Celebrate!

OH MY GOD! Has today rocked! WOW! I received word that my paper to the Journal of Pediatric Blood and Cancer has been accepted. So what you might ask? Granted, we all know it is not my first publication so what makes it so wonderful? It is my first as the primary author! One journal rejection and 2 years later it will be off my desk once and for all! Perseverance and stubbornness are mighty forces. One big step for Katia's kind! Who is having some champagne today?

I also ran into a good friend on my run today which was also exciting. I also got on the scale (first time in one 6 weeks)and I am 19.5 lbs lighter. I didn't believe it so I went to another scale and it said the same thing! I wish I could sell a dieting secret but I think it was eat less, run more. Ok, time to do something besides squeal!

Quote of the day: "God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind that I will never die." Bill Watterson (creator of Calvin and Hobbes)

Friends

Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese philosopher and my favorite work by him is called "The Prophet"

Kahlil Gibran-On Friendship

And a youth said, "Speak to us of Friendship."
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay."
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

Soo...I posted this because I have the BOMB ASS friends. My friends are not only smart, but they are motivated, dedicated, and ambitious. I can not think of one friend who is tooling away in a boring, dead end job with no big plans for the future. I can not think of one single friend who is not engaged in some hobby like running, art, language learning, belly dancing, academic classes, etc and people like that interest the hell out of me. You guys are so fcking intelligent and interesting to talk to. You know so much and we never have boring conversations.

I realized last night that I have friends writing books, traveling exotic places, publishing fascinating scientific papers, and assistant curators of world famous exhibits. What I love the most about these people are their aspirations. I often wonder what you guys will be doing in 10 years and excitingly enough, I can't imagine! Unlike most of middle America, I would be hard pressed to find them in the suburbs raising 4 kids and schleping them to soccer. Not that this is undesirable (barf), but I can't think of one friend (ok, except you Sheila) whose biggest accomplishment would be becoming PTA President. I have one friend who is off to rural Kenya to work for the PC and is bringing her small kids with her. In her words "This is the best education I could ever possibly give them." Word! So where will everyone be? I picture them in Africa, Europe, Anarctica, anywhere with cool professions. How exciting for me! They want to become great things and I have no doubt that they would be anything less! I love you all so much! Thanks for being my bomb ass friends.

Dr. Peterson 2-B?

Drum role please for my acceptance letter:

Unconditional Offer for PhD

"The University of Queensland is pleased to offer you a place in the doctoral program in the School of Population Health.

Program: Doctor of Philosophy
Plan: School of Population Health
Program Duration:6-8 semesters
Commencement: Between December 2005 and March 2006.
Completion: 31-March-2010
Faculty: University Graduate School
School/Center: Population Health
Campus: St. Lucia

Congratulations on your acceptance, I wish you every success with your studies."

Douglas Porter

On more important news...I am now a member of FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo). Why you ask? Well FONZ members get a special viewing of the panda! Wooooo hooo. There might be a showing on Oct 12 for members, which is our anniversary, but Todd understands. So exciting!

Quote of the day: "For all things difficult to acquire, the intelligent man works with perseverance." Lao Tzu

HELP!

Help, I need a panda. RIGHT NOW! I am thinking of stealing him...ooops maybe the FBI is listening. I take that back. He is so adorable I have to look away. One of the shrinks up here thinks I might have an "unhealthy obsession". Hellllooooo? Duh! I could have told you that. Do you think one whole wall plastered with panda pictures is healthy? Or that bamboo is strangely looking tasty? Could it be the fact that I watch the panda on the panda cam all day? Maybe it is because I schedule my meetings during the time he sleeps so I won't miss anything, "Sorry Carol can we discuss the guy in Kenya with cerebral malaria later, I have something pressing I need to do". I am even going to have my life insurance and estate paid out to the panda sanctuary when I die. Screw my kids, let them get a job! I think the kicker is that when they ship him back (in 2 years) to the Woolong panda reserve in China I will coincidently be visiting China for the first time. Hmmmm. Well, I have always wanted to see China. Imagine visiting a reserve with nothing but pandas. Mmmmm, it makes my mouth water.

