New Blog

Ok I decided to go for it.

For those who still maybe check in on this blog from time to time, I'm now posting at the blog Denver Adventures (remember the hyphen!): http://denver-adventures.blogspot.com/

Denver Life

Am debating starting a new blog for my Denver escapades... still have a bit of time before I move out here for good, so I have time to decide whether to make a new one or not. I'm kind of thinking a new one might be a good idea.

It's my second-to-last day of my trip to secure an apartment. The trip was successful.

I signed on for a place that is in a really pleasant neighborhood with shops and cafes and stuff. It's only a 10 min bike ride from campus and about 5 min from my friend C from high school. From everyone I've talked to, it seems like biking is definitely doable for most of the year. The day after it snows, the sun comes out and everything melts away. Seriously guys. The drainage infrastructure here is impressive (understatement). Anyway, on the handful of snowfall days, I can just walk to school (30 min) or possibly find someone to carpool with if they live in the area.

The room is in a two-bedroom house. I will have a roommate, who is very nice and mature Physician's Assistant, and also his super mellow golden retriever/yellow lab dog. Went by to sign the lease and hang out with the new roommate and the downstairs neighbors who also have a pet baby malamute (like a husky) that is the really the fluffiest thing I have ever seen. They said when he gets bigger they are going to get/build a cart and he can pull them, which apparently he will love to do, since that is what he is bred for. I think it is going to be a good situation. I had originally been looking at 1-br places, but those were extremely hard to come by, so then I came across this place and seemed to get along with the roommate and his dog. It is fully furnished except for the bedroom, so I don't have to worry about getting sofas and tables and chairs and stuff, so that's another plus. And if I decide I want to live by myself, I'm not stuck in the situation.

I'm excited to make the room my "own," my little haven. It's really all I need, a little slice of the universe to call my own.

Anyway, here's a panorama from a hike last week. Very breathtakingly beautiful.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Big news (which I already shared on FB): I'm moving to Colorado at the end of the summer! Excited, nervous, feeling a bit unreal about it.

(not my photo)

I ended up interviewing at four schools. One was kind enough to offer an alternate interview day. I was accepted at all the places where I interviewed:

• Boston
• San Francisco
• Denver
• Washington DC

Each school I visited, I was very impressed, and the faculty and current students (and other prospective students) were very nice. I knew it was going to be a tough decision.

A part of me was secretly hoping I would be accepted to exactly ONE program so I could avoid making a difficult choice, easy way out, but I would be lying if I didn't say that another part of me enjoys the validation.

What surprised me was that when I visited Denver, I really liked the city, the landscape, and especially program and core philosophy a lot. I hadn't ever been to Denver, so I knew much less going into my interview/campus visit, ended up coming away quite impressed. There were a few concrete aspects that stood out as unique in a good way (service learning and research involvement), as well as the overall "vibes" from the faculty and students that seemed to resonate with my own values and goals.

The program in Boston is probably more "prestigious" - particularly around here, but also nationally. So a part of me struggled with turning down opportunities, that sort of thing. But I turned down a more "prestigious" undergrad and things ended up turning out fine. Not the end of the world. So that line of reasoning was easily resolved.

As for where my heart lies, I was feeling pulled in two directions. One, by a program that I really have a crush on, the other direction by all the people I care about who live here in Boston and the Northeast. This past year, with all that has happened with my cousin's husband, my aunt on my mom's side, I've been coming to realize more poignantly that people aren't going to be around forever, or I guess that things you take for granted can change in an instant. That every interaction is with those you love is precious. Especially with older family members. I don't want to live my life based on potentialities, but that was a huge part of preventing me from fearlessly jumping into the unknown.

I ultimately decided that this is what I need, for me, to live somewhere new, try something totally different. It just FELT like the right thing to do. I will have to make a special effort to stay in touch with those I care about, to make vacations count, and to have a very fabulous time with all of them this summer before I head out.

Also, I just found out the other day that I was awarded a merit scholarship for the program in CO, so that in a way weirdly sort of confirms to me that it is a good choice.

So. That's where things are heading for me!

A few photos from my interview trip across the country. I was very fortunate to have friends/family in all the cities I visited, who showed me kindness, hospitality, and a great time.

Me with a former Boston friend in her SF office

Bike ride across Golden Gate and through Marin Headlands

Hiking near Boulder

StoryCorps

StoryCorps records, preserves, and shares the stories of people from all walks of life, backgrounds and beliefs. Couples, individuals, friends, relatives... people telling stories about... people.

These simple stories from everyday folk reveal a poetry of words, a poignancy. It started in New York City, but now there are StoryBooths in San Francisco and Atlanta, as well as MobileBooths, which travel to various cities. StoryCorps has animated some of them and put them on a YouTube channel, and they are just so touching and often delightful. I spent like an hour watching so many of them.

Here's one of a boy with Asperger's Syndrome interviewing his mother. Such candor and tenderness between the two of them.

