Biochemistry in 1902
Yesterday I returned from our two-day biochemistry department retreat at the Mt Washington Hotel, at the base of Mt Washington, here in NH. Even if you hate science, I think this would be reason enough to get your PhD in biochem at Dartmouth. I took a tour of the hotel at our afternoon break on Monday, and here's a little about the place.
It was built by some dude from Concord NH who came from farming stock, but decided he needed to get rich quick, so went down to Wilkes-Barre, PA adn bought a bunch of coal mines. He became a coal baron. Then he got into real estate. Then he bought real estate. Then he met some hot chick who seemed to really like him (but what 25 yr old really likes a 52 yr old multi-millionaire for who he is?). Then he said, hmm I want to build a huge hotel. I need land. In 1898 or something, he bought lots and lots of land near the mtn. Then he built a huge state-of-the-art hotel, between 1901 and 1902. He imported 250 Italian guys to build it,and they didn't like the cold so finished really really fast.
So this hotel had electricity all over, private bathrooms with modern plumbing in each room, and was open for the summer season. It was very posh, and the wife, Caroline, was a real princess. Actually, a few years after rich hubby died (in 1903), she met a French prince who also owned several hotels, and married him, in 1913. He dieda little while later, leaving her with a title, loads of property, and loads of money.
Anyway, after a while the hotel kept changing hands when people died, adn eventually some local folk bought it at auction in 1989 and refurbished it and got it up and running again. Now it's like stepping back to 1902, plus it was all decorated for Christmas and that'salways neat. The food was delicious: afternoon snack on Monday was coffee/tea/soda with chocolate chip, butter/sugar, pumpkin sugar cookies (some dipped in chocoalte) and brownies. Dinner was white or red wine (a really good chardonnay) with tomato mozzerella salad with pesto and balsamic, then cream of mushroom soup with a big buttery crouton, thena choice of game hen, prime rib, haddock or some vegetarian entree, adn apple napolean-type thing for dessert. Highly enjoyable. Then pretzels adn beer as poster session snacks.
Breakfast had several tables of buffet items. My favorites were the sausage, cream cheese-stuffed french toast, and a giant platter of fresh fruit and berries. Lunch was also a buffet, with yummy seafood newburg, stir fried chicken adn veggies, and lots and lots of desserts (plus salad adn cold cuts, etc). I highly recommend the pumpkin flan garnished with strawberries and starfruit. Oh and mid morning snacksduring the talks were small pastries, with more coffee.
Oh and the science that was discussed was also interesting.
Love, good food, and man I'm hungry now
- posted by Catherine @ 9:48 AM

 
H
Today is brougHt to you by tHe letter H.









HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH









< ctrl 7 >
- posted by Catherine @ 3:57 PM

 
B
This past weekend has Been Brought to you By the letter B.

Bad movie
Brandon and I watched “Hulk”. This is a very Bad movie. Do not spend money to see this, it really really sucks. It’s also really long too, which just makes everything worse.
Ok so Basically it’s a scientist guy that is easily pissed off. But from a scientist’s point of view, there are many major errors in laB Behavior, such as working with Bottles that say “TOXIC” and have skulls and crossBones, yet not wearing gloves. Similarly, working with sucky model organisms, injecting them with stuff and again, not wearing gloves. Centrifuges that are not Balanced, and are not enclosed in any way, which is a huge safety hazard (get too close when that thing’s spinning and you’ll lose a couple fingers). Oh and drinking Beer next to microscopes that have “radioactive” signs all over them (yes we drink Beer in lab-or coffee in my case- but certainly not next to microscopes or radioactivity Benches). So then other proBlems include a guy that’s just completely and utterly pissed off all the time, But you can’t really tell what sets him off. The dude’s Bipolar, people, he really just needs some meds.
Oh yeah, and killer mutant poodles. No comment.

Banana repuBlic
Eileen and I went shopping in North Conway. This was a truly Beautiful, happy trip. I am now the proud owner of a red wool coat, 3 new t shirts and a skirt. Oh yeah, and a BR charge card (10% off entire purchase when you sign up for the card). :):) very happy now.

