Somebody said you gotta get away to wanna go back home again.

I've got at least three papers to write, but instead, I'm writing here. Makes sense. Or something.

The good news is that I've stopped crying every three seconds, but the bad news is that I'm still going to be an orphan for Thanksgiving. I couldn't really afford to fly home, and my dad, who was planning to visit, can't due to some health issues, so I find myself alone in this strange city for the holiday. I'm done complaining about it, I guess. I just find myself feeling slightly homesick on occasion, and it's hard to be so far away for a holiday that has always been family-oriented for me.

It doesn't help that Santa Fe is like bizarro world. I went with my friend from work to a basketball game (her brother's on the team) at the Santa Fe Indian School, and never in my life have I felt so...um, pale. Every day is eye-opening here. I feel like I'm finally waking up in a lot of ways. I'm stepping out of my comfortable bubble of complacency. What's outside of that is bizarro world. But it's ok.

At school we talk a lot about how this people in our (anglo-american, predominant) culture are in a sort of trance. A trance of consumerism, disconnect from family and family history, violence, corruption, and so on. Now, I'm not saying that I'm out of that trance yet, but at least now I see it for what is: just another distraction. And what's on the other side? What happens after one wakes up? I guess that's the tricky part. There's the super cool awareness thingy. There's a tapping into of the bigger than (God or holiness, if you will). But there's also a loneliness, an isolation. There's a "then what?". It's a bit intimidating.

But no one said enlightenment was easy, I guess.

Hello, kitty.

I know, I know, I know. Two months is way too long to go without an update. I doubt anyone is still reading, but here goes nothing.

Grad school keeps me quite busy. This school is unlike any other I've ever attended. It's very Jungian in orientation, which keeps things interesting for this East-coast, cognitive-behavioral kind of girl. They make us work on a lot of our own issues, which is probably good, but it also leads to people being very emotional in class, which is something that just doesn't really happen that often in chemistry classes.

Life in Santa Fe is amazing. It's sunny every day, and at night the sky is so clear that all the stars can be seen. I go hiking at least once a week, usually in the National Forest. It's strange to be so far from the ocean, but the mountains are so beautiful that it almost makes up for it.

Other than that...I'm working full time (sole searching at Payless), I have five papers to write, I never have enough money, I'm going to get a certificate in somatic therapy, and I'm knitting and afghan.

Oh, and I got a kitten.

On the Next Episode of "Will it Knit?"

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for "Will It Knit???" First up, we have...



100% Peruvian wool. Of course it knits! This is a scarf I'm making for my brother. It's almost 5' long at the moment. Still some more work to do on it, but it's almost done.

And next we have...
.
Plastic bags??? Yup. I'm making a mat out of plastic grocery bags. On size 35 needles, whee! It's fun. It's an adventure. It's a good way to recycle plastic bags. And it's just plain goofy.

I'm trying to stick to one project at a time, but of course that's simply not possible for me!

A visit to Chimayo.

Today I decided that it was time to visit Chimayo, which is a small village north of Santa Fe. The main draw of the place is the Santuario, which among other things, is said to contain miraculous dirt in a hole in the ground in the back of the church. The sacristy is full of crutches of people who have been healed by the dirt. Also, there are major pilgrimages there during Holy Week. It's a really beautiful place. It was pretty quiet today, and it was really peaceful.

I took a bunch of pictures from the grounds, so here are some of them. Many people tie crosses to the fences, and they fascinated me, so that's mostly what I took pictures of.


On the road to Chimayo.

Fauxdobe rules.

I have been living in New Mexico for about four whole days now. It's been an interesting experience thus far. This place is a different world.

I thought that it might be nice to put up some pictures of the new living arrangements. Also, this weekend is the Santa Fe Fiesta (which is a very big deal here), so I plan to put up some pictures of that as well.

Ok, so here it goes:

This shows the entry way as well as my favorite part of the living room, the fireplace. I'm super excited about this.



Here is the rest of the living room. Still working on that whole "home decor" thingy.


