Leaving for home this afternoon. See you all tomorrow

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:19 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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On Memorial Day, take the time to remember the soldiers in your life, and what they mean to you, as well as what their service has meant for all of us. Take the time to think about it, and you might be surprised at how many people in your life have served our country.

These are mine:
My maternal grandfather, who worked in a transportation company in WWII, deployed to Canada. He helped to build the Al-Can highway.

My paternal grandfather, a recent immigrant to this country who volunteered for the army and was sitting on a platform, waiting to ride the train to basic training on November 11, 1918.

My maternal grandmother, a Red Cross nurse at Camp Stockton. Incidentally where she met my grandfather, before he went to Canada.

Her sister, also a Red Cross Nurse, a WAVE, too if I recall, and her husband, a naval officer.

Uncle L who went from a Captain to a Private in France in WWII because he told a general that "Engineers are not lumberjacks" and that the general's men could "cut their own f*cking wood".

My mother's cousin, a Marine who volunteered for 4 tours in Vietnam, and is now the proud father of a Naval Academy graduate (and another NA student)

Uncle D who was a radio operator for 13 months in Vietnam and came home with a bronze star for bug watching which led him to see the enemy approaching...

Cousin D who flies B-2s and once saved the Air Force $1 billion.

His Brother B who just finished medical school and will be a USAF doctor

My sweet husband who fixed artillery in peacetime, and stood guard after 9/11.

My B-I-L who has spent less than 6 months living as husband and wife with my S-I-L; their 3 year marriage encompassing a tour in Korea, a brief return to Ft. Hood, and a year long deployment in Iraq. Now they'll be able to be together.

My friend's husband, who served in the Navy, and then switched to the Army and became a Blackhawk pilot.

Our good buddy H, who served with my hubby, as well as a year in Korea followed by another in Iraq. He's off to Germany next.....

And don't forget the milbloggers who bring us the real stories of what's going on in the "Sandbox" these days, and who do their duty unselfishly and with pride.

Thanks.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:37 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Thank you baby! I'll tell H. about what you said! Love you and see you soon.

Posted by: Grand Moff Trojan at May 30, 2005 07:15 PM (MyDiA)

2 what a proud heritage you have! We all have MUCH to be thankful for and MANY to be thankful to! :-)

Posted by: Pam at June 04, 2005 12:07 AM (UMYVh)

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Zim is a fool- your soap-making abilities are
better than those of the leading brand!


What random GIR quote are you?
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from Gir (who else???)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Yes, I too have succumbed to the demon that is Catblogging. But these two aren't mine. They belong to the friends we're staying with.

Here's Franklin:

And Arthur:

Bonus Lizardblogging:
Meet Norman:

Posted by: caltechgirl at 07:29 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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A great big Thank You! to everyone who left such nice messages yesterday. I really appreciate it!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It's amazing what kind of things you forget when you leave what you love for so long and don't come back often....

The clarity of the light. In LA the light is different than anywhere else. It seems so sharp and white, even through the smog.

The blue sky, not as blue as Carolina's, but somehow bigger as if the world itself was expanded.

The technicolor flowers, from the pink and orange roses to the purple jacaranda blooms that fall on green grass.

The fact that people understand how to use a left turn lane!

Gridded streets.

Real ethnic food.

Dry heat.

The way that although some things change, others will always be the same in unexpected and delightful ways.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:09 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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PERMANENTLY.

I passed!!!!!

YAY!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:24 PM | Comments (22) | Add Comment
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1 YAY!!!! Now I really wish I could see you this weekend!

