This makes me happy

No Traffic today. I came, i drove continuously without stopping...i conquered. My coffee flavor for today should be something along the lines of a "kick ass" blend.

I'll have a dark and stormy blend...

It would be convenient and even relaxing to walk into a coffee shop and order by mood. I'll have a "don't mess with me today", an "i'm feeling delerious", or perhaps what I would most likely order...an "i'm not awake, and i'm grumpy...fix it!!". I'm thinking that one would be a lightly roasted blend...soothing and not too harsh.

Other likely possibilities:
The "I'm gonna bitch slap my co-worker" (a bold flavor of course)
The "I'm happy, jolly, and all around just nifty today" (aka the Mr. Rogers Blend...probably a mocha or a latte)
AND
The "It's rainy, gross, and... i forgot my umbrella, shit" (something flavored, but definately black...maybe a mint chocolate)

Random end-of-post happening: A white feather just floated rather gracefully past my window,
in a very Forrest Gump at the bus stop manner.

Venetian - makes me think of Vegas

I did stop at Kiva Han...and got a grande Venetian Blend (black, ALWAYS black). It's funny that Venetian coffee makes me think, not of Venice or something picturesque like a quaint italian village situated on a sloping hillside... but the Venetian hotel and casino in Vegas. A serene gondala ride...in the middle of the desert. It is a lovely casino though, and they have nice bartenders.

Back to the Venetian Blend. Joe Kiva Han worker asked if i would like room for cream (a typical coffehouse inquisition when one orders a house blend). When i said no thanks he replied with an "I thought so". So it seems the kiva han folk know me a bit better than the starbucks folk. Though i think it's more because i switch up my order periodically at starbucks (a latte here, a carmel machiato there) whereas at Kiva Han, no matter what the blend, I always order a black coffee. Then again, i don't think the starbucks people attach faces to drinks so much as they know wacky coffee orders. No one forgets the 5 pump, 4 in the raw, cafe mocha guy. Translation: a cafe mocha with an extra shot of chocolate and 4 packs of sugar. (no I'm not in some sort of coffee mafia - my co-worker orders this ....say it with me now....HABITUALLY). I'm less worthy of being remembered at starbucks for my very uncreative typical off the menu orders. They'd probably know me if i ordered something wierd like 5 extra shots of espresso.

Morning Coffee with Tea (leaf green)

So I'm sippin on my maxwell house (err, sigh)...but it tastes a bit better today with the accompanying Tea Leaf Green (music of the jamband variety). I listened to a bit of it on the way to work, and about halfway through the first set, there's this wacky rap about snoop dog. It made for a humorous little rap-jam hybrid surprise :o) A 10:30 meeting awaits, thus the blogging must cease for now. Maybe I'll stop for some REAL coffee on the way. Kiva Han calls to me...

More words strung together to form a post

I was just thinking that it's funny how sometimes, for no particular reason (and often in this blog), I'll write lower case, without punctuation...and subconsciously consider it more artistic rather than grammatically challenged. I'll think...I'm merely shirking uniformity in an e.e. cummings kind of way. It's more a mastery of language...focusing on the inherent meaning of words rather than how they're strung together. It's funny because in high school I was praised for my creative thinking, and as an adult I possess an almost excessive attention to detail in my work. But back in high school, every self-critique I did was a barrage of complaints regarding the constrictive devices present in having to learn and practice correct grammar. In the end, I conceded to one professor that made a nice comment concerning the use of correct grammar - using it comes from the desire to express yourself in such a way that there's no way someone could mistake what you've said. It's born from the desire to not be misunderstood. So, from that moment on, in the desire to express myself accurately I attempted to adopt a firm grammatical base - in things serious that is. A blog, however, is a horse of a different color. Herein lies the way my brain spits things out - before I reroute things into grammatically correct manifestos. I like the way things look unkempt and fresh. And I like looking at my sentences and thinking of e.e. cummings. the end.

