I’m Laughing Now
In an effort to make hay while the sun shines, otherwise known as cleaning while my kids are with their Dad, I am going through some storage boxes and pulled out a box of sentimental/keepsake items. In this box, I found an ancient diary from when I was 10. It’s ironic to me that in some of the excerpts I sound like a typical suburban adolescent, full of inadequacies, and of course a dislike of school and parents. I love this first page, (written in hot pink ball point ink) oh yes, the year is 1989:
” My name is Faye I’m ten years old, and hate fifth grade. My hair is blond and chin length. I have blue green eyes and am going to get glasses.
It’s 9:09 at I’m on my bed, talking to you saying how board I am.”
Gotta love the spelling skills too, LOL.
Now for your lesson in history, straight from the words of ten year old Faye:
“Last night the Berlin wall was taken down! Isn’t that great? On Thursday, November 9, 1989. That is the biggest news in a long time. Personally I think it is neat to be able to live while something like that happens. Don’t you think?”
“Dec 20, I hate Noriega so much! I will tell you about him tomorrow when I have time. I must go to bed now….”
“Today is Christmas Eve! Isn’t that great? Well on with you know who… We, the Americans and the Panamanians are trying arest Noriega their dictator. Well, Noriega is hiding and he says that he would rather die than surrender to the U.S. For Christmas I want…”
awesome
I went out on a limb and posted yesterday’s photos on a photography forum. I have never received constructive criticism on any of my photography and decided the route towards better photos starts with some honest feedback. Someone on the forum edited the following photograph, and I’m just speechless. I think it looks awesome. 
Happy Birthday to me
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Johnny boy surprised me with a new 250mm lens for my birthday. For the past three years I’ve been using the standard “kit” lens that came with my camera, all the while dreaming of spending the cash on an upgraded lens. After a plate of beignets and a cup of coffee, this morning, we strolled around downtown while I played with my new toy.
Funny Thing
I often embarrass myself.
Maybe no one notices.
Perfectionism is Enough to Kill
image ripped from, http://www.vectordiary.com
You may not know it, or maybe you do know it and I’m the one who is learning this, but I am a perfectionist. And let me tell you, it is a disease. It causes me a lot of anxiety. I am working on a research presentation for my molecular biology class, and I get quite frustrated with myself because I waste a lot of time trying to “get it perfect”. I’ve tried to cast aside perfectionism. In a lot of scenarios, I think I do a pretty good job. well, actually here’s the thing about being a perfectionist, if I can’t do it perfectly then I won’t do it at all. There are plenty of aspects of my life where that holds true. I wont run through the list, it might get depressing. So, the best thing I can do is say “forward! Just keep trudging through it, Faye!” It doesn’t help that I’m highly distracted too. Oh! You are learning a lot about me in THIS post! LOL Here is my abstract-in-progress. It hasn’t been edited or spell checked yet and there are several explanations yet to be included, but at least you get an idea of what I’ve been learning/studying. 
“Optically active reduced carbonyl compounds are highly desirable in pharamceutical settings. They are, however, difficult and costly to achieve in the laboratory setting under synthetic conditions. Optically active compounds are best achieved through naturally derived mechanisms. Aldo-keto reductases (akr) can produce the reduced carbonyl compounds that are used in pharmaceuticals. The structure of aldo-keto reductases affects their stereoselectivity. By altering the structure of aldo-keto reductases, desired stereo-isomers can be synthesized. Mutagenesis was performed on ydl124w, an aldo-keto reductase isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly known as baker’s yeast. The structure of ydl124w is not yet known. In order to better understand the structure of ydl124w, and also to modify the stereoselective outcome of its product, mutagenesis was performed. The genetic sequence of ydl124w was aligned with human aldose reductase, a structurally known enzyme. Human aldose reductase, as with ydl124w, is enzymatically dependent on the binding of NADPH near its enzymatic region. Residues of ydl124w were analyzed at 7 angstroms radial distance from the NADPH binding site. Residues S159, N160, F161 were selected for alanine substitution based on their highly conserved nature across several members of the akr family……”
This is How I really Feel
Speaking of playing domestic, my sister sent me this link yesterday and it cracked me up!
Domesticated Fridays
I love fridays. Happy friday! It is my day to play domestic. I can do constructive domestic duties at a leisurely pace and enjoy actually getting them accomplished. One thing that I miss from my formerly domestic life (aka staying home with the kids) is the time to prepare yummy homemade meals. I urge the kids to eat as many whole foods throughout the week as possible. Typically its fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, etc. However, during the week I don’t have the time to prepare a full meal all the way through. Mom and I went to a local strawberry farm this morning and we picked over 11 lbs of strawberries. That many strawberries definitely calls for a cake. Boy oh boy my kids are going to be so delighted when they come home!
cabbage and radicchio slaw, roasted baby red potatoes, flounder, strawberry shortcake.
Conversation Starter
I had no idea when I took introductory biology last year that I would eventually become an amateur bug collector. It just simply started when I found a dead grasshopper and with my basic knowledge was able to turn it into a science lesson for my kids. I haven’t touched the collection since last summer. Alas, spring is upon us again and it’s time for the family to start hitting the trails again. I love educating my children about nature and science and brewing their curiosity about the world. I was impressed to see them excited when we dragged the out the bug collection. They started asking questions about the bugs… when and where each one was found. I think this has turned into a great little family activity and it brews conversation among my children.
A few days ago I decided to take them on an impromptu bug hunt. I picked them up from school, and we headed out to the wildlife refuge, bug nets in hand. They caught three damselflies. Only one ended up being a viable specimen for our collection. However, they have been talking about it all week and have been giddy to participate with pinning and labeling. I just can’t tell you how COOL I think it is to see my babes getting so interested. Keep it up, kids!
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Send Her the Bill
A hush fell over my home, and I heard the muffled stream of rushing water. I went to the bathroom door, I was in a panic knowing already what I would find when I opened it. I pushed the door open and discovered my half naked toddler standing on the stool in front of the sink. Water rushing. Water pooled on the counter. Her hands stretched out over head holding the bottle of hand soap upside down.
Arghh…. actually the damage isn’t too bad… but, she should quit while she’s ahead.
My toddler then turned to me and I noticed a dark smear on her cheeks and mouth.
“Josie, what is on your face?” What on earth could she have gotten into? God, please tell me she didn’t get into something bad. What if that’s poop on her face? Would she do that?
“I weah yo’ah make-up!”
Learning to Let Go
Since my divorce I have finally learned to let go of perfection. It has been a long emotional journey, but one that I am proud of. During my marriage I was fairly uptight, forced that way by a tyrannical partner. I was expected to maintain my house to such perfection that Donna Reed would have looked like a damned hippy. I believed that a tidy house was a reflection of who I was on the inside. I thought that people might judge my character or integrity or status based on whether my home looked like a Pottery Barn catalog. And guess what? I was wrong. (well, I suppose you didn’t have to guess that part. You probably saw it coming). As long as I was married I was empty on the inside. Dead. And if I were dead, then my home was simply a really clean and tidy coffin.
Over the past 2 years I have had to re-shift my focus on what is most important in life. With such a busy schedule, I have had to decide where my hours and time are most worth spending. My children need me more than they need sorted and folded laundry. I would rather spend their wakeful hours reading aloud The Lorax, or watching Cars for the 110th time. Now even on the weekends when they are visiting with their dad I have let go of hurrying to catch up on the week’s chores. The chores will get done with time. What I need is rest and downtime so I can get up and tackle my monday again.
Cheers to NOT being productive!
