30 December 2013

2013 Out!

Christmas has come and gone and it just didn't feel like Christmas this year.  Some years the merry is in it, other years life has the opposite effect.  It wasn't a bad Christmas, far from it but for some reason I just didn't settle into the spirit.  I think the past 2 months were so busy that I just didn't take the time to take everything in and appreciate what a wonderful year this has been.  Without further ado here's my Christmas spirit!


  1. This year I was so lucky to meet some great people and see some wonderful people again.  A friend from South America was here for 4 months and we had a great time!  I made a new friend from my other home country - Mexico.  Life is a lot better when you have wonderful people around you :)
  2. I got to go to Austin to see Juanes live in concert at Austin City Limits Live TV and it was awesome!  I love that show and I hope to go to the festival some time in the future.  
  3. I was part of a happy event in a friends life.  Being a bridesmaid is always a lot of work, especially when you're the only one freaking out!  The bride was so blasé that I felt the need to stress for her!  No I kid, she was blasé but I tend to stress until after the event.  After the wedding I was so relaxed :)
  4. I got to go to Santa Fe, a place I have always wanted to visit.
  5. Work was extremely productive and I learned so much!  I have to say that work has ceased being a grindstone and I enjoy going in now.  I also haven't felt the itch to move on!  Usually a year in and I'm checking job sites.
  6. I have learned how to make delicious and simply gingerbread cookies.
  7. I had a wonderful birthday!
  8. I presented an awesome poster at a mini-conference.


There were things that weren't great also but I have to say that overall nothing was horrible.  I still have to work on my weight issues, on eating a healthier diet, and incorporating exercise; things that I need to think and act upon.  I have goals that I want to attain in the near future.  I know there will be things that I will need to plan out carefully and others that will come quickly but all in good time.  A toast to the old year, thanks for being kind, and to the new year lets hope you are a good one too!

26 December 2013

Feliz Christmas & Happy New Year!

A little late but I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  I am spending some time with family and playing with the nephew.  He has enjoyed the attention he's been receiving, he even went to a holiday party with me and was the beau of the party. 

 
As for the new year that is upon us I hope you have had a wonderful (or at least a decent) year!

09 December 2013

Cold Piggies

What a month November was and this month is looking like it will be more of the same!  Last month it was a mixture of visiting family, lots of work, and helping a friend with her wedding.  I also hosted a bachelorette party.  Then I went home for Thanksgiving.  This past weekend I was part of a friends joyous event - a very beautiful and COLD wedding!

Weird pic huh?
The wedding was in Santa Fe, NM and it was cold!  I wore a short blue dress - also sleeveless - and sandals.  Suffice to say that I miraculously still have all of my piggies!  We even took photos in the snow.  Yeah.  It was cold.  I kid a lot about the weather, the short dress, and the bitterly cold weather but all in all it was a beautiful wedding and a very happy day for all involved.  Even if my piggies beg to differ.  No one has wanted to go to the market for a while now.

Life has been a little hectic since the last post but I think this weekend made up for the lack of personal life.  My friend and I were wondering what we're going to be doing with all this free time now that the wedding is done with.  I mean if I'm not making bridesmaids bouquets - what's the point!?  Oh yeah, I remember now, not making bouquets.  Now to ready my home for the holidays and some tamales!  I am so looking forward to Christmas!

I hope everyone out there in the blogosphere is doing well and has had a great last 2 months :)

22 November 2013

Toxic

How many times have you sworn that you will eliminate toxic relationships from your life?  Every New Year's Eve I make that same goal and I always fail miserably.  You know at some point you realize that you have changed - dramatically - and nothing brings it quite home like a friend from the past or even your present.

About 9 years ago I had a horrible experience at the workplace, not my current position.  It took me 2 years to get out from that place but I managed it and I slowly (very slowly) rebuilt my self-worth, my work ethic, and my trust in male leadership.  Thankfully there were plenty of examples all around me of good leadership - both female and male.  That job made me feel like a failure and it took me a long time to find myself again.  During that time I also made friends and they were all different.  However, one friendship stood out because it seemed to feed on all of the negativity I was going through at the time.  That friendship, if I can call it that, has followed me for better and worse.  This person listened to all the bad mouthing I could do and joined in, I naively thought that this person was on my side - turns out they were on their own side.  We've all had those friends, people we meet whose complaints are mirror images of our own, especially during those really tough times.  A few years back I realized I no longer felt that way and that I had moved on but this person was still stuck there.  Now I feel shamed into agreeing with them at times but I just can't do that anymore.  The time I spent in that dark place was really bad, I don't want to go back to that and I most definitely don't want to let that anger and hurt back into my heart.  The only person who was ever miserable from those thoughts was me, no one else.  I have found that once you have these type of people in your life, it is difficult to extricate yourself from hate, hurt, blame, shame, and anger that is brought into your life, that you've allowed to be brought into your life.  It's not the other person's fault, it was my own because in my anger and pain I accepted more of the same from someone else.

How does this bring shame?  Well, they tend to want you to continue this same behaviour and remind you of how they were there for you during those times.  Some would say these are their bad times and you should be there for them but is it bad times or is this person hanging onto the bad times?  It's been 9 years since the bad times for me, pretty much the same amount of time for them, so has the bad continued or has it passed and they just haven't noticed?  When I can't agree anymore I feel ashamed because I feel like a bad friend but I don't think friends should cause feelings of shame.  Recently while reading an article by Brene Brown, it felt like a justification of what I have been feeling regarding this friendship.  Her name links to the article, it was liberating.  I don't need to stop being a friend, all I need to do is stop being negative and if that person follows so be it, but I think that if they don't they will probably leave me behind because I am no longer enabling their own feelings of anger, shame, hate, and pain.  All I have to do is not share in that, also say that I am no longer going to do that, not that I won't listen to legitimate worries and problems but I will no longer dwell on anger and pain when you can't change the past.  It's not that I don't have those type of thoughts about myself anymore but I'm learning to handle them and know that it doesn't last forever.

