ski bums

my family went skiing the week before christmas and it was great to be back on the slopes!  the frosty air was energizing, the mountain was challenging, and the hot chocolate was yummy.

i created a little photo storyboard that takes you through our daily ski bum rituals:

view...the conditions and pretty landscape
prepare...with lots of warm clothes!
follow...the snowy path through the trees
conquer...the steep mountain
refuel...in the warm lodge with the most delicious hot chocolate. ever.

it was a great week :)

be merry

[see larger image on flickr]

 "may your days be merry and bright"
-bing crosby

i love christmas.  it's filled with rosy cheeks, hot cocoa, christmas carols, twinkling lights, the excitement and wonder of santa claus, the sound of ripping paper, neighbors reuniting, fresh baked cookies, church bells ringing, and lots of laughter and love...

it's a time to be generous.
a time to spend with family and friends.
a time to be thankful for that baby in a manager and all that we are blessed with.

and it's a time to be merry...hope yours was very merry!

word cloud

word clouds are super popular right now, especially with visualizing data sets and online content trends.  these clouds grab the words or terms used in a text document or site and determine the frequency of use...the larger the size of the word/term, the more it's been used in the document or site.

so, i found the site wordle, which has a really simple interface for creating these images, and i decided to do a word cloud of my blog to see what my posts are mostly about.

i'm happy to see that love, music, listen, see, trip, flickr, and freezing [i do love my winter!] are all trends.  and i apparently have to stop using the word "really" :)

estonian mittens

today is freezing. below freezing actually.  it's about 26 degrees with crazy horizontal winds and constant flurries.  now, i love the cold. i love the snow [really really love it].  but the wind?  i could do without that.

so this morning i was in search of a warm scarf and gloves to trek across campus to class...and then a huge smile spread across my face.  i saw my hand-made mittens that i got on my trip to estonia this summer!

aren't they beeeautiful??  red and white. snowflakes and polar bears. made of warm wool.  the perfect winter gloves.

so now i'm all set...because the cold, snowy winds ain't got nothing on my estonian mittens :)

be musical

[see larger image on flickr]

"music expresses that which cannot be put into words
and which cannot remain silent"
- victor hugo

although i love listening to all kinds of music, there's something magical about playing instrumental music. to watch your fingers dance over shiny, ivory keys creating a wordless poem that speaks to your mind, your heart, and your soul. it paints emotion and memories on a canvas of silence connecting all of those who are listening.

i played the piano over thanksgiving after not playing for awhile, and, although my fingers didn't quite "dance" [it was more like a clumsy stumble at times], it still evokes the same sense of serenity and happiness every time i sit down to play.  so it's something i've promised myself that i'll continue to do...to be musical :)

some of my favorites:
cinematic orchestra - arrival of the birds [listen]
alan silvestri - amas veritas [listen]
craig armstrong - glasgow love theme [listen]

birthday promises

[see larger image on flickr]

my wonderful mom just let me know that she got my birthday present yesterday...

...tickets to see promises, promises on broadway!! [kristin chenoweth and sean hayes live. should be ammmazing.]

i'm soooo excited to see the show, the tree, the shoppers bustling about...and the city dressed in its christmas best :)

because there's really nothing quite like new york at christmas...

[listen]

festive fall trip

a few weeks ago i went on a nice, relaxing trip to upstate new york. it was full of fun fall activities...

playing keno and gossiping with locals at the three bear inn.
visiting the ithaca farmer's market.
admiring artisan jewelry & pottery...and the beautiful lake-front view.
tasting delicious wine and nibbling on cookies.
laughing at stories from "the limerick king."
picking apples and sipping cider.

it was a trip with my family and dear friend.
it was a weekend filled with some of the best ingredients of life:
...wine, cookies, laughter, & love :)

[see flickr here and here for photos from hollenbeck's cider mill]

signs of snow

i went for a walk downtown today just to be outside and get some fresh air [something i haven't had in a few days!]  and guess what?!? the snowflake lamp post lights are out downtown! I used to get so excited for them every year in undergrad.

and here at penn state, our snowflakes are blue & white...how perfect.

