morning research findings: "Of the two forms of meningitis, bacterial is considered to be much more serious than viral since it is fatal in about 1 in 10 cases. However, it is a mistake to assume that patients who have had viral meningitis are any less vulnerable to the after effects. The symptoms and possible long-term complications of both strains of the disease can be very similar."
posted by Kecia 9:08 AM
"Thanksgiving horror stories? I have none. My turkeys always turn out perfectly. I find the key to family holiday success is buying as much wine as you think you need, and then doubling it."
-- Ann, 36, Miami, Ohio
posted by Kecia 8:50 AM
"The goal of a just society is inseparable from love and beauty. As Jimmy Carter said at the DNC convention in 1976, '…love must be aggressively translated into simple justice.' "
Dear random smelly undergrad,
I realize the space is overcrowded
for this is lunchtime
and where people come for lunch.
I can accept that the table
next to mine must be used,
though I would wish that was not so,
and in future will come to lunch at three, alone.
So all in all I feel quite reasonable.
So why do you feel you must invade my space as well?
An arms length, that is my space.
We are not that crowded.
Please, sir, desist your scooching!
It is obnoxious, and unwarranted.
posted by Kecia 1:25 PM
Thanks for all the Birthday wishes!
posted by Kecia 4:54 PM
Friday, August 27, 2004
As is the way with these things it seems both yesterday and forever ago that we escaped the Open House after party via road trip to look at the stars. Funny the little decisions that change one's life . . .
posted by Kecia 10:07 PM
Matthew goes for a meeting with a loan officer this afternoon. Cross your fingers, everyone.
posted by Kecia 11:24 AM
Friday, August 06, 2004
My Family and Me
In other news, it's an absolutely fabulous day outside (74 degrees for the high. in dc. in august.) and so I'm headed back out!
posted by Kecia 7:09 PM
Also, have any of you (yeah, all two of you) found any especially helpful geneaology links? Free ones? My husband's paternal line only is known about four or five generations back, and I'd like to remedy that - in all that free time I have.
Harry Potter and The Who stolen from a comment at the Leaky Cauldron, here's what we can tell about the half-blood prince:
1) A muggle male with one royal, one non-royal parent
2) A wizard male with one royal parent, one non-royal parent
3) A royal wizard male with one muggle, one wizard parent
4) A royal wizard male with muggle parents
5) A royal wizard male with wizard parents who are not "pureblooded" wizards
6) A royal squib male
7) A royal wizard who is half-human, half-other creature (a la giant,veela, vampire, etc.)
8) A spoiled/pampered (but not actually royal) male wizard with muggle parents
9) A spoiled/pampered (but not actually royal) male wizard with wizard parents who are not "pure-blooded" wizards
10) A spoiled/pampered (but not actually royal) male wizard with one muggle, one wizard parent
11) A spoiled/pampered (but not actually royal) male squib
12) A spoiled/pampered (but not actually royal) male who is half-human, half-other creature (such as giant, veela, etc.)
13) Various highly infeasible translations, such as a royal male being that is 50% blood and 50% other assorted matter.
We've almost got it figured out. Really. :) (list provided by Seyrah Z)
So for those of you not in the know, M and I are house hunting. Well, townhome hunting. Well, looking for a place that has running water and is not overrun by gang activity. This is not as fun as you might imagine, as the housing market in the area is very tight. And when I say 'tight' I mean that a house just down the road from us sold its first day on the market for $300K. This house has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, is about fifty or so years old (and showing every year of that), and it sits on a little less than an eighth of an acre. Three Hundred Thousand dollars. The townhome pictured above is in the same subdivision that a co-worker of mine lives in. I contacted the realtor about it today - undoubtedly it is under contract already. We're starting the pre-approval process with the bank today, and will be contacting the realtor that two of my co-workers used sometime this week. *crosses fingers*
posted by Kecia 12:30 PM
Thursday, June 24, 2004
May those that love us, love us. And for those who don't, may they turn their hearts. And if they don't, may they turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping. - Irish Proverb
posted by Kecia 4:28 PM
And so she comes to dream herself the tree,
The wind possessing her, weaving her young veins,
Holding her to the sky and its quick blue,
Drowning the fever of her hands in sunlight.
She has no memory, nor fear, nor hope
Beyond the grass and shadows at her feet.
