tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170671452011-04-21T12:54:24.765-05:00Liznoreply@blogger.comBlogger1091100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-71281847837632227522007-12-12T13:21:00.000-05:002007-12-12T13:26:03.635-05:00

After several great years with Blogger, I have decided to officially retire the Brandeis Briefs blog. I'm going to leave it up, since it's a part of my history, but starting today I'll be doing all of my new blogging on my own website. I'm not giving up blogging entirely, just moving shop. I've got a much more detailed explanation of how and why I made this decision in my new blog. If you'd

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-11982236621082170542007-12-10T11:46:00.000-05:002007-12-10T12:04:58.247-05:00

Scenes from Massachusetts this morning included a slick, very clear, casing of ice on everything, me chipping my car out of the ice (I must admit that I took the lazy way out and turned on the car, cranking up the heat to start melting the ice from the inside...or I wouldn't have gotten to work until noon. Ice breaking off your windows looks alarmingly like you've just shattered the window

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-21862511483733982522007-12-05T12:40:00.000-05:002007-12-05T12:44:37.785-05:00

Today, that "someone" is XKCD.Oh, python, how I miss you...(Python is a programming language, for the non-geeks in the audience. A truly fantastic programming language, if I do say so.)

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-15531387107786213112007-11-30T11:28:00.000-05:002007-11-30T11:32:28.276-05:00

I'm not actually dead, just been quite busy lately. Holidays, work, preparing for other holidays, etc has taken a lot of time. This rash of busyness has led to lazy cooking, and a brainstorm.I'm not sure how this would work, but I've been tossing the idea around in my head. I know we eat out way too much, and part of that is due to a combination of lazy menu planning, and good menu planning

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-52654523051173387642007-11-09T11:29:00.000-05:002007-11-09T11:37:12.822-05:00

Saw this on a friends blog, and oh man it's fun and addictive.FreeRice is a (free) web based vocab game. It displays a word and 4 possible synonyms. You choose the synonym you think defines the word, and for every correct answer 10 grains of rice are donated through the UN to help end world hunger. It also keeps a running total so you can see your "vocab score." Each round only takes a couple

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-56103093037296778272007-11-06T21:13:00.000-05:002007-11-07T00:46:44.634-05:00

I haven't test knit this pattern, so it might have some errors. If you attempt to knit this and run into trouble, please let me know! Size: One size - fits my head, 22" around the ears. You could go up or down in gauge to make this hat larger or smaller as necessary.Materials:270 yards fingering weight yarn (I used handspun from The Merry Little Lamb), US size 6 (4.0mm) double pointed

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-91490046136305656212007-11-05T22:07:00.000-05:002007-11-07T00:45:50.381-05:00

Taking photos of yourself at night is tricky business.The hat I've been working on didn't come out quite as I'd hoped (I wanted it to be long enough to cover my ears, but then the brim started flopping in my eyes!).Pattern to follow pretty soon - I've got it all jotted down, I just need to transform it into an actual pattern.

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-55985412514060672982007-11-03T23:12:00.000-05:002007-11-03T23:47:55.405-05:00

Slow going in knit-land this week. I had to do a lot of ripping back, had some other miscellaneous goofs, and some knitting-related sewing distractions.I had to rip out my Earl Grey Socks last week and start over because I discovered they were too small to fit on Matt's foot. There was some time lapse on that project, because I was sulking over needing to re-do it. I'm now back to where I was

Liznoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-41458008550964161682007-10-31T16:07:00.000-05:002007-10-31T16:09:34.020-05:00

Happy Halloween!Hope it's frightful.Love, Tabi

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-51655995590242198812007-10-29T22:40:00.000-05:002007-10-29T23:01:41.856-05:00

For dinner this evening, I made a take-off of Laura's zucchini casserole (thanks, Laura!). It turned out pretty hearty, and reasonably filling, but I think next time I'll serve it as a side dish (or with a side dish, or something). Served here with some cold sauvignon blanc.Look at that piping steam!Changes I made to the recipe:sliced zucchini in thin slivers a la Ratatouille instead of

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-50331403820454851002007-10-23T19:17:00.000-05:002007-10-23T19:37:17.406-05:00

After a flurry of finished knitting, I can't seem to concentrate on a single project these days. I've got at least four separate projects that I desperately want to be working on and for some reason I don't seem to be able to work on more than one at any given time. So a rundown of the current active UFOs (not to be confused with all the UFOs in the yarn drawers that are languishing):1) The

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-5925926099755311982007-10-23T08:45:00.000-05:002007-10-23T09:02:34.376-05:00

