Outback adventure

I returned to Sydney today after a week in the Australian Outback, also known as the Red Center because of the bright red sandy soil, a substantial amount of which I brought home with me on my clothing and in my hair. We spent a day in Adelaide, then one in Alice Springs, and then headed off for a three day camping tour with Wayoutback (highly recommended!). Our group consisted of my former college roommate Kristy and her husband Rodd, a few more Australian tourists, a few European backpackers, me, and two tour guides. I loved it! The scenery was spectacular (oh, the Aussies and Brits use much richer vocabulary than we Americans...I'd be all "cool!" whereas they would say something like "how splendidly magnificent"), the company was excellent, and I enjoyed eating food cooked over a campfire and sleeping under the stars in my swag. I even got a tan, complete with a sock line. Our first day we went to Uluru (Ayers Rock) which was as stunning as I had imagined. I didn't climb it because apparently the Aborigines prefer that people do not, so I hiked around the base instead. Positive: avoidance of tribal curses. Negative: FLIES. I literally had a cloud of them buzzing around my head at all times.

The rock itself is striking, rising out of the flat outback terrain, and we got great views of it at both sunset and sunrise. However, I liked the next two sites on the tour even more, even though I had never heard of them before this trip. The first was a different rock formation with a number of domes called the Olgas (or Kata Tjuta) and the second was Kings Canyon, which reminded me a bit of the American southwest. We spent several hours hiking around both sites, and both were quite beautiful. On the road, we encountered some native wildlife including a dingo pup, witchtail eagles, wild camels (not native but fairly common), kangaroos, and an emu family (dad with three babies). Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get any decent photos but I did eat some of these tasty animals (camel, emu sausage, and camel) at Bojangles Saloon in Alice Springs, which is basically the type of establishment the Outback Steakhouse seeks to emulate (there's no I in emulate, but there is an emu). While in the bush, I didn't run into anything scary or deadly with the exception of a redback spider Rodd spotted in the camp toilet- it was promptly squished. Here are a few photos and you can head over to Kris' blog for a more thorough recounting of our adventures. Overall, the trip was a great success... now I'm back in Sydney for a couple of days until I head south to Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road.

Down Under

I made it to Australia. The flight was...long, but not terrible. The plane was packed with middle-aged Canadians athletes on their way to the Masters World Games in Sydney and everyone was quite friendly and pleasant. After a long back-up at customs, Kris met me at the airport and we headed off to explore Sydney- in the pouring rain. The city does have a bit of a British feel to it, and the residents have adorable accents and sure do love meat pies. Here are a couple of photos I took of the Opera House (it really is stunning, and has almost a pearly gleam to it when the sun does come out) and some creepy bats in the botanical garden. I've got one more day to explore the city and then we head off on our Outback adventure- Adelaide to Alice Springs to Uluru (a.k.a. Ayers Rock). I can't wait!

Things I've Been Meaning to Blog About*

1. I spent last weekend in San Fransisco, visiting the fun friends I have there and attending the pig roast wedding reception of Yuki and Jonathan. I had a blast, and every time I go to San Fransisco, I sort of want to move there. Pictures are of the newlyweds, Yuki and me, the pig roaster/go cart that Jonathan built for the occasion, and my lovely hostesses and me at the bluegrass festival. We saw Neko Case and she was great and had amazingly bright red hair.








2. I read a book I loved loved loved- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Set immediately following WWII, the book tells the story of British author who forms a friendship with a group of residents and bibliophiles from Guernsey, an island in the English channel that was occupied by Germany during the war. Don't let the uncomfortably long name turn you off- it's a charming novel, though admittedly a bit on the girly side, and provides an interesting account of the war from the British perspective.

3. This morning I awoke to find a whole bunch of strange sound equipment on my front lawn. At first I was mad, thinking that villainous vandal had ditched some speakers, amps, and whatnot under the cover of darkness and now I was going to get stuck with the removal. Turns out that new Tom Cruise movie is filming at the house across the street, and some of the equipment was delivered early. Looks like I'll have to schedule in some celebrity stalking tomorrow before I pack for my vacation.

