Science (non) Fiction

Dad and Larry landed safely in Charlotte yesterday afternoon, and I got to talk to him as they were pulling away from the airport – Larry was on his way to the hospital, and I haven’t heard back yet about what the final verdict is about his leg – I’d forgotten that he’s had two hip replacements, so they’re worried it could be a problem with one of the artificial hips. But I’m sure he’s glad to be back home so he can get the best medical attention possible. And we’re all glad Dad is back safe and sound as well!

In other news, the brother is doing some cool things out in LA, sorting through and archiving costumes and props from movies like Gladiator and Disturbia and Transformers, and sitting on the discarded sets of The Brady Bunch. Crazy. He’s got some leads on jobs, possibly on some cool TV shows – the up-in-the-air nature of Hollywood jobs would kill me, but he seems to be taking it all in stride.

I’ve got some interesting possibilities for the holiday weekend coming up – some concerts and cookouts, and book club as well. Looking forward to a long weekend, even if I have to be in lab during parts of it!

OK y’all – my mom just called to tell me that Dad is on his way back from Africa as we speak, because Larry (the guy who runs the orphanage and went over with him from the states) hurt his leg pretty badly. They should be back in Charlotte tomorrow afternoon, but I can only imagine how awful this trip (which is already normally quite long and difficult) is going to be for Larry. Dad said he’d try to call from Amsterdam tonight, but I have no idea what time they should even be there. So if you could, please say a prayer for them tonight and tomorrow – for safety and ease of travel and as little pain for Larry as possible. Thanks!

I’ve got Killing Me Softly stuck in my head – I think we talked about it Wednesday night at Ishi (is that right?), and it’s been solidly lodged there ever since. Maybe I can spread the joy. hehe.

Turns out Dad can’t access the internet easily right now, but I’ve not given up hope that he might eventually be able to while he’s over there – so…

Tuesday night was the series finale of Gilmore Girls, and the fabulous finale party at Kari’s, including Gilmore-esque snack foods (danishes!!!), favorite scene viewing and a trivia game (which was won by yours truly ). The finale was really great, not trying to do too much in terms of wrapping up every single loose end while still giving us hope for a happy future for our favorite Stars Hollow residents.

(Unfortunately, the CW also canned Veronica Mars, which means my Tuesday nights are officially free now. Boooo.)

Wednesday night’s church-wide picnic was cancelled (due to torrential rains that started right at 5:30 and lasted about 30 minutes and soaked everything), so my small group went to Ishi instead and then hung out and played some Wii – good times. Picnic will be next Wednesday instead, hopefully with better weather.

Yesterday was a slow-ish day – I did get to take a nice long walk around Ardmore while one of my experiments was progressing veeeerrrry slowly. And The Office’s season finale was awesome! Really, it was one of my favorite episodes, at least from this season if not the whole show. So great! (Sorry there’s so much tv in this update – it’s just because everything is wrapping up at the same time.)

Tonight I’m going to a concert at a coffee house outside Greensboro with a friend from the lab – I haven’t been to a concert in quite a while, so that should be fun – plus this friend and I have rarely hung out outside of lab, so it will be nice to get to know her better. This weekend will be spent mainly cleaning house, doing laundry, working in the lab and hopefully making it to the Greek Festival in town at some point.

Oh, and I’ve decided, unless something major pops up in lab, that I’m going to the Musical Heirs reunion the first weekend of June – Frances and Alexa will be there, among many others, so it should be a good time to catch up with old friends and see how my favorite children’s choir is doing these days.

So my dad is in Africa (at an orphanage about an hour outside Nairobi), and he may be able to check the internet a bit more often that we can (or at least I can) reach him by phone. So I will try to keep this a bit more updated with the goings-on in my life, at least so Dad can stay up-to-date.

