02 December 2012

This week's fascinations

A lot of my time is spent either flailing in lab (a lot like this, but with much less dancing) or studying some admittedly pretty neat stuff.  So, just in case you are all starting to think that I don't do anything but whine about work, here are some non-work related interests.

I recently found my new favorite iPhone app:  Afterglow.  There is just so much that you can do with it and they don't force you to buy extra filters or features like many of the other photo apps out there.  These are both photos I took with my phone and then modified using Afterglow.



I've been following the show 30 Rock for years because I have the humor of an odd adolescent.  Is anyone else still flabbergasted that Liz Lemon got married?  Tina Fay has given young spinsters (or maybe spinster-in-training?) like me hope that there is some special guy out there who can put up with yarn stashes and other eccentricities.



Have ever ever had a song stick with you for a while, a song that just resonates with you and you have no idea why?  Well I hadn't come across one of those for quite a while until now.  Trent Reznor is my all-time favorite musician, I love that he is capable of composing both the score for the movie The Social Network and the theme for the new Call of Duty video game and doing so perfectly.  But I didn't really care for his side project with his wife Mariqueen Maandig until I heard this song.



Lastly, I know that you are all probably tired of seeing photos of my big kitty, so I'll disguise this one as one of the easiest DIY projects ever.

The perfect cat bed, requires:
-- 1 shallow cardboard box
-- several paper bags
Directions: place bags in box and show to kitty


Caution: kitty may not want to leave box and develop a severe case of laziness.

Disclaimer: I did not intend for this to be a kitty magnet, I just threw some paper grocery bags into the box my new pair of boots came in while tidying and now I have this nasty feeling that she will eat me if I throw it away.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

23 comments:

  1. had no idea htda came out with more music *_* thanks for sharing

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  2. Cats will go in anything, ours loves plastic bags, boxes, anything she can get in or under. She does have that look about her though that says "keep off this is mine"

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  3. Never get between a cat and her box!!!! Trust me....I know this from experience!!!

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  4. Know what you mean about the music. There are a couple of songs that so deeply resonate with me that it is almost difficult to explain. Kitties are gonna do what kitties are gonna do!

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  5. I love your kitty! She is just hilarious!!!
    Such an inspirational post :) Thanks for sharing. I think that it's going to be a good week for you, I can sense it.

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  6. My kitty will jump into any empty box but what she really loves are empty paper shopping bags! The funny thing is that I'll not always see her jump in and when I go to pick up the bag, there she is! ; )

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  7. Kitty knows a good thing when she sees it - a perfect fit, too.

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  8. You've caught yourself a cat. Better not put the box outdoors. You might find yourself with more cats.

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  9. My friend Becky's cat loves a box and just lounges there all day. The images are great and I may have to look into that app!

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  10. loved the song! well, that's typical kitty behavior! mine is filling one of my bags with cat hair right now :p

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  11. I wish bunnies were so easy to please! It's nice to know there's life outside of grad school. One of the reasons I love reading your posts so much is because my colleagues work so hard that I sometimes think they are robots, but I have to veg with some knitting and tv or play games on my phone. I don't think it makes me less of a grad student, I think it make me HUMAN. I'm glad you are human too. :)

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  12. She looks so comfortable. I think I'd just add the box to the decor and call it good:)

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  13. isnt' that always the way with our kitties!! a box arrived today with towels, and I tossed it on the floor...my
    Beatles the baby cat was in it in a heartbeat.

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  14. My Winston has a box in he dining room that is in front of the heater vent. She sleeps in it all day long. Every now and then the kid climbs in with her and you can tell it is a huge dilemma for the cat...stay in her nice warm box and leave because her nice warm box just got invaded.

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  15. I probably have the weirdest cat on the planet because she doesn't like boxes. Yeah... weird, right? She loves sleeping on my (very uncomfortable looking) wooden desk and on one of my favorite bags (I put it on the ground while cleaning my room and ever since she discovered it she refuses to get off. She even attempted to bite me when I tried to take my bag. Guess I'm in the market for a new messenger bag cause I won't attempt to move it anytime soon.)

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  16. Your cat cracks me up!! He reminds me of our beloved Oliver, a 20+ pound main coon cat who died three years ago--he was ginormous! We still have his brother, Dodger who is 14 years old! Dodger would love that box and paper--and the happiest day of his week last week was the day all the Christmas decoration plastic crates came down from the attic--He spent two days laying around on the lids!
    Have a great week--
    *smiles*

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  17. I love everything about this post! Your photos are great (must go check out that app!), your kitty is beyond precious, and as a fellow Trent Reznor-lover (seriously, what can't he do??), hearing this song was just what I needed. I wasn't terribly impressed with the last How to Destroy Angels album, but this is something special.

    Hope you have a great week! :)

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  18. I'm lost on your discussion about apps, I don't have a smart phone and never use my phone to take pictures. I like to use my camera for that; but there are so few regular phones left...I fear I'll be forced to buy a smart phone even if I don't want it. Argh. As cell phones have become anything but a phone, it seems to me and others I talk with the quality of the phone call has diminished in a very big way. Voice quality has suffered, you get disconnected more often, calls don't go through etc. I want a phone I can use as a phone. Just yesterday trying to make a medical appointment and the receptionist was saying, I'm only getting about every other word. I have even more trouble when hubby is trying to talk from his smart phone...he can't hear me well, but I can hear him. Double ARGH ARGH. We did get rid of the home phone and the bill with it about a year ago, as we never used it.

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  19. Argh! I just typed out this nice, long comment but my Internet is wonky right now.

    Your cat is livin' large with you; she's like touch anything and prepare for the claws and Ninja Kitty to come out.

    That app looks fun! I'll check it out. I have the Vintage Camera one and need to use it more. The iPhone software has a few filters too now.

    I give you much props to doing and understanding such high tech and highly intellectual work in the lab. I don't know how I passed lab back in college. I had no clue as to what I was doing.

    You are not a young spinster. You're in your twenties and are still young. Right now you're in this graduate program and that is your focus and brass ring. Your soulmate will come around right when you least expect it.
    Have reasonable expectations and never settle. You're too old for that sh*t.
    I got married @33. My husband came when I thought I'd be dating around for half a year or so. I'm so blessed.

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  20. Your cat is like a small child, the box that gifts came in is the most interesting thing. On the other hand, isn't a cat a spinster-in-training's must have? ;-)

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  21. That's pretty funny. Cats and dogs are so different! Does your kitty eat crumbs off the floor?

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  22. I will literally never be tired of looking at pictures of your cats! Or anyone else's cats. Or cats in general. Your pictures with Afterglow look so pretty! It's enough to give a soft, vintage-y feeling, but it's not toooo extreme. And 30 Rock! Yes! This spring, on one of the first warm days, I took my lunch to a bench outside my dorm building to get some sunshine...and every bench had a couple making out on it. I stomped away, mumbling, "JEEZ LOUISE. Some of us just want to eat our ham sandwiches outside in peace. Hmph." I felt so Liz-like.

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  23. Wow, sure been a long time since you've blogged. Swinging by from Sandy's Space to say Happy New Year.

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