4. I leave tomorrow for my big trip to Australia and I can't wait! I start off in Sydney, where I will be picked spending the first weekend with my college roommate and her husband. From there we go on an outback adventure, then back to Sydney, then I head south by myself to Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road. I'll do my best to update.


5. Interspecies friendship alert!! OMG you guys, this is the cutest one I've seen in a long, long time. Click on the link and prepare yourself for a mental enema of cute.



*Sometimes I think it's okay to end a phrase with a preposition. It's something you're just going to have to deal with.

Nothing happens, nothing happens, and then everything happens.

My week:

Tuesday (yesterday): Get awarded a Ph.D. in Microbiology after six long (and mostly miserable) years of grad school.
Friday: Fly to San Fransisco
Saturday: Attend the wedding reception of Yuki and Jonathon. Pig roast!
Sunday: Turn 32, go to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, fly back to Boston
Monday and Tuesday: finish thesis revisions and rewrite a scientific manuscript for submission. Oh and maybe try to find a job and a Halloween costume.
Wednesday: leave for Australia!!

Belated links

Interspecies friendship alert! Kristy sent me this story about a cheetah and a mouse last week, and I completely forgot to post it. However, it seems to me that the two aren't exactly friends, they're more like animal neighbors who tolerate each other. Animal frenemies, perhaps.

Last week, I made this recipe for Jerk Pork Chops with Hearts of Palm Salad and Sweet Plantains and it was fantastic! The meal came out delicious, and best of all, it took less than 15 minutes to prepare the whole thing. I used a carribean jerk spice blend from McCormick to season the pork and it was excellent- I was worried it would be too mild but it wasn't at all- it definitely had a kick to it.

The FYIF Song of the Day

I'm making the final adjustments to my thesis defense presentation right now, so I wanted to pick some sort of peppy inspirational song- the type of song that if it come on the radio while you're driving, you'll immediately crank the volume and start singing along.

Like this one:

The Killers- Human

Happy Friday, everyone!

Six years down, one week to go

My thesis has been written and handed out to my committee, and my Ph.D. defense is one week from today. So don't expect a lot of posting this week- even though I didn't think I'd be nervous, I'm starting to freak out, just a little bit.

In other news, my Australia trip is now only two weeks away, and the job search continues- I have an interview today with a scientific publishing group in the Netherlands. Things are looking up!

Snuggie Season

With the chill in the air this past week, it seems that this brief summer has passed by, and everyone is starting to pull out those fall sweaters, jackets, and....Snuggies! Oh yes, it's Snuggie Season. Just this week, I received two Snuggie-related emails from friends (thanks Jess and Meg!)... so you can continue to count on DCoE as a reliable source for news stories related Snuggies and interspecies friendships. If I ever come across a story about a polar bear and a husky who wear animal Snuggies and are the best of friends, why, my head might explode with the awesomeness.

So here are the links:
Snuggie fashion show!
and Snuggie Sutra (um, yes it's what you think it is, but the link is safe to click)

And because it's Friday, time for the song of the day:
Last night, I saw The Polyphonic Spree at the Paradise. If you're not familiar with them, the picture pretty much says it all. They are a huge orchestral rock group who dress in robes and play trippy music that sounds like a blend of ELO and the Hair soundtrack. At this show, they had 21 members on stage, including a flautist, six back-up singers, and a guy rocking out on a harp. And the best past was that it was sponsored by Southern Comfort, so it was free admission with two free drinks! I've avoided SoCo since it led to an unfortunate Patriots tailgating experience circa 2002, but I had a mixed drink with SoCo, ginger ale, and lime, and it was actually quite tasty. Southern Comfort is sponsoring shows in several cities this fall, so if they come to yours, I definitely recommend going.

