Archive: April, 2010

Urgent.

April 30th, 2010 · · pursuit of happiness, scary thing(s) of the week 4 comments

I checked my newsfeed on facebook. Stephanie, old high school and college friend and now a law school student posted this. :) Thought I’d share the reminder. Do you feel a sense of urgency yet?

Stephanie: People grow up, get older, grow old, and die. No matter how long it takes, it’s all over before we’ve been able to go to Europe, write the book that everyone tells us we should write, have sex with a circus freak, marry Debbie before she’s taken by a bigger jerk, save money for retirement, resolve certain lifelong “issues,” reconcile with people over crap that doesn’t make sense anymore, and go to the dentist.

Cellphone Scenes from a Scenic Walk…

April 26th, 2010 · · in passing, still-frames 5 comments - Tags: ,
As I mumbled and recorded in my first video blog, Ratchet and I went on a walk on Saturday. I kind of dillydallied after the video blog and it’s a good thing too because Deesh & Brit called to invite us to a dog park. Ratchet and I enjoyed the Bluebonnets! I didn’t bring anything but a cellphone, car keys, and Ratchet so photos are of fuzzy cellphone quality. I’m so happy to always have some kind of camera on me. How else am I supposed to remember how pretty those Bluebonnets were when I’m gray and old? I couldn’t ever forget how adorable Ratchet is, that little teddybear of a dog.

Ratchet on a scenic walk...
Doesn’t he look like a little cute transcendentalist?

Ratchet on a scenic walk...

Patches of Bluebonnets

My first video blog: Ratchet & Snowflakes

April 24th, 2010 · · videos 10 comments - Tags:



Book Review: The Last Lecture

April 23rd, 2010 · · on the nightstand 2 comments
Mini Book Review

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and was selected to deliver a lecture as part of Carnegie Mellon’s Last Lecture Series, a lecture series where professors were invited to give a lecture as if it were their last. Obviously, this lecture was not hypothetical for Pausch. His Last Lecture speech entitled “Achieving your Childhood Dreams” and his story quickly became a youtube hit. This book is an addendum of sorts. Another legacy he wanted to leave for his very young children.

Very easy read. Each little piece of advice he shares is nicely framed with a touching and sometimes humorous anecdote from his personal life. Yes, it kind of reads a little too much like one of those miniature Hallmark inspirational cheesy gift books. You know the kind. With pictures of cute cuddly animals, say a baby monkey with fuzzy wispy hair. Yes, it is a little Disney like. But he had a charmed childhood and for the most part a charmed adulthood and he did literally contribute to the magic of DISNEY. Moreover, his ultimate goal in writing this book is to leave his children another message that conveys his love, his appreciation for them, and pieces of his wisdom they can carry with them while he’s gone. So cut the man some slack!

All that aside, I thoroughly enjoyed his book. His positivity and humility is inspirational. Each piece of advice he bestowed were like tokens you can keep in your pocket and use at will. (Speaking of tokens in the pocket, he recommends to always be prepared for emergencies. He carries 200 dollars cash everywhere he goes just in case.) I loved how he called the roadblocks in life (or “brick walls”) opportunities to see how badly you want something. It is a little problematic as he seems to think that the only thing you need is hard work to achieve your dreams. Though, I mostly agree, I do see how with his “winning the parent lottery” and his impressive line of mentors helped him achieve his dreams. A kid from the ghetto who didn’t win any kind of lottery (parent, mentor, socio-economic lottery) may have a hard time achieving his childhood dreams with double the amount of “hard work” with which Mr. Pausch approached his life. Though, it may not hurt to believe that everything is possible regardless of the real futility of your own circumstance.

In short. I’m humbled and inspired by Randy Pausch and though I’m sad to know his kids will grow up without a father, I happy they get to grow up proudly knowing he touched millions.

If you haven’t seen his Last Lecture, I highly recommend it and also embedded it into this blog entry.


Mini Book Review: One For the Money

April 22nd, 2010 · · on the nightstand 4 comments

One for the Money

Janet Evanovich’s One for the Money was my book club’s book selection for March. It’s the very first book of her very popular mystery series. I think she’s about to release the 16th (Sizzling Sixteen) book in June. This is the ongoing story of Stephanie Plum as she stumbles into a career of being a bounty hunter. The funny personal background story about this series is my best friend is a big fan of this series and I’m not a girly mystery genre girl. I would never pick this book up on my own. Best friend has tried to get me to read this series back in 2004. July 20, 2004 to be exact (thank you, Google archives!). 6 years later, a book club vote has roped me finally. One for the Money was light and fast. I wasn’t a big fan because I didn’t feel it fed my soul in anyway and on top of that, I didn’t relate with Stephanie. Found her especially dumb. She was surprised when an actual target tried to flee from her. Hello? What part of “bounty hunter” does she not understand? The reading experience wasn’t as painful as I anticipated 6 years ago. I’m still not a huge fan but I am willing to try her second book (Two for the Dough) some time later to give the series one more chance. Word on the street is that it gets better. Also! Movie is in the works and it is rumored that Katherine Heigl is going to be the star. Not that I’m a big fan of hers either. Grump grump. I sound like a grump huh?


Have you ever given a book you would normally never read a chance? How was it?

Show and Tell Time

April 16th, 2010 · · in passing, still-frames 5 comments

What my office looks like while I’m immersed into work. I need to decorate it no? People at work call it my cave. That dog is a Valentine’s day card from my friend, Jennifer W. in Madison.

Me at the Lego Store in Houston.

Cindy at the Lego Store in Houston.

