nicole_crown

Blogging is one of those things that if you don't keep up with it, it becomes this gigantic pain in the ass to do since you have to catch everybody up. So very briefly, this is what I've been doing:

Work: I've been in the Zolan lab for a year now and just couldn't be happier about it. I LOVE my boss, I LOVE the people I work with and I'm really enjoying my project. I was an AI for my boss last semester and really enjoyed working with the students. I did one lecture which was really scary, but once I got in front of the students I found I really liked it. Usually I complain and complain about how annoying undergrads are, but that's just out of the classroom, in restaurants and Target where I have to listen to their conversations about how drunk they were and how Tony said Sheila was fat and he wished he hadn't slept with her. Inside the classroom they're not "undergrads", they're "students," if that makes any sense. I get a lot of satisfaction helping them learn. I was worried I wouldn't have any patience with them, since I'm not a terribly patient person in general, but it turns out I have a lot of patience with them (kind of like when it's your kids screaming it doesn't bother you, but when it's someone else's kids you want to throw them out the window). I'm an AI this semester again for a different professor who I don't enjoy working with nearly as much, but I get more interaction with the students so that's an ok tradeoff. Plus the students are older in this class. As far as research goes, things are moving slowly and I feel like I'll be here for quite a while, especially if I have to keep teaching, but I really love Bloomington and my life here so it's okay with me if I have to stay a while. I think a lot about what kind of post doc I want to do and whether I'll compromise my job satisfaction to be back in Saint Louis or whether I'll postpone moving back a little bit longer so that I can do a post doc I love. Some places that have come up in discussions are California and Texas, and even England and Scotland. But that's a long ways in the future and I should just learn to be content with the here and now.

Chris: He's doing really well. He started school again last semester and is going again this semester. He has class 6-9 Monday through Thursday, which is REALLY rough. He's actually taking intro Biology this semester which I'm SUPER excited about. I'll be able to talk about my research with him now, plus he's actually really enjoying the material. I think he should take some more bio classes and then go into bioinformatics, but that's more of my dream for him that his own dream. He's still working at Crane Naval Base as a computer programmer.

Dogs: Oh puppies, what would I do without you? I love them to death but we've had some problems with them chasing deer. It started during the deer mating season when a buck took up residence in "our" park. The dogs had chased after him a few times; one time I heard Toby yelp and then he wouldn't come back when I called and I thought he was dead. They were chasing him another time and this time the buck turned back on them and starting charging them. I grabbed Toby but I couldn't get Dakota and so the buck actually got her with his antlers on her butt. She squealed like a pig and ran to me, but she looked like she had just had the time of her life. Then just a few days ago we were in a completely different place where I've NEVER seen a deer, and low and behold here comes a deer running across the field. The dogs take off after it, Toby comes back after a few seconds of calling him but I could NOT find Dakota. I finally gave up and went back to the field where we were and there she was, waiting for us like "where the hell have you guys been?". One of these days they're really going to get hurt, but I just refuse to keep them on a leash all the time. I'm never stupid about it, they're only off leash when we're at the dog park or in a park that's empty, but of course those are also the times that the deer come out. So anyway, fun times with deer.

Holidays/Family: Christmas was good. Got to see lots of family. I went to Florida the week before to see Mom and Grandma. Grandma is getting really old and every time I see her I think it's going to be the last time. I took her to her brother's funeral back in November and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. There's an image burned into my head of her standing at her brother's casket, saying good bye, and she just had this look of resolve on her face like a) I'll see you soon and b)I've done this so many times. Anyway, she handled it better than I did and she held up really well physically. The family reunion is this summer and I'm making Chris come this time. It's time he met all eight thousand of us, especially the great aunts. So anyway, I flew to Saint Louis from Bradenton for Christmas and stayed a week. Had a good time seeing family, Dan and Mindy were there so it was nice to have everyone there at the same time.

