How soon is too soon?

**I apologize there was an error in the HTML that made this movie a link for some time. Sorry for those of you that suffered. I fixed it.

Not having children of mine own, I can't speak. That being said, I feel that the sooner kids know the safer they'll be.

We often times feel that PSAs are "preachy," or that they don't mean anything to us, I for one feel that this PSA is perfect.

Chris

Graffiti or Art?

So I vote for art (I think Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde would agree with me). Let's face it- it's an ugly storage container on the side of a hill- painted in drab and rust; or, it is a source of a smile everyday for me and others as we walk to work.

Why I hate working late @ SIO

So many of you know that I work down at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography @ UCSD sometimes. This involves some very boring work in a lonely dungeon of a room. It is worsened by the fact that if I turn down the hall I am greeted by a wall of windows looking out over the beach and the pier. Combine that with the beautiful sunset and the idea of me still being here for another 3 hours and you know why I don't like being here in the evening.

**On a side note: This is what sunset on Nov. 9th looks like in SD- beats snow any day!

Why?

So the question I pose is not, "Why does this area exist?" It is instead, "Why do we need a sign reminding us what is not allowed in there (keep in mind the lactation area should be in a clean area, one would hope) since, in theory, that stuff is not allowed in ANY clean area?"

'Course maybe it's just a nice reminder not to walk in if you don't want an awkward encounter. Especially if you come bearing bad stuff.

Junker Car

So last year when Lish wrecked the Aveo (yeah, yeah, not her fault) we got an awesome situation- we got back 99.x% of the original value of the car. Essentially we had equity in the car. So we bought a new car. As is the norm when you buy a new car we had a work order on it, including tint and such. So during that time the dealer put us in a rental car. PIECE OF JUNK!

It was an '08 Chev Cobalt bare-bones. It couldn't have been more stock had it tried. So I decided to enjoy it. The plastic (not vinyl, straight up blown mold plastic) dash was awesome. I'm pretty sure I could have sanded a 2x4 on it, it was so "texturized."The ghetto trash plastic E-brake surround and the super sweet shifter with vinyl boot that was coming off was just the icing on the garbage cake.

It's a shame that the car bottoms out so easily at 75 and it's also a shame that it'll only go 55ish in 3rd with an RPM around 4K... little things to think about.

Updates...

Yes, it really has been 5 months since we posted anything. It's not for lack of doing or, even for that matter, lack of writing (we have several half-posts sitting, waiting to be finished). So over the next few days we'll hopefully get the pictures and stories up. In the mean time welcome to November.

Oh, by the way, you may have noticed that we fixed the background to be more SD appropriate.

Chris & Lish

Graduation...

Okay, so after 5 1/2 years of long, hard, work, Chris was hooded last Saturday. Here are a couple pictures of his really cool robes...

Why I need a GPS

So I try to avoid posting too much crap on the blog that really doesn't belong there (All my Star Wars crap, etc.) but I've found a new reason to get a GPS

TomTom

(Be sure to stay till the end as there is a great musical moment in the last 10 secs)

I can say this: I know what I want for Christmas.

Chris

Done and Done and Done

It's all over. I'm a doctor now (yes, technically I am really a doctor!). The good news is I got my PhD without any difficulty (I mean to say that the day of things went smoothly) and now I just need to find a job. I continue down that road and hope that maybe one of these applications will finally pay off. In the mean time I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who called, wrote, came down, etc. to cheer me on, it was awesome. I'm just glad it's over. Worst part about all of this is that as of right now, nothing has changed, same title, same jobs needs, same everything.

~Chris

Empire

So for everyone out there who is not me- this Friday is the 30th Anniversary of the Empire Strikes Back- the best, in my opinion, of the Star Wars saga.

In honor of that, I found the following:

Empire (premake)

Interestingly, other than the starting roll of words and text all the scenes are from other movies from the 40's - 60's. Nice to see the roots of such an awesome movie.

All things Star Warsey

First is quite possibly the best wedding cake I've seen in a long time.

Bridepop

The other one is a great site that I followed for the better part of a year. The guy who did it is a great photographer. Good use of macro (close-ups) and the juxtaposition of subject matter was just awesome. I recommend you take the time to look through the whole album at some point.

Stormtroopers 365

May 20th

So I am defending my PhD dissertation that morning.

As is required it is a public defense. So that means that anyone and everyone is invited- don't worry you won't be the only non-scientist as I know for a fact several of our friends and family will be there as such here are the details:

Moores UCSD Cancer Center

Goldberg Auditorium

May 20th, 9:00 AM

3855 Health Sciences Dr. 92093

It will last about 1 hour (maybe a few minutes over)

after the defense we'll be having food and such in the next room over, so...