Without further ado:

The Polyphonic Spree- Lithium (Nirvana cover)

Reviews: One movie, one book, and one show

Movie: The Informant!
Last week, I went to a sneak preview of the new um...how would I describe it? Offbeat comedy? movie my Steven Soderbergh. You know, the one starring a somewhat nerdy, somewhat portly version of Matt Damon. Based upon a true story, The Informant! tells the story of Mark Whitacre, a midwestern biochemist turned corporate exectutive in the billion-dollar industry of corn-derived food additives. Uncomfortable with the illegal price-fixing schemes his company involved him in, he starts working for the FBI as an informant and proves surprisingly effective despite his apparent incompetence in regards to discretion. As time goes on, the FBI (and the audience) learn that Mark may not be quite as naive as he comes across. I saw the movie knowing virtually nothing about it, and was quite glad for that, so that's all I will say. The Informant! is essentially a character study of an interesting and deluded character, and Damon absolultey nails the lead role. It's best described as an unusual movie and a highly entertaining one at that. The Informant! is funny as hell, in its own special way.

Book: As some of you know, I'm part of a Book Club with a few other Boston-area bloggers. We've done the classic classics (Wuthering Heights) the American classics (To Kill a Mockingbird) and the campy classics (Valley of the Dolls). This month's selection solidly falls into the third category: oh yes, we're reading Flowers in the Attic, by VC Andrews. It's the terrible tale of four siblings kept prisoner in the attic of a huge mansion by their cruel grandmother and their selfish mother, whose vanity far outwieghs her concern for her children's well-being. The novel is gripping and very creepy, and I felt so bad for the kids. On the positive side, now I finally know how the Dresden Dolls got their name.

Show: Last weekend, I went to the Donkey Show- a disco-themed performance visiting Boston from its home base of New York City. I had a great time. There is very little of an actual show; it's basically a giant disco dance party with a few scantily clad cast members covered in glitter flitting about. I felt like I was in a non-porny scene from Boogie Nights. And they even played my all-time favorite disco song. I'd definitely recommend it, but definitely go to the later show (8:00 is far too early for that amount of spandex) and have a cocktail or two first.

Links!

Well, I couldn't call myself a blogger if I didn't acknowledge Patrick Swayze's recent passing. I fully admit to loving everything about the movie Dirty Dancing, and here's a little movie montage tribute. I distinctly remember Christmas of the year it came out- my sister Kerry got a boom box and a cassette tape of the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and I was soooo jealous.

In other death-related news, everyone at my workplace is obsessed with the Yale grad student murder case and in a separate incident, a Johns Hopkins undergrad killed a prowler with a samurai sword.

Update

Oh hi, I'm still around, just busy. My Ph.D. thesis defense is two weeks from today, so I'm swamped with the final preparations and graduation paperwork, in addition to starting my job search.

Ideally, I'm looking for a position that:

1. is science-related, but in an applied and interactive setting (industry, public health, and government labs) rather than traditional academia. My background is in microbiology and infectious disease.

2. is awesome.

3. pays well.

So let me know if you hear of anything :)

List #42...Things I’ve Always Wanted To Do

I assume everyone has things they’ve always wanted to do. I don’t mean significant, noble undertakings like climbing Mount Everest or saving orphaned children or writing a blog. I’m talking about trivial things, inconsequential things, like “I’ve always wanted to take a flying karate kick and bust open a piñata.” Or “Man, someday I’m going to walk by a fire alarm and just pull the sucker.”

Well, I have a few, and some of them I’ve actually done. And it was quite satisfying. To wit:

1. Walk up a down escalator. (Honolulu airport, 2002)
2. Spray a fire extinguisher. (Laboratory safety training, 2005)
3. Burn a couch. (Okay, I didn’t actually pitch it in the fire myself but I was there to witness it. Peace Corps reunion, 2009.)