Where would the shrink get the idea that I am obsessed?

University of Queensland-Brisbane

I got this great picture tonight of Brisbane and UQ. Nifty!

Lions, and tigers, and Panda cubs...OH MY!

Dudes my panda is awesome! Check out the photo from the national zoo. At 10 weeks he weighs 9.8 lbs and is 22 inches long. On Monday he got his 6th exam and the vets say he is "robust and healthy". I saw a picture of him today in the newspaper on the metro and I could not help myself but to ask the gentleman for the page. I reached out to take it! Yikes!

God I want one so bad. What does a girl have to do to get one? I could do sex in exchange for a panda. He is the cutest little thing I have ever seen, well after Cappy of course. He has little teeth buds and they expect his first tooth any day now. I have no doubt that they will be the cutest little teeth ever. Here is the link to his exam video: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2005/09/19/VI2005091900981.html

I also got word today that the second set of Cheetah cubs have been out in the yard for public viewing. I see a trip to the zoo in my near future. My Sat French conversational class is conveniently located next to the zoo. Hmmmmm....... Je visiterai le panda Samedi!

In Cappy's mind

So my dog saw a shrink on Friday. Yep, I am a certified metrosexual. She seems to have aggression issues toward children. Fu*$ing swell. Just another thing I have to worry about. She likes to chase and nip at small children who are running and playing. On top of the growling and barking she does when they get too close. Real nice. The vet behavoirist informed us that under NO circumstances should Cappy interact with small children and if we see them on the street we have to go the other way. No problem doc, that should be easy to do as we would be hard pressed to see kids on our walks :/ Does she think we live in a bubble? Wierd though, she is not interested in kids who stand still or play quietly. Oh, but kids playing soccer and yelling...watch out! Todd calls her D.I.T. (Dingo in training). I can hear Glen Close now "Help, a dingo ate my baby!" Not funny! The vet asked if one of us are anxious around small children as dogs are very good at sensing anxiety. Hmmm, interesting question.

On other animal notes. The panda cub is huge! He is one of the fastest growing pandas on record. They think he will be close to 300lbs like his grandfather Pan Pan. Go cub! I have figured out how to access all three panda cams simutaneously. What fun! God, what a problem I have in getting work done. I try to ration my watching! I love him:)

Sept reflections

Ah, only half way through the month and what a month it has been. Katrina, Roberts, Bush, Iraq, the news just seems to get better. Interesting enough quite a case about the pledge of allegiance just came to our attention. A judge in CA ruled the pledge unconstitutional because it violates children's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God." Hmmm, with everything that is going on I did not see that one sneaking up. Interesting enough, some people want to return the pledge to it's original, 1942, which had NO mention of God. I did not know that. Regardless, I was shocked that the verdict was in favor of the aethist as this country seems to be drifting further right. This other guy who was interviewed in the Post stated: "The pendulum is swinging in the wrong direction in our country," Leland said. "Mike Newdow is on a train whose destination is designed to hide and undermine the role of religion in public life. We want to restore religion to the public square." Mmmm interesting opinion but I believe religion belongs in YOUR bedroom, not my bedroom or public square asshole!

Does anyone out there dislike the fact that people (particulary women) ask you when you plan to have children? I have gotten the question a hundred times this month "So, when are you and Todd going to have babies?" I usually reply with a sharp "none-of-your-business, or I am not done growing up yet". What message would I be sending to my child by putting my dream of an education on hold to birth babies. "That's right little Johnny, it is ok to put your dreams aside to raise kids." Come on! I am using this forum to tell the world: NOT ALL COUPLES WANT TO OR CAN HAVE CHILDREN! PERIOD! Stop asking me! Maybe I am not ready, maybe I will never be ready. Why is this so hard for people to get their head around. Speaking for me, not Todd, I DO CARE FOR SMALL CHILDREN. I find them irritating and hard to control. We all know I am a control freak. They also have mystery crusty stuff stuck to their body. I don't want people to hand me babies and tell me to hold them. Negative lady, I like furry things, like dogs. Ok, I do have an instinct to take care of something. Just not something that talks, screams, and requires a college education. Most of all I don't want to go the parties where there are children. Which will probably become a problem once my friends start having babies, but my friends also respect me enough not to invite me.