I love the balcony. This is the view from it. As you can see, my apartment complex is completely fake adobe (that is, fauxdobe), as is pretty typical for buildings in the whole city. The landscaping here is unnaturally green because the management waters like mofos, but generally the landscape is various shades of brown.

Kitchen/dining. I've gotten a dishwasher! As well as a programmable coffeemaker, which appeals to my lazy side. Nothing like waking up and having the coffee already made.


View from the kitchen window, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background. This window faces west, so there are some awesome views of the sunset. Also, the weather tends to blow in from the west, so some pretty spiffy cloud formations can be seen here as well.


Bathroom. Pretty standard.


And finally the bedroom. Haven't quite finished unpacking yet. But it's pretty nice.

So that's my place. I'm working on finding a job (had one interview this week and another next week). I joined a parish today. I'm trying to get used to the culture here. I need to brush up on my Spanish. Everyone here is bilingual, to the point where they switch languages every couple words. Makes for an interesting time. Getting used to the weather. It's quite predictable: 70's during the day, afternoon thunderstorms, 50's or so at night. Tonight it's been raining for a while, which is pretty weird.

This is turning out to be just the adventure I was looking for. So far, so good!

How to kill time.

Is it a sign of an obsession that I've only begun knitting about a month ago and I've already made two scarves, a hat, a belt, three dishclothes, and a few random practice swatches? Obsession, or perhaps just a sign of how anxious I've been. Knitting is calming, and I need to be calmed like whoa jeez now.

So here are a few pictures of the latest:


These dishcloths are easy to make (and so functional!), so if anyone wants one (or a bunch), let me know. I've got lots of colors of this yarn, so the color possibilities are practically endless.

Today, I did a logcabin pattern. I eventually hope to make a full-size blanket in this type of pattern, but with less hideous colors of course. And nicer yarn. This square was made from random leftover cotton yarn, but I think it's sort of interesting and might make a nice blanket.



Only a few more days til I move. Five to be exact. Scary! Other than running random errands, knitting, drinking tea, and baking, I haven't been doing much. I'm trying not to fret too much. The good news is that little Lisa has a big girl job interview next Tuesday. That's pretty exciting. I hope I get this job. Or any job. But this one would be good.

It's still raining. Sigh.

Long lost twin?

When my mom took Ian back to school, they went downtown to do some shopping and happened to pop into a store that sells stuffed animals. Knowing how upset I was about not being able to take my guinea pig with me when I move, they decided to buy a stuffed animal to cheer me up a little. I think they made a pretty good choice:


The color similarity is uncanny. It was an awesome gift, and it really made me smile. Beaker had a good time chewing on his stuffed counterpart. Cuteness!

In other news, it has been raining and cold here, and I hope that there will be nicer weather in the desert. In the meantime, I've been drinking tea and knitting. Whatever it takes to pass the time, I guess.

Laptop party.

Quality times.

In other news, I'm very bitter because my new apartment people called to tell me that in fact guinea pigs are not welcome there. Less than two weeks before I move in. I'm furious because had I known that, I would have found somewhere else to live! I can't handle incompetent people. So my pig must stay home, at least until I'm able to find a new apartment. So we'll see how it goes. Growl.

In which the job search continues...

I was a wee bit afraid that my blog had been lost forever, what with the fantastic new ability to use Blogger with a Google account. But it all worked out, and here I am typing yet another inane entry that perhaps no one will read. Good times!

So the nanny job I was applying for fell through because my school hours were simply incompatible. Blast you, grad school! However, I continue the search. My next step will be applying for a chemistry job at Los Alamos National Laboratory. That would be ridiculous if it works, since they pretty much want analytical chemists (that particular discipline being the bane of my existence). But working at Los Alamos would be amazing, and it would be nice to put the ol' chem degree to some good use. So we'll see. The search continues.

I'm excited to see that Sara now has a blog. Everyone should have a blog. Blogs are super.

Countdown: 12 days.

No place like NEPA?

Aside from knitting and packing, I have been trying once again to find a job. Difficulty: 1900 miles away. Presently, I'm attempting to turn my life into a real-life version of The Nanny Diaries. I'm hoping it all works out with my school schedule and whatnot. If not, it's back to the classifieds for me.