Me: well, I suppose I'm doing fine. I've been spending my time after the wedding just relaxing, watching TV, cooking, taking the dogs hiking and now sewing (I'm taking up quilting). I had a minor health scare right before the wedding, the doctor found a lump and they did a biopsy and the whole thing. It turned out just to be a fibrous ball of crap, so no big deal, but more than a little scary at the time.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well!

A long time ago, I think back in January, right after I switched labs I wrote that there was light at the end of the tunnel because I had a box with a plate in it and I knew that one of these days I would have lots of boxes with lots of plates in them just like everybody else. I would just like to say that as of today, I have FOUR BOXES with TONS of plates in them! Yay!!!!!

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/10/03/GR2007100301385.html?hpid=smartliving

White House Manual Details How to Deal With Protesters

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 22, 2007; Page A02

Not that they're worried or anything. But the White House evidently leaves little to chance when it comes to protests within eyesight of the president. As in, it doesn't want any.

A White House manual that came to light recently gives presidential advance staffers extensive instructions in the art of "deterring potential protestors" from President Bush's public appearances around the country.

Among other things, any event must be open only to those with tickets tightly controlled by organizers. Those entering must be screened in case they are hiding secret signs. Any anti-Bush demonstrators who manage to get in anyway should be shouted down by "rally squads" stationed in strategic locations. And if that does not work, they should be thrown out.

But that does not mean the White House is against dissent -- just so long as the president does not see it. In fact, the manual outlines a specific system for those who disagree with the president to voice their views. It directs the White House advance staff to ask local police "to designate a protest area where demonstrators can be placed, preferably not in the view of the event site or motorcade route."

The "Presidential Advance Manual," dated October 2002 with the stamp "Sensitive -- Do Not Copy," was released under subpoena to the American Civil Liberties Union as part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of two people arrested for refusing to cover their anti-Bush T-shirts at a Fourth of July speech at the West Virginia State Capitol in 2004. The techniques described have become familiar over the 6 1/2 years of Bush's presidency, but the manual makes it clear how organized the anti-protest policy really is.

The lawsuit was filed by Jeffery and Nicole Rank, who attended the Charleston event wearing shirts with the word "Bush" crossed out on the front; the back of his shirt said "Regime Change Starts at Home," while hers said "Love America, Hate Bush." Members of the White House event staff told them to cover their shirts or leave, according to the lawsuit. They refused and were arrested, handcuffed and briefly jailed before local authorities dropped the charges and apologized. The federal government settled the First Amendment case last week for $80,000, but with no admission of wrongdoing.

The manual demonstrates "that the White House has a policy of excluding and/or attempting to squelch dissenting viewpoints from presidential events," said ACLU lawyer Jonathan Miller. "Individuals should have the right to express their opinion to the president, even if it's not a favorable one."

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said that he could not discuss the manual because it is an issue in two other lawsuits.

The manual offers advance staffers and volunteers who help set up presidential events guidelines for assembling crowds. Those invited into a VIP section on or near the stage, for instance, must be " extremely supportive of the Administration," it says. While the Secret Service screens audiences only for possible threats, the manual says, volunteers should examine people before they reach security checkpoints and look out for signs. Make sure to look for "folded cloth signs," it advises.

To counter any demonstrators who do get in, advance teams are told to create "rally squads" of volunteers with large hand-held signs, placards or banners with "favorable messages." Squads should be placed in strategic locations and "at least one squad should be 'roaming' throughout the perimeter of the event to look for potential problems," the manual says.

"These squads should be instructed always to look for demonstrators," it says. "The rally squad's task is to use their signs and banners as shields between the demonstrators and the main press platform. If the demonstrators are yelling, rally squads can begin and lead supportive chants to drown out the protestors (USA!, USA!, USA!). As a last resort, security should remove the demonstrators from the event site."

