Wednesday I finally gave my first talk about my research at a Psych conference. I've presented my poster at conferences, but that's with everyone walking around and looking at different posters and you only ended up talking to people one-on-one. This was different - I had a microphone and a PowerPoint presentation, and I was the only one speaking in the room.
I've been pretty stressed out about this for the last few weeks. People at work who knew I was doing this would ask me if I was nervous. I'd always reply no, since I don't really have a problem with public speaking. It wasn't until the whole darn thing was over that I finally realized how tense I was!
So...my mentor and I submitted our manuscript on Monday, and the presentation was on Wednesday. Only thing left for now is applying for Grad schools and applying for that NSF grant. I'm not so worried about grad schools anymore as I'm done with all my personal statements! The grant will be another thing though....
I watched "The Break-Up" the other day at the dollar movies. I loved, loved, loved the movie! It was not what I expected at all and the ending jarred me a little. I think a year ago I wouldn't have liked the movie, but it so accurately portrays relationships and unfair life is sometimes. I'm putting it on my list of movies to buy along with "In Her Shoes." I also borrowed "The Family Stone" from the library yesterday. What a poorly done movie! It was just weird from beginning to end. However, I like the theme of being true to yourself. SJP very accurately portrays just how hard it is to be around someone who's too concerned about other's perceptions of them.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
Rent
Just watched the movie RENT for the first time. I loved it on Broadway, and I love it as a movie. I sobbed like crazy near the end - just as I did when I saw it the first time.
There's just something so beautiful about human nature - there's nothing more beautiful to me than when our image in God breaks through all the grime. Rent is about all these outcasts - people who are struggling to survive in this world. Yet, through all the shame of drug-addiction, battling AIDS, being "has-beens," or living on the streets, these people are simply looking for unconditional, reciprocal love in this broken world.
Ah, this is when I realize that I love being a Psychologist - I get to study brokenness, yet still find hope and goodness.
There's just something so beautiful about human nature - there's nothing more beautiful to me than when our image in God breaks through all the grime. Rent is about all these outcasts - people who are struggling to survive in this world. Yet, through all the shame of drug-addiction, battling AIDS, being "has-beens," or living on the streets, these people are simply looking for unconditional, reciprocal love in this broken world.
Ah, this is when I realize that I love being a Psychologist - I get to study brokenness, yet still find hope and goodness.
"Dying in America
At the end of the millenium
We're dying in America
To come into our own
And when you're dying in America
At the end of the millenium
You're not alone
I'm not alone
I'M NOT ALONE!!"
Monday, July 17, 2006
Friends with Benefits
...not those kind of friends and not those kind of benefits!
One of my best friends in life is pregnant and her little baby bulge is starting to show. Since she can no longer wear some of her more form-fitting clothes, I did what every good friend should do: I raided her closet. Someone has to wear those clothes during the next 6 months or so!
Her boyfriend also has, oh, 500+ DVDs. So I figure, while I'm in the borrowing mood, why not borrow some DVDs as well. I borrowed the entire first season of LOST (since I've heard it was soooooooo good) and a few movies.
So I began watching LOST, and let me tell you, it's a lot scarier than I expected! I've been watching them while at home alone, and I get really freaked out when I hear creaks and other noises. Appropriately, this morning my microwave became my phantom microwave. My microwave is pretty much the only lit clock in the front of my apartment, so when I came out to the kitchen, I immediately noticed that the clock light was out. Strangely enough, the microwave was still plugged in and the outlet worked. When I opened the microwave door, the microwave turned on and started running! It took a second to register that the plate inside was spinning and the light was on...meaning that microwaves were radiating onto my face as I was holding the door open...
I shut it immediately, unplugged the microwave, checked my face in the mirror for cancerous growths, took a breath, and scratched my head because I had no idea what to do. So for now, I'm without a working microwave. Any suggestions?
One of my best friends in life is pregnant and her little baby bulge is starting to show. Since she can no longer wear some of her more form-fitting clothes, I did what every good friend should do: I raided her closet. Someone has to wear those clothes during the next 6 months or so!
Her boyfriend also has, oh, 500+ DVDs. So I figure, while I'm in the borrowing mood, why not borrow some DVDs as well. I borrowed the entire first season of LOST (since I've heard it was soooooooo good) and a few movies.
So I began watching LOST, and let me tell you, it's a lot scarier than I expected! I've been watching them while at home alone, and I get really freaked out when I hear creaks and other noises. Appropriately, this morning my microwave became my phantom microwave. My microwave is pretty much the only lit clock in the front of my apartment, so when I came out to the kitchen, I immediately noticed that the clock light was out. Strangely enough, the microwave was still plugged in and the outlet worked. When I opened the microwave door, the microwave turned on and started running! It took a second to register that the plate inside was spinning and the light was on...meaning that microwaves were radiating onto my face as I was holding the door open...