Fall seems to be taking a long time in coming this year. Sure, the apples have been picked and here and there you can see a spot of fiery leaf if you keep an eye out, but it's also been 80 degrees more days in October than I'd really care to recall.There's a red building I can see from the road when I'm driving to the highway that I've always loved. I've always meant to walk over there instead

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-24868589939650218172007-10-14T19:58:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:27:26.451-05:00

The last half bushel of apples were taken care of this weekend. We decided to give canning a try as a strategy for preserving the rest of the apples until a later date. The canning kit came Friday, so we got down to work making applesauce and apple butter. (Recipes below the photos).I discovered that I really like canning. It's rewarding to know that we've managed to put away a bunch of the

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-83103868831316921812007-10-14T13:34:00.001-05:002007-10-22T16:27:19.697-05:00

I love the smell in the air as it starts changing to fall weather. Regrettably, it took awhile for that season to get to us this year, but mornings are finally starting to be crisp. One of my favorite fall activities is apple picking. Two weekends ago, we went apple picking with some friends, and then last weekend we had the opportunity to go apple picking again with Matt's company.As you can

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-54734535201464781912007-10-11T17:57:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:20:49.537-05:00

I like photographing my knitting projects, and the finished photos give me a great sense of completion. Some of my favorites, however, are the photos that get up and personal with the piece. Instead of showing the project as a whole accomplishment, these photos spotlight minute details, small triumphs. Most of them bring out the personality of the yarn, or a show just a few stitches, but they

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-87620644871479558032007-10-08T00:10:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:20:58.608-05:00

You can find it here: Unseemly RaptorWhat do you think? Is the tone or content too patronizing so far? I'm struggling with my voice in this genera, since I don't have much experience writing this sort of thing...

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-81973592896951460152007-09-28T10:36:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:22:30.575-05:00

I'm thinking of starting a separate blog that focuses on teaching not-necessarily-tech-experts how to use their Macs to the fullest.I know things like this already exist, as do a lot of Apple tutorials that are great. However, I want to start getting some practice in "tech journalism", and thought it would be a good idea to start with what I know best. :) While the tutorials exist on the Apple

Liznoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-42276924174583826622007-09-19T10:12:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:27:31.665-05:00

In honor o' th' annual Talk Like a Pirate Day. Me blog be much better once translated into pirate speak...how about yours?

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-11565355968466617652007-09-16T16:50:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:22:46.764-05:00

Tabi informed me today that it's been far too long since we've had a post of gratuitous kitty photos. Two here, but you can see a handful of new Tabi shots in the Tabi Photo Gallery. Enjoy! In other news, I finished a new scarf today. I cast on Tuesday evening, finished the knitting last night, and blocked it this morning. I liked knitting this scarf overall, but the fringes got a bit

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-28595155497302238392007-09-10T21:58:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:22:55.458-05:00

Knitting projects are literally flying off the needles around here. I am absolutely loving having homework-free evening and the time to indulge in some hobbies again, so UFOs (un-finished objects) are all suddenly turning into FOs at an alarming rate. Most recently I finished a pair of arm warmers that are ostensibly for Matt. At least, they started out being for him. I sort of fell in love

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-22722525774152315562007-09-03T21:17:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:21:48.598-05:00

I spent today lazing around the house, since the social calendar has been sort of full the past few weeks to allow for much sitting around the house in sweatpants, cooking-for-fun, etc.I made a batch of pretzels following a combination of this recipe, this one, and this one. I mixed together:2 tsp instant yeast2 tbsp brown sugar4-5 cups all purpose flour2 tsp salt2 cups warm milkMixed thoroughly

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-22532156353061861322007-09-03T21:13:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:20:05.475-05:00

I have one panel of the chuppah finished. The 392 edge stitches are strung on waste yarn waiting for the other panels to be finished so that I can graft them together. I strung some corner stitches onto a chopstick here in an effort to show the lace pattern, but the pattern really won't show until the entire thing is finished, grafted and blocked.

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-48199009144168628962007-08-30T08:06:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:23:02.722-05:00

(I couldn't think of a better pun title this early in the morning...)I found this kit on sale awhile ago, and just had to have it. (Ask me about the kits I have for cat toys, stuffed hedgehogs, etc...) I pulled it out at the tail end of July, hoping to finish and didn't quite make it. The body was set down for several weeks until I needed something with small rows to work on when I didn't have

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-19239229640899041152007-08-26T20:57:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:07:06.187-05:00

I've been to several Jewish weddings, and have been told about various traditions by friends. One of my favorite traditions is the chuppah. It is usually a canopy of some sort suspended on four poles. As I understand, the canopy represents a couple's first home together, and the open sides symbolize hospitality towards friends and family.I love this symbolism, so I'm excited to carry this

Liznoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-9613138305690935512007-08-26T12:05:00.000-05:002007-10-22T23:02:48.199-05:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet a bunch of other knitters for brunch. I recently joined a social networking site for knitters called Ravelry. It gives people the opportunity to join subgroups with different interested, catalogue their projects and yarns, browse through other projects, etc. It's really quite something. For example, I have joined groups for knitters who enjoy watching

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-21047142410442277702007-08-23T23:00:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:27:41.572-05:00

When Sheila and I moved into our apartment last summer, it seemed pretty perfect...especially compared to some of the really scary places we'd looked at. We moved in, and everything was hunky dory for, oh, something like 2 weeks. Then we started realizing all the little things that bugged us.Take this, for example:Looks like a perfectly respectable kitchen, right? Well, until you add in a

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-11767383130232620632007-08-23T09:06:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:27:54.187-05:00

While on a trip to exchange a broken drill (don't ask), I decided to stop by the Container Store yesterday to look for lunch supplies. I had one lunchbox, but life would sure be easier if I didn't have to wash and dry it every night, and not all kinds of lunch are well suited to it.Soon, I found myself standing around in the kitchen section contemplating the tupperware with Matt (who graciously

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-60741791955227818382007-08-16T20:36:00.000-05:002007-10-22T23:03:00.965-05:00

Between my grandparents and Aunt and Uncle, trips to Colorado are never a gustatory disappointment. I was in Colorado this past weekend, and this trip was no exception. After flying in Thursday evening, Grandma and Grandpa and I tried our hands at making gourmet pizzas (I was especially fond of the pesto, artichoke heart and roasted pepper variety), and I got the grand tour of their elegant new

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-74699327158437004072007-08-15T12:34:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:23:29.458-05:00

Welcome to anyone who might have travelled here from the Let's knit2gether website - you already know most of what I'm about to write! To everyone else, life's been full of traveling and wedding planning for a couple weeks, so not much time to update. That will come soon! In the meantime, I wanted to note this neat knitting podcast.Let's knit2gether is a video podcast (you don't need an iPod

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-68493730641296112142007-07-28T23:44:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:23:37.092-05:00

As of this morning, Matthew and I are officially engaged. (I say officially, since this probably won't come as much surprise to anyone...) What started as vaguely knowing each other from class turned into chatting last summer because we were both out of school and bored, turned quickly into writing long emails and getting to know each other the old fashioned way...by letter...while he traveled

Liznoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-52738285398797507872007-06-24T00:36:00.001-05:002007-10-23T09:12:17.423-05:00

On Friday, our company seminar was actually a field trip. We got to go across the street to the Mt Auburn Cemetery that my office building overlooks, and anyone who was interested got a walking tour of the place. I was completely astounded by all of the history, architecture and plant life that had been hiding across the street from me for the past year, and immediately wanted to go back with a

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-44133728199768990222007-06-18T22:27:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:29:48.365-05:00

You'd probably hear something like this...Liz: "Right about now a raptor should poke its head inquisitively around the corner. They tend to do that before they eat you."Sheila: "Should I poke my head inquisitively around the corner?"Matt: "You are not a raptor!"Sheila: "Oh, I don't know...Are you a cat?"Matt is rendered speechless for a moment...Liz: "Dear Mom--I need a loan to break my lease. My

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-17171729311288945932007-06-05T22:49:00.000-05:002007-10-22T23:03:08.838-05:00

We were in New York again this past weekend, and packed it full of activities as usual.Saturday we attended a Bar Mitzvah for a family friend of Matt's. It was interesting to attend temple and look at a service from a new perspective. I found overall that it really wasn't all that different from church services I've been to in the past. A little more difficult to follow along, since many parts

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-75982536409499974342007-06-01T14:35:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:25:24.098-05:00

Knitty's ClapotisLorna's Laces Lion and Lamb - "Jeans" colorwayI named him "Truman" in hopes that it would help me remember how to pronounce the name correctly. I actually finished a few weeks ago, but it's been raining so much that I didn't have a good opportunity to take photos until today. I still want to block it to get it a little wider and take care of any residual curl because I like the

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-77120991080610766142007-05-22T07:42:00.001-05:002007-10-22T16:33:02.492-05:00

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-91721880552895250722007-05-05T22:35:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:25:42.781-05:00

This weekend Matt and I are in Vermont to take a couple baking classes at the King Arthur Four Baking Education Center. One of my professors recommended it to me as a great website to buy gourmet baking goods, but when we saw that they had some classes coming up, we decided to make a weekend out of it.Today's class was "Laminated Dough." Contrary to popular belief, this does not refer to a

