what we do every night pinky... try to take over the world!

more lol celebs!

Who'd a thunk it, right?

BTW, I used to love Pinky and the Brain

Word... sigh.

Oh hai, just thought I'd share this:


more music charts

Yes, I do try to avoid using Word. No, that is not always possible. Why yes, it does make me want to throw my otherwise lovely computer out the window.

der iz kitteh in mah computah?

more cat pictures

real post someday... mahbe aftur dissertashun dun. that reminds me... maybe i should backup...

right now about lolcats is about as much as i have energy for. *sigh*

i can haz kitteh?

Oh sorry... another one, I know... but cute and funny at the same time? Teeheehee...


more cat pictures

I mahbe wants kitteh...

Physics Phun over at physicsknits!

You must all run over to physicsknits and watch the Physics Phun with Conan O'Brien.

Much hilarity.

disclaimer: i haz maybe lost mind

moar funny pictures

ohhhh... sorry for the groaner... couldn't help it... too funny to my tired brain today...

PhD comics at McGill

the puckwhacker 2000(TM), originally uploaded by physics*chick.

So, two weeks ago I got an email from another member of our group who had just realized that the ticket he had for Jorge Cham's "Power of Procrastination" talk was at the same time as he had to teach a lab. Lucky me I got his ticket!

Excited as I was, this was also at a time when I had a ton of work to do (more on that later). I went, but as I sat there I started figetting and thinking about all the things I had to do, Jorge started into his (anti?)-motivational talk. He got some laughs with wikifacts about Mcgill (hockey was in there, as were Rutherford and the illustrious Mr. Shatner) and started talking about graduate student life. He talked about graduate student salaries, the emotional states of graduate students (some really sobering statistics there), and other such issues.

But then he started talking about procrastination, and moreover the GUILT of procrastination. That nagging feeling that gee-whiz, I really should be working, that is oh so hard to escape, because there's always something more to do, to read, to think about. And I sat there laughing half-heartedly, and wondering if it was really a good idea to have taken 2 hours out of the middle of the afternoon to go see a cartoonist talk about procrastination... guilt. Doh. This is why phd comics is so good... it's funny because it's true.

He ended though by talking about "the thesis" and actually getting to that day where you finally get to play through the "doctor" "doctor" jokes, and the reality that most people aren't actually that happy with their PhD theses, and usually "finishing" a PhD has a lot less to do with being done, and a lot more to do with external factors. Having just made the mental transition from being "in the middle" to "finishing", and having undergone somewhat of an existential crisis over what it "means" to get a PhD this was reassuring for me, and probably has helped keep me on the "finishing" track over the last two hellish weeks of post-doc fellowship applications, paper submission, and conference preparation.

So, naturally, after the talk, I had to get something signed. I bought one of the books of course, but I wanted something else, something special. I got back to the lab and took a look around and spied my hockey stick sitting in the corner waiting for our first game that night. Of COURSE! My labmates thought I was a total weirdo, but whatever. I brought my stick over, and not only did he sign, no, he made it funny. My stick shall henceforth be known to all as "the PUCKWHACKER 2000(TM)". Best procrastination ever!

ps- I'd like to say we won our the game that night, and that I scored a zillion goals with the puckwhacker, but sadly, no, we lost. We lose all our games. Never name a team "Absolut Zero" if you are likely to live up to it!

one talented cat

No, I haven't been hanging out at Jazzfest too much and started calling everyone a "cool cat". No, I mean an actual feline with musical talent. For a laugh, and a bit of amazement check out Nora the piano playing cat.

My violin teacher had a cat who knew scales and studies and used to meow when students made mistakes, but nothing matching this kind of musical aptitude.

too many monkeys

Lately, for both hubby and I, work has primarily been a case of too many monkeys on our backs. You know the feeling? Like there are always a bunch of little things naggling at you, and you can't get any real work done becuase you are carting around a bunch of hairpulling, noisy, little monkeys? To add to it, we've both got home monkeys as well as work monkeys on our minds... little stuff like appointments that need to be made, projects around the apartment, etc. Of course the work monkeys have taken priority for the most part... meanwhile, I still need a haircut, a doctor's appointment, new eyeglasses, and a trip to the dentist. At what point is it reasonable to say, no, I need to look after myself?

Anyway, Hubby brought up the monkeys analogy this morning (as he was sorting through online optics catalogues for work.. on a Saturday morning), and so all day as we've dealt with various assortments of them, we've peered over our shoulders at the imaginary monkeys and made little monkey noises. Sometimes I think we are losing our sanity...

The whole thing reminded me that my Dad got quite a kick out of the phrase "Please check your monkeys at the door", to the point in fact where I made him a sign for his office. Not sure if people really stopped passing off their monkeys to him... but humourous none-the-less.

I wonder if I made a sign, or added it to the signature line of my email if people would get the hint??

(Note: Graphic shamelessly stolen from Telus Mobility site)

Friday Funnies with Flickr

So, while browsing around on Flickr:Explore for some lunch eating entertainment, I came across this group:

Flickr: Stick Figures in Peril

Now, personally, being a huge fan of stick figures I LOVE IT. Excuse me while I go look through all my photos for something to contribute...