Posted by: Ith at May 26, 2005 01:49 PM (nt+rp)

2 Hoo-rah! Congratchamalations!

Posted by: CrankyBeach at May 26, 2005 01:55 PM (tG1DG)

3 Woohoo!!!

Posted by: Jay at May 26, 2005 02:02 PM (8n5zS)

4 Woo-hoo! Yay! Congrats! Enjoy your vacation!

Posted by: Deb at May 26, 2005 02:02 PM (8n5zS)

5 Congratulations!

Posted by: IB Bill at May 26, 2005 02:29 PM (6WcMd)

6 Congratulations. Does this mean you're buying at He's Not or Top of the Hill?

Posted by: Super G at May 26, 2005 02:57 PM (EeQUM)

7 Congratulations! I knew you would do it. Have a great vacation!

Posted by: shrinkette at May 26, 2005 03:21 PM (hqlzt)

8 Congrats, Doc.

Posted by: Jon at May 26, 2005 03:48 PM (9tzOa)

9 Congrats Dr!

Posted by: vw bug at May 26, 2005 04:01 PM (V4mW3)

10 Congratulations Dr. CalTechGirl! Enjoy the vacation.

Posted by: Laughing Wolf at May 26, 2005 04:11 PM (NsECb)

11 Woohoo!!! Dancing rodents form a line and wind their way around the room doing 3 steps and a kick.

Posted by: Jenna at May 26, 2005 04:48 PM (f/kUC)

12 Congratulations!!! So, how would you like us to address you now... Dr. Caltechgirl? or Caltechgirl, PhD? Have a great vaca!!

Posted by: Marie at May 26, 2005 04:48 PM (cRiTs)

13 Hey, congratulations!!!!!

Posted by: Paul Burgess at May 26, 2005 06:01 PM (7EVyU)

14 Well done you! Congratulations!

Posted by: amanda at May 26, 2005 06:30 PM (cqrWD)

15 Congratulations. Hey doc? I have this funky looking growth on my foot, do you think you could take a look at it for me? I know... not that kind of Doctor.

Posted by: Contagion at May 27, 2005 09:02 AM (Q5WxB)

16 YAY!!! Good work, chick! Now come home! ;-)

Posted by: Pam at May 27, 2005 10:19 AM (eDzc4)

17 Congrtulations, Dr. Techgirl! Can we still call you Cal?

Posted by: Xrlq at May 27, 2005 05:01 PM (585Ar)

18 How about Dr. Supergenius?

Posted by: caltechgirl at May 27, 2005 05:31 PM (MyDiA)

19 Are you going to start referring to us as the "little people" now? ;-) Congratulations, Dr. Girl. Now go do something spectacular.

Posted by: Kathleen at May 28, 2005 10:45 AM (zGCA0)

20 Congratulations!!!!

Posted by: Bou at May 30, 2005 10:49 PM (z7nbM)

21 That is just awesome! Congratulations. You should be proud of your hard work! Now go bask in your success! :-)

Posted by: Sissy at May 31, 2005 10:24 AM (MWVDQ)

22 Congrats! Go party!

Posted by: Princess Jami at May 31, 2005 11:20 AM (0gPLe)

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I'm buying his album anyway.

Clay kicked Ruben's ass all the way to the bank. I think Bo will too.

Simon Cowell is an ass.

Sorry for the spoilers, folks.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:57 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Is okay. We're going to tape AI and watch Lost, so Nin wanted to know who won so we didn't have to wait till after 11pm. Hey, he's going to have a monster contract, and will be better off than Carrie. She's stuck, he can get Clay Aiken's lawyer and break his AI contract

Posted by: Ith at May 25, 2005 10:14 PM (DCF12)

2 Oh, yeah. Skipping hers, definitely buying his. America is a strange, strange place.

Posted by: Deb at May 25, 2005 10:36 PM (8n5zS)

3 I'll be buying Bo's too!! Unreal how they dragged the thing out. I actually fell asleep before the big announcement - hubby had to wake me up!

Posted by: Marie at May 26, 2005 04:50 PM (cRiTs)

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Green is your Lightsaber's color.

Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth,
harmony, and freshness. Green has strong
emotional correspondence with safety. Green is
also commonly associated with wealth and
happiness, so someone with a green lightsaber
like yourself is a fortunate soul.


What Colored Lightsaber Would You Have?
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From Ith

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:21 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I need to work on my presentation for tomorrow, cut brownies, pack for CA, and clean up the house so the damn dog doesn't get into anything while we're gone (a friend is watching her and staying at the house, but still...)

I also need to go pick up my dissertation paperwork so they can sign it tomorrow so I can graduate......