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-11975013203287900482007-04-28T19:12:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:21:24.137-05:00

I saw a sign in town a couple weeks ago. Apparently our town has an annual sheep shearing festival. For some reason, this did not click at first. I was picturing big burly men wrestling sheep to shear and not much else. Until one of my friends pointed out the obvious...sheep shearing festivals are heaven for knitters! There will be spinning demonstrations. And a craft fair. Presumably with

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-33834808968480031782007-04-27T23:35:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:21:29.104-05:00

Cast on last Friday evening, finished a few hours ago while watching TV. A one-week knit, practically down to the hour. Color is closest to the photo taken from above. Yarn is 1.5 balls "Sublime" baby cashmere merino silk dk (75% extra fine merino, 20% silk, and 5% cashmere). The yarn itself is extremely soft, and combined with the cables knits up into a luxuriously soft and cushy fabric that

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-65645169336232104212007-04-21T15:49:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:25:48.151-05:00

This is the yarn I couldn't wait to get my hands on a couple weeks ago. I've knit up a skein of it already, but yesterday I bought a ball winder and wound the other 3 into big, squishy center-pull balls. So nice! The yarn has a slight sheen to it because it's 50% silk. Mmmmm...Then, since having ONE project at a time is never enough, last night I cast on this soft merino/silk/cashmere blend

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-32599655960036367322007-04-15T11:26:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:25:55.168-05:00

Tabi is not what you would call the world's most dignified cat. Case in point:

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-39495413135777341302007-04-09T15:43:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:26:09.546-05:00

I started these socks shortly after Christmas (when Santa, with his never failing good taste, gifted me with sock yarn reminiscent of Barbie and My Little Pony), and have been working on them half-heartedly since.Oh, the first sock went well, and was done in almost record time (3 weeks, I think it was?) considering that I have almost zero time to knit these days. But then second sock syndrome

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-85164054486232760362007-04-01T21:41:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:26:18.503-05:00

I decided I wanted a comfortable chair to use for reading, knitting, etc. It would also be nice to have an extra seat when we have people over. So I trekked out to Ikea with Matt today (boy was it a trek...we forgot to take directions with us, and Ikea is new enough that it's not on the maps) to look for a chair. As usually happens with places like Ikea, I found a chair and several other

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-5228099447772696422007-03-12T10:04:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:30:06.119-05:00

Lest you get the impression that all I do is hobnob around eating dessert for dinner and making cupcakes by the dozen, I thought I'd post about another one of my recent eating habits. This is actually sort of a hybrid from several sources.The first is Japanese-inspired Bento boxes. Traditionally, these are either bought "to-go" at train stations or convenience stores, or hand prepared by the

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-20766807598039233312007-03-10T00:13:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:30:11.829-05:00

I got a really cute lunchbox for my birthday, partly because I've become a big fan of bento-style lunches.Basically, anything miniature or cute and food-related might be found in a bento. So I had this great idea. Last week I wanted to make cupcakes, but I can't put full sized cupcakes in my lunchbox to take to work. But if I made miniature cupcakes, they would fit in my bento lunchbox! As an

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-30937095918755981312007-02-27T23:59:00.000-05:002007-10-22T23:03:16.858-05:00

February 13th, plows began ominously circling the city. I noticed them in the morning when I left for work. I noticed them in the evening when I came home. Circling...hopefully. We hadn't really had much snow this year, and there was finally some in the forecast, so the plow people were eagerly anticipating the first job of the year. It was supposed to start snowing late at night on the 13th

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-30407296393994609472007-02-08T14:23:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:31:36.764-05:00

Ok, so I'll be honest. January 31 is still blank on my calendar-synopsis below because I honestly can't remember whether I did anything of import that day or not. It was a Wednesday, so I know I went to work. I feel like I did something else that evening as well, but I really do not remember. Most likely, homework. So there you have it!Things have been moving along here roughly according to

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-26349844897433017892007-01-25T09:56:00.000-05:002007-10-22T23:04:58.424-05:00

Perhaps this quick rundown will help you to forgive me for the lack of recent posts. You'll notice that the last week of this calendar is still blank. I'll update it as we go through those days. :)1: Matt flies in from Prague at a late hour, New Year's Party hosted by friends2: work3: work4: work, Indian food for dinner with friends5: drop Matt at airport for trip to CA, work, game night with

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-72157564448768771682007-01-04T15:16:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:32:11.197-05:00

It seems that every time I travel, the blog lapses for much longer than the duration of my travel time as I get everything back together upon my return.Since we last spoke, I've finished my finals (and thus, the semester), thrown a Hanukkah/End of Semester party at my apartment, visited Texas, gone back to work after vacationing, finished Matt's ChristmaHanukkah present (see below), and hosted my