I am trying to let go, knowing that if those thoughts come, those same thoughts will also go the way they came.  I am trying to learn gratitude.  I am trying to let myself feel, be vulnerable, and to accept that bad things happen.  Bad times happen, still have to live through them, and at the end I still have to come out on the other side of those bad times.  Am I wrong?  Do I feel like I am abandoning them?   I am not wrong, I don't think so.  I am not abandoning them either, I'm just not willing to keep going back to the pain of the past or create more pain for myself or anyone else.  

30 October 2013

Control Illusions

Comfort comes in many forms.  It can be a blanket.  It can be a memory.  It can be a routine.  Comfort can be the illusion of control.  Nothing scares most people more than this realization.  Even as I type this I always feel that I have some type of control but I don't.  No one does.  On my way home today, which is a straight 2.5 miles to my house, I could be hit or hit someone.  I could not wake up tomorrow.  I could also wake up for the next 50 years.  I don't know.  I am not in control.  There are little actions I can take that have an overall effect but it is not precise.

Example?  I could switch to low fat milk/cheese as my physician suggested, which I probably won't because I like food, to add 3 years to my 50 years of waking up.  It would have the effect of helping my heart stay strong longer but it doesn't mean that those 3 years extra could not exist because of something else.

If you have children, you don't truly know what they will be.  Who they will be.  How they will love.

Courtesy of  I Fucking Love Science.
Control.  Quite an illusion.  I know this, probably intuitively since childhood but I forget sometimes, I really do.  On a daily basis I make plans.  I look towards the future and plan.  Lately though I've been questioning all of these things.  I think my job makes me think about these things more often than I used to, seems to cause a few existential crises a month.  You know all this working with individual amino acids and their tiny components (protons, electrons, neutrons, bonds between these) makes you wonder about the silly things that we plan for in our lives.

I think I'm just going to concentrate on enjoying the little things that make me happy and not worry too much about being productive all of the time (not applicable to work) or going places.  While I'm planning on going places or doing activities or having stuff, my essence is disappearing into the abyss of entropy that is our universe, so let me just say I love all you atoms and your bonds that make us, us, you, and I!  Tell your special accumulation of calcium just how much their aggregation in this here and now means to you because at the end of the day we just got lucky.

Have a great week!

14 October 2013

Poster Perfect

Famous B coming to you live from LBB!

Yes I am famous now!  I was famous for about 15 seconds - at most - this past week!    The taping of the Juanes concert I attended at ACL Moody Theater was aired!  A seriously edited video but it was fun watching extremely closely to see if I was in the crowd :)  I mean extremely closely because it was seconds and then I was gone!
An old poster of mine :)

Sorry I've been absent but it has been so busy.  On the weekends I haven't done much of anything either, I blame it on the weather.  September was still really warm, not 38C/100F but still high, definitely in need of AC.  October has been kinder, we actually had rain on Sunday - lots of rain.  However, work has just been super busy.  We had a mini-conference at work and I had to present a poster, which of course was nerveracking.  Once you get going it's OK but the first person to come up to the poster always makes my stomach churn.  The poster presented will also be presented at the Biophysical Society Annual Conference in February and I'm pretty excited/nervous about that.  It's in San Francisco this year so lots to look forward to in the coming year.  Otherwise, work is good.  I am happy to report that I have achieved the crystallization of a few mutants and have managed to express a difficult construct (mutated protein).  

 In what spare time I have had I have also experimented with Pinterest projects :)  Some fails, some wins but fun.  I have knit most of the yarn I had so that's good, now I can finally buy some more!  Woohoo. Exciting.

Well hope everyone has had a good fall so far :)


09 September 2013

Disturbing Bears

I have been a negligent creator.  Of my blog.  No worries, haven't created new life-forms in the lab.  My efforts have been thwarted once more by the dreaded Dr. Procrastination.  Damn you Procrastination!

Theyskens' Theory Spring 2014

Alright I kid.  Life has been pretty boring lately.  Just sitting here thinking about the future, feeling a little anxious, and wondering why designers design for women with a cup size -A and 00 waist.  I do not know a single woman who does not have breasts or a waist or hips.  If I wore some of those dresses, talk about side boob.  Let's not even delve into whether my arse would actually fit into runway clothing.  However, I'm not quite sure why I even think about these things because I could never afford any of that clothing.  A single accessory that's showcased during fashion week is enough to cover my monthly expenses for 2 months! I exaggerate a bit but not by much. Subject change.

I am still disturbed by bears who do not wear clothing but wipe their bum's with soft toilet paper.  Seriously, how clean do you think that fur gets?

Signing off for now.  Hope everyone had a great weekend and hope you have a great week!

28 August 2013

Secrets

I have a secret.  Not a very exciting.  I am getting old.  I try and ignore it but I am.  I have a question regarding aging.  Is insomnia a side-effect of aging?  It has to be because I cannot sleep at all lately.  Last year I couldn't get enough sleep, this year I can't sleep.  Nothing to keep me awake, I was just awake.  Oh well, hopefully today I'll be able to sleep.

Otherwise, life is good.  No complaints.  Nothing exciting but nothing horrible either, kind of in limbo right now. If my brain were working perhaps I'd have a funny story to tell or at least a weird one to tell but nothing.  I mean Miley twerked, Assad used chemical weapons on the citizens of Syria, and hundreds of babies have been born in the past 24 hours but other than that a pretty boring life.  On those topics here's my take:
  1. The UN needs to pull it's shit together.  This is not an issue that only the US should worry about, everyone needs to step it up.  When we watch silently as other's are killed in the name of money and power, we are just as guilty of those deaths.
  2. Yes Miley, you are legally an adult.  Now we wait for your brain to catch up.  And no that's not feminism, so thanks for setting your generation of women back several decades.
  3. Welcome all you new babies!  Enjoy what we have left you!  Sorry about the mess.
This has been brought to you by insomnia, proud sponsor of late night infomercials.