Mom and I spent the weekend together (Dad’s gone, clearly, and Matthew just moved to CA) – I drove home Friday night, we had dinner with one of our favorite people (Valerie!) and then leisurely drove up to Mars Hill Saturday morning (well, actually afternoon), stopping at antique stores and crafts shops along the way. We toured the (beautiful) B&B where we were staying (Dad, it’s that huge white house next to the Baptist church right off campus – just up the street from the Deli) and then drove around campus, noting all the improvements and incredible new buildings going up, and around town. We ate at a newish ‘casual dining’ place on Main Street, and retired early to our lovely suite of rooms upstairs and read. We slept in (well, I did, at least) and had a very nice breakfast before checking out and heading to church at the UMC church (where I went my last few years in college) – it was nice to see some of the same faces, even though a lot of people were out of town. We did get to meet up with my favorite biology prof from college and we took her out to lunch in Weaverville and got to chat about the college and students and possible jobs (*much fingernail biting*). Very good times.

It was a great weekend, though coming back was a bit of a shock, like we’d been away for much longer that a day or two. I did go on a nice long walk with Beth when I got back into town (after stopping off at the lab of course) – we walked around Ardmore (TONS of houses for sale!) and caught up on the crazy-ness going on in each of our lives. To come from MHC, where we’ve been talking about the possibilities of me teaching there in the near future, to go back to Winston, where I already feel so settled and comfortable and established (sometimes), it was all a bit … jarring. Anyway, I’ve got a lot to think/pray about, and talking with Dan sometime in the very near future. (We did, for the first time in a while, talk about a date for me graduating sometime in the near future – I think I’ll be shooting for early fall, with the knowledge that I can push that off a bit farther into the fall if need be – I’ve really got to get my second paper underway then…)

Let’s see… what else… I finished Life of Pi by my book club discussion – very interesting read, but I’ll save my thoughts for after the discussion, which should be really good, I think. I’ve started The Boleyn Inheritance (Philippa Gregory again), which continues the story of Henry the VIII’s 3rd and 4th wives (I think) – good and entertaining so far, as I expected – she’s a really good story-teller, and I’m already interested in the time period, so I’ve been quickly absorbed. (It’s a bit confusing at times, because I read Innocent Traitor a few weeks ago, which is about what happens after Henry dies and his son takes the throne and immediately after. So this is jumping back in history a bit. hehe)

Well, I’ve got a busy week ahead of me – I promise I’ll write more later on. I love you, Dad!

I found this really cool site – www.goodreads.com – you can sign up with a profile and keep track of the books you’ve read, what you thought of them, add books you’d like to read in the future, and see what other people are reading and what they think of them. My profile is here. Very cool! I’ve added all the books I’ve read this year so far, plus what I’m reading now, plus some books I’ve liked in the past (just off the top of my head really). I even got Geof to add a sidebar panel (towards the bottom) that shows what I’m currently reading and my last few books, automatically updated when I change my profile at goodreads. So now you can keep up with what I’m reading, even if I don’t get around to writing a new post with my thoughts on each book. Oh, and you should go sign up and then we can be ‘goodreads friends’ and talk about books we like!

(Quote from Leo Tolstoy)

I’m stealing from Kari today to write about the music I’ve been listening to lately. I just randomized my selections, so there’s no particular order about the songs right now – maybe I’ll establish some kind of order later on. But this is what’s playing in my life these days, in case you were wondering.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by the Bee Gees. This was on a mix CD, and it was my definite favorite of the BeeGees songs – they’re a bit before my time (hehe), so I kinda missed out on this kind of music, so its fun to go back and ‘re-discover’ songs like this. There’s something quite epic-sounding about this particular song.

Mandy by Barry Manilow. Go ahead, mock me for the Manilow! I got this song for the Angel mix I put together for Becky’s birthday, and not only do I like re-living the scene where Angel sings this in the karaoke bar, but I actually just like the song on its own. Ha.

Grace Kelly by Mika. Now, usually the songs I listen to are the result of someone giving me a mix CD and getting hooked on some artist I’d never heard of, or some such thing. But I came by this one quite honestly (well, if you call watching VH1 on the elliptical at the Y and hearing the song ‘honestly’), and I’ve since gotten at least my brother hooked on Mika (and Bethany likes him too, continuing our twin obsessions ) – there’s a very distinct Queen sensibility about Mika, which I love, and this song is super fun, very energetic and perfect for working out.