Soooo.....OPEN THREAD..... I may pop in and add my two cents if I get a down minute.....otherwise, it's all you.

We'll be in CA from tomorrow night to Tuesday, but I'll have sporadic computer time, and I will definitely be checking email.....

Posted by: caltechgirl at 05:21 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 Have a safe trip, and good luck on the apartment hunt. Have a piece of toast for me at the brunch

Posted by: Ith at May 25, 2005 06:39 PM (nt+rp)

2 come on people! Talk!

Posted by: caltechgirl at May 25, 2005 09:58 PM (Yf8BQ)

3 No

Posted by: Jay at May 25, 2005 10:08 PM (8n5zS)

4 you just did!

Posted by: caltechgirl at May 25, 2005 10:13 PM (Yf8BQ)

5 Points to the top comment NYHA!

Posted by: Ith at May 25, 2005 10:14 PM (DCF12)

6 I'm jealous of the trip. There's something about it being all of like 45 degrees today and rainy that's making me fiercely homesick right about now... There's something so disorienting about it not being 95 degrees and dry as a bone at the end of May...

Posted by: Deb at May 25, 2005 10:38 PM (8n5zS)

7 Good luck, be safe and have fun!

Posted by: Sissy at May 25, 2005 11:06 PM (uXS+O)

8 Hey, I'll be thinking of you tomorrow morning! :-)

Posted by: Paul Burgess at May 25, 2005 11:08 PM (7EVyU)

9 Welcome back (for a while at least). Only 92º today, so it shouldn't be too much of a change. I hope you have as much fun today as this man: "Mr. Feynman; why is the sky blue?"

Posted by: Mr. Kurtz at May 26, 2005 04:13 AM (KHPaj)

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a pet peeve....

Rob-Amber's wedding is on CBS, and as is super predictable they wrote their own vows.

But aren't vows promises? I mean 3/4 of what Rob said was extolling Amber's virtues, and the family and friends made more of a promise than Rob or Amber in their vows.

No wonder people get divorced so often. They can't even make promises to each other at their wedding.
[/pet peeve]

On a more positive note, the minister was great. He made a nice blessing at the end.

And the bridesmaids' dresses were the same color as they were at my wedding. We should have gotten married at the beach. Then we wouldn't have had to worry about not being able to match dye-able shoes.....

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:50 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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That was the title of tonight's episode of House, and clearly the honeymoon is over.

More in the extended entry... more...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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They're setting Carrie up to win. Did you hear the comments???

Granted she was better tonight than previously..... Although the first song was awful. The second was better than she had done it before.

Bo did damn good. I don't think the mix was great, and they weren't great songs for him, but he was awesome. Win or lose, he's the class of the field.

Did I mention, Simon Cowell sucks

Go now, vote for Bo!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:55 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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AI finale at 8 followed by House finale at 9

So any predictions? Who wins AI tonight? Bo or Carrie???

Y'all know I'm rooting for Bo. Luscious, amazing singing Bo.....

Posted by: caltechgirl at 07:30 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I've been feeling like @ss all afternoon. Now I know why.
3pm: Sunny 72 degrees F
4pm: Raining 58 degrees F

I love rain, but this is crazy. It's freakin' May. Last year this week was in the 90s!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Check this out:
Michele tells us the story of Canada's private war against innumeracy: Give 'em an incentive, eh?

I'm sorry ma'am, no free shoes. You couldn't tell me what [(22+16)-18]*8/2 is.

Give me a freakin' break.

Evidently to win a prize in Canada you have to be smart enough to do strange math problems.... I hadn't seen this before, but according to this, it's been around a while.

Heh. It's like Jim Crow literacy tests for voting in the US in past days. Just as stupid, and frankly, in this case, silly. Wonder when all the liberals are going to rise up against this flagrant discrimination against the math impaired.....

Can you imagine what lottery sales would be like in this country if you had to answer math problems to collect your jackpot? Funding education would be a moot argument since the lotteries wouldn't make any money. Not that all Americans are stupid, mind you, it's just that I think most would resent such a test.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:29 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Just saw an ad on VH1 for Alanis Morrissette's new album/tour...I mean old album and tour. Heck, I guess what ever works, right?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, I guess. Or maybe just go with what works......