23 August 2013

Sauna Images

East end: The campaign has been designed to have an east London feel, which Beckham says takes him back to his roots


David Beckham has just done a modelling stint for H&M.  It's pretty awesome.  There were pictures of him with a little bit more clothing on him but I felt that would be an injustice to everyone.

He looks so upset doesn't he or maybe sultry?  I've always wondered whether models feel silly after posing for these type of images.  Maybe he's upset that someone is in his non-steamy sauna because obviously he didn't have enough time to make it steamy with his piercing gaze.  I would not be able to stop giggling if someone was saying, "Give me sexy!  Yes angry hot face!".  Can you just imagine it?  I have enough trouble smiling without smirking or looking like Quasimodo in pictures.  Good thing that Beckham can take a picture without looking like Quasimodo :)

21 August 2013

Midnight Vacuum Sessions

Well hello people :)

As you may have noticed the whole thing around here has shifted.  I really was trying to find a totally cool, unique, pretty, captivating, enticing, etc.  blog template but you know what?  I don't have time to reinvent the wheel or rediscover fire.  I'm busy.  Instead I have chosen something that looks a little like me.  No I do not look like a wine glass but on any given weekend I may contain the same contents as a wine glass.  Fitting.  I have also been obsessed with the color orange for some time, thus orange.  You may be wondering about the new title, let me enlighten you.  While browsing pinterest on one of the few days I have time for that (stop rolling your eyes) I came upon a pin which defined Saudade.  I didn't believe it so I looked it up and turns out I like the definition Wikipedia used.  It is Portuguese, has no literal translation because it conveys an emotion.  You know there are words or phrases in any language which convey a wealth of information and emotion but it just can't be translated into another language.  It's something you have to understand and feel deep inside.  Well this roughly means a memory of a past experience, a past love, or just the past  It doesn't have to be sad but it is a way of reliving those wonderful moments.  I guess a blog to me means that, you recount the past if you haven't written for a while (me) or also imagining the feelings of the future and what that can mean to you.  The point being that I loved it and felt it captured something I've been thinking/feeling about writing.

Now let me do some recounting.

Vacuum Lady/MotherI haven't done much personally but I seem to still be busy.  I had a guest over the summer (they weren't allowed to use my tupperware because of crazy lawsuit last year) and he left the second week of August.  Actually for the week following his departure I did all the things I couldn't do while he was there.  I danced like a crazy person in my jammies while listening to deafening music.  I may or may not have walked around in my undies.  I definitely ate more junk food, the waist don't lie.  I slept in.  I went to bed late.  The TV was on way too loud the whole time and I didn't wash my dishes.  Then this weekend I cleaned up and this week have stopped eating crap food.  You know the roomie was nice, didn't complain about anything, but as he was considerate, I think it only fair I be considerate of him.  So that meant none of the above.  Yup, no midnight vacuuming in pj's.  (Don't pretend you've never vacuumed at midnight, I know you have.)

Other than that, works been rather busy and I guess I just didn't have time or energy to write.  Oh yeah, also the fact that my computer takes too long to boot up so I just browse the internet on my Kindle.  As the Kindle doesn't have a keyboard, I don't write at home very much.  Yes it has ruined me.

26 July 2013

Nesting Duvets

I've been craving some nesting in my life as of late :)  For us ladies - or at least this lady - that means home decor and smiling at children, even the bratty ones.  I need a baby fix.  I know that 15 minutes of not being able to calm down a baby and I'm done for the month or months ahead.  Superficial I know but I why buy the cow when you get the milk for free right?  Don't get me wrong I love babies but I especially love the quiet that follows when they leave :)

I know, I know, once you have your own it's TOTALLY DIFFERENT.  However, as this particular lady doesn't have any of her own yet, I do believe I am entitled to little smack talk :)  The nesting part of this is I have been obsessed with home decor!  OK so maybe not completely nesting but this is the closest I've ever gotten.  Yeah not looking at baby furniture or stuff like that.  Right now I want a new bed and new bedcovers to go with the new bed.   Especially that green to the right there.  Love it!  I want new drapes and I would love some art work but I can never decide on anything.  I'm surprised I can say that I really want those covers to the right!  C'est la vie.

I've also been working on the yard because it rained for several days straight and the weeds are doing some serious damage.  It was days of rain and mud and the weeds are once more threatening my backyard.  So sad.  Especially after all of my hard work and the fact that I thought I was making progress.  The front yard is doing well, I guess I have kept some of it up but the rain did not help me much and yet it did.  We really needed rain and now I have flowering shrubs but I also have flowering weeds.  I guess you gotta give a little and hopefully by the end of this summer I will have all of this under control.

Well hope the weekend is decent for everyone, if not great :)   (I don't want to build it up too much and then it lets you down).

16 July 2013

Savvy?

Ugh Blogger sucks sometimes.  Lately most of the time.  For some reason it won't allow me to see the comment forms on my posts, it only allows me to publish others comments.  Bear with me while my non-techy butt figures this out. Sorry everyone.

12 July 2013

Elephants and Toes

Have you ever noticed how ugly feet are?  Look at them.  The toes imitate fingers but they're not really fingers.  It's not like you do much with them and even if you lost some, your balance would only be slightly affected.  The brain would compensate some other way.  The toes don't really bend.  Not only that they develop corns over time!  Not pretty and they can become eyesores.

Cartoon because I didn't want to hurt feelings.
Now think about the heels.  Before 25 years of age, they're pretty smooth and look pretty in sandals.  On the morning of your 25th birthday you wake up and they're black, cracked, and ugly!  I mean they don't even wait to sneak it up on you!  You wake up and they go BAM!  Later on in life you can also develop calluses which can be painful or just plain ugly or both.