If you're gonna come and want to eat please just RSVP us by any means (Text, IM, here on the blog, facebook, etc.)

Thanks to all the well wishers and everyone for the help.

Really!?!

So I saw this story on yahoo this morning and all I could say was, "Really!?!" I must be living in the wrong country...

Yahoo Video

And we're done!

That's right I'm finally going to receive my PhD. May 20th I have the final public defense of my dissertation and then it's only a few pages of paper work and, presto, PhD. Until then it's kinda strange cause I am still working but am job hunting from my desk all day. Hope I get something soon.

Chris

Vocab for 4/6/10

Dissertasteless

adj. Having no dissertation or being without much dissertation. Lacking in essential material for graduation (e.g. a thesis or dissertation, requisite to completion of an advanced degree).

e.g. I have found my life to be rather dissertasteless as of recent, and am becoming more scared about the next month.

Easter Quake

In brief. Yes, we felt it - very much so. It lasted about 40 seconds and there was enough time for us to recognize it and leave the apartment. Yes it continued to shake for a few minutes after. Then we got to feel a few aftershocks. No it hasn't stopped, twice in the night it was strong enough to wake us up. Yes, we're safe.

And yup, we went straight to work this morning, cause in CA if it isn't currently shaking it doesn't count.

On 2 side notes:

1) It was 3x the strength of the Haiti quake and was ~100 miles from us

2) This is the 2nd strongest quake in CA in 100 years and the strongest ever felt in SD.

As for house vs work. I'd rather be at work. My building is 5 years old and thus is the most advanced in seismic safety, far superior to my crappy apartment.

~Chris

At some point in my life...

So for as long as I can remember cars have always been a huge part of my life. Heck at last count I've owned 2 dozen cars in my short driving life. My dad is one of the greatest mechanics I know and can probably fix anything pre-2000 without the manual. For years I have slowly tried to glean as much out of him as I can. I remember many times when my sister and I were younger my dad would take us off-roading in whatever we happened to own. In fact he and I beat the crap out of a Suzuki Sidekick multiple times out past Kamas (ask me for details). And if it's of any doubt, just ask all my friends about the crappy jeeps I've hauled to and from Moab, around Logan, and even throughout UT.

My dad and I have always wanted to race in a SCORE-style race (think Baja 500 and Baja 1000) and a few years ago I came about a league that I may get into, but that's for another day. Then I went South for a couple years and came into Rally Cross. I drove and rode in several Rally Racers and even saw a WRC event while I was down there. It's roughly the same as baja, just in cars.

So where is all this going? Well see I read this article and all I could think is- someday I want to drag my dad down there and pull something this crazy off for ourselves. In the meantime I will just enjoy that somewhere there's a guy living his dream and writing enough about it for the rest of us to laugh at.

This is the article.

~Chris

Two months and counting

I know it seems like a long time out, and yes I will be the first to tell you this should have happened 5 months ago, but the truth is at least its happening. In two months I will have defended my dissertation and will be done with all the requirements for grad school. Now the main reason for the wait is job hunting- I'm still without a job, but I will be employed yet! In the mean time I can continue to enjoy my "stipend" which at least pays better than most people's jobs in UT (too bad the cost of living is twice as much here).

Vocab for 3/12/10

Hemophilifixed

v. The act of making so many changes to so many parts of a shared Microsoft Office file (i.e. Word document, Powerpoint presentation, etc.) that the next author to open views such a plethora of red that it appears as though the author was drafting the document next to a hemophiliac with a nervous shake attempting to shave for the first time, with no water or cream, on stage, in front of 20,000 hecklers.

e.g. Upon seeing all those red changes marked-up in my document it looks like the editor really hemophilifixed my manuscript for me.

The Way it's Done

Today I just submitted the first draft of my last paper to my boss. So what does this mean? Well first of all it means that in the last 3 weeks I have written three journal papers (A summary of a subset of my research that gets published in a peer-reviewed journal). This means that I now have four first-authorships and I am in a prime position to finish writing my dissertation in the next month! I have no idea how I did it, but I succeeded in writing 50+ pages of science crap in less than 2 weeks total time. All I can say is my brain hurts! Now I just have some revisions and some minor details to iron out.

And just to preempt any discussion I have NO IDEA when I'm "Going to be done" so don't bother asking, and NO, I don't know where we're going to be next. I just know this. I did a lot of writing and I feel good that it will pay off before too long.

On another positive note- I may actually be able to enjoy a Saturday, even if I have some work to do.

Chris

Vocab 3/5

sarcasmablasphemous-
Do I really need a definition? Besides this was sent from Nick, who is faithfully serving a mission in Russia. Here's an example of a sarcasmablasphemous statement: I know life's crazy when you don't have to devote every waking moment to serving the Lord... Well, I thought it was funny. (Not tunny, that's another vocab word from Russia).