Quote of the day

PC: "Keyboard error: press F1 to resume"

save the data!

Further proof via PhD comics that grad students get a bit *squirelly* at times...

A nice companion to my much earlier Scrat (from Ice Age) does Grad school

Mac-hugger

Ok, so I was checking out some news and I ran accross this article in the Globe and Mail:

Enough of the iHype already

and so being a self-proclaimed mac-hugger I had to read...

The jist is this: Apple is really good at marketing... especially viral advertising.

No.... really??? You mean... you never figured that out before??? Duh. What I really don't get is why this is a big deal. We are bombarded with marketing everywhere and for everything, esepcially electronics where the need must be created.

I don't need a cell phone, iPod, computer... I need food, shelter, clothing. Yet most people have most of these things today. (ok, fine I need a computer for work... but whatever, you get the point). Companies generate a need for these things... through marketing. One look around on a bus or a coffee shop, or your own apartment will telll you that they're doing a damn good job.

So Apple plays the game, and plays it very well. I remember the add for the first iPodnano... man, I wanted to get my hands on one of those. I even had an iPod, but I was suddenly struck by a burning desire to hold, if not own, a nano. It's rare an ad is that effective on me.

Maybe what gets to people most is that Apple still gets play off its underdog appearance. There is still a cult of mac, people who zealously defend and push Apple products (I know because I used to be one of them... I still love macs, and personally think they're better, but unless you really pick a fight with me in the PC vs. Mac arena, I try to keep my trap shut)... but hey, now it's catching on. iPod is everywhere. Students are toting MacBooks around campus, baby-boomers are putting iMacs in their living rooms. Apple profits are up. And ads like the Mac vs. PC portraying Mac as young and hip and cool compared to the barely functional, emotionally fragile, uptight PC are still hugely popular. Has Apple become successful enough that it's just no longer fair to pick on Windows?

Or does the author of the article just really not want to want an iPhone and went off on a disparaging rant to convince himself that he doesn't.

Anyway, the article sent me off on a tangent looking for spoofs of the Mac vs. PC adds and I ran accross this completely politically incorrect, but hugely funny video:

Enjoy, and don't get mad at me... I warned ya.

you might be a nova scotian (aka bluenoser)

So, I have this big long, actual post planned... but I have a ton of work to do also... so here's a cop-out post. My parents fowarded a list of "If.... you might live in Nova Scotia", sort of "... you might be a redneck" style, and I found a few kind of funny. If you're not from Nova Scotia, or anywhere near, or know anyone from there... never mind... they probably won't make sense.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there... you might live in Nova Scotia.

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number... you might live in Nova Scotia.

If you have sw itched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again... you might live in Nova Scotia.

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked... you might live in Nova Scotia.

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit... you might live in Nova Scotia.

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow... you might live in Nova Scotia. 

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction... you might live in Nova Scotia.

quote(s) of the day

Yesterday:

Hubby: "What?"

Me: "I didn't say anything. It's just the voices in your head... don't listen to them."

For some reason, he thought the fact that I added advice for a course of action regarding the voices in his head was incredibly funny. Why wouldn't you make this suggestion??


Also yesterday:

Hubby: "I made progress today by not going backwards"

Oh how true, how often this is true...


There was something this morning too... but I can't seem to recall.

terrible life choice

Further proof that I've taken the "stay in school" message a little too far... Bart Simpson makes fun of grad students. Watch, laugh, cry, sigh, roll your eyes...

(Thanks to Mel for sending this to me.)
(Fingers crossed on first attempt to embed video... if it doesn't work click here to go direct to youtube.)

plight of the grad student

Everything seems hard... until someone else does it before you.

PhD comics: Scooped

Meant to post this a few days ago... meant to print one out to adorn my cubicle too.

Today's PhD comic: the appearance of productivity

Oh gosh, how many times have I done this... carrying around papers (I do intend to read them at least), to group meetings, lunch, coffee breaks, on planes, sometimes even on busses... not into the bathroom stall... like maybe if you just had a minute you might read it... maybe...

PhD comics: The "Carrying papers" phase

PhD comic: Lab Hazard Rating System

Ok, so pretty much anyone who has worked in a lab has seen a sign like this... well, sort of like this. I think it's probably extra funny to us since we recently underwent a safety inspection - that's another story that's probably blog-worthy.

PhD comic: Lab Hazard Safety Rating

I'd say we're a: 2-0-2-VOR, sometimes we're a: 2-0-0-VOR. Fortunately nobody really smells... except maybe after hockey class in the winter... hmm... Definitely we rate a "0" for Air Conditioning Hazard... it is freaking cold down here! I like to go outside in the sun just to warm up! Makes 30C and 95% humidity feel damn good!

Google's automated ads

You know how sometimes Google's sidebar ads are from companies that use the search term to auto-generate an advertisment? Here's one I ran across tonight:


Yes, I was looking for store hours... but I doubt there are any manufacturers of them out there!

ps- this was also a good test of Blogger's photo hosting service... super-easy! expect more photos...