The Dreaded Giggle Loop

The Time Traveler's Wife made me cry. Scratch that, it made me bawl. The end got me even though I knew everything that was going to happen in the movie before I even took the turkey sandwiches that we had smuggled in to the theatre out of my oversized purse. So here I am in a crappy theatre on a Tuesday night (free small popcorn night), surrounded by a theatre of women (with a strangely high percentage of lesbians), sitting next to my boyfriend with my nose running and tears streaming down my face. Then it happened, the giggle loop. I took one look at Mike and he saw the helpless embarrassment behind my shameless tears and we both started to giggle. The giggles got worse and before I knew it, we where laughing. The inappropriate nature of our laughing made us laugh harder. I was uncontrollably laughing between uncontrollable sobs, Mike was just laughing. Yup, we were the jackasses laughing out loud during the tragic climax of a chick flick. Damn you Giggle Loop!

Best of Chicago

As of today I have been an official Chicago resident for one year. It’s amazing, I move 5 miles and the city opened up to me. In Evanston I was bound by the silly Purple line and going into the city almost seemed like a chore. Now we explore. The city buses no longer intimidate me. I feel a connection to my neighborhood. We go on missions to seek out the best sandwich, the best pizza in the city.

So to commemorate my city living, I present you my 2009 best of Chicago.

Best Coffee Shop

Metropolis @ 1039 W. Granville Avenue, Edgewater

This little coffee shop roasts their own beans, has rotating local art on the walls and is less than a mile's walk from our apartment. Metropolis will also go down in our history books as the location where Mike wrote most of his doctoral thesis.

Best Restaurant

Lula Cafe @ 2537 N. Kedzie Boulevard, Logan Square

I love Lula. It has fresh, local food put together with ease. Their menu has a good mix of higher end and more affordable food. The best food in Chicago without any pretension along with it.

Favorite Shop or Boutique

Andersonville Galleria @ 5247 N Clark St, Andersonville

With four floors and 90 merchants, the Galleria is like a mini Chicago Etsy shoved into a sun-filled old warehouse. If I had more money I'd shop here all the time, get handmade clothes, jewelery, make-up, art.

Favorite Chicago Tourist Attraction

Millennium Park @ N. Michigan Avenue & the Lake, Downtown

The architecture, the concerts, the people watching, a marvelous view of the skyline and now a bridge to the new modern wing of the Art Institute; Millennium Park has it all.

Hidden Treasure

Chicago Cultural Center @ 78 E Washington St, Downtown

Now home to the Chicago Cultural Center, the old public library is beyond beautiful. If all libraries were this magical cartoons would be unnecessary and every kid would be an avid reader.

Favorite Sports Team

The Chicago Blackhawks

Although Wrigley Field is pretty awesome, I still like the Blackhawks better than the Cubs.

More to come.....

Not funny, Yet hysterical.

I think that phdcomics are very funny and very unfunny at the same time. Sometime the comics on that page satirize my life a little too well, hit too close to home. I know this is the second comic I've shared in as many posts, but honestly I can't help it. I believe this comic is a direct paraphrase from a conversation I had last week with my sister... except that conversation didn't seem so silly and included stress filled tears. At least I can use the comic to give me a little prospective if not a laugh.

False Assumptions

Often in science, when trying to solve a difficult problem or model a complex system, researchers make simplifying assumptions. A good scientist will constantly reevaluate their assumptions to make sure they are still valid. As a community of scientist and researchers we need to begin to question whether the main assumption governing the current structure of academia is legitimate. We assume that because a person is smart enough to get a PhD, land a good postdoc position, publish some papers in high impact journals makes them a qualified teacher, manager and mentor. Currently, university faculty receive little to no direct training on how to be a professor. I actually find it had to believe that in most states you need a postgraduate degree in education to instruct kindergartners on how to say their ABCs but no training on effective teaching is needed to teach the future doctors, engineers, business superheros the intricacies of their respective trades. Tenured track university facility are also expected, immediately upon hiring, to create, run and fund a productive lab. From experience and observation, many principle investigators lack the managerial know how to effectively coordinate the efforts of their students. If research facility was given training on how to effectively run a lab research endeavors would progress forward at a far faster pace. AND if college professors were forced to focus on how to improve their teaching, the students that graduate from college and grad school will be better informed and possibly better members of society.

New things in the R.P.

Over the past few weeks Rogers Park has seen the opening of a few new things. Is this a sign of the economy getting better? I guess we will just have to wait to see.

First up, Royal Coffee. Good cheap coffee but the same old sandwiches as the previous cafe.

Next, the movie theatre that I wrote about in January has reopened. The New 400 is a dollar more expensive, doesn't have the BYOB (bring your own bag) but it's nice having a movie theatre that you can go to on a weeknight and be in bed 7 min after the movie ends.

Third, CVS opened right where I pick up the bus for work. I don't know why I am so excited about this opening but I AM! Their prices seem a little steep though...



No wonder my parents wouldn't buy us lunchables, they ARE expensive.

Finally, Rogers Park now has a Five Guys. Is it possible to overdose on French fries?

iPhone app

In order to try and update more I impulse bought an iPhone app to help. I like BlogPress so far.


It even let's me easily post pictures. Alright back to work.... I get distracted easily when I try to work form home.

Orphaned blog

I know it's been a LONG time.... I bet the select few who actually read this blog thought that it had become part of the 95%... poor abandoned blogs. Well, my new goal is for a new post every week. Lets see if I can parent this blog again.