Whew, I feel better!

Anyway, I was reading on the National Zoo website and my panda is gaining an average of 70 grams a day, while the average is 60. The panda is well above the average weight and he is doing fine. He tried to sit up but fell over when his mom moved. He is getting noticeably bigger everyday and Mei-Xiang is leaving him for increasingly longer periods of time. Go panda boy!

More pics

Ah, more pictures of my new home (city) and beach! Brisbane's weather is described as "beautiful one day, perfect the next!" Hmmm, I thought that was the slogan of Townsville, QLD. Stealers!

Outta Here

That is right, I am leaving. Actually we are leaving! I just received word that I am the winner of the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. Which means $$$ for study. Woooo hooooo! God I am ready to get out of here and drastically increase my quality of life. The beach, water taxi rides on the river, short work weeks (well not for me), 72F all year round, and lots of sunshine. Thank you Mother Nature! Oh yeah, and it won't cost me an arm and a leg to have a house with a yard. Todd and Cappy are both thankful for that.

In other good news. My panda is trying to crawl and he is making great strides every day. I am so proud! Soon he will be asking for the car keys.

Quote of the day: "A liberated woman is one who has sex before marriage and a job after." Gloria Steinem, author.

Panda Noise

My panda barked! He got up on his two front legs and barked at one of the vet techs. How cute! It makes me love him even more. He is starting to stand and soon he will be moving foward. Hurray for standing and barking. At least we have some happy news this week.

The San Diego zoo just had a new panda addition as well. They just announced that it is a girl! I foresee even more panda cubs! Better than human cubs:) Has anyone noticed that there are a lot of children on this earth? Where are all the adults?

Sadness

I am so sad over New Orleans. My heart is broken. Not only by the tradegy that Katrina caused but over my government's response to it. I truly believe that had these people been white middle class the response rate would not have been so slow. I am ashamed to admit that, but I know in my heart it is true. The response in NY on 9/11 was swift and coordinated. Could that have something to do with the fact that Manhattan is one of the richest if not the richest place in America? Gee I wonder.

I am heartened to see the response from ordinary American citizens. People are opening up their homes, businesses, schools, churches, whatever. Even Chase Bank has given customers a 90 day reprieve on credit card payments. There is more being done by you and I than the richest government in the world. You know our government sucks when Mexico sends their army to help us! Even Republicans are slow to defend their president, that says volumes.

Regardless, I am cutting myself off from the visual media. Only radio for me. The pictures give me nightmares and I sit in front of my computer with a lump in my throat looking at a city that now resembles a third world country. It does not even look like the same city I saw a month ago. I want to go down there and walk in Jackson square with a cold drink and listen to the sax player. Then I would go over to Cafe Du Monde for a chicory coffee and beingts while listening to the sax player in the distance. But alas, that is not possible. I was hoping me and Todd could go down for our wedding anniversary and re-live our meeting, but that is impossible at this point. I feel helpless and I want to help, but I have also realized that my dollars are much more needed than my time. So be it! The money gets spents regardless, I may as well put it to something useful besides my wine habit.

Quote of the day which I send to New Orleans, I love you Crescent City and I will be back soon I promise!: "If you are going through hell, keep going." Winston Churchill

Confusion

Can anyone out there tell me how Michael Brown, the director of FEMA, became the director? I know that becoming the director of a Federal agency is the "honey pot". You know, payback by a President for being his ass wiper. Now I know that Bush utilizes the "good ole boy" network by rewarding those he is closest to. But why would you appoint someone who was Commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association as diretor of FEMA? Horses-disasters, I can't find the connection. Hey BUSH, if you are going to put your cronies in director positions at least be smart enough to make sure they have worked in the field! Personally, I would not have selected a horse lawyer perhaps someone with a PhD and/or considerable experience in disaster relief or urban planning. But than again, who am I?