I'm feeling slightly...erm...nervous about the move. Added challenge: effin terrorists and new security regulations at airports. More things to stress me out. I mean, not that I care about the terrorists. I mean, what are the chances that they would want to be flying to Albuquerque anyway? Slim to none, and slim just rode out of town on a fast horse. However, the TSA people can be a bit intimidating. (And they always yell at you in Philly. Always!) Plus, I really like being able to drink water whenever I want. So does my guinea pig, who will be my traveling companion. Sigh.

Despite the constant gnawing anxiety before my move, I'm enjoying living at home. It occurs to me that this may be the last time I'm home for any great length of time. It's a bit sad. There are advantages to staying home. However, I'm determined not to become that 35-year-old living in her parents' basement. Nope. Time to pretend I'm a big girl!

Life is pretty good at the moment. I'm feeling very blessed by many things, including but not limited to free knitting patterns, home-cooked meals, nighttime cold medicine, tearable packing tape, and of course, all my lovely friends. Aww.

Scarf'd!

First project: done. Someday I'll make something fancy like a sweater.

Purls of wisdom

My latest addiction? Knitting. Oh yes. It started off innocently enough, but now I'm completely hooked. I've knitted almost an entire scarf already, and I only started it on Monday. It's so soothing to knit...it's provided plenty of distraction from my moving woes.

My other new toy is my new HP laptop. I'm very excited about it, as my old computer was painfully slow. Additionally, having a laptop beats lugging a desktop across the country. So that's pretty fun.

Other than that, all I have been doing lately is fretting about moving. I kinda just want to be there already, so I can stop worrying about what will happen once I'm there!

The weekend thus far.

Anger, hurt feelings, poor decisions, moving furniture, new computer, crying hysterically, throwing up, oversleeping, minor roadtrips, buying watercolors, coffee, pigeon books, moving more furniture, more sleeping, moping, relenting, talking, painting...

Now what?

Albuquerq,

I hereby declare ABQ to be the best airport ever, if only because they have free wireless internet access. That makes me happy in the heart.


My trip out west has been just awesome. I now have a place to live out here (yay!), and we also did a lot of fun stuff like visit Bandalier, Carlsbad, Roswell, tons of museums, etc etc etc. I'm so excited about moving here (well, except for the actual moving part, which is going to be the most horrendous ordeal of my life).


Life is exciting.

New!

The girl has brown hair.

BEST.

Ian and I watched this about a thousand times today, and laughed harder each time: Garbage Day.

preparing for take-off.

Maybe someday I'll make it.

Summer reading.

During the past semester, I barely had any time to read real (ie, non-school) books. Thus I am trying to cram in reading as many books as possible in the time I have between semesters. I have read two novels in as many days, and I think I'd like to keep the book-of-the-day club going. But let me tell you a bit about what I read. First, I read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Now, this book is young adult fiction, which, despite being almost 22 years of age, I still enjoy. However, despite its YA status, this was an amazing book. It was pretty emotional reading, but well worth it. Today I read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, which I couldn't put down simply due to the fact that I had to find out what happened, what it all meant, if the characters could somehow escape the cruel hand of fate! The whole plot started me thinking about bioethics and what it means to be human, which are always fun topics to kick around (but will probably keep me up at night).

Having finished those books, I'm now taking suggestions for what else I should read. Any genre is acceptable, as long as it's interesting and at least moderately intellectually stimulating.

Questions of Science and Progress

My animal development prof points to the first picture on the diagram and says, "This is the little cutie-pie we all started out as." Aww, precious!

To be honest, as interesting as facial development might be, I'm getting a little sick of it. I'm pretty tired of school in general. Well, I'm pretty tired in general. I'll be glad for a few weeks off.

