What a feeling!

Short blog today folks as it's been a busy weekend. Yesterday facebook finally was fruitful as I caught a free ticket to see The Lion King musical (thanks Jules!). I saw the broadway production 7 years ago in Toronto and eventhough I knew what to expect, I still suffered a little Stendhal syndrome with the opening ensemble act. Watching those animal costumes walk onto the stage is breathtaking. If you have the chance to see The Lion King musical - by all means go!

This week's episode on something sciencey Sunday - a guest video! I know that this isn't directly from me, but honestly it's too good to pass up. My fellow colleagues Matt and Roz have been up to madness on the floor above me with their August 1st video. Truth be told... I've been caught dancing to both songs in the lab. And secretly, I've always wanted to use the emergency shower like so.

Driving me crazy...

This morning I indulged in my masochist side and once again took my car into the mechanic shop. I might have well shot myself in the foot to obtain the same effect. I don't enjoy servicing my car, but I do understand it's an necessary evil in car ownership. My car isn't really high maintenance. The usual oil/fluid change and replacement of normal parts (tires, breaks, belts) that get worn down over the car's lifespan. In fact, on whole, my current car has treated me well. Hell, any car would treat me better compared to my first car which was appropriately named, "mushroom mobile". So maybe my perspective is a lil' too bias, but that my readers is a story for another blog entry.

So yes, today I took my car into the shop for what you could characterize as preventive maintenance. I have a hunch that the water pump is due to be replaced and I would rather find out about it now, rather than on some prairie roadside awaiting for a towtruck. Thus, I willingly submitted my car for inspection. Right now, it's being poked and prodded. I'll assume that they will find something wrong with it as mechanic/service shops can ALWAYS find something wrong with your car.

But that isn't the focus of today's blog rant but rather the service shuttle I receive from the dealership. This is a standard service offered by all dealerships to their "valued customers". In fact I think they prefer the customers being offsite instead of pacing around the waiting room. The problem that irks me is the employed driver of these carpools. So far I have had the pleasure to know three shuttle drivers:

There's the Granny-"Let me tell you"-driver. This woman apparently has no qualms about her personal life being public knowledge. It's like tuning into a biannual drama show. Each episode is an update on her (still) estranged husband and her run away daughter with unplanned grandson. Details of her finances, phobias, and latest jewelry purchase help the character development of this driver. But sadly the plot always falls short.

Next we have "Let's chat" and "I know a better way to get there" guy. Now I've only lived in my current city for 6 years, and in agreement with Dawn, I do get lost on occasion. However I think I know the route to my lab pretty well. Seeing that I've spent literally 4 of the 6 years living at this workplace (the other 2 years are at my flat sleeping or on the ice playing hockey). But according to this guy, he knows the best route. Um, ok... you can take that street and stop 4 times more than going the other route. But I try to keep in mind that he holds the wheel and just enjoy the scenery.

Talking about enjoying the scenery. Yes, actually, I am a quiet rider with complete strangers. Since the day I got my driver's license, I've been behind the wheel daily. Not always to my wish. Just that it was one of the various exploits by my mom with her reasoning that since she chauffeured me for 16 years, it's my turn to chauffeur her. There's also the fact that I'm one of the very few people in my social group who owns a car. So that means, I'm the designated driver. Thus, being taxied, bused, or shuttled is a sincere treat to me and I enjoy the ride... in silence, to collect my thoughts, and discover places that I never knew existed because my eyes were on the road. However apparently I was too quiet for this driver who made the comment, "Are you mute too?"

Yeah, gasp. I gave him an sympathetic smile since he was clearly pathetic and said, "No, just a lot on my mind considering that this week I defend my PhD" (yeah, I got an oil change that week too). That comment shut him up and blessed silence ensued.

After THAT interesting service shuttle experience, you'd think that there's nothing that could top that ordeal. That is true... until this morning. I was met with "The New Guy" driver, whom I predict will quickly become "That Fired Guy". First impressions were horrid. This guy comes to me in the waiting room and announces that he's ready to take me to the wrong place. I corrected him with right location to my lab (which was clearly indicated on his clipboard) and he nearly had a tantrum as he scratched out the right location and rewrote the same location in its place. I thought that he was possibly dyslexic, which cast doubt on the remainder of this car ride. Quoting myself, "I'm doomed".

A couple more misadventures occurred before we exited the parking lot, but this blog is getting lengthy. I will comment that I do not like traffic circles myself. But this guy wanted to avoid them like the plague. Unfortunately the shortest route to the lab would involve going through one traffic circle in which the guy overly complained and whined continuously as we maneuvered through this intersection. On top of that and him being brake-happy, the last straw was him blatantly neglecting my overly polite direction which of course resulted him to miss the essential turn off and forced us to go through yet another "cursed" traffic circle. I can accept that people won't be familiar with the area that my lab is located. But he refused to follow my directions and as punishment for him (and for ALL of us it would seem) another traffic circle to conquer. I'm probably being mean, maybe he's just having a bad day. But honestly, if you are nervous about driving through traffic circles during non-rush hours, you should find another day job other than driving service shuttles.

Edit: results in from the prodding which will cost me $800. Ouchie. Maybe I should just ramp up the experience and have a private limo pick me up. Servicing your car shouldn't have to be THIS painful. Woe is well.

Take me out to the patio...

First off - okay, from now it's a personal goal of mine to attend a Comic Con. Yeah, it's primarily a gathering of mostly middle age people who can be categorized as fanboys. But I do like conventions of this type. Attending one makes me think, "Well at least I'm not THAT weird." Although you may think this is a place for only comic swapping, it's now also the launching of upcoming blockbuster movies. Examples include Iron Man 2 and Twilight's sequel (I'm only in interested in the former, not the latter). This was also the venue that James Cameron launched his next movie "Avatar". Considering that the last movie Cameron made was Titanic, it makes it a pretty big deal that he launched his next film here. The vibe is so big this year that the media is dubbing the event HollyCon due to the presence of so many Hollywood stars. One preview that tugged on my memory is Disney's remake of TRON. I honestly forget the plot in the original movie - all I remember watching a dark movie full of blue lights and speed chases. But that's about it. The remake looks stoked enough that I'll spend my $15 on it one night.

Finally summer has arrive! Though I'm not enjoying being *too* warm at night despite the efforts of my floor fan. It's a sign that I'll always be Cdn - I just like temperate weather. 25oC is my max temp. But with the summer-like weather means various outings with people. In fact Wed to today, I've been out with friends nightly, sipping cold cider on patios and enjoying some summer food. Today I have a deck party to attend to continue the tradition.

