What I'm Reading

I'm sure you've all noticed that I haven't been blogging very frequently in the past few weeks. This is because I used to write at the reception desk. The past few weeks, however, my five-year-old laptop has been on the fritz, and I can't turn it off and back on without the risk of the screen not lighting up. Thankfully, it's been holding on and with hope, it will continue to do so until I'm in a more stable financial place* and can buy a new laptop. 

The downside to this is that I can't bring my computer to work with me. The upside is that I get to catch up on my reading! I've always marveled at/been jealous of the people around me who seem to be so ridiculously well-read, so the not having a laptop has given me the chance to remedy that. With the massive amounts of downtime at the office, I usually can get through one book in a day or two. Here's the list of what I've read in the year 2012: 

• The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman) 
• Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynn Jones)
• Shakespeare Plays:  Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night
• The Mysterious Benedict Society (Trenton Lee Stewart)
• The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (Trenton Lee Stewart)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (J. K. Rowling)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J. K. Rowling)
• Austenland (Shannon Hale)
• The Hero and the Crown (Robin McKinley)

The thing all of these books/plays have in common is that I had never read any of them before ("What??? You've never read the Harry Potter books? How are you a human!?!?"). My favorites so far have been The Graveyard Book, the Mysterious Benedict Society books, and yes, I am actually quite liking the Harry Potter books (although it's kind of depressing that I'm getting attached to these characters when I know that some of them are going to die). I think that Robin McKinley might be a little too "high fantasy**" for me, but at least I can say that I've read a Robin McKinley book! 

My journey through the literary world is likely to continue for quite some time. I have five(?) more Harry Potters to get through, at any rate. Also, I'm open to recommendations! Comment below!

*"in a more stable financial place" = "accepted into a PhD program that will fund me"

**"High Fantasy" = in a magical world as opposed to magical stuff happening in the regular world. I can't really get into this type of fiction which is one of the reasons why I won't read/watch/think I'll enjoy The Lord of the Rings. 

Boring Life-Update Post (Take Two)

I haven't blogged in a little while. I wanted to do a "My Music:  Part IV" for you all, but my Top 25 Most Played haven't changed much. I might have to change my parameters for posting playlists on here, as it's hard to for new favorites to compete with songs I've listened to twenty-five times ("Sway" by Bic Runga, in case you were wondering). So for the benefit of people who don't talk to me on a regular basis, here are some more boring life-updates.

• I had another PhD interview this past Monday for the BU Division of Graduate Medical Sciences' Anatomy Department. It was a day-long event with lots of interviewing with lots of different people (and lots of food, if nothing else). I think it went pretty well, but I probably won't hear back for a couple weeks. 
• I have not yet heard about any other PhD programs yet. If I recall correctly, by this time last year, I had already been rejected by the University of Tennessee, so the fact that I haven't heard things might not be a bad thing (although I'm constantly checking my email and mailbox to see if anything grad-school related is in there).
• My computer is dead. Sort of. Last weekend I found that the screen was dead, so I took it to the IT place and learned that replacing the screen would be so expensive that I would just be better off getting a new laptop. I was planning on doing this anyway, but I was hoping to do it in the fall before starting school again. However, when I got it back, I found that the screen still lights up...as long as I don't turn it off or put it to sleep. So we're hanging on as long as we possibly can (it even did a post-update restart last night and is still working!).
• Here's a non-boring update for you:  I'm dating someone! (We sat together in church* last week, so I'm thinking it's okay to blog about it.) It's quite new, but it's going quite well. Positive feelings all around.** 
• As part of a Valentine's-Day-Adjacent evening, we saw "The Addams Family" musical in the Boston Theatre District this past weekend. This was my first professional theatre in Boston--so good! Some of the best ghostly choreography I've ever seen.
• Probably the most exciting update I've got is that I'm going through the Temple for the first time this weekend. For my non-LDS readers (do I have any of those?), going through the Temple is kind of a big step in our progression as members of the Church. We go to learn important principles about the Gospel and to make promises to Heavenly Father. There are a lot of sacred things involved that I will not be writing about, but I will say that I'm very excited (and also a little bit nervous) to take this step.
• I'm going to Atlanta next week! I mentioned that my thesis (the good part, at least) was accepted to be presented over the podium at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences meeting. I'm nervous about the talking part, but I'm very enthusiastic about the fact that it's going to be warm (like in the 60's, warm!) in Atlanta. Boston is cold, y'all. 