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-18500592589987294522006-12-11T08:58:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:32:30.994-05:00

Feeling uninspired to come up with more interesting content, I'm falling back on another one of Cowtown Stacy's blog challenges. This week is "Fill in the Blanks."1. My current favorite song is: Barenaked Ladies and Sara McLachlan's rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. 2. The last book I read was: My evil Probability textbook. 3. The last book I bought was: The Constant Princess by Philippa

Liznoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-84173941656197355772006-12-08T09:55:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:32:37.364-05:00

...I now own a (virtual) penguin. Having accomplished this, I am now off to make tea and write code.(Try clicking "more!")adopt your own virtual pet!

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-9495978661797426992006-12-05T13:32:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:32:48.714-05:00

Math Problem set 1 - 12-1Math Problem set 2 - 12-1CS Problem set - 12-1CS Exam - 12-5Math Problem set 3 - 12-8Math Exam - 12-13CS Final Project - 12-15Independent Study Project - 12-15

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-24966149865675211162006-11-30T00:41:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:33:16.996-05:00

I haven't been around much to update. I've been in New Hampshire, Somerville, Cambridge, on campus, in New York, and all manner of places that are not "sitting at the computer writing blog entries." So, just a note: I'm still alive!On the downside, the next two weeks are going to be busier than ever. I have two problem sets due Friday, a problem set and a final exam next Tuesday, and another

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-50721933633331957382006-11-24T14:07:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:34:28.660-05:00

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-47705778824729959772006-11-22T11:16:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:34:40.258-05:00

Yesterday, CNET published a list of the "Top 10 Girl Geeks." Why are cartoon characters and Paris Hilton on this list?Seems the Slashdot community is confused too, as they question the list and suggest some awesome paragons of girl geekness in their comments about the article.I'm shaking my head over this one. Who could possibly have thought this was a great idea?

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-71273302245996399832006-11-01T10:37:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:34:46.775-05:00

“So it is with minds. Unless you keep them busy with some definite subject that will bridle and control them, they throw themselves in disorder hither and yon in the vague field of imagination ... And there is no mad or idle fancy that they do not bring forth in the agitation.” -Michel de MontaigneYou know how it is. You'll be sitting there having a normal conversation with someone (Shush, you.

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-85429779092910408342006-10-23T21:13:00.000-05:002007-10-22T23:05:03.972-05:00

A couple weekends ago, Matthew and Helen and I went out to taste test the drinks at a few bars in Boston. A reasonably good time was had by all, and we've got the photographic evidence to prove it. Helen had control over the camera that night, so there are more photo-sightings of me than usual...next time I'M taking the camera. (captions attributed where necessary)First, we had to prove that

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-55635223503498048522006-10-19T21:13:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:35:09.230-05:00

A couple weekends I was in Colorado for my Uncle and (now!) Aunt's wedding. It was a lot of fun to see family, and really cool to see a wedding with so much excitement and happiness.Some photos from the weekend...The clouds over the ocean were really cool when I took off from Boston. A beautiful start to a beautiful weekend.Before the wedding, Isaac and Mom and I went to have brunch with some

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-5867562761611174982006-10-13T14:36:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:35:18.046-05:00

In lieu of real content, I bring you more professor quotes.Computer Science Professor:"This actually makes more sense in Greek. Anyone here know Greek? No? I thought maybe if you were Greek. Anyway, in Greek, 'alive' means 'able to die'...or die-able."Math professor:"I never read the answers in the book because I don't trust the book.""Let's imagine we're in a primitive state...like Georgia."

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-40320294938740579092006-10-01T00:24:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:35:29.595-05:00

The following is a direct quote from one of my professors' lectures*:And then this precocious young twit, Hans Kamp, comes along. He's really a nice guy...don't quote me. Please don't quote me: 'Hans Kamp is a twit.' You'll probably put it in your blogs or something. That's the problem these days. No privacy in the classroom! One of you might even have a recording iPod or something..."*

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-44182890643256847432006-09-26T12:08:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:36:26.240-05:00

Incidentally, I've started in on knitting what looks like will be a long series of socks.

