BaLtiMoRe RoLL

It'S A mAttEr Of DegRee

A friend of mine just sent out this email to a few people:

"Are any of you thinking of taking the Professional Seminar in [some department]? Or have you heard anything about the degree to which is is (or isn't?) helpful?"

Confused about what class she could be talking about since I don't know of any that offer degrees, helpful or otherwise, I replied:

"I'm not sure exactly what you mean by degree... isn't this the class where they talk about applying for jobs and what you need to do? If so, I really recommend going. ..."

And she responded:

"Thanks, Seadragon - I meant "degree" like a measure word (like: how helpful was it?), not "degree" like PhD, MA, BA. :) sorry for the confusion. Yes, it's the class where they talk about applying for jobs and stuff like that."

At which point I felt very silly and laughed at myself.

Clearly I have been obsessing about degrees lately. The PhD kind.

FenG ShUi

When Lost in Place was visiting recently, she commented that she wouldn't want to work at my desk for long periods of time because of the way I had it facing a wall. I had actually been facing this photo by Walker Evans, which is probably one of my favorite photos, but still, a wall is a wall.

Her words stuck with me every day after she said this until I couldn't stand it any longer and had to rearrange the room. I don't have a lot of flexibility in there because one wall is taken up by closet doors, and there's only one full wall on which I can put the futon. So the only thing I could really do was flip my chair around to the other side of the desk and face out into the room. I figured I'd also move it over by the window while I was at it, since I have this real need for natural light (and this is one of the reasons I hate to work in my office at school, because I've been moved to a cement-block walled windowless room).

The first thing I noticed facing out was that I felt a lot freer. Kind of like I wasn't facing a wall anymore, both literally and metaphorically.

The second thing I noticed is that the room is a real mess (!) and if I'm going to be looking at it all day, I'd better clean it up. So I did, for the most part. There's still more to do, mainly stuff that doesn't actually have a place to go. I wish I could just throw it all out, but it's actually stacks of papers and articles that just really need a file cabinet.

But it's definitely better now. Of course, if you look at this photo, you'll notice that I now sit with my back to the heater which has the potential to be too warm. And I also sit next to a big window, which has the potential to be too cold. Just call me Goldilocks.

And, as Ianqui and Super G know well (since they used to live here before I did), the view out the window is not exactly pleasant. It's a narrow alleyway that leads out to the trash lining the main alley. I try not to look at it directly and out of the corner of my eye, I just imagine it to be some cute little European back alley. :)

MiCrosOft SeAdrAgoN

I was just writing a draft post about how I thought Microsoft might be considering releasing something called "seadragon" because I had noticed in my referral log that I was getting some Google hits for "microsoft seadragon" from places like Tacoma, Washington. At the time, this post of mine entitled "Stupid Microsoft" was the first result for that search. Cool, I thought, maybe they'll notice my complaint and do something about those Y-axis labels in Excel 2003!

Well, I don't think they're going to do anything about the Y-axis labels, though I do hope that's fixed in upcoming versions of Excel.

Anyway, my suspicions about a Microsoft / Seadragon product were confirmed because now when I do a Google search for "microsoft seadragon", I find that Microsoft has acquired a Seattle-based graphics company called Seadragon.

Cool name. I approve. :)

BurGerS and ShooTerS

Yes, as Tuesdayscoming wrote, we did "celebrate" Australia Day yesterday. And by celebrate, I mean that a friend of ours invited people over for burgers grilled in the backyard because someone had told him that it was Australia Day. No one really knew what Australia Day was all about, and looking it up now I find that it's just a celebration of hey, isn't Australia the best, mate! So I wouldn't say we did any actual celebrating, but someone did mentioned it and I did head over to take advantage of the food. :)

But wait, you're thinking, isn't it cold in January in Baltimore? Why yes, yes it is. Imagine a summer barbeque except instead of shorts and t-shirts, everyone is wearing winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves. And because it is Baltimore, there are rats running around in the alley just beyond the yard. (I didn't actually see any, but B was squealing about them.)