There's also another tradition with hot weather: BBQs. More specifically hot dogs. I like hot dogs. I try not to think what's really in them. Though of recent years, I purposely buy those "all-beef" kind. However "beef" is still ambiguous.

This is all leading to this week's episode of Something Sciencey Sunday. BBQd hot dogs are the best. But there's an invention of the roller grill that you often see hot dog wieners being cooked. I think this is the source of where a scientist had the inspiration when faced with the problem of how to continuously rotate Western gels overnight for washing. In fact, I can see the certain scientist going out and purchasing a wiener roller for this purpose BEFORE the engineers developed the "scientific" roller (which means inflated price for the same piece of equipment). I will give the engineers credit that this roller does rock in two directions (y plane and z plane) rather than one direction. Oooooh, ahhhhh eh?



You might be wondering what's this purpose? To develop gels properly, the longer washings are with buffers to rid background developing, the better the gel looks to discern any results. Such washings require constant rocking back n forth of solution over the gels which can be rolled up in those conicals tubes. This machine makes it a godsend for the poor grad student who would have to spend his/her entire night rocking the gel back n forth manually.

A lil' Salsa No. 5

Last night some labmates and I decided to take in Latino Salsa night at a local pub. Yes, scientists do dance. In fact we enjoy the opportunity to shake it. Just attend the last night of any scientific conference, it's a dance dance revolution on that dance floor. As a result, I've danced with various professors, including those that later examined me at my thesis defense. I guess I danced well enough to leave the impression that I do know a thing or two about the rhumba and E. coli. With this day n' age of TV dance competitions, traditional dances are gaining new life in the social scenes. People are now wanting not to just dance, but dance well. No more shaking hips aimlessly or jumping in a mosh pit. No, put on those heels ladies, don on a fedora hat gents... we're going to make beautiful music together.

Needless to say, we had a great time. In fact I was impressed with the XY stock on the dance floor as usually at these social gatherings, I'll dance with women more than men. Several men certainly knew how to move. As for myself, eh... I think I should take up some lessons. I remember my grandfather teaching me the waltz and polka at the tender age of 7, but for the salsa, not so lucky for the simple reason no 7 year old should shake their hips in that manner (yeah, call me old fashion).

Since we're on the salsa side, a lil' Gypsy Kings and my fave, "Djobi Djoba". You can't help but not to shake something listening to this!

Leaving a legacy

Not much time to post this past week as I've been in the midst of moving to my new lab as mentioned before. During this process, my former lab members have been circling my bench, calling dibs on several items that I've "invented" in the lab over the years. Sure there's an thesis regarding my data that will soon grace the bookshelf for which "generations" will use as groundwork for their own experiments. But currently what my former labmates are more concern about is inheriting my legacy signature items. So today's something sciencey Sunday I give you the most sought for items from my shelf:

First up - Nanc's Amazing Transformation Miracle Machine (pat pending). This goes with that transformation procedure I mentioned last week. Within the incubator you need to place bacteria with plasmid... you need something to hold the bacteria with plasmid... enter the miracle machine. I believe all labs that I've worked in have one of these around which I fashioned. Yes, it's really kimwipe tissues in a small beaker. BUT FOLKS, there's a miracle that I've bestowed onto the vessel which gives it magic. Just ask anyone who's needed the transformation to work in a flash!

Second item - the Magic Formula. Of note, I didn't invent the actual magic formula solution, but somehow my creative "zing" added to the success whomever decided to use this solution. I'm kinda like the rabbi in the meatmarket, I'm often asked to "bless" the reagent to make it kosher. Now this may not sound scientific, having miracle machines and magic reagents. But when you're in the lab at 3AM with a pressing deadline, whatever your beliefs are, a lil' prayer and magic can't hurt things.

Not all of my tools of trade are remaining in my old lab. In fact I have a few (three to be precise) personal sciencey items that I tote from lab to lab: an inoculating needle and two culture spreaders. The inoculating needle is a standard tool, platinum wire attached to a handle, used to stab bacteria culture into solid media. This was a gift to me from my first microbiology lab instructor. For the spreaders, as the name implies, these tools enable microbiologists to evenly spread bacteria culture onto an agar petri plate. Normally, the spreaders are fashioned out of slender glass rods and often referred to as "hockey sticks" (I kid you not). However my spreaders are extra special as they are made out of a light tin alloy and were specially fashioned for me by my first lab mom, Kat, when I was just a budding microbiologist. You can't buy these spreaders anywhere, they are one of a kind, and I often have to ward off fellow labmates from stealing these two "hot" commods.

I haven't posted music of late but that doesn't mean I haven't been listening to tunes. "New Soul" by Yael Naim was first introduced from the Mac's airbook commercial. The jingle stuck in my head from the first time I saw the TV ad. Given my current job status, I've been thinking about this song more as I'm a new soul in a new lab (strange world) hoping to learn about new things (give and take). And also, just like the song says, "finding myself making every possible mistake..." fits the mood perfectly. Ehhh, I'll get the hang of it eventually.

The more you learn, the less you know...

This past week I started in my new lab which will be my home for at least the next 14 months. The lab is just 5 doors down the hall from where I did my PhD studies. In the manner of 2 weeks I've gone from a senior expert on one bacterial system to a junior lab tech with no experience on another bacterial system. But my new lab doesn't treat me as a junior, they keep mentioning, "you're a post-doc". Someday maybe I'll figure out what exactly does that mean! Yeah, I know that I have been taught how to think like a PhD, but the implementing stage is in the infancy stages. I guess it's kinda like a newly minted fresh MD in his/her first surgery... although they have all the credentials, you kinda don't want to be their very first patient. The good news is that within this new lab I'll learn new research skills that I'm lacking. My expertise so far is anything with gene expression and nucleotides. But for glycoproteins, sure, I know what they are, just working with them not so much. It'll be nice to pad my CV with more skills for future job prospects, plus I'm always up to learning new techniques.

I haven't chatted much about hockey although ball hockey has been on-going over the summer. Right now we're winding up for an array of marathon games before the quarter-finals begins. It trinkles down to a game every other day for the next 10 days or so, busy busy.

Today is Sunday and since Transformers are back in theaters, an old but relevant pic. To put new DNA into a bacteria, we often do a procedure called "transformation", where we shove a new circular pieces of DNA into bacteria, thereby transforming the bacterial cell to express new genes it didn't have before. This happens in nature, so we scientist are making use of an uptake system that was already there. With a name like "transformation", this is bound to be linked. Often I even make those classic transformer morphing sound effects. Definitely DNA in disguise.

Man in the Mirror

This week is a tough week to be a celeb. First Ed McMahon earlier this week. I think "Heeeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny" was one of the earliest catch phrases embedded in my youth. Now I can forsee the heavens having a late night show with the duo together again. This morning I awoke to the news of Farrah Fawcett losing her battle to cancer. But that news was not even a few hours old when the world learns that Michael Jackson died from a heart attack.

The King of Pop is dead... long live the King of Pop

Personally, I've always enjoyed the music but not the person. So many scandals and overblown cosmetics changes made me lose respect for the superstar. But his music and dance moves changed the music industry and that will be his legacy. Hmmmm, I think I'm going to listen to the Thriller album later.



This week's something sciencey Sunday is early as this weekend I'm busy watching my oldest friend get hitched AND my youngest Greek niece get baptize. Busy weekend it shall be. However not to fear, the brain juices were flowing and I managed to sneak in another SSS installment. This week: debunking a colourful myth.

Catty Remarks...

So sitting in my lab tonight, but instead of plotting new fabulous experiments, I'm making a lengthy list of topics for Something Sciencey Sunday. This is mostly do to a challenge by Char that SSS will soon get old and become non-existent. And although I am often predictable for dear ol' Char, I am on a mission of making SSS a weekly event. Although I'm brainstorming a list of topics, I am taking requests from the readers. So if you have something on your mind about science, about BEING a scientist, or anything closely related to science, just email me or leave a comment below. Of note, Char already called "explosions", so it's already on the list.

ANYWAYS (snicker), I haven't chatted about my cat for awhile and recently I found this quiz:



I wasn't really surprised about this as my cat is constantly STARING at me either while I sleep, while I eat, while I'm on the loo, while I watch TV, while I dance, while I sing, etc... I sincerely doubt that this fascination is due my exciting life. The best criminal minds first monitor their victims habitual lifestyle. Seeing that this observation stage is going into year 6, I can see that "human must die" conclusion is drawing near. To back up my suspicions, there is a ritual though that my cat and I undergo each morning which results in personal discomfort. Nothing explains it better than Simon's Cat "wake up".

No, my cat hasn't mastered the art of swinging a baseball bat with reason being that I don't own one (although there's a nice supply of hockey sticks over in the corner...). However my cat does paw at my face constantly, knead into my body wherever, and when all things fail to get me up, she jumps on my head repeatedly (this cat being 16 lbs!) until I relent and go feed her. So Char, if I ever stop posting on this blog - it's not because I've run out of SSS ideas but rather the fact that my cat implemented her final analysis of the human she cohabits with.

Where the wild pens are...

This week will be my final full week in the lab which I've called home for the past 6 years. Like any place that you've spent a good portion of your life, you accumulate several items over the years. But also you lose several things as well. One common mystery for me was my pens/sharpies. They always seemed to grow legs and disappear on me. This is particularly frustrating when I really need something to make a mark in my lab notebook so I can go home for the day. Note: no, I didn't stay in the luuuub for 16h/day just because I couldn't find a pen!

So nearing the end of today's workday, I tackled a few drawers to clean. Whilst trudging through the depths, fond memories came flooding out. Such items like 2002 tax return software, a variety of now-useless zip discs (yeah, I started this degree pre-flash drive era), several bottles of over the counter drugs (tylenol, cold meds, cough meds, allergy pills, muscle relaxants - Dawn mentioned that these are signs that I was in the luuub when I should've stayed home), and a variety of almost-used-up post-it notepads in which you can't justify throwing out yet. The most pleasant surprise though, I found at least 4 good pens that I've been missing over the years. These aren't the everyday Bic pens that I'd settle with. No, some of these were the TO-DIE-FOR holy grail pens such as the micropipettor pens from eppendorf. Why so revered? No, the ink isn't of gold, it's just a cool pen. Worth getting ink refills. That sort of thing.

So four drawers in cleaner format. I've got three more to go along with a mountain of papers to sort through. Since I'm moving just 5 labs down the hall, this isn't a such a big deal. Just that I want to purge any junk that's no longer needed. Carrying baggage is never a good thing in any circumstance.

I've been in a jazz mood of late. Some close friends know that I sincerely enjoy listening to the oldies like Sinatra, Bennett, Lee, Louie, and Fitzgerald as well as the "kids" like Krall, Costello, and lil' Mikey Buble. One of my most fondest memories was listening to Popsicle Toes (at my request) while eating in an Atlanta Georgia restaurant for my bday. Yes rock n' roll may soothe the soul, but I'll take live jazz any day.

Think of me...

Mucho happening with me outside of work. It's a nice change, I think I'm going to enjoy being a non-student! Ball hockey has been good this week, we've managed to pull ourselves into the mid-standings rather than being at the bottom of the list. So happy campers there.

I did something totally weird today - I went swimming. Waaaay back in my tender years I used to swim professionally, being part of a city swim team. But at that same time,the docs speculated that the swimming was causing my hearing loss and I was forced to stop. Since then, I didn't swim much. Not that I don't enjoy swimming, I sincerely missed the feeling of pushing water with my palms and floating. But as for social swimming, I wasn't the best one to be with. Especially with those Marco Polo games. It was always one-sided:

MARCO!

(silence)

I said, MARCO!!!!!

(more silence)

HUUULLLOOOO? MARCO!!!!!!!

You get the picture...

So, swimming is often done alone and it's just for exercise sake. It felt good, I think I'll try to put in a morning or two every week. It's a nice change up from kick boxing that I'm doing with the Wii.

Other things, tonight I was treated to an evening of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The local arts theater put on a production of several faves from Andy. We heard a cast of 30 or so sing the big ones from Cats, Evita, JC Superstar, and Phantom. For the most part, it was a good mix of songs and the folks put on a great show. My only quipped, they rushed through my fave Phantom song too quickly. "Think of Me" is a slow memorable tempo, but eh... I'm just remembering it from when I saw Phantom 15 years ago. If you ever have the chance to see any of Andy's productions, treat yourself to a show. A little culture never hurts anyone.

For something sciencey Sunday... just a picture today folks. Here's what we do with freezer frost after defrosting the -20oC freezers. Who says scientists can't be creative?

