Available? Available for what?

Another rainy day.
Its actually been quite a pleasant weekend.
Shola is out of town,
thus I slept the entire night without waking up to her snoring.
No trains.
Ah, bliss.

It has finally cleared up and some boys are playing soccer on the field outside my window.
To bad its not shirts and skins, eh.
Wow, I've been a little boy crazy lately.
That's normally not like me,
but its summer, its hot, and I'm bored.

I've been watching movies all day.
First it was "The Cutting Edge 2"
Then "Center Stage,"
and finally The Chipmunks Great Adventure."

Here is a fabulous preview:


The Cutting Edge 2 was soooo teeny boppy...and I loved every minute of the horror!
Center Stage sends me right back to 8th grade.
I LOVE that movie.
It once again is awful, but the dancing is beautiful.
Plus it has the actress that plays Eva Rodriguez...I need to find out who she is...I adore her.

Finally...The Chipmunks!
Cartoons from the 80's have such a different aesthetic and feel.
I am proud to say I still enjoy a good kid's movie (I long to see Ratatouille!).
But I am disappointed by so much of the mainstream animation.
Now, Pixar/ Disney certainly have their hits,
but they are so different than classic disney.
I can't wait to see the "Frog Princess."
I hope more info comes out on that soon.
In the meantime...here's some commentary:


But back to the Chipmunks...what a great cartoon that was.
The Chippettes were my favorite.
Interesting to note though, Alvin and Britney were the leads,
but they were the most obnoxious, egotistical and stupid...hmm...guess they were supposed to be the pretty ones.

Regardless...this movie is such a fun story, and genuinely entertaining.
Its great animation, great songs and great story...as close to 80's/90's Disney greatness as we're going to get.
Here are some fun stills

Movie Poster

The Chipettes!






Not a great photo...but Miss Miller rocks! "Available? Available for what?"

A Gold Star Day

Missed the shuttle.
Got an apology from the Lt.
though that does nothing about
getting from point A to B.
Though once I got to lab
it was pretty smooth sailing.
Accepting my lot this summer has made quite a change in my attitude.

Took such a good nap today.
Only problem is that I keep having these naps
where I wake up, snooze the alarm
and think I'm in an experiment.
Recording my time in the dark.
Obviously it is more like a dream,
which implies an abstract feeling,
not literally keeping time.

My netflix finally came in today.
I just saw "Notes on a Scandal."
It was delicious!
A Gold Star movie.

Judi Dench was incredibly creepy.
I finally realize what the big deal about Cate Blanchett is.
And the 15 year old boy, Andrew Simpson,
with whom Cate has sex with in the movie is gorgeous.
I was taken back by just how lovely he is.
So here is some eye candy to enjoy!

Some of my favorite quotes from the movie:

"bourg-bohemia"

"Kids are feril. Don't let them sense your anxiety."

"A gold star for the day."

"The boy done her like a kicker."

Chinese in a Can

Today was another frustrating day at work.
I really dislike my project and talking with Dr. T
did not go as planned.
He wants me to carry on,
though my results have been opposite of what is seen in various papers.
I'd prefer a different project,
but maybe that makes me a quitter.
Dr. T, literally told me to get out of the dark side of box.
He used my paradigm as a metaphor!!!!
yuck!

I just really want to know I'm doing something meaningful.
This work is such a shot in the dark if you ask me.
Hopefully I'll be proven wrong and it works.
During behavior today I realized that I am so frustrated that I could
careless if it turns one way or another.
Here's hoping for clear results, either way.

In other news...had to miss bowling today :-(
Ended up taking the later shuttle home.
Then napped from 6pm till 10pm.
I was really excited about my chinese food in a can.
I should have known better.
Man was it awful.
Four bites and I"m feeling queasy.

I need sleep.
I don't think I'll be getting much of it this weekend.
Megan is awesome, but energy consuming.
I need sleep.
I am such a loner.
I can't handle friends during the week...gosh I"m such a five year old!
That's not 100% true,
but I could just as easily and happily sleep tomorrow.
I hate that everyday this week,
while at work all I wanted to do was sleep.