We all know feet are ugly.  We just don't talk about it.  I mean come on, when you have plastic surgery that will remove bones so that feet can fit in Jimmy Choo shoes, I think it's the elephant in the room.

Unveiling of Fénykövi ElephantAnd don't get me started on toenails!  A weird thing to think about perhaps but Pinterest is full of pins detailing how to get beautiful feet today.  Humans didn't develop shoes for foot protection, we did it to protect our eyes from our feet. 

10 July 2013

Fireworks and Adele

I love my Kindle but sometimes when reading for work I still want to write notes in the margins and doodle on the page as my brain processes all of those concepts.  That’s the only thing the Kindle doesn’t do for me but otherwise I love it!  Just a Kindle update.

What of life you ask?  Well nothing super exciting.  Work is going well, working on expression tests, protein crystallization, and understanding sub-conductance levels.  If you thought or said “Huh?”; I do that on a daily basis.  Fourth of July was spent at the parents’ house and managed to get through it alive, no one died and no one was disowned.  Success.  The nephew and I played endlessly and he fixed my car for me, which meant him holding the flashlight for his dad while his dad tinkered with the car.  He was quite proud of himself.  I also made mac and cheese for the first time and a valuable lesson was also learned.  When making mac and cheese, buy ingredients in LBB and then take to Carlsbad.  I spent $50 on cheese.  Yes you read that right!  I almost keeled over when I saw the price but as I didn’t prepare I was stuck at the register buying all that stuff.  At least it was good.  I would have been angrier with myself had it not been good.  I came back exhausted but I had a good time.


Although, I do have one funny story from the 4th of July fireworks show.  My sister took me to go watch the show that Carlsbad puts on every year; the added bonus this year being that the local radio station had choreographed the show to music.  We parked at a parking lot to watch the show from because the streets that lead up to the site are blocked off.  They do it along the Pecos River and you have to show up early to find a spot, a whole drama that neither my sister nor I wanted to deal with on such a hot day.  Thus we parked from afar to watch; far being 1 ½ blocks away.  When the show started the music starts, quite patriotic.  Then halfway through the ½ hour show Adele starts singing.  That made me giggle.  The final song?  Adele’s “Skyfall” song.  Perhaps the fact that it had the word sky in the title made whoever chose the music think, sky = fireworks.  However, I think they missed the point – which was this day celebrates independence from England and monarchies.  I felt the song choices undermined that just a little.  When that last song came on the radio the giggle changed into laughter and eye-rolling.  And this is why I make fun of New Mexico.

27 June 2013

Updates and Such

I feel a little tired to today.  I had a ¾ post written the other day and I lost it because I forgot to save.  I decided to put it off for another few days.  Then I just didn’t do it.  Sigh.    So what’s up?   Well…

1.       The Spurs lost the Finals but you know what?  I loved every single second of those games!  They were amazing!  Especially the last 2 games.  Love the Spurs J
2.       The dryer broke but it has been replaced.  Story of my life – broken appliances. 
3.       The yard is looking pretty nifty right now.  I am now sporting a farmer’s tan from being out in the yard so much but the plants and reemerging grass look GOOD.
4.       The nephew is still cute as a button.
5.       Work is going well despite some mishaps last week. 
6.       I am obsessed with The American Baking Competition. 
7.       What is this whole Georgia thing I see after certain programs?  Georgia is the new Hollywood?
8.       Still knitting and still crafting but now that summer is here – less cooking.  Cereal has become a dinner staple for me of late.

Yup that’s about the extent of excitement in my life.  I will be attempting a carrot cake this weekend.  Yeah.  Excitement. Oh yeah, also had my teeth cleaned this week.  The dentist is still quite good-looking.  Not helpful when you have to open your mouth so wide for him though, not a flattering position.

I guess I needed some slow and just relaxing time.  I have been busy travelling and going about life way too fast of late it seems.  Let’s slow things down a bit Mr. Calendar. 


Hope everyone has had a wonderful week and enjoy your forthcoming weekend!


07 June 2013

Wind, Music, and Flushing Toilets

Life is good :)

I need to say that so that I can put things in perspective.  Some times, not all of the time but some times it is necessary.  Today I found myself thinking about a very nasty woman from my near past and I decided I need to focus on something better.  What's better in my present and my nearer past? Where to begin!?

Last Friday I received an email that changed my whole weekend!  I won tickets to the taping of an Austin City Limits show, the artist Juanes!  OK, so I'm not a huge fan of his but the show was quite good.  I got to see a really good friend of mine and she accompanied me to the concert.  Much love for her :)  Thus I worked through the weekend, had a lab meeting on Monday, and jumped in my car and drove 6 hrs to San Antonio! The concert was on Tuesday night and I drove back on Wednesday. It may seem silly to drive 6 hours for an artist who I like but would not actually spend my own money on a ticket to see.  However, I am a huge fan of the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Live Tapings, how could I pass up the opportunity?  Also there are moments in life when steady and solid are really important adjectives.  Then there are moments in life that need to be described by free and wild.  Although not a "wild" moment, the chance to just take off and do something like this made me feel free.  I have to say that it was exciting and it made me quite happy!  While there I got to listen to local stations that play way better music than what we have in LBB.  This is the Kopecky Family Band with Heartbeat, I really like this song :)


When you have moments when you're weighed down by the nasty people from your past or your own nasty behavior - hey it happens we've all been there - those free and wild moments make you feel slightly better.  It's the silver lining to your bad day, even though I'm not going to hold on to that moment as the gold standard it brings a smile to my face.  The drive down there was beautiful, rain in TX equals green every where.  The weather was great.  I spent time with one of my fave people.  If the last thing I do in life is spend time with a great friend/family member, listening to good music, and having fun -  I can say I would die happy.

