I don't care what I wear
BUT
I care what I wear
So
I stare.
Jeffra
Sent from my iPhone
Thursday, February 03, 2011
a California girl's Clothing Conundrum
I'm so tired,
I don't care what I wear
I don't care what I wear
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
A lovely view
Sunday, January 23, 2011
I love movies!!!!
Why is that???
Netflix and all it's numerous streaming movies = very lazy Jeffra.
Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A Tuckered Tucker
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
She Said It!
"I'm feeling a little Big-Bang-Theory-ed out." Danielle A. Kane at 8:17pm today.
Going down in the record books.
y or ie
Why is it 'movie' and not 'movy' ???
Some people spell 'aunty' and others 'auntie' - why?
Some people spell 'aunty' and others 'auntie' - why?
English is such a messy (or is it messie) language!
Sent from my iPhone
Friday, September 03, 2010
Testing from the iPhone
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Batman Forever (or perhaps not?)
Moving down the line in soundtrack CDs, I come to Batman Forever. Now take a moment to remember what you thought the first time you saw this movie. Was it in the theaters? Or later, on VHS? Or perhaps only recently, on a NetFlix DVD? Very cartoony, in fact, not far away from the campy style of Batman from the 60s. Very much a contrast to Batman Begins.
Anyway, about the music. Not my favorite. I believe I received the CD with a VHS copy of the movie as part of the birthday gift. I'm going to try to do this review by what is memorable. Songs 1-7, I mostly like. After that, I tend to lose interest in listening. It begins with a U2 song that's fairly good. Next is "Where are you now?" by Brandy (do remember her? Whatever happened to her?). Of course, Seal croons the "A Kiss from a Rose," which was/is my favorite song on the album. Tracks 5-7 are sung by female artists and I can tell you that after listening to Track 5 "The Hunter Gets Captured By the Prey," I end up singing it for a bit. And that is all that I care for on this soundtrack CD. So while Amazon users gave it an average 4.5 stars, I can only give it 2 stars.
Anyway, about the music. Not my favorite. I believe I received the CD with a VHS copy of the movie as part of the birthday gift. I'm going to try to do this review by what is memorable. Songs 1-7, I mostly like. After that, I tend to lose interest in listening. It begins with a U2 song that's fairly good. Next is "Where are you now?" by Brandy (do remember her? Whatever happened to her?). Of course, Seal croons the "A Kiss from a Rose," which was/is my favorite song on the album. Tracks 5-7 are sung by female artists and I can tell you that after listening to Track 5 "The Hunter Gets Captured By the Prey," I end up singing it for a bit. And that is all that I care for on this soundtrack CD. So while Amazon users gave it an average 4.5 stars, I can only give it 2 stars.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Driving thru Soundtracks
Since my car still plays CDs, I've decided to do a drive thru of my soundtracks. I will be progressing alphabetically through them. To start off, I began with Anastasia (an animated non-Disney movie that came out in the 1990s). I thought it was a decent film (Disney does better artwork, no doubt) but at the time I really liked the song, "Once Upon A December." I believe this is what motivated me to buy the soundtrack on CD. So I expected that I would play about 2-3 times and then done with it. But not so much. Turns out I very much enjoyed the soundtrack, all of it. I have no special skills with music, playing it or explaining it, but I believe this music was well-written, well-played, and well-sung. Even the evil bad dude Rasputin's song, "In the Dark of the Night" gets me bouncing around and singing along. After the movie's musical numbers, a couple of pop artists join the mix. My favorite being Richard Marx dueting with Donna Lewis on "At the Beginning." The also last 6 songs are the actual orchestra music from the movie. Within these you can hear Angela Lansbury (aka Jessica B. Fletcher) sing a tiny bit of "Once Upon A December." Finally, it ends with a Spanish version of "Journey to the Past," which is fine for me.
Anyhoo, I agree with a majority of the Amazon reviewers in giving this soundtrack 5 stars (out of 5). Splendid.
