Singeable

I asked one of the rotating grad students yesterday what kind of music she listens too because she was raving about this song and played it for me. She said a little of everything and reciprocated the question. Well, in high school I mostly listened to the alternative radio station; slowly over the years through college I started adding more folk-like music in; a couple of years ago I started listening to country. And through it all a healthy mix of popular music in there too. Really I gravitate towards mix radio stations. What it comes down to, though, is that I like music with which I can sing along. A couple of days ago I heard this song for the first time and have been listening to it online all morning. Guess that means I should just buy it.

Silver lining

Life is not bad, per se, but I am feeling somewhat apathetic about life. CF will not move. Period. To him, asking me to move in with him and spend 2 1/2 to 3 hours a day commuting (total) is reasonable; moving half-way between our places of work is not because he does not feel like moving before he is done with school (which is sooner than later, presumably). I am getting some stuff done for my own research, but my undergrad is a waste of time and my grad student is pretty busy with classes to do the experiments he wants to do. But, as disappointed as I am with life in general at the moment, and as sad as it is to have shortened days, I get rewarded by watching the sunrise from my desk and the occasional amazing sunset.

These pictures I took with my phone while I drove 80 mph down the highway do not do the sunset tonight justice. It rivaled a sunrise I saw from a plane window up north near the arctic somewhere. Seriously, I got a little teary looking at it as I drove. There were rays of light, colorful clouds, silver cloud tops.

I came home and played my flute for a bit for the first time in months. Then found two more amazing apartments to rent which CF again said no to. I give up.

Oh, yeah - I also stabbed myself with a micro-scalpel today at work. That felt awesome.

Focus

It is difficult to focus on work when you get a phone message from your boyfriend telling you his roommates are moving out next month and an email saying he is going to have an interview in another state.

I have work to do, for crying out loud?!

More on this later...you know...down the road when we figure out what is going on.

Fall ingredients

It's amazing how much I can do if I get home at a reasonable hour - spinach salad for dinner, laundry, and baking so far (never mind a rare blog post)!

I turned my heat on one morning a couple of weeks ago, but have managed to resist since. This morning I had to scrape my windows. Someone posted about pumpkin cookies on the FB today, so I had to make these again. I think it is fall.

I also had some plums and a couple of apples. I tossed them in with some frozen berries and made a topping much like this one, but did not mix the fruit with sugar or pour melted butter over the top like in the recipe. I figure now it is okay if I eat it with plain yogurt for breakfast.

PSA: Plums stain your fingers.

On to some TV, a glass of vino, and a grocery list.

The small things

A recent birthday post over here, and the subsequent link to her project, reminded me of some random acts of kindness I myself performed. Stephanie just turned 35 and has decided to 36 specific things to, well, be nice. Her point is that even if you do not have money, you likely have more than someone else.

I have not recently make any decision to commit to a large project, but I have done a couple of things military related. Much like Stephanie, I think war is stupid. I like to think of war as grown-up boys using real people to play G.I. Joe. But, the people who fight for our country and protect our freedom and country are amazing.

A childhood friend has done three tours. For each tour, he has left behind a wife and children. I have seen many of our old neighbors over the years, but he and his wife have always been too far away to be at most get-togethers. Last spring I sent them a note. I thanked them for the sacrifices they make and let them know that many more people think and pray for them than they probably realize and that I was so glad that their family is together. Shortly thereafter, his wife sent me a thank you for my thank you via the Facebook.

More recently I was traveling to a friend's wedding. Her husband served in Iraq, actually. On my first plane, the man next to me was quite chatty. He ended up sitting next to me at the bar and bought one of my beers. So that was nice! Anyway, it was a long narrow crowded airport bar and a soldier ended up standing near me. I asked if he needed to get into the bar, and he proceeded to tell me that they were not going to serve him further down the bar because there were no seats, so I offered he and the other soldier my (one) seat. They had about nine minutes until their plane boarded, had left Iraq something like 46 hours earlier, and wanted an American beer on American soil. So when the bartender got over to me, I bought the two of them a beer and closed my tab. The best part was that the woman totally beat the man downing her beer. There were handshakes and they were off to their flight.

Now this recent story bothered me the most because they had managed to make their way far down the bar without someone else asking them if they needed to get into the bar. Presumably others heard the bartender tell them they could not be served without a seat at the bar and did nothing. The people around me (who were clearly business travelers with money versus my science-reading, jeans-wearing self) heard the man tell me this story. And I was the only one who thought to buy them a beer? I think I can spare $15 (this was beer in an airport remember) for them sacrificing their lives for me and my country.

So tired...

So I started this post over the weekend, did not post it, and now have deleted most of it. Suffice it to say life is busy, and I am exhausted. I think of all sorts of academia-related and life-related things to post, but then do not feel like it or do not have time when I get home at night. September FLEW by after the summer all of a sudden disappeared. I have no idea how fast October will go by, but I am guessing before I know it, it will be 2011.

Anyway. I have been busy, as I am sure the rest of you people are...you know, if anyone is reading. :-) Labor Day weekend we went to visit CF's friends/American family, then I walked 50 km and caught up with my sister (I like multi-tasking), then some family was in town for 4 days, then I sorta had a free weekend but had to make a research poster for the one-day research conference today and three days of a conference the beginning of next week, then on Thursday I leave for a friend's wedding, then I come back and work on Columbus Day some, because even though I expect at least a holiday every month after living in Massachusetts*, I have work to do. My undergrad is back now too, and he sucks up my time.
That weekend I had "free" though, I bought these:

Then I was at a one-day conference last Saturday, tried to catch up on things like laundry (which was more difficult given my washing machine was waiting on repairs) and ironing on Sunday because I had to wear business to business-casual for the three day meeting this week, only to go to lab for almost a full day on Thursday and fly out late afternoon on Thursday for a friend's wedding. Hmmm...I still have not pressed my dress for the wedding. It is kinda good that CF is in Canadia for a conference right now because wanting to see him and trying to coordinate during the past week would have been undoable. we meet at the airport on the East Coast Thursday night though, and I am looking forward to seeing him and lots of my best college friends this weekend!

See ya sometime else on here...maybe later than sooner the way life is going.