Anyway, I think that's all I have in terms of updates for now. Until my next non-boring blog post!

*For those unfamiliar with the whole Latter-Day-Saint Singles' Ward thing, this is a big deal. Like, people see you sitting together in church and they say to their friends, "oh my gosh, So-and-so and Whatsername were sitting together in church!"

**This update was strictly for the benefit of the ladies in the home ward Relief Society so that they can all call my mother and ask what the deal is.

The Panda Express Musical

[This is adapted from a Facebook note from days gone by, but I promised a blog post about the Panda Musical, so here it is.]

Imagine a Playbill with the Panda Express Logo on it, and this writer's note inside the front cover:

It all started with some paper napkins and a boring summer day at the Beaver Valley Mall.  I was working at Panda Express when the phrase "Just another day at the food court" popped into my head, and I knew I had to write a song.  I jotted down lyrics on a few napkins and got to work on a plot, characters (most of whom already existed in some form or another), and song titles.  The musical idea took a hiatus as I went to college, until the day when I re-donned my Panda apron and found those napkins folded in some old music books. 

This show isn't simply about moderately-priced Chinese food; it's about life. It's about the struggles of being stuck in a dead-end job, facing an unknown future, moving away from home, finding love on the other side of a sneeze guard, and having fun amidst the day-to-day ennui.  It is also mostly about moderately-priced Chinese food.

It's true, I wrote part of a Panda Express musical one time. It was mostly lyrics, as I lacked the patience to come up with a full story and the music composition skills to develop a score. Here are some of the songs:

• "Just Another Day (in the Food Court)" - In the Opening Number, the Panda Express employees sing about their business in the food court, noting that nothing much changes there.
• "If I Were Manager" - Ken, the assistant manager, doesn't want to work at Panda forever, but muses about the power he would have if promoted to manager in this toe-tapping book number.
• "Le Chopstick Tango" - Counter-help Amber is working alone on an extremely slow day. Bored to insanity, she creates a fantasy world full of chopstick characters.
• "Save Me Some Food for Midnight" - Bruce, the nighttime security guard, sings this Barry White-esque number attempting to convince the staff to save him some leftover orange chicken.
• "Polyester Princess" - Intrinsically shy and straight-laced counter-help Alex sings this ballad, wanting to show the world that she's much more than a food-court employee.
• "Moving On" - In the Act I closing number, Amber sings about her last day at Panda Express and Alex looks forward to leaving for college in a few months, while Ken wonders if he'll be stuck working there forever.
• "The Usual" - A semi-romantic duet between Alex and Andy, a cute, yet equally shy, frequent customer who orders the same thing every week.

Basically every character in this musical is based on real people with whom I worked at the Beaver Valley Mall Panda Express (may it rest in peace--it closed shortly after I left for college as it didn't do enough business to stay afloat), except for "Andy," who is a completely made-up character (though I did wait on many a cute boy in my day). For the time being, the Panda Express Musical is on the most distal of back burners, but who knows? Maybe when I'm old and rich and have nothing better to do, I'll turn it into something. More ridiculous things have made it onto the professional stage*.

*Yes, I'm talking about "Bring it On:  The Musical"...which I will probably still somehow go see. 

I make Paint comics sometimes.

I do this because I am at a job with lots of downtime three days a week. This one is called "10:04 PM." 

It's funny if you know me.

I might keep making more Paint comics on a regular basis depending on their reception with the public. Comment and/or start following if you vote for more! 