In his post about our cold barbeque celebration, Tuesdaycoming mentioned this, "I got to find out why I don't want seadragon to serve on my jury", but didn't explain further. I'm guessing he was trying not to publicly embarrass me, which is sweet, but I'll tell you here why I would be the worst juror ever.

I went to jury duty yesterday hoping not to be put on a case because I really don't have the time for it. I was already planning ways to get out of it, trying to decide between "my husband was mugged recently and I wouldn't be able to be unbiased" to "I need to finish my dissertation asap and can't serve on a lengthy trial". So when I got called in for a trial having to do with a shooting, I figured the first reason would probaby be sufficient. Turns out the trial was supposed to be short (only 1 1/2 days) so it wouldn't have been horrible if they picked me. But as they were picking the jurors, they asked any of us to come forward who either had family involved in law enforcement or whether we or our family members had ever been a victim of a crime). So I went up to say that J had recently been mugged. I'm sure that that alone would have gotten me eliminated from further consideration as a juror. But then they asked me whether that experience would affect my ability to be unbiased in this case, and I said it would depend, since I don't know the details. In my mind, I was thinking that if it turns out to be a mugging gone wrong, how could I be unbiased? I might want to be, but surely I couldn't guarantee it! Of course, as Tuesdayscoming pointed out to me last night, you can't be unbiased if you have to wait to hear the details before you decide whether you'll be unbiased. The judge said something similar to me and I responded that "suuuuure, I could be unbiased", but by then I'm pretty sure neither of the two lawyers really wanted anything more to do with me. Ahem.

And then, in retelling the story to my friends last night, I referred to the defendent as "the shooter", so I guess I really wouldn't have been unbiased after all.

StuPiD MiCroSoft

It's 2:00 am on a Saturday night and I'm up working on my dissertation, which already puts me in a less than peaceful mood. But then I find out that the genius brains at Microsoft didn't configure Excel 2003 to correctly display charts on a wide-screen monitor. What happens is that the Y axis label on every chart I make (and of course, I'm making a lot of them) is truncated, regardless of the length of the label. It doesn't matter if I resize the table or the font or the label itself. Trust me, I've tried everything. I've noticed this for a while and have been meaning to look into it. Well, now I've looked into it and verified that this is a known problem with no real solution.

Huh? Isn't charts one of the main things that Excel is supposed to do?!

Well, at least I can finally stop tugging at those title borders, trying to stretch them out until finally I can see the whole title, because I have finally come to terms with the knowledge that it will never work. But I am definitely not happy about it.

I think I might be overtired, and perhaps a bit cranky. :)

I guess I should post a little good news, which is that my job situation is looking up in that vague sense in which it tends to do. Now I am applying for a new and different grant. Fortunately, it's just a short application (plus recommendations and a statement or two). Yes, Colliculus, it's what you'd asked me about, and I'm sorry I haven't emailed back yet!

And J helped me make okonomiyaki tonight with sauteed shrimp and scallops, which was literally something we just pulled ingredients for out of the fridge and freezer. If you also happen to have on hand some okonomiyaki batter, cabbage, scallions, seafood, dashi, nori flakes, and bonito flakes, you should really try it some time. And if you just have bonito flakes, give a few flakes to your cats and they'll love you forever.

And something else I meant to blog about but hadn't made the time to... I made scrambled eggs at home with two different friends this past week. I find that sort of strange.

LinKs

I'm definitely going to have to try this sometime.

And while you're following links, check out the best blonde joke ever.

I qUiT bEfoRe I EveN StArteD

So that paid blogging job I've been alluding to? I just turned it down. I really wish I didn't have to because I think I'd enjoy it, and I could certainly use the money. But I'm getting much closer to this academic job I've been alluding to (for months) and I just don't want to screw that up by spending time blogging. Not only that, but unless I got the blogging gig to agree to change their policy, my real name would be used on every single post I made for them, meaning I'd be plastered all over the web in no time. My academic page would be near impossible to find, and any potential employer who ever googled me would likely question my priorities. The combination of those things (particularly the time issue) just didn't seem worth it. I already have my own blog and a pretty serious photography habit that I'd really like to devote more time to.

So that's that. Oh well. :(

In theory, I'll be making a salary one day soon and tiny payments for blog posts won't seem quite so important.