Two cousins describing their neighbor/Sunday School teacher with brilliantly colorful splashes of detail.

Haunting memories from WWII.

A really sweet mother-daughter one. I could just go on and on.

Makes me want to record some of my family's stories. We always tell them at birthdays, but we don't have any actually recorded.

High Five Me

Apparently I just post animated gifs on my blog now.

I have more to share, but not ready to be totally public about it yet! So you just get Tina Fey being awesome.

Well Doesn't This Just Make Your Day...

I cannot NOT feel happy looking at this gif of David Boreanaz. Bubs cannot either.

Also

As for my life, I've been having a relaxing month or so, which is great. Applications were in by the end of October. Finished up classes before Christmas. Had a great time with all my fam for the holidays. So now I'm just having a bit of fun, prepping for my upcoming interviews, watching shows, hanging out with siblings &co. Wrapping up my last online class (developmental psychology).

For Christmas, I got P a rock climbing pass so we went several times. Here I am trying my hand at some inverted bouldering:

Been trying to get out snowshoeing as much as I can get buddies to go with me. Went once with P and R (we barely managed to summit Kearsage North by the time we needed to turn back in order to return to the car before dark):

...and another time with B and A (this time, not so fortunate; it was too foggy to make our way to the top safely, but it was still a fun trip):

So far I've been invited to interview at four programs, but two of them are scheduled on the same day, so I had to turn down one of the interviews. I'm interviewing in Denver, DC, and here. So a nice spread. I'm still waiting to hear back from the fifth school, which is also here.

So, I have to say life is overall going pretty well for this one.

Dollhouse

I am on Dollhouse now. That show plays with your mind fantastically.

Buffy

So I recently concluded Season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer after having watched alllll the prior seasons as well. A lot of ups and downs in that series.

I have so many things sort of brewing in my head from it. Thoughts about healthy vs destructive relationships. What it means to be a strong woman. I don't know if I'll have a better post (or multiple posts) later, but I do want to say there's so much good stuff in that show, besides just entertaining storytelling. I would recommend it for anyone, but especially in regards to the show's treatment of a strong female lead.

Joss, Gellar, and company do not disappoint.



(it is tough not to have more episodes to look forward to though)

The Friendly Beasts

Jesus, our brother, kind and good
was humbly born in a stable, rude
and the friendly beasts around him stood
Jesus, our brother, kind and good. 

I remember performing this simple little song with the youngest of the children at church. Each age of kids was assigned to represent one verse, one of the friendly beasts. Starting with the youngest, as the donkey, all shaggy and brown. Then the cow, all white and red. Etc. When a particular animal's verse came up, the idea was that the appropriate children would hold up cardboard cut-outs of that animal, with a hole for their singing faces. I am not sure how accurate we were at this task, but I am sure the adults in the congregation thought it was plenty darling and also probably hilarious.

In this video, Sufjan Stevens' gentle rendition accompanies a little boy's illustrations of each animal's gifts, interspersed with video footage of him carefully setting up his plastic Playmobil nativity scene. So charming. Especially the drawings. The donkey, who has only a stump where his head should be, carrying a giddy Mary safely to Bethlehem town. The giant two-legged cow gladly gives the baby Jesus her hay, to pillow his head. Baby Jesus lying there, so spidery, practically levitating out of his manger. Somehow perfect.

As the story goes, Jesus grew up to say, about little children, "forbid them not to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." I like to believe that he was talking about exactly this sort of thing. Which is why the song will always hold a special place in my heart.

Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

Do I just like all the minor songs? Perhaps.

Anyway, this is technically an Advent hymn I think, rather than officially Christmas. Somehow I feel like this song sounds better sung by men only, I prefer the tenor and bass voices on this one. I couldn't find a high quality version that I really liked. So here's a personal video somebody recorded at St Peter's in Vatican (Latin).

I sure do love every time they come in with the "Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel" - very full and rich sound.

Actually. I like this Enya version pretty well too, even though it directly contradicts what I'd just said about male voices. Very otherworldly, as per her style.

Ukrainian Carol

The original Ukrainian lyrics to the well-known English “Carol of the Bells.”

It was originally a new year’s song, springtime, nothing to do with Christmas. New year was moved due to the Christian calendar so now we associate it with Christmas, reflected by the English lyrics.


But it's really pretty in the original language.

Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

Going to post a few of my favorite carols. Some unique renditions. 

Nice take on this one, Sting. Tempo doesn't drag, keeps itself moving. Love that raspy voice on the deep notes, and the choral harmony with pizzicato. And the bagpipes solo!

New Look?

I am thinking it might be time for a new look for the blog. I do like that ridiculous title banner, but I might want something a little more subdued perhaps.

Are We Human?

I was examining skull replicas in biology. Our human ancestors. A lot of them are very similar to homo sapiens. But they are all long dead. I was wondering, what were the people like, when they were alive?

