Mmmm, blog.

Woo formatting palette!

2005-10-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

I'm sort of stressed out about my first grad school paper. I want to do a good job, to start things off on the right foot. I've amassed something like 20 articles and books and web references for a six-page paper on Sesame Street...I only need to use four.

So I'm writing and it's taking *hours* and I can't seem to stretch it past 3.5 pages. I mean, I still need to write a paragraph on South Africa and then a conclusion, but I can't see that stretching the paper to even four pages.

What will I do????

"Julia, it's single-spaced."

*WHEW*

Now I just need to do my closing paragraphs and remove the junk which is now cluttering up my eight-page paper.

How Does One Cross the Freakin' Street Around Here?

2005-10-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today, after trudging to a weird library and paying with cash (this library doesn't accept the copy card that the other libraries use for whatever reason) to copy an article which may or may not help me write my first paper (which has me a tad concerned, the paper I mean) I ended up sort of lost (not seriously lost, but "I had to walk a really long way to get to the bus" sort of lost) and then I couldn't figure out how to cross the &$#%@ street (cross at light, see that sidewalk disappears, walk backwards, cross back over, discover road work, decide to walk through the road work, get HONKED at by some security guy whose apparent job is to sit in a van and honk at people trying to walk through the 30-foot sidewalk closure at 5pm) go backward again, walk over a skyway, keep walking, then the bus is full and I wait an additional half hour for another bus and did I mention I'm worried about screwing up my first paper and I'm totally stabbing in the dark trying to find somne relation between "Sesame Street" and attention span but I think I'm approaching it from the totally wrong angle and I was really hungry the entire time and today was hard.

No Golden Gate at the Golden Gardens

2005-10-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

Though the weather report basically suggested that people start building arks, I took a chance and went on a bike ride today. I ended up at Golden Gardens Park....beautiful. But then I haven't found much here that hasn't been beautiful.

Golden Gardens is at the edge of the Ballard neighborhood, right on Puget Sound. Besides changing leaves (my new/old obsession) there are restored wetlands, playgrounds, and a rocky beach.

I noticed that stuff gets bigger before it washes up on shore (LARGE shells, as well as bird-food-crabs that had a chance for barnacles to grow all over them.) I also saw ducks that aren't mallards! These guys had light blue beaks and went "peep" instead of "quack."

Looking out across the Sound, a few of the views seemed like they were missing a large red bridge. But the crossings are considerably larger than the Golden Gate, so that was just my Californiacentrism talkiing.

The Solitary Life of a Master's Student

2005-10-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

Seattle continues to be mind-blowingly beautiful, but I'm feeling more and more isolated. I'm doing all the right political things, like showing up to the first department "happy hour" of the school year this past Friday. I figured everyone would be there, including all of the newbies.

Not so! There were maybe five people there, and I was the only first-year. I'm starting to forge some great academic relationships, however I'm a really odd duck around these here parts as I am not here for a PhD. Everyone who is anyone is here for a PhD, and that makes perfect sense, as UW is a major research institution. But the PhD's are academic "lifers" whereas I'm in this for some solid education and resources that I was to use "out there."

I just took myself to an alternative party thrown by the alternative weekly (The Stranger) at the downtown city art museum. I got there (shockingly to me, there was no entrance procedure at this free event - I just walked in the door, no bag search, nothing) stuck around for maybe a half hour, and then took off. So I am getting out into the world, but I'm not yet connecting with it. I found a casual improv group online that meets in a few weeks, and that could be fun.

But life's lonely when you're not going for a PhD!

My Pretty...

2005-10-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Seattle is incredibly beautiful! I've made a pact with myself that if it's a nice day, I must go outside.

I woke up to blue skies today (though the air is getting more crisp) and I decided to hike UP the hill to the famous Lighthouse Coffee, to see if it was really All That.

It was only four blocks up, but I was almost in need of an oxygen mask by the time I reached my destination. Lighthouse has a nice feel to it, with lots of natural light, a resident dog, and nice people behind the counter. There's no internet, and I think I was the only person working on schoolwork in the room (it's in a residential neighborhood.)

Everyone tells me that Dave Matthews hangs out there, but I don't know what he looks like, so this fact is lost on me.

I took two prints to the local frame shop for mounting, and then I went to try out the local Indian buffet. Good food! Very flavorful, but not too spicy (an important feature for me.) I'm slowly working my way through the neighborhood eateries.

I walked to campus (see above comment about sunny days) and noticed that The Mountain (Rainer) was visible I love that view! Nothing but vistas of mountains, water, and fall colors in every direction.