My brother baked cookies for his lab (upstairs) and brought our lab some leftovers. His note I found adorable. He signed it, “Jesse (Linda’s brother)”

A note our social chair and baker left us. (I clean my dishes!)

Why I need to learn how to sew:

April 9th, 2010 · · misadventures 12 comments
I bought this really cute summer dress and was able to wear it once and once only before I inadvertently shrunk it. I just simply forgot to pull it out of the dryer and linedry it. I think I’m a little too old to wear my dresses this short unless it’s coverup for a swimsuit.

skank length
Kind of skanky now, that length.

I found a way to salvage it. I can sew on a trim! To see how it would look I layered this dress over another dress in a color I’d consider adding to the bottom.

Purple
Here’s the other dress.

Mock up
Here’s the mock up of the finished product!

My only issue is I don’t know how to sew.

Enjoying the wildflowers….

April 4th, 2010 · · in passing, pursuit of happiness, quotations 4 comments

I had a wonderful weekend in Houston. On my way back to Austin, I was stuck in traffic on 71 due to a car accident. By the time I passed the accident, all the cars were gone and all that was left was a gigantic overturn boat. How did that happen? During the slow traffic, I took the time to admire the wildflowers on the side of the road. I decided to snap some pictures to share :) Tacked on some quotations for you too.

P.S. I saw at least 4 families pull over on the shoulder to take photos with the bluebonnets. It was touching to witness.

wildflowers

wildflowers

wildflowers

wildflowers

wildflowers

wildflowers

Friday 7 Quick Takes (vol 6)

April 2nd, 2010 · · 7 Quick Takes (Fridays), in passing, lists, love, new thing(s) of the week, pursuit of happiness, savory, scary thing(s) of the week, the not so single life 3 comments


1.

I thought it was a full week since I’ve updated this blog and it was giving me withdrawal. My happy posting schedule is 5-7 times at the very minimum. (I’ve been slammed in terms of schedule and my food blog’s new layout was giving me an obsession that was sucking my blog posting time.) This got me thinking. I LOVE it when my real life friends start blogs. I love reading about their lives and seeing what they deemed appropiate to share with the world. I noticed though, save for a few select people, the dedication towards posting frequency is usually lacking. This may also fuel my dedication to commenting on a lot of of their blogs as kind of a motivation, that HI, I read your blog. I’m your friend. You OWE ME AN UPDATE. :) Damnit.


2.

Anthony Bourdain is the shit.

I saw Anthony Bourdain with Jamie last night. I knew I always really really really liked him maybe even love. But after last night, I’m more deeply so!! He’s the shit. Curses more in person. Hilarious. Really mean. With a good center. I will post a recap next week on the food blog. This got me thinking though. If I have a type in men, it’s funny mean men with a good center. It really explains a lot.


3.

Speaking of my attraction to funny mean men. I got April Fooled by the boyfriend a couple of nights ago (past midnight so it was totally legit.) Dude woke me up and told me that the last guy’s night he had, he got drunk and made out with a girl and couldn’t tell me til now. I sat right up, shot him dagger eyes, and was about to let him have it when he very just-in-timely shouted out, “APRIL FOOLS” and then laughed his butt off.

Clearly. I have a type.


4.

I had sweetbread for the first time ever. I’ve had haggis, and pig’s intestines, and silkworms, and other odd conceptually unappetizing foods in my life and have enjoyed them. I was still surprised in hindsight that I did not get queasy eating sweetbread. I think perhaps I wasn’t quite sure if I remembered correctly what it was and did not want to scare my eating partner from not trying it. In case you don’t know what sweetbread is, check it on my Friday Food Definition for today.


5.

I love good funny dialogue. Yesterday, an organization on campus chose to remember the Holocaust by handing out 1,000 white roses. I did not know this. I walked down the hallway and saw 3 white roses in a vase at work. That’s the scene for the following dialogue.

Me: OOooh!!! Flowers!!!
My Boss: Don’t get excited, Linda. They’re for the Holocaust.

Cracked me up that, “Don’t get excited.”

Later:

Someone else at work: So they thought today (4/1/2010) is the best day to celebrate the Holocaust?
Yet another person: Celebrate?
Me: Muhahahahahahhahahahahahah

My Boss walks by at this point in the conversation.

Boss: Don’t get excited, Linda

Tickled. I was absolutely tickled. (I don’t think I need to clarify, I’m not making light of the Holocaust. My readers (a few IRL friends mostly) are smart enough to know that.)


6.

The last 6 months or so, I’ve been working on speaking my mind in relationships. It’s a skill everyone should have and I do think at 26, I’m a late bloomer to only start practicing and developing the habit now. Growing up, my parents programmed me (program seems more apt a word than “raise”) that whenever people hurt you, don’t let them know as it’s a sign of weakness. That MAY be true. I’m not sure if it is a sign of weakness, admitting pain, but what I am sure of, and it took me til recently to put together the pieces, is bottling resentment is not conducive to keeping people in your life. Communicating feelings, even when they’re bad, gives people the opportunity to understand where you’re coming from. Gives you the opportunity to maybe hear their perspective and therefore understand them better. Finally, it gives your relationship room to not only grow, but survive.


7.

Jumping from number 6, another lesson that I’m learning is that just because you communicate your feelings, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the results you want and expect. For instance, I was hurt last year by several people. In efforts to speak my mind more, I tried telling them as clearly as I could what it was that bothered me. I was taken aback when not once did they acknowledge the validity of my feelings and was a little disillusioned by the ‘speaking your mind’ thing. It doesn’t ensure anything! Since then, I’ve learned that though it doesn’t mean you’ll get what you want (seriously ya”ll, apologies and conveying understanding = magic), the ability to communicate your feelings is a reward in itself.