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-12027219355185044022006-09-25T09:30:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:36:45.325-05:00

This song (from the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack, of all places...) has been stuck in my head on and off for weeks. Maybe blogging about it will force it out. It's got a catchy beat, and I like the guy's politics, so it could be worse all things considered. I could say a lot of things about it, but it would mostly be restating the sentiments already found in the words.Be who you are, nothing

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-20671301808779088632006-09-22T14:58:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:36:54.344-05:00

~Charles DickensTabi was being particularly loving the other day, so I decided to snap a few photos using the time honored "hold the camera at arm's length and hope you're centered" technique.Seriously, this cat thinks she's an article of clothing. Her favorite place to be is draped around your shoulders while you're trying to get things done. These photos are less on shoulder than some,

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-61509073860726113392006-09-01T11:54:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:37:55.778-05:00

My friend Cowtown Stacy has started a series of blog challenges that look like they might be fun to try. Hopefully they'll make me think and write about more interesting things than a laundry list of things I have accomplished lately. Below is the text of one of her recent challenges.Read the following quote and think on it: "My students were middle-class kids who were ashamed of their

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-16575346162304262312006-08-29T08:35:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:38:06.257-05:00

Bus Driver: *winks at Liz*Liz: Good morning.Bus Driver: Good morning! How are you?Liz: Pretty good, and yourself?Bus Driver: Oh, can't complain. Life is good.Liz: Yeah....yeah, it is.

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-23716056999579208612006-08-26T22:10:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:38:18.004-05:00

Last week I headed out (somewhat tongue in cheek) to see recently released and much hyped, Snakes on a Plane. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I was pretty sure that it would be bad. The entire premise of the movie - summed up in its truly outstanding title - was silly enough that I couldn't imagine any great cinematic experiences coming of it. I'd heard that a lot of bloggers had

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-84010294202002729972006-08-23T06:30:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:38:28.289-05:00

Just a quick note to say that I've got internet access at home again, so updates and replies to email should return on a regular basis.In the meantime, my kitten finally has a name. After so much debate, this one just popped into my head and felt right, so I ran with it.Tabitha likes to help me at the computer.She also enjoys lounging in bed when I have to get up for work.

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-20049127624693758832006-08-19T09:56:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:38:53.817-05:00

The apartment moving is still going well, but it gets awfully boring to talk about boxes all the time. In lieu of saying "We still have a lot of boxes to unpack, but the moving is going well" (oops, I guess I just said it), I'm going to talk about several exciting tech things that I learned about this week.First, Facebook is a website geared toward social networking of college students. You can

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1155650538756642342006-08-15T08:46:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:39:01.981-05:00

Now that I have a reasonably stable job and know that I won't be moving every 4-6 months for awhile, I decided that it was finally time to add a member to my family of one. Sunday afternoon, I took the bus into the city and found my way to a small but friendly animal shelter. An hour later, I walked out with an unnamed but very chatty bundle of fur, whiskers and really long legs.Life is already

Liznoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1155337093795427622006-08-11T17:40:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:39:16.236-05:00

I've been pretty busy this week preparing for my impending move. I just got word from the moving company that their morning appointment cancelled, so I'm suddenly moving at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. I'm pretty happy about that, though, as it gives me a good excuse to get moving and have the rest of the day to take care of stuff and do other things.I went out there today to pick up the keys,

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1155089480671058122006-08-08T21:03:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:39:38.313-05:00

Today I was doing my laundry at the laundromat across the street. There are usually several people there at the same time, and generally we ignore each other. I usually knit through the wash cycle, and then read a book while my laundry dries.Today I made a new friend. As I was sitting there knitting, a girl who might have been 5 came up and perched beside me. "Hello! What's your name?" she

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1154867769983355742006-08-06T07:34:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:39:45.158-05:00

Get Fuzzy, Aug 6 2006. Darby ConleyClick for larger image

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1154403464430458532006-07-31T22:29:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:40:11.511-05:00

Patience is wider than one once envisioned, with ribbons of riversand distant ranges andtasks undertaken and finished with modest relish bynatives in their native dress. Who would have guessedit possible that waiting is sustainable-a place withits own harvests. Or that in time's fullnessthe diamonds of patiencecouldn't be distinguished from the genuine in brilliance or hardness. - Kay RyanI'm in

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1154272614346908592006-07-30T09:38:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:40:25.595-05:00

This week, a friend from work organized an evening extravaganza for his boyfriend's birthday. There's a really neat event in Providence, RI called Waterfire. The basic premise is that all along the river have been placed floating baskets of firewood. After sundown, you can walk along the river lighted with bonfires, a music selection prepared for the event plays in the background, vendors sell

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1153803476064620902006-07-24T23:38:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:40:33.018-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, that lovely thing swooshing past us would be my comfort zone rapidly disappearing over the horizon.This summer I decided to make a bigger commitment to actually learning to speak Japanese. I've been stabbing at it on and off for awhile, but haven't really given it my best effort since I've been busy the past few years. This summer, with nothing else to get in the way, I

