Last year:
- Loved sprinkles, Baltimore, growing trees in small apartments, living with Devin. Field trips. Playing around. Working weird hours. Asking questions.
- Could not live without onions, lemons, coffee. Caffeine addiction slightly out of hand (2-day long headaches when I forget to dose up).
- Learned a lot about chickens and poop, and still into it!
- Sad about Uncle Jeff's passing. Tried fishing for the first time.
The New Year 2012:
- Still trying to develop an exercise regime. I have lost weight but am not fit. I still get little 'jolts' of pain in my heart area from time to time. Devin tells me this is not normal. Should get my heart pumping!
- Bird houses! Inspiration and Execution
- Gardening unused land. At our place, there is piney shady space, some sunny areas with grass we can dig up. At Nate and Lele's new house (fingers crossed for the IRS to finish their paperwork) we should have a lot of space. Lemon trees. Okra/brussells sprouts, kale, herbs, berries. Tomatoes with the aid of chemicals. Green Onions. Potatoes? Stuff we can cook with.
- More freezing of fresh produce.
- Canning without food poisoning.
- Living without deception and regret. Easier said than done!
- More Twitter! Less facebook. Why? More sharing less bragging.
1.1.12
31.10.11
A Procrastinating Grad Student Does It Again
Since I just figured out which microbes produce enzymes that let them metabolize uric acid in poultry manure -- these guys are probably the culprit in producing the toxic ammonia gas around which my research centers -- it's obviously time to take a break and write about life. Then it's back to the grind.
Life in Blacksburg has been great so far. Devin and I both got into grad school at sister departments here and even get paid to go to school. It turns out that we are still poor, but at least we have enough to go camping and treat each other to dinner out at least once a week. Hey, it's better than temping in DC. My commute here is about 15 minutes to anywhere - and somehow I manage to complain - but it's so much better than 1 hour each way on the metro.
I love living in the mountains, too -- it's just prettier here. Our professors and advisors have some pretty amazing digs - 100 acre plots by a national forest complete w/a stocked pond, to name one. Country activities are much more encouraged, which is fun - and funny. I learned to fish and we go out fairly often to see what we can catch; but people on campus also walk around w/their hunting gear like they're heading off just after class lets out. Pig roasts are common and corn hole (like bean bag toss) is the highlight of many a weekend, aside from the obvious -- drinking.
Work/school also keeps us super busy. Every Monday I have a meeting with my advisor where I suddenly realize I'm behind on the goals I set for myself the week before. The next three days are taken up by homework, researching and struggling through journal articles, dragging my self and up to two computers all over campus in hot pursuit of answers, and some lab experiments too. Then Friday comes and we are usually shopping online or planning a weekend camping trip. It's the simple joys -- I discovered down jackets and sleeping bags around the same time as I got some amazing $130 shoes, so our modest salaries aren't going too terribly far yet. Then there's laundry and grocery shopping - and Sunday night arrives and it's time to do it all again.
The other 12 hours a week (where do I find the time??) I'm a Teaching Assistant for an experimental lab class that involves lots of electric circuits and misbehaving MATLAB programs. It's truly a black hole -- there's no limit to the energy I could put into it; in fact the more I do, the more I get frustrated and feel obligated to put MORE time in so the experiments will go more smoothly. But that's a pointless viscious cycle. I'm not solely responsible for the class, so when things go poorly, it really isn't my fault -- so why should I get frustrated like it is? The other fun part of my TA-ship is grading lab reports on a borrowed dinosaur-ific tablet computer. Somehow some students manage to write 20 pages of C minus-worthy blather. I am investigating the staircase distribution method of grading, however. I love being a hard-ass when grading, but if the undergrads continue to ignore my sagely advice, then f--- it.