My Trip to Michigan

Hello everyone! Yesterday I returned from the shortest trip I ever took that required five* plane rides. I visited East Lansing, Michigan for a grad school interview at Michigan State University. Here is the story of that trip:

On Monday afternoon I got off the plane at the Lansing airport. The Lansing airport is tiny and has a little bit of a "Twin Peaks-y" vibe to it, and I have to like that about a place. Shortly after I got my bag, I was whisked away by a grad student to my interview. The fact that I didn't know that I was having an interview meant that I didn't have time to prepare (thank goodness I was wearing a suit jacket with my jeans and fuzzy boots), but also I didn't have time to be super nervous. I was probably a bit more honest in my interview than I expected to be, but I don't think it was an utter disaster of tactlessness.

The next day, I was taken to see some of the things the Anthropology department has to offer. I saw their forensic lab and their (very impressive) skeletal collection. Overall, this was a very educational trip. Before visiting MSU, I had a very generic Pro/Con list about the program, and now, I'm able to flesh the list out on both sides, which will be very important should I have decisions to make in the future.** I'm trying to not think too much about these decisions until I have to make them, as to preserve my sanity and to not waste a perfectly good Pro/Con list.

(For those curious, here is one tiny glimpse of my Pro/Con list:  Pro--The cost of living in East Lansing is amazing. Con--there are no streetlights and I will probably get hit by cars.)

While in East Lansing, I got to experience quite a bit of the local cuisine, which, as you can imagine, is college-town-diverse. Here are three mini restaurant reviews for you!

• Bell's Greek Pizza (1135 East Grand River Avenue; East Lansing):  Delicious and super cheap. Like $1.50/slice cheap. Food is so much cheaper here than in Boston. This is a fun place where they serve you pizza at the counter and then you go sit down and eat it. I was at post-airplane and post-interview levels of starving, so I ate three slices:  mushroom, tomato-basil, and bacon. The bacon slice was a little soggy on the bottom, which was disappointing, but the other two slices were great. The crust is thick and fluffy and a little buttery, but not greasy, which is just the way I like it.*** Bell's is open until 4:00 a.m., which I imagine appeals to a certain demographic (not mine). 
• Sansu Sushi and Cocktails (4750 Hagadorn Road; East Lansing):  I went here with one of the Anthropology grad students to talk about the program informally. And informal it was! This is a "take your shoes off" kind of place, in the sense that it's authentically Japanese, that is. I got a Teriyaki Chicken Bento box, something I've never tried before. And again, the person accustomed to buying food in Boston says, so much freaking food for eleven dollars! There was chicken, rice, California rolls, seaweed salad, various and sundry things Tempura, and soup and more salad. All very delicious, and it almost felt healthful (even though I was so stuffed afterwards). 
• Thai Princess (1754 Central Park Drive; Okemos):  My friend and I went here for dinner on my last night in Michigan. This is a very college-student-friendly Thai place, but it is very pink. So pink. Like the Victoria's Secret of Thai places pink. Maybe it was for the impending Valentine's Day, but also probably because it has "Princess" in the name. I ordered the Sesame Chicken, which is a change from my normal noodle order whenever I eat Thai food. It was very well seasoned and came with lots of yummy steamed vegetables. I was sad that the side of rice was just regular white rice and not Jasmine or something more flavorful. Just as well, I guess, as I didn't need more carbs that day. The lady who cleared our table was really nice, and she had a good eye for fashion (i.e. she knew that my coat was from Lands End). 

One neat thing is that I have now officially visited every place I have applied for Grad School, which hasn't happened before. Both Provo and Boston were kind of leaps. Good leaps, but leaps nonetheless. I'll keep you all posted when it comes to decision time.

(Also, I failed at bringing a camera. I was like "East Lansing, what do I need to photograph in East Lansing?" There was a display case in the DO school that had a femur in it. The femur was painted gold with the words "Golden Femur" on it. Everyone who knows my superhero alter-ego, Bone Girl, knows that Bone Girl's weapon of choice is the Golden Femur of Justice! The only proof I have is the picture I took with my crappy phone camera that has no way of leaving my crappy phone.)