Advance teams are advised not to worry if protesters are not visible to the president or cameras: "If it is determined that the media will not see or hear them and that they pose no potential disruption to the event, they can be ignored. On the other hand, if the group is carrying signs, trying to shout down the President, or has the potential to cause some greater disruption to the event, action needs to be taken immediately to minimize the demonstrator's effect."

The manual adds in bold type: "Remember -- avoid physical contact with demonstrators! Most often, the demonstrators want a physical confrontation. Do not fall into their trap!" And it suggests that advance staff should "decide if the solution would cause more negative publicity than if the demonstrators were simply left alone."

The staff at the West Virginia event may have missed that line.

When I was in high school (maybe middle school?) I had this weird pain in my side around my spleen. The doctor said it was stress (after an ultrasound, during which I was scared shitless that people would think I was a knocked up teen). It eventually went away, but it came back on Thursday night. By Friday it had moved into my chest and it felt like I couldn't breathe. I finally went to the health center on Tuesday and saw a shrink since I figured it was stress. My goal was to get some Xanex since three people in my lab have used it and suggested it, but the stupid shrink make me do this breathing excercise and made me talk about what was causing stress (which was the wedding of course, not the marriage part of it, but the huge and ever increasing to do list in my purse). Anyway, she said to try and relax, breathe and not worry about the wedding and come back in a few days if I was still feeling the tightness in my chest. On my way back to work, I was so irritated with her (because of course I didn't feel any better, like I hadn't already tried relaxing and not worrying about the wedding) that I told myself to just get over it and the strangest thing happened. I swear I felt something inside click and since then I've been fine. No more tightness, no more bad mood and I'm sleeping again. I had tried telling myself to get over it before but it hadn't worked, that's why I went to the shrink for some Xanex. But this time it worked, who knows why...

Work is going awesome right now. My undergrad for the summer still pisses me off on a daily basis, but this first part of my project is done and I'm ready to move on to microscopy.

The wedding is slowly coming together. We picked up my ring tonight, we'll get Chris' soon. The rehearsal dinner is finally put together, I'm working with the hair dresser on getting my hair just right, chairs are rented, flowers are finalized, vows done, favors on their way, final meeting with the photographer tomorrow, etc, etc. This is my last week at work. Next week I'm counseling for a high school minorities in science program the bio department hosts, so I'll do that during the evenings and more wedding stuff during the day. Then the week after that, family starts coming in.

Anyway, can't wait to see everybody!

that you don't think Kira is mean, this is how our conversation went:


EDaMac5000 (11:01:28 AM): I'm nice!
chariot81 (11:01:38 AM): lol
chariot81 (11:01:42 AM): yes you're nice
EDaMac5000 (11:01:39 AM): I'm just nice AND cancer free

He pushed me over the edge. I'm not mad necessarily, frustrated yes, but kind of a calm frustrated, not the yelling and screaming frustrated.

I've been having issues with the new undergrad I have for the summer. I think it's a communication problem, not an intelligence issue. Usually it's minor things that won't hurt anybody but me (my project that is). But today, Claire caught him putting ethidium bromide in his gel before he microwaves it using the microwave we eat out of. Ethidium bromide is a mutagen, aka probably causes cancer. Now when I first showed him how to use it, I was very clear in saying to be extremely careful with the stuff and to use it only in the designated area. So why he put it in the microwave we eat out of, I have no idea. I asked him if he knew what a carcinogen was, he said yes. Then I said did you realize people eat out of that microwave, and he said yes. Now what I should have said, and what Kira would have said, is "then why would you put a carcinogen in a microwave we eat out of" but I guess I'm too nice. So now I have to have a big long talk with him tomorrow to figure out what our communication problem is. I've never had a "problem student" before so I'm nervous about coming across as condescending, but the conversation has to be held.

Anyway, yum Tulli flatbread for dinner tonight!!