Anyhoo, I agree with a majority of the Amazon reviewers in giving this soundtrack 5 stars (out of 5). Splendid.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Curtain Call
I have been deliberating for some time on whether or not to get curtains in my room. PRO: more purple in room always good; darken room for better sleeping; visually aesthetically pleasing (one hopes). CON: cost (one curtain is often over $40); not easy to install; have to buy rods.
When I was out at a Bed, Bath, & Beyond, they had a nifty curtain rod for only $20 (black brushed metal with square/cube nobby ends). And with my 20% off coupon, I felt compelled to buy it. This purchase topped the waffling list and meant I was not committed to buying curtains. However, all the purple curtains I saw were still quite costly. Well, one fortunate day in a walk to Old Navy (why drive when you can make a 10 minute walk there), I passed a TJ Max store. Its crazy store with lots of random things for very good prices. Seemed like the perfect place to find cheap curtains. And I was right! In the chaotic pile of rejected and unsold curtains, I found two matching purple curtains, each for $10. However, they are not opaque, instead being a very see-through material. So then I thought about returning them to find light-blocking curtains. Actually, TJ Max had a matching pair of these, but they were mossy green, which were not hideous, but certainly not purple.
I felt inspired to quickly put up one curtain and test it out. Here is my test attempt. Held up by one rod hook and about 5 pushpins.
I continued to wonder was it really worth it to have curtains up if they did not actually block out the light? Then Danielle, my roommate, had a great idea. I could buy some cloth and attach it to the backside of the curtain either with a cloth tape or some other method. Especially sweet because I have a gift certificate to Joannas. Perfect!
This convinced me and last Sunday, I went all out (while watching Cinderella). Screwed in the six screws for the three rod hooks by using my elbow muscle while standing on my bouncy bed (super sore the next day because of this). Fiddled with rod itself to get it all lined up right and the curtains had to be on it before all of its screws could be put in proper place. And then up it went on the wall. Below are some photos. They are not great quality because I used my iPhone, which just doesn't handle indoors and dark lighting well.
All in all, it was a good experience and I am very glad that I did it.
P.S. I would like to note, that nearly every time I wrote curtains above, I first misspelled it as curatins. *sigh*
When I was out at a Bed, Bath, & Beyond, they had a nifty curtain rod for only $20 (black brushed metal with square/cube nobby ends). And with my 20% off coupon, I felt compelled to buy it. This purchase topped the waffling list and meant I was not committed to buying curtains. However, all the purple curtains I saw were still quite costly. Well, one fortunate day in a walk to Old Navy (why drive when you can make a 10 minute walk there), I passed a TJ Max store. Its crazy store with lots of random things for very good prices. Seemed like the perfect place to find cheap curtains. And I was right! In the chaotic pile of rejected and unsold curtains, I found two matching purple curtains, each for $10. However, they are not opaque, instead being a very see-through material. So then I thought about returning them to find light-blocking curtains. Actually, TJ Max had a matching pair of these, but they were mossy green, which were not hideous, but certainly not purple.
I felt inspired to quickly put up one curtain and test it out. Here is my test attempt. Held up by one rod hook and about 5 pushpins.
I continued to wonder was it really worth it to have curtains up if they did not actually block out the light? Then Danielle, my roommate, had a great idea. I could buy some cloth and attach it to the backside of the curtain either with a cloth tape or some other method. Especially sweet because I have a gift certificate to Joannas. Perfect!
This convinced me and last Sunday, I went all out (while watching Cinderella). Screwed in the six screws for the three rod hooks by using my elbow muscle while standing on my bouncy bed (super sore the next day because of this). Fiddled with rod itself to get it all lined up right and the curtains had to be on it before all of its screws could be put in proper place. And then up it went on the wall. Below are some photos. They are not great quality because I used my iPhone, which just doesn't handle indoors and dark lighting well.
All in all, it was a good experience and I am very glad that I did it.
P.S. I would like to note, that nearly every time I wrote curtains above, I first misspelled it as curatins. *sigh*
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
With Zephaniah Isa Kent Richey!
Yay for baby Zeph and Amanda for successful entrance to the world. So great to meet him, and can't wait to cuddle more. (born 5-10-2010, 81bs 4.5oz and 20 inches)
For some past reflections, here is a picture of me with Camdyn the day after she was born (June 30, 2008, 7lbs 2oz and 22 inches).