Birds
I put Birdseed in my Birdfeeder. I now have little Birdy friends that come visit often. Funny thing- two Birds will not occupy the Birdfeeder at once. It’s like a relay race or something.

Leaf Blower
Yesterday a guy Blowing leaves came by. At 8:30am. Yeah, thanks, I love noisy yardwork at the crack of dawn.


Today I have my laB meeting presentation, I will Be happy when that’s over (not that it’s really awful, But I have to talk in front of my entire laB for an hour. The only real proBlem with this is since I really don’t have any interesting data, I don’t have much to fill the hour with. So we’ll just get out of laB mtg early and enjoy free pizza.)

Love, 10% off your first online purchase with the Banana repuBlic credit card, and little Birdies

- posted by Catherine @ 9:26 AM

 
C
Every hour of my waking existance since approximately 12:30am on Thursday has been brought to you of the letter C.

Hi, I'm Catherine. I'm a serial CliCker.

SCenario:
Has this ever happened to you: you fall Completely, madly, passionately in love. You Can't bear to spend 10 minutes without your other/partner/whatever, and then over time, the relationship fizzles and ends. You always wonder what happened to your signifiCant other, where they went, what they are doing now, if you Could find them from a google searCh. My friends, I have also wondered suCh things, and on Wednesday night (really Thursday morning, but then I didn't sleep Wednesday so Thursday really just beCame the extension of Wednesday that involved handing in assignment 6 for Bio 165), thinking of a Conversation that had oCCurred the previous Saturday, I did a google searCh.
I met someone my sophomore year of College, someone that took my breath away. Someone that Consumed me, had me obsessed, who haunted my dreams. On Wed/Thurs, I found that someone again.
My CliCky-CliCky.
CliCky CliCky (aka CliCkomania, whiCh is what you need to type in to find it on google.Com) is a silly, mind-numbing Computer game, rivaled by only Snood for proCrastinatability and addiCtivity. As Katy has said, it's basiCally baCkwards Tetris. But it's so muCh more... you Can Choose your own Colors, it has sounds, it even has a piCture of the funny/dorky German dude that invented it (inCidentally, I want him. Any man that designs CliCky-CliCky is man enough for me). You CliCk, it makes a explosion sound. You mess up, it makes a beepy-uh-oh type sound. It's pure genious.
I first disCovered CliCky-CliCky in December of my sophomore year in College. A kind, generous soul posted it on the ProCrastinations R Us Conf, and CliCky-CliCKy was introduced to the MCAfee triple. Soon, Katy suCCumbed (CliCky-CliCky is so much better than Cruel), and we used to sit there, CliCking away. Farleigh was somehow always very strong, maybe beCause she studied in the math help room til 4am on a daily basis. She tried to free us. I remember her so Clearly, working all hunched over her desk, doing marine bio reading, then turning around in her chair and uttering a loud, exasperated sigh. "I Can hear you guys. Stop CliCking and get back to work!" It was Farleigh who dubbed it "CliCky-CliCky."
CliCky-CliCky got me through 4 entire exam periods. I didn't play it muCh during the middle of a semester, only at the end. It was like exam treats, something to look forward too during your 2 straight weeks of end of semester hell. (I miss exam treats. Cookie time is beComing CommonplaCe and not exCiting). Then, one fateful day in February 2002, my beloved Dell just up and died. It made awful noises. I Cried. I Called my father. Hell, I almost Called George, I thought he might know how to help my Computer. And with the hard drive went CliCky-CliCky (and half my mp3s).
I was good that spring, what with having to graduate and all, and I did not download CliCky-CliCKy. I forgot about CliCky-CliCKy for almost 2 years, as often happens with relationships that end badly. A Conversation Centering on Snood (whiCh I always resisted- I figured anything that had suCh a reputation for a massively addiCtive proCrastination tool, while no one had even heard of CliCky-CliCky, was to be avoided at all Costs) reminded me of my dearest CliCky-CliCky. I went to google (duh, why didn't I think of that before?), and now, my dear friends, I am CliCking.
Oh also, I'm the queen of CliCking, I aCtually beat the damn thing!!
Download it. It's therapeutiC.
Love, C, and CliCking
- posted by Catherine @ 1:56 AM

