Pedometer Plan = Fail

Batteries are rusted and the fancy KP pedometer thusly won't work. Bummer.

Instead here are some pictures from yesterday's lost in the UCI wilderness hike.

Oliver & Dove

A new day

Tomorrow, May 1st, I'm going to start a new project. I plan to use a pedometer and keep track of my daily walking and then average it out. I'm supposed to have at least 30 minutes if continuous walking but sometimes it is hard or too tiring to find the time.

So I want to number off the days and each blog entry where I'll be recording the daily numbers. Anyone have suggestions for what I should call the entries? Let's see, one I have is: Walk the Talk & Talk the Walk, Day 1. But that's kind of long. Post your ideas!

Many thanks to Ann and Arnoldo for contributing more furniture and things to my apartment (& then helping me get it all here)!

Vegetable Lasagna photo 4

The first tasting.

Vegetable Lasagna photo 3

After oven.

Vegetable Lasagna photo 2

Ready for the oven.

Vegetable Lasagna photo 1

I shredded/grated zucchini and yellow squash with carrots. I sautéed onions and bell peppers and then added these to marinara sauce. Mixed ricotta cheese, milk, fancy grated cheeses and some nutmeg. Then it was layer time.

What is in Grammie's sleeve???

Something yummy!

Cuddled on my lap

Oliver and Dove. I hope they stay small sized.

Maggie, my new kitty friend???

She really knows how to make me feel special. I'll be cat-sitting her and her big sister, Sophie. Fun times ahead.

New Duvet comforter

Bday gift from dad and mom. I love it!!!!!

a California girl's Clothing Conundrum

I'm so tired,
I don't care what I wear

BUT
I care what I wear
So
I stare.

Jeffra

Sent from my iPhone

A lovely view

From my apartment complex pathway. I tried to send a video from my iPhone to post on the blog the other day but I guess it did not post. Boo.

I love movies!!!!

Why is that???

Netflix and all it's numerous streaming movies = very lazy Jeffra.

Sent from my iPhone

The Moon at 5:25pm or so

Using the fancy HDR feature of the iPhone, this is the best I could do.

A Tuckered Tucker

Bark in the Park was crazy busy this year, and seemed even more so because we volunteered in the Registration booth this time. I always wanted to volunteer in the registration but I gotta say it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. At least there is good friends and a yummy dinner after it all.

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?

English is such a messy (or is it messie) language!

Sent from my iPhone

Testing from the iPhone

This is a photo from visiting cousins (Erik and Mikey), Uncle Brian, and Aunty Lora near Corpus Christi, Texas. I love them all dearly.

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.

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.

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*

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).

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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!).

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?).

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.

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.]

The Bed Is Done!!!

I put together the bed frame that I bought yesterday through Craigslist (it's an Ikea bed frame). It was very frustrating at first and really seemed impossible without a second person but I fiddled and fiddled, took apart my screwdriver, pushed, shoved and wiggled, and laid under the frame. And somehow the screws actually went into the metal things as they were supposed to. I decided the completed bed deserved a photo. The walls are plain but that is because I didn't want to put anything up until I knew where the frame would be. Also, thus far as I have hung photos and other framed things, I've done it poorly. Apparently I need a second person's insight (or arms at least) to do it right. So I wait for a visitor or friend to help.


Today, in other news, I donated blood to the Irvine Medical Center in a bus (never done that before-it is a pretty impressive set-up). It went smoothly, though my blood moved a little too slowly for the nurse. For library work, I enjoyed doing some collection development tasks. In case, I haven't mentioned it, I love my job!!! Tomorrow we go on a field trip to Newport Beach Library. I plan to get a library card there.

Some Pictures

I've finally uploaded photos to my computer and thought I would post a few here. The rest are at my flickr account but you will have to be my friend to view them.

The nearby park (easy walking distance)

Kitchen/Dinning Room empty + Cadence
This one was just too cute to pass up on posting

Mom in front of my new place of employment: UCI Science Library

Rainbow-themed bathroom
See the artwork on the mirrors (I know, I'm amazing)

The Rainbow Rug in my bathroom

Living Room with chairs and pictures

Getting Settled

Today I hung up my first framed picture. It's nothing fabulous, maybe that made it easier. Less commitment. The frame I bought at Ikea for half off ($12) and the poster inside for 25 cents (97% off). It looks okay. What is causing the most deliberation is my grandma's painting. I love it and really want to make sure I put it in the best spot (good viewage and no direct light). This means either above my entertainment set-up (which includes my 1999 20-inch TV and and 20-inch iMac) or in my dining room (but there might be too much light here). I just don't know. I have several other framed pictures that I must decide what to do with. Perhaps some of these will eventually go in my office (which at the moment is essentially empty).

So for the move-in story (for those interested). I drove down to Irvine in my nifty Mazda5 on Wednesday, January 21st. I was a little sick with a cold but fortunately, it was a completely uneventful drive. I moved into my new apartment with only the items that fit into my car. On the 24th, the rest of my stuff arrived in the PODS container. My friends (Joe, Nick and Andre) drove up from the San Diego area, spent the night Friday (we played a very fun submarine game), and then helped me unload the pod early Saturday morning. I could not have done it without them. And they were so much fun to be around. I hope to see them soon again.

