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May 9th, 2008
10:22 pm - Florida substitute teacher loses job after being accused of wizardry
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24470824/
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11:17 am - The difficulties I face
I could get a Raiders of the Lost Ark DVD for $12 with a clipping from the package of cookies I bought. I feel like it would be more economical to buy the whole trilogy on Amazon for $33. But I wouldn't even be considering it if not for the cookies. But, oh, the hot, possessed, and shirtless part from Temple of Doom...
I had my first stinging nettle experience yesterday while simultaneously being attacked by mosquitoes. Somehow the mosquito bites stopped itching as soon as I got in the car, but the nettle sting still hurt at 7AM today. Was a very successful sampling trip though. Hopefully the hybrid blackberry cuttings that I put in the greenhouse will live. The problem with studying the evolution of invasive species is that when you find something really interesting and tell the land managers about it, they want to eradicate it as soon as possible, and then you don't have it to study any more.
Saw Expelled last night. All the discussion of intellectual freedom seemed like a bit of a moot point to me, since all the evidence in favor of evolution wasn't even addressed. There were sound bites of scientists saying that ID is "stupid" or "not science" but I'm betting that the producers edited out the parts of the interviews in which the scientists explain why ID is not science. Regarding the idea that learning about evolution causes people to lose their spirituality, I think that just shows that our spiritual education is lacking. People should be able to connect to spirituality/God regardless of what they learn in the classroom. We should not sacrifice perfectly good science just because people's faith isn't strong enough to withstand it.
I gotta hand it to Stein though for somehow getting Richard Dawkins to say that he thought that life could not have arisen spontaneously.
The animation of the cell was nifty, and very scientifically informed. I wonder who they got to make that, for a movie that pushes ideas that so many scientists are opposed to.
The cutaways to clips of old movies made the film a bit too propagandist. What irked me the most was when one scientist mentioned the hypothesis of macromolecules initially forming off of crystals, as the origin of life. There was a cutaway to some crazy guy saying "Look into my crystal ball!" It's a perfectly good idea as far as I'm concerned, and I remember hearing about it some years back. Making fun of an idea on a third-grade level doesn't take any support away from it!
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May 6th, 2008
12:59 pm - Angry Fundamentalists
It's May, and angry fundamentalist Christians are back in season at UC Davis! Today we had a couple guys on the quad. One had a sandwich board that read "Bless your dirty heart you little bitch" with some list of sinners that I didn't bother to read. The other had the giant sign, of the sort that has to be supported at the torso and shoulders. It said "God is angry" and had a long list of who he's angry at. Some of my favorites:
Child-molesting homosexuals
This is the only reference to homosexuals. So the vast majority of them are okay, then? Sweet! Although I'm worried that they get caught under the "premarital sex" item, since in many places they aren't allowed to marry, for reasons that are beyond me.
Romanists
...what?
Cult of the effeminate intellect
...what?
Godless Evolutionists
Then people like me who combine faith and science are okay!
Witches [picture of witch on broomstick]
Because as we all know, pagans can fly.
Unbelieving Jews
Jews who take their faith seriously are okay.
Racists
Wait, we agree on something?
People who talk to pets more than God
Well see, in my worldview, as a pantheist, the most devout, pious thing a person can do is to interact lovingly with the world around them. The divine is in everything around us, and in ourselves. Pets teach us love. I let God lick out my cereal bowl every morning.
Misc. heathen
Ooh, got me there.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/smile.gif) amused
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May 4th, 2008
10:44 pm - parent visit, part 2
A few days overdue. I've been tired and busy.
( summary and photos )
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April 22nd, 2008
02:39 pm
The wind blows, and nature whispers her life and love.
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April 21st, 2008
10:19 am - Another morning ride of note
I think someone threw something at me today. There was a car that took a right turn very close behind me as I was continuing straight. I heard a "ding" on the pavement right under me, and looked and saw an arm raised up out of the side of the car. It was four guys in an old black car with a white top.
Either that or I have some residual paranoia from childhood and think on some level that people must hate me just for the way I look.
I gotta get ready for lab meeting in three hours. And I forgot to bring my book for the Language of God discussion tonight. Maybe it will be an excuse to get some extra exercise to go home and get it.