Ok, positive for today:
Brian got his grant funding today!
So proud, and hopefully he will be much happier.

Another laughable moment:
Behind closed doors,
bitching about stuff,
Jenny tells Kendrick and I,
"Don't go to grad school. You two better get into med school."

HAHA....working on it!!!

Damn its only Tuesday

I'm never gonna drink again!
Ok, that is a blatant lie,
but damn I feel like shit today.

Megan came into town.
We stopped by Martin's but it was closed.
Ended up at Whole Food buying wine.
Then did dinner at Superior Grill.
Yum.

I had Enchilladas Suiza con Pollo,
guacamole dip, and margaritas!
Ohhh it was delicious.

Back to my place.
One bottle of chardonay down.
Off to Bruno's, $3 pitchers.

Was home relatively early,
but we had lab meeting today.
I got to present my results.
Which would have been great had my experiment worked.

I just generally feel like crap.
And whining makes me feel better.
I want to puke.
I can't believe it is nearly 2pm and I still feel this shitty.

I'm doing behavior on rats.
Ew, does it smell.
I need to find a new gig.
Damn its only Tuesday.

But in funnier times...my favorite quote from yesterday....

"Megan, you're like a three year old in the bath tub, now give me my wine."

In lab today.
There is no reason for me to be here.
May have to exit early.
Though I probably will stay for lunch.
Coffee is good.

Surfing the internet is fun.
Some interesting stuff out there.
I've only very recently started to feel
that I've begun to define my political beliefs.

Here is a snippet from an interesting article on a possible US Invasion of Iran posted on the Huffington Post by Glenn Greenwald:

"Because as long as we are committed to dominating that region, we are going to be engaged in a long and likely endless series of brutal wars against religious fanatics and various nationalists who simply do not want us there and are willing to fight to the death -- making all sorts of sacrifices themselves -- to prevent us from dominating their countries.

Yet we lack the willingness -- and perhaps the ability -- to make the sacrifices necessary to maintain imperial dominion over that region. The president has literally pretended that this is not the case by insisting on our divine entitlement to magical victory over Evil, and depicting those who claim otherwise as people who hate the troops and do not want to win.

The damage done to the United States by the Bush administration over the last six years is truly severe. It is fundamental damage, and it requires much, much more than some tinkering around the edges. America urgently needs to debate and re-examine the core premises of our foreign policy and our role in the world. That, in turn, requires a willingness to transcend the taboos and most sacred orthodoxies and to dispense with the Manichean delusions that have substituted for rational debate."

AMCAS has been turned in.
Scary. Scary. Scary.
So super nervous.
Crossing my fingers.

Had nearly the entire day to myself for once.
It was wonderful.
The roomie is super sweet,
but a bit of a home body.

The only trouble with staying in all day
is that I feel very shlubby.
I should have gone to the gym and did laundry.
My guilt is amounting slightly,
but it was such a great day.

Mostly just sat around.
Watched the tube.
Played on the internet.
Realized how lonely I am.

Well...that was depressing and just a tad emo.
We all have those moments I suppose.
But as of tomorrow, the "get right" plan begins.

I'll explain more if it works!

Happy Birthday to ME!

So my 21st birthday has come and gone. It was a great time. Dinner, Pat O'Briens for hurricanes and Uptown Cajun for shots and a few pitchers of Abita Amber. No complaints from this happyily un-hungover 21 year old!

Yea, I don't hang over easily, plus I decided that I'd rather remember my birthday this year. It was a great time, out with the girls. The weather was beautiful for summer in New Orleans. Low humidity, still kind of warm and sticky, but not a bad hair day, so yay! Happy birthday to me!
Wow I feel old. Another thing about living in New Orleans...I've been partying for so long underage, being legal kind of takes the thrill out of it. Isn't that silly? I guess part of it is that so few places card here, that the "special" factor is taken away.

Just for fun, some little known alcohol facts about New Orleans:

1) Only about 20% of the bars in the city card...no lie, I have actually seen a friend hand over a library card once and gotten in.

2) To Go Cups...if you aren't finished...pack it in plastic and be on your way.

3) Plastic Covers...be sure if you are driving to get a cover for that To Go Cup.

