Frequency of posts

Why does Makita not post as often as she used to? It only occurred to me recently. Well, I know I haven't been posting very often, but I didn't realize why until recently. I still enjoy reading blogs, and I like writing blog posts. I love getting comments, however small. So what's up?

When I started this blog as a graduate student, things were a little.... shall we say hectic? Crazy? Over the top? Take your pick. It wasn't easy. Being a full-time graduate student with 1, 2, 3 kids. Some argue I have 4. Horrible health insurance, questionable stability in immigration status. Blogging was a great outlet for me. I could rant and rave in (relative) anonymity, and bitch and whine, and complain. If my readers didn't like it that was fine, there were plenty happy, easy-going bloggers out there to entertain them.

But 2009 has been very good to us. After graduating in late 2008, I found a job quickly. It has turned out to be a wonderful job. We won a major court case in the Summer, we traded in our car in the cash-for-clunkers program, cutting our fuel bills in half, P1 started the application process for tenure. I almost feel bad. So many people have been hit so hard in the recession. A number of my friends have had a hard time in their pursuit of degrees, losing loved ones either by breaking up or death. Many of my friends have dealt with financial hardship. But 2009 was good for us.

We're not by any stretch of the imagination rich, especially not since we're still paying off our attorney for several more months. But we have a roof over our head, wheels to drive our kids and ourselves around, and we eat well.

So that's the reason I haven't posted much. I don't have much to complain about. I had to think whether that would mean the end of my blog. Should I stop blogging, because the initial drive is gone? Or should I re-program myself to blog even if things are going relatively well? I love writing, I guess I choose for option 2. I'm sticking around for a while longer. For as long as it's fun. And if things go wrong, I'll have a ready-made outlet to complain.

I have 4 kids

I thought I had 3, F1-1, F1-2, and F1-3. But I stand corrected. This morning I was reading "Two Peas in a Pod" by Annegert Fuchshuber with F1-3. It's a cute book about animals that have 2, 3, or more babies. The beetle even had 51, and didn't even think it was too much. I then asked F1-3 how many children I had. She answered right away: "4."

Huh? Me: "How did you get 4, I thought I had 3 kids?"
F1-3: "No, you have me, F1-2, F1-1, and daddy."
Me: "But daddy is not my child, he's a grown-up."
F1-3: "But you call him 'baby'."
Me: "Oh, ok."

Credit card commercial?*

We recently got a brand-spanking new high-def cable box (the lead-up to that is another post entirely, in the works). As I was setting it up I explained to hubby that the way I was setting it up would allow us to tape our favorite shows, but we would not be able to watch another cable channel at the same time. "That's no big deal. Shouldn't be a problem" he said.

So how come, that on the very first occasion it could be a problem, it turned out to be a problem? On Friday nights I like to tape Numb3rs. I like Numb3rs, and I've taped it every Friday it's on since.... well I don't remember for how long. A long time. Years. About 5 minutes before the VCR is set to start taping, my beloved husband sits down with the remote and starts flipping channels. "Baby, the VCR is about to start taping Numb3rs" I gently remind him.

He looks at me with shock in his eyes. "So?" Me: "Well, remember how I explained we wouldn't be able to watch another channel at the same time? You can watch a DVD if you want, but no cable right now." Indignant hubby: "But I want to watch the NBA game!" There is no use. I don't really care that much about tv, while he does. But you know, there are a few things I *do* like, and Numb3rs is one of them, and it ought not to come as a shock that I would like to continue taping it as I have for the past few years. I told him I could watch it online in a week or so anyway (that would be a little more involved for his NBA game). I walked off, went to bed, and read a book instead. But I was pissed.

I had a hard time concentrating on my book. This was going to be a problem. On Mondays I want to tape House, on Fridays I tape Numb3rs. This was going to happen again, and again. And every time I had to postpone watching the few things I like, there would likely be a problem.

This morning, I disconnected the cable box and changed it for one that records, a DVR. DVR: $9.99 per month. Saving a marriage.... pricelesss.


*For those who don't understand the title of this post, a credit card company uses statements like: "Cool item that you can pay for with our credit card: $XX, cool side-effect of doing so.... priceless.

Karma

First of all.... Happy New Year!! I know, the year is two weeks old already, but I figured I had to say it.

I've had this coffee mug for almost 9 years. It's been with me through my MS, my job in between, my entire PhD program, and a year of post-doc. I like it. I've used it every day I've been in this building since I got it through some kind of graduate student event I helped organize back in '01. So when I dropped it on the floor this morning, and it shattered into a thousand pieces, I was a little sad. It's just some ceramic, but it's been with me for a long time. You know, emotional ties and all that.

