| Date: | 2008-10-04 15:01 |
| Subject: | |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  busy |
So, fall is in full swing now. I love the weather - not too sunny, but not rainy either. Cool, but not freezing - just enough for a light jacket.
Wanted to wash the windows today, but decided to wait until we get the AC out, don't want to drip in water.
Watched Ironman yesterday and it was soooo funny!
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This is the first year, when I don't have school or prospect of school in the near future. There's been one september - 2004 - when I didn't have school (it was after I graduated from UoG, but before I started Ryerson), but then I already knew that I'd be going next semester. Since I graduated this time, there is no certainty in anything. Even if (and it's a big "if") we win the contract for the Ottawa project, it's only for 5 months. Yes, it's still something and I'll have something concrete to put on the resume, but I'll be in almost the same boat as before at the end of February.
Another fly in my ointment is this collider debate. I don't know who to believe - people who say that it can produce black holes that can swallow the earth, people who say it can't, people who say it can but won't, people who say if it does we won't know what hit us, or people who say that if it does we'll have the opportunity to appreciate the sheer horror of the prospect. It's an empty worry and my stressing about it won't influence the outcome, but I can't help it. I wish anxiety came with an "off" switch.
And I wish I wasn't such a coward...
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| Date: | 2008-08-24 19:14 |
| Subject: | muffins |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  curious |
Trying to make healthy muffins. First try (currently in the oven) - raisin bran whole wheat muffins. I wonder if they'll be edible...
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Got offered a position on an environmental project. Well, "got offered" is, maybe, too strong a word. "Am being considered" is more like. No guarantees, though. It's a contract that still needs to be won and even if they do win it, don't know if they'll still go with me.
Otherwise, life is fine. Dealing with some health stuff, but that's nothing new.
Reading the Stephanie Mayer series and will reserve judgement until finish the entire series, but not too bad for now.
So, yeah, no real news :P
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Jewel was a little scrap of white fur who like to run in a wheel, eat carrots and dried bananas, and to bite yours trully. She was, however, quite affectionate with and (will be sorely missed by) her dear friend, Ginger. Though she gave no indication of this (and quite likely never understood), she was probably quite happy that she got to live six months more than she would have, had she stayed at the pet shop in her capacity as a feeder mouse. Jewel passed away suddenly, from a heart attack, in the loving hands of a vet after she contracted an infection on her muzzle. I'd like to think she didn't suffer much.
Though I know that for her I was associated with the more traumatic events of her life (such as moving), I loved her. Although it was tragically cut short, I tried to give her and Ginger a happy life, free of human meddling and full of seeds, carrots, apples, and dried bananas. As she looks down now from the mousy heaven, I hope she forgives me for not being able to protect her any more than I have.
"For every one that falls, one stands above ground"
Jewel, you will be missed
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| Date: | 2007-12-16 00:54 |
| Subject: | Just FYI... |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  giddy |
This past Thursday, December 13th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm I successfully defended my masters thesis.
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| Date: | 2007-12-05 10:34 |
| Subject: | |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  frustrated |
Who would have thought that condensing 2 years of research into 20 minutes would be hard, yet it is! Working on the presentation and there is no way it's 20 minutes and I have no idea what to cut. I have a trial run with my supervisors today, so maybe they will have some suggestions. Personally, I'd rather have a longer presentation and fewer questions, but no one is asking me...
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| Date: | 2007-12-04 12:02 |
| Subject: | |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: | annoyed |
In the lab again, working on my presentation. The trial run is tomorrow. Have an exam invigilation at the Metro Toronto Convention Center at 3, so will have to leave soon. I used to love invigilations in the beginning, but that wore off in a hurry. They are so boring! Just standing around for 3 hours making sure nobode cheats very obviously. They never do, BTW. We have a university-full of gooddy-two-shoes. I am very glad for this fact, but it makes the invigilations oh-so-boring.
Was kicked out of the house again. Can't go back until after 8 because the agents are showing it. Poo. Oh, well. I can't understand why the sucker hasn't sold yet. It's a very nice townhouse, downdown Toronto, PATIO ON THE ROOF!!! Huge garage. Solarium. Compared to other stuff for sale in the area, very reasonable price. AND the land transfer tax doubles in the new year. So what are people waiting for? We had so many people come through the place that if we were selling tickets, we would have already made as much as the house. Well, probably...
Anyhoo, it's just frustrating. And annoying. Oh, well. The house has to be sold and there is nothing for it. I just wish it was OK for me to stay in it while they're showing it.
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Yet again I've been woefully absent from the splendor that is LJ. In my defense, I've been REEEEEEEEEALY busy. I just handed in my masters manuscript on Friday (after 2 allnighters and countless "why me?"s addressed to the silent cieling. I am now working on my presentation and will be defending on the 13th at 2 pm. So, any of you, if you suddenly remember me on the 13th, do cross your fingers :)
Sad to say, but that is all my news. School was pretty much my life for the past 2 years, so, really not much else to say.