It's been a while since I told you guys what's going on in my life in general, so here it is:

The wedding planning has been really laid back. I have my first fitting this Friday. I met with the wedding coordinator at the union last week and we picked out a cake (chocolate!!), table linens and discussed the dance floor, etc. The flowers are all picked out. Response cards are coming in. My Bloomington shower is this Tuesday and my Saint Louis shower is on June 10. I got an early shower gift from one of my lab mates and it's this super awesome tupperware, LOVE IT!

Mom is coming tomorrow because she's the one throwing my shower here. Chris and I have been working on the house nonstop for the past few days, trying to finish up repairing the drywall in the kitchen and the bathroom before she gets here. At one point, Mom had fixed up my patio really nice and I've kind of let it go to hell since then, so I cleaned it up yesterday out of guilt. I hauled 5 bags of rocks from the car to the back (and I'm damn proud of that) and just as I was about to pay the neighbor teenager to finish the other five for me, Chris showed up so I made him do it! And then I found 10 dollars....

Let's see....my new undergrad came today. I think he'll work out okay, the one I had two summers ago was awful, but he seems pretty good so far. Besides that, work is going okay. I may have to write my first paper after the wedding which scares the crap out of me, but I have to do it eventually so I might as well do it now.

Not much else is going on. Hope everyone is doing well!

I like to read this guy, Doc Jensen on EW.com for his articles analyzing Lost. Here are two quotes from his article today:

(this first one actually comes directly from the producers of Lost)
THE TOP FIVE THINGS YOU WILL NOT SEE IN THE LOST FINALE

5. Rose quietly snuffing the life out of Bernard by holding his nostrils closed while looking distractedly at Aaron's car seat.

4. Hurley feeling a great disturbance in the Force (''as if many voices cried out and were suddenly silent'') because his cousin back in Valencia, Calif., was blown up in a nuclear explosion and no one seemed to give a crud.

3. Kate and Juliet doing each other's hair and nicknaming Jack ''McIntensey'' and Sawyer ''McMurderedTheManWhoConnedHisParentsy.''

2. A character travelling back in time to warn all the other characters to do something, but by doing that something, they prevent a future that might have happened but never did had the character not travelled back in time, thus negating the entire reason behind everything.

1. Sanjaya.

and this quote:

THE DOC JENSEN MANIFESTO!

A perspective of Lost; a theory of popular culture; a call to action; and a joke, all rolled into one! From Y: The Last Man number 54, a comic book written by Lost scribe Brian K. Vaughan, the following is a snippet of dialogue between two friends, both artists, one slightly more pretentious (idealistic!) than the other.

CAYCE: You're right that not everything we do has to have some kind of social agenda, but that doesn't mean it can only be anesthetizing crap. We could create something new, something that challenges our audience at the same time it's helping them escape. Artists are supposed to hold a mirror to society, but ours could be a... a f---ed-up funhouse mirror!

HENRIETTA: What in God's name are you talking about?

Doc Jensen says: Amen.

I didn't have high expectations for today, it was raining, I didn't sleep well, I was in a bad mood from yesterday, etc....but it actually turned out pretty well!

My friend Amy came by. She's a grad student one year ahead of me that I worked with during a rotation my first year. I've always really like her but don't get to see her much. Anyway, she's involved with that fellowship that I've been whining about forever and I mentioned to her that I hadn't heard that I didn't get the fellowship. She said another applicant told her the same thing and that she was appalled by it. That made me feel GREAT for two reasons: 1)that nobody else was told no either and 2) that I'm not over-reacting about the whole thing. She's going to say something in their next meeting.

Secondly, the real reason she came by was to talk to me about AIing in the fall. I'm going to teach with Mimi, my advisor, and Amy was interested in teaching with her too, the problem is that she has to leave for the month of December to do some out of country research. It works out perfectly because I have to miss the first week in September to go on my honeymoon, so she'll take my classes that week and I'll take hers in December. Amy also has a lot of teaching experience and is interested in teaching (not just because we have to do it) so between her experience and Mimi's, I'm feeling pretty comfortable about teaching this fall.

Today turned out pretty well I think.