But there’s one more item on my list that remains elusive, even though I’ve had ample opportunity:

4. Pull the emergency shower in the laboratory. Every single time I walk by that thing, I just want to pull it! Something about that dangling pull handle is just so…inviting. Problem is, there’s no drain underneath, so if you do pull it (so I’ve heard), tons of water rushes out and gets all over the floor and makes a huge mess. But hey, if my upcoming thesis defense goes well, let’s just say you probably don’t want to be standing underneath it when I walk by.

How about the rest of you? Any silly things you’ve always wanted to do? Leave them in the comments.

Lastly, even though it's still Thursday, here is your Friday song- two for the price of none!

Inspired by the cooking post below:

Talking Heads - Pyscho Killer

Bonus track: The Beatles (not remastered) - Michelle (see what I did there?)

Recipe: "Snapper" Veracruz

A while back, a friend emailed me a link to a cooking website called Rouxbe (which after months of pronouncing it "rocks-bee" in my head, I just now realized it's supposed to be a play on the cooking term roux, so it should sound like "rube." These mistakes happen when the extent of one's French is essentially limited to Pyschokiller lyrics.). Anyways, you have to pay to have full access to all of the site, but there are a ton of recipes and cooking videos available for free. I've been meaning to try out this recipe for Snapper Veracruz for a while but didn't want to cook a whole pan of fish for myself. I had guests on Tuesday night, so I gave it a whirl. I ended up using cod instead because there wasn't any snapper at the supermarket, but the recipe said it was fine to substitute any mild, white fish. And I omitted the bay leaves because, to be honest, they sketch me out. Aren't you supposed to not eat them? Why would I add something to a recipe that needs to be removed later? What if I forget and eat one? Stop messing with me, bay leaves!

Anyways, my Cod Veracruz came out great. It was extremely easy to prepare and tasted delicious- the olives and the jalapeños added a nice flavor. Even the one person who isn't a big fan of fish ate and enjoyed it. I forgot to take a picture but my dish did look exactly like the official portrait from the website.

Nica 20 Reunion

I spent Labor Day weekend at my Peace Corps reunion at the Hasselmann Family Farm in Illinois. There were 19 members of Nica 20 Agriculture, and 11 of us attended along with assorted spouses and children (and one suegra). We all had a fantastic time... perfect weather, beautiful scenery, and a great chance to catch up with old friends. You know how with some friends you don't talk to them for years, and then you get together and it feels like not even a day has passed? Well, it was like that. (Except for all of the kids and babies, but I've gotta say, Peace Corps volunteers produce some adorable and well-behaved children.) I've been a city mouse for the past several years, so it was a nice change of pace to spend a few days in farm country. We ate fresh eggs and delicious meats from the farm, we mowed hay (as in stacked bales into a hay mow), went on a hayride, had a bonfire (complete with a burning couch!) and threw a Nicaraguan party featuring piñatas, tortillas, gallo pinto, and Flor de Caña. A special thanks go out to Scott and his wife Nena- they did a wonderful job as hosts and put a lot of work into making the weekend a huge success. Oh, and if any of you in the Illinois area are looking to support your local farmers and enjoy fine meats, definitely check out the farm website listed above- most products, including the brats (no trip to the Midwest is complete without them), are Animal Welfare Approved.
Some pictures:

Ten years later

In September of 1999, I left for my Peace Corps assignment as an agriculture volunteer in Nicaragua. I was 21 years old, fresh out of college, could barely speak Spanish, and didn't really know squat about agriculture, but I was chock full of idealism and ready for adventure. The next 27 months were full of ups and downs- one day you're watching baby sea turtles hatch at the most beautiful beach you've ever seen, and the next day you've been pickpocketed on the bus and you've got giardia. But despite all of the frustrating parts, Peace Corps was by far the most rewarding thing I've done in the past ten years. I learned another language, lived in another country, and did hundreds of things I never imagined possible. I owned a horse. I swam in waterfalls and hiked in woods populated by howler monkeys. I lived with a Nicaraguan family for two years in a small house with a dirt floor. I played soccer on a team that traveled around the country in an old cattle truck. I vaccinated chickens and hitchhiked on the Pan-American highway. Most importantly, I met wonderful people and made amazing friends.

