Movie Boyfriend: Bradley Cooper

So, I've never been the kind of girl to obsess over guys in real life or in movies. But, I was having a conversation with some girlfriends and we were talking about who our "movie boyfriend" would be if we were to choose one. When I went to see The Hangover with some friends and I got to tell you, something about Bradley Cooper in that black suit made me keenly aware of his existence. 6'1", blue eyes, educated at Georgetown University... hmmm... born in '75 (not too old for me) :-) So, he is officially my 'movie boyfriend'.


He is SO unbelievably sexy. I bet he's got nice arms... :-) I've seen him in other movies and thought he was handsome with a bit of a 'rough around the edges' kind of look... which I like. I also really like the sorta preppy look mixed in with that... his friend Justin Bartha on the bike next to him isn't so bad either...


I will NEVER mention this again. It's unrealistic to think that any guy in real life that is like that would be something to want anyhow... the ego, I'm sure, would be WAY too much to handle. I just wanted to say, I like the look... I don't sit around wasting time thinking about boys in movies, but this one caught my eye...

Can't Stand Lisps

So, tonight, after a 2 hour nap to recover from an insane week, I decided to have a beer and watch a movie. I was in the mood for something kinda fun, not too serious, so I watched "Raising Helen" with Kate Hudson (who I think is super cute). Anyhow, I realized that I absolutely could NOT stand one of the characters in the movie... mostly because of her terrible lisp. It instantly reminded me of another actor that I can't stand, John Cusak. So, like any modern person, I Googled her, it was Joan Cusak!! I should have known. They sound the same. I can't handle it. Neither of them. Be warned, I notice lisps. So if you've got one, I will notice, and I will try not to judge.

*Hug*

Sometimes a girl just needs a good hug. You know, the kind of really good hug you might get from a boyfriend or parent or brother... or from your tiger. Just someone to hold you for a minute or two and say 'it's gonna be fine- and I love you'. And it is, but it doesn't negate the fact that I could use a really good hug. I guess I'll get a hug at Christmas. Not much hugging in these parts... good ones at least... but i'm looking forward to it.

But I digress...

Today I sit at my desk reading and writing. It’s a nice change from the constant “on” state that I must maintain in the lab. But, I took some time this weekend to paint my toenails pink and while I was doing this, I was inspired to have a go at a French manicure on my fingers. I have a bad habit of picking at my cuticles and munching my nails when I get a bit stressed out so in my effort to not do that, I thought I’d paint them. Problem is, now I think that my hands look rather pretty and I find myself sitting here at my desk admiring my nails on my hands and cute little toes as a bit of a diversion from my studies. I’m sure you’re thinking, wow, wish I could see them… ah technology today… :-)

Beautiful Saturday

Check out these pictures of my nice quiet street. Doesn’t it look like an incredible day out? It is. It’s perfect. About 83°F, not a cloud in the sky, perfect. I haven’t left the house either. :-) I slept in, woke up slow, did some reading, did some laundry, mosied around the house in my PJ’s… it’s been glorious. There aren’t too many days I get to do this. Most days I have to go go go. Today I don’t have to, so why? If I had someone that I know would want to go hiking, I would, because I think I could muster up the enthusiasm for that, but today I’m feeling lazy and I don’t want to go all by my lonesome self. I was invited to go spend the day at a friend’s house on the cape, but I got the invitation too late and wouldn’t have gotten there until about 3pm after sitting in traffic for a couple hours. So I declined. I did just venture out to the end of my driveway to get the mail… mostly to test the waters to see if I would actually like to leave the house. I may go to the rail trail for a walk along the river.

Three things may stop me from going. 1. When I went to get the mail, I saw a bug, the kind that stings, which reminded of certain outdoor hazards so an outing would require bug spray. 2. Leaving would mean that I have to put on a bra and the girls like to be free… especially in the summertime. (This is actually a very serious consideration). 3. I am being productive working at my desk with the windows open feeling the nice breeze… so it’s almost like I’m out enjoying the day.

Hmmm… what do you think?

Food for Thought

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting recently. When you’re the odd one out of your friends this is easy to do. All my best girls are married, all but one couple has kids, and they’ve got jobs, houses and pets. Just a few years ago, I would have killed to be where they are. I don’t know if it’s just in Christian circles, but it’s as if achieving all of that is the goal of life and that all of my energy should be focused on living “the American Dream” and if you don’t have it, you’re missing out. And you know what, I totally bought into it. I convinced myself that I should be there too and was a bit sad about not being there. Don’t get me wrong, I want to get married, I want to have kids… but I am realizing that there is much more to life than that and I should really just sit back and enjoy the ride.

I think that as I am *hopefully* approaching the end of my graduate career, I am realizing that the choice to pursue a PhD has made a huge impact on my life. More than just the job that I will have and the years I will have spent in school, but other things too. Here are a few that I am slowly coming to grips with that you may/may not understand or agree with.

1. I might be a good 5-10 years behind my friends when it comes to the whole married/family stuff just because I went to grad school. I don’t care what men say, but it IS different for women. We basically ruin a lot of prospects by pursuing this much education… but I’d do it again in a heartbeat because when I’m in the lab, I feel like I am reaching my full potential and not settling for anything less… and I’m just not the type to sit around waiting for a guy to come around. And I REFUSE to settle for a guy that I’m not absolutely crazy about… no matter how old I am… not worth being miserable for the rest of your life!
2. I may not change my name when I get married. Never thought I’d say that… I’m pretty old-fashioned, but the further I get in my scientific career, the less likely I’ll be to change it.
3. I may be too old by the time I’m married to have more than one or two kids. Maybe that’s a good thing and it’s God’s way of watching out for me, but I’ll admit that I always thought I’d have 3 or 4 because I come from a big family and like the feeling of it… it’s comfortable to me.
4. I may not ever make it back to the West Coast permanently; let alone the US, after I do a post-doc abroad… I think I’m ok with that. I don’t like to think of anything as unmanageable right now though. Anything is possible and I’m open to a lot of different things.
5. If, by the time I’m 35, still single, have no prospects of getting married, I think I would “accidentally” (if that’s possible) get pregnant. REALLY thought I’d never say that… for a lot of reasons… I would be really heartbroken if I never got to have kids and I’d rather be a single mom with all the stuff that goes with that, and be able to experience the joy of bringing life into the world and raising a son or daughter than to never at all. Maybe that is selfish, I don’t know… hopefully it never comes to that… I’ve got about 8 years… but women have a bit of a time limit for these things.
6. I will live and experience life to the fullest. I will go places and see things and live with no regret. I cannot see myself with a partner who doesn’t see life as an adventure or thinks that it ends the second you get married and have kids. If I had gotten married a few years ago, I would be miserable right now.

Antonela

Our lab technician Antonela is moving on to bigger and better things. She applied to dental school this past year and was wait listed until last week when she got the news that she was accepted to Boston University Dental School. Our lab manager Laura threw her a barbecue... we had a good time... she has a bright future! Here's some pictures:

Laura's daughter Gia... always smiling!

Post-doc in the lab Jinhee with his daughter

Therese (another post-doc in the lab), Me, Laura and Antonela

Some more party people...