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1153550482523412382006-07-22T01:24:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:40:43.867-05:00

The spinoffs from tropical storm Beryl ripped through New England this afternoon with very little warning (well, to me at least. I have still not learned that just because it's sunny in the morning doesn't mean I should leave the umbrella at home).While sitting in my windowless office at work today, I could hear a big storm thrashing around outside, but had no idea how bad it really was. It

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1152847221388508842006-07-13T22:05:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:40:55.531-05:00

Now that school is over, and things have started to fall into more or less of a routine, I had somewhat expected to be less busy. Not so! What does a girl who doesn't have homework do with herself after work is done for the day? She knits socks which don't flatter ankles: She reads books on the bus: She learns to cold brew coffee (best iced coffee in the world, by the way. Don't believe me?

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1152758252057443092006-07-12T21:16:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:41:08.703-05:00

You might have noticed a suspiciously non-roman link in the sidebar on my blog. Never fear, my blog hasn't been infiltrated by trojan links or anything even so remotely exciting. While messing around with some "behind the curtain" settings, I discovered that blogger will let me blog in other languages. Since I'm trying to re-learn my Japanese this summer now that I have real time to dedicate

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1152667427012218392006-07-11T20:23:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:42:15.275-05:00

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Liz! The average human spends about 30 days during their life in liz!It's bad luck to put liz on a bed.During the reign of Peter the Great, any Russian nobleman who chose to wear liz had to pay a special liz tax!Liz is the only bird that can swim but not fly.99 percent of the pumpkins sold in the US end up as liz!Contrary to popular belief, liz is not successful at

Liznoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1152393305726513012006-07-08T16:04:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:42:27.009-05:00

For the past four years, I have effectively lived in two cities at once. Neither one of them is, in itself, a really big city, but they both lie close enough to large metro areas that I consider myself to actually be from the large cities next door.A couple years ago, when Starbucks* started selling mugs with the skylines major cities on them, and I became aware that both of "my" cities were

Liznoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1149395816222498432006-06-03T23:14:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:42:44.894-05:00

Things have been a bit hectic around here for the past couple weeks, and in a moment I'll post photos to prove it. When you last tuned in, I had just submitted my thesis and was preparing for my defense. Overall, the defense went well. I fear that I have been spending a little bit too much time in front of the computer, as my presentation skills appear to have diminished somewhat in the past

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1147534821336054082006-05-13T10:38:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:42:51.532-05:00

My thesis is complete and has been turned in. You can see a copy of it here. My defense is Monday, so I'm now off to prepare my presentation for the defense.

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1146981350165957092006-05-07T00:29:00.000-05:002007-10-22T16:43:11.696-05:00

My roommates and I decided to have a Cinco de Mayo party. Well, rather, a Cinco de Mayo party had us. We had decided to have a party last Friday because it would be the last weekend before graduation during which we'd all be around at the same time, so we wanted to celebrate. Instantly and accidentally, as usually happens, brilliance struck when I just happened to remember by chance that

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1146344424328699292006-04-29T15:58:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:54:07.841-05:00

Almost everyone I know is counting seconds these days, so I thought I would add this helpful timer. :)

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1145764758155901432006-04-22T22:55:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:54:24.350-05:00

I spent the weekend at a conference for computer science education. I learned a lot and didn't sleep nearly as much as I should have. The food was wonderful, as was the hotel, but the mass transit to Worcester could be a lot better. Not much else of note. I had a lot of fun, and met some really interesting computer science students and professors.Since I'm too tired to write a more

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1143516055517645862006-03-27T22:06:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:54:37.570-05:00

Mark appears to know me better than one might have thought. For the benefit of anyone who hasn't been following the saga, Mark is on a seemingly endless business trip (going into month 3...). Sometimes they are kind and let him come home on weekends. This past weekend was one of those weekends, and he came back bearing gifts. In particular, a copy of the just-released Tetris for my Nintendo

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1143151331896175732006-03-23T16:36:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:54:53.051-05:00

A friend of mine recently asked me to read over the speech she had written for her application to be the senior speaker at commencement. Unfortunately, it was not selected for the honor, but she had some very good points in it.The focus of the speech was (loosely speaking): "Maturity means knowing that deviating from your plan is ok."In it, she spoke of how she had always (from an almost

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1140975680735616452006-02-26T12:25:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:55:07.059-05:00

Wow, it just occurred to me that February is going to be over this week. I've always known that February is a short month, but this year it seems like they shortened it to a week! If February is almost over, that means that my birthday thank you notes are way overdue, and I should probably get on that.Speaking of February and birthdays, the month is full of important dates (perhaps that is why

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1139804565007234802006-02-12T23:05:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:55:23.613-05:00