O Canada...

Over on facebook, I was kindly reminded of some oldies short Cdn films that were highly popular as a kid growing up (I guess they would be considered oldies nowdays). I remember in highschool we'd begged the teachers to show us these films as we figured that it was good education being Canadian arts and all those things. Yeah, we really just wanted the afternoon off. But seriously, these following short films are pure Cdn genius. They were just as popular as Hinterland Who's Who (man, that theme brings back fond memories). Anyways, seeing that Canada Day is coming up, I thought I post something of the creative Canuck culture (oooh, AA points there Char!). Big thanks to Helen who reminded me of the first fantastic film (ooooh, I'm on a roll!!!).

"The Cat Came Back" is probably the most famous short movie in the history of Cdn arts. If you ever want to see if there's a Cdn in the room (without asking who wants timbits), just hum the first line melody and if we're present, you'll hear someone sing the full chorus immediately.



The 2nd one is a personal favourite of mine. "Black Fly" reminds me of summers at Clear Lake, Manitoba. If ever head into any Cdn deep woods, bring repellent, extra-strength. Otherwise you're just the bottom of the food chain. Another note, the song overpronounces the Cdn province Ontario. Do not go to Toronto and say their province as On-TARE-EYE-Oh. Not unless you want maple syrup shoved up where the sun don't shine. Yes, consider yourself warned.



Last, but not least, "Log Driver's Waltz". I hum this song a lot to myself... maybe it's true what the song says, "I think I will marry my log driver..."



Have a gander with the nfb.ca website, there's a lot of hidden Cdn gems to view. Laterz folks!

Good Ripples

I've been getting a lot of emails/phone calls from friends and family from everywhere over the past 5 days. I think I'm experiencing what's known as the "thesis high": the euphoria of completing something that you'd thought could never be completed (ask any grad student if they ever felt that they'd never graduate, you'll get a resounding YES!!!).

I'm kinda overwhelmed with the response so far. For some reason, everyone's going over the top about this one. I could ramble on how great the accomplishment of completing this degree is impacting a lot of people, but honestly everytime I start writing about it, I feel that I'm gushing too much. And it's just in my nature not to gush. Vent, yes. Gush, no.

But one thing that has been on my mind, this whole hoopla has started me thinking about "good ripples" effects with completing this degree. I'm seeing that completing this degree has connected a lot of folks and ultimately producing good ripples. I'll admit that I'm a fan of the Joan of Arcadia TV series and good ripples was something that just kept with me from that show, along with various other meta-philosophical or quantum physic theories. I felt that the show pulled it off in not such a sappy "Touch by an Angel" way (I don't even want to link that series... ick).


So good ripples are already being felt from the thesis completion and hopefully for many years to come.

Update of current activities, I am working in the same lab as I've been for the past 6 years working away on the same project. On my bench is 6 copies of the thesis riddled with revisions before it can be officially accepted. My bench itself is choked with various papers and textbooks in which need to be cleaned out as someone has already called my bench. So deadlines still in need to be met, things still need to be written, desk/bench to be cleared out. It sounds stressful doesn't it? But everything seems a lil' brighter somehow as the dark ominous thesis cloud isn't following me around. So next few weeks are busy making the final finishing touches of the degree before I plunge finally into the "REAL WORLD" (eeeeeeeeeek!).

I haven't posted music for sometime now. I've thought about what songs would be appropriate during this time. One of the grad secretary's was humming the Rocky theme and said I should run up the steps in Rocky-style... so, who am I to argue with the masses?

This little part...

It's been a busy past 60 hours for a very eventful three days.

So first... without any further ado, it's official: I'm a Doctor (ehhhh... that title still hasn't set in!). The whole experience of defending remains surreal. It's NOT something I recommend for those with a faint heart. Seriously, I don't remember much details, you just go into a mode in which you hear yourself talking, it sounds kinda smart, but still you can't believe you're saying it. But after nearly 3 hours of questioning and 10 minutes of pacing outside the meeting room while they decide my fate, my boss opened the door with a smile and a congratulations. I think it's the first time I hugged her. Twice, even in one night. In fact, I hugged all of my examiners... twice.

People have asked about the feeling and honestly I can only relate it to "this little part of my life" scene in the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness". There's not many good and wonderful moments in my life, but when a rare moment comes, this is what it feels like. I think I even clapped while walking alone to my car after the day was finished. Since then, I can't keep this smile off of my face.

My boss gave me a great party on Friday night. I spent Saturday de-stressing and enjoying time with some good friends. Today there's another party in my honour. Not just for the doctorate, but also because it's my birthday. Yesiree, eventful weekend it is.

Being Sunday itself, time for another "something sciencey Sunday" blogpic! Today, Congrats to the Cloning Queen.

Cloning Queen is a parody that I wrote to ABBA's "Dancing Queen". As one of my skills is cloning, the lab adopted this nickname for me ever since, so it was a fitting poster to greet me after I was awarded my Doctorate. Of note, yes, all those binders are full of thesis revisions. Joy joy joy! But I remember thinking in the defense when they asked me to include some discussion about something, "I'd even clean your house if you want!"

Eeeeep!!!

Deep Breath...

Haven't been blogging this week that much seeing that tomorrow (Friday the 12th, hmmm, there's a new spin on the horror genre) is the d-day. It's been a long time coming (6 1/2 years for this day). I've been reading over my thesis, making corrections (80% mostly typos), thinking about things my examiners could ask me about. There's four levels of questioning that I'm expecting:

1. why did you do that?
2. what would you do next?
3. tell me about (science word/technique/system/something that I should know, if not gawd help me)?
4. why is the sky blue?

The first level is the basics and generally I'm not too freaked about them. There's always "better" ways to do any experiment. Also it's nitpicking about your writing style and/or data presentation. You just need to defend why you chose the way you did, but be humble to admit that you could do things another way.

The 2nd level is more testing whether or not I have the cajones to sport that Ph.D. title. We are trained to think about the next step, the next experiment. No project is ever truly finished, there's always one more experiment you can do to forward the knowledge from it. Sometimes I falter with this level, I think it's more to do with self-doubt of my own expertise. I usually overthink the experiment or not think about it enough. So I'm fearful of these questions. Depends on the day and whether my brain is connected to my mouth.