Work is going quite well and there are lots of things to just be glad for, the dog is alive, the plants are surviving, the ac works, the toilets flush, the wind on Wednesday night didn't blow down my house.  Oh yeah, we had really bad weather on Wednesday night.  Check it out below:





Yes, life is good.  Hope your's has flushing toilets and still standing houses and music - smile :)

29 May 2013

What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid? - LEAN IN

I don't know if you know who Sheryl Sandberg is but I discovered her on TED and we all know how much I love that site.  This is an awesome video and it makes me think.  What would I do if I weren't afraid?

I don't know.  I'm afraid of failure.  I'm afraid of the dark, no not the turn the lights back on fear, more like the tomorrow is dark and I have no idea what's there. Now what?  It's time to take on tomorrow with some f-ing powerful flashlights.  That's what.

What are you afraid of?  What are you going to do about it?


28 May 2013

Weekend Update

Me enjoying a chicken shawarma.
I hope SNL doesn't own the phrase "weekend update".  Actually not much to update on, this weekend I have attempted to do as little as possible.  Usually I have all these grand plans and I feel the pressure to perform for myself (apparently I'm a pretty harsh critic).   This weekend my goal was to do the minimum, I mean the minimum.  On Sunday I sat around on my fat tush all day long, it hurts from how much I sat.  On Saturday, I had made plans with someone to exchange belated birthday gifts.  I'm not gonna lie, I was not too excited about that because my goal had been to spend as much time in my pj's as possible this weekend.  However, one should never look a gift horse in the mouth.  You'll be proud (although I shouldn't be proud either) that Sunday was definitely a pj day!  Woot!  Few of those have been had since childhood, although those days were also far and few.  We have parents that don't believe you should relax, there's always something to be done.  Though I've noticed they're more fond of naps these days :)

Monday?  Well I did do some gardening but only because my dog forced the issue; she knocked over some seedlings and I figured now was as good a time as any.  Lupine.  That's what was knocked over, I hope they take.  Especially as my dog recently decided to kill all of my sunflowers.  I had 1~2 of the sunflower seedlings that had taken but my dog felt otherwise.  She let me think that she would let them live for about 2 weeks and then she dug them out.  Other than that not much.  Yup.  Goal.  Met.  Win.  Maybe.  Maybe fail. As I did nothing.  Nah, going with Win.

Now why am I so blase about all of this?  Well, that's due to the air conditioning working.  Thankfully it was fixed last week and I have been able to sleep at night.  It also made lounging around in pj's much more comfortable and doable.  Well I hope that everyone has had a great weekend :)  Have a great week!  Here's a new pic also, as this is a weekend update!

22 May 2013

Playing Catch-Up

Life is playing catch-up with me.  A few weeks ago one of the burners had gone out on my stove and had to replace that, which is done but still a pain in my tuckus.  On Tuesday I discovered that my AC was no longer operational.  You see most of May we had such crazy weather that I saw no need to use it because it was either cold or cool enough that I was OK without AC.  Therefore when I got back on Sunday night, it was OK so I didn't turn it on - then came Monday.  I go to turn it on and nothing.  I mean nothing.  No not nothing, hot air coming through the ducts was all I got.  I have no idea what is wrong with it and I just hope it's not too expensive to fix.

WHY?!  You know if it broke in August I would be OK because it starts cooling down here by mid- to late-August.  Honestly I'm good with temperatures up to 32C (90F), it sounds hot but the house stays pretty cool  and a ceiling fan is good at that temperature.  However, above that and you might as well just end it for me - please.

Honestly, this is not the worst thing that could happen, it's just not the best time for it to happen.  I know these things happen but it is truly frustrating.  Really makes me want to sell the house, although on a brighter note, I did get the property taxes down.  My property had been valued at $103K and most of the properties around were between $80K to $90K.  I sent in my protest form and the LBB CAD called me yesterday and offered $87K instead, so I agreed!  It was either agree or go to the
hearing and try and get something lower.  I probably could have gotten it lowered by $5K more but honestly I feel it's fair and I want it to reflect the neighborhood prices in case I do sell.  That way an agent won't check the property tax and try and lower the selling price.  Hopefully I get a little money back from my mortgage company due to lower property taxes.

Well have a good rest of the week peeps!

17 May 2013

Sherpa Bikini

Hello!  Hi everyone, sorry for the absence but sometimes I'm busy - mostly I'm lazy.  Well not completely lazy.  These past few weeks have been busy, sometimes productive busy but mostly empty busy.  I have been having difficulty sleeping a bit and that tends to throw off my schedule (pronounce that with a British accent).  Although that's been going on for a while, partly because I have people coming and going and I seem to never have a set routine.  Work is a routine of fail and then surprising success, followed by epic failure but such is the life of a scientist.

Truthfully work has been pretty good, although I need to step it up and learn some new moves.  Currently I am procrastinating by writing this post because I am having difficulty understanding and processing the effect that the mutant I'm working with has on a potassium (K) channel.  Potassium currents - either you love them or you die.  A little nerd humor.  No?  OK, fine.

Blazing sun over head
Haven't done much in my personal life but am currently trying to get back into the swing of gardening.  This year has been pretty weird for LBB, we actually had a frost during the first week of May and a few windstorms that would have given Dorothy flashbacks to her days in the tornado.  Seriously it was pretty bad.  I had already packed up all of my sweaters and all of a sudden I had to unpack sweaters again!  However, now we are truly entering summer and we will be a scorching 39C today.  Joy.  I all of a sudden miss my sweater weather.  No I will not complain about the scorching heat, instead I will remember that now I can hide from the heat inside and that I am no longer a Sherpa.  Although isn't that half the fun of having seasons, the complaining?
Sherpa Tibetan pilgrims at the Mani Rindu Festival at Tengboche Monastery in the Everest Region of Nepal
Have a happy weekend everyone!