Trash Picker Upper

So as i cruised down Fifth Avenue about an hour ago (the parkway was jammed once again, so i took one of my many alternative routes...i know how to get to work straight-forwardly, sideways, upside down, and backwards...that's how long I've lived in this city). Anyways, as I was stopped at the intersection of Central Catholic High School, I spied a curious looking gentleman in a fishing hat and rather tight fitting bright colored shirt, equipped with a broom and dust pan (those big dustpans, long handle, of the McDonald's floor sweeper variety). He stands there a bit, just kind of looking around. That foggy, lost look. Then he sweeps. The funny thing is, it didn't look like he was sweeping anything at all. Of course, I was to the far lane and in my car...so he could have been sweeping something small, like cigarette butts, or maybe grass. But, it rained last night...therefore small garbage would probably adhere to the ground. Anyway, if that funny gentleman in the fishing hat was indeed picking up nothing...I wonder why?

Traffc makes me wish i lived in a remote locale

So my clever plan of arriving to work later than the usual 8-9ish, was utterly foiled today.
Why were there so many people on the road at 9:30? I chose not to investigate if there was an actual reason for this anomaly - though other co-workers complained of the same thing in other parts of the city. And so, as I hate to spend 2 parts of the day sitting in traffic - I'm still hovering over my computer in Oakland, getting some things done. The only thing that sucks about working late - my stomach is angry! It's dinner time and there's no food anywhere to be found near my mouth. ho hum. One day i'll live somewhere where traffic doesn't exist.


Something goofily interesting:
The dog-ter is in. A study in the 24 September British Medical Journal finds that dogs can sniff out cancer. Previously untrained dogs of various breeds learned over several months to distinguish urine samples from bladder cancer patients from samples from healthy people, choosing correctly about three times more often than would be expected by chance alone. The finding backs up anecdotal reports of canine diagnoses, but experts caution that dogs are unlikely to replace oncologists anytime soon

Writing in Sentences is Overrated

Place: Work (specifically, sitting cross legged with shoes kicked off under desk, typing furiously and periodically leaving office for meeting type activities)
Music: Grateful Dead 3/1/68 - Dark Star
Mood: half past delightful (almost mildly amused, but not quite)
Current State of Stomach: Grumbling (loudly)
Objective: Finish tedious job of entering "injected dose" (of the radioligand* we inject for our studies) into the data set...and spend the rest of the day workin on my paper.
Post Work Objective: Lay in a delerious pile of tired and maybe watch some TV...while flipping through magazines (Bike, Snowboarder, and Scientific American...)
Weekend Objective: Baltimore/DC trip - Take 2 (No hurricane will spoil THIS trip)
Upon Completion of Weekend Objective: See Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Sunday


*A radioactively labeled drug that can associate with a receptor, transporter, enzyme, or any protein of interest. Measuring the rate and extent of binding provides information on the number of binding sites, and their affinity and accessibility for various drugs. (there goes that science nerd stuff again - DOH!)

Ode to Fall Trail Riding

Welp, I decided to clean today rather than go rompin around outside. Sometimes I have to remember that I really don't want to live under a pile of clothes and an inch of dust. But yesterday...a lovely day at Roaring Run. So many leaves have fallen already, and in the mountains the leaves are already vibrantly red and orange. It was a beautiful day for a ride.

Okay, so the objective today is to conquer Mt. Saint Laundry, exterminate any and all dust mites (well, remove their dusty lair atleast...dust mites are always around no matter what kind of super-powered dusting is done), and rest in my immaculately clean abode. wee.

I think i'm still in a post-first-fall-ride stupor. mmm, good.

MAN!

I was playing around and accidentally deleted my template. grrrr. So I've decided I just wasn't meant to have that evil template with the Rounded edges. Damn the rounded edges!! DAMN THEM!! Basic Black seems a bit more caffeinated anyways. Plus I started playing with another blog (which i think I'll devote solely to pictures)...and i like the black, so now i guess I'm theme blogging. OY. That's a clear sign it's time to go HOME...

Weekend...(happy sigh)

Two words...mountain bike. How long has it been since i rode that thing?? Maybe 2 weeks. Far two long. FAAR too long. But i'm not sick anymore... so as long as this good weather holds out, it looks like it'll be a rip-roarin mountain bike weekend :o) nice. I'm feelin Evil Kanevil-ish. (though my skills are no where near that caliber...)

Observation for this morning: It's far better to be a little late and waste less time in traffic, then be here at 9 or earlier after having spent a good 30-40 minutes crawling my way to work (either in Parkway east or Fifth Ave traffic). Job arrival flexibility - yet another reason why research rocks. Plus, wasting time irks me - unless it's more of a mellow, know your wasting time, relaxy kind of thing (at which point - since it's now relaxing, it ceases to be time-wastage...)

Caffeinated Soap

So i was talking to my friend on Long Island, and she mentioned a caffeine addicted co-worker (Ordering 7 shot espresso drinks addicted)...that recently purchased caffeinated soap. So of course I had to check it out. Lo and Behold, this is what i found...

Mornings Have Never Been So Invigorating!

Tired of waking up and having to wait for your morning java to brew? Are you one of those groggy early morning types that just needs that extra kick? Know any programmers who dont regularly bathe and need some special motivation? Introducing Shower Shock, the original and world's first caffeinated soap from ThinkGeek. When you think about it, ShowerShock is the ultimate clean buzz ;)

Shower Shock is an all vegetable based glycerine soap which does *not* contain any harsh ingredients like ethanol, diethanolamine, polyethylene glycol or cocyl isethionate. So it's a gently invigorating soap ;) Scented with peppermint oil and infused with caffeine anhydrous, each bar of Shower shock contains approximately 12 servings/showers per 4 ounce bar with 200 milligrams of caffeine per serving. No, we're not kidding and no you don't eat it. The caffeine is absorbed through the skin...


http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/accessories/5a65/

It's good to be nice

While on Prince Edward Island last month, my mom was approached on the street by a man asking for coffee money. Without a thought, she handed him three dollars...figuring he'd have enough to get a GOOD cup of coffee. Now, my mom would probably have done this even if the man had not made reference to coffee...but it's funny how she identified with needing a cup of coffee, and in knowing how she herself would feel - gave him the money. It was a nice gesture. And even though on Prince Edward Island (where crime is fairly non-existant and the populace in general seems of an honest breed) it's not likely the man was scamming my mom for dough, it seems a good thing to do anywhere.
This brings me to today in Pittsburgh (where the temperature is mild and the sun is shining by the way). As i walked to my jeep to fetch my lunch (i accidentally left it there this morning), a distraught young Pitt student (I could only presume she was a student, as she had the tell tale sweatpants and panic stricken face)...approached me asking for $2. She and her boyfriend ran out of gas and, to their chagrin, had no money. I only had $1 to give, but i handed it over. I wish I'd had $2. Thinking, "wow, that would suck" was my primary motivation for handing over the $2, but in retrospect I hope I would have handed it over even if i couldn't identify with her present situation. It seems a good thing to do...to just hand over a few dollars now and again to a complete stranger if they ask for it, without questioning their motif or integrity. Too often it seems people look at others with suspicion. Sometimes it's warranted, but wouldn't it be nice to just let that go every once in a while and give that bum on the corner a few bucks or that goofy looking lady asking for bus fare a $1.75? They might walk away laughing at your gulibility...but even if there's only a 10% chance that person is really in a jam, only a 10% chance you could change the direction of someones day, decrease their stress, and make them smile...wouldn't it be worth it?

synaptic meanderings

Bean granuals stalk the base of my cup - unwilling to move in time with the others.

think. sip. think. type. sip. think. stop. ponder. search. type. smile. sip. think....my day in brief (interspersed with visions of self on a bike, in the mountains, or in any nature entrenched mecca surrounded by other like-minded bean grinding coffee sippers)

It pleases me that my day seems, for the most part, about thinking and discovering - i sometimes get annoyed that i spend so much time in front of a computer entering and analyzing information, but it's all in the name of scientific discovery. this is good.

Thoughts of Fall

I love shorts,long sleeves, and sandals weather. And today it's occured to me how snow is creeping closer, and the smell of fall is just beginning...

AND, I'm drinking another latte. I should start keeping a counter on this site so i can come to realize the true extent of my coffee addiction. I should just start making my own. It's probably not hard, and I could probably surpass even the most ambitious latte makers at starbucks. Then, I could market my own coffee shop and free myself from the evil empire of satanbucks forever. But i digress...

Long Sleeves and Sandals...and fall spices (john harvard's brewhouse has a great autumn beer...something along the lines of a pumpkin spice flavoring if i remember correctly)

Vividly uninteresting dreams

I had one last night... a strange and unusually clear dream. I walked into a classroom, but not a university classroom...some type of independent museum or gallery. The room was painted all cream, with a white border. On the wall directly above and to the right of the seat I'd chosen hung a single framed piece of writing...black on pristine 8x10 white paper. I have no idea what the paper said, it could have been poetry or prose. As it turns out, the single written document was the entire subject of the class. The professor, a rough-around the-edges-thinks-he's-a-cool
-hippy-like-mellow-guy-but-is-really-an-overzealous-academian, began going around the room, pointing at people and asking, "who are you". A couple people gave answers that didn't make much sense to me. He arrived at me and I replied with "I am the person no one knows". This seemed like a logical answer to the question, especially since i had only meandered in moments before. So he shrugs, and i can't remember what he said, but something he assumed to be clever (and decidedly i chose was not). Anyways, as it turns out the answer to "who are you" was supposed to reflect something about yourself while taking into account the framed document on the wall. Having only walked into the classroom, and not read the wall...i was unaware. One other girl in the class had the same problem. When she gave an answer similar to mine another girl in the class, with utter contempt and almost a snarl, said "that's not a reflection of the 60's"... and there the dream ended. So, it was an odd, unclimactic, and uninteresting dream. I wish I knew what the poetry/writing or whatever it was actually said. And why was it about the 60's? (if it really was about the 60's). I'm thinking this could be a reflection of that craving I have to get back into the classroom. Or it's just the manifestation of a very confused subconscious. (or MAYBE it was the 2 beers and peanut butter m&m's I had before bedtime?)

sidenote: I attempted a new beer last night...Weyerbacher, brewed in Easton PA...not BAD, but i probably won't buy it again. Not as good as Bells, Troegs, or Yards. The labels are kind of funny too...I bought the variety pack with IPA, ESB, Hops Infusion, and Scotch Ale. The Hops Infustion label looked like it had a giant bud on it (this of course was meant to represent the hops, but still it looked like dope). So that's my beer story for today. Coffee wise - I'm in hell today (suffering with office made maxwell house - i'm so spoiled with my green mountain coffee at home).

It feels like a picture day today - so here's one of Laurel Mountain

Cigarettes and Booze

Since i was sick and in a general state of malaise for several weeks, this weekend was the first time in awhile I ventured into the night for some beers. I was so excited to be out of the house, my mind was on sensory overload for the first 20 minutes after stepping inside the bar. It's amazing, I used to be a regular bar rat, sitting at the bar atleast 3 or 4 days out of the week. It was so habitual (yes, i like that word) that the post bar cigarette smoke infested clothing sensation seemed normal ( once inside a bar, everyone takes on the characteristic of a giant smoke absorbing sponge). Anyway, i smelled my clothes Sunday morning and almost suffocated from smoke-filled clothing inhalation. Seriously. So I washed them right away and pondered how in my bar ratting days I ever managed to wear the same things to the bar repeatedly without washing them, when they obviously harbored an omnipresent smoke odor (though, logically speaking it made sense to wear previously worn clothes as they were already smoked quite thoroughly). At any rate, I had a blast Saturday night and was blissfully unaware that I smelled like a chimney, so it didn't matter. That was the first shot of Jaeger I've had in months, and the first game of pool too. Two thumbs up on both. And, I still don't even really mind the whole cigarette debaucle. Never have. Bars and cigarettes just seem to kind of go together. I think i must have iron lungs by now anyways.

Ivan the Terrible

The electricity went out around 3pm yesterday and has not returned yet. So, what does one do when there is no electricity? If that one is me, she gathers her laptop, traverses into Oakland, gets a hazlenut latte, and does some work. I could have stayed home and read or amused myself by writing some of my less than exciting poetry and other such ramblings, but i'm actually in a working type mode. I didn't get as much done as I would have liked this week, and I'm on the verge of finishing up analysis on what could be some very interesting data on the amygdala (the emotional epicenter of the brain). Thus, I'm here. That's why i love this office though...it's mellow, and the kind of place you don't mind going to on the weekend.

What I read in the news today: Nader has been accepted on Florida's Ballot (oh goody). Now, not that I'm opposed to choice or the green/reform party (i advocate them highly). BUT, we all know that in reality we have a 2 party system and Nader could quite possibly be a large factor in this election. (I'm for Kerry if you hadn't guessed).

What I heard on my cell phone today: A message from my friend in Colorado. This is particularly nice because my cell phone has been off (not able to charge it due to this pesky electricity problem)...thus i was happy to do a quick check and find a message. woo!

Why today is a good day: Well, the sun is out and should dry up some of this rain, Ivan has run it's course, my boyfriend comes back from NC today (YAY!), it's birthday eve for one of my best friends, AND I'm alive, which essentially makes everyday a good one.

When it rains...

Continuous Rain. That would be today in a nutshell. Ivan's remnants are slobbering all over my office window. Well, more like emphatically splattering. The Baltimore/DC trip has become dependent on whether between now and 6 o'clock there's any flooding out near the airport (where my travel buddy lives). If there will be no Baltimore, then to the bar I shall go. (insert cheesy "heigh ho, heigh ho").

Nature in all it's majesty, is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Just goes to show how stubborn humans are though...living in the path of inevitable tropical storms...and people will rebuild on the same land that Ivan desacated...almost as if to tempt the savage beast to return. Human nature is funny like that. It's the same nature that sends me careening down rock infested canyon-like hills with nothing more than a couple wheels and a helmet between my head and the ground...and when i fall off, doing it again.

road trip on the horizon

So a mere 24 hours from now I'll be hopping on the turnpike bound for Washington, DC....for some bar hopping and overall comraderie with friends. My brain is fried from staring at the computer for entirely too long, so here's a brief synopsis (or, what my current mental capacity allows at this point in time) of today: I'm not sick anymore, I'm happily enjoying my rekindled vegitarianism, and spent a good chunk of the past few hours searching for an apartment (in a new city, that will be disclosed at sometime in the near future)...an apartment which will hopefully be in close proximity to some mountain biking as well as a decent coffee house. My brain has now shut down for today, which means it's time for some tasty vittles and mellow music (something instrumental or primarily acoustic...as long as it's smooth and soothing).

Also...October 23rd marks the date for another weekend trip...around PA to sample what Pennsylvania Brewers are doing with their Barley and Hops. (yes, a brewery tour...if I'm not drinking coffee, then hand me a beer)

Tour of Hope...Starting October 1st

Tour of Hope

"The Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™ is a week-long journey across America by a team of 20 people who have been touched by cancer. Last October, the first Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope Team inspired thousands as they cycled around the clock to inform the public about the importance of cancer clinical trials. This year, the Tour of Hope Team will ride across mountains and over plains, sharing their personal story, and continuing to motivate communities along the route to learn more about the benefits of cancer research." - tour of hope website

http://www.tourofhope.org/

The tour will be passing through Pittsburgh on October 8th. Check it out...

http://www.ons.org/tourofhope

Research is COOL

So today I added links to a couple of my publications. Just Because. In the land of research it's important to distribute information as far and wide as possible...so it only seems appropriate to mention these things here. And i love my research. For as tedious and draining as it can sometimes be, it has such rewarding aspects. People usually ask me, "why study eating disorders?". I just fell into it. Good fortune struck me when i was fresh from finishing undergrad, and here I am...knee deep in brain imaging data. Studying the way the brain works and how it manifests in human behavior is amazing and intriguing. So that's my work.

