laugardagur, maí 24, 2008
On productivity
Just like the cows, I'm much! more productive at work with Mozart's music in my headphones. Too bad it doesn't make me (or the cows) smarter too.
föstudagur, maí 16, 2008
Life moves on
My lab mate Steve is leaving town for a Ph.D. program in Arizona. He's such a great person to have around and I'll miss him sooooooooooo much. Good lab mates tend to be hard to come by, for some reason. Best of luck, Steve!
Oh well. Life goes on and maður kemur í manns stað as they say. Here's to my new lab mate who's starting his Ph.D. program this fall! I know it'll be good to have him around too :)
Oh well. Life goes on and maður kemur í manns stað as they say. Here's to my new lab mate who's starting his Ph.D. program this fall! I know it'll be good to have him around too :)
mánudagur, maí 12, 2008
... and Paul was alone in the world*
It somehow feels like I'm alone in the world today. I went into work briefly this morning to start up a batch of samples that needed to be analyzed on the IC and while in the lab I had a little chat with a fellow student. Back at home I haven't seen a soul, except for the cable guy who stopped by to exchange my old broken cable box for a new functional one. The online grad student community that I participate in is eerily quiet, no one has responed to my task list there. Which is very odd.
I'm glad I have my knitting class tonight. Otherwise I would really start thinking I was alone in the world... or nearly so.
On second thought, the fact that I'm able to walk through a university campus full of people and still feel like I'm alone in the world probably doesn't imply that I'm very good at being in the moment. Or have I already become so attuned to the impermanence of existence that even if I see it all around me it simply doesn't register? ;)
* It seems that all Icelanders have read the story of little Palli (Icelandic nickname for Paul) who woke up one day to find his town completely empty of people. You can think of it like waking up in a candy store, only to find out later that eating all that candy only gives you toothache and stomach problems you'd rather not have to talk about!
I'm glad I have my knitting class tonight. Otherwise I would really start thinking I was alone in the world... or nearly so.
On second thought, the fact that I'm able to walk through a university campus full of people and still feel like I'm alone in the world probably doesn't imply that I'm very good at being in the moment. Or have I already become so attuned to the impermanence of existence that even if I see it all around me it simply doesn't register? ;)
* It seems that all Icelanders have read the story of little Palli (Icelandic nickname for Paul) who woke up one day to find his town completely empty of people. You can think of it like waking up in a candy store, only to find out later that eating all that candy only gives you toothache and stomach problems you'd rather not have to talk about!
On homemade chocolate cookies and unexpected happiness
For a while now I've been practicing to make do with what I have. Instead of rushing to the store when I need something, I take a long hard look around me and try to find something that I can use in my stuff. When I'm hungry I don't head straight for the bagel place but go into the kitchen and figure out how to turn what's there into something good to eat. Anticipating this, I did some major grocery shopping two weeks ago and now I'm not allowed to buy anything ready-made. The other day I had an immense craving for something sweet and short of eating brown sugar straight from the jar, I didn't have anything. Or so I thought. I then saw I had cake mix, frosting and crackers. Instead of baking the cake and topping it with the frosting, I took the frosting and put it on the crackers. Thus were born my favorite homemade chocolate cookies to date :)
This practice of mine is in part born from my readings over the past few months. While I was in Houston my friend Paula gave my Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth and I've been slowly reading my way through it. It's a little like yoga (and, for that matter everything else): take what you need, leave the rest behind. And on the whole I really like it. I also read some of Thich Nhat Hanh's The Miracle of Mindfulness and I'm currently listening to his latest book, The Art of Power, on my iPod. All these different readings, paired with some concerted effort on my side to be more involved in my own life and affairs, are helping me to be more present in the everyday. That's something pretty new to me, who usually inhabits the past and future more easily than the present moment. I like the change.
This practice of mine is in part born from my readings over the past few months. While I was in Houston my friend Paula gave my Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth and I've been slowly reading my way through it. It's a little like yoga (and, for that matter everything else): take what you need, leave the rest behind. And on the whole I really like it. I also read some of Thich Nhat Hanh's The Miracle of Mindfulness and I'm currently listening to his latest book, The Art of Power, on my iPod. All these different readings, paired with some concerted effort on my side to be more involved in my own life and affairs, are helping me to be more present in the everyday. That's something pretty new to me, who usually inhabits the past and future more easily than the present moment. I like the change.