To celebrate out ten year anniversary, several of my fellow agriculture volunteers are gathering at a very appropriate place, the Hasselmann Family Farm in Illinois, which belongs to my friend Scott (the guy in the well in the photo). I leave tomorrow and I can't wait!

Have a great Labor Day weekend, and here's a song for your download enjoyment:

Quiero Ser Poeta by Jarabe De Palo. It's a great song from one of my favorite bands.

Lastly, here's a long-distance dedication video that goes out to the members of Nica 20 AG who are unable to attend this weekend. For everyone else, if you don't know what a ranchera is, well, you're about to find out.

Yelpin' It

One thing I have trouble with as a consumer is auto repair. Let's be honest- I know almost nothing about cars, and it's immediately apparent to mechanics that I know almost nothing about cars. Which makes me paranoid that they are going to take advantage of me, because, hey, easy mark and all. For many years, I went to Emerson Auto Service near my old apartment, and they seemed to do a fine job for a decent price. However, when I moved, I decided to try out another garage that was closer to my work- Mike's Auto Repair. I went in there for an oil change, and the mechanic called me up with dire news and a laundry list of repairs that needed to be done- thousands of dollars worth of work (keep in mind that I drive a 14 year old minivan that is probably worth around 2K at best.). He told me that I had a broken axle that needed to be repaired immediately because it was extremely dangerous and I was lucky I hadn't totally given way yet. I agreed to the axle job and tire rotation and was unplesantly surprised when the bill came to $500. I gave him the benefit of the doubt but didn't like the pressured upsell, so when I got my car inspected today I went back to Emerson. Nice and easy, $29, no problems. Since I was in the old neighborhood, I stopped by to visit Ern and Pat and told them The Tale of Two Garages. Turns out Pat had tried Mike's once and the EXACT SAME THING happened to him! He went in there for an inspection and was told that he had a broken axle in need to immediate replacement. Suspicions confirmed, I was miffed! I decided to join Yelp to give Mike's a bad review, and looks like I wasn't the first. I also showed Emerson some love (or at least, strong like). Emerson Auto Service, my minivan will stay loyal to you for the rest of its road-worthy days.

Previously, I hadn't been too sold on Yelp (I've heard some shady claims that they delete negative reviews) but now it's growing on me. Just wondering...do any of you use Yelp? Any positives or negatives about the site you'd care to share?

Van envy

For the past few years, I've been a secret admirer of a particular vehicle. It's a bright orange old VW van. It has curtains and a sink. I covet it. I don't know who owns it (someone awesome, presumably), but I often see it parked near my work and when I lived in South Boston, I would also see it in that neighborhood. So it's clearly driven by someone who frequents the same areas of the city that I do. A couple of times it's driven past me as I've been out running and I've tried to catch a glimpse of the driver, to no avail. Although I'm curious, I kind of like the fact that the van maintains an air of mystery. Silly as it seems, whenever I see the van I consider it a good omen, a sign that I'm going to have a great day. Today I parked right behind it! Oooh, a lucky day indeed.

Links!

Animal links:

Dog Snuggies! (via Chris)

The best interspecies friendship EVER! I don't care if the photo is fake; I love it. (via an anonymous commenter)

Friends in the news:

My former coworker Elena was a model for Boston Magazine's sexy scientist fashion shoot.

Boston Band Crush interviews Chris Mulvey, who will be participating in tomorrow night's One Night Band show at the Middle East. It's an event where local musicians will be teamed up randomly in bands of five and given exactly one day to come up with a set to play that night.

And lastly, the Friday song of the day:
I and Love and You, by the Avett Brothers.

