I am completely obsessed with this song right now. I might have listened to it on repeat my whole way home from work today. Can't wait for the actual video!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Homemade Fruit Punch
Doesn't this look absolutely amazing and yummy?
Definitely think I'm going to have to make it sometime soon! Recipe here.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sorority Girl Problems
So I have recently become obsessed with Twitter. Today I started following someone who is cracking me up right now. And I feel it is necessary to share some of her tweets. For your reading pleasure:
I can do all things through wine who strengthens me.
Humidity wants me to be ugly. (So relevant in the south!)
Must be productive....Must be productive...Oops I just found someone on Facebook I haven't judged in a while.
I feel bad for people who aren't caffeine addicts: when they wake up in the morning, that's as alive as they're going to feel all day.
I should really work on getting some less obvious "I'm judging you" eyes.
Someone please teach me the difference between boredom and hunger.
I don't hate Mondays. Mondays hate me.
Whenever I feel like my life is a lost cause, I remind myself that somewhere there is a Real Housewife who is a bigger disaster than me.
Hope you enjoyed! If you want more, you can follow her @SororityProblems
I can do all things through wine who strengthens me.
Humidity wants me to be ugly. (So relevant in the south!)
Must be productive....Must be productive...Oops I just found someone on Facebook I haven't judged in a while.
I feel bad for people who aren't caffeine addicts: when they wake up in the morning, that's as alive as they're going to feel all day.
I should really work on getting some less obvious "I'm judging you" eyes.
Someone please teach me the difference between boredom and hunger.
I don't hate Mondays. Mondays hate me.
Whenever I feel like my life is a lost cause, I remind myself that somewhere there is a Real Housewife who is a bigger disaster than me.
Hope you enjoyed! If you want more, you can follow her @SororityProblems
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Happy Birthday To Me
Today I turned 27.
And I sure as heck do not feel like it. And I'm pretty sure most the time I don't act like it. So how on earth did I get to be it? So weird. Ah, well, here's to another candle on the cake and a happy birthday to me! (Which it indeed was!!!)
And I sure as heck do not feel like it. And I'm pretty sure most the time I don't act like it. So how on earth did I get to be it? So weird. Ah, well, here's to another candle on the cake and a happy birthday to me! (Which it indeed was!!!)
Saturday, June 4, 2011
I PASSED: The story of my next big step on becoming Dr. Peacock
As is obvious from my complete lack of posting the last couple months, I've been a little busy. My life was consumed with proposal writing and preparing for my big Admission to Candidacy exam. Round 1 came on May 10th. My committee had been in possession of my 8 page research proposal for 2 weeks. Plenty of time to read and come up with criticisms for my research and plenty of questions. The exam began with me giving a 20 minute presentation, essentially summarizing my proposal followed by 2 excruciatingly brutal hours of non-stop question grilling. At the end of that 2 hour period I was sent out of the room where my 7 committee members spent 30 minutes discussing my fate.
Here I would like to interrupt my little retelling to point out some facts that most of you are probably unaware of. The Admission to Candidacy exam for PhD students is a huge deal. It essentially determines if you are good enough to go on and actually obtain your PhD or if you should just give up and take the MS (failure). The proposal that we are required to write is basically like writing a grant, and while 8 pages may sound quite whimpy, trying to fit all of your preliminary data, proposed research, and benefit to the field into 8 pages (which for NIH standards is actually supposed to be 6) is like trying to fit your life story into 1 chapter: almost impossible. Luckily I have a little grant writing experience so the writing part wasn't too bad. And by not too bad, I mean I've never been so stressed in my life. Normally when students are writing and preparing for this exam they take a few weeks off from doing experiments, trying not to overload themselves. But not me. I was told that I was expected to work the whole time I was preparing, and I did. And since we are working on getting a paper out, my normal work load was significantly increased (thanks boss). Needless to say my mind was not completely focused on my exam. Never the less, I finished my proposal on time and put together my presentation. Which brings us back...
After the longest 30 minutes of my life (dramatic, but true) I was brought back into the room with my committee. I was told my proposal was great, they were all very impressed with my writing. SWEET! I was also told that my presentation was very well done, I obviously have no problem giving one. SWEET AGAIN! And then the knife....they were not so impressed with my ability to answer questions on the spot. NOOO! They all told me that they knew I was smart, top of my class, and they had faith that I knew my science, but they were worried about how I handled the stress and the questions. They asked me how much time I had taken off to spend preparing, and when I told them none, they were shocked. (My advisor got scolded a little for not making sure that I did.) They decided that while they could pass me at that point, they knew I was capable of more and wanted to see what I could do given the appropriate amount of time out of the lab to prepare. While at that moment I was extremely heart broken and let down, now I can say I'm kind of grateful they did it. Extra practice is always a good thing. And most of the time students get asked to rewrite their proposal (this is actually pretty common) or redo the presentation anyway, but since they thought I did great at both of those, all they wanted from me was to redo the question and answers session. Easy.