4) If you are under 21 and drinking in a private residence, it is perfectly legal. When the cops come knocking at your house party its only to tell you to lower the music.

It is a great city to come of age in...hurricanes aside. So overall, a very happy birthday to me!
And of course thanks to my very wonderful and lovely friends who made it such an amazing time!

Ahhh...two caca roaches in one dinner!

My lovely friend Katy and I both had insanely horrible days at work. What better way to solve the work time blues than food shopping at Wal-Mart, right?

Haha, well, I can't lie, it sort of worked. Commercialism, blatant materialism and the chance to spend my first paycheck bigger than $60 bucks in a looong time was pretty fantastic. We discussed our mutual scorn for Wal-Mart produce, Katy's fear of any meat other than venison (meat snob from Wisconsin), and my concern over if the jello would melt and go bad if I didn't keep it in the fridge? Does anybody know that answer...its the precupped(is that a word?) jello? I have one of those tiny college fridges that are absolutely useless, except to store one can of coke and one bottle of vodka. Oh life's subtle mysteries.

Anyway, after dropping my stuff off at campus, we hit her sublet for dinner. It is a tiny little building with a tight stair well, but once inside it opens up to a spacious living room, with gorgeous wood floors, tall windows and high cielings. These are the things I love about New Orleans.
The things I don't love about New Orleans?? The cacaroaches. I grew up in Florida, so we always called them cacaroaches...most people probably just call them roaches. Potato, potato...as I was taking out a spoon to stir the ravioli, out flies, yes FLIES! a giant roach!

As I scream and dance like a mad woman, wondering what thing just grazed my arm, I see the little bugger scuttle off under the dryer. Katy comes in, just in time to see the tail end of the 3 inch roach. I kid you not, the roaches in New Orleans are huge and equipped with wings. They have also been rumored to live in the pipes and crawl up through the toilet. I'd really prefer to believe that isn't true, or else I may have to invest in Depends until I graduate.

Now, I can laugh off a roach. Sure they are scary at first, but now that we were on roach alert, I'd be ready to stomp and Katy grabbed the spray. She prefers the spray and catch method, I on the other hand have no qualms about stepping on them, more regional differences I suppose. Roach #1 wasn't coming out, so we commenced preparing dinner, and as I was washing out the pot...what do I find???? Roach #2 crawling on the counter, towards the very sink I am washing the pot in!

Once again, I scream and dance like a mad woman. I drop the pot and the roach crawls behind the microwave. Now, you must be thinking, what kind of dirty house keeper is Katy? I swear she is one of the cleanest people I know (which maybe doesn't speak much for my friends...hmmm). Truthfully though, giant flying roaches are as much a part of New Orleans living as beignets and hurricanes. They are just a hell of a lot scarier.

In conclusion, I am happy to report we did catch one of the roaches. Roach #1 decided to crawl out of the dryer in the middle of dinner. So we were able to corner him behind the garbage can, then he made a daring exit by flying into the hallway, were Katy used her stunning roach spray powers to get him. We then trapped him under some Tupperware until he stopped moving. Roach #2 is still on the loose. We suspect he is somewhere behind the toaster oven and the microwave.

I have safely returned home. I don't really know what kind of damage roaches do, other than scare us, but I'd rather not risk it. Any of you know?? Regardless, I hope all of you sleep better knowing there is one less roach in the world!

Summer Storm.

So much of the world fascinates me.
Incredible to think any of us have a place here.
Oak trees planted hundreds of years ago.
Attempting to be a doctor.
Wanting an office and a house.
Wanting to travel.
Wanting to make a family.
So much contradiction.
How does one enjoy their youth with all this?
Hard to make a decision.
That's the brave part.
Easy to stick to the path.
Scary not to succeed along it.
Scarier to stray from it.
Scariest not knowing what's next.

Storming outside.
Two hours now.
Lightning, thunder, the usual.
Got caught outside.
Hung out reading HP at Newcomb.
Decided to stay wet, buy Southern Pecan coffee and read some more at PJs.

Shola sleeps peacefully.
No trains this afternoon.
Time to turn in my AMCAS.
Scary.