The 3rd level is the part where you study for real. I've been going over methodology and systems like crazy this week. It's all vaguely familiar, but I often need a refresher course for the finer details of the exact chemical equation of how a bacteria makes light. These questions, ehhhh... it all depends on what I studied right? There's always a few questions on systems that I didn't spend much time on reviewing, so it's the luck of draw. Like on any written exam.

The last level, these are the "WTF?" questions. Totally out of the ball park, no way to prepare, you just simply dance for them. Often these are the "BIG PICTURE" questions, but they are just "Let's watch her pupils dilate more for fun" questions. I remember one past defense question was: How did you feel about working with GMO? I'm thinking, "GMO... GMO... acronym for what chemical compound... guanine mono... WTF?"

He rephrased, "Are you okay with working with genetically modified organisms?"

I blink.

My advisor blinks then rolls his eyes.

Yeah... and these folks are the ones with the Ph.D.s

Back to reading... deep breath.

Things that go "Click" in the night...

Last night after becoming tired of reading some of my thesis (it's definitely not a page turner! I doubt any thesis really is), I started to fall into the land of nod when:

CLICK!

It was loud enough to alert me... me, being the stone Deaf chick. I often sleep with one aid in to help wake me up in the morning (I had an early ball hockey game), but still it's ONE aid in. I passed it off as me hearing things, nuzzled back down with my cat close by, closed my eyes...

THUMP!!

Ok. Definitely something there. At first I thought it was my pipes groaning for some gawd knows reason. Checked on my thermostat, things alright. Fine. Whatever. Get some shut eye girlie you need to be wakey wakey tomorrow...

CLICK!

WTF? Now I'm thinking something of the rodent species. My place is clean, but of late my walk up flat has had too many "accidents" of the pest kind. Also this reminded me of a recent tale by Jules and the chipmunk that lives within the walls of her flat. So I peer around my bedroom. Can't find evidence of anything with four legs other than my cat (who is now pissed off at me for rustling around the room so much). I start thinking it might be my d-day nerves, get over it... try to sleep. Then listen to continuous: CLICK! THUMP!! KNOCK!!!

Ugh! I'm reminded of Kermit's song "In quiet of the evening" song now. But soon I noticed that my window is open. Hmmm, maybe it's coming from outside. I take a quick glance into the dark abyss, no one around. Closed the window. Sounds no more! Yay! I fall asleep.

7 hours later...

4 cop cruisers...

1 officer taking my statement.

Apparently someone last night was firing off a shotgun and then left the gun in the field across from my flat. "Click" my ass! The poor Constable who got the luck to interview the deaf witness.

"Click? That's what it sounded like?? Just click??"

"Well, you must understand I was only half aided. Often it was a "thump", but seriously, I'm not your prize witness obviously."

He smirked.

Luckily no one was hurt, nor was there any property damage. The officer assured me that this is most likely an isolated incident (yeah, they always tell you that). I asked him if I hear any more "clicks" at night and see someone, should I contact the police? Apparently I was humouring him majorly with his boyish smile (gotta admit, I like a man in an uniform) and he answered, "Most definitely."

So excitement last night. Some hick shooting off his/her shotgun. Yesiree, I've definitely moved into a cowboy province. Maybe it's their version of the welcome wagon? Yeehaw?

Edit: the story finally hit the news, apparently there was property damage (shots fired through windows) and the suspects were from my apartment complex... great, Hillybilly for neighbours.

Something new that I'm going to try here. Since this IS a Mad Scientist's blog, I'm kinda seeing that I don't talk much about science other than my recent job quests and thesis. But if I start rambling about the latest E. coli stress response paper, I'm sure readership of this blog will cease to exsist. I could talk about being a science geek, but Matt and Roz has that corner well under control. So how about something with pictures? I consider myself an amature photographer and seriously considering taking photography courses as soon as I finish this Ph.D. With the digital age, photography as a hobby has become less expensive. Though I agree that film captures something that pixels cannot. No matter, I'm going to start posting a picture/movie of something sciencey (oooh new word!) every Sunday (hence the tag). It'll be from my real life around the luuuub or elsewhere that strikes me as "science". So here's something for you check on this blog weekly.

This week: Fun with Dry Ice

I remember as a kid thinking that dry ice was the coolest invention of modern science. Now since I'm a scientist, seen marvels of the biological world, worked to unravel genetic mysteries... dry ice is still and always remain very cool. Every now n' then, we have perishables enzymes mailed to our lab in which the package comes with 2 lbs of dry ice that's basically useless to us. Oh what to do??? Throw it in the sink, turn on the water and presto! Cool fog to play with.

Opa!

I'm happy about this weekend as "My Life in Ruins" opens. This movie is the third by Nia Vardalos, a Cdn Greek, in which I'm told by my Greek family is a distant cousin. Of course, if you're Greek, everyone's a cousin. So I'm not sure how distant Nia's family is to the Iatridis family. But I've learned quickly within my Greek family that theios (uncles), theias (aunts) and xederfos (cousins) could include your next door neighbour's best friend's girlfriend. Often ex-girlfriend too. Anyways, in case you were living under a rock about 8 years ago and missed "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", DEAR GAWD, go and rent that movie. Tora!! (NOW!!)

Now you may be wondering if I am actually Greek. Officially, no. But I consider myself an adopted Greek and have a full fledged Greek family. The short version of this story is that I grew up with a close highschool friend who's father is from Greece. The family has two sons, so me being over at their house daily often felt like being the daughter of the family. One Greek Orthodox Easter, they presented me with a cake. I quizzed them to why I would have my own cake on Easter (of ALL days!). They explained to me that this day would now be my nameday (a Greek tradition) and gave me my own Greek name: Anastasia. The name comes from Anastasios meaning "resurrection", hence the Easter theme (though I was later told that my nameday is actually December 22nd, not Easter, but ehhh, we bend the rules a lil'). So Greek name, Greek nameday, Greek family. Opa! I couldn't ask for a more supportive adoptive family like my Greek mom and dad, not to mentioned two fabulous Greek bros. The above picture is from my Greek bros' wedding a few years back. Come my wedding, we're smashing plates just like so! I'm very proud of my Greek family, just as I am of my own. Both our families are close, my moms hang out together as much as possible. And if you have watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (if not, why are you still reading this blog? GO RENT IT! TORA! TORA!!), yes, my Greek family is EXACTLY like that (minus the spitting). So Mad Beaker to Nia for giving the non-Greeks in the world a lil' insight to the rich culture of hers (and unofficially mine).