I shut it immediately, unplugged the microwave, checked my face in the mirror for cancerous growths, took a breath, and scratched my head because I had no idea what to do. So for now, I'm without a working microwave. Any suggestions?
Monday, July 10, 2006
Back to Work
Oh happy Monday. I'm already counting down until my next vacation (Labor Day weekend in DC). It's been a long time since I genuinely didn't want to go back home after a vacation. Usually by the last few days, I'm impatient to be back into routine. I went to Knox for the first time in almost a month yesterday. The sermon was great and very convicting. Afterward, I stayed for the Ephesians seminar run by Jeff L. and Fred B. It's always good to do manuscript study although I have to admit exhaustion from the car ride home the night before did impair my observation skills.
Being gone for a week does guarantee work in my inbox. I'm happily plowing through some work-related research as well as resuming work on my manuscript. I realize my presentation is in 2 weeks and I haven't even begun putting together the Powerpoint slides for it. Additionally, I'm a week behind on my grad application schedule due to forgetting my USB flashdisk at work.
July is always a busy month it seems. Last year I somehow decided it would be good to schedule all my medical appointments during this month so my planner greeted me with a to-do list of appointments to schedule. Eye appointment - check! Haircut - check! Luckily I got my dental appointment out of the way before the vacation. My car is also falling apart (besides re-duct-taping it, I need to get an oil change and do a coolant flush at the very least). I did my finances this morning and feel a bit sick to my stomach. I think voice lessons and photography classes may have to wait if I want to travel at all after my Labor Day trip. Also, goodbye mall, hello thrift stores. I also have to be a bit more discerning while buying groceries. Ah, budgets - how I loathe thee.
Being gone for a week does guarantee work in my inbox. I'm happily plowing through some work-related research as well as resuming work on my manuscript. I realize my presentation is in 2 weeks and I haven't even begun putting together the Powerpoint slides for it. Additionally, I'm a week behind on my grad application schedule due to forgetting my USB flashdisk at work.
July is always a busy month it seems. Last year I somehow decided it would be good to schedule all my medical appointments during this month so my planner greeted me with a to-do list of appointments to schedule. Eye appointment - check! Haircut - check! Luckily I got my dental appointment out of the way before the vacation. My car is also falling apart (besides re-duct-taping it, I need to get an oil change and do a coolant flush at the very least). I did my finances this morning and feel a bit sick to my stomach. I think voice lessons and photography classes may have to wait if I want to travel at all after my Labor Day trip. Also, goodbye mall, hello thrift stores. I also have to be a bit more discerning while buying groceries. Ah, budgets - how I loathe thee.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Kiss My Lobster Pictures
Back in Ann Arbor. The trip was tons of fun and I can't wait for next year's trip already! My apartment is so quiet now that I'm alone instead of constantly being around 7 other people. Instead of posting pictures like my last post, here are links to all the pictures of the trip that I posted on facebook. Enjoy!
Photo Album 1
Photo Album 2
Photo Album 1
Photo Album 2
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Kiss My Lobster Day 6
I got my photos uploaded to my computer! Some highlights of the last few days:
- Playing catch phrase
- Learning to play Texas Holdem Poker and kicking the guys' butts!
- Field trip to Portland - hiking and relaxing by the waters
- Eating lobster (yummmm)
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Kiss My Lobster Day 4
Happy 4th of July! Woke up at 1 PM today. We went kayaking yesterday and it was the perfect day for it. The view throughout was just gorgeous. I'm just a little sad because I lost my shorts in a river in Maine (don't worry I was wearing the shorts over a swimsuit). We also had a mishap with poison ivy, but luckily Jessi was quick enough to have us rinse our legs in the river immediately afterward.
We had a wonderful dinner of salad and lasagna and played Apples to Apples while munching on puppy chow. The evening ended with a group of us finishing the first season of Veronica Mars.
Today is lounge day. Nothing exciting is happening except for watching TV and playing video games.
We had a wonderful dinner of salad and lasagna and played Apples to Apples while munching on puppy chow. The evening ended with a group of us finishing the first season of Veronica Mars.
Today is lounge day. Nothing exciting is happening except for watching TV and playing video games.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Kiss My Lobster Day 3
I suppose my days are incorrectly labeled since I'm writing these posts in the morning about the day before.
We ended up not having to clean yesterday. Andy called the renter and threatened to put a stop to his check if they didn't get back to us about the condition of the house. We were especially miffed about the moldy hot tub since the hot tub is the main reason we're vacation in the woods in Maine rather than on the coast of Maine. They called us back and sent someone over to clean the house that evening. The hot tub will take a few days to fix and clean up, but other than that we're a lot happier.
We slipped back into the same schedule we were in last year: we had breakfast between 10AM and noon, lunch at around 4 pm, and dinner at 10:30 PM. We didn't get groceries until later yesterday, so we had lunch at McDonalds. For dinner, Clint grilled beef, salmon, and vegetables. This guy is a grilling machine - he carries all his grilling supplies on a tool belt. By the end of dinner, he received marriage proposals from all the girls, and even one of the guys.
