Yesterday was the first public recital given by Trio, and I'm pleased to say it went off quite successfully! The performance was well received, and we even got enough of a free-will offering to pay our accompanist's fee. There was a bit left over to pay for part of the other incidentals (programs, food for reception, etc.) but we didn't quite break even.
The money is really beside the point, and I must say we were grateful to receive even enough to pay our accompanist! This recital was first and foremost our first opportunity to present ourselves to an audience, and that is such an important thing for a performer to do. A singer can hone and refine her product as much as she wants in the setting of a rehearsal, but until the singer actually puts herself "out there" for others to experience she isn't really making art. In the privacy of your own studio or rehearsal space "Sempre Libera" may as well be solfege.
The completion of this recital also marks the passing of one major stressor in my life. As lovely as it was performing yesterday, it has been a big drain on me learning music, memorizing passages, coordinating schedules, getting programs printed, etc., etc., ad nauseum. We don't have any more gigs scheduled right now, although one is pending for December or February. That gives me at least three months to return to my primary stressor in life, the transgenic (technically, conditional knockout) mouse I'm generating in the lab.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Saturday, August 26, 2006
So Shoe Me
As of Friday morning, I was 1/2 a pound under my intermittent goal weight. This meant I had to do something to reward myself that was completely non-food related. (It's self-defeating to reward progress on a diet with food.)
I had thought of, and dismissed, several ideas for my treat over the months I've been working towards this goal. So I was a bit disappointed that, having met this goal, I didn't have anything in mind to celebrate this milestone.
As I was getting ready yesterday morning, selecting the appropriate ensemble best to complement my new (properly fitting) jeans, I realized that I didn't have any shoes that went well with them.
What an epiphany!
It became my mission last night to buy some cute, dress up/dress down black slides. And I even knew where I wanted to buy them: Nordstrom.
I also decided to be a satisficer, not a maximizer for this purchase. I set a price point in my head, decided on a basic style, and determined that I would buy the first pair that met my criteria.
I went to one other store first, just because I like doing business at that store and wanted to give them an opportunity to make me a sale. They had nothing that I really liked that wasn't well out of my price range, so I strolled down Michigan Ave, turned west at Ohio and walked to Nordstrom.
The first two sales people just made some very generic attempts to help. The third salesperson actually engaged me when I stopped at a pair of shoes that, while lovely, were out of my price range. When I told him I was interested in something similar at a slightly lower price, he showed me about 10 pairs of shoes.
I settled on these beauties. They were not the cheapest. They were not even on sale. But they looked -- and felt -- fabulous.
I also shopped at H&M for the first time. I am pleased to admit that I can actually wear their shirts -- not the slim fit, mind you, but still.
As I was browsing, I began to sense that I am a bit too old and, frankly, not quite gay enough to be in that store. That is, until a musclebound threesome (conservatively) in their 40s strolled past me, toting all sorts of T-shirts and other garments clearly too young for them to wear. It made me feel a little better. But I did pick up a couple of faboo shirts -- and for cheap!! (buy one, get one free on discounted merchandise) -- and I'm very excited to assemble the new look.
I had thought of, and dismissed, several ideas for my treat over the months I've been working towards this goal. So I was a bit disappointed that, having met this goal, I didn't have anything in mind to celebrate this milestone.
As I was getting ready yesterday morning, selecting the appropriate ensemble best to complement my new (properly fitting) jeans, I realized that I didn't have any shoes that went well with them.
What an epiphany!
It became my mission last night to buy some cute, dress up/dress down black slides. And I even knew where I wanted to buy them: Nordstrom.
I also decided to be a satisficer, not a maximizer for this purchase. I set a price point in my head, decided on a basic style, and determined that I would buy the first pair that met my criteria.
I went to one other store first, just because I like doing business at that store and wanted to give them an opportunity to make me a sale. They had nothing that I really liked that wasn't well out of my price range, so I strolled down Michigan Ave, turned west at Ohio and walked to Nordstrom.
