Archive for April, 2011
Haunted
I put off reading Haunted for over a year after a friend lent it to me. Everyone told me it was horrific, disgusting. A sampling of reviews made me wonder why anyone would ever want to read it: Reading a Palahniuk novel is like getting zipped inside a boxer’s heavy bag while the author goes […]
Figures Don’t Lie, but Liars Figure
When I began trying to convince my aunt that climate change is a very real, very risky, and human caused phenomenon, she sent me a list of questions she had about climate change. I answered all of her questions carefully and thoughtfully using scientific evidence and clear figures. After I finished the last post and […]
Botany and Russian collide
I got a message yesterday addressed ‘Privet, …’ and spent a few minutes wondering what the sender thought I had in common with Ligustrum. Then I realized that ‘privet’ is just hello in Russian, transliterated – a much less cryptic greeting than ‘common evergreen shrub!’ Clearly, I am not studying hard enough if it takes […]
Sunday Song
Being Good
From The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope: The woman was affectionate, seeking good things for others rather than for herself; but she was essentially worldly, believing that good could come out of evil, that falsehood might in certain conditions be better than truth, that shams and pretenses might do the work of true […]
Grad school and money
Applying to graduate school is expensive – application fees, taking tests, seemingly endless transcript requests and score reports, and miscellaneous travel expenses that weren’t reimbursed. All in all, it cost me about $1500 to apply to grad school. If that number seems high to you, consider that many people applying for degrees beyond undergrad pay […]