Ok, soooo....

I was debating about posting this next item, but then I remembered that my grandmother is not likely to check my blog in the next couple of months.

Ok, so in the carpool this morning there was an ad on the radio for an osteoporosis awareness calendar featuring a bunch of "fit, fabulous, over-fifty" women (The Bone Divas) and sponsored by something called iVillage. I couldn't remember the URL, so I googled "Bone Divas." It turns out that the caledar is co-sponsored by drug companies (shudder), including GSK.

But what is this iVillage thing? I went to iVillage.com to find out. I thought "maybe it has to do with the Village Voice, or needing a whole village to raise a child or something." WRONG. Apparently iVillage.com is a website portal to the content of a number of magazines, including Redbook and Cosmo. As many of you know from my sweetheart's agonized tales of trips to Safeway with me, I find Cosmo to be an amusing source of sexual information. And iVillage.com contains an archive of articles on such topics--not only from Cosmo, but also similar sources. Unfortunately, most of it is specific to heterosexual intercourse in superficial relationships, BUT some of it is more general, and if you have ever wondered what positions facilitate female orgasm, this is a website for you!

There. Now I've done my part for osteoporosis awareness.
- posted by k @ 1:41 PM

 
More News Flashes:

1. Lucky interview #13 is on Thursday. We'll see how it goes. I am thinking maybe if this doesn't pan out I'll give up and apply to grad schools this year. If I don't get in I can always apply again next year.

2. My top two choices are currently the Ed.D. program at Harvard in Mind, Brain and Education and the Neuroscience Ph.D. program at Dartmouth. This is unfortunate because those schools are far away and prestigious, which means hard to get into and expensive. There's also someone at Cambridge in England doing the kind of work I think I'm interested in, and they seem to have a Center for Neuroscience in Education, but I can't find a corresponding appropriate degree program. Also, very oddly it seems like they do rolling admissions. There's someone at the Salk Institute in San Diego (affiliated with UCSD) doing similar work, but I don't think I could get into or survive the Neuroscience program there (more molecular and cell emphasis than I'm looking for), and I'm not sure if she takes on grad students as an advisor.

3. Face still clear, but zits on chest. You know what? It's a fair trade so far. Many more people see my face. Other good face news seems to be lurking on the horizon, but I'll wait til it gets closer to say anything.

4. Moved into new apartment. Goal is to be as unpacked as I was before I moved by Thanksgiving and to be completely unpacked by Jan 1ish. Need a dresser.

5. Have a slight cold, nothing serious.

6. Breakfast at Whole Foods' Hot Bar today (time and place just worked out). $7.49/lb. A half pound ($4.04) got me a hearty slice of cinnamon challah french toast, homefries o'brien and a bit of southwest tofu scramble, and a toasty half-croissant (weighed next to nothing). Only feeling slightly hosed on price. Coffee (decaf) was extra.
- posted by k @ 9:03 PM

 
News Flashes:

1. Whole wheat pita bread is $0.89/pack at Trader Joe's, and although it has 130 calories/serving, it also has 4g fiber/serving. Pita bread is pretty versatile and can be used in lunches or quick weekday dinners or snacks. And you can make it into pizza!

2. I have a "new" bike now. As in, new to me. Free, from a friend of mine who moved to an unbikeable location. I took it out for a test run and filled air in the tires; it doesn't seem quite steady, but it's not unrideable. Who do I know who could do a tune-up?

3. I'm moving about 2 blocks South. New place will have on-site laundry machines (coin-op), a nice kitchen with full-size grown up appliances (incl. dishwasher!) and even a nook-sized dining table! Also closer to BART. The bad news is I have to pack and move and unpack. I'm still sort of in denial, but I start packing tonight.

4. Didn't get the latest UCSF job; despite the interviewer's enthusiasm for me, it went to someone with more experience. I was trying to count how many jobs I've applied for in the last year, but I can't quite figure it out. However, I can tell you I've had about 12 interviews.

5. I'm sure I'll jinx it by saying so, but I haven't had any new zits in over a week. Could this be a turning point? Is it time for microdermabrasion and lamination of my face?

6. I think I'll take an evening class in ASL (American Sign Language) at Vista Community College starting in January. The class is cheap-ish ($100) and fits in my schedule (not making very good use of my evenings now, despite only 1 fixed commitment/week). ASL is good both as a marketable skill (apparently interpreters are in demand and well-compensated) and a research skill.
- posted by k @ 2:24 PM