My next destination was the Engineering Library, where I checked out "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information" by Edward Tufte, for my own dorky amusement.

Class let out a little early, and now it's time to cook some hippie Northwest food, which is basically identical to hippie Northern California food, so no huge strides are being made on that front.

I am a very fortunate person.

and oh by the way...

2005-10-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

I'm in Seattle in grad school.

It's taken me over ten years to get here, and now that I'm here, I'm feeling extraordinarily fortunate.

This is Halloween

2005-10-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

I got a package of Halloween candy from the store today. When I opened one of the Kit-Kats and was about to start eating, it, I briefly thought, "I hope there aren't any razor blades in here."

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

2005-06-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Even though I suffered from some sort of an itchy bump in my eyelid, got pretty bad blisters on my heels, was afflicted with some scratchy thing embedded in my *other* eye, got a bruised butt from 15 miles on an unfamilar bike, and got my first *beesting*...I had a fabulous weekend.

No, really.

Adventures on Muni

2005-06-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

So I was on the N-Judah the other day, diddling about with the iPod, doing my best to not bother anyone, and it seemed that nobody was trying to bother me.

An altercation of sorts erupted a few rows down, and I noticed one guy walking over to another, talking very seriously. I couldn't tell whether he was upset or if they knew each other, as I was still trying to do my very best to stay out of it. As I was sitting there musing over how Americans on public transit in large cities have a terrible propensity to "stay out of it" (thereby contributing to people growing ever-farther apart, etc.,) I then noticed a woman sort of telling the first guy off. The first guy grew more and more upset, until she got off at her stop, at which point he proclaimed, "Yeah, well she's FAT anyway!"

She seemed to have no extra weight on her whatsoever, but I guess that's a good generic put-down for a woman.

This is when I started paying more attention. It was clear that the first and second guys didn't know each other. Guy #1 strikes up a conversation, talking about "respect" and about how "he speaks his mind and it gets him in trouble sometimes, knowwhatI'msayin'."

THEN, he starts going off about his time in the joint, grinning from ear to ear. Guy #2 starts commiserating. Soon, they're both comparing and contrasting Santa Rita and San Quentin (apparently, Santa Rita is a major dump compared to San Quentin.) They talk about time in the yard, the food, the wake-up schedule...I actually heard the term "OG" used in context.

When I reached my stop I looked at the guy next to me and simply said, "Oh my God."

He laughed and shook his head in disbelief.

Then we both walked our separate ways, into the night.

Life is good.

2005-04-20T23:42:00.001-07:00

That is all.

Little, Yellow...Not So Different

2005-03-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to hate those rubber bracelets.

I guess they were sort of cool at first, a sort of solidarity thing that maybe even meant something.

But they've been proliferating like rabbits, and there are now so many colors that nobody even knows what they stand for anymore. Kids collect them for the sake of collecting them, and those that are wearing ten at a time are generally hard pressed to tell you what any of them actually mean.

Something about our modern era makes it so that a good idea will be copied to the point of it no longer being a good idea.

Party Pooper!

2005-03-22T13:55:00.000-08:00

My friend just totally spoiled my fun...many people don't know the word "uvula," which happens to be my online name. I just came across a new person at work, and I started in on my usual, "It's a body part..." and ANOTHER co-worker chimed in and said what it is, before she even had a chance to guess!

No fun whatsoever!!!

*grumble*

Sometimes only 95%

2005-03-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

I think the only thing worse than being in a bit of a mood is when you attempt to backpedal your way out of said mood. You really only end up digging your hole deeper.

Turn the record over, and all that.

That Sinking Feeling

2005-03-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

Ever had the experience of driving to work at 6:35am, knowing that you're already desperately late?

Move over, Carrie Bradshaw

2005-02-22T10:47:00.000-08:00

It's sort of funny being introduced to people at someone else's local coffee shop at 10:30am. "Hi, uhhhh, I was in the neighborhood?"

In other news, I've been staying up all night with a lingering cough. I finally decided to take a scary prescription cough syrup last night, that I'd previously been afraid to touch. Side effects apparently may include "a mask-like facial expression."

An internet search led me to the knowledge that teens in Houston are mixing the stuff (promethazine) with Jolly Ranchers and Sprite and attending raves.

Can't be too terribly afraid of something like that.

The Joys of Being a Jew

2005-02-16T10:07:00.000-08:00

So I came across this Talmudic quote (I can't quote it exactly as all I can find online are a bunch of paraphrases and then a bunch of arguments but this is par for the course when it comes to My People) that basically states that come Judgement Day, we're going to be called to task for all the instances when we did NOT take advantages of life's pleasures.

