore...
Weren't you the one who tried to get me to revise?
You think I'd crumble?
You think I'd work towards the skies?

Oh no, not I!
I won't revise,I think that I may scrape a third,
But I could be telling lies!
Let the lecturers all scorn,
My bed's far too nice and warm,
I won't revise,
I won't revise!!!

Rising Star

2006-05-24T09:16:00.000-05:00

It's always heartwarming to see good things happen to people you know, whether it is someone you know well and love dearly, or one you knew only fleetingly.

Many years ago, I auditioned for Bay Chamber Concerts' summer chamber music camp for the first time, and received in return a part for a four-violin piece (by Telemann?). Upon our arrival at the first rehearsal, we discovered that the first violinist was not from Maine but from Chicago--a nice little girl named Tai, who was already quite good. Somewhere is the picture I had in my case for a long time: four little girls in concert clothes standing in front of the Rockport Opera House stage and smiling in the afternoon sunlight.

As it turns out, Tai is not so little anymore, and is doing well, as per an article the Nomad Mom sent along just this morning:

Violinist Tai Murray, a 23-year-old from Chicago who spent two years getting her artist's diploma, is also among the lucky ones. She had a budding career before she got to Juilliard, starting with solo concerts when she was 9. She now has a New York manager and a CD on the way, and she lives in her own Manhattan apartment on money earned playing concerts.

"For me, Juilliard was a haven. It gave me a base to hold on to in the bigness of New York," said Murray, who recently returned from an appearance with an orchestra in Denmark.

So, congratulations, Tai, whatever notes you're playing at the moment--here's to your passion, your talent, and to what I hope is your continuing success! You may never see this, but...Make beautiful music, and I hope to hear you play someday!

Yet another quizzie: Intuition

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

Very Well-Rounded

You have:
62% SCIENTIFIC INTUITION and
70% EMOTIONAL INTUITION

The graph on the right represents your place in Intuition 2-Space. As you can see, you scored above average on emotional intuition and above average on scientific intuition. (Weirdly, your emotional and scientific intuitions are equally strong.)

Your Emotional Intuition score is a measure of how well you understand people, especially their unspoken needs and sympathies. A high score score usually indicates social grace and persuasiveness. A low score usually means you're good at Quake.

Your Scientific Intuition score tells you how in tune you are with the world around you; how well you understand your physical and intellectual environment. People with high scores here are apt to succeed in business and, of course, the sciences.

Try my other test!
The 3 Variable Funny Test
It rules.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on Scientific

You scored higher than 99% on Interpersonal

The 2-Variable Intuition Test

Whoa

2006-05-11T13:09:00.000-05:00

Today the Joint Degree Program sent the current members an end-of-year email, including a list of those who will be entering the program this fall and what their other degree will be. There are not one, but TWO brave souls signed up for JD/MD.

Wow.

I bow. Seriously. That's hard core.

(That, and I lived in mortal fear of the MCAT and had no intention of taking it, so I applaud those who did.)

Be the gene

2006-05-08T23:14:00.000-05:00

Be the gene...

Repeat ad infinitum.

One Red Paperclip

2006-05-08T22:47:00.000-05:00

Has the last good idea been taken? I don't know, but it's crazy and creative...and I wish I'd thought of it first!! Although I don't think I'd trade for a house just yet--probably couldn't afford the property taxes. Of course, if someone out there wants to make an offer for a binder clip (small or large) or a GOP elephant Beanie Baby, I won't stop you... (Although, the elephant is kinda cute; might require a particularly good offer to part with it.)

An interesting study in valuation, Little Bro?

(h/t Table of Malcontents)

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

2006-05-05T22:42:00.000-05:00

Body Works arrives in Minnesota...I have secured a ticket for later this month and am eager to attend!

[Disclaimer: You may find the pictures available through those links shocking or disturbing--please don't feel compelled to look, but I hope you do browse! These exhibits are not without inherent controversy, although the official program publicly maintains that all bodies have been ethically obtained. I don't think I see anything in those promotional materials of previous exhibits that I would term vulgar or disrespectful to the real persons who lived in those bodies, and hope to find the actual exhibit consistent with that theme. I hope it is a way for all of us to better appreciate and understand the marvel of the body.]