Had a couple interesting dreams this morning. There was a stressful but remarkably coherent one in which I was giving a 12-minute chalk talk on my research. Then my alarm went off. I fell asleep again, and dreamed about that horribly icy road that our cabin was on in Yosemite. I was sledding on it... that was very sweet, at least.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/blah.gif) blah
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April 17th, 2008
11:23 am - surreal
On my ride to school this morning, there was a bicyclist in front of me who had a bunch of roses under one arm. I thought of how romantic that was, and how if I continue to do this dating thing I might earn myself some roses. A police car taking a right turn cut him off and caused him to end up flat on the pavement.
A bystander was already coming to his aid, as well as the police officer. Am I supposed to hang around in situations like that and act as a witness? Hmm.
Out of romance I wanted him to bring the roses to the recipient anyway, but if he's injured I guess it's more important to take care of that.
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March 30th, 2008
05:48 pm - Dyeing yarn for zebra stripes: Part 2
( the colors, man! )
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March 29th, 2008
11:50 pm - Dyeing yarn for zebra stripes: Part 1
I gave my parents a birthday wish list from knitpicks.com, and it arrived today. Got some of their Felici sock yarn that is very pretty... I think I'm getting backed up on projects that I want to do, but such is knitting. I also got some undyed DK weight yarn and Jaquard acid dyes, so I did some dyeing research today and started to get my yarn prepped. Instead of just laying out the hank and dyeing it, I'm winding it in a weird way to get zebra stripes on socks.
( what I've done )
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March 23rd, 2008
12:02 am - Ravelry made me do it
 Well, it appears that ravelry.com does not have its own hosting for blog posts. Instead, you link to your blog on another site and connect ravelry projects to blog posts. (Seems bizarre to be part of an online community that has no reason to keep anything private, but anyway...) So, my poor f-list, I might be dumping more knitting babble on you rather than less.
( Read more... )
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/hyper.gif) silly
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March 20th, 2008
09:26 am
I am not sure that the boycott on LJ tomorrow is going to have any effect. I'll probably participate anyway, because doing nothing is easy. And for me it's 5PM-5PM, so it pretty much only prevents me from posting this evening.
Ravelry.com is a nifty website for crocheting and knitting. Some of my knitting squee might spill over to there. Elizabeth invited me at the beginning of the month, and eventually they were able to give me an account. I think I'm going to have to pay $3 to get photos from my LJ Scrapbook onto Ravelry, because the only free option is a Flickr account, which I don't really want since I've already paid the money to have 10GB forever on LJ.
I had a headache yesterday, so it was another unproductive day. I made a to-do list. Today I will work on it!
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March 18th, 2008
06:13 pm - Wuffies
I kept meaning to post this. It's the March picture for the Defenders of Wildlife calendar.
I think the caption should be:
"I told you man, no kisses when we're running with the pack!"
"But I wuvs you so much!"
www.defenders.org
www.savewolves.org
www.wildlifeadoption.org
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/blank.gif) lazy
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05:37 pm - Brain scientist talks about her experience of having a stroke
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229
(18-minute video)
Got this from the spirituality folks, and thought I'd pass it along. She doesn't find God or religion, but gets this sense of peace and oneness from having her left brain turned off.
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March 16th, 2008
08:40 pm - "Not everybody's lifestyles are equal, just like not all religions are equal."
Sound like something a congresswoman should be saying?
Apparently Rep. Sally Kern thinks that homosexuality is a bigger threat than "terrorism or Islam."
http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/ok_rep_sally_kern_cen/
Follow the link to hear the recording and send a letter to the Governor of Oklahoma demanding a public apology.
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March 13th, 2008
10:26 pm - Biofuels
Here's something that I strongly agree with. Do with it what you will.
***********
Hi,
I just sent a message to my leader urging for the creation of international biofuels standards to ensure that the current expansion of the biofuels industry does not damage the environment or drive up food prices. This is important, and I thought you might be interested:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/biofuel_standards_now/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK
As developed countries push for biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels, increased demand for the crops that make biofuels is causing the destruction of rainforests--cleared to make way for plantations--and a rise in food prices, as farmers grow crops for fuel instead of food. Just last week, the UN World Food Program announced a massive budget deficit as a result of rising food prices, caused by a combination of biofuels growth, bad weather, and high oil prices.
This Friday through Saturday, the G20 group of countries--the twenty biggest economies, responsible for more than 75% of the world's carbon emissions--will meet in Chiba, Japan to begin the climate change discussions leading up to the G8 summit this summer. Before the summit, Avaaz.org is creating a global cry for sustainable biofuels. By sending a message to your leader urging for biofuels standards, you can make a difference on this critical issue. Take action now:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/biofuel_standards_now/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK
Thanks!
