Cute cute cuteness (sorry)

I love creatures of all kinds. I've had my share of strange pets, from geckos to guinea pigs to ducklings to turtles. Right now my happy home includes two adorable kittens and a disgruntled tarantula. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven two summers ago when I met Lilac the apricot skunk. The picture doesn't do her justice, but trust me, she was the sweetest little thing you've ever seen. Another one that I almost stole from the petting zoo was this fine fellow, a cross eyed opossum. I raised a couple of orphaned baby opossums for a while, and they were mean as snot. But this little guy was so mellow and affectionate!

But one animal I've never given a lot of thought to, other than resentment as I pulled spines out of my dog's muzzle once, was the porcupine. After watching the video below, I'm completely sold.


So...effing...adorable....

(video via lord whimsy)

First dance

Ok, so mac and cheese didn't quite happen tonight. I decided to just vegetate instead and not drag my ass to the store. But I did make amazing tacos that were almost as satisfying, and a lot less effort.

I can't believe the whole point of this post is to tell you what I had for dinner. Pathetic! But you know, I was just feeling dishonest, and I thought I should set the record straight.

In order to make this post not completely worthless (wouldn't want to drive away the three people that read it), I'll steal shamelessly from the lovely Joanna and give you all some food for thought:



Sigh...watching this restores my faith in love and humanity. Aren't they beautiful?

Cold day

I'm having a pretty crap day. I have some kind of head cold that's seriously lingering and I can't seem to get enough sleep, so I'm exhausted. But more than that I'm just feeling lonely and needy and kind of annoyed with things in general. So to cheer myself up I'm going to make some serious comfort food and watch The L Word until I feel better.

Seriously, have I mentioned Deb's amazing mac and cheese recipe? Well technically I think it's from Martha, but I'm a much bigger fan of smitten kitchen than the queen of household wisdom. Really, you've gotta make this. Tonight. And halve the recipe, because when she says "serves 12", she means 12.

Sorry for the lack of pictures folks, but I'm not feeling it, you know? Hope everybody's more up than I am!

Obama Day #2!

(image via)

Happy Inauguration Day everyone! Did you all watch? Wasn't it beautiful? And for my Maryland/DC friends who were lucky enough to be there, was all of the excitement worth standing on the frigid national mall for three hours?

Very exciting day, politically! Scholastically, it was exhausting. I had an awful biochem exam this morning, followed by inauguration festivities in the student lounge. Quick lunch and then a four hour long standardized patient session about cardiology. Very interesting and useful, but slow as heck. Especially when we're all sleep deprived and just want to sleep off the exam blues. But I'm home now with the kittens, warming up the house and thinking about dinner.

Have you checked out this amazing slide show yet? It's fifty-two portraits of Obama's new administration, with commentary by the photographers about how they were done and how unique all of his aides and advisors are. Totally cool, and the shots are all so different and beautiful. Check it out, in honor of the big day!

One more day!

(via the sugarsheet)

Lesch-Nyhan

Big day of studying today--I'm being so good! I have a metabolism test on Tuesday, and it's going to be a real bitch. So many pathways, so many enzymes...During a lecture last week, our professor actually told us that our heads were probably going to explode. Comforting!

Just reading about a genetic disorder called Lesch-Nyhan syndrome--creepy one. It has to do with a defective enzyme that causes a buildup of uric acid in the body. It usually presents in early childhood, and patients have mental retardation, gout-like symptoms, and severe hostility. But the really weird symptom is a tendency toward self mutilation--patients eat off their own fingers, toes, lips, etc. Strange one!

I hope everyone is staying warm today--I'm bundled up like a snowman in my frigid little house and my fingers are freezing! Later folks!

Back in action (sort of)

Oh my gosh folks, it's been weeks! I've been thinking that I really need to post something, but I've been trying to keep my head above water for these first two weeks of class. And yesterday Laurel told me that she checks my blog every day and is always disappointed, so now the pressure's on.

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday! Mine was...well, not incredibly relaxing, but lots of fun. Home to California for a week, which was wonderful. Humboldt County is perfect in the winter--chilly and wet with just the right amount of snow. We had a beautiful white Christmas, just right for hot buttered rum by the fireplace. My brother Cody, who I haven't seen for about two years (since before his tour in Iraq), was home, as well as my two other step sibs. Seven people, five dogs, and four cats home for Christmas--a very full house! The more the merrier.

After my week at home I flew to New York, which was SO COLD. I had tons of fun, but seriously kids, I've never been as cold as I was on New Year's Eve. It was so great to see Andrew--we had a lovely romantic week. The Friday before I flew home he took me to see The Nutcracker at the Lincoln Center and out to a wonderful dinner. The kittens even came along (not to the ballet), and spent the week terrorizing Andrew's senile maltese Lady.

And now...back to real life! Break was so wonderful and full that these two little paragraphs don't really do it justice, but I can't handle details right now. I just want to get one post out there to get me back in the swing of things. God, this one's so boring. Not even any pictures! I promise something more interesting later, but it's time to study (as always). Did everyone else have a nice holiday?