P.S.  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!  I didn't forget but I did go home to see my Mom :)

02 May 2013

Rampant Global Warming

LBB Weather
I googled the weather for today and here's the image.  Today we are at a high of 13C and low of -2C.  Yeah.  Yesterday it was about 27C and today that's our weather in TX at the start of May!  Usually by this time we are in the high 20's.  Translation in Fahrenheit:

Translated.
Yeah. We be crazy down here/up here/over here - depending on your location.  Yes I know other parts of the country always have this type of weather for spring but Texas doesn't.  Ever.  I guess I can no longer say ever.  I guess this is why this city won the following contest:


01 May 2013

Mindful Celebration

Hello everyone :)  Over the past few days I have noticed that for some reason there have been a lot of articles about mindfulness.  I like it.  Keep the trend going people.  I have to say that when I read stuff about gratitude, I always wonder how can you be so grateful all of the time.  It's due to mindfulness, you have to make the time and effort to be grateful.  I think I need to start penciling that into my agenda.  Although of late I haven't been to mindful of following said agenda, either way I will try to be more mindful of what I do and what I have.

On another note, as a Mexican-American and previous Mexican citizen I have something to say - Stop calling Cinco de Mayo independence day!  It is not!  That's to local restaurants and local Mexican-American/Chicano/Latinos in the LBB area.  Cinco de Mayo in Mexico celebrates the ass-whooping provided to the French courtesy of the Mexican citizens due to some loans (unpaid).  OK so Mexico didn't pay up but were willing to set up some payment plans.  The French didn't like it and decided to set up house in Mexico as payment.  May 5th was simply a day in which the French got a taste of military power in Mexico, though for Mexico the victory was short-lived and a year later the French took over for about 5 years.  They were kicked out eventually but still everyone likes to commiserate about that day, goes something like:

"Hey remember when we kicked France's butt?"

"Yeah that was cool."

"OK back to work."

Yeah Mexico doesn't make as big a deal as the US does about that specific battle, probably because the French came to stay for some time after that battle.  Besides it's really only Puebla that celebrates it big because that's where that battle happened.  Which leads me to the next point, it was people from Puebla in the USA who began those celebrations and for some reason it caught on here and now we all use it as an excuse to go drinking - tequila.

If you do want to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, it's September 16th but it starts at exactly midnight, so the celebrations start the day before or week before.  You know might as well make a week of it, now that's a party in which the whole country participates!  Actually not a bad time to go to Mexico, it's the best of the best for everything on those days.  

23 April 2013

A No-Win Situation Win


Have you ever been sued?  I have.  The good news - I won!  The why's are at this moment not pertinent - well any longer as it's been over a year since the lawsuit.  I have to say it is one of the most stressful things I have ever gone through.  It robs you of sleep and concentration.  A lawsuit can cause you to lose many things but one thing it should not do is take away your joy in the important things in life.  Through the whole process I found that in difficult times family, the small things, and good friends are indispensable.  The dark side may have cookies but the bright side leaves you happier long-term.

This post is not to encourage you to be sued just to find happiness in difficult times.  No, I am writing this as a cathartic exercise for myself and as a how-to to winning if you find yourself a defendant in small claims court.

1.  Seek legal advice.  All lawyers will tell you the same thing - only a fool represents himself.  However, not all lawyers are willing to take every case that comes their way.  This is not because they may have scruples or because they don't.  No.  Some cases are thought too ridiculous to be taken seriously (such was my case) or there's not enough money in it for them.  Think about it.  If you are being sued for $200 owed to the plaintiff, would you take 30% of that for I don't know 1 week of work?  A good lawyer will however, at least provide a free consultation - or charge - and advice you on how to proceed and how to approach the matter.  That was my case.

2.  Do not take the law suit personally.  This is not a reflection on who you are .  Remember that unless there truly was a breach of contract or there are legal reasons for the law suit, then most likely it is hurt feelings on the part of the plaintiff.  If there is proof of wrong-doing then the court will handle that portion and it will probably not end up in small claims but a larger civil suit or criminal case if the matter is a truly serious offense. Otherwise, small claims may be the solution to rental disputes, property damage, or other monetary disputes - not emotional disputes.

3.  Prepare.  I cannot stress this enough.  Being prepared is the most important portion of the process.  Don't "think" about what you will say.  WRITE down what you will say and what questions you will ask.  Have witnesses.  If you have emails or written statements have them notarized but preferably bring the witness to court.  Part of being prepared is practicing.  Practice how you will present your statement to the judge, be succinct and brief when presenting testimony.  Avoid little stories that you think add value to your testimony, they really have no value before the judge.  If someone failed to say hello, it is not part of the law suit.  Either practice in front of the mirror or with friends/family.  This will help you express your anger or sadness prior to the court hearing.  Again being prepared is the difference between losing and winning.

4.  Stay calm and be respectful.  Emotions are volatile when being accused of something you didn't do or feel is unjust.  Remember, you have prepared, stick to your statement and do not deviate from that.  This will help you stay calm and focused.  You may not like the plaintiff very much (probably due to the lawsuit) but losing your temper will not help.  Also remember to be courteous to the judge, remember to thank the judge because on that day you have not just wasted your time but theirs as well.  Respectful also means being presentable.  You may not like the situation but showing up in your gym clothing or party clothes will not win you any fans - the judge especially will not like this.  Tuck in your shirt, iron your clothing, and definitely bathe prior to the hearing.

5.  This is real life, not court TV.  I used to be a huge fan of all the court shows until my lawsuit.  In these shows you see a smart judge who doles out life lessons and legal advice to the plaintiff and defendant, although entertaining, real life is a far cry from that.  The judge is there to listen to both parties and make a decision based on facts - not emotions.  You will likely not receive a verdict immediately, the judge will more likely set another date for the verdict.  No you will not receive advice, you do not receive sympathy, no one yells at you, there are no cameras, and what you get is the opportunity to defend yourself in a civil manner.  Do not walk into that court with bravado as council, walk in with intelligence and preferably a lawyer by your side.