The first two sales people just made some very generic attempts to help. The third salesperson actually engaged me when I stopped at a pair of shoes that, while lovely, were out of my price range. When I told him I was interested in something similar at a slightly lower price, he showed me about 10 pairs of shoes.
I settled on these beauties. They were not the cheapest. They were not even on sale. But they looked -- and felt -- fabulous.
I also shopped at H&M for the first time. I am pleased to admit that I can actually wear their shirts -- not the slim fit, mind you, but still.
As I was browsing, I began to sense that I am a bit too old and, frankly, not quite gay enough to be in that store. That is, until a musclebound threesome (conservatively) in their 40s strolled past me, toting all sorts of T-shirts and other garments clearly too young for them to wear. It made me feel a little better. But I did pick up a couple of faboo shirts -- and for cheap!! (buy one, get one free on discounted merchandise) -- and I'm very excited to assemble the new look.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
New Things to See
I've been on a quest to lose weight since March 2005. Since then, I've lost about 80 pounds and, as of today, about 10 inches off of my waist.
But until this week, I still felt like a fat person.
My perception of my own body is so skewed that I have a hard time focusing on the aspects of my body that have improved, and still primarily see the imperfections.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm by no means svelte, and I do have several pounds to go. However, in the past week I've really started to notice some positive changes in my body. Last night I was having my hair cut, and sat in front of a full length mirror for about half an hour. While sitting there, staring at myself in the mirror, I noticed how much definition I'm getting in my neck. I also noticed how powerful my forearms are starting to look. There are veins and sinews visible that previously were hidden. The other morning I was stretching while standing in front of the bathroom mirror, and I noticed that I have nooks and crevices in places where I haven't previously, as pretty much all the natural concavities of my body were covered in fat.
It's a pretty great feeling, seeing these changes. It's really reinvigorated me, and so did fitting into a pair of jeans tonight smaller than I've worn since I was in middle school. I'm about 34 pounds away from my goal weight, and I hope to be there by March -- the two year point. God willing and if the creek don't rise, I'll be looking for some new clothes in spring.
But until this week, I still felt like a fat person.
My perception of my own body is so skewed that I have a hard time focusing on the aspects of my body that have improved, and still primarily see the imperfections.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm by no means svelte, and I do have several pounds to go. However, in the past week I've really started to notice some positive changes in my body. Last night I was having my hair cut, and sat in front of a full length mirror for about half an hour. While sitting there, staring at myself in the mirror, I noticed how much definition I'm getting in my neck. I also noticed how powerful my forearms are starting to look. There are veins and sinews visible that previously were hidden. The other morning I was stretching while standing in front of the bathroom mirror, and I noticed that I have nooks and crevices in places where I haven't previously, as pretty much all the natural concavities of my body were covered in fat.
It's a pretty great feeling, seeing these changes. It's really reinvigorated me, and so did fitting into a pair of jeans tonight smaller than I've worn since I was in middle school. I'm about 34 pounds away from my goal weight, and I hope to be there by March -- the two year point. God willing and if the creek don't rise, I'll be looking for some new clothes in spring.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
The beginning of the end
When the first of August came, people mumbled, "Is today the first day of August? Gosh, I can't believe it's August already!" As the month progressed, the stirrings changed to, "August is just flying by so quickly!" Today, I received a Pottery Barn catalog in my mailbox.
The fall catalog.
It's official. Summer is so close to being over it might as well be the second runner up on American Idol.
I mourn the passing of summer here like I never have before because it means that winter is unpleasantly near. And winter in this city is just almost unbearable.
So soon the steady stream of hot, shirtless men running along Lake Shore Drive will slow to a trickle, and eventually dry up altogether. The plumes of water shooting majestically from Buckingham Fountain will cease, the speed limit will decrease along LSD, and the heat lamps in the CTA train stations will come to life at the press of a button.
On the bright side, I won't have to worry about dealing with the steet cleaners any more. At least not until April.
The fall catalog.
It's official. Summer is so close to being over it might as well be the second runner up on American Idol.