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Belated Bday Update
*This post was supposed to auto-publish on May 8th (two months after my bday, but I guess I didn't do it right. So here it is a few days late.*
I turned 30 this year and if I had been on top of this blog, I would have posted something about it. Instead, two months late will have to do. Here are some of the fabulous celebrations of the big 3-0.
Other special celebrations included dinner with a few colleagues at the Wheel of Life, a thai vegetarian restaurant (it was delicious) and dinner + karaoke with some of my small group friends (total blast, maybe add video clips for this later).
I posted on Facebook that I was looking at birthdays from a different perspective this year. I am viewing them as inclusive. So not only am I now 30 years old, but I am still 18 years old, 6 years, 12, 16, 25, 9, and so on. Every birthday is a part of who I am.
I turned 30 this year and if I had been on top of this blog, I would have posted something about it. Instead, two months late will have to do. Here are some of the fabulous celebrations of the big 3-0.
Rainbow cupcakes baked by Amanda.
Okay, this new way to edit posts is causing me some confusion. So I'll just explain the rest of the pictures from top/left to bottom/right. The next two pictures were taken by Amanda. We had our first ladies hangout (meaning no kiddos) as my special birthday treat. First we had a mini sundae at Cheesecake Factory and then red velvet cake at CA Pizza Kitchen. Next, is the photo of the flowers my parents sent to me. Aren't they pretty? I carried them around the apartment, from the living room to the bathroom to my bedroom. Next is the cake that Gina baked for me. Isn't it awesome?!!??! She baked each individual layer and then put it all together. Finally is the cake my dad baked for me, which was an orange cream cake. Yummy!
Other special celebrations included dinner with a few colleagues at the Wheel of Life, a thai vegetarian restaurant (it was delicious) and dinner + karaoke with some of my small group friends (total blast, maybe add video clips for this later).
I posted on Facebook that I was looking at birthdays from a different perspective this year. I am viewing them as inclusive. So not only am I now 30 years old, but I am still 18 years old, 6 years, 12, 16, 25, 9, and so on. Every birthday is a part of who I am.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Baking Continues
So I love to bake. Yum yum. And to eat. But mostly to give it away and enjoy other people eating it. I have baked about 5 banana cakes (dad's recipe with maple cream cheese frosting), 3 batches of brownies (my grandma's recipe), 2 carrot cakes (dad's recipe, simple but delicious), and some number of cookies to bring in to work at the Science Library. With the last batch of carrot cake I made, I had leftover pinapple, so I decided to experiment with a pineapple cherry coffee cake. It came out decently for a first time adapted recipe. The aftertaste is a little tart because there is one cup of non-fat plain yogurt. But the brown sugar topping adds sweetness.
Below is a picture of the brownies I made for Happy non-Valentine's Day (it was February 13th).
I wonder what I will be baking next...
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
So I'm Back
I felt inspired to start blogging again. Who knows if anyone is still following me but here I go.
I have been working as a research librarian for mathematics, physics and astronomy at UC Irvine for a little over a year now. As several/many of you know this exact job is what I have been working towards since about 2002. And you know what? I am so happy to have it and I think it is a good fit. Here are two lists describing best of and most challenging:
Best (in order as I think of them)
1) Continued education in extra awesome subject areas:
(a) I love the subjects of mathematics and astronomy
(b) Learning physics keeps me growing in new knowledge
(c) Love attending colloquiums at these departments
2) Helping students find their research information
3) Great colleagues that really help to foster an environment and culture of learning
4) Working at research university is exciting and eventful
5) Ordering books, I really enjoy browsing book collections and deliberating on best additions
6) Committee meetings (yep, color me goofy but I love group work)
Challenging
1) Miss working in the Math Department and regular interactions with students and faculty
2) There is WAY more to do than I have time to do
3) Do not like it when "to dos" slip through the cracks
4) Still learning the contextual understanding of collection development at UCI
5) What is my calling at UCI? Why has God brought me to this campus?
I'll end with a sunset from my apartment window. Nothing to do with the above but it is pretty.