Afterward we played video games and watched Veronica Mars. Not super exciting. Today I think the plan is to go kayaking.
I have lots of pictures to share, but unfortunately didn't bring the cord that connects my camera to my computer.
We ended up not having to clean yesterday. Andy called the renter and threatened to put a stop to his check if they didn't get back to us about the condition of the house. We were especially miffed about the moldy hot tub since the hot tub is the main reason we're vacation in the woods in Maine rather than on the coast of Maine. They called us back and sent someone over to clean the house that evening. The hot tub will take a few days to fix and clean up, but other than that we're a lot happier.
We slipped back into the same schedule we were in last year: we had breakfast between 10AM and noon, lunch at around 4 pm, and dinner at 10:30 PM. We didn't get groceries until later yesterday, so we had lunch at McDonalds. For dinner, Clint grilled beef, salmon, and vegetables. This guy is a grilling machine - he carries all his grilling supplies on a tool belt. By the end of dinner, he received marriage proposals from all the girls, and even one of the guys.
Afterward we played video games and watched Veronica Mars. Not super exciting. Today I think the plan is to go kayaking.
I have lots of pictures to share, but unfortunately didn't bring the cord that connects my camera to my computer.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Kiss My Lobster Day 2
Now that we have wireless access in our cabin, I'll be updating hopefully pretty regularly.
So yesterday 5 of us drove from Ann Arbor to Maine by way of Canada. The boys were going to meet the girls at our apartments around 5:30 AM and we were going to take off by 6 AM at the latest. Now, I haven't been sleeping all that well last week and I guess my body decided it was time for me to catch up on sleep. At 6:15 AM I woke up to a group of people knocking on my window. I scrambled out of the house hoping and praying I grabbed everything I needed, and we were able to take off within 15 minutes.
The ride was lovely. We went through Ontario and Quebec, entered the US through Vermont and drove to Maine through New Hampshire. The trip didn't take as long as I had expected, perhaps because Jon and I raced each other (very safely) in Ontario, driving 140 kph in a 100 kph freeway. I haven't been to Quebec since I was in elementary school, so that distinct line between Ontario and Quebec came as a shock to me. All of a sudden, the English disappeared and there was nothing but French. We stopped at a McDonalds in Quebec and they weren't even able to communicate with us in English (among all of us, we had Chinese, Spanish, Greek and Egyptian languages covered, but not French), and couldn't take our credit cards. Since we failed to exchange currency for this trip, we had to wait till we got back to the US to eat. At one point, both Clint and I (in separate cars) both remarked that it felt like we were in a foreign country...which I guess we were since Canada is not the US.
We finally got to our cabin and it is the freakiest place ever. The three that got there earlier on Saturday ended up washing all the sheets for us. Today is going to be filled with cleaning the rooms, vacuuming, cleaning the sauna, and grocery shopping. The renter has decorated the cabin with skulls, swords, and bullets. Mel is convinced he also has the house bugged. Anyway, we're going to try to get some of our money back because it's ridiculous we have to spend a whole day cleaning on our vacation.
I've started using my digital camera and hopefully will have pictures up by tomorrow. =)
So yesterday 5 of us drove from Ann Arbor to Maine by way of Canada. The boys were going to meet the girls at our apartments around 5:30 AM and we were going to take off by 6 AM at the latest. Now, I haven't been sleeping all that well last week and I guess my body decided it was time for me to catch up on sleep. At 6:15 AM I woke up to a group of people knocking on my window. I scrambled out of the house hoping and praying I grabbed everything I needed, and we were able to take off within 15 minutes.
The ride was lovely. We went through Ontario and Quebec, entered the US through Vermont and drove to Maine through New Hampshire. The trip didn't take as long as I had expected, perhaps because Jon and I raced each other (very safely) in Ontario, driving 140 kph in a 100 kph freeway. I haven't been to Quebec since I was in elementary school, so that distinct line between Ontario and Quebec came as a shock to me. All of a sudden, the English disappeared and there was nothing but French. We stopped at a McDonalds in Quebec and they weren't even able to communicate with us in English (among all of us, we had Chinese, Spanish, Greek and Egyptian languages covered, but not French), and couldn't take our credit cards. Since we failed to exchange currency for this trip, we had to wait till we got back to the US to eat. At one point, both Clint and I (in separate cars) both remarked that it felt like we were in a foreign country...which I guess we were since Canada is not the US.
We finally got to our cabin and it is the freakiest place ever. The three that got there earlier on Saturday ended up washing all the sheets for us. Today is going to be filled with cleaning the rooms, vacuuming, cleaning the sauna, and grocery shopping. The renter has decorated the cabin with skulls, swords, and bullets. Mel is convinced he also has the house bugged. Anyway, we're going to try to get some of our money back because it's ridiculous we have to spend a whole day cleaning on our vacation.
I've started using my digital camera and hopefully will have pictures up by tomorrow. =)
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