Will check back in after the defence... Powers that be willing... Gaaaaaah!!!!!
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| Date: | 2007-06-04 14:34 |
| Subject: | Shrek |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: | cynical | | Music: | jack hammers outside the window |
Went to see Shrek the 3rd with Dad and sis this weekend. Can't say that I was impressed. At least not as much as by the first two. Feel sorry for Charming, actually. He got screwed up royally (no pun intended), plus he lost his mother whom he obviously loved very much (although I acknowledge they had major issues) and everybody just keeps making fun of him. I totally don't blame him for snapping. The movie has it's nuggets, but unfortuantely it does not make up for the faults.
It seems it is the "summer of thirds". Next time I'm home I think we are planning to go see Spiderman 3, and then NEXT time, it's Pirates of the C-arrrrr-ibean :)
Anyhoo, back to work :P
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| Date: | 2007-04-14 23:03 |
| Subject: | |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  nervous |
Heh... I never did finish that post about the conference. Oh, well. Long story short, we came, we presented, we left. I got second plance in my session, another student with my supervisors got first in hers.
Now I'm preoccupied with a different thing. In may (the week of may 7th) I'm going to Dorset for a field course for a week. I've never done anything like that (I don't like traveling unless someone else does all the planning) and now I have to plan the entire trip. It suuuuuucks!
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| Date: | 2007-03-18 12:38 |
| Subject: | Con Report (1) |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: | busy |
That would be "CONference" not "CONvention". I just got back from the Great Lakes Consortium conference last night. Well, I must say, it was certainly event-filled couple of days.
I got up at 5 am on Friday morning (I'm not a morning person). I had packed the day before, so I got to spend the next half hour in a zombie-like state dressing and shoving the last few things into the overnight bag. The day before I called a cab to pick me up at 5:40 and drive me to the Union station for the simple reason that THE SUBWAY DOES NOT RUN UNTIL 6!!!! And I had to be on the 6:13 train to Burlington.
Got to the station, met up with Leigh and Joe (my fellow students) and we set off to Burlington. Joe and Leigh slept, but I had to present that day at 4, so I was a bit nervous. Also, to periodic anouncement and a lady talking quite excitedly on the phone a few seats from us made it difficult to sleep without headphones.
Lynda and Andy (our supervisors) picked us up in the parking lot of the Burlington GO station and we set off on the 5 hour drive to Syracuse.
Now I have to go do some work, so "To be continued..."
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Quite rapidly, as it happens. This Friday, to be exact. It's in Syracuse and is called the Great Lakes Consortium. We are leaving very very very very very early on Friday, I present at the conference at 4, we go eating. Then we go drinking (St. Patrik's day and all that). Then the next day my fellow student presents at noon. Then we have lunch and go home. Should be home late Saturday evening.
Made a poster from the slides in my presentation of CCIW and got it printed really cheap in the University. The only snag was that when it got printed, I realized that there were two typo's that PowerPoint didn't pick up (even when I ran a spell check!!!) So I had to go back and re-print it. Cheap, sure, but still 20 bucks down the drain. The new poster now hangs on the wall outside our lab and I'm going to take the other poster home (Waterloo).
Tomorrow need to go get tickets for the GO train and order a taxi. Still marking stuff for the course I TA, but the labs are now over.
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V p'atnitsu uyesjayu na conferenciyu v Sirakuzy. Eto v shtatah, tak chto nam nado budet yehat' cherez granicu na Niagare. Ya tam presentuyu v 4 chasa dn'a, tak chto u vas budet... *polnoch'* Potom u nas vylazka v chest' dn'a sv'atogo Patriciya, tak chto moi kollegi budut pit' i men'a podsujivat' po tomu ka ya ne p'yu.
Sdelala poster moih resultatov i poveseli yego na stenku okolo laboratorii. Pervaya versiya byla s oshibkami, tak chto ya yego napechatala op'at', a staryi otvezu domoi - roditel'am :)
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| Date: | 2007-02-20 13:57 |
| Subject: | |
| Security: | Public |
Yeah, well. It's been over a year since I posted. I have a good reason for that. I'm sure I do. I just can't think of one right now.
Lot's of thing happened since I last posted. During the summer I did almost 6 months of field work for my masters, collecting samples from a nearby river. Now I'm in the process of analyzing them - specifically, benthic invertebrates or, in the immortal words of Oogie-Boogie - "My bugs!" Funny enough, the first question when I tell people what I'm doing is a shocked "Are they alive?!?" The answer is no. They have been pickled in ethanol since the day of collection, but, as my supervisor noted, at least they died drunk.
I presented at my very first conference last week. Well, it's not the first one I've been to, but it is the first one I presented at. If interested, you can find the program schedule and my abstract at http://www.cawq.ca/cgi-bin/symposium/details.cgi?language=english&pk_symposium=13 Just go to "Download the Full Book of Abstracts" and search for "Chmakova"
Not much change in my social life, i.e. still none-existent.