I have been working as a research librarian for mathematics, physics and astronomy at UC Irvine for a little over a year now. As several/many of you know this exact job is what I have been working towards since about 2002. And you know what? I am so happy to have it and I think it is a good fit. Here are two lists describing best of and most challenging:
Best (in order as I think of them)
1) Continued education in extra awesome subject areas:
(a) I love the subjects of mathematics and astronomy
(b) Learning physics keeps me growing in new knowledge
(c) Love attending colloquiums at these departments
2) Helping students find their research information
3) Great colleagues that really help to foster an environment and culture of learning
4) Working at research university is exciting and eventful
5) Ordering books, I really enjoy browsing book collections and deliberating on best additions
6) Committee meetings (yep, color me goofy but I love group work)
Challenging
1) Miss working in the Math Department and regular interactions with students and faculty
2) There is WAY more to do than I have time to do
3) Do not like it when "to dos" slip through the cracks
4) Still learning the contextual understanding of collection development at UCI
5) What is my calling at UCI? Why has God brought me to this campus?
I'll end with a sunset from my apartment window. Nothing to do with the above but it is pretty.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Slip in one before July ends
I have moved! Well, almost. Last car load of stuff should be today. I am moving across town and will no longer be able to walk to work, which is a little of a bummer since I love walking so much. However, I will be saving like $500 in rent and this will really help out my monthly budget given that furloughs are on the horizon. (Furloughs are a sort of mandatory unpaid leave of absence.) I will be living with a roommate again: Danielle, who is the UCI emerging technologies and innovative services librarian (she is new to UCI like me).
I'll add some photos when I get Internet at the new apartment. I've painted two of the walls in my bedroom a sunshine yellow color (and one of the living room walls as well).
For those curious about my work, it is crazy busy!!!! In addition to ordering new books (try to do this weekly), I make decisions on which books to replace (lost, in need of repair, or gifts). Collection development for serials (journal subscriptions and the like) is the most complicated thus far. I have taught library instruction courses for freshmen English students as well as for visiting students (both college and high school). I am now on several committees, including chair of one task force, which if you know me, then you know I love committee work (apparently this is quite unusual). Of course, I sit at the Science Library reference desk, providing information services to those in need. Recently I have been learning to provide chat/IM reference services. I'm sure there is so much more to say about this all but time has run out.
If you are on twitter, you are invited to follow me at http://twitter.com/jeffradiane. Hmmm, maybe I'll write a post about this experience as it has been very different than I expected.
I'll add some photos when I get Internet at the new apartment. I've painted two of the walls in my bedroom a sunshine yellow color (and one of the living room walls as well).
For those curious about my work, it is crazy busy!!!! In addition to ordering new books (try to do this weekly), I make decisions on which books to replace (lost, in need of repair, or gifts). Collection development for serials (journal subscriptions and the like) is the most complicated thus far. I have taught library instruction courses for freshmen English students as well as for visiting students (both college and high school). I am now on several committees, including chair of one task force, which if you know me, then you know I love committee work (apparently this is quite unusual). Of course, I sit at the Science Library reference desk, providing information services to those in need. Recently I have been learning to provide chat/IM reference services. I'm sure there is so much more to say about this all but time has run out.