Vocab 2/27/10

excimbo
n. A state of being or emotion. Looking forward to future events with excitement while not knowing what those events will be.
e.g. I am in excimbo as my husband looks for a job that may require relocation.

Seriously!?! Welcome back to 1996

So I was reading on U2 . com this morning that apparently the opening acts for the band during their tour in 2010 will include Lenny Kravitz!

Wow, I didn't even know he still did music, let alone toured... to all of those going to SLC to see the show may I suggest the following apparel:

Tear-away track pants. C'mon you know you still have some in the closet.

Maybe a leftover grunge t-shirt. Something from the vein of mudhoney or maybe a classy Alice-in-Chains shirt.

Anything Tommy Hilfiger

Baby t-shirts for the girls

If you're feeling ambitious you could rock some early goth looks. Keep in mind that you need to make sure you keep to the goth, as tempted as you might be to go Emo.

A Titanic hat or shirt. Something classy, like Leo leaning over the edge with the caption, "I'm the King of the World."

Maybe something more relevant like say... an, "Oh Behave!" Austin Powers shirt. (While whistling, "That Thing You Do.")

Or maybe you're edgy and you bought the, "Show Me the Money," shirt (Good on you for sticking it to the man and supporting that hot, young actor Thomas Cruise)

Hmm lets see what else...**Rummages through closet and looks in laundry hamper for last week's outfits**

Ahh yes, one last one for ya:

A nice Green Day Nimrod T-shirt under your cardigan, some super low-riding jeans and maybe some extra long hair. Yup that was what I wished I was wearing.

Oh, and throw on your Starter jacket if it gets cold that evening. Something classy like a University of Miami (You know the 'Canes) one.

Then get ready to sing all the awesomeness of, "Are You Gonna Go My Way?"

Cause, boy howdy, I can't believe how awesome the opening acts for 2010 360 tour are!!!

Chris

A Nibble

So I got first word back on one of the jobs I was trying for. Good news is that I have been given an invite to come speak to them. Hey that's awesome cause it sure beats being told flat-out, "NO."

So we shall see...

Vocab for 2/24/10

Agrumblement

n- The act of both agreeing and grumbling or murmuring against the person or action to which one is agreeing.

e.g. The man nodded his head in agrumblement as his boss told him he was needed to be doing more work right now.

When prowling turns to hunting

So I had to bite the bullet and start job hunting (as opposed to THIS). I forgot why I was dreading it until I started to have to submit a resume and fill out the stupid online portions of the application. Yes, I'm telling the truth. No, I haven't had federal sanctions against me. Yes, I am a US citizen. No, I've never been deported. Etc. Etc. . I just can't wait till I can at least have an interview. Turns out (AKA have been told) I may be better to meet in person than on paper. I think that's a compliment but I'm not quite sure how....

Until then...

I'll keep people posted if I actually get any hits.

Chris

The votes are in!

Okay, so it's not that exciting to anybody but me, but I will NOT be receiving a pay cut or temporary layoff days. HOORAY!

Vocab 2/18

Dungeon Dwelling

v. The act of hanging out in a dungeon-esque locale. Usually associated with subterranea and a lack of basic necessities (e.g. Sunlight, social interactions, cell phone reception, warmth).

e.g. Well, since I have 32 images to look at on the microscope I plan to take up dungeon dwelling full time.

Chris

Vocab for 2/16/10

Muesday

n. The day of the week that comes into existence only on a 4-day work week. It is to be more dreaded than a normal day as it has been known to not only possess the evil traits of Monday, but also has the ability to slow down time making a 4-day work week feel like a 40-day work week.

e.g. I can't believe it is only 10:30 AM on Muesday and I have enough work to last two weeks.

Vocab for 2/6/10

Succep Backward

n. The moment in which one seems to achieve a modicum of success only to realize that it is, in fact, a movement in the reverse direction of the intended endpoint.

e.g. The fact that the experiment worked is a real succep backwards for my dissertation.

Unions? I'll pass thanks...