Back in a coffee shop today, finishing the slides for the defense. Last night I was losing some sleep over the d-day. Just concerns that I won't make the grade to be Ph.D. material. My colleagues and friends say that isn't the case, but I'd rather be worried and study like hell than be overconfident and arrogant. A colleague of mine recently attended an open defense and was shocked that the student didn't actually READ their thesis before hand. WTF did they think the questions would be on? Their choice of attire of the day? I'm already reviewing my thesis and finding (oh my) big areas for revision. Game plan is to keep quiet about what I found that needs fixing unless they bring it up. So shhhhhhh...

Music, since I'm talking about my Greek family, might as well as play a lil' Arkadia, a Greek band from my hometown that comprises of (you guessed it) my Greek cousins. Sadly, I can't finding any youtube clips (cough cough nudge nudge to my Arkadia cousins), but if you search within their discography site, you'll find some samples of their CDs. I miss hearing you guys play live!!! Sniffs. Ora kali (laterz) folks!

Seeing the Sound

Over on Twitter, Marlee Matlin is starting to make noise about close captioning everywhere. I've followed Marlee's career ever since her breakout role in Children of a Lesser God. In fact, I remember sitting on my living floor when I was 9 watching her accept Hollywood's top nod for her performance and thought, "Wow, she's getting the highest award in her profession - that means I can do anything too." Fastforward 22 years and here I am defending my Ph.D. thesis next week (sidenote: EEEEEKKK!). Most folks know about Marlee with her on-screen roles. But honestly, asides from inspiring me to achieve any dream, I thank her more for her tireless efforts to have close captioning made a law in the television industry. About 10 years ago, my hearing deteriorated (I have progressive hearing loss) to the point that I can't enjoy watching TV without the captioning. So Mad Beaker award to Marlee for being a strong advocate for Deaf and hard-of-hearing rights.

However that was only one mountain to overcome and there's many more that lay in the path. One that I've mentioned before that has bugged me: movie captioning. It's true, in order for me to enjoy a movie fully, I have to wait for the one theatre in this city with RWC. Yes, that's right. There's only ONE theatre, in fact, ONE RWC box in the entire city of over a million people that I live in. This means that in order to watch the latest blockbuster, I usually go twice. Once with my friends at the regular time in the evening or weekend. And another time, usually in the morning on a weekday, to (re)watch the flick to actually understand the dialogue. I try to see the movie with captioning first before watching it with my friends. It's not that they wouldn't watch the show with captioning with me, just that who can get off work at 11AM on a Tuesday? Yeah, I know it isn't right, not to mention expensive. So Marlee, I'm with you - you start a petition, my signature will be on it.

Other things... working on my seminar slides today. The defense is in a week. Feelings about it: restlessness (let's get it over with) and fear (OMG I'm soooo not prepared yet!!!!). My boss has been prepping for the aftermath party already. Apparently she believes that I'll actually pass this thing (apparently she isn't the only one as well... there's like a chorusline movement regarding me passing this thing). So let's get to it and hammer out impressive slides. It's always nice to put up one slide that represents 5 years of work (yeah, I actually do have one of those). Of course tunes are following me with this, but a nod to Jules who asked me yesterday (I quote) "WTF are you listening to??!" while doing some experimenting. See, being Deaf means that my mp3 player volume and headphones are cranked to the maxed so almost everyone can enjoy my music. The song she was inquiring about, Freddy Martin and "H'ove got a lovely bunch of coconuts" (much more fun if you sing along with a Brit accent!). Of note, yes, Monty Python is often miscredited to this song, but they actually never sang it.

Does this mean I need to buy a Stetson?

So five days in the hometown, it was a pretty jammed packed weekend. It was mostly a blurr of eating food. Tons. I just moved from plate to plate over the past few days. Maybe a lot of folks thought I was malnourished while writing the thesis or something. So on that elliptical tomorrow. And bonus there's a ball hockey game on Tuesday too.

After so much unknowns with job, school, etc... it's now official. I become an Albertan today. I start the process with getting my driver's license. In three months, I'll be able to get the Alberta Health Card (for my non-Cdn readers, yeah, Canada has medicare, but you still need be living in a province for awhile before you can transfer your healthcare card eventhough you're still Cdn... see, out govt can be annoying too!). After that, not much to change. Next year I get my license plates. My Greek mom gave me a perfect idea. Since I have a new shiny Saskatchewan plate from the fiasco last month, I'll affix that plate to my front bumper while sporting the Albertan license plate on the back. That should confuse a few cops at least. Hee hee. But yeah... an Albertan. Thank goodness this is only temporary (sure, since I said that, now I'll be stuck here for the next 40 years!).

A Mad Beaker award to Dawn and Mike for taking care of my cat. I always dislike loading my cat onto someone while I go away more than 3 days. Just giving others the burden of cat-sitting makes me feel guilty. But apparently my cat behaved and they enjoyed the time in my flat. I hearby give thee full future rights to cat sit!

Since I'm now an Albertan, might as well throw in the traditional moosic (ew, bad pun bad pun). Cows with guns is an oldie, but I figured it's probably the most appropriate thing... being a resident in a beef province n' all. Y'all come back now ya here.

Money for something...

Last blog I was weighing the choices between two job offers: good project/unsure work environment vs. ok project/good work environment. The interview of option A left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. Just soooo many red flags with the project and people. This made option B much more likable before the interview, but I was hesitant still as to what project was available. After two hours of chatting with the head advisor about option B, the projects (yes, plural) were upgraded from "ok" to "wow, this is really cool". Also, it was probably the most honest interview I've ever done. We were frank, we were direct, and we joked. I know that some folks like to keep things professional with their boss, but honestly, I'd rather have a good professional AND personal rapport with my advisor. The former is essential as their reference letter follows you for the rest of your life. The latter helps those long long hours in the lab. Really, would you want to work in any environment that the head boss doesn't even respect your input/dedication? I'm not interested in my boss being a close friend (that is kinda creepy), but I do want mutual respect and overall someone that I don't feel I need to avoid because of the odd-chance that he/she might bite my head off for no apparent reason.

So bottom line: I'm employed! With options even! I start in July in the new lab (which is just a few doors down the hall) as a casual employee until the end of August. This period is a trial time to learn the lab, the projects, and ultimately decide whether I'll be a lab tech for a year or sign-on as a post-doc for 2 years. It's nice having options within a job itself.