- Hart Crane, Abstract Garden, 1932
A Brief History of Time Pictures from the last few weeks will be going up here as soon as we find time to put them there, but in the meantime, here are a very few . . .
Matthew posing with our gift to our flower girl; waiting for ourmarriage license forms to be processed; detail of the wonderful afghan Matthew's grandmother made for us; the wedding site;silliness on the plane; the magnificent ms Westerdam; Venice via vaporetto; two views of Dubrovnik; statuary of Rome; the gardens of the Casino at Monte Carlo; sleeping Barbary Ape in Gibraltar; the grounds of Lisbon'sMoorish castle (no futbol players in sight); the Old Fort of Vigo; silly picture time aboard ship; honeymooners in front of the Louvre; jolly old England at last
(with profuse apologies to the great Stephen Hawking)
posted by Kecia 8:59 AM
Monday, June 14, 2004
question of the day If one possesses the talent to excel, and, through either neglect or choosing, does not - is that wrong/bad/unfortunate? Should one push oneself to be one's utmost, or just relax and let life's current carry them where it will? Should there be a limit to the number of times "one" can be used in a sentence?
These musings brought to you by my missing the Downs sisters, and my subsequent Google search for them, which led me to a list of all of Ellen's accomplishments . . .
posted by Kecia 7:23 PM
Meet the cicada referred to in the previous post. They're so loud now that I can hear them even when I'm in the house with the doors and windows shut and music on. From 12 floors up, they sound like a Martian landing. When standing under trees, they sound like weedeaters. Millions of them. The biologist in me thinks that this is all very cool. The rest of me thinks the biologist is psycho.
posted by Kecia 9:55 PM
Thursday, May 20, 2004
May Madness There is a cicada on my balcony. I've never gotten a chance to look at one up close for so long before. Its eyes look like red-headed pins stuck in its head, as if some sadistic bug collector had already transfixed it. The rest of it just looks like a monstrously overgrown housefly. There are trillions out there now, according to the entomologists, singing and screwing for tomorrow they die.
And there is one on my balcony.
posted by Kecia 12:00 PM
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Precisely two weeks from now, Matthew and I will be over the Atlantic at this time.
Spent the whole weekend on wedding stuff and am exhausted. On the plus side, there are now no longer gaping holes in our registry. So that's one thing crossed off our ginormous list.
posted by Kecia 9:49 PM
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
From the Post: A Wretched New Picture Of America I am ashamed to be an American. I am ashamed to be of the human race. Why does the whole world not cry out? Why do our leaders not feel ashamed and dirty, even defiled? I do.
edited to add: Then this just adds to my grief.
posted by Kecia 8:28 AM
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
random procrastinatory tools
The Sonnet
Deliberate Gentle Love Dreamer (DGLDf)
Romantic, hopeful, and composed. You are the Sonnet. Get it? Composed?
Results courtesy of this test and John's boredom at work today. Incidentally, both he and Matthew are loverboys. Matthew's comment: "Hey, I look terribly effeminate!"
In other news, work seems to be going well. For the moment. If I didn't just jinx it. If my boss wakes up on the right side of the bed in the morning.
I have a list of things I want to complete at work before I leave for the wedding. I made this list two months ago, and it hasn't perceptably shrunk in the interving time. Yay for cramming two months of work into two and a half weeks!
Instead of teaching my mom to say that I am a microbiologist/biochemist/geneticist, I should have just told her to tell people that I am a personal assitant for yeast. (not nearly as cool as being a personal assitant for Yeats, as I originally typed) After all, what do I do all day but transport yeast from one home to another, give them food, provide a dating service, provide for their children . . . I guess that's not really what you want to tell people at parties, though. Biochemist sounds much cooler than the truth.
Getting them here was actually not nearly as complex as we thought it might be. Finding a place to put them, on the other hand, was a little more of an issue. In the end, the oldest futon has been disassembled, the wooden futon (along with the more comfortable futon mattress) is now in my room (w00t!), and the mattress/boxsprings are on the floor in Matthew's room. He only gets it because his room is the only one big enough. Well, and they were a gift from his parents.
We made a master list today of all the stuff we still need to accomplish before the wedding. I'm now hiding from said list.
I'm about three-quarters through with my tiara. My veil, however, remains in sad shape. So little time, so many fun crafty project things to do.