My mom arrived on Sunday, and we began unpacking and finding places for things. I think in the first week that I was here, I went to Target five times (3 different stores), Ikea four times, Lowes three times, TJ Max twice, Costco twice, and Trader Joe's four times. It was handy to have a week and a half before I started working. Oh, this reminds me, I had a terrible time getting my Internet up and running. I was supposed to have connection on Monday but did not get it until Friday night. Why did I not get it? 1) They couldn't tell me and 2) It was hooked up to the wrong phone line. I think I spent about 6 hours in total on the phone with AT&T. Their customer service is horrendously terrible. I could ramble about this for a very very very long time but it will just build up all the old anger and frustration, and the story is not over yet. They wouldn't compensate me for lost time until I get my AT&T bill (stupid!!!!), so now I wait for that to arrive in the mail.

My one bedroom apartment is nice and the complex is also nice (so descriptive, I know). I'll get around to some pictures, maybe. I am within an easy 3-minute walk to Trader Joes and to Albertsons (though opposite directions). There are also some very yummy places to eat around here too. When I first moved in, it was very warm (70s and low 80s) but now it has returned to winter weather (50s), and I find myself occasionally turning on the heater.

So that's a little about the settling stuff. Oh, and my bathroom is rainbow-themed -YAY!!!

Missing Out

Sorry for the month long absence. I know some of you have been waiting for a post and I have been seriously slacking. Well, I am not really going to make a full one now but hopefully tomorrow. Big changes: move to Irvine and starting new job as a UCI Librarian.

Happy Valentine's Day!
and
Happy Roommates Appreciation Day [Amanda, Karen, Katy, Heather, Faith, and Salena]!!!

The Move

Whoo hoo! I'm moving to Irvine. I am so excited to be starting my new job as the Research Librarian for Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy at UC Irvine on February 2nd. Truly. This is the exact job that I dreamed of having so I cannot wait to begin. However, it is in less than a month and I have so much to do to get there. Currently I am boxing and packing like crazy. So many dust bunnies. Gina, Mark, and Jamie have all helped and I so appreciate it. Even if they had done nothing but stand there and talk to me, I would have been happy. Moving can be kind of lonely and sad. Oh, and my mom also has also been extremely awesome. She has packed quite a bit and had some excellent ideas. I have to have everything packed and put into the PODS unit by Wednesday evening. I think I am one third there, so I guess that means I still have a lot to do because I only have one more day. If anyone is bored tomorrow and needs some physical activity to do, give me a call. ;D

Now I am also on the hunt for a couch, TV stand, and a twin-sized bed. If you know of anyone who is getting rid of these things, please let me know. Okay, I gotta get back to work.

A Million Years Have Passed

Okay, maybe not that long, but it has been quite some time. I don't really know if I actually have any followers (oh wait, I think Jonathan and Elizabeth are definitely keeping track of my updates -that's two - yay!), but I will try to better over the next few months as I share my adventures into a new life (if I do end up moving to Irvine).

I had a wonderful Christmas with my family. Christmas Eve was at my cousin's home and Christmas Day was with my mom, dad, and brother, very low key. We watched "It's a Wonderful Life," which I hadn't seen possibly in a decade or so. I really really enjoyed it but then I adore Jimmy Stewart. Mom and I were watching a making of feature and they said that when this movie was released in the theatres, it pretty much bombed. It wasn't until several decades later that it became so popular. This seems so odd to me when this happens with a movie. Ahh, the mysteries of life. ;D

Immediately after school finished, I started reading The Shack by William P. Young. I think I cried through every chapter I read. The story seemed to speak directly to my heart. How do we deal with the horrible things that happen in this world and believing that God is completely good? It is not an easy mental battle and certainly one that I struggle with on occasion. I do strongly believe that God wants a relationship with each of us, and not a particular amount of goodness or proper behavior from us. That's really the point of Jesus, right?

Oh, I was a bridesmaid in the wedding of dear friends, Nadia and Abhi, on December 20th. A very cold but beautiful sunny day in Palo Alto. I look forward to getting some copies of the professional photos since I really didn't take any myself. May God bless their union richly in love. My fabulous friend, Gina, did my hair and it was amazing. She's so talented. [She also dressed me for my interviews -Thank you Gina!!!]

Shane left today to go to Colorado to be with Tiffany and family. I miss him already, and I wish I could have seen Tiffany, too. Oh well, holidays and seeing all family members can be quite tricky.

Anything else to report... hmmm... not at the moment but I'll try to be better about posting in the future. Some photos...

Mommy and the Tookie

The Dress & The Hair

Nadia and her sister, Nina, getting ready for the wedding - woot!

Graduation Gift from Dad

Dad, Shane, Shelly, Me, Jackie [Mom taking the picture]

Taken this just before we drove Shaner to the airport.