Relax (Take it easy) by Mika. Oops, this is what happens when you just randomize them – but this is another one I like off of what I believe is Mika’s debut album – very poppy and a bit more ’80s-sounding than Grace Kelly.

Never Again by Kelly Clarkson. This is on Kari’s list as well – Kelly’s new single – she’s the queen of bitter break-up songs, as Kari mentioned, and while I’ve never been through a bitter break-up, I can definitely sense the angst coming from this song – I’m really looking forward to her new album.

Don’t Write Me Off by Hugh Grant. Yes, that’s right, Hugh Grant. This is the song he sings at the concert in Music and Lyrics, and I definitely cried at this point in the movie, so this song is on my list – very sweet and poignant, even with Hugh ‘I’ve been arrested for lewd acts with a transvestite’ Grant singing.

Maybe There’s a Loving God by Sara Groves. I feel like Sara Groves’ stuff is really hit-or-miss for me, I either really like a song or I’m really not a fan of it – this is the song that originally got me into her voice. I recently put it back into circulation. It’s not typical CCM, at least to me.

All the Miles by Sanda McCracken. I love this one from Sandra’s latest album Gravity|Love, very poignant and sincere as only Sandra can be.

Take Me for Longing by Alison Krauss and Union Station. Alison’s voice is one of my favorites, and this is from one of their Live discs – really powerful lyrics about not being chosen because I’m faithful or kind, but to ‘take me for longing or leave me behind’. Lovely.

7 (Acoustic) by Prince. I never really got into Prince, and even right now I couldn’t name you 3 of his songs, but I have to admit that I love this song – its one that I have to sing along with in the car, regardless of what else is going on around me.

Trusted by Ben Folds. I will admit to having a (brother-induced) pretty strong love for Ben Folds. There’s something very raw and real about his singing that gets me, even if its not, strictly-speaking, ‘pretty’. This one is kinda funny/ironic – favorite line: ‘Seems to if you can’t trust, you can’t be trusted’.

Useless Desires by Patty Griffin. This one goes on pretty much every mix I make, regardless of topic – its one of my absolute Patty favorites, and so applicable to my life right now. Favorite line: ‘To help me think a little less about the things I miss/To help me not to wonder how I ended up like this’.

Too Far to Walk by Andrew Osenga. This is one of the first Andrew Osenga songs I heard, and it gets me every time I listen to it. Favorite part: ‘I get scared that forgiveness is for better people/ So I give up trying to fight/ Jesus, you’ll have to come get me/ Cause it’s too far to walk tonight’.

A Place Called Home by Kim Richey. I like Kim’s voice (which I first heard a year or so ago), and this one was in the last episode of Angel, so it went on Becky’s mix as well, and I really like it. Kinda rolling and haunting.

How Could We Dare to be Wrong by Colin Blunstone. When I first heard this song a few months ago (on a mix), I had no idea who Colin Blunstone was, and I assumed this was a relatively new song – turns out I was waaaay wrong, but I still love this song – it’s very poetic and his voice keeps it from being too cheesy (in my opinion).

Now and Then by Sandra McCracken. This is on my first Sandra CD (Gypsy Flat Road), so it was my first exposure to her, and this is one of my lasting favorite from that CD – it’s very soothing and lullaby-ish.

Reflecting Light by Sam Phillips. The song that is playing when Luke and Lorelei dance for the first time at his sister’s wedding on Gilmore Girls – I fell in love with this song then (and Luke, for that matter – hehe), and found it after some serious searching (of course, I could have just asked Kari). It still calls that scene to mind when I hear it, the camera panning out from the two of them to eventually cover the whole dance floor and town square. Lovely.

Cruel to be Kind by Letters to Cleo. I love the movie Ten Things I Hate About You, and this song (which is in the movie) is super fun, and very good for my work-out mix.