*Yes, five. Boston to Detroit to Lansing to Detroit to DC to Boston. I normally like to humor the flight attendants and pay attention to the safety briefing, but by the last time, I was like, "girl, I know how to buckle my seatbelt."
**Please bless that I have decisions to make in the future. And bless that those decisions are not "should I live in a box in Somerville or move back in with my parents?".
***Boston pizza tends to be a little too crunchy and burnt-tasting (yes, Upper Crust, I'm talking about you) for my taste.

A Quick Blurb

Apparently James Watson* (speaking primarily of science, I guess) says that if something has a 30% chance of working out, and if that something has the potential to be really great, one should just go for it, full-speed ahead.

I don't know what to think about this,** especially as I'm quite under the influence of Florence and the Machine right now.


*Of Watson and Crick. As in the DNA guys. Jeff Goldblum played him in the movie. Apparently he's also a horrible, horrible man.
**Lies. I know exactly what to think about this.

Restaurant Review: The Rusty Hammer

I guess this is going to be some sort of hybrid-Trip Review/Restaurant Review. On Monday I went with some of my favorite friends on a road trip to Northern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. First, we went to Plum Island which is a place full of sand dunes* and bird-watching. We saw a snowy owl and some type of hawk. The rest of the birds were presumably south for the winter.

We then drove northward to New Hampshire, which, from what I can gather, is a state full of thrift stores, tattoo parlors, fireworks emporia, and classy establishments such as Casket Royale (I don't remember the slogan for this place, but I believe when I need to be interred, I'll be taking my business elsewhere). I kid, of course. New Hampshire is lovely.

In the evening, when we had reached our destination/turn-around point in Portsmouth, we sought out a place to obtain food. And so, The Rusty Hammer entered into our lives. This place advertised an award-winning burger (or "wimpy," as they're called at The Hammer†), so we went in.

We all ordered burgers of various varieties. Mine had pepper-jack cheese on it. The burger was well above average, but probably not the best I'd ever eaten (hey, UBurger!). I had onion rings on the side, which were very tasty. My friends who ordered the sweet potato and waffle fries were quite happy with their choices, as well. Prices were very, very reasonable for this type of place.

Hands down, the best thing about this restaurant was the service. It is my second greatest regret that I did not learn the name of our waitress that night. I mean, we were there at 5pm on a Monday night, so maybe service is less wonderful when it's crowded, but still, our waitress was spectacular. She was probably in her mid-to-late forties and had a magical New England accent. She was very attentive and provided excellent positive reinforcement with our menu choices. Here is one particular interaction between this waitress and my friend Dave that might have been the favorite of the evening:

Dave: "Can I get bacon and guacamole on my burger?"

Flo‡: "You sure can, you crazy devil!"

These are the kind of moments you never thought happened in real life. Great waitress. Really spectacular. The only complaint I have about The Rusty Hammer was that the bathroom was freakishly cold. Like as cold as it was outside.

After dinner, we walked around the town square and went into this specialty food store called The Stonewall Kitchen. They had all sorts of jams and jellies and syrups and cute little kitchen gadgets. The men actually bought things while the other girl and I tried all of the samples. My biggest regret of the night is not buying the Blueberry-Pomegranate jam. It was spectacular. So good. I realize the error in my rationale that $3.50 was too much to pay for a tiny little jar of jam. If I ever go back there, I will rectify this.

At any rate, this trip was fantastic, despite the fact that it kicked off a week of every Taylor Swift song ever written being stuck in my head... but that's another story altogether.

The Rusty Hammer is located at 49 Pleasant Street in Portsmouth, NH.

[UPDATE:  I found my receipt. Our waitress's name was Susan!]

*Whenever I think of sand dunes I think of Sarah, Plain and Tall when Sarah talks about the dunes in Maine and then the family makes her a dune out of hay in the barn. We couldn't go near the dunes on Plum Island, and it was 30 degrees outside, so I did not slide down any dunes. I'm adding that to my "to-do" list, though.

†Shortening the name of a thing always means that one is an expert in familiarity with that thing.

‡I don't know if Flo was her real name, but whenever I encounter a spunky lady from New England, I assume she should be called Flo.