Other ramblings, I'm hearing groans from the majority of my Californian friends. So surprisingly (cough, cough - sarcasm, sarcasm) the top court upheld the vote decision on proposition 8. I know that it's against the Christian teaching, but honestly, I believe equal rights for all. The world isn't going to end just because lil' Timmy or Sally has two moms or two dads. But I guess the residents of California were only ready to take the step forward with electing a black president. Apparently electing a black president AND letting gays marry - well someone has to draw the line SOMEWHERE! (the link is a nod to Char and our inside jokes) The good news, I guess, is that all who were married before this final outcome are able remain in wed-lock. Just new same-sex couples aren't allowed to marry in California. Yeah, right, sure, make perfect sense. Only in America...

Other things, personal note, I'm heading back to my stomping grounds this weekend. The trip is on a somewhat somber note as the real reason for the trip is to attend a memorial service for a close family friend. But overall, I'm glad to have the time spend it with family.

Since I have a job a lil' retro and Dire Straits for all.

The road less traveled?

So some interesting developments in the past 72 hours: two interviews this week, both in science, both in microbiology, both in my current city. Sounds perfect right? Well, let's not put the cart before the donkey. They are interviews, not offers, so there's still that hurdle. But it's given me much food for thought (oooh I'm cliche galore today). One is with a lab familiar to me, I like the advisor, I like the lab, and the research is totally what I'm trained for, but it's not *exactly* what I want to do. The other, I'm not so sure of the advisor, I'm not so sure of the lab, the area is totally brand new to me (which can be both good and bad things: good being that I learn new techniques, bad being I'm totally clueless of what I'm doing in the first 6 months), but it's a post-doc position and I'm kinda keen on learning the ropes in this field.

I've worked in 4 labs so far in my lifetime and experienced the good, the bad, and the very ugly aspects. No lab is a nirvana, though I swear in some labs I see sunshine, rainbows, pastoral fields, and lil' bunny rabbits hopping happily about, it's like nothing goes wrong! Then again, I might just shoot myself more readily in a happy-go lucky lab - too much sweetness can be just as deadly. But on the flip side, some labs can be pure hell.

As a scientist, you're supposed to go for the project, as that is the number one driving force of your work. I don't begrudge any of my projects, each in its own I have found rewarding. But I've found that projects alone doesn't make your job blissful. The work environment (the people, the place, the funding) are essential ingredients as well.

So my choices are: good project/unsure work environment vs. ok project/good work environment. That's my first assessment going into these interviews. That outlook might change by Wednesday when everything's said n' done. Plus again the little issue whether the offers are there. So stay tuned... more to come on this soon.

Other things, I had a great weekend. Supper with a good friend on Friday. A brilliant bellydance recital on Saturday (followed by drunken singing in an Irish pub), and ball hockey on Sunday with aftermath drinks with the team. Busy-bee I was! Bigger woot as I did no work. I'm kinda getting used to this idea of weekends! Later this week I'm off to my stomping grounds for a few days. It'll be nice to spend time with the family and see some old friends. To start the week, some Tracy Chapman for everyone. She's on my short list of people who I want to see perform in person. "Mountain O' Things" has always been one of my top favourites of hers. Laterz folks.

If I only were a Goth...

I think I've developed an addiction: coffee shops. Of the past 4 months I've frequented a total of 5 different coffee shops to write the thesis. But with the tome finally handed in, I've been missing my cozy cafe corners. Literally. Most seats I've taken were next to a wall to plug the laptop for 8 hours of pure powah. So here I am. Back in a coffee shop. This time instead of making tables or writing why I believe this data means that, I'm writing up cover letters for more job applications.

It's been stressful of late. Oh wait, clarify: it's been stressful personally not JUST academically! It's been nagging my mind constantly, but I figured deal with the thesis first, then focus on job hunting full time. The irony is that with the current recession everyone is recommending that you go to grad school. Of course I've never been one to follow the trends. As you already know I have been applying for jobs for the past 8 months now. Only two nibbles of interviews, but both I was passed over. I've been trying to keep things positive, but with the looming unemployment status and the need keep a roof over my head, my nerves are getting frayed. Something will come. I know that. Just I'd rather have it much sooner than later. Anyways, I keep casting a wide net. If things get too bleak I might be doing MORE in a coffee shop other than typing.

Other things... I'll give a few Mad Beaker awards to some websites that deserve some kudos. First, I'm a long time fan of Katy Towell and Childrin R Skary. Her art and mentality are just brill. My fave movie is "When Genevieve Ruled the World" Char knows one reason why I chuckle to this one so. You may wonder, with a lot of other folks, if I am a closeted goth. I'm sure my fellow gothic friends would shout, "Hell no!" with much affection. This is also obvious during the moments when I'm standing in a goth store (yes, they do exist) in which I stick out like a sore vanilla thumb. I think the main reason would be that I go easy on the eyeshadow. But truth be told, I enjoy the dark humour, very dark. Katy's childrin are portrayals of my mind state often, just misunderstood souls with a dash of arsenic. Yes, do try my cookiez...

Another Mad Beaker to my good friends Matt and Roz with their geek blog/forum/franchise: Squirrels of Doom. This is a good dose of the geekiness to my personality. WoW, Joss Whedon, Star Trek, comics, zombie/horror/B-side flicks (though Matt, Roz... why no mention of MST3K?). The "Squirrels of Doom" title isn't some catch phrase coined during some offbeat convo (on second thought... yeah, I can see this the true story of SoD), it's actually part of the title of their movie script. I have a personal revelation with this script. One evening in the "luuuub", I went to print something off the communal lab printer. I plugged the printer cord into my trusty laptop, hit the print button, and suddenly pages upon pages start printing off of some script called "Squirrels of Doom". I'm alone in the lab, it's night, and wondering how did my three graphs turn into this now prophecy of killer mutant squirrels (cue twilight zone theme). Of course there's always a "scientific" explanation to these events, turns out that the script was just in the spool as my co-labrat Dawn was previously trying to print (she's in the cast as a sexy scientist who meets an undesirable end). Anyways, I'm anxiously awaiting the first episode or even maybe a trailer... yes Matt n Roz: TRAILER! Tease the geeks!

Alrighty, enough ramblings for today, moar cover letters to write on why they should hire me without sounding desperate. Musicwise... since I've been talking about my demented gothic humour, it made me think of Voltaire (no, not THAT Voltaire... this Voltaire!) and "If I only were a Goth". Enjoy folks!

All I ask is for a tall ship and stars to steer her by...