Now, I'm not a religious person, but this is an idea I can get behind.

Turn the record OVER, baby!

2005-01-19T13:28:00.000-08:00

The world is looking one hell of a lot brighter than it was last week. Or last month.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the sound of a room full of screaming children (reacting to the *boom* of a hydrogen balloon and a match) actually just made me smile.

There are people and activities and goals and thoughts and musings and there's just LIFE out there.

Who'd have thought.

Science is COOL

2004-11-28T19:57:00.000-08:00

Nothing beats the fact that you can see snowflakes with the unaided eye. Like, you can actually see the little lacy bits.

I used to think that you needed to get the flake to a microscope to see the lacy bits, but always wondered at the same time how you could do that without melting the sample.

I saw my first lacy bits shortly after they fell onto my fuzzy gloves in Williamsburg, Virginia, during a Close-Up trip in high school. The other kids from across the country hated us only because we happened to be from California, and me freaking about about snow didn't help matters.

Today, here in Aurora, Colorado, I once again experienced the lacy bits. I'll never get tired of that.

Aurora has lots of housing developments and lots of walls around the housing developments, and lots of mini-malls.

If you're ever in Denver I highly recommend the Bump N' Grind for breakfast, in the Capitol Hill area on 17th.

tapping tips of fingers together

2004-11-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

I finally received an Arkansas quarter today.

Soon, my quest for world domination will be complete.

Paint it Purple

2004-11-08T10:27:00.000-08:00

Most of the people I know here in the commie pinko Bay Area are pretty depressed about the election. If there are people who *aren't* depressed about the election, they don't show their enthusiam very much, probably due to a good instincts regarding personal safety.

There are a lot of maps to look at showing different statistics on who voted which way. There are of course state-by-state breakdowns, and also county breakdowns glowing blue and red.

The following map offers a county breakdown in hues of purple, showing the percentage of votes in every county in the US. It makes me a tad less depressed. The *entire* state of Nebraska doesn't necessarily consist of gun-totin', beer-swillin', anti-gay religious conservatives.

Even if it does, they didn't all vote for Bush.

http://www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/JAVA/election2004/purple_america_2004b.gif

Good Morning...

2004-11-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

"I'll have a muffin, a small coffee, and a victory for John Kerry."

Unfortunately, despite the Cheese Board's mighty powers in the kitchen, this was one time they couldn't deliver my entire order.

Note to Self: Next Time, Bring Kleenex.

2004-10-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

This morning I attended a pretty traditional Jewish wedding. We're talking a chuppah, doing the circling thing, breaking the glass...and the reception was more than typical. A wedding band played old standards while the guests did the little dance of attempting to hold a drink, an hors d'oeuvre plate and shake hands with new people, all at the same time. Parents were beaming, we danced the hora and threw the happy couple around on chairs, and the photographer was the one who was really in charge as she staged each moment to fit into the lens of her camera.

The only real difference between this and any other wedding was that their marriage license, signed at San Francisco City Hall back in February, had been declared null and void by the California State Supreme Court.

One of the brides was my best friend back in elementary school, and it was really special seeing her parents again, who were both thrilled all day long. I met the other bride in high school, and our friendship grew through and after college. We met because I used to help her with math (which is strange, as I am one of those "math-phobics") but she has taught me so much more. She was the first person I ever personally knew who was a lesbian. She declared this fact the day before I was to have my wisdom teeth removed, and I don't think there had ever been a more distracted person in the dentist's chair, not at all concerned with the task at hand. And with her wedding, I have gone from someone who intellectually believes in gay marriage, to someone who is willing to fight for it.

When they both approached the chuppa, they looked happier than I'd ever seen either one of them. The feeling of pure love and joy in the room was indescribably strong. I'd forgotten to bring Kleenex, and was in serious trouble about 30 seconds into the proceedings.

Anyone, or any institution, who would seek to deny this experience to any couple who wishes to celebrate their relationship with their family and friends is completely out-of-bounds. Who is anyone to say whether any two people can decide to build a life together based on love and trust? What God would frown upon such clear happiness?

No God that I want to have anything to do with.

The Most Aggressive Act of Passive-Aggression Ever

2004-10-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

So I'm at Montery Market, a delightful produce market right down the street. Incredible prices, neighborhood feel...it's the produce market equivalent of the Cheese Board. It gets a mite bit crowded sometimes, but this afternoon wasn't too bad.