As of tomorrow afternoon, I'm officially done with all the science I'm ever going to do. I'll have completed all the chemistry and biology courses I need for my degree. That is a pretty good thing, I think. I'm excited about moving on to things I'm more interested in and better suited for (namely, psychology). Yet in a way, I'm slightly sad about not doing science anymore. After all, it has been my entire life up to this point. I liked being able to understand the nuances of complex subjects like biochemical pathways and such. Friedel-Crafts acylation! How 'bout some good old fatty acid metabolism? I like being able to understand innuendoes about SN2 reactions. Good bye, science! I'll miss thee!

Not that I'm giving up on it entirely. My desire to know everything about everything prevents that. I'll still listen to the Nature Podcast and Slacker Astronomy. I'll still peruse Scientific American from time to time. I just won't stay up til all hours of the night studying for a damn animal development exam anymore.

Public Service Announcement

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I have one word of advice: Wear deodorant. I have noticed a preponderance of individuals who seem to have ignored this simple yet important rule. There's really no excuse for this. I mean, we are way beyond junior high here, kids. Shouldn't we have figured this one out already?

Also (and this is particularly aimed at those of the female sex): Wear clothes that fit you. I don't care how hot you think you are, nobody wants to see your gut hanging over your jeans because your shirt is too short to cover it. This is a glamor don't, my friends.

Listen, I'm no fashion expert. Of course I'm not. It's even been discussed that perhaps I should be on What Not to Wear. But even I recognize these basic, essential rules. Hygiene. Clothes that fit. You'll look like a million bucks, I swear.

Adios, muchachos.

Well, it's official, kids: I've been accepted to the MAAT program at Southwestern College. Off to Santa Fe I go!

In the meantime, I'm looking for a summer job. As of yet, The Man has not been very helpful in this matter. If anyone has any connections in the greater Philadelphia area and could get me the hook up, I'd be most grateful.

Time to get ready for lab. This lab (animal development) is getting out of hand. How long can a person look at serial cross sections of a chicken embryo? It's maddening. Besides, what did the chickens ever do to get hacked up and placed on glass slides? Cruelty! Alas. The silly demands placed upon me by this wonderful institue of higher learning.

watching my daily life with the sound off.

thirty-three years go by
and not once do you come home
to find a man sitting in your bedroom
that is
a man you don't know
who came a long way to deliver one very specific message:
lock your back door, you idiot
however invincible you imagine yourself to be
you are wrong

-Parameters, Ani Difranco

What part of "I hate your fucking guts" can a person not understand?
Yet he continues to intrude on my life in the simplest but most
irritating ways.  Sigh.

Decided to change it up a little.

Well, I've had this blog in its current incarnation for about one year now, so I decided it needed a little makeover. Not entirely sure if I like it yet, but it's something to play around with.

Oh Santa Fe.

Since everyone's been asking me how it was, here's a little excerpt from my journal, re: Santa Fe.

Santa Fe is a refuge for aging hippies and 30-something art-types. The air smells of wood smoke and red chiles. There are about a million art galleries. Public art everywhere. The people are friendly; you can strike up a conversation with just about anyone.

All the buildings are adobe. Office buildings, houses, churches: adobe. They are the same colors as the desert. Soft, gentle hues that commune with the surroundings.

The city itself is situated on a high desert plain. The desert is full of amazing colors, and the colors change as the cun passes overhead. The sky is just huge. Huge and clear and blue. The air itself is thinner. Less oxygen. But amazing. The clarity of the light in the thinner atmosphere. Ah! Sigh!

And just past the city in every direction are the mountains. They are still snow-capped, even in March. Beautiful.

Well. Yeah. I had a good time. And you can see a few of the pictures I took. I'll probably post more at some point.

There's a new Mexico?

Just so you know.

I am going to California tomorrow. Suckas.

it's about the process, man.

Bad night=GIS collage.

It's not a work of art, but making it was a good release.

meh.

Not that I'm complaining.

So, we have no school today because...*shakes magic 8 ball*....it's raining?

Sometimes I think this school is insane. I mean, I guess the roads might have been icy this morning (I wouldn't know, of course, as I didn't roll out of bed til about noon), but honestly, things are totally fine now, and I was quite shocked to realize we didn't have school.