So a while back (last summer) the University of California issued a plan to deal with California's increasing budget crisis. Everyone (except those funded completely by grants or essential services) would be receiving a pay cut and furlough days to help save money. Our center had been approved through the University as an essential service and as far as we knew, would not be receiving pay cuts. Which is good right? Yeah sure until this week. Yesterday we got a letter from HR stating that the Clerical Union that happens to negotiate our contracts as preschool teachers had negotiated with UC to have pay cuts and temporary layoff days for everyone except those that worked in the hospitals. Ummm....that's not cool. The University said we didn't have to have a pay cut because there's really no way for all of us to take a day off. If someone is gone, they have to be replaced. The state of California says so. So in the end it won't save anybody any money, the employees lose money and the University ends up paying as much if not more to fill the gaps left by people on temporary layoffs.
So since I abhor unions and all that they are currently "doing" for people, I wrote them a nice little email today about how much I appreciated what they've done for me. See I regularly receive email updates on negotiations and such from the union, just so I know what is going on. The problem is they haven't sent any emails since December and suddenly we're hit with this letter yesterday. See, I told them that I wanted the same exemption that the University had already granted us. Funny thing is, 45 minutes after I sent my email, UCSD CUE represented employees all received an email from the Union about how departments had issued these notices before both sides had agreed to them and that they would be meeting next week to negotiate details. Really? How did that happen? And magically, you figure this out when someone calls you out on it. Well we'll see next week if I get any news as far as 'negotiations' go. And meanwhile, whether my pay is cut or not, I am truly grateful that I do have a job and even though it doesn't pay exceptionally well (Chris makes more than me as a grad student) it is a job and it does help pay the bills. And by the way, I could do without being represented by a union. Just sayin.

Vocabulary (aka WotW)

We (the staff) feel it is necessary to rename the Word of the Week posts to "Vocabulary" due to the frequency of new words needing to be dissemniated.

So without further ado...

Motivisery

n. The drive, by force of misery, to get things done. Often associated with a feeling of, "either do this or suffer more." May often be found in electronic mail format or public reprimand from superiors. Also associated with dread and helplessness. A common trait amongst people who are trying to get a dreaded thing out of the way.

e.g. Man that e-mail from my boss really gave me the motivisery to finish that experiment so I can graduate.

1 down, 3 left to go

So I finished a successful run on the microscope so that means I only have one of those left to do and then 2 gels and we're looking at the end of the road. Now we know that my boss will have something else to say on the matter but you know you gotta take what you can get. The first of the final three manuscripts went to him (the boss) this morning and that means yours truly is looking at maybe a month or two left and hopefully only a couple weeks of benchwork left. So the prospect of getting out before the end of spring is starting to look more like a reality. Man wouldn't that be sweet. I do know that I will have to stall as I am slated to go to DC for AACR and Lish has already bought her tix to join... looks like I get to stall.

Word of the Week, II

This one is more of a portmanteau:

Explagotiate

v. The act of simultaneously explaining why and negotiating a new end point simultaneously.

e.g. I need to explagotiate to my boss the new deadline for my manuscript.

Can also be used in the noun sense to indicate the act of - such as: We're going through explagotiations to determine how many more weeks I need to be here.

Chris

Word of the Week

Job Prowling

v- the description of looking for a job without actually job hunting. That is to say that you are "window-shopping" jobs.

e.g. I'm job prowling till I can meet with my boss and set a timetable for escape.

Chris

Rain- Day 5

So according to the best guesses San Diego (downtown area only) has around 4-5 inches of rain since Monday. Topping off the awesomeness is that we had hail, lightning and thunder, yeah right here near the beach. It's been awesome. And yes, we're currently building our ark, as per instruction, just in case.

In the mean time we've been told that it's gonna be this way all winter, due to some crazy weather pattern.

I'm no meteorologist, so please, allow the following video to help you better understand this weather.

Dumber for it...

I've decided that the absolute worst way to show off years of veritable knowledge and experience in grad school is requiring the writing of a dissertation. I stare day after day at my computer knowing I need to write more of my thesis stuff but have no motivation to do so. So what do I do instead? ANYTHING. Facebook? Sure, why not. Kotaku? Sure, why not. IGN? Sure, why not. HULU? Actually, I've been good about avoiding TV watching (as of yet)- which is super good as I would be in a world of hurt thanks to Netflix on demand. Blog? Sure, why not. I just feel dumber every time I sit down to try and explain in coherent sentences years of work. Yes, I do have journal papers to write and I am trying to finish those as they are the basis for my work, but still... It hurts my brain and my butt to try and sit at my desk and write non-stop. You would think that my being able to speak for hours on end and answer with ease any scientific questions that are fielded at me would be sufficient for granting a PhD, but NO. I've decided that the final months are the hardest, not because of the work, only because of the hoops. Oh well, back to the grind.

~Chris

The adventure continues...

I wish I could know what the next year holds for us...

But as we move forward only knowing that Chris will graduate sometime in the next few months with his Ph.D., we only have the anticipation of not knowing what's next. But hey, we'll try to keep everyone up to date as things happen. Thanks to everyone for all the love and support we've received over the last year. Oh, and if anyone was ever thinking about coming to visit in San Diego, you may not have very long...

Well 2010...bring on the adventure!