1 part dilligent worker + 1 part silly +1 part adventurer = 3 parts of 1 whole shannan

F**K the FCC

Just checked my friends livejournal and found this...it's Eric Idle from Monty Python. Three Cheers to Adam for making me laugh at the end of the work day.

http://www.pythonline.com/plugs/idle/FCCSong.mp3

Lucy in the Sky... with T.S. Eliot?

I was haphazardly navigating the internet yesterday and came across an interesting piece of Rock Trivia. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds...LSD. I'm surprised I never caught that connection before. Also, Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been compared to T.S. Eliot's "Wasteland" in its message...delving into the illusion of everday reality and other such desolate themes. I found this on some random website...though it was quoted from a book called "Sexploitation" and another one I can't remember.

I'm wondering if this is one of those things everyone knows and i somehow missed...or one of those things that might actually enlighten a few individuals that happen upon this page. hrm.

Vegetarians Taste Better

I will call this attempt #2. I tried once before to become a vegetarian and it didn't work so well.
I went a few months and then just got worn down by all the people asking me why I would do such a thing and telling me I'm crazy and to just "eat some damn meat". And the funny thing is...i never missed meat. I like veggies and creatively putting together dinners and lunches that don't involve meat products. So, this week I sat down again and contemplated why i started on a vegitarian journey in the first place. I don't like the idea that animals are treated inhumanely and kept in unsanitary conditions; not to mention fed growth hormone to the point where they can no longer even walk properly. I really don't like that Rain Forests in Central America are being destroyed for the purpose of providing grazing lands for cattle...cattle raised for the purpose of shipment to American fast food restaurants. I'm astounded that I was easily bullied into eating meat again. I guess i wouldn't call it "bullying", I just felt like i was putting people out. Like it was annoying to them that i was eating cucumbers...which is silly when you thing about it. People can eat what they want, but i really wish they'd stop looking at me funny for wanting to be healthy, and for having some compassion for animals. I figure, if I can't maintain a simple conviction like not eating meat in the face of adversity (passive aggressive adversity, mind you)...then i'm in trouble. So, Vegitarianism...Take 2!

oh coffee, i miss you

In my weakened condition, I've opted to have a chai as my caffeinated beverage of choice today.
Sad. So Sad. Now, I thoroughly enjoy a nice chai latte...it just lacks that kick a cup of hot black java delivers. I'm back to work - but having a difficult time concentrating on anything. It seems as if i'm even getting worse. My head is hot, and throbbing. This does not bode well for a productive work week. I am distressed, and annoyed. To top it off, the 30+ people at my nephew's fourth birthday party left our house devoid of leftovers. In the history of family functions I can't remember a time there wasn't an obscene amount of picnic food bulging from the fridge in the wake of the festivities . hrm. I crave macaroni salad, rigatoni, and pistachio pudding dessert (a layered dessert featuring a crumb-like crust, cream cheese based layer, pistachio pudding layer, and whipped cream to top it off). hrr-umph. Atleast i got my latte.

Prince Edward Island, CANADA

So here are a few of the photos I was so meticulously sending to Kodak yesterday (who, by the way, have already processed and sent back to me... and i should have them sooner rather than later) Beautiful Prince Edward Island...one of the Atlantic Provinces. We spent a mere four days there in early August. We were there for a good friends wedding, which in itself was so laid back, fun, and worth the trip. Though the scenery was an excellent bonus.


Thought for today: Would i survive on a remote pacific island, with little to no waste managment, flatland (read - NO mountain biking), meager and tasteless food, rabid wild animals (read - western type "domesticated" dogs eating each other), and merciless heat?
Hrmmm, Troost did (in the Cannibal book), and i'm really wondering if my own innate Darwinian survival instincts would prevail or i would wither and die (well, give up and go home). In reading this book, I'm realizing what a pansy ass show survivor really is. Try bathing in feces infested waters kids. Or, having no other transport than a plywood boat and a prop plane with masking tape preventing it from rusting out. Survivor...yeah right.