Kongs

I noticed on Friday that the pandas get Kongs for a treat. My dog gets a Kong filled with PB. I wonder what is in the panda's Kong. I was thinking today that if I had a Kong, what would I put in it? Maybe a brownie and ice cream.

I have also decided that the world is truly coming to an end. Mother Nature has given us the big FINGER. Katrina, Robert's nomination for chief justice, another plane crash (145 dead in Indonesia), 1000 Iraqis dead in a stampede, and people forced to leave their pets in New Orleans. Since I don't believe in God, I can't blame it on anyone. I think that Mother Nature is pissed that we have raped her land and polluted her water. I would be pissed too.

The thing that tugs the most at my heart is the fact that owners had to leave their pets behind. While I do understand that it is hard to fit people alone on the buses, I do not understand how authorities can expect the separation to be easy. I read that many pets were left at make shift shelters, which is better than nothing. However, if someone said get on this bus and leave your pet. I would say FUCK YOU; I'm walkin. I could NEVER abandon my girl. I am healthy and in great shape (fortunately) and I could easily walk the 60 miles to Baton Rouge. I read a story in the Post about a man who had died of a seizure and his body stayed in the street for days. Some guys camped down the road said that his dog stayed by his side and would bark if anyone came close. How sad:( My dog would not leave me nor would I leave her. I promise big girl, I would never leave you. We could eat Kongs together and go swimming in the pool they call New Orleans!

Belly dancing!!!!!

That is right, you read correctly, I am embarking on my new career. Doesn't my name sound like a belly dancer's? Actually, I am taking a class with Ruth. I won't quit my job yet in case I suck. I have high hopes for me and Ruth though! Todd wants to know when he gets a private showing from us. I am like "How dare you exploit my future career goals for your sexual fantasy!" No Todd I will not do the dishes and belly dance at the same time. I have been told by many that it is a great ab, hip and butt workout. SOLD! You need not say anymore! I am already dreaming of my belly dancing outfit. I look good in purple sequins.

I wish I had more to write but I can't pull myself away from CNN. God, I want to stop watching New Orleans sink into 3rd world chaos but I just can't peel myself away. It's like I am watching scenes from Niger or Iraq. I guess we are not as "First world" as we thought.

Many things make me mad, but this lady in particular on the news just pushed my button. One lady said she would put her faith in God to get her out of the flood. WAKE UP lady, even God (if you believe in him) needs a little help. Help yourself. If you are waiting for him, you might meet him sooner than later. One guy said that Jesus told him it was ok to loot. Hello...are people in N.O. stupid or does a giant hurricane destroying your home make you stupid? Guess what folks I see three (of many) reasons why this hurricane is so devastating.

1. Don't build 10 ft below sea level. It is never a good idea. I love N.O. but what were the French thinkin?

2. If you choose to do that, don't destroy your wetlands by silting up the MS river. The wetlands are so silted up they are dying from lack of O2 and are disappearing at a rate of 2,000 sq ft per year. Guess what takes the brunt of hurricanes? You guessed it..WETLANDS. They are great at tempering winds, absorbing energy from swells, and keeping erosion in check. Environmental science should be mandatory for everyone. Oh that's right this is America and our kids don't do science!

3. If you do decide to build in N.O. and than destroy your wetlands please don't blame it on God. Try Bush and others who allow global warming to happen. For those who did not take science, let me give you a run down in basic physics. Higher temperature=faster molecule movement=(drum role please) more energy! Wow, so that category 5 could have been a 3 if the fucking earth wasn't so warm and there wasn't so much extra energy putzing around in the gulf. But if you don't want to understand, do what all the religious freaks do, blame it on the homos and feminists. Dave and Sean, if you weren't gay this would never have happened! Shame on you!

Quote of the day: I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world." Richard Dawkins (favorite physicist)