If you are on twitter, you are invited to follow me at http://twitter.com/jeffradiane. Hmmm, maybe I'll write a post about this experience as it has been very different than I expected.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Actually Friday May 22, 2009
I sent this email to my parents and brother and then thought, hey this would make a good blog post but then never got to it, so here it is:
Just wanted to let you know that the latest contact lenses that I got yesterday from Dr. Brown are painless, sitting not only comfortably in my eyes but also in the proper location so that I can see clearly with them (whoo hoo!). The last four pairs that I had tried all kept spinning and feeling pretty scratchy in my eyes. I guess I was starting to feel pretty hopeless about the whole thing, so I am especially thrilled that these are working so well. I am so ecstatic about it that I had to email you all and share my joy! *
Today at the 1st year physics/astronomy grad student seminar, I learned about nanotechnology, of which I previously had very little knowledge. This professor is using nanotechnology to research chemically-functional electronics. In other words, using nanotubes as detectors instead of as transistors, which is what industry spends most time and money researching. Dr. Phil Collins (yes, that really is his name and he is not the British singer) builds single molecule chemical nano circuits to "see" what is happening during a chemical reaction at the atom level, which has not previously been visible. As you can probably tell, I found it very fascinating.**
On the Monday Memorial Day holiday, I will be going with Danielle (the emerging technologies librarian) to the LA Union train station to go on Disney's A Christmas Carol promo traveling train museum (does that sound crazy, or what?). http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/christmascaroltraintour/#/tour/ if you are curious. ***
Notes/Updates:
* That was contact pair #5. Now I am on pair #6 and I can't get them out of my eyes. You are supposed to be able to wear them for a week before taking them out. It is just something that I have never done before. And lately, at the end of the day, I've just been wanting to take them out. Today is the fifth day of having them in eyes with no nighttime relief. Aloha was nice enough to send me a link with instructions on how to remove "stuck" soft contact lenses. I'll try it out tonight.
** I gave my own library-related presentation to these students on June 5th. I think I did okay but I know now how to fine tune it and make it more relevant to them, and hopefully more lively.
*** Danielle and I waited 3 hours in a long slow-moving line for this tour! Phew! It was tiring and hot in the sun. Despite this, I didn't mind because Danielle is fun to hang out with (we played word search to pass the time). This really prepped us for our day at Disneyland (her birthday), where the longest we waited in a line was maybe 30 minutes (love the fast passes!).
Just wanted to let you know that the latest contact lenses that I got yesterday from Dr. Brown are painless, sitting not only comfortably in my eyes but also in the proper location so that I can see clearly with them (whoo hoo!). The last four pairs that I had tried all kept spinning and feeling pretty scratchy in my eyes. I guess I was starting to feel pretty hopeless about the whole thing, so I am especially thrilled that these are working so well. I am so ecstatic about it that I had to email you all and share my joy! *
Today at the 1st year physics/astronomy grad student seminar, I learned about nanotechnology, of which I previously had very little knowledge. This professor is using nanotechnology to research chemically-functional electronics. In other words, using nanotubes as detectors instead of as transistors, which is what industry spends most time and money researching. Dr. Phil Collins (yes, that really is his name and he is not the British singer) builds single molecule chemical nano circuits to "see" what is happening during a chemical reaction at the atom level, which has not previously been visible. As you can probably tell, I found it very fascinating.**
On the Monday Memorial Day holiday, I will be going with Danielle (the emerging technologies librarian) to the LA Union train station to go on Disney's A Christmas Carol promo traveling train museum (does that sound crazy, or what?). http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/christmascaroltraintour/#/tour/ if you are curious. ***
Notes/Updates:
* That was contact pair #5. Now I am on pair #6 and I can't get them out of my eyes. You are supposed to be able to wear them for a week before taking them out. It is just something that I have never done before. And lately, at the end of the day, I've just been wanting to take them out. Today is the fifth day of having them in eyes with no nighttime relief. Aloha was nice enough to send me a link with instructions on how to remove "stuck" soft contact lenses. I'll try it out tonight.
** I gave my own library-related presentation to these students on June 5th. I think I did okay but I know now how to fine tune it and make it more relevant to them, and hopefully more lively.
*** Danielle and I waited 3 hours in a long slow-moving line for this tour! Phew! It was tiring and hot in the sun. Despite this, I didn't mind because Danielle is fun to hang out with (we played word search to pass the time). This really prepped us for our day at Disneyland (her birthday), where the longest we waited in a line was maybe 30 minutes (love the fast passes!).
Friday, May 08, 2009
Star Trek!
Star Trek! Star Trek! Star Trek! Star Trek! Star Trek!
Need I say more?
Oh, alright. I wish I had a Star Trek t-shirt (so how geeky does that make me?).
Need I say more?
Oh, alright. I wish I had a Star Trek t-shirt (so how geeky does that make me?).