Brandeis has an activity every spring called Communiversity. Or, rather, not every spring. It was started in the early 1980's, and lapsed for awhile and was brought back last year or the year before.In communiversity, anyone who is interested can sign up to teach a class on the topic of their choice. The classes are usually short, meeting between 1 and 3 times for an hour or two in the

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1139000873479654182006-02-03T15:50:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:56:00.943-05:00

I haven't had much in the way of words to share lately, but I do have some recent snapshots I thought I would put up here. (Sorry, none of them are of me though!)What's on your bookshelf?This is the rather eclectic set of books I have sitting on my desk right now (click on the photo for a larger image if you want to read the titles!). The interesting thing about senior year is that everything

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1137520811054580842006-01-17T12:43:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:56:31.194-05:00

Let me just say this: I am NEVER going to decide to make cinnamon rolls at 11 o'clock at night again.Last week, I had plans to have dinner with my friend Cyanna. Plans fell through, but we agreed to meet at her place for coffee the next morning. That evening I started thinking, "Hm, I really ought to take something for brunch. What do I have handy?" Well, nothing pre-made, that was

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1137270105366073732006-01-14T15:02:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:56:41.180-05:00

Scholastic conferences are opportunities mainly for researchers to present their work through seminars and papers published in the conference proceedings. I think generally papers published in the conference proceedings and talks are limited to professors and the occasional graduate student. However, the glory isn't limited only to those with PhDs and private offices. Many conferences offer an

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1136941128853514952006-01-10T19:35:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:56:53.975-05:00

I could hardly call myself a mac enthusiast or self respecting blogger without at least giving a nod to the MacWorld convention that is happening this week, or Apple's traditional parade of new products.The most ground breaking "revolution" Apple has made this year would probably have to be the switch to Intel processors. Now, I'm not going to pretend that I'm very hardware savvy OR that I

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1136746422407919472006-01-08T13:34:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:57:06.145-05:00

Going home for breaks and holidays is always an interesting experience. I'm never quite sure what to expect, since sometimes people are so busy that I just sort of wave at them as they race in and out of the house and I loaf around checking my email and almost missing having homework to do (almost). Other times everyone is almost as work-free as I am, and we pass the time doing everyday things

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1134761540113301962005-12-16T14:32:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:57:17.051-05:00

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1134539034529469302005-12-14T00:30:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:58:01.719-05:00

Today, I am a composer.As you might know, I am taking an electronic music composition class. In order to graduate, I had to take a creative arts class at some point, and Brandeis doesn't offer things I'm used to taking (like photography). So, I had to bite the bullet and take painting or music or something. I chose "Electro-Acoustic Music Composition" or "Laptopping" for short.During the

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1133759781305925812005-12-04T23:43:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:58:20.757-05:00

You've probably noticed the new addition to the sidebar to the right. I'll use it to track the grad school application process over the next few months. Most applications are due within the next couple weeks, and they'll be sending out decisions in March or April, so the sidebar probably won't change very much for awhile (at least, after I finish sending in applications!).As you can see, I've

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1132765185727620642005-11-23T11:39:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:58:40.891-05:00

I tell people I've known Chetan for, like, 8 years. It's not true, of course. it didn't occur to either of us that we hadn't known each other forever until recently. But it seems like it's been that long! The truth of the matter is, I've known Chetan for something like 5 1/2 years. And for the 4th year running, tomorrow I'll be having a most excellent Thanksgiving dinner with Chetan's family

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1132467755313329952005-11-20T00:39:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:58:57.115-05:00

Read this first: National Center for Women & Information Technology Statistics on Women in Computer Science (will open a PDF)I've never thought much about women in the sciences, particularly women in computer science. However, it's come up a lot of times in the past couple weeks, and it's becoming and issue that is more and more on my radar.My thesis advisor just came back from a diversity in

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1132161368650647662005-11-16T12:13:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:59:14.542-05:00

I'm recycling a post from a previous blog that only had a few entries. This one was my favorite, but it also seems relevant to revisit this idea as I adjust to the idea that I may not be living on the Eastern edge of the country for much longer. It seems strange to think of living in Chicago where I might be in the middle of everything, or in California where I might imagine people going to bed

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17067145.post-1131987802991483232005-11-14T11:46:00.000-05:002007-10-22T22:59:24.716-05:00

Reporting from the campus center via wireless network today. My laptop goes everywhere these days, and it's always nice to find a handy wireless network. Recently I've been seeing more news articles related to how dropping computer prices and new technologies like high speed wireless could be used to give developing countries a boost.The gap between developing and developed countries is ever

Liznoreply@blogger.com0