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01:17 am - "Do not want" dog sweater
 I think I mentioned awhile ago that I was considering making a dog sweater as a joke gift for Cara's birthday. Well, that is what I have been knitting for the past month. I have been handling the fluffy pinkness enough that it's lost its humor value to me, but hopefully Cara will get a good laugh.
Her birthday is tomorrow today, and I was almost done, so it would have been a shame not to finish it. I was thinking to myself that "almost done" in knitting means five hours to go, and sure enough I was knitting and sewing tonight from 8PM to 1AM.
The pattern is "Howl" from Stitch 'n' Bitch, the needles were size 15 (Knitpicks Options 32" circular), and the yarn was Red Heart Baby Clouds.
Things have been busy as I've been cramming lab work and data analysis in for a presentation this coming Monday, and I also got a scholarship application mailed off today. The good news is that I've chilled out regarding what happened Sunday.
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March 6th, 2008
11:54 am
After a somewhat late, crazy night of preparation on Tuesday, our class presentation went off without a hitch. Now I'm working on my research proposal for that class, due tomorrow at 5. I'm pretty sure this is my last graded assignment ever. I might take classes later for their own sake, but this is the last class I have to take for a grade.
I want to procrastinate by working on my own research. I did spend awhile this morning figuring out how I might put my data into a Microsoft Access database.
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March 3rd, 2008
09:22 pm - these updates will get more interesting at some point
Friday I started feeling a lot better and I thought I was over the hump of the cold. Shelby was amazing as my right-hand woman getting the party set up. In particular, her direction of the food preparation was great, as it might not have been best for me to be coughing and sneezing all over everything. Members of the LaSalle lab also came over early to get things set up to show their rap video on our TV, and then helped chop veggies. I did the diseased-person-friendly activities of getting the grills and campfire lit. Jennifer, Jessica, and Karl helped a ton with the grilling. So many awesome people. I was even able to leave and take a nap for 45 minutes. When I came back there was a small contingent playing pong (which Jeff did all the work of setting up, yay) and then everyone else was around the campfire, and I got the sense that a very good time was being had. I was even all talkative and social at that point. I think it was only 11 when everyone left. Lilly totally flipped out because I wasn't letting her go back outside to search for food on the ground. Shelby drunk-dialed me at 1AM on Jennifer's phone, and I would have thought it was a dream except that I found it in my phone memory.
If you followed that rap video link and were horrified, it's okay. Lisa was too. (She is not a biologist.)
Saturday I woke up and did not feel so great, but I was supposed to drive some recruits to brunch, and hey, brunch was free food for me. I came, I ate, I realized that I better go home and lay down. I basically watched TV with a pillow and blanket on the couch the entire rest of the day, except for an hour when Jen came over to help clean up. Then Sunday I slept until 11:30, got up for an hour for some tea, cereal, and echinacea, then went to bed again until 3. So I only got a few hours of work in, but at least it was enough for satisfactory progress on our group presentation.
I think I'm better today, and it's not just a function of having to be up and about. Close though.
I have a tendency to bite my lower lip when I'm sick, because the pain feels clean. My lip is pretty raw today.
There's been cool stuff with the spirituality group too, like last Monday we saw The Power of Forgiveness, then tonight we started discussing Language of God, and on Thursday we're learning some cool Buddhist stuff...
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February 24th, 2008
08:18 pm - Stitches West
Woke up today happy to be alive again, which is nice. Went to Stitches West with Anne, Jen, and Ann's mosquito-counting friend Leslie. At one of the first booths (Boll Weaver Designs) I was tempted to buy something but didn't. Shortly after, we came to Interlacements, and I ended up buying some of their Toasty Toes yarn in some zany colors that will make nice socks.
( photos )
After that I think my urge to obtain something was satisfied, because nothing else was really tempting. I think the most interesting thing otherwise was that there was a lady who had a business spinning pet hair into yarn. She had a bikini made out of Pekingese dog hair, I kid you not. I think I'm feeling the sleep deprivation from Friday now... started to fade in the afternoon, have a headache now.
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February 22nd, 2008
11:35 am - Google, you are losing my faith
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Google ads
I don't understand... and you'd think Google would make darn well sure that someone was looking at a website related to constipation before putting up constipation-related ads. |
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