new path

things with school have been way too busy lately...so this morning i made sure that i blocked out time to go on a nice long walk.  i usually walk on campus, but with all of the football traffic today, i didn't want to deal with the chaos.

so i found a new path around the golf course where i live.  it was perfect...quiet, peaceful, and completely surrounded by nature.  now, combine that with the cool, foggy morning air and i was in heaven :)  it was just the kind of break i needed before i jump back into the piles of work waiting for me this weekend [2 weeks until fall break...it cannot come soon enough!].

happy halloween

[see larger photo and poem on flickr]

halloween is always one of my favorite times of year...colorful trees, cool crisp nights, dancing leaves, warm sweaters, hot cider, pumpkins...and of course, lots of candy :)

i didn't get a chance to dress-up this weekend, but i definitely saw a lot of costumes downtown!  there were many jersey-shore characters, tiger woods [complete with mistresses on each arm], and then the tight, short, skin-revealing costumes that the undergrad girls bravely wear while shivering in the 40-degree temperatures.

i had fun listening to some bands on friday night and going to my brother's tailgate on saturday.  then penn state shocked us all with a 41-31 win over michigan!  so it was quite the fun-filled weekend and a much needed break from school work and grading midterms :)

hope you had a great halloween too!

my boots

being back on campus gives me a great, front-row seat for the "young" trendy runway of college fashion.  i've seen skinny jeans, leggings, converse sneakers, patterned hoodies, long necklaces, uggs, colorful nail polish...those crazy ray-ban wayfarer glasses in fluorescent colors [like these...yeah not my thing].

but one trend i really love are all of the great knee-high boots.  not the ones with the four inch-heels or super shiny fake leather [aka: the pretty-woman-ones that were in style in the '80's], but the really pretty suede or leather flat boots.  they are super cute!

so i decided to try out a pair and ordered some online [because the ones in the stores are made for girls who have calves the size of my finger].  i got a pair of faux black suede, and i love them!



and the best part [in the words of nancy sinatra...or jessica simpson], these boot really were made for walkin'!  they are so so so comfortable.

so just wanted to introduce you to my love of the week...my boots :)

falafel feast

a friend invited me over last night for a de-lish vegetarian feast of some middle eastern cuisine...

flavorful falafel with creamy tzatziki

cous cous with lemon, olive oil, fresh peppers, carrots, and parsley

soft pitas and fresh veggies with yummy hummus and amazing babganoush

...can you say yum?

it was a perfect mid-week break to talk about some of our favorite things: movies, food, travel, & photography

the heir to edison

last night a few of us went to see ray kurzweil speak.  i had never heard of him before my technology theory class, but this guy is fascinating...super smart and a bit crazy...the perfect combination for an IT mastermind!

kurzweil is most known for his inventions in the optical recognition field (technology's ability to read text and font), which include the first flatbed scanner and text-to-speech synthesizer [a major breakthrough for the technologies that aid the blind!].  he went even further in the 1980's and created a speech-to-text program that allows computers to transcribe the spoken word [incredible].

his father was a musican in vienna, austria before the family fled to america during WWII, so kurzweil talked about his appreciation for music.  this led to his invention of the piano synthesizer that can mimic the sound of a grand piano [think about the casio keyboards from our childhood...on crack].  but the interesting thing is that all of these technologies seem so common place because they have been around for awhile and we take them for granted.  but the initial conception and invention of them was considered insane, if not impossible, at the time that kurweil introduced them...which makes you wonder about the types of technologies that are in our near-future.  the ones that we all think are "crazy" but will soon become commonplace.

he talked about a lot of geeky-awesome things [which gets us technology students all excited] like moore's law, transhumanism, artifical technology, and nanotechnology [crazy, yet possible, ideas that make the movie, the matrix, look normal].  he is currently working on "reverse engineering the brain" [i kid you not] and believes in microscopic technologies that will be ingested into our bodies to help us regulate and heal our bodies leading to much longer lives, even immortality [yeah, this one takes a bit of time to wrap your head around].  he talks about the ability to download your brain...memories, thoughts, emotions...onto a computer by the year 2020.  no wonder he has been called "the rightful heir to thomas edison."

i couldn't take pictures inside and it was raining, so i just snapped this photo outside of the auditorim showing all of the students pouring into the building, excited for kurzweil's talk...i haven't been to a just-for-fun lecture in a long time, and it was so exciting to just listen and learn...especially to a technology legend.

building my timber

[see larger image on flickr]

"good timber does not grow with ease
the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees."
- j. willard marriott

so, the "winds" of this PhD program are pretty darn strong...gale-force, i would say.  but, in the spirit of this quote, i suppose it's making me "stronger" :)

inspirational signage

[see larger image on flickr]

now, this is one of the many reasons why i love penn state [i think i'm up to #439,827?].  while walking on campus i came across this enhanced stop sign.

it's a simple message:  don't stop believin'

it might just be a reference to the journey song...but given the number of undergrad spirit-groups on campus that day, i'm thinking it was also a tribute to THON...either way, i love it.

for those of you who aren't familiar with THON (short for the penn state dance marathon), it is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world that raises money every year for pediatric cancer through the four diamonds fund at penn state's children's hospital.  every february a few hundred brave students volunteer to "dance" for 48-hours straight.  it's an incredible event with dancing, bands, celebrity appearances, and, most importantly, the kids and their families.  the event is so moving and full of energy, love, and generosity.

so far, THON has raised over $69 million "for the kids" [incredible].  i used to raise money for the cause as an undergrad and have continued to donate as an alumni.  i'm excited to be back on campus and witnessing first hand all of the excitement and preparations for the 2011 event.

watch THON's "don't stop believing" sing-a-long here :)  if you're a penn stater, it'll bring back great memories!

autumn sunsets

[see larger image on flickr]

so, i'm at my desk finishing my assignment due tonight and i happened to glance out the window.  what a beeeeautiful treat to see the sun setting so perfectly in the clear, blue sky!  being in a photography mindset the past few months, my eye immediately spots a photo op [if you're a photog, then you know what i'm talking about...that uncontrollable tendency to frame everything as though it were through your viewfinder].

from my window, i have watched this gorgeous autumn tree turn from green, to hints of yellow, to its current vibrant reds and oranges.  and with tonight's sunset, the light just set the tree on fire against the sky.  so, unable to resist this photo op [and let's face it, i love a distraction from work], i grabbed my camera, ran outside, and snapped a few pictures of the tree.

so, voilà!  these are my favorite images of my pretty tree. these are both straight-out-of-camera [SOOC for my photogs ;)]...no color manipulations...so pretty, right? 

hope you see some beautiful autumn sunsets this year!

happy homecoming

this weekend was homecoming, and boy was the town crazy busy!  i took a little break from work to hang out with some friends :) definitely had some fun...

• watching the parade [while we waited in line for over an hour to get into cafe 210...crazy lines]
• reuniting with friends from undergrad
• dancing and singing to JR/james and spider kelly [so.much.fun]
• getting my picture with ian rosenberger [sort of a local celebrity...former psu student president and survivor palau contestant...& both of us have these awkward poses, which makes me love this pic even more]

although we had a great time, i can't seem to handle the late nights like i used to!  so i'm looking forward to getting some extra sleep tonight :)

mosaic nostalgia

over the weekend i was sitting at my desk doing some work when i heard a very familiar sound from my childhood...the sound of loud, rushing hot air at very close intervals.

i looked outside and couldn't believe it...a hot air balloon was literally RIGHT outside my window!  i waved to the people [not that they would ever see me inside my room] but more out of habit from when i was little.

back when we were kids and heard or saw a hot air balloon, we'd all rush outside to look in awe at the colorful facade, wondering who the people were and where they were heading [and if they were going to make it over our tall neighborhood trees!].  once a balloon landed in our neighborhood, another time the people came so low that they threw candy to us.  so i quickly grabbed my camera to capture the mosaic-patterned nostalgia of my childhood memories.

it must be some experience, to peacefully float above neighborhoods, towns, and cities.  to do nothing but look down at the miniature world below and enjoy the beautiful scenery.  i'll have to try it sometime...[and i will bring candy for those little kids who run outside and wave at me :)]

also, fun fact: did you know that wikipedia says that the hot air balloon was created on my birthday!  no wonder i love them so much :)

raindrops & polka dots

i'm all for rainy days.  when it's damp and cool outside, and i'm curled up and comfy under a soft blanket, watching a movie or reading a book, drinking a cup of warm tea.  love it.

rainy days when i have to be outside?  not liking that so much.  especially when my mode of transportation is my feet...my cold, wet feet.

but instead of getting all pessimistic about this perpetual rain, i thought i'd list the things i'm thankful for in this rainy weather:

• only two classes today within relatively short walking distance [1/2 mile one-way isn't so bad, right?]
• my mom's yummy homemade cauliflower soup [perfect way to warm me up!]
• anti-frizz serum that keeps my hair from looking ridiculous [seriously]
• the grass, flowers, and foliage are happy
• my pretty polka dot umbrella...it's cheerful AND keeps me dry :)

so over the next two days [which will be full of rain as well] i'll remember to be thankful for raindrops...and polka dots.

wishies

[see larger image on flickr]

i took this photo on my "take time for you" walk yesterday :)  i used my 55-200 lens for the first time and, let me tell you, that baby gets some serious depth of field.

when i was trying to search for a quote or song lyric to go with the photo for my flickr post, i couldn't find one that really fit.  these dandelion flowers, or "wishies" as we used to call them, reminded me of being little and believing with all my heart that if i blew off all of the petals while making a wish, that my wish would come true.

now, when i was little, i used to write a lot of poems...they were so silly, usually with lots of awkward, forced phrases so that the words rhymed [although i did have one poem actually get published!].  and thank gosh for my mom, with her patience and encouragement, always telling me how great they were.

so, in the spirit of my 8-year old self, i decided to just write my own poem [also considering that i was attempting to do anything BUT read research papers].  given that my poetry skills are still at that 3rd grade level [at best] this is what i came up with to try to capture that innocent and hopeful wishing on wishies memory...

oh, to be that young, little girl
with her sweet and cheerful allure.
in the grass, barefoot as she twirls,
wishful thoughts, so innocent and pure.

she plucks a dandelion flower,
blows the petals to the sky of blue.
she believes in its magical power
to make all of her wishes come true.

after taking its picture, i did pick the dandelion and blew off the petals with a wish in mind...and it made me smile when i realized that i still believe in the magical powers of wishies :)

to-do lists

if you know anything about me, it's that i'm obsessed with to-do lists.  at any given time, i have at least 5 to-do lists going.

...grocery shopping, school/work assignments, long-term goals, short-term goals, cleaning, extracurricular activities, workout schedules, christmas gift ideas, what music to download next, what tv and movies to watch....it's insanity [albeit, organized insanity].

lately, i've been overwhelmed with the amount of things i need to get done. so i decided to create a simple list of one item...an item which is not found on any of the other lists i have.

"take time for you"

...so, as i'm working on getting through my enormous to-do list for today, i'm going to do just that.  i'm going to go outside for a walk on this gorgeous day with my camera so that i can focus on getting only one thing done in the next hour:  enjoying the beautiful fall day.  taking time for me.  i suggest you try it too :)

slainte

after a jam-packed week of presentations and assignments, some of the ladies and i decided to head down to the new kildare's irish pub for a pint [or two].

we ventured out in the torrential down-pours...got a wee bit wet, but it was well worth it.

a delicious, creamy guinness.

yummy pub food.

therapeutic complaining about classes.

much needed laughs :)

perfect recipe

after a very rough week, there is nothing quite like some quality time with family and friends...sipping cosmos and talking with my mom, snuggling with my puppy, and hearing one of my favorite little people attempt to play the piano.

this is the perfect recipe for a change of heart :)

so bring it on monday...i'm recharged and ready for whatever you've got.

who's greg?

laurie & lindsay came into town last weekend and we headed over to saloon happies to party like it was 2004.  senior year we would always go to saloon happies to see our favorite band, steve & todd [they rocked].  unfortunately, steve left, so we were just expecting to enjoy some todd-only tunes.

then we saw the saloon sign...todd & greg?  who's greg?

we got our miller light pitcher and gave this greg a chance to win us over.  at first i was hopeful...he had some fun banter, like how steve used to be.  then he played a remake of TLC...no scrubs [yes, this song].  no offense to TLC, loved them back in highschool...but at saloon happies, sung slowly by this guy?  not so much.

thank gosh for todd, because as we shouted out our favorite songs from years ago, he played them all.  it was awesome :)  the gambler, hey hey, signs, the joker, ring of fire, 500 miles...amazing.

so maybe we'll give this greg another shot...but he's got to pick some better songs...

sandpiper-ing

[see larger image on flickr]

this week was a lot of running back and forth from campus to home, to meetings, to the lab, to classes, and to downtown.  i've felt like a little sandpiper, flitting around quickly to the ebbs and flows of a student's life...occasionally sticking my head in the sand for sleep and tv [yeay for gossip girl being back].

but it's finally the weekend...which means i can just sit back and enjoy the view [while grading papers and reading of course :)]

in action

one of the teams that i'm working with this semester has a PhD student visiting from china, named chunhua.  she is so sweet and asked if we could take some pictures of us working to send back to her classmates at school.  so i brought my camera and we tracked down one of our friends to take some shots for us [brought back memories of the posing i did for IST marketing shots in the good ole undergrad days]

so i thought i'd post one here.  this actually looks like it could be a marketing shot :) our friend michael was an ace with the camera work.

so here i am...in action.

life soundtrack

if you're a sara bareilles fan [love her], then you already know that her new album just came out september 7th.

i got it.

i love, love, love it.

it's awesome.

monday through wednesday were super crazy, so it's been the soundtrack of my life lately.  while reading articles, writing papers, working out, and walking on campus...i've been listening to the new tunes.

have a listen here to one of my favorites, uncharted.  she writes and composes her own music too [did i mention she was awesome?]


i also just posted a flickr photo that i took of a double-rainbow off the coast of denmark.  one of her other songs, kaleidoscope heart, a song about the rainbow of colors within us, came on while i was editing the photo...how cool is that?

hope you're enjoying some fun music today too :)

it's coming

look at those numbers!

[minus the 77 degrees that we'll have to put up with for today ;)...but the rest of the week is looking beeeautiful]

soon it will be homecoming with rowdy football games, tailgating parties, and warm sweatshirts.

i'll be walking to class in the cool, crisp air watching the leaves turn golden yellow and vibrant red.

we'll be carving pumpkins, eating apples, and drinking warm cider.

can you feel it?  it's coming.  fall is almost here :)

cubicle no more

i thought i could "get ahead" this weekend.  i was aiming to finish all of my assignments for the week so that i could start getting to sleep at a normal hour [as in, before 3am].  but, unfortunately, i'm still working on the assignment that is due tonight.

anyway, at least my view is pretty nice.  this is exactly where i'm sitting now as i type this post.  the entire room is floor to ceiling windows. so i'm listening to some new sara bareilles tunes, drinking some yummy coffee, and overlooking the beautiful tree-filled campus.  i'd say this is quite an improvement from being stuck inside all day in a cubicle with no windows.

...okay, back to reading about how to most effectively use ethnomethodology for system design [it's actually more interesting than it sounds].  fun times :)

we remember

[see larger image on flickr]

"we remain the land of the free because we are the home of the brave."

i took this picture earlier this year in new york [while drinking an overpriced coffee] at dean & deluca near rockefeller center. it was the perfect seat right across from the nbc studios, with a little hint of patriotism waving in the wind.

it's hard to imagine that this beautiful city suffered such a horrible attack only 9 years ago.

it's inspiring to see how the city and the people of america are so resilient...and brave. we've moved forward to repair the damage, physically and emotionally, with determination and hope.

but in our hearts we will always remember...and we are a stronger america because of it.

just because

i bought myself flowers today.  i probably shouldn't have, being on a student budget again, but i did anyway.  so i tried to justify it...

...because i finished my 3rd very difficult week of school
...because i survived my presentation to 200 undergrads
...because i ran for the first time in a long time

...or, maybe, just because flowers make me smile :)

bingo. i'd say that's worth $9.99.

loyal ex

although i've left my job at j&j, i'm still quite the loyal ex-employee.  i get so excited when i see their products.  all over campus there are purell dispensers, and each time i see one, i smile [and in this case, i took a picture :)].

i even cheer on my roommates when i see that they use clean&clear, aveeno, or neutrogena bath products.  and i still get excited and point at the tv when one of the product commericals come on.

but i'm not the only crazy one.  just today one of our IT tech guys was helping me set up the fancy projectors for a presentation and i mentioned i had worked at j&j...guess what he said?  "i wear acuvue contacts!  that's j&j right?"  beautiful.

so i guess it's true...you can take the girl out of j&j, but you can't take the j&j out of the girl...

hope

[click for larger image on flickr]

 "hope is the thing with feathers, that perches on the soul,
and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all"
- emily dickinson

lately, every day seems to begin with hope. i suppose moving to a new place by yourself will do that to you.  i have hope that i'll meet new friends...hope that i'll be happy here...and hope that, in the overall journey of life, this is the place where i'm supposed to be.

arigaa taikuu

we had our first lab meeting today, which is where i met the undergrads, grad students, and post-docs working on our lab's research over the next year...definitely some really interesting people.  one student, troels, is visiting from copenhagen, which is awesome [i definitely told him all about the segway tour that our family took this summer around copenhagen].

so i made brownies [of course], because that's what i do when i meet new people i'm working with...try to win them over with baked goods :)

i also left some extra brownies for my sweet roommates and the one from alaska, lynda, left me a little note saying "arigaa taikuu" which means "very good, thank you" in the inupiaq language.  very cool!  so, see, i'm learning all kinds of new things...including native alaskan inupiaq phrases...who would have thought?

rewind/replay

i finally made it my old undergrad hang-out with my dear old undergrad friend, andy.

back in the day [a phrase like that is the first sign that i'm an old grad student], there was nothing quite like drinking miller light out of plastic cups on the outside patio of cafe 210 enjoying the summer night...just talking, laughing, and relaxing.

who says you can't hit rewind and replay those great moments every once in awhile?  ...so that's what andy and i did.  and although we're a tad more jaded and can't quite relate to the undergrads anymore [they are so young!], it was still wonderfully relaxing and just as i remembered it :)

flip-flopped

well this queen of heels has reliquished her throne...and has switched over to flip-flops and flats.  can you believe it?

i can't.  i'm short again...and all of my pants are too long.  but guess what?  i'm happy about it [just please don't tell my beautiful stilettos].  my feet just feel so much better at the end of day, which usually consists of walking miles all over campus.

so you'll still see those fabulous heels on special occassions.  but, for now, this campus-trekking girl has flip-flopped over to the comfy shoe side of the world.

prized possession

tuesdays and wednesdays seem to be my "coffee days"...when i just can't seem to get enough.  lots of classes, lots of reading...lots of late nights.

i've already run through my starbucks gift cards and the campus coffee just doesn't seem worth the $1.75.  so right now this is my most prized possession...

i don't know what i'd do without my dear, delicious keurig coffee maker.

awesomeness

do you see that subject line?  "class canceled" are probably the sweetest words i could hear this week :) although this is only the class that i am the teaching assistant for, it still means that i have my morning free to catch up on work [...or sleep, let's be honest].  that is pure awesomeness.

whipple dam

on sunday we had a picnic at whipple dam state park for all of the new graduate students in my program.  everyone seems really friendly and very passionate about their research, which is exciting to be around. we had a great afternoon bbq'ing and enjoying the gorgeous day :)

sunday morning

 

oh how i've missed you, daily collegian crossword puzzle...

farmers market

thank gosh for laurie, who texted me late friday afternoon to see if i made it to the farmers market downtown.  i had completely forgotten!  so i quickly ran down to locust lane and got some delicious fresh peaches.