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:09 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I'm using FoxyTunes to listen to my musica while I check out the net, and I've got winamp on random, and it keeps spewing out great songs for singing loud (DH isn't home yet)

right now: The B-52s "Love Shack"

Earlier:
Shawn Colvin "Sunny Came Home"
Beach Boys "Kokomo"
U2 "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
New Order "Blue Monday"

Interestingly, 3 of these latter songs are among my favorite songs of all time...

Heh. It just switched to Like A Prayer, which is hella good for singing loud and alone.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 05:24 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Via Gay Patriot West comes this wonderful piece by Keith Thompson, a liberal activist who worked for Robert Kennedy and McGovern and who is now stepping away from "mainstream" liberalism and the liberal political machine.

He makes an important point: The left in this country has forgotten its roots in peace and human justice. They're so caught up in hating Bush and what they perceive him to represent, that they've lost sight of the big picture:

Nightfall, Jan. 30. Eight-million Iraqi voters have finished risking their lives to endorse freedom and defy fascism. Three things happen in rapid succession. The right cheers. The left demurs. I walk away from a long-term intimate relationship. I'm separating not from a person but a cause: the political philosophy that for more than three decades has shaped my character and consciousness, my sense of self and community, even my sense of cosmos.

I'm leaving the left -- more precisely, the American cultural left and what it has become during our time together.

I choose this day for my departure because I can no longer abide the simpering voices of self-styled progressives -- people who once championed solidarity with oppressed populations everywhere -- reciting all the ways Iraq's democratic experiment might yet implode.

My estrangement hasn't happened overnight. Out of the corner of my eye I watched what was coming for more than three decades, yet refused to truly see. Now it's all too obvious. Leading voices in America's "peace" movement are actually cheering against self-determination for a long-suffering Third World country because they hate George W. Bush more than they love freedom. emphasis mine

He goes on to say this: (see the extended entry) more...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Who else saw the Millenium Falcon (pronounced Fawl-con) cameo in SW ep. III? I didn't until we saw it again yesterday afternoon.

I guess that was Lando, huh?

BTW points to the first person who can tell me where the post title comes from. My DH doesn't get to play.....

Update: edisoncarter scores a win with "Depeche Mode: Music for the Masses"

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:09 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 Ugh. It's monday morning and I haven't gotten to see a movie in TWO years. Hope someone else can answer you.

Posted by: vw bug at May 23, 2005 10:58 AM (V4mW3)

2 No, I didn't see it. But I was so pooped by the time I got to the movie, I probably missed a lot of little details.

Posted by: Ith at May 23, 2005 11:26 AM (nt+rp)

3 My son saw it and I swore he was making it up. Now I'll have to admit to him he was right. GRRR.

Posted by: Super G at May 23, 2005 02:46 PM (EeQUM)

4 depeche mode? music for the masses?

Posted by: edisoncarter at May 23, 2005 04:57 PM (VfS6o)

5 Yes! We have a winner!!!!!

Posted by: caltechgirl at May 23, 2005 05:01 PM (eV5t9)

6 Crap... I'm too late. Mental note: "Visit caltechgirl's blog more often." ;^)

Posted by: Paladin at May 23, 2005 05:40 PM (Rfqkp)

7 Ahh... music trivia... I love this stuff... and we do like similar bands I believe... you can check out the stuff I'm into on my blog... I have a DM dedication album from a bunch of alternative bands, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, Hooverphonic, etc. It's called "For the Masses". You can see more on Amazon. Now, post some more trivia! AP ps. New Order has a new album out called "Waiting for the Siren's Call"... good stuff but not as good as "Get Ready".

Posted by: ap at May 24, 2005 12:58 PM (u5Cu4)

8 I missed that referenece. What part of the movie was it in?

Posted by: Contagion at May 24, 2005 02:56 PM (Q5WxB)

9 Dang, I also missed it. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to go see the movie again.

Posted by: amanda at May 26, 2005 06:51 PM (cqrWD)

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