To top it off, it shattered so thoroughly that it required me to sweep out the entire storage room. Shards were everywhere on the floor. It took me about 10 minutes to clean up the floor. And while I'm crouched on the floor, sweeping with the hand broom to get every last shard, I just barely notice this little tube underneath the -80 degree freezer. I pull it out to throw it away, but then I look at the label.

It's a tube I had taken out of the freezer this morning and needed desperately. I would never have found it if it wasn't for the fact I had dropped that mug. That tube was important. I figure, that's worth my 9-year old mug. Thank you mug. For many happy years of warm coffee, and your sacrifice for my tube of DNA.

Going green

This morning as we're getting ready to leave the house.
F1-3: "You're a tree mama!
Mama: "Huh?"
F1-3: "You're a tree! Brown on the bottom, green on the top."
Lo and behold, I was wearing brown pants and a green sweater, indeed in rather earthy hues.
So there you go, going green.

Hopeless romantic?

This morning I was inspired by Cuttlefish. I suppose that makes me a hopeless romantic too. Oh well, so be it.

I met this guy when I joined a friend at a meeting of her favorite student organization. My divorce had just been finalized, as in: that morning. I wouldn't have noticed him if he had done a hundred cartwheels wearing a worn pink polka dot shirt.

Six months later we were at a party organized by the same student organization. He was standing next to someone else, halfway across the room. Our eyes locked, and we haven't been apart ever since. Going on 10 years now.

He insists that he did notice me the first time we met, and I wasn't wearing a pink polka dot shirt either. I just wasn't ready then. But I was half a year later. The rest is history.

To date, when I sit across from him, I still look for the twinkle in his eyes that did it for me. It's there. I just noticed it again yesterday.

Rooting for the bad guy

Graduating definitely has perks.
1. I have more free time, I can watch tv, or movies, or read, or hang out with kids, or... whatever.
2. I make (a little) more money), I can actually afford Netflix.

I've lately started watching some of their instantly available stuff, and it's good fun. I'm not much of a tv watcher. While I don't shy away from the tv, my repertoire is pretty limited to watching Jeopardy!, House and Numb3rs.

About a week ago I started at season 1, episode 1 of Dexter. A pretty daring concept if you ask me. The series definitely causes some (ok, I admit, even me) to root for the serial killer.

I heard (probably on NPR) recently someone quoted as saying something to the effect of "bad guys do what good guys only dream of doing." I suspect there is some truth to that. I don't buy into the idea that someone is inherently evil. I think people make choices. We may all have murderous intent sometimes, but what separates most from those who act on these feelings is the choice. We as a society (and as a species) have decided (quite intelligently, I might add) that killing another human being is not in the best interest for our collective survival. We raise our cubs, our horcruxes, our kids with those values and hope they stick. Most of the time they do, but sometimes things go wrong. As a society we've set up a system to deal with those who stray from the right path with the purpose of 1) removing a dangerous, destructive individual from our midst to prevent further calamities, 2) punishing said individual, and 3) creating a deterrent for others who might have the same murderous streak.

In setting up this system we have decided that it is more important that we never make a type I error (convicting someone who is innocent), and we therefore choose to increase the risk of a type II error (letting loose someone who is guilty). And so, at some frequency, simply as a result of our choice to err on the side of caution with respect to type I errors, the guilty walk.

In Dexter, the writers examine these cases. And Dexter has turned (helped by the man who adopted him) into a one-man jury, judge, and executioner. So, the show sets up this hierarchy of good, not-so-good, bad, really-bad, and really-really-bad people, and argues to the case of the bad and the really bad people taking out the really-really-bad people, because the good or not-so-good would never do such a thing (even though they might fantasize about it), and our error II prone system has a tendency of failing.

So, you find yourself silently rooting for the bad people, lament the naivete of the good people, and consider it a good thing that the really-really-bad-people. And of course, because it goes against the grain of the morals we've been raised with, we feel guilty for rooting for a serial killer. I find this contradiction fascinating, and keep on going back for another episode trying to analyze my reaction to the story, conscious of the instances where I'm rooting for the bad guy.

The scientist in me can't help but pick out the mistakes Dexter makes. Like wearing gloves inside the house where he captures his next victim, after having opened the door with his bare hands. I'm finding the show oddly addictive. I've watched 5 episodes so far, and as much as I try to stay away from it, when I find myself with an hour of spare time, I click around and move on to the next episode.

Even though killing is the theme throughout the series, I can honestly say that if you can stand a little blood it's not that bad. I really dislike violence, and I don't mind watching this. There is a very limited amount of fighting, shooting, and the like, it's all rather civilized and carefully executed. I wouldn't be surprised if there are those that say they can't stand to watch. However, I would wonder if it is because they can't stand to see themselves rooting for the bad guy.