 
F
Today has been brought to you by the letter F.
Fog
it was very foggy this morning. Fog in NH is very diFFerent than Fog in CT. In NH, it's like, oh Fog again, blah blah. In CT, it's , oh wow it's Foggy this morning! Look, the end of the street looks Fuzzy!. NH: la la, driving along, I can't see the tops of trees til I'm right next to them, that'show thick this commonplace Fog is. I like Fog, so I think this is cool.
Frames
I packed up my picture Frames this morning. My place is starting to look Fairly bare.
shiFt-F7 (thesaurus tool on Word)
I've been doing crosswords from the HartFord Courant lately. Wednesday puzzles are hard, man, I have to use the thesaurus.
Flove to all, and back to Fwork For me
- posted by Catherine @ 10:29 AM

 
Two S's
I dedicate today's entry to the two S's. Snow and Steve.
Steve. Stevestevestevesteve. He indirectly introduced me to Dane Cook. Plus he's dating Ann (lucky bastard) so he's cool.
And, Snow. It's snowing!! I turned around and told Andres and he said, why do you have to tell me bad things?? Bad?? How can snow be bad? I mean, we're inside, it's not like we're driving in it! So I'm very excited. Total winter wonderland out there, it's like blizzarding type of snow, very fluffy and falling thickly.
Since starting this blog, I have received 5 "you have new email" notices. Who's emailing me all of a sudden?
Well, it's cookie time.
Love, Snow and Steve
- posted by Catherine @ 3:38 PM

 
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Updated webpage- added more halloweeny pics
http://grapefruit12.tripod.com/halloween03.html
(Thanks to Susie and her camera for the new ones)
Mmm life is boring. How fun! not really.
I haven't blogged in a while because I have nothing to blog about.
Oh wait I saw Matrix Revolutions on Thursday. Not impressed,sadly. I think I was even less impressed because I expected a lot and was therefore disappointed.
I'm having my first poker night/last potluck tonight. Last potluck in #403, I mean, I'll have more after I move. Tomorrow begins a mad packing frenzy. My parents are coming up to hang out and help with that, and more importantly, to bring stuff home that I don't want anymore. Which means that sometime between their arrival tomorrow morning and when my guests leave tonight, I need to round up stuff I don't want up here anymore. I also want to sew a little.
It's finally getting really really cold. Yesterday I was walking around, all tra-la-la-it's-damp-but-not-freezing, and today I decided, oh it's so nice out, I'll walk over to the music building and then I don't have to brave the traffic and fight for a parking spot. Well dudes adn dudettes, it's coooooold out there!
So actually, the biggest thing in my life currently is that I'm budgeting myself. I said self, you spend money like you drink coffee: way. too. much. So I replied, ok well fine. I'll put myself on a budget. I can only spend $50 on myself this month (well, I can't quit cold turkey). But the good thing is, part of the reason I need to save money is for Christmas gifts. So if some day I really really have to shop, I'll shop for other people. I think I'll come in way under the $50 by the end of the month. (So far I've spent $7.75 on a movie ticket and $2 on skittles for the movie. Pretty good, for 1/4 of the month). I have no current plans to shop more. I'm too busy! heh.
Which reminds me, I have to go order my Grandma's bday gift....
Love, cold wind, and locked-up credit cards
- posted by Catherine @ 4:02 PM

 
It was the Monster Mash
Mmmm, Halloween
http://grapefruit12.tripod.com/halloween03.html for pictures, thanks to Davor's digital camera.
We partied at Davor's for a bit, then went to the Coolidge Hotel in WRJ for the med/grad party. (Summary of the party: too many people in a small, poorly ventilated space. Bad "rum" punch, but good costumes).
Some of my favorite costumes were:
Mugatu, complete with the hair and a little doggie/video camera
Papa smurf
The guy with smarties duct taped to his shirt
Strawberry shortcake and friends
God's gift to women

Consensus says next year I should bea schmoo. I have no idea how to put that costume together...
- posted by Catherine @ 5:28 PM