Started taking guitar lessons, though. That's fun so far.
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| Date: | 2006-03-15 12:53 |
| Subject: | Hee hee |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  amused |
You know that "rapper" look younger guys go for? The one where they have their pants as low as they can without having them fall off? Well, I don't like that look. But it's a statement and freedom of speech and all. Bummer. However, I must admit that it works for some people (or, rather, they MAKE it work for them). But when it doesn't work, MAN, does it ever! Yesterday I happened to be walking behind a guy dressed in just such a fashion. However, instead of being all cool, he ruined it for himself by hikeing the pants up every five steps. Then they would slide down a bit as he walked. He would hike them up again. Evendually he just started holding them up with one hand. The whole thing was so comical, that I had to bit my tongue not to laugh out loud.
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Been a while since I posted. Life goes on, no big changes really.
Working on my independent study and developing a method for my thesis project. On Tuesday I'm going to a conference at CCIW in Burlington. The conference is actually Monday and Tuesday, but I can only go Tuesday because I have to TA on Monday. And in min-March our advisors are taking us (their grad students) to Syracuse for yet another conference. Believe it or not, but since we came here (more than 10 years ago) this will be my fist trip to the states.
No more news, really, on my front. A while ago, though, I read an article in Reader's Digest that I liked so much that I typed it up so I would have it on my computer. And now I'm going to share it.
( Finding Soda )
It seems like a simple story, but I like it and the way it's written.
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| Date: | 2006-01-16 10:40 |
| Subject: | Birthday |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  thoughtful |
I suppose it depends on a person, but to me there are few things that are worse than being stuck away from your family on your birthday. Which is tomorrow. And at home, mom will probably be baking (mmmm....) Sigh...
Well, I'm going home this Friday, so I'll get to make up on the weekend :)
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| Date: | 2006-01-11 12:45 |
| Subject: | Back to school |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: | cheerful |
I'm back in Toronto.
The Christmas break was quite productive. I visited everybody I set out to visit. The grant application was out on time. I started lit review for my independent study. And I spent much quality time with the family.
Svet and I went to karaoke. Must admit, I didn't fall in love with it. Perhaps it was the fact the the room was not soundproofed AT ALL! While we were singing it was fine, but as soon as we stopped, we could hear the people in the adjacent room. Now, I'm no diva when it comes to singing, but if I hum a melody you know - you'd recognize it. I wouldn't sing in public, but can recognize when a melody is being screwed up and be annoyed about it. Our neighbours, it so happened, were missing three notes out of two. I am not trying to put anybody down, least of all - them. The karaoke bar, however, could have bothered to provide at least some rudimentary sound barriers. I got the impression that they just got a big place and put up drywall to separate it into a bunch of small compartments. I wonder what it would be like in a real karaoke bar.
But I'm back at school now. Went to the classes I TA - labs start next week. This semester I got both first- and fourth-years. We'll see who gives me more trouble. The end of the semester will be hell. Most of the grad courses are back end heavy, what with the assignments, exams, presentations. The lit review course I'm doing will have a big paper and a presentation. Biology 2 will have a lab final for me to grade. Enironmental bio will have a big assignment and a lab final as well. As for my own courses, hopefully I will find out in the next couple of days. Speaking of which, I'm off to Wastewater Engineering. Hee hee. The prof for that course happens to be in the office right behind the wall I'm facing right now :). People say he is super nice, and I'll get ready access to him. Must make sure to not overdo it.
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So, I'm home for the holidays. On the agenda for the next week is to visit several friends and put the X-mas tree up. Yes, we still don't have it standing.
Still have the research proposal to finalize. Started lit review just for that purpose. The whole process is complicated by the fact that it has to be in by Dec 30th and I have to FedEx it so I need to catch them when they are still working - between X-mas and New Year. I'll be fine.
Yeah, the semester is done. I won't know the marks until min-January at least, but I don't think I did too badly. I don't think anyone in our class did too badly.
My mind keeps jumping from one thing to another and I start writing about something and then the thought dwindles. So, I'm just going to stop here.
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Yesterday, around 7:30 pm I was workng in the office. At some point I went to the bathroom, and when I headed back, I realized that I didn't have the keys in my pocked, like I usually do. So, I went to the library and called security. They said that they will send someone down to open the door. As I headed back to the office, I got this image of my keys hanging on the little hook of the bathroom stall door. O.O I raced to the bathroom and as I rounded the corner into the hallway where it is, I saw a woman walking towards me. She was carrying something that dangled from her hand, and the dangly part looked suspiciously like the compass that I have on my keys. It turned out that she did find my keys and if I hadn't caught her, she would have turned them over to security and I would have gone nuts trying to find them.
But all's well that ends well, and I realized that that's my cue to call it a day.
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