I mourn the passing of summer here like I never have before because it means that winter is unpleasantly near. And winter in this city is just almost unbearable.
So soon the steady stream of hot, shirtless men running along Lake Shore Drive will slow to a trickle, and eventually dry up altogether. The plumes of water shooting majestically from Buckingham Fountain will cease, the speed limit will decrease along LSD, and the heat lamps in the CTA train stations will come to life at the press of a button.
On the bright side, I won't have to worry about dealing with the steet cleaners any more. At least not until April.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Weekend in the Country
I got back to town yesterday afternoon, having spent the remainder of the weekend in Saugatuck, MI. Saugatuck is a little community on the banks of the Kalamazoo Harbor. Chamber Choir goes there (nearly) every summer to do a short concert on Saturday evening, and then sings at the Douglas United Church of Christ during their Sunday morning service.
Having never been to Saugatuck before, I was a little apprehensive about going there because it is a popular destination for gay men. For better or for worse, that distinction often carries with it a certain image, of sleek clubs nestled in amongst trendy stores with muscled pretty boys walking along the sidewalks casting disdainful glances at anyone who dares walk the streets who isn't toned and young.
I am pleased to admit that I couldn't have had a more inaccurate picture of this community. Indeed I was impressed with the homey feel of the town. It's a quaint little waterfront village that is replete with shops designed to attract tourists with refined tastes. Although there was no lack of gay men and lesbians in the town, most of the people I saw were young or middle-aged married couples who were enjoying tooling around in cute convertibles, an escape from their more hectic workaday lives in the larger towns and cities I imagine they live in when not strolling the sidewalks of Saugatuck.
It's a little late in the season for this year, but I do think I'll keep Saugatuck on my list of potential weekend vacation spots for next summer. I wouldn't mind escaping from the big city myself.
Having never been to Saugatuck before, I was a little apprehensive about going there because it is a popular destination for gay men. For better or for worse, that distinction often carries with it a certain image, of sleek clubs nestled in amongst trendy stores with muscled pretty boys walking along the sidewalks casting disdainful glances at anyone who dares walk the streets who isn't toned and young.
I am pleased to admit that I couldn't have had a more inaccurate picture of this community. Indeed I was impressed with the homey feel of the town. It's a quaint little waterfront village that is replete with shops designed to attract tourists with refined tastes. Although there was no lack of gay men and lesbians in the town, most of the people I saw were young or middle-aged married couples who were enjoying tooling around in cute convertibles, an escape from their more hectic workaday lives in the larger towns and cities I imagine they live in when not strolling the sidewalks of Saugatuck.
It's a little late in the season for this year, but I do think I'll keep Saugatuck on my list of potential weekend vacation spots for next summer. I wouldn't mind escaping from the big city myself.
Friday, August 04, 2006
To the Victor Goes the Soy Latte
At long last, my targeting vector is finished!
(Well, okay, it's finished pending results of sequencing, but still, it looks good so far!!)
You may be asking yourself, "Waterlily," -- you call yourself that sometimes -- you say, "Waterlily, just what is a targeting vector, and why should I care?
In a nutshell, a targeting vector is a large piece of DNA used to alter the genome of a mouse embryo through a process called homologous recombination. You can peruse this listing in Wikipedia for more information.
Once I saw the results of my restriction enzyme analysis I decided that a victory soy latte was in order! Thus, on my way to drop off my precious DNA at the sequencing core I stopped by the coffee shop at the UC Divinity School and grabbed a $1.25 soy latte (their happy hour special -- reduced price lattes!)
Seeing as I wanted to have this construct finished at the latest by the end of June, I'm both overjoyed finally to have it and disappointed that it took so long. However, seeing as it took me only four months to make my targeting vector using recombineering, and more traditional methods can take a year or more, I think I'm still ahead of the game!
The hard work of screening ES cells is yet to come, but I'm just glad I've (almost) finally gotten to this point!
(Well, okay, it's finished pending results of sequencing, but still, it looks good so far!!)
You may be asking yourself, "Waterlily," -- you call yourself that sometimes -- you say, "Waterlily, just what is a targeting vector, and why should I care?