Gravity by John Mayer. This song was in a movie/tv show (but I’m blanking on which one right now…) when I first heard it, and it’s my favorite from his latest album Continuum. (I’m actually not a huge fan of the album as a whole, but I love this song enough to make up for it)

No Bad News by Patty Griffin. One of my top Patty songs, from her new album Children Passing Through. It’s a ’singing out loud with the radio up and the windows down’ kind of song – there’s this part in the middle where it’s just banjo (?) and then all of the sudden the percussion builds in and the song explodes – so fabulous!

Lost Lost Brother by Over the Rhine. Like Kari, I put this on after hearing them sing it at the concert in Charlotte – I’d never heard it before the concert (I know, but I don’t have Ohio yet, so I’m not 100% familiar with all their songs), and while the live version was tons better, this is a good substitute. (Even if iTunes is giving me conniptions with this song – grrr)

Heavenly Day by Patty Griffin. Another new favorite from the new album. And a rare happy song from an artist whose songs are normally tinged with quite a bit of sadness/bitterness.

Up to the Mountain by Kelly Clarkson. Again, like Kari, this song is an awesome combination of a beloved song (Patty sings it) with another incredible voice (Kelly is powerful on this one). Plus its a great song that addressed the cause they were raising money for, without being overly cheesy.

So that’s what I’m listening to these days – what’s getting a lot of play-time for you lately? Any suggestions for me?

I’ve been really slack about keeping y’all up-to-date with what’s going on, mostly due to laziness is actually writing about anything. Here are some bullet points to get things going:

~ Matthew is now officially in California. and So happy and excited for him, but really sad that he’s that far away – I do think we’re closer emotionally than we have been in a long time, so hopefully that will compensate some for the distance. He’ll be staying with some friends of ours out there, and he’s actually already got at least a short-term job already in the works, at Dreamworks (I think), thanks to his friend Adam who’s already out there. Keep up with his journey here.

~ Dad is heading to Africa for his third trip to the orphanage outside of Dubai, Kenya. Since he’ll be gone for a while and Matthew was leaving, we celebrated Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Matthew’s going-away all at the same time last weekend. Good times! Many thanks to Alisa for taking some great pictures of Matthew and me that we framed for Mom and Dad as gifts – I think they were a hit. He’ll be helping out with carpentry and maintenence projects, like he has on past trips. You can keep up with Dad’s trip through the links at the right – one for his page, and one for the orphanage.

~ Mom and I are going to be having a girl’s weekend next weekend, spending the night at a bed & breakfast, going back to my alma mater Mars Hill. It’s actually graduation weekend there, but I’m sure we’ll be able to find fun stuff to do while we’re there. It’ll be great to be back up there, and see the town from a different perspective, and spend some good girl time while the boys are gone.

~ I’ve finished a few more books recently, which you can read about here. I’ve just started Life of Pi (Yann Martel) for a book club, and I think I might break my rule and read two books at the same time, because I’ve got a non-fiction book that I don’t think I’ll be able to just read all the way through – Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life was featured on NPR a couple weeks ago, and as I’ve decided that I need to learn more about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, I’m excited about this one – but I think it’ll be easier if I read it along with whatever other book I’m reading so I don’t get bogged down too much. And I’m going to have to start my re-read of the Harry Potter books, in preparation for the new movie and the last book, all happening this summer!

~ Things I’m currently enjoying: Iron Chef America (well, almost anything on Food Network right now), Gilmore Girls (two more episodes til the SERIES FINALE! ), Nintendo Wii (the only game system I’ve ever wanted to own – soooo fun!), my nursery babies (so cute), and lots of phone time with the brother (enjoying that while I can).

~ I’m getting a haircut this week (finally), and while I considered doing something more dramatic (shorter, maybe), I think I might let it grow and donate to Locks of Love, since it’s already pretty close to that long anyway – but it might frustrate me enough between now and then to just cut it off… we’ll see…

OK, that’s enough for now.