6.  Avoid being sued if at all possible!  I think this is the best possible way to win - avoid law suits!  How?  First of all make sure that all monetary issues are in writing,  Roommates?  Have a contract that specifies everything, from cleaning to the sharing of utensils to don't-use-my-toothpaste to food.  Nothing is too insignificant to cover in a roommate contract.  If you are a landlord, be aware of your rights and duties.  If you are loaning money, write out a contract specifying the amount and payment schedule and within what time frame repayment is to be completed.  Always keep copies of these documents and have documentation of anything that could be used to protect yourself from possible law suits.  No one needs the stress of being sued, believe it or not you most definitely have better things to do than spend hours preparing for court and attending court hearings.

Life is a many splendor-ed thing but sometimes it will throw you a curve ball and hits you upside the head.  And remember even if you win, the plaintiff or defendant (don't know your position) always has the right to appeal; hope they don't do that but be prepared for the possibility.  If you are in this situation - then good luck!  If you aren't - bully for you and stay out of it!

SA

16 April 2013

Vacationing Po' Style

Hello all!  Recently I took a mini-vacation, it was OK.  More than OK, I truly enjoyed it and I think that I really needed that small break.  Where did I go?

Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, NM.
I went to Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a side trip to Taos, New Mexico.  Loved it!  Santa Fe is one of the oldest cities in the US, it was founded by missionaries and intrepid Spanish pioneers in the 1800's.  The cathedral was beautiful.  They also have the Loretto Chapel with an awesome staircase!  Personally I love the architecture style that characterizes Santa Fe; old adobe buildings now imitated with modern materials.  I can't begin to tell you how much I love those old houses, I think because growing up my Grandparents house resembled an old adobe house.  Whatever the reason I would love to have a house like that some day :)


Obviously lots of art in Santa Fe, maybe not obvious if you aren't from the southwest.  Well, lots of galleries and history; even more museums.  There's a Georgia O'Keefe museum and her house is about an hour outside of Santa Fe, on the road to Taos.

San Francis de Asis, Taos, NM.
Taos is one of the only inhabited Native American towns left in the USA, I mean original town.  Their homes have been around for more than a century.  Pretty bad ass, they kicked out the Spanish and then let them return on their terms.  Then when the USA inherited NM, they killed the appointed governor.  Actually the consequences of that particular murder were pretty disastrous for them, their town was bombed and many
women/children died in the bombing.  Taos is supposed to have a "hum" that you hear when in town but the lady at the visitor's center said it was the dumb hippies who made that up.  I'm making up a new rumor, there are aliens in Taos.  As we drove into Taos there was a very reflective object on the side of a mountain.  When I was asked if I heard the hum, I said no but I saw a light on the mountain. I asked what building was there and the woman that made the "hippie" remark said, "How about you start a new rumor?  It was an UFO!"  I could not stop laughing!  So, yeah, there are UFO's in Taos.

Well that has been my very long weekend that started last week on Thursday and ended on Sunday.  Oh yeah, why was it poor?  The hotel wasn't a super nice hotel but more than met our needs and not a lot of cash flowing out of my purse.  I instead enjoyed the free stuff, not to say we didn't spend money just not on stupid crap or expensive items that I will throw away in a few years.

25 March 2013

21st Century Newbie

I love technology!  OK, I had decided that I was going to start blogging on a more regular basis and then something happened - I bought a Kindle Fire!  I love it!  It's so FLUFFY!  OK, not fluffy but I feel like it's my new unicorn :)

Don't know who this guy is but that's my Kindle!!!
Let me tell you I love that thing!  It is awesomeness!  I can watch movies, TV shows, and read books on that thing!  I can go on pinterest without waiting for my computer to boot up and then freeze as it tries to scroll through the pins.  I can read research articles on there, this I do not do as often as I should.  I can FB stalk everyone, this I don't do because lets face it FB is dying.  Now all I need to do is find a reader like the soon to be extinct Google Reader and load it up to my Kindle.  I also have a tumblr account now and will be using that more often. I do not have instagram because well my phone does not support the application and without a phone you can't sign up for the stupid thing!  Now I need to figure out how to sync my phone to the Kindle and I'll be so FLY!  Wow that was old of me.  I'll be cool.

As for recent events, over-shadowed a bit by the arrival of my new toy :)

Although we did have a spectacular dust storm on Saturday, yeah spring is here.  Kindle came in very handy on Saturday.  Sunday I spent it with people; I missed my Kindle.

11 March 2013

A Flawed Happy

Some days you wake up and you say damn I look good!  Other days it's just a meh day.  I've been having more good days than meh days because I have been just feeling really great.  I feel that I have removed a lot of the negativity from last year and am finally moving on, although I hate that term.

Moving on.

What does it really mean?  Last year I didn't think I could and although the past sometimes likes to visit my present, I do my best to put it back where it belongs - in the past.  I will admit I have difficulty letting go of things, I tend to mull them over until they're worn out.  You spend - I spend - hours devoted to thinking what I could have done differently or what I should have said but in the end what is done is done.  Now I spend less time thinking about that but sometimes you still want to wallow in the past.  Last month I wallowed a bit or while, this month so far has been less wallowing and more living the moment.  I'm happy.  Scary to say that but it's TRUE!  No I am not seeing any one new or have found my soul mate, though I would like to do those 2 things.  No lottery win.  Just good times with great people and beautiful days in a pretty good world. Is everything perfect?  No!  Do I want it to be?  NO!  I will take my flawed life, flawed nature, and the flawed people in my life over all of the perfectly planned lives of others, any day.


Yeah it's been a good year so far...how about you?  I truly hope so :)

As of right now this is one of those songs I want to sing at the top of my lungs because I feel so great!  ENJOY!!


28 February 2013

Creatively Frozen

On Monday, we had a "blizzard" in Lubbock.  Work was closed due to driving conditions being dangerous, which for our drivers they were, and the next day work began at 10h30.  Now for the past 3 hours I have been trying to post a picture from that day but for some reason my phone will not post.  Instead I will be sharing a link with you to show the depth of our pain (advance apologies to Canadian readers or NE/NW readers):




Please excuse the language but it was the better choice visually.