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Buying in Bulk
I'm addicted to it. Costco is my doom. So are large shopping carts. To prevent myself from getting to carried away, now when I grocery shop, I just use the hand held carrying basket. Whatever I carry in the store, I have to be able to carry it when I walk home. This has helped. However, recently, I went to Trader Joe's on my way to work to buy one banana to eat that day (since to buy a banana on campus would probably cost $1), and I ended up buying 6! I mean, I was already there and I knew I would eat them (or make banana cake out of them). The problem was carrying them to work and then back home, when I actually again pass TJ's on the walk home. I just love to stock up food and be prepared.
Last night I purchased two movie tickets: one for the Wolverine movie and one for Star Trek. I am going to see the Wolverine movie this afternoon at 4:30pm but it seemed like a good idea to have the ticket purchased in advance. An acquaintance of mine told me that he had already seen the "illegal" copy that has permeated the web and now does not plan to see it in the theaters. As I thought about this, I wondered how many people are not going to see the movie in the theaters because they watched the web version? This could definitely hurt their movie sales (however, this article indicates not so much). And the only reason that makes me feel a little sad is because Hugh Jackman seems like a truly nice guy. Every article I have read seems to confirm this (no, I haven't really read that many but still... ). And as for Star Trek, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited! I had considered seeing it May 7 at 7pm (lots of theaters are showing it at this time) but it turns out I am doing some babysitting then. So instead I will be seeing it Saturday morning, 10:45am (bonus: only $6 at this time!!!). I think I will go personally offline May 7 until I see the movie. I don't want to accidently hear or see anything about it. This means no facebook or bloglines, only work related web usage. I look forward to seeing the movie a second time with my brother and parents when I am home in San Jose for my graduation (I'm officially going to graduate from SLIS!!!!!).
P.S. I decided no more apologies to slacking in the blogging. It's just what it is.
Last night I purchased two movie tickets: one for the Wolverine movie and one for Star Trek. I am going to see the Wolverine movie this afternoon at 4:30pm but it seemed like a good idea to have the ticket purchased in advance. An acquaintance of mine told me that he had already seen the "illegal" copy that has permeated the web and now does not plan to see it in the theaters. As I thought about this, I wondered how many people are not going to see the movie in the theaters because they watched the web version? This could definitely hurt their movie sales (however, this article indicates not so much). And the only reason that makes me feel a little sad is because Hugh Jackman seems like a truly nice guy. Every article I have read seems to confirm this (no, I haven't really read that many but still... ). And as for Star Trek, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited! I had considered seeing it May 7 at 7pm (lots of theaters are showing it at this time) but it turns out I am doing some babysitting then. So instead I will be seeing it Saturday morning, 10:45am (bonus: only $6 at this time!!!). I think I will go personally offline May 7 until I see the movie. I don't want to accidently hear or see anything about it. This means no facebook or bloglines, only work related web usage. I look forward to seeing the movie a second time with my brother and parents when I am home in San Jose for my graduation (I'm officially going to graduate from SLIS!!!!!).
P.S. I decided no more apologies to slacking in the blogging. It's just what it is.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Ratatouille Attempt
I like to cook on Sundays. I can start at a reasonable time to make something a little more complicated than a frozen meal or a quickly thrown together salad. I made a quiche a couple of weeks ago, though I do admit to using a Trader Joes frozen pie crust (it was my first pie of any kind). It was fine for a first try. Hmmm, I cooked something else that lasted for a while. Oh yeah, I sauteed brussel sprouts, asian pear, and onion together. This was not bad either but lacked any strong flavor. Today I adventured into ratatouille. This choice was mostly because I wanted to cook tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and onion together. The recipe I found called for a few ingredients I discovered that I do not have (my spices are severely lacking); however, I did purchase an 21-spice thing from Costco, and I decided this would just have to do. Well, I also added some oregano in. All in all, it turned out fine, a little spicy for me (that 21-spice seems to be strong on the pepper-side). I had it sprinkled with shredded parmesan cheese. I've included a picture of it in the big pot I had to use to cook it. Oddly enough I have enough ingredients leftover to cook another batch and I might just do that. [Many thanks to Gina for the discussion on colanders and listening to my rattles as I cooked.]
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