I spent the next 2 1/2 weeks away from the lab, not doing any experiments but just immersing myself in the science. I probably read at least 100 papers, reviewed old class notes, and became an expert on every technique and protocol that had any relevance to my research. So when Round 2 came I was posed and ready for every question they threw at me. And this time I knocked their socks off!! Unlike the 30 minutes I sat out of the room the first time, this time I walked out and walked right back in. The decision to pass me was instant and unanimous. My admission form was signed and I am now a PhD candidate! Woo hoo!!
The whole process was long and stressful and for the better part of two months I had a constant nauseous feeling in my stomach. But I am officially done and can get back to focusing on other things, such as the paper we are submitting next week which will be my first, first author paper (boo yah!).
Oh, and I think the moral to this story here is that it is better to force your boss to allow you time off instead of being an extreme workaholic when your future is on the line.
(insert Jeapordy theme song here)
After the longest 30 minutes of my life (dramatic, but true) I was brought back into the room with my committee. I was told my proposal was great, they were all very impressed with my writing. SWEET! I was also told that my presentation was very well done, I obviously have no problem giving one. SWEET AGAIN! And then the knife....they were not so impressed with my ability to answer questions on the spot. NOOO! They all told me that they knew I was smart, top of my class, and they had faith that I knew my science, but they were worried about how I handled the stress and the questions. They asked me how much time I had taken off to spend preparing, and when I told them none, they were shocked. (My advisor got scolded a little for not making sure that I did.) They decided that while they could pass me at that point, they knew I was capable of more and wanted to see what I could do given the appropriate amount of time out of the lab to prepare. While at that moment I was extremely heart broken and let down, now I can say I'm kind of grateful they did it. Extra practice is always a good thing. And most of the time students get asked to rewrite their proposal (this is actually pretty common) or redo the presentation anyway, but since they thought I did great at both of those, all they wanted from me was to redo the question and answers session. Easy.
I spent the next 2 1/2 weeks away from the lab, not doing any experiments but just immersing myself in the science. I probably read at least 100 papers, reviewed old class notes, and became an expert on every technique and protocol that had any relevance to my research. So when Round 2 came I was posed and ready for every question they threw at me. And this time I knocked their socks off!! Unlike the 30 minutes I sat out of the room the first time, this time I walked out and walked right back in. The decision to pass me was instant and unanimous. My admission form was signed and I am now a PhD candidate! Woo hoo!!
The whole process was long and stressful and for the better part of two months I had a constant nauseous feeling in my stomach. But I am officially done and can get back to focusing on other things, such as the paper we are submitting next week which will be my first, first author paper (boo yah!).
Oh, and I think the moral to this story here is that it is better to force your boss to allow you time off instead of being an extreme workaholic when your future is on the line.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
From: The Dog
My mom sent me this as an email and I thought it was pretty cute, so I decided to share it via blog. Enjoy!
From: THE DOG
Dear God: Is it on purpose our names are the same, only reversed?
Dear God: Why do humans smell the flowers, but seldom, if ever, smell one another?
Dear God: When we get to heaven, can we sit on your couch? Or is it still the same old story?
Dear God: Why are there cars named after the jaguar, the cougar, the mustang, the colt, the stingray, and the rabbit, but not ONE named for a Dog? How often do you see a cougar riding around? We do love a nice ride! Would it be so hard to rename the 'Chrysler Eagle' the 'Chrysler Beagle'?
Dear God: If a Dog barks his head off in the forest and no human hears him, is he still a bad Dog?
Dear God: We Dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent ID's, electromagnetic energy fields, and frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand?
Dear God: More meatballs, less spaghetti, please.
Dear God: Are there mailmen in Heaven? If there are, will I have to apologize?
Dear God: Let me give you a list of just some of the things I must remember to be a good Dog.
1. I will not eat the cats' food before they eat it or after they throw it up.
2. I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc., just because I like the way they smell.
3. The Litter Box is not a cookie jar.
4. The sofa is not a 'face towel'.
5. The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff.
6. I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the toilet.
7. Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is an unacceptable way of saying 'hello'.
8. I don't need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm under the coffee table
9. I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house - not after.
10. I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt across the capet.
11. I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my crotch.
12. The cat is not a 'squeaky toy' so when I play with him and he makes that noise, it's usually not a good thing.
P.S. Dear God: When I get to Heaven may I have my testicles back?
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