þriðjudagur, maí 06, 2008
mánudagur, maí 05, 2008
Squishy squashy
Photo from Wikipedia.Here's a question from the culinarily challenged part of me: How do I prepare squash??
Yesterday I bought one like the bottom one (I think it's called winter squash) and another one like the dark one to the right and above the winter squash and I'd love to cook them before they go bad. I learned to love squash in the Philippines; in fact, squash-based dishes are my favorite Filipino food, along with a good Bicol express (oh and I mustn't forget taro leaves rolled up and boiled in coconut milk, that's amazing!). But honestly, I have no idea how the Filipinos prepare the squash. Boil? Fry? Saute and then boil?
I know I can probably look the answer up on the omniscient Internet. Frankly, I prefer my (two) readers' wisdom. I hope to hear from (both of) you!
sunnudagur, maí 04, 2008
Science nerdism of the day: Hearing test
Speakers: Bose Noise Cancelling headphones.
Without my hearing aids:
And with my hearing aids:
When I wear the hearing aids, I hear 8 through 12 kHz fine, I don't hear 14.1 and 14.9 kHz, I hear 15.8 kHz just fine, 16.7 kHz I can't hear, I hear 17.7, 18.8, 19.9 and 21.1 very well but they definitely don't sound ultrasonic! The highest frequency I don't hear at all.
This is weird. I don't think that the hearing aids are meant to amplify sounds in the ultrasonic range... but they seem to do so for frequencies between 17.7 and 21.1 kHz, but the tone changes. Dramatically. Any idea why, anyone??
Without my hearing aids:
You are about 20 years old |
The teen repellent will no longer foil you, but you can still hear some pretty high tones. The highest pitched ultrasonic mosquito ringtone that I can hear is 16.7kHz |
| Find out which ultrasonic ringtones you can hear! |
And with my hearing aids:
You are a dog |
Or maybe you are a mosquito, you certainly can't be human. The highest pitched ultrasonic mosquito ringtone that I can hear is 21.1kHz |
| Find out which ultrasonic ringtones you can hear! |
When I wear the hearing aids, I hear 8 through 12 kHz fine, I don't hear 14.1 and 14.9 kHz, I hear 15.8 kHz just fine, 16.7 kHz I can't hear, I hear 17.7, 18.8, 19.9 and 21.1 very well but they definitely don't sound ultrasonic! The highest frequency I don't hear at all.
This is weird. I don't think that the hearing aids are meant to amplify sounds in the ultrasonic range... but they seem to do so for frequencies between 17.7 and 21.1 kHz, but the tone changes. Dramatically. Any idea why, anyone??
föstudagur, maí 02, 2008
Last day of classes
and the madness has begun:
slope day!!
Being almost a senior citizen here on campus, I plan to enjoy the day at a Earth Sciences grad students' BBQ and then maybe go back to work (gasp!) in the afternoon.
slope day!!
Being almost a senior citizen here on campus, I plan to enjoy the day at a Earth Sciences grad students' BBQ and then maybe go back to work (gasp!) in the afternoon.
miðvikudagur, apríl 30, 2008
þriðjudagur, apríl 29, 2008
Gone for a while...
... at least from the blog scene!
Summer came to Ithaca overnight a couple of weeks ago and we went from woolen coats to flip-flops (or slippahs, as they're called in Hawaii) just like that. Me like! The humidity of summer will kick in any day now and that's when I'll start wishing it were winter again. But that's just me :)
I've been toiling away in the lab during all this time, working on my rather impressive collection of water taken from Hawaiian and Philippine streams this spring (as you all know). I have made less than stellar progress, caused by both machines not working and me being less than enthusiastic about finding ones that work or could work. The eternal issue, I guess, working where I work.
There's also been some traveling, as in going to Santa Cruz, CA, to meet my sister and her boyfriend, both of whom are touring the USA these days. Since both Lara and Kari, as well as Santa Cruz, are all awesome, it was an awesome trip!
Here in Ithaca the semester is three days from being over. I had planned to have a full draft of a paper ready by now... and it isn't happening. Oh well.
Summer came to Ithaca overnight a couple of weeks ago and we went from woolen coats to flip-flops (or slippahs, as they're called in Hawaii) just like that. Me like! The humidity of summer will kick in any day now and that's when I'll start wishing it were winter again. But that's just me :)
I've been toiling away in the lab during all this time, working on my rather impressive collection of water taken from Hawaiian and Philippine streams this spring (as you all know). I have made less than stellar progress, caused by both machines not working and me being less than enthusiastic about finding ones that work or could work. The eternal issue, I guess, working where I work.
There's also been some traveling, as in going to Santa Cruz, CA, to meet my sister and her boyfriend, both of whom are touring the USA these days. Since both Lara and Kari, as well as Santa Cruz, are all awesome, it was an awesome trip!
Here in Ithaca the semester is three days from being over. I had planned to have a full draft of a paper ready by now... and it isn't happening. Oh well.
sunnudagur, apríl 06, 2008
fimmtudagur, apríl 03, 2008
Buffalo in suspension
From my field notes taken during my recent trip to the Philippines:
"Water buffalo in water upstream from sampling site. Water full of very fine suspended brown gunk, maybe organics or water buffalo".
mánudagur, mars 24, 2008
Memory lane
Some time ago I was driving somewhere around Ithaca when I heard a song by the 70's disco band Dr. Hook on the radio. The song is called "A little bit more" and was one of my mom's favorite songs when I was a kid. I love to sing and as a kid, I picked up lyrics to songs in foreign languages almost as easily as I did to songs in Icelandic, the only difference being that I had no idea what I was singing about as I performed along with ABBA and Barry Manilow.
As I heard that old Dr. Hook song again, after not hearing it for decades, I was surprised to find that I still knew almost the entire lyrics, they just jumped into my head as the song progressed. I also realized something that I most definitely didn't realize when I was seven and learned the song, that it is about a couple making love the whole night through, and the guy planning to just blow his ladyfriend away by his astounding prowess in bed:
Today I finally made good on my promise to myself to buy Dr. Hook's music on iTunes. While I was there I suddenly got a Bolivia-flashback, and to an artist no less than Myriam Hernandez:
She was the diva of overdone soppy ballads back in 1991 and her music, tied as it is in my memory to my year in Bolivia, holds a place in my heart not usually reserved for any performers of such music (well, except for Jose Luis Perales (watch this one for a good chuckle and, to witness a remarkable change, this one too), but that's only because he also accompanied me through my year in Bolivia). And now, I have more Myriam Hernandez on my iTunes than I'll ever listen to. Aye, memories...
As I heard that old Dr. Hook song again, after not hearing it for decades, I was surprised to find that I still knew almost the entire lyrics, they just jumped into my head as the song progressed. I also realized something that I most definitely didn't realize when I was seven and learned the song, that it is about a couple making love the whole night through, and the guy planning to just blow his ladyfriend away by his astounding prowess in bed:
Today I finally made good on my promise to myself to buy Dr. Hook's music on iTunes. While I was there I suddenly got a Bolivia-flashback, and to an artist no less than Myriam Hernandez:
She was the diva of overdone soppy ballads back in 1991 and her music, tied as it is in my memory to my year in Bolivia, holds a place in my heart not usually reserved for any performers of such music (well, except for Jose Luis Perales (watch this one for a good chuckle and, to witness a remarkable change, this one too), but that's only because he also accompanied me through my year in Bolivia). And now, I have more Myriam Hernandez on my iTunes than I'll ever listen to. Aye, memories...
föstudagur, mars 21, 2008
þriðjudagur, mars 18, 2008
Matters in our own hands
Check this out. Neat! This approach to development aid really makes sense to me, what do you all think?
Update, an hour later: I am totally fascinated by this! Have already lent a whoopin' 75 bucks (!) to entrepreneurs in Samoa and Bolivia (of course). This is way more fun than shopping!!
Update, an hour later: I am totally fascinated by this! Have already lent a whoopin' 75 bucks (!) to entrepreneurs in Samoa and Bolivia (of course). This is way more fun than shopping!!
mánudagur, mars 17, 2008
From the lab
The IC that abandoned me for another lab. Right now it's making its way through some of my samples, patiently putting in weeks of work for me analyzing the anion contents of the samples I collected this year. This is hands down the best behaved instrument on Earth, and for that I love it:
Isn't it lovely??
I just wish all instruments were as docile and cooperative as this little beauty!
Isn't it lovely??
I just wish all instruments were as docile and cooperative as this little beauty!
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