So after that rollercoaster week (thesis in YAY!! car vandalized GAK!!), I decided to end things on a more upbeat note and take in Star Trek on Friday afternoon. The bonus point was that the theater was FINALLY showing it with Rear Window Captioning so I could get ALL the dialogue and not just parts of it. It's true that all movies at ALL times should have this feature. But like everything else I learn with having a disability, change takes time.

Anyways, Star Trek. I confess that I'm a closeted Trekker. I've attended conventions AND thoroughly enjoyed myself (no, I didn't dress up, I'm not THAT a fanatic). I own 3 complete series and all the movies (whether I like them or not, seriously... ST5? It's just there to fill the gap between Voyage Home and Undiscovered Country). My closet houses a toy tricorder and phaser. And give me a quote and I'll give you the series, episode, who said it, to whom, and the importance of it (if any).

So I'm well vested in the Star Trek universe and was happy to hear that JJ Abrams was heading up the latest installment. I like JJ, he has a good vision as a writer and a director. Although I never was able to get into the series LOST, I was an avid fan of Alias. But I did hear that the 11th movie steers away from the Star Trek Universe canon, which I was weary of. Indeed while watching the film today, it profoundly changed the history of Star Trek. But the writers did make a loop hole that can explain things to satisfy the die-hard Trekker like me. However I WAS left wondering, is this movie a TRUE prequel? Hmmm huh? Oooh I can just FEEL this topic being debated upon in a few fan forums.


Aside from that quip of continuity, my gawd did I have fun with this show. The actors got the characters down to a science (pardon the pun). DeForrest would've been proud of Karl Urban. And I was LMFAO with Chekov and Scotty. I'm happy with this one, it breathes new life into the Star Trek franchise and that always means that more is to come. I give this flick 5 mad beakers out of 5 for entertaining me so. But truth be told, I'm still waiting for a DS9 story. They left too many questions unanswered from that series. Yeah, I know it wasn't a fave series of them all, so the probability of seeing a DS9 flick will be nil (man, I'm sounding like Spock).

Other news: on the license front, my car now sport a shiny new plate. Snaps to my mom for being a dear and promptly sending me out a replacement plate. This weekend is the May long weekend in Canada. And oddly enough, I'm going to take the full three days off. Strange but true. I think the past 6 years of hell and even the past 6 months of writing hell warrants a three day week-end... don't you?

Pressing print!

So I know I haven't been updating here for a few days... but you know the reason! As predicted, my deadline was extended til Monday. And boy did I need those two extra days! But yes folks! I hit the print button today! Took me 8 hours to put together the copies for the internal reviewers, but hey, today was a good day. The things clocked in at 299 pages, longest thing I've ever written in one sitting. Now it's in the hands of the examiners and the defense day (note... d-day) is set for June 12th. Another hurdle cleared today, just one more left to go.

Now what?

I'm not going to go into my life plans here, there's too many uncertainties as it is. But tomorrow I'm going to take the day, the ENTIRE day, to myself. Go for a walk, lounge in a bookstore, maybe pop into a good museum, stop to smell the flowers, take in some recreation with absolutely no guilt. Mmmmm, nice change! Oh oh.. a movie probably too tomorrow, hmmm Wolvie or Star Trek, tough call!. It's a celebratory week for me. So I'll keep you updated on those activities.

Music... the thesis is finally on its way! And so am I. Made me think of The Proclaimers. Now off to bed for a some REAL sleep.

Dealing with deadlines... kinda

It's funny how some sentences just stick in your head. Technically this thesis is due this Friday, but I'm thinking that no one will see the final version until Monday. Two more days can mean all the difference in the world!

While I'm in the midst of this madness, I am remembering a line told from a fellow high school student at my International Baccalaureate graduation. She was giving one of her valedictorian speech (she gave various, this girl had like a 99.89% average) and what stuck me was that from this seemingly perfect academic, she showed that she was still human afterall. She was talking about the course load, the long nights, the gut wrenching exams, and then, "we learned about meeting deadlines... kinda." Of course it was meant as a joke, but that line has always stayed with me. When you're working on a deadline, you feel utterly alone and that the entire weight of the world is on your shoulders. Not meeting a deadline is a horrid feeling. But since that speech, that one line, I realized that even 99.89% avg students also can't meet all deadlines (though it's probably only 0.11% of the time with this girl).

In my ear, an old one (and often looked over) from Savage Garden, "Violet". Why I like it? The catchy beat for starters. And like the voices inside my head, there's "the disco inside your head". It may not be always "disco", but there's definitely a beat in my brain.

Tick... tick... tick...

Alright, off to write something brill this hour... kinda.

Finish line in sight!

Alrighty folks, this is the week! Thesis revisions aren't going smoothly as I'd like and there's a lil minor detail that I'm going to need to fetch a signature out of province to get this thing off the ground. You know when it's truly time to finish your degree when your committee members start to retire or run away. Which is this case for me. One is on sabbatical and won't be back for the defense (no hard feelings, she definitely deserves this break!). The other one has migrated to greener pastures and moved to his retirement home. But because he's a great guy (really, he's been a wonderful committee advisor), he's coming back in June JUST for my defense. Awwww... how sweet. But that still doesn't solve the small dilemma on how I'm supposed to reach a secluded town in rural BC. Oh well, I've been able to pull off other miracles in the past...

Hockey still sucks for me. I can't get a break and my team is 0-3 so far in the season. Today, the team we faced were literally bitches. It's not often that I get angry. In fact as a goalie you have to maintain your cool the most. But today I almost hauled off and hit someone - like, manslaughter slash. Sure there's a crowd in my crease, I deal with it. But if I've trapped the ball and the whistle is blown, there's no legitimate excuse to either A) slash my legs, B) slash my head, C) charge and run into me well after the tweet, or D) push me further down in hopes that the ball will come loose. Today I had all four things happen with 10 minutes of play. My D-wings commented that smoke was coming from my nostrils. After a nice "chat" with the ref and a major penalty against them, the other team didn't touch me. Tsk tsk, don't they know the goalie shouldn't be touched... ESPECIALLY a goalie who is writing a thesis? That's like whacking a hornet's nest in an isolation room with a hungry tiger pacing about.

In my ear, (don't worry Char, no moar Ting Tings!) the incredible Brit artist, Joan Armatrading. I love her guitar chords, bittersweet voice, and slow love lyrics. Countless other female singers over the years have done renditions of most of her songs. Here's my ultimate fave, "Weakness in Me".

Back to sorting through data lists for me...