Happy Friday, everyone.

Rest in Peace, Teddy Kennedy

You know, I was going to write a long and thoughtful post about the death of Ted Kennedy, who was one of my favorite politicians and my senator since I turned 18, but I'll leave the extensive coverage to Boston.com obituary page. I feel fortunate to have a Senator who actually represented me- almost every single time an issue I felt passionately about came to the Senate floor, I would look up the voting records to learn that Ted Kennedy had voted exactly how I would have.

His personal flaws were legion, and many of my older family members never forgave him for Mary Jo Kopechne's death (although I hate how it's often a knee-jerk response in an political discussion....Ted Kennedy supports universal health care...."but but but Chappaquiddick!"). However, in my lifetime I have seen no champion of human rights and liberal causes like Ted Kennedy.
He could have retired and lived a comfortable life decades ago, but instead he dedicated over forty years of his live as a public servant, working to make things better for ordinary Americans and acting as an outspoken advocate for more marginalized groups in our society- poor people, immigrants, gays, etc... This 1990 article from GQ has a nice summary of his legacy:

Even a partial listing of the major bills in whose passage Kennedy has played a part is impressive. Whether you admire them or not, these are the measures that transformed—mostly liberalized—America in our time: the first Immigration Reform Act; the Voting Rights Act and its extensions; the Freedom of Information Act; the Gun Control Act; the Campaign Financing Reform law; the Comprehensive Selective Service Reform Act; the Eighteen-Year-Old Vote law; the Occupational Safety and Health Act; the War on Cancer bills; the recodification of federal criminal laws; the Bilingual Education Act; the Fair Housing Acts; the Age Discrimination Act; the Airline and Trucking Deregulation bills; the Job Training Partnership Act; the South African sanctions; and the Grove City Civil Rights Restoration Act.

Far more than either of his brothers, who were lackluster senators, Kennedy, over the past three decades, has been responsible for changes in the complexion of this country and in the lives of its citizens. He has been an ally of blacks, American Indians, the poor, the sick, the aged, the mentally ill, starving refugees worldwide and immigrants. He has been an outspoken liberal, unafraid to take the controversial positions—on issues such as busing, abortion, gun control, the Vietnam War (late but forcefully), the nuclear freeze and capital punishment—that other senators clearly avoided.

Senator Kennedy spent his career standing up for the little guy, and we're a better country because of it.

The comedian, the sex dream, and the coincidence.*

As previously mentioned, while I was in New York for the weekend, two friends and I went to a comedy show featuring two correspondents from The Daily Show. The show was hosted by Adam Lowitt**, a producer on the show, who also did some stand-up of his own and was quite funny. The next day, one of the aforementioned friends texted me to say that she had a dream about the host of the comedy show. A sexy dream.

Cut to this afternoon- I left work early for a doctor's appointment and stopped by the Brookline Booksmith to pick up the book I supposedly read for Book Club, which I was hosting. (let's not discuss the fact that I was buying the book mere hours before the meeting.***) Anyways, so my slacker self just paid for my purchase when I noticed a guy who looked so familiar to me. It took me a few seconds to place him, when suddenly I realized he was the host of the comedy show I had seen in Manhattan on Saturday night. Internally, I debated going up to him and saying hello. Hey, he was funny, and I felt that the coincidence of me seeing him in New York then in Brookline two days later warranted mention. But would that be really creepy? And should I tell him my friend had a sex dream about him? That would probably be creepy. In the end, I went over and said hello and told him that I had just seen him on stage in NYC. He was nice and was with his sister, whom he was visiting. I opted not to tell him about my friend's dream.

* Oooh, a racy title. I like it.
** Hey Adam, in case you Google yourself, welcome to my creepy blog.
*** The book was Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, whose apartment in Harlem I coincidentally walked by this weekend. The first two chapters were really good, and I tried to make up for the fact that I didn't finish it with this delicious nicoise salad: