happychemist

I'm looking for book recs. In particular, I'd like to read:
1) a historical piece of fiction taking place in Ancient Egypt!
2) a good nonfiction book about ancient egypt that would encompass religion, politics, and social dynamics.

Any takers? I started bumping around on amazon, but figured that I'd canvas my learned friends!

...sunny inside!

Happy 2010!!

Well, as anticipated, I have a future sis-in-law! My brother proposed on NYE and was happily accepted. The happy couple celebrated with family and friends and when they called me to tell me I was just so beyond happy for them. The wedding will be Spring/summer 2011 :)

There's snow outside! And it's pretty!! I'm sure it'll get brown and disgusting soon enough, but still, it's beautiful for now :)

New Mexico was fun, but a little wearying; I had crazy allergies and so was stuffy, runny, or sleepy the entire time :( Still, I had a great time with Dr J and his family and came back from NM well-rested.

We got back the day after Christmas, and I spent the following week working on my year end report. It was painful, but it was submitted at 4 pm on NYE, and I got to celebrate the coming of 2010 with no clouds hanging over my head. We had some friends over for a small dinner party and laughed our asses off into the New Year.

I had planned to be productive this weekend but...well plans change and it's much more fun to hang out with florabellee :) And...well, lots of snow! After shoveling it and trudging through it through most of the long weekend, Sunday was nice and lazy. I curled up with romance novels, my cat, and hot cocoa.

and so now here we are at Monday and people are coming back to lab and I'm happy again. I hope that you're happy too, wherever you are :)

~6.5 months later...

( Pics of project )

For Dr. J's sister, Christmas 2009 :D

Now onto socks for my brother!

They are not brave, the days when we are twenty-one. They are full of little cowardices, little fears without foundation, and one is so easily bruised, so swiftly wounded, one falls to the first barbed word. To-day, wrapped in the complacent armour of approaching middle age, the infinitesimal pricks of day by day brush one but lightly and are soon forgotten, but then--how a careless word would linger, becoming a fiery stigma, and how a look, a glance over a shoulder, branded themselves as things eternal. A denial heralded the thrice crowing of a cock, and an insincerity was like the kiss of Judas. The adult mind can lie with untroubled conscience and a gay composure, but in those days even a small deception scoured the tongue, lashing one against the stake itself.

~ Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca

Well, the phrase Dr J used was "not the brightest bulb in the barn".

Barn?! My immediate reaction was, "But there aren't that many lights in a barn."

Now this is what I think went on in that darling brain of his: I think he mixed up "sharpest tool in the shed" with "brightest bulb in blah blah blah" And for some reason shed == barn.

I don't know how I know this, but I will bet you, 10 to 1, that this is exactly what went down in this brain.

Now that the mystery has been given a rather anticlimactic resolution, I will say that I very much enjoyed all the replies to my poll. While I never stopped to think about it, Christmas tree makes sense and evokes quite lovely memories of the restful holidays.

Christmas at home was fantastic.

Wedding at Penn State was fun.

Last segment of travel is today; we leave for Boston after brunch!

...it'd slipped my mind to write about my wonderful experience on Sunday, meeting (again) with the Jane Austen Society of North America--Massachusetts.

( More gushing, etc )

Anyhow...despite the rain, I woke up cheerful and energetic. I had an interesting result last night in lab, and I'm 90% done with my subgroup presentation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN! (And rford!! Heh, I'll always remember your birthday)

And happy belated birthday, adventurat!!!

...drinking ginger ale to settle the stomach AS I'm drinking Red Bull to stay sharp for writing.

Just because I wanted to wish you guys a happy December :D Good luck with holiday shopping!!

I had a very fun, enjoyable chat on line with the_marchioness and adventurat this morning, and it reminded me of how much I missed hearing about what was up: what kind adventures are semioticwarrior's Thing number 1 and 2 getting into? How is alysonl's Em getting used to school life? How is bijoux getting back into life in So. Cal.? And how are the jennlynnfs's adjusting to the idea of a growing family? Has the_mongrel left for Indonesia yet? Is she already back? What is raw_wonders writing now?

I can't begin to express how excited and happy I am right now, to be in this moment, to be in this place. Things have been so wonderful here and I'm delighted to report that the move has been a very good one.

The air was cool this morning; it took me an additional 15 minutes to work up the courage to brave the cold and get out of bed in our sixty-degree apartment (we're still trying to fight turning on the heater). In preparation for our walk to work, I wound a scarf around my neck and wrapped my triple-layered torso in a puffy purple coat, smiling at my darling Dr. J as he teased me.

For all my complaining, I love the invigorating sensation of breathing cold air. Dr. J and I had a lovely walk to work this morning; the trees have commenced their fall fashion show, and I am very happy to see their daringly bold color. The neighbors have put out their carved pumpkins for Halloween. The pumpkins sit on fence posts and porch steps, greeting passersby, and I can't help smiling each time I see one; they're orange! And so adorably happy!

It's been a relaxing day in lab, and I am happy to have the opportunity to tackle a paper that has been haunting me for quite some time now.

Happy Fall.