In a nutshell, a targeting vector is a large piece of DNA used to alter the genome of a mouse embryo through a process called homologous recombination. You can peruse this listing in Wikipedia for more information.
Once I saw the results of my restriction enzyme analysis I decided that a victory soy latte was in order! Thus, on my way to drop off my precious DNA at the sequencing core I stopped by the coffee shop at the UC Divinity School and grabbed a $1.25 soy latte (their happy hour special -- reduced price lattes!)
Seeing as I wanted to have this construct finished at the latest by the end of June, I'm both overjoyed finally to have it and disappointed that it took so long. However, seeing as it took me only four months to make my targeting vector using recombineering, and more traditional methods can take a year or more, I think I'm still ahead of the game!
The hard work of screening ES cells is yet to come, but I'm just glad I've (almost) finally gotten to this point!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Phishing with Better Bait
Dear senders of phishing email:
I have a business proposal for you. You see, like everyone else with an email address, I get a wompload of spam emails, including my fair share of phishing emails. With the certainty of gravity, taxes and death, all phishing emails that I receive share a common flaw. They contain atrocious grammatical, typographical and vocabulary mistakes.
There's an old addage in the world of fishing that says if you want to catch better fish, you have to use better bait. Let me assure you that the following "phishing" email is not good bait.
This actually arrived in my email inbox a few days ago:
I have a business proposal for you. You see, like everyone else with an email address, I get a wompload of spam emails, including my fair share of phishing emails. With the certainty of gravity, taxes and death, all phishing emails that I receive share a common flaw. They contain atrocious grammatical, typographical and vocabulary mistakes.
There's an old addage in the world of fishing that says if you want to catch better fish, you have to use better bait. Let me assure you that the following "phishing" email is not good bait.
This actually arrived in my email inbox a few days ago:
Dear Western Union Clients :
We are sorry for invoice. we had some errors in our data , Please update your profile .
You can access your profile at
https://wumt.westernunion.com/asp/regLogin.asp/..
For help please contact Western Union Customer Service immediately by email at customerservice@westernunion.com or call us at 1-877-989-3268 .
Thank you for using westernunion.com!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My proposal for you, oh purveyors of internet criminal activity, is to serve you as a consultant -- a grammatical consultant. I am eminently qualified. For one, English is my native tongue, something I'm guessing most of you who send these emails cannot claim. Second, I am known amongst my friends and colleagues as the drama grammar queen. I wield my red pen with wrath and vigor!
Still not sold? As proof of my savvy, notice the improved phishing email posted below:
Dear Western Union Client:
We have recently discovered some errors in our database. To ensure the accuracy of our records, we request that you update your profile by clicking on this link.
If you require further help, please contact Western Union Customer Service by email at customerservice@westernunion.com or by calling 1-877-989-3268.
We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you for using westernunion.com!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice that the email is addressed to only one "client," not multiple "clients," adding that personal touch. Additionally, I removed the awkward space separating the word "clients" from the semicolon. Also, I reduced the font size of the salutation, making the overall letter look more professional.
I have made several changes in grammar and style throughout, including apologizing for "inconvenience" rather than "invoice." Also, it's a big no-no to put the fake web address you've made up and registered with an registrar in a foreign country with no extradition treaty with the United States in the actual email! This is truly a "rookie move." Notice that I have replaced the fakey-fakey web address with a simple link without any overt identification.
Now, this email, I think you will agree, is just begging to bilk some folks out of their hard-earned cash!
Serious inquiries only. I work on retainer and commission, United States currency only.
*DISCLAIMER: A special room in Hell is reserved for people who knowingly and willingly send out spam emails. The room reserved for those who send phishing emails is even smaller, more dank and will be subjected to even more broadcasts of the 700 Club in perpetuity.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Quote of the Day
Heard on a local report during Morning Edition:
"Please bury me in Cook County, so I can continue to vote."
Precious, precious indeed.
"Please bury me in Cook County, so I can continue to vote."
Precious, precious indeed.
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