This was towards the NW (likely) due to the amount of snow and open space.  It did not stop snowing until about 13h00 and it was pretty nasty out.  It was the powdery kind of snow that blows up in your face with a slight breeze - unfortunately for us it was almost gale force winds.  OK it was only ~35mph winds but give us some slack we aren't used to this type of weather; especially as on Sunday we had 70F day.  Yes, you read that correctly we had 70F weather the day before a blizzard.  Visibility was not "great" and it was just plain icy outside.  Needless to say I enjoyed our 3 day weekend :)

Speaking of weekend, this past weekend was pretty fun.  Saturday I went to a jazz concert and had wonderful weather all day.  Sunday I had lunch with several friends at a local Indian place and the weather was wonderful.  I also watched the Oscars and I have to say Mr. McFarlane, as cute as you are - poor show.  I want to be friends with Jennifer Lawrence after watching that show.  Then Monday - BAM!  BLIZZARD!  As I spent a few hours, both on Saturday and Sunday, in the lab I didn't mind the snow day but I had cabin fever by the end of the day.  Yeah I could never live up north.  There you have it, blizzard, awesome weather, and the Oscars sum up a decent weekend.

15 February 2013

Panem 'Stache

Happy Post-Valentine's Day!  I think there should be a post-Valentine day celebration for those of us who are not part of the happy couples or are just tired of being bombarded with marketed love.

Mustache PartySpeaking of love and fake love, right now I real-love the Hunger Games trilogy!  I am obsessed and cannot wait for the next movie.  I saw the first movie and then I decided to read the books.  I couldn't put them down!!!!  I've read all three and no spoilers because they were wonderful.  I rarely read fiction but these just grabbed me and wouldn't let go.  My favorite part?  Apparently female hair is not frowned upon and having hair on our legs (I'm assuming our armpits too) is no longer unseemly.   WHAT!?!?!  No more shaving or ripping hair out?  Sign me up!  Well not for the starving or sending children to die but the hair thing sounds good to me.  'Stache you have been redeemed and we may be moving to Panem!  Hoorah for facial hair staying where it is and leg hair being normal again!  

Have a good weekend everyone!

04 February 2013

FBI

Superbowl is done and finally onto the real sports!  NBA FINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes my Spurs are doing well and I am so excited!  Perhaps they'll take another championship home?  Fingers crossed!

Recently my co-workers and I were talking about the most popular social networking sites and turned out that FB is obsolete and Instagram is on the way out.  Remember that lament on aging?  Which is the new one?  Tumblr!  According to age groups between the ages of 13 to 20.  It's OK, just another blogging site and the follow method is different.  I have to say I kind of like reader because it's easy and I know it but this site gives a quick visual synopsis.  Like I said, it's OK.  So if you want to be hip and cool, keep up with your teenager, then apparently it's Tumblr you want.   Going back to FB and Instagram, did you know that Instagram was bought out by FB?  Just think about it...

FB + i (instagram) = FBI

Yeah.

As for the past few weeks.  I've been busy.  Work mainly.  I had these really awesome blog post ideas but as I was in the shower when I thought of them, they are now part of the debris formerly called brain cells.  I watched 5 minutes of the Vampire Diaries, some cells didn't make it through.  Sorry.  Let's hope I start writing some of the good things down.  Have a great week!

25 January 2013

Observations

Wow!  What a great start to this year!  Usually at the end of a year I do a recap of the good and the bad but as last year had a slightly bitter taste to it, I'm just moving forward.  One note about last year, it had its haters in it but at the end of the day all they did for me was make sure that I was grateful for every wonderful person in my life.  Take that and suck on it :)

This year was started with family, remembering funny things we did together, and just laughing.  I came back to work and as one of my friends would say hit the ground running. Yeah life is good and I'm not going to question the great things or great people in my life.  With that in mind I am continuing my 101 in 1001, I still have a few months to work on it and I know that there are several things I can accomplish in that time.  I may not be able to read ~200 books but I'll read at least 1% surely!?   ;)

Goals such a lovely concept but sometimes the bane of my life!

Observation of the week:  If you're an atheist there is no such thing as good or bad luck, life is just what it is a series of experiences.  Not ragging on atheists, I tend to lean that way sometimes but on those days there's nothing but whats there - no good or bad, just life.


13 January 2013

New Leases

How to begin this first post?  Well as we all know MySpace is a dead medium that I used to blog in, write short posts about near-death experiences or political rants or just rants.  However, I heard from a younger source that FB is also about to die and that the next big thing is Instagram, as I have never claimed to be technologically literate I will not be joining that for a while yet.  Thus I will continue on Blogger for as long as possible before I consider tweeting or instagramming (?).  In the dark recesses of my mind I hear a little voice say that "instagramming" is correct.  I dare you to tell me why it is not correct.  No really because it just seems crazy to type it that way.

I did have a previous blog but that has been shut down and I will start from zero - again.  Attempting once more to figure out what type of writer I am, if I am a writer, or just a ranter.  Lets hope its the former and not the latter!

Here are the details...

I'm still in Lubbock, still working in science-related matters, still attempting to lose the Lubbock 15 (not an easy feat and not 15), and still dreaming of being a super-spy with a shy, nerdy alter-ego (the science-related work) but still only doing the science-related work.  This blog I hope will keep most of you updated on the exciting life I lead of protein crystallization and amateur gardening/photography/knitting/painting/drawing/writing.

I also promise to not use any full names in my posts especially without your written permission but first initials are fair game.  Events can and will be modified to protect others.  And please do not include names of children or any minors (<18) in comments or your rants in the comments section.  Believe me the protection of children of family and friends is always more important than any thing I may have to say or you have to say to me.

Hmmm....so far not so funny.  It'll get better.  It always does...