Hobbies: I got super excited and dug my knitting needles and a pretty purple ball of manos de uruguay yarn out of my craft bag when a friend introduced me to ravelry.com and their bonanza of knitting patterns and projects. The purple yarn is on its way to becoming a cabled cap - for me - and after that, Devin wants a hat so I'm going to do a fancy one with fleece lining so his ears will be warm and itch-free. I will probably work my way up to a sweater at some point, but I'm not quite ready to invest in a giant pile of $$$ yarn. We also came into a bunch of reading and fishing equipment recently, so there are plenty of activities to take up our extremely rare free time.
Thanksgiving is coming up and we're going to go spend a week in sunny CA. Neither town there will be particularly warm -- San Luis Obispo, where Devin is from, nor Chico, where the fam holds the holiday meal and celebration. But it'll be pretty and a happy visit back to the loving and politically active folks that raised Devin, as well as a return to solar power, Jack in the Box, year round farmers markets, and agricultural fields as far as the eye can see.
The other excitement on my horizon is chickens - helping with a friend's experiment by counting/weighing them; as well as designing my own experiments on chicken manure. That brings me back to the microbes and ammonia I mentioned up top - so maybe it's time to get back to work.
Catch you all next time!
Life in Blacksburg has been great so far. Devin and I both got into grad school at sister departments here and even get paid to go to school. It turns out that we are still poor, but at least we have enough to go camping and treat each other to dinner out at least once a week. Hey, it's better than temping in DC. My commute here is about 15 minutes to anywhere - and somehow I manage to complain - but it's so much better than 1 hour each way on the metro.
I love living in the mountains, too -- it's just prettier here. Our professors and advisors have some pretty amazing digs - 100 acre plots by a national forest complete w/a stocked pond, to name one. Country activities are much more encouraged, which is fun - and funny. I learned to fish and we go out fairly often to see what we can catch; but people on campus also walk around w/their hunting gear like they're heading off just after class lets out. Pig roasts are common and corn hole (like bean bag toss) is the highlight of many a weekend, aside from the obvious -- drinking.
Work/school also keeps us super busy. Every Monday I have a meeting with my advisor where I suddenly realize I'm behind on the goals I set for myself the week before. The next three days are taken up by homework, researching and struggling through journal articles, dragging my self and up to two computers all over campus in hot pursuit of answers, and some lab experiments too. Then Friday comes and we are usually shopping online or planning a weekend camping trip. It's the simple joys -- I discovered down jackets and sleeping bags around the same time as I got some amazing $130 shoes, so our modest salaries aren't going too terribly far yet. Then there's laundry and grocery shopping - and Sunday night arrives and it's time to do it all again.
The other 12 hours a week (where do I find the time??) I'm a Teaching Assistant for an experimental lab class that involves lots of electric circuits and misbehaving MATLAB programs. It's truly a black hole -- there's no limit to the energy I could put into it; in fact the more I do, the more I get frustrated and feel obligated to put MORE time in so the experiments will go more smoothly. But that's a pointless viscious cycle. I'm not solely responsible for the class, so when things go poorly, it really isn't my fault -- so why should I get frustrated like it is? The other fun part of my TA-ship is grading lab reports on a borrowed dinosaur-ific tablet computer. Somehow some students manage to write 20 pages of C minus-worthy blather. I am investigating the staircase distribution method of grading, however. I love being a hard-ass when grading, but if the undergrads continue to ignore my sagely advice, then f--- it.
Hobbies: I got super excited and dug my knitting needles and a pretty purple ball of manos de uruguay yarn out of my craft bag when a friend introduced me to ravelry.com and their bonanza of knitting patterns and projects. The purple yarn is on its way to becoming a cabled cap - for me - and after that, Devin wants a hat so I'm going to do a fancy one with fleece lining so his ears will be warm and itch-free. I will probably work my way up to a sweater at some point, but I'm not quite ready to invest in a giant pile of $$$ yarn. We also came into a bunch of reading and fishing equipment recently, so there are plenty of activities to take up our extremely rare free time.