You look at something like the following video, of a gorilla, even more distant from us than australopithecus or homo erectus, and even then you see something familiar. Part of it might be human projection, wanting to see something you recognize in another creature. But it is hard to deny that there isn't some emotion going on there, and that she is trying to communicate that emotion using signs...

What would it be like to interact with an even closer early human relative? We will never know, I suppose. That's kind of sad, in a way.

From the YouTube description of the clip: 
Koko watches intently a DVD movie on her TV that she has seen several times before. It is called Tea with Mussolini. When it comes to a sad part, where the boy has to say goodbye to all of his relatives and waves goodbye on the train, Koko turns away from the TV. She then proceeds to sign: "Frown, sad, cry, bad, trouble, mother and Koko-love." Her eyes also look very watery. (Gorillas cry too.)

I didn't like that they were taking those flash pictures of her when she turned away from the TV screen.

Things I Love from Mormonism

• Emphasis on hard work, self-sufficiency, helping those around you.
• That we all have the seeds of godliness within each human being.
• Honoring those who have gone before us.
• Some really nice symbolism.
• The idea of atonement, that there is a force in the universe for healing and growth for when you fuck it all up or feel like you just can't get where you want to go or be the person you want to be, that force for good there inside of you, waiting for the moment when you actually start letting go of all your old baggage and moving on to a healthy and happy you. 
• That it was started by a little guy who asked big questions.
• Related to the above, that sometimes you find fear/darkness/feeling of abandonment before you get knowledge.
• Though it may not seem that way now, deviating from an expected path is at the very core of the religion; the religion's foundation is a giant metaphorical middle finger to "the establishment." If you find something that is wrong or that just makes your soul cry out for answers, maybe it's your responsibility to find the way that is in accordance to the principles of justice and mercy and benevolence and truth as you understand them. Maybe the system is broken. Maybe you were misguided or misunderstanding or headstrong or wanted to have everyone married together in a giant heavenly love-fest and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe you love communes. Maybe you find out after trying it out that some things work better in theory than in practice. Maybe you love nature. Maybe you love someone the same sex as you. Maybe you think people shouldn't be put into little boxes because of their sex or gender. Maybe you are mystical and spiritual and find all the obedience stuff super mundane. Maybe you end up realizing that mundane can transcend too. Maybe this bullet is getting too long compared to all the other bullets. Maybe all of the above. But most importantly, maybe you won't know until you try it, until you say Dear God I don't think this is right, I need to embark on my own. I know of at least one founder of Mormonism who did so. 

Surely there are more, but those are off the top of my mind. Sorry Mormonism that we couldn't make it work, but we had some good times, a lot of which have made me who I am today.

Covers

Sometimes I like to listen to and compare different covers of a familiar song. I was just recently doing this with "Rainbow Connection" one of my favorite songs. Here's the original Kermit, from Muppet Movie:

I like this Dixie Chicks version. Soulful, nice twangy banjo and guitar supported by fiddle-y strings, sweet hearty voices.

This Weezer version is good too (with Hayley Williams). Nice, quirky sound, expansive at points, a little edgier, but still maintaining that tender feel of the original; I also like the swampy sounds in the background, nice touch:

Willie Nelson. Ephemeral. Savory, easy, nostalgic feel. You kind of get the sense he has already found that rainbow connection.

This one, I don't even know what to say, but I think I love it:

I already posted about the Sarah McLachlin version another time. Definitely a bit more wistful sounding.

Today, a grasshopper

Today, a grasshopper landed on me while I was riding home. It was cute, and it kind of tickled. I was about to flick it off then I realized it would probably land in the road, get run over and smushed if I did that. So I let it ride home with me on my arm. As we rode our short journey together, I began to grow attached to it, or at least to feel some sort of affinity. Found myself glancing down to my arm, checking to make sure it was still safely clinging, hadn't jumped out into traffic of its own accord or anything, even though I could feel its tiny feet gripping - a little prickly almost.

(Thank you JessicaNarelle for the image)

I got home, hopped off my bike, leaned down next to a bush in front of my apartment, and off it climbed. Little hitchhiker... haha... nice knowing you, that short trip.

"Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness..."

Like a Boss

I like this meme.

ps I just realized the cat one actually doesn't say "Like a Boss" but that cat is definitely lying there like a boss.

How to Make Friends with your Lab TA

When he is talking about increasing the pressure in a system and uses inflating a bicycle tire as a real-life example, and then says there aren't a lot of everyday examples of decreasing pressure, you might say something about suctioning a drinking glass onto your face.

I do that every day, doesn't everyone?

Or, while asking him a question during the procedure, you notice he is wearing a shirt that has the same college as your former roommate. You ask if he attended there, which year? When he says 2011, a good idea is to say loud enough for many people to hear "What?! From undergrad???" as you realize/try to make sense of the fact that OMG when I graduated college, this guy was still in high school!