Freeeeeeeeeedom

It turns out watching Lost and Glee instead of studying for the GRE was a good strategy. I haven't really looked into what kind of scores I need to wow grad programs, but I did a lot better this time around than my recollection of how I did the previous two times, so I think I'm calling it done.

Even with work on Monday, it finally feels like summer vacation!!!

Woo hoo!

Top o' the pops

I am feeling an insatiable appetite for pop culture lately. I am watching Lost. I am following sports. I am even considering listening to Harry Potter as an audiobook. Perhaps most importantly, I think I am going dancing Sunday night.

To warm up, I am watching this. Also because I thought I saw my celebrity crush in it.

Top ten World Cup hotties

These are the top ten hotties who actually played in the 2010 World Cup (and had decent photos available on the internet) alphabetically by country...

Medhi Lacen, midfielder, Algeria
Sergio Aguero, forward, Argentina
Nikita Rukavytsa, forward, Australia
Kakà, midfielder, Brazil
Alexandros Tzorvas, goalkeeper, Greece
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, defender, Holland
Roque Santa Cruz, forward, Paraguay (center)
Cristiano Ronaldo, forward, Portugal
Milos Ninkovic, midfielder, Serbia
Diego Lugano, defender, Uruguay

Honorable Mention:
Alexis Sánchez, forward, Chile
Jermain Defoe, forward, England
Kevin-Prince Boateng, midfielder, Ghana
Arne Friedrich, defender, Germany
Thomas Müller, forward, Germany
Wesley Sneijder, midfielder, Holland

Notably Absent:
Anyone from Spain -- especially David Villa and his 'beard'. Though I might be willing to make an exception for Jesús Navas.

Sigh. What will I do for the next four years?

Science

This is what I am doing this summer:


This started out as a little ziplock of dirt.

I picked out and washed off the roots, cleared the root cells in potassium hydroxide, stained the fungi with blue ink, mounted them on a little slide and voilà -- science!

The blue squiggly stuff is where arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi has colonized the root cell. This pic is from a California native, purple needle grass (Nasella pulchra).

The rest of this summer, or at least most of July will be spent tallying up just how much of the root has been colonized by these bad boys. And also some kind of greenhouse experiment.

Playing house

First night at home since last Wednesday. It turns out living in a proper house on the back side of the Berkeley/Oakland hills with a round fluffy cat and what look like giant turkeys, blue jays, squirrels, deer and maybe pheasants? quail? I don't remember what I saw, but crazy magical wild life running through the backyard of my pretend house. I am LOVING it. My temporary house (courtesy of the prof who runs the ecology lab, for whom I am house/cat/car-sitting) also boasts TWO ovens, one of which can do convection, a fancy pants top of the line stove in an island in the middle of the giant sunny kitchen. Sigh. I should try to house sit more often.

And now also taking care of tomatoes and kittens while the newlyweds are off honeymooning. It's kind of like trying on lives, this coming home to different homes, sometimes multiple homes per day.

And I kind of like these different lives, in which the cupboards contain different colors of Fiesta-ware, depending on which key I used to get in the door. As time consuming as it is moving constantly from place to place, it has been a much needed change of pace.

I even sunbathed yesterday. Sunbathing. Me. It turns out the trick to not becoming bored to death after five minutes is working on GRE math problems while you sprawl out on your towel on your very own patch of grass. Under a dim incandescent bulb, I'm almost starting to look tan-ish.

...Which is also thanks to a lovely lovely lovely fourth spent in Danville with the most gracious Daniels. Sarah and I took in the parade, took a dip in the pool, dined at her grandparents (who are the most fabulous, fabulous, fabulous and adorable couple ever -- I want to invite them to all my tea parties from now on. I'll put her opa on tea sandwich making duty, lest he put me to shame), and practically watched fireworks from the comfort of a deliciously comfortable jacuzzi. Indeed, any day with fireworks is a good day.

Best

<3 Iceland
I want this to be my mayor.

Were you aware of it? vol. 31: Poisoning pigeons in the park

Tom Lehrer has been all over NPR (what with the release of his new DVD of live footage from a 1967 concert in Oslo), and I've got to say I'm a fan. I've been singing Poisoning Pigeons in the Park and dancing to the Vatican Rag all morning.

R + C

Sigh. Most gorgeous wedding ever this weekend. It makes me so happy that the two of you exist and found each other.

Would that all of life were that beautiful and life and love affirming.

I love you guys.

Gettin my groove on

I am so going to learn all these dance moves. Dance is exactly what I need in my life.

I have become a total jock. I'm watching four soccer matches a day now. All I need is to rustle up some fellow futbol enthusiasts to kick a ball around in the park.

Now I need to get some beauty rest before England v. Slovenia v. USA v. Algeria tomorrow! It kind of is true that we do have that ref from Mali who robbed us of our goal against Slovenia last week to thank for Americans starting to care a tiny bit about the World Cup. Even though I still think our team look like beauty queens with those ugly sash-like stripes across their chests -- seriously, can we write Miss USA on the stripe?? -- I am secretly rooting for the yanks to make it past the first round. Then, once I re-fill out my no-money betting pool, I will pick a new foe to trounce our boys.

The last two weeks in recap:
"That was ridiculous" referring to Portugal's 7-0 punishment of North Korea. Now that's what I call solidifying your goal differential. See also: Ronaldo's confused juggling turned goal. Def a highlight.
Richie Tenenbaum-core falling apart of the French team, though I was proud of them for pulling off a goal a man down in their last game. Way to end it on a high note, guys.
England have yet to show their stuff. Do they actually have any? The jury is out.
Ref robs the USA of a totally earned 3-2 victory over Slovenia. So not cool!
New Zealand hangs in there scoring an equalizer vs. Slovakia in the last thirty seconds of stoppage time. And even score first on Italy. Take that!
Spain look like fools in front of Switzerland, but manage to shape up vs. Honduras. You're going to have to do better than that if you want to win this, Spain.
Switzerland allows a goal, ending their record threatening streak. Only time will tell if their keeper can handle the devastation.
I totally called Group B: Argentina and South Korea advance!
Italy: nothing spectacular. Poor showing for the current world champs.
Brazil: so far topping their group, as expected.
The bafana bafana can't recover from their red card v. Uruguay and make South Africa the first host country not to make it past the Group stage. :(
The Nigerians can't live up to the name Supereagles, but then Supereagles is a pretty badass name...