Thanksgiving is coming up and we're going to go spend a week in sunny CA. Neither town there will be particularly warm -- San Luis Obispo, where Devin is from, nor Chico, where the fam holds the holiday meal and celebration. But it'll be pretty and a happy visit back to the loving and politically active folks that raised Devin, as well as a return to solar power, Jack in the Box, year round farmers markets, and agricultural fields as far as the eye can see.
The other excitement on my horizon is chickens - helping with a friend's experiment by counting/weighing them; as well as designing my own experiments on chicken manure. That brings me back to the microbes and ammonia I mentioned up top - so maybe it's time to get back to work.
Catch you all next time!
8.6.11
Prizeys: Share and Share Alike
Legally, America has defined sharing alike as splitting benefits from a gift (or dead relative's estate) equally. As in, 18 fedora hats divided by 3 grandchildren equals 6 hats apiece. But here we don't often discuss socially the time and context for using shared items. I find that I have a new take on that now, thanks to living in Africa, so I want to explore reconciling my view with American standards.
Shared items: I'll call them prizeys from here on, because things that someone gives are often nice but unexpected surprises. Sure sharing CAN be unpleasant, like when someone 'shares' your razor in the shower, but we'll eschew those sneaky interactions and talk about social occasions involving prizeys.
Recently, I found myself in an awkward position when I had brought along some prizeys to share and they were received less like something fun and more like a contribution to the 'Cool stuff' cache. Weird. I totally thought farm-fresh fruit would enhance the holiday celebration by adding some sweetness to the hors d'eouvres tray! I also thought everyone could enjoy reading/ripping on trashy magazines for the road trip! But Americans are such damn good planners, there's no room for contributions from their well-intending friends - except as a token "thanks" gesture. So then, I wonder if I am supposed to take back my gift and distribute it myself so it can be used properly - used in *that* setting, and shared among people who are THERE! People who LOVE fresh fruit! And magazines! Is it possible a group of people could learn to divide things up in America, or do I have to pre-package for all the individuals present?
I too have fallen into the planning trap during the past 9 months of re-civilizing. Around dinner when I get hungry, I tend to plan lots of shared labor when making dinner for Devin and I. The big idea is obviously "let's eat, and fast! all hands on deck!" .. But then I get really offended when everything is ready except the salad I have assigned to Devin, even after I set out a ready cutting board and knife! I am planning that it is dinner time and we are going to eat. I am even planning that I know Devin likes salads. But he is probably thinking that he's having fun playing video games, so when the fun subsides, he will plan to eat.
Really, I know these awkward situations come up because of expectations. Weirdly, I loved learning the sharing practice in Malawi, where I was never sure if someone was going to take a sip out of my juice tumbler, or strip my papaya tree completely bare of fruits -- rather than ask for some or share an equal portion of what I had. From that, I came to expect that sharing was going to happen - and was socially normal. Especially for super awesome tasty things. How could you enjoy it enough by yourself?? But also for tedious tasks. Why not divide the corn shucking up so it will go faster? I also expect now that I will not feel ashamed or indebted if I really want just a bite of someone else's burger - and I'm forward enough to ask for it. I also expect that they'll feel comfortable sharing some of what I have - or letting other friends try. If there's enough to go around.
That 'if' can be a big issue when something AMAZING comes in a single-portion that others would really enjoy trying. One time some friends and I treated ourselves to a fancy tourist restaurant while on a break from village life, and I ordered the *most* delicious sandwich. Somehow, I was the only one. Well, after it came and wafted its smell everywhere, my friends all decided they wanted to try it too -- so they traded me for some of their *less* delicious sandwiches. What a pickle - I was quickly running out of the sandwich I'd hungrily chosen, but I also had a chance to be egalitarian and generous with other Americans starving for luxuries like cheese and ice cream. So what did I do? Luckily, someone pointed out my dwindling sandwich and thankfully, trade requests stopped. I got full on the less-savory options and even had enough left to savor the flavor of my heavenly sandwich. I was full. I had shared. We were all happy. All single portions can be subdivided, and with good results.