I slipped into line with my hand basket behind a woman to her right, as there wasn't enough room in the main aisle for me to stand straight behind her. About thirty seconds later, another woman slides her cart up behind the first woman...to her left. She may or may not have seen me. As soon as she *did* see me, she made *sure* to not see me, and proceeded to put her body closer than was necessary to the first woman. She then started pointedly putting her stuff on the conveyor belt, again keeping the operation far too physically close, thus keeping me at bay.

I'd already decided that this battle wasn't worth my own stress, as obviously this person had a desperate need for her groceries, and her desperate need had to be fulfilled right NOW.

As the subject of this anecdote got ever-closer, staking her own spot, doing everything short of peeing in line, daring me to protest, the first woman kind of looked at me and smiled. She looked away before I could give her a friendly shrug, as all three of us knew exactly what was going on.

Hell hath no fury like a woman who needs her groceries.

"I fear my dog may have hit your leg."

2004-09-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

So I work for a medium-sized science museum that's part of a not-so-medium-sized University and we basically can't breathe without their permission.

Parking has been an issue since I began working here. We're up on an isolated hill with three huge lots that are never full and basically nobody can hear you scream should you find yourself here late at night but we're required to pay for parking for the privilege of using one of the spots in the lot. Either $5/day, or something in the neighborhood of $60/month.

Seeing as how I work for this institution, that kind of money isn't something I want to be using on such a luxury. So I, along with many of my colleagues, park in "The Neighborhood," which is located a short walk from the building, sort of over the river and through the woods.

It's not spooky at all unless it's either 6am or 11pm.

So there's this battle between our people and the neighborhood people...they do not like our people parking in their neighborhood, not one little bit. We regularly receive dirty looks, nasty comments, and notes on our windshields. Every time I pass by someone on that street, I take great care to smile a little too wide...either that or I avert my eyes and run.

This morning, a regular dog-walker was making his way past me, and we both said hello, and then a car whizzed by and the tiny dog barely brushed my leg. The man seemed very nervous, and carefully explained that he's sorry, and he had to yank his dog out of the way of the car, and that he "fears his dog may have hit my leg." I said, "I don't mind at all; I'm a dog person." He seemed relieved and replied, "Not everyone feels the same way."

It just hit me today that half of the people I'm running away from are just as scared of me as I am of them.

Fall has fallen.

2004-09-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

It fell approximately 48 hours ago, when I and most of the people I know were all caught without proper outerwear.

I am valuable, dammit!

2004-09-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend in sunny San Jose at a museum conference put on by ASTC (Association of Science and Technology Centers.) These conferences are held every year, all over the country. This was my fourth ASTC, and my fourth time coming away absolutely on a cloud.

My profession, outreach education, is often a thankless one. We travel to schools all over the Bay Area and sometimes throughout California, lugging heavy equipment and dealing with all sorts of people and issues. The days are long, the pay is low, and our stature within the museum is generally that of being an afterthought.

The ASTC conference is for people who work in all positions at science centers. We're all underpaid, we're all nerds, and we're all excited about sharing cool science stuff with each other and with everyone else. The solidarity is unsurpassed, the daytime sessions are full of FREE ideas, and the nighttime hanging-out is full of science jokes and card tricks (as well as an all-expense paid trip to a fancy bar sponsored by a NYC exhibit firm during which *nobody* tries to sell you anything...very strange.)

I went to a session all about getting away from lists on butcher paper and into three-dimensional ideas and have been going on about it so much that now I'm simply telling people, "Oh yeah, and I joined a cult."

I attended the NEON (National Education Outreach Network) all-day session, and we decided this year to turn NEON into a professional organization in order to give us more clout both inside our institutions and in the eyes of other national agencies, and I volunteered myself to start up a monthly newsletter.

This is one time during the year when my "worth" is clear, and I couldn't ask for a better recharge.

My neighborhood bakery can beat up your neighborhood bakery.

2004-09-08T17:28:00.000-07:00

The best thing about Berkeley is The Cheese Board. Hands down. Forget about the university, the people, the weather...it's all about The Cheese Board.

The Cheese Board is a collectively-owned bakery/pizzeria/cheese shop that employs friendly people at living wages, serves fresh food at all hours, has the best scones anywhere (and I don't even like scones), and has a great neighborhood atmosphere...all at rock-bottom prices.

I just bought a chunk of parmesean (they had me taste two types first so I could choose) and a fresh-baked baguette piece for $1.80. Better still, I only got as much bread as I needed (it's sold by the pound) and a smaller chunk of cheese than it's possible to get when it's pre-wrapped (how many times have you tossed old cheese?)