The cure for senioritis

I'll admit it: I am so over the whole school thing. I don't want to go to class (not that that's particularly unusual). I don't want to do homework (again, I suppose that's normal). However, the problem is that this lack of motivation has reached epic proportions. It's threatening my academic wellbeing.

I was supposed to do my practice seminar on Monday. Ah, seminar. The crowning achievement of my undergraduate career. I was completely unprepared. I was panicking, to be honest. As I was walking to the lecture hall, it occurred to me that I hadn't even written the requisite abstract for this damn seminar. Oh dear. Problem. My heart was racing, I was breaking into a cold sweat, and then: I noticed the crowds of people milling about outside the science buildings. Hmm. Fire drill? Nope, even better.

Bromine spill.

Bromine! My saving grace! Some tool had spilled 100 mL of it, had forgotten the thiosulfate, and had caused the evacuation of the buildings for around three hours. This chump was my salvation. Of course, I still need to present this silly seminar, but as for Monday, life was good.

So, my dear friends, if you've been suffering from senioritis as I have, then perhaps you should pray for a little bromine.

Yup.

After a week dedicated to the Vagina Monologues, I guess I was inspired. So here it is, my most recent (and perhaps most disturbing) 3D design project thus far.

CAVE people.

My dad was talking about his amazing plan for energy conservation in this country. Not a bad plan, focuses heavily on renewable resources, as all good energy plans should. At one point he mentioned that wind power should be utilized far more than it already is. "But some people don't like windmills," I said. "Yes," he said, "But those are the CAVE people." "Cave people?" I asked. "Yeah," he said, "Citizens Against Virtually Everything."

I know quite a few members of this organization. Though they may object to being called an organization. Meh.

I am taking applications for a pig-sitter.

Katie: "I will SO walk your pig. I'm serious."

My poor little guinea pig. He's been so neglected lately, since I've been insanely busy with school and such. Guinea pigs have a small but significant vocabulary of squeaks they make to communicate, and yesterday I definitely got the "Pay attention to me!" squeak. Poor baby.

So in any case, Katie has offered to come and play with him. Seems like a good deal to me. She has even offered to get a leash for him and walk him down the street. I think he might make it about half a block. But you never know, he might just enjoy the fresh air.

To Do List

• Kick the GRE's ass

(sweet.)

But is it art?

The first picture is the result of my latest endeavor. Fabric on gessoed wood, if anyone cares.

The other picture is the mess I made in attempting to complete this. I am now off to clean up said mess. But look, it's like a scavenger hunt, kids! How many pairs of scissors did I use?

Wonder if the neighbors will frown upon my vacuuming at 10:30p. Oh well.

yeah i don't know either.

Fabric, acrylic, glitter, fabric paint, and paper on canvas.

Maybe a little obsessed...

Ever since I've gotten the iPod, and even before that, I've been a big fan of podcasts. There are so many random people with microphones out there. Here are some of my current favorites:

• The Naked Scientists covers different science topics each week, and they always have several experts on said topics. It's humorous and informative, and as an added bonus, you get to hear some fun British slang every once in awhile.
• The Catholic Insider is a website made by Fr. Roderick Vonhögen from the Archdiocese of Utrecht, in the Netherlands. He does a daily show that obviously deals with Catholic topics, but I think that even non-Catholics might find it interesting. He also does podcasts that discuss Narnia, Harry Potter, and other pop culture phenomena, and the symbolism (Christian, Pagan, historical, etc) within them. Very interesting! He's a seems like quite a down-to-earth guy who happens to be up on a lot of the latest technology.
• The Nature Podcast is done by Dr. Chris Smith, the same guy who's responsible for the Naked Scientists. He does interviews with the authors of recent studies from the journal Nature. Some of you more scientifically-minded people might enjoy it (I'm looking at you, Kira).
• Yet another science one. This time it's Slacker Astronomy, which covers the latest in astronomy news. The have bad humor instead of math, so it's pretty good.

• And finally (for now), the News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Cause I'm too lazy tragically hip to turn on the TV.

I keep myself amused. The internet, what can't it do? ("Cook," says Kira. "Make my roommate take a shower," says Paul. A plague on both your houses! The internets are great!)