I also expect that contextually-appropriate gifts be appreciated and used for more awesome enjoyment. Yes, at the moment that I give them. Yes, with everyone present (as long as they're not allergic). But I guess that my struggle with receiving as an act of "packing away" means that I'll just have to start explaining more so my expectations are understood.
Let's practice:
(pics from SonataCrew and viralbus on flickr!)
Shared items: I'll call them prizeys from here on, because things that someone gives are often nice but unexpected surprises. Sure sharing CAN be unpleasant, like when someone 'shares' your razor in the shower, but we'll eschew those sneaky interactions and talk about social occasions involving prizeys.
Recently, I found myself in an awkward position when I had brought along some prizeys to share and they were received less like something fun and more like a contribution to the 'Cool stuff' cache. Weird. I totally thought farm-fresh fruit would enhance the holiday celebration by adding some sweetness to the hors d'eouvres tray! I also thought everyone could enjoy reading/ripping on trashy magazines for the road trip! But Americans are such damn good planners, there's no room for contributions from their well-intending friends - except as a token "thanks" gesture. So then, I wonder if I am supposed to take back my gift and distribute it myself so it can be used properly - used in *that* setting, and shared among people who are THERE! People who LOVE fresh fruit! And magazines! Is it possible a group of people could learn to divide things up in America, or do I have to pre-package for all the individuals present?
I too have fallen into the planning trap during the past 9 months of re-civilizing. Around dinner when I get hungry, I tend to plan lots of shared labor when making dinner for Devin and I. The big idea is obviously "let's eat, and fast! all hands on deck!" .. But then I get really offended when everything is ready except the salad I have assigned to Devin, even after I set out a ready cutting board and knife! I am planning that it is dinner time and we are going to eat. I am even planning that I know Devin likes salads. But he is probably thinking that he's having fun playing video games, so when the fun subsides, he will plan to eat.
Really, I know these awkward situations come up because of expectations. Weirdly, I loved learning the sharing practice in Malawi, where I was never sure if someone was going to take a sip out of my juice tumbler, or strip my papaya tree completely bare of fruits -- rather than ask for some or share an equal portion of what I had. From that, I came to expect that sharing was going to happen - and was socially normal. Especially for super awesome tasty things. How could you enjoy it enough by yourself?? But also for tedious tasks. Why not divide the corn shucking up so it will go faster? I also expect now that I will not feel ashamed or indebted if I really want just a bite of someone else's burger - and I'm forward enough to ask for it. I also expect that they'll feel comfortable sharing some of what I have - or letting other friends try. If there's enough to go around.
That 'if' can be a big issue when something AMAZING comes in a single-portion that others would really enjoy trying. One time some friends and I treated ourselves to a fancy tourist restaurant while on a break from village life, and I ordered the *most* delicious sandwich. Somehow, I was the only one. Well, after it came and wafted its smell everywhere, my friends all decided they wanted to try it too -- so they traded me for some of their *less* delicious sandwiches. What a pickle - I was quickly running out of the sandwich I'd hungrily chosen, but I also had a chance to be egalitarian and generous with other Americans starving for luxuries like cheese and ice cream. So what did I do? Luckily, someone pointed out my dwindling sandwich and thankfully, trade requests stopped. I got full on the less-savory options and even had enough left to savor the flavor of my heavenly sandwich. I was full. I had shared. We were all happy. All single portions can be subdivided, and with good results.
I also expect that contextually-appropriate gifts be appreciated and used for more awesome enjoyment. Yes, at the moment that I give them. Yes, with everyone present (as long as they're not allergic). But I guess that my struggle with receiving as an act of "packing away" means that I'll just have to start explaining more so my expectations are understood.
Let's practice:
- "Here is some cake. I know it's your birthday and there are a lot of people around, so why don't we cut it and put it on the counter with some plates and forks."
- "Here are some magazines; I thought we could read them now because we have 5 hours in the car, and enough magazines for everyone to start with one of their own." Or,
(pics from SonataCrew and viralbus on flickr!)
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