They're so nice and the food is so good and they're up at 3am baking for that day's breakfast and it's an unfair bargain, if you ask me.

They've got a line of people out the door every day to get a slice of that day's pizza (they only make one kind a day) and it's always worth the wait.

If all businesses were run like The Cheese Board, the world would be a better place.

Going faster than ever while screeching to a halt.

2004-08-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went on the most intense bike ride of my life. We took BART to Orinda and then biked over the hill into Berkeley. I was doing pretty well, and then towards the top I had to talk myself into forging ahead by using the logic that if I expect to someday endure childbirth, I need to be able to power a bicycle up a large hill.

I fear I may already be using my "comfort bike" to do more than it's meant to do, but I still need to determine whether this new hobby sticks before investing in a touring bike.

In other news, I have officially deferred my graduate school career for a year.

This entire process has stirred up surprising emotions every step of the way, and this latest development hasn't been any different.

Single-handedly keeping our economy strong!

2004-08-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today I walked to work. I like walking to work. It puts me in a good mood, I get to look at flowers, smell the fresh air, and grab breakfast at my favorite Berkeley hippie co-op.

I walked home and hit the local produce market for some nice veggies, fruit, and bulk quinoa.

Then I got into my internal combustion vehicle and visited no fewer than four big-box retailers.

I was through with Ikea* in time to go to Trader Joe's** to stock up on cheap wine and tofu.

America, land of retail.

*I've got Ikea figured out. I discovered that it's far easier to decide on a $20 item than it is to decide on a $1 item. If something at Ikea costs $20, it's probably something that you've already researched. If something costs $1, it's by definition an "impulse buy" and you probably don't need it and likely had no intention of purchasing any such item when you entered the store. I managed to walk away without buying any tea candle products whatsoever.

**I can be a royal pain in the ass when grocery shopping. I'm pretty enthusiastic about tobacco education, and I've memorized all of the products that are putting money into the pockets of Philip Morris aka Altria. Trader Joe's carries Toblerone and Altoids, two of the products that "you'd never expect." I still need to write them a letter. Maybe I'll use one of the envelopes I bought at Office Max and send that letter.

I am mighty!

2004-08-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

Two weeks, and two epic bike rides!

Last week we went with a bike riding FIEND of a friend. We went six miles straight up (it was a very gradual up - so gradual for the most part that you couldn't really tell that you were going up and instead just felt lame that the supposed flat parts were so difficult) and then six miles DOWN and the rest of the ride involved a lot more up and an ostrich farm and twenty miles to the Walnut Creek BART station unless you were this friend because HIS planned route continued over the hill into Berkeley.

After deciding to power on to the ostrich farm, we got smart a half block past the first canyon and turned back, fleeing to our starting point, the Castro Valley BART station.

Major pain ensued, along with a nap, some Advil, and aches and pains doing things like navigating stairs.

Fast-forward one week.

After exiting the Daly City BART station, we made our way to the Great Highway, up to the Golden Gate Bridge (were we were rewarded with a spectacular view of...fog) down through Fisherman's Wharf (what *was* the SF Bike Coalition thinking, recommending North Pointe as a route through that area?) and around the Embarcadero before finally reaching home base.

No Advil yet, and quite unlike last week, no general malaise!

I'm having fun being outside, exercising, and learning all about gears and math and machines and the merits of bike shorts.

Hi my name is Julia and I am addicted to NPR.

2004-08-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

"Will Florida be the next Florida?"

That title cracks me up. It's in a promo for "Science Friday." I love NPR. I'm sort of addicted. NPR got me through a tough spot a few years ago, when I wasn't in the best of moods. I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts, but listening to music was too "happy." I grew accustomed to the soothing drone of the daily news and human interest stories. I even slept with the radio on, and often do it even now, out of habit.

I feel like I wake up smarter.

After my spate of 24/7 NPR goodness, for purposes of sheer survival, I made a contribution during their next pledge break.

I felt I owed them.

Where's my fanfare?

2004-08-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

Well it's about damn time.

I get really tired of having to set up a new password every time I want to pay a bill, or buy a movie ticket, or see my name in an "Evite" list.

I'm of an earlier geek generation. A faux geek, really. Someone who hangs around a lot of legit geeks. I generally geek from a unix window using vi commands, keep busy during the day with an ancient chat program, and post daily musings on bulletin boards frequented only by people I have known for many years. One of my geek housemates, a Big Unix Geek, even makes fun of me for using a "caveman" mail program.

So, er, here I am!

With a limited palette of stripes available, I decided to go with the dots.