Family Feud moment

So I stopped at a grocery store that was new to me, a Stop & Shop on Route 206, on my way back to NYC a couple days ago.  I had a big list of things to get, and I had gone around the store and still hadn't found like 5 or 6 things.  So I find this guy who works there and I start asking him where things are. "Where's chopped garlic?"  "Um, try Aisle 5."  "Where is alfredo sauce?"   "Um, I think that's Aisle 5 too."  "What about oyster sauce?" "Yup, that's Aisle 5 too."    And this went on for like 2 or 3 more items, until we both started laughing and I went off to Aisle 5.  That was my Family Feud "turkey" moment.  In case you haven't seen the video, here it is:

Family Feud "Turkey" clip

Life Lesson

Never go to the grocery store on the Sunday night after Thanksgiving.  They're out of EVERYTHING.

High School Reunion!

Just got back from my 5-year high school reunion at a local bar.  I initially wasn't going to go because my two best friends bailed on me, and it's kind of daunting walking into a group of people you know, but really don't know, all alone.  Anyway, I walked in and immediately found people and everyone was just saying hi and hugging each other and asking about what people have been doing.  It was just a lot of fun seeing people after 5 years.  It feels good to make those connections fresh again that have started to slip away.  There weren't too many surprises in terms of people and their life plans; people who wanted to be a doctor are now in med school, etc.  All in all, a very good night and I'm glad I decided to go!

Inventions

My grandmother (born in the 1930s): The two greatest inventions of my lifetime have been the ballpoint pen and the turning signals on cars. 


hehe. I never would have guessed those. 

Fall 2010 Trends

So I got a new purse from Delia's in the mail today.  So I figured it would be a good time to write about the fall 2010 fashion trends I've chosen to embrace:
1)  Cross-body purses.  I started seeing these about a year ago, but they're really in full force right now.  They're definitely more casual, but soo much more comfortable and versatile, since they free up your hands and arms whenever you're walking around and sightseeing or whatever.  This is the one I got from Delia's (right).
2)  Ankle-height boots.  I'm not sure if there's a more technical name for these, but part of the reason I decided to get them is because they're much more casual and easier to slip on than the knee-high boots I have.  Knee-high boots make me seem really formal and preppy, and sometimes that's a little too much if I'm just going to class or something.  These boots I got from Payless, and they're really comfy.  They're kind of "edgy" too, which I liked.  
3) Striped shirts.  This is a really basic trend, but I think the difference is that skinny stripes and off-the-shoulder are distinctly 2010.  So I got this shirt from Delia's (left) and this shirt from Old Navy (right):

 4) Utility/military/cargo jackets.  I'm not sure what the exact name is for it, but I got mine from a GAP outlet in Atlantic City over the summer.  I just wanted a lightweight, fall jacket to throw on that would be comfortable, but also make me look more put-together than a fleece or puffy coat. (picture below).  That picture is not the exact one I have, but it's pretty close. 

Trends that I've ruled out for now:
1) Leather jackets.  I tried one on at a store recently and I almost started laughing at how funny I looked.  Maybe I just have to find the right one, but I'm guessing this is something that will never fit me and my personality.
2) Leggings.  I'll keep wearing actual pants, thank you very much.  Not everyone in NYC needs to know the exact size and shape of my lower half. 

New Things!

So I'm going to keep a running list of new things I'm trying:
1)  I ate a house salad
2) I ate shrimp scampi with linguine
3) I watched Dancing with the Stars today with Raechel
4) I went iceskating outside in NYC

Upcoming:
1)  Watching the first Twilight movie that I borrowed from Rae (still refuse to read the books, but who can resist a good love story?)
2) Perhaps a new haircut

A miracle!

Oh my goodness! A miracle just happened.  This weekend, I was faced with a take-home midterm, an oral presentation worth half my grade I hadn't even started researching, a ton of data analysis for lab, and group project work to do for a meeting tomorrow.  This weekend was busy, so I only started to tackle this today around 4 pm.  And I am just now finishing my take-home midterm.  I was all set to go to bed, wake up around 6 am to start researching my presentation, skip class, skip lunch, just to work on the presentation.  And then I had no idea how I was going to do my group project stuff before 6 pm tomorrow.

But, oh my goodness, I just got an email saying that my class tomorrow night where I was supposed to present is canceled!  Like, I can't even begin to say what this means.  I was already feeling pretty dejected and hopeless because of this weekend, but maybe this means I have at least a little bit of good karma in this world.  I'm so relieved.

Convenience and Laziness

Is it bad that if I go to a website for an event and it doesn't have a quicklink to add it to my Google calendar, I am much less likely to add it to my schedule, and thus attend it?  hehe

Rubbers

So we're studying rubber (like the polymers) in my statistical mechanics class, but the professor has a British accent (he's like a Liam Neeson twin), so everytime he says "rubbers" with his accent, it makes me think of what that means in the British language, and I have to stop myself from giggling in the middle of class.

Moving

So two of my good female friends are moving to DC in the near future.  In short, this makes me sad.  Like, all I want to do is whine about why life is unfair.  Conversations with girl friends keep me sane and put my life in perspective.  I just want to collect everyone who means anything to me and build a big house and we can all live together and never have to move across the country.  That would be my utopia. 

Updates

Apologies for the lack of posting.  It's gotten pretty hectic recently, with classes, TAing, fellowship applications, starting research, traveling to New Haven and Hopewell, going to the gym, and doing stuff for the Engineering Graduate Student Council.  It would inspire me to write more if people actually commented at all ; )  Anyway, my roommate is away for the week at a conference in Austin.  And, don't get me wrong, my roommate is pretty amazing, I barely even know she's there--she's quiet, neat, studious, and kind.  But there's just so much more freedom when I have the place to myself.  I can listen to videos on the Internet without shutting my bedroom door, I can leave my shoes in the front hallway, the shower head is always adjusted to my height, I don't have to wash my dishes right away.  It's just nicer. 
I've also been busy with lots of Princeton stuff.  There's more people to hang out with now that I'm in NYC, so we've been going to happy hours, restaurants and pregaming parties.  I even hosted one, which was a lot of work but a lot of fun.  And then there's all the university stuff, like Homecoming and the Yale vs. Princeton game coming up.  It makes fall a very busy season : )  Too bad Columbia's homecoming was on the same day as Princeton's.