Prince Edward Island - August '04

Prince Edward Island - August '04

Prince Edward Island - August '04

Photo Mania

So, since i have the joy and pleasure of dial-up at home (since i spend an obscene amount of time on the computer at work, I opted for the more archaic form of connection at home), I spent the better part of 2 hours uploading photos to Kodak Photo Center. But damn, is that a handy website. Step 1: upload photos, Step 2: Choose Photos to Print (editing, etc is available), Step 3: enter shipping info and wait for those puppies to arrive. I still wish i had a sweet printer, so i could play around with photos - but I can't really complain about Kodak. The "picture perfect" advertisement is pretty acurate. Not too 'spensive either.

So now, my about 75% wellness is starting to eek through, which means i need a nap. NAP. yes, indeed.

AND...i tried to leave a comment earlier and it didn't show up...then i did it again and it still didn't show up. hrmm. Oh well...maybe they'll both show up later and i'll look like a crazy person that repeats herself. Like that's different from any other day...

NOT down with the sickness

I'm sick. Not in the mentally unstable form, but the physically exhausted, unable to move, confined to the couch form. It seems my sinuses have decided that it's not merely enough to torment me on a daily basis with headaches, congestion, and the general inability to observe any type of sweet smell without placing it in front of my nostril and huffing with all I've got...No, my sinuses have now waged an all out war. There's the usual headache and ear pain, but as a bonus I've also acquired a lovely raw soar throat and drowsy, floaty feeling. The feeling of light-headedness that means you must remain horizontal is frustrating and of course - extraordinarlily boring. It seems another side affect is the typing of extremely long sentences, accompanied by terrible punctuation, and sentence fragments. Urgh. Too much typing...back to the couch. Will it ever end?

Brains

I get way too excited about brains. Granted, this is what I study, so it helps to be nerdy and excited about it all the time. But, this morning i found myself almost drooling over some nice looking brain photos. "oh boy oh boy oh boy....these are great. How nicely the cingulate is drawn...". yup, i'm a nerd. A happy jolly nerd though. And one that likes beer. That has to count for something. I still wish i could somehow combine my nerdy brain loving side with my ecological conservation side, add a splash of photography - and somehow make a career out of it. (*thinks to self about how to forge a career in ecological brain photography*)

Pittsburgh, Atleast It's not Ohio

Over the course of the past month or so...I've heard numerous compliments on Pittsburgh. I had already begun to really appreciate the true personality of this city and it's surrounding area...but to hear others actually enjoying the city is heartwarming. In the 25 years I've lived in and around Pittsburgh (no longer than 2 hours away), it's become like a comfortably broken in shoe (without the offensive odor).
On the plane ride from Toronto back into Pittsburgh last month, two gentlemen were quite impressed with the topography and overall landscape of Pittsburgh from above. "Sure beats Michigan" "It's definitely not Ohio". That's right, we have trees and hills!! wooo-weee! Not to mention the rivers and bridges (even architecturally pleasing bridges). To top it all off, my recent foray into mountain biking has opened my eyes to the true natural beauty lurking a mere hour and a half away. A bike ride in Laurel mountain, and I forget about all those times I've said "I NEED TO GET OUT OF PITTSBURGH!" I will live somewhere else in the next few years. And I do crave the phenomenal life of living in the Rockies or on the Pacific Coast...to wake up in the morning and sip coffee while watching sunlight rise above snow-capped peaks. It would be poetic. So Pittsburgh, you aren't as bad as they say you are. You're not Ohio, flat and BO-RING,
and you're not Michigan (aka First line of defense against the Canadians), and though you're not Colorado...you'll do for now.

Life is what you make it... so I'm makin it gooood! (I'll have my latte, and drink it too!)