Turning Over a New Leaf

I love my neighborhood and after an accidental discovery made yesterday by Mike and me, I think I'm going to love it a bit more. Yesterday, after what has turned out to be our bi-Saturday trip to get fresh roasted coffee and to our local butcher (not to mention a quick stop at the fabric shop), we took a different route home and stumbled upon a tiny organic grocery shop. New Lief Grocery itself wasn't that exciting, a very small amount of organic fruits and veggies and a lot of packaged soy and gluten free products. However, the store is basically just a front for an organic co-op that offers weekly boxes of assorted fruits and vegetables for only $15 for 1-2 people. Awesome! You just put in your order a week ahead of time and BAAAM a assorted selection of locally grown produce. Hopefully this will help Mike and me be a bit more diverse and healthy in our weekly eating habits. I can't wait to pick up our first box but we will have to wait a week because we head to California to visit my Dad and Stepmom on Wednesday night! I'll try to give updates during our trip from my new fancy dancy iphone.

Graphophobia?

Sorry for the hiatus in entries but I have really been trying to focus on lab work lately. Mostly, I have been trying to put together and write a paper. The key word in the previous sentence is ‘trying’. It has really been a struggle to just get words on paper and I feel that the words I have been able to spit out are inadequate. I feel my words and my work needs to be meatier but I’m having trouble beefing it up. I think that some of my graphophobia results from this being my first first-author publication and firsts always scare me a bit. As I admitted in my 16 facts, I’m afraid of being wrong or of people figuring out that I am not as smart as they believe me to be. I think a small neurotic part of me feels like this paper (or my inability to put it together) will be the proof that my fears are grounded in some sort of reality and it is really a mistake that I’ve made it this far in science. Okay, so I’m a little dramatic and have anxiety problems, I know, but it doesn’t make these feelings any less real. Well, either way, this has to get done soon. I’m hoping to have a rough draft to my adviser by Friday (I just have half the results and all of the discussion to write, blurg). Oh and I was told today that I have to present at group meeting next Wednesday. So, long story short, I probably wont be updating the blog much in the next week or so. Sorry.

Send me energy.

Over it

Snow was once magical; it was powerful and mysterious. Snow could cause the world to stop or at least substantially slow down. The thought of impending snow had the ability to cancel school and clear grocery store shelves. I loved snow and welcomed it with open arms. As a child, and even a teen, I would even go as far as trying to invite snow to visit by wearing my pajamas inside out and backwards. The sight of snow made me giddy and made me feel as though anything could happen.

Not any more. Chicago has sucked away all of snow’s power and stripped away its magic. Snow is now just a nuisance, something that makes life more difficult and cold. Snow, I am so over you.

Theatre Geek

Now that I’m back in the blogging mood, I would take a moment and thank my wonderful boyfriend for taking me out last night. He surprised me with theatre tickets. As a recovering theatre geek, I still have a very warm place in my heart for live theatre. Don’t Dress for Dinner was a very entertaining show albeit is was jammed pack with some stereotypical comedic theatre themes; the dumb blonde with a squeaky voice, miscommunication that leads to comical misunderstanding, multiple adulterous characters, an over the top French cook, … you get the point. Nevertheless, like a recovering alcoholic’s need for more and more alcohol after falling off the wagon, going to the theatre has unleashed the former theatre addict in me and I just want more and more theatre tickets. Luckily (or maybe unluckily) for me Chicago isn’t hurting for theatre. Mike, you may have created a monster.

Adventures in Sinusitis

I don’t want to make this statement prematurely, but I think I feel almost human. For the few of you out there who don’t know, I’ve been struggling with some serous sinus trouble. Who knew that a pluggy nose could knock you on your ass so badly? With a chronic sinus headache coupled with a case of winter blues, I’ve been in pretty bad shape for probably the past 3-4 weeks. I finally was able to see an ENT specialist this past Monday. After sticking a camera up my nose (yes, it’s as unpleasant as it sounds), he sent me home with corticosteroids, antibiotics, a referral to get allergy tested and an appoint to check back in a month. I think the drugs are working and I can even put up with the TERRIBLE taste in my mouth caused by the antibiotic because today I didn’t feel worthless, haven’t taken any painkillers, and was motivated enough in lab to do a bunch of cleaning that I have been putting off doing. Tomorrow I become a pincushion in the name of determining if the cause of my sinus issues is allergy related. Lets just hope I keep on improving and I can somehow keep this from happening again.

Sew What?

I've been making pretty good use out of my sewing machine. So far I've made 4 pillows including 2 new pillows for our couch to match our new rug (pictures to come, hopefully sometime this week), yesterday I made an apron (I'll hopefully get a picture on here of that too) and I've made a few bags (pictures below). I'm really enjoying the creative outlet that these sewing projects are giving me. My research is pretty continuous with a big focus on the long term, so it's nice to be able to come home, start and finish a project, it gives a sense of closure and completeness that I'm lacking at work. And to top it all off, I think I'm making pretty cool stuff.

Love muffins

Nothing like love muffins and a latte for breakfast!

May you find love everywhere you look....

Happy Valentines!

Dakota Fanning is Cramping My Style

Mike and I watched The Secret Life of Bees tonight. A good movie, although not as good as the book. Is the movie ever as good as the book?

Anyways, I am not sure if I will watch any more movies with Mike that have Dakota Fanning in it because he is convinced that she looks like me and keeps pointing it out. Should I think it's strange that my boyfriend sees me when he looks at a 15 year old girl? Well at least he'll watch movies like Life of Bees with me with out complaining, I guess I shouldn't complain about Ms. Fanning cramping my style.


What do you think? Do we look alike?