Ed Helms in BaltImoRe

Hey, check it out. I just read that Ed Helms was in Baltimore today at Atomic Books in Hampden, shooting a segment for the Daily Show with John Waters.

Rachel's got photos: John Waters and Ed Helms filming on the street and Ed Helms with Baby Doll. (More of Baby Doll's Blog here.)

Me, I missed the whole thing, sitting here in my apartment, typing away furiously on my pièce de résistance in a sleep-deprived haze...

For YouR EnJoymEntO

From the "Kawasaki Weekend Specials message" I just received, this weekend they have:

California Sea Urchin - the enjoymento of real sushi lover

I've never actually tried sea urchin (have you ever seen it?), but this one is truly sea urchin for your enjoymento.

How'S $20 Australian SouNd?

Yesterday afternoon J came home around 2:00, a bit earlier than usual. He always calls before he leaves the office, and I always feel compelled to tell him to be careful, as if that would stop him from getting attacked or something, or that my constant reminders will make him more alert than he otherwise would be. It's just something I always want to say.

(My first semester here, before we were dating, he used to come over to my apartment and we'd grade homeworks together for a class we were TA'ing. Every time he left I made him promise not to walk through the alley shortcut on his way home, because I knew his friends had been mugged there a couple of years earlier. As he left, I would always watch out the window to make sure he didn't go down there.)

Anyway, I don't know if I actually told him to be careful or not this time, but it was 2 in the afternoon, so maybe I didn't. I'm sure you can see where this is going...

On his way home, as he was walking on Calvert about halfway between 31st and 30th Streets, he passed three kids (late teens). Soon after passing them he thought he heard footsteps, so he quickened his pace and made the turn on to 30th Street, and then found himself confronted by them. They demanded his stuff and one of them pulled on his backpack. Thinking of his dissertation (probably not fully backed up elsewhere), he refused and pulled away. The oldest kid then acted like he had a gun, though it was probably just his hand or something under his jacket since he hadn't threatened it before and wasn't actually showing anything, so J offered money.

And this is where it comes it very handy to carry your wallet separate from your bag because then you don't have to go in your bag in order to get it out. (Seriously, I would have to put my bag on the ground and dig for my wallet, which probably wouldn't go over so well.) So they didn't push for the bag and waited as he pulled cash out of his wallet. I have no idea how he managed to think quickly enough to determine that he didn't think they had a gun, that he didn't want to part with his laptop, and that he didn't have a lot of money in his wallet but that if he negotiated with money they might be up for it. But it worked, I guess. He handed them the whatever cash he had, which was probably about $12. They noticed other bills in his wallet and asked what they were, and so he handed over a $20 Australian bill which is red and obviously not US currency. They looked at it, asked what it was, and when they heard it wasn't US money, they handed it back!

And then, that was it. They parted ways.

Someone at the Schnapp Shop on 30th saw at least the end of what happened and he called the cops from the pay phone there, and J immediately came home and called the cops from here. When I first heard about this, I was so angry that I wanted to go outside and find these kids and mug them myself. For obvious reasons, I didn't do that... But then, by the end of this whole thing I found myself feeling almost sorry for them because it was such a stupid thing to do and so poorly done that it really amazed me.

You'd think that after robbing someone, you'd like, hide or something. Right? But no, they walked right on up Calvert Street, past all the shops and stores between 31st and 32nd Streets. By the time they got to 35th Street, the cops had found them and brought J to ID them, so the idiots got arrested. Turns out the oldest one is over 18, so he'll have to be tried as an adult while the other two will be tried as juveniles. And that makes me kind of sad, because how stupid is it to have an arrest on your record all for the sake of robbing someone of $12?! Not that I wish they'd taken more, of course. It just underscores the stupidity of it all.

Of course, I am relieved that it wasn't a violent mugging. And I'm glad that J was calm and rational through it all. It's funny how I always tell him to be careful when he's walking home, but yet as soon as I hang up the phone I stop worrying about him. I know stuff happens around here, but we've been fortunate never to have a problem before this. Anyway, those of you in or near Charles Village, keep this story in mind because apparently there have been a "rash" of these lately (by different kids)...