This post is in honor of Dr. Fancypants, who recently joined the dorkdom that is the blogging community.
posted by Kecia 11:52 PM
blahblahblah so my boss has finally left to teach his eleven o'clock class. which means i am now free to goof off (read: eat lunch and sit down for a few minutes) for an hour. about an hour ago, i had an idea for a post i wanted to make, but now that i actually have time to make it, the idea is gone . . .
so here you get a filler post, with no content whatsoever. i'm sure you're thrilled.
it's a lot quieter in the lab when the boss is gone . . .
posted by Kecia 10:46 PM
I'm really going to get married. This is actually happening. One corner of my dining room is taken up with wedding paraphenalia. I just received my rose test bunch for color matching. There is a maid of honor's dress and a groomsmaid's dress hanging in my closet. Our invitations were ordered last weekend. We began our registry last night. We picked out our rings last night.
Two months and three days. The mind boggles.
posted by Kecia 12:39 PM
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Happy Days are here Again!
Happy St. Pat's Day, everyone!
posted by Kecia 2:27 PM
I want to be able to *do* something. Why are our leaders so morally reprehensible? Why do good people, like my parents, think that the same men are paragons of morality?
posted by Kecia 4:26 PM
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
credit to steve kelley of the new orleans times-picayune
I never, ever, want to live in a theocracy. I have yet to hear a reason to prohibit gay marriage on any grounds other than moral/religious ones. So I don't understand everyone's problem with it. Sure, try to change their minds all you want, don't let them get married in your church, don't let them lead your congregations, fine. But to deny them legal rights? Why???
Can someone please explain this to me? Can someone explain to me why good people I admire deeply and even respect rant and rave about gay marriage?
My echocardiogram showed that my heart was a little on the weak side, but otherwise normal, which is a relief, especially after the abnormal (right bundle branch block) EKG. I am in the process of setting up the time for my MRI this week, and my EEG will be in about two weeks. My bloodwork found evidence of hypoglycemia and an elevated white blood cell count, but nothing much else.
And now you know all that I know, which isn't that much. Physically, I feel okay most of the time, though I very easily become exhausted, and I have trouble going to/staying asleep because I cough when I lie down. My low-grade fever is still present, but with less frequency, probably because I'm spending a lot more time resting.
Thanks, everyone, for all your prayers and well-wishes during this time.
posted by Kecia 11:25 AM
Pretty sad, no? Look at that swath of unexplored country. If various regions of the country I *have* visited have such different cultures, what must those states hold?
I finally fell asleep at about 5am. And now I have to go to work. *sigh*
posted by Kecia 9:47 AM
who needs sleep? (well, you're never gonna get it) On the plus side, at least I've gotten a little work done. I thought it would put me to sleep, but apparently it hasn't. I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. On the downside, I have two huge assays to do tomorrow, and I'm going to be completely exhausted. And then Friday I have to present this week's paper, and attend the first Simon class of the semester.
*sigh*
But Saturday we get to go shopping, and Sunday (ok, really Monday) we mail out the save-the-dates! (finally!)
posted by Kecia 3:57 AM
Monday, January 26, 2004
Live - Birds of Pray - What are we fighting for? Battle flag in the bassinet
Oil and blood on the bayonet
Crowded downtown hit the floor
What are we fightin' for?
...
The world got smaller but the bombs got bigger
Holocaust on a hairpin trigger
Aint no game so forget the score
What are we fightin' for?
...
What will I tell my daughter?
What will you tell your son?
Where were all the doves?
That we were nothing but a shadow,
a faceless generation devoid of love?
...
The crucifix ain't no baseball bat
Tell me what kind of God is that?
Ain't nothing more godless than a war
So what are we fightin' for?
...
What will I tell my daughter?
What will you tell your son?
Where were all the doves?
That we were nothing but a shadow,
A faceless generation…
What are we fightin' for?
With the coming of spring comes the activist stirrings in my blood. Time (I guess) to turn on the suppressors for another year.
Odd to find you share your name with a flower.
posted by Kecia 7:43 PM
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
waaah. Alas, the dangers of making a decision. I have found two absolutelygorgeous bridesmaid/groomsmaid dresses (they even come in the right color!), but I already told Hetal and Jennifer to pick a black dress of their choosing.