in undergrad, laurie & i used to live right off of locust lane and would stop by the market every friday for flowers and produce.  it still looks the same as it did back then.  same sign.  same stands filled with fresh flowers, herbs, fruit, veggies, and pie.  same street crowded with students excited for the weekend to begin.

it's nice that some things don't change.

framed

i'm so excited that my black & white photos have finally arrived from the printer!

i put them in my pretty frames from crate & barrel this morning.

my room is starting to feel like home...

meet alex

in the past 6 years i've lived in 5 different places.  that's a lot of moving around.  that's a lot of new jobs and experiences.  that's a lot of missing my friends and family.  but as i was looking around this new 5th place of residence [my tiny, but quaint, graduate housing room], i noticed one constant from all of those 5 places.  his name is alex.

my mom bought me this bear on my 21st birthday.  i picked him because i loved his sweater.  [it reminded me of the old roll-neck j.crew sweaters that were trendy in the 90's, remember those?  so comfy.]  his name sounds sort of random for a bear that has a big PSU on his chest, but i already had others named joe and nittany.  so when i was thinking of something penn state related, i thought of how much i loved living in my first real apartment with my friends vim and jess.  the apartment was called alexander court...so viola!  alex it was.

he's been there through all 6 years of moving around.  all of the new jobs and experiences.  and although i wish he had the ability to pack and unpack [which would have been really helpful], it's nice to have something constant in all of the chaos.

yum

yesterday was a busy day of classes and reading...group meetings and reading...and writing and reading.

the highlight of my day was going to my favorite place downtown to eat my favorite sandwich with my favorite smoothie [while reading, of course].

irvings.  sonoma turkey on homemade honey wheat.  the SOB (strawberry/orange/banana).

the perfect treat for a busy day :)

wild, crazy night

yes, wild and crazy...as in the organizational status of my desk...and my mind.

i'm amazed at how much reading there is in my classes.  last night i powered through 3 articles on the definition of social theories in technology.  not only were my eyes and head tired, but i think i heard my highlighter sighing in exhaustion.  see that bottle of excedrin in the back there?  that will be my best friend today.

i'm sure that the concepts will start to make more sense as the semester goes on.  soon i'll probably be throwing theory jargon into my daily conversations [scary thought].  but for now, these are what my nights look like.  pretty wild and crazy, eh?

new home

this is my new home for the next 5 years.  it will undoubtedly include piles of research papers, fistfuls of highlighters, and copious amounts of coffee.

...and hopefully fun times, new friends, and a cute boy too ;)

first day

[see larger image on flickr]

so today is the first day of my PhD program and like any other first day i've prepared myself...picked out a cute outfit, organized my school supplies, painted my nails, wrote out my schedule and to-do lists...but i'm having a little trouble preparing mentally. the thoughts of "what did i get myself into?" and "will i be smart enough?" keep creeping into my mind.

so i thought of what my mom has said to me each and every one of those previous first days.  i took out a pen, ripped off a piece of that new school paper, and wrote it out..."believe in yourself."  then i put it right on my bulletin board, because i have a feeling that there will be a few other days this semester that i'll need to remind myself of just that :)

miss that face

leaving home to go back to school meant leaving my family and friends, who i miss so much.  and i also miss our sweet & crazy family dog, louie...his wagging tail when i come home, his little tilted head when i ask him questions, and his happy, twirling dance when we say his favorite words...like walk, cookie, and chicken :)

now, i must admit that i don't miss him waking me up at 6am every morning running around the bed, crying to go outside [including weekends, i might add]...but that sweet, little face?  i miss that face.

denmark alterations

i've always loved photography and have recently been playing around with photo manipulation using adobe photoshop (inspired by some amazing artists on flickr). i took this photo while our family was in denmark earlier this year.  then i attempted some basic alterations by giving the photo a vintage, muted feel.

it's amazing how much photoshop can do now and i'm excited to learn some of the more complex tools.  i'll be trying out some more techniques and posting them to my new flickr site:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/alisonpsu/

change of scenery

this was what breakfast looked like just two weeks ago...

although i'm happy to be back at school, the view is not quite as nice here :)