Post by brittanydyan
January 31, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Life is pretty boring for us these days. With the first month of the new year nearly complete, not much has changed around here. Will and I have picked up our day-to-day activities where they left off prior to the holidays and continue to plug away. Despite the normal happenings, much of our recent weeks has been defined by Comcast drama. I’ll save that for another post, which I’m sure Will plans to write. Here’s the short version: cable goes bad, Comcast does not resolve after repeated apologies, we likely cancel service.
Back to the day-to-day. The new semester started this past week. I can’t help but get excited about the start of a new term–but this fuzzy feeling doesn’t last long. Soon enough the pressures of deadlines and meeting expectations robs me of the joy of a new beginning. In addition, the first week of a new schedule/routine always seems to drag. Five days seems like eight.
However, with week one completed, I think I’m going to like this semester overall. My TA assignment is pretty great, and I’m actually excited to read and learn about research design along with my undergrads. In addition, I don’t have to lead discussion sections, which means the avoidance of talking to a blank-staring crowd while crickets chirp.
One of the best things about the beginning of the new semester has little to do with the actual semester. The Greenbelt North UMD bus line resumed service!
In other words, the time I devote to reading for pleasure increases. Do you see the causal link? I do not have a parking permit for campus, so most days I ride the bus. Will limits the days he drops me off on campus because I usually make him late:( There isn’t much to do on the bus besides talk on the phone (kind of annoying for other riders) or read. And, since I don’t read that much for fun any other time, the bus provides me with a literary oasis.
Bus reading is like beach reading. I keep it light an easy. Most recently, I’ve finished The Time Traveler’s Wife and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Both were great bus reads. I just started Outliers this week, which is interesting but annoying by chapter 2.
Here’s to a semester of meetings, papers, students and bus reading!
Post by Will
January 27, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Better than dysentery?
When going abroad to a third world country, there are usually some steps you need to take to better prepare and immunize your body from the various ailments and disease that is uncommon here in the U.S. of A. Fortunately, I have already had some of these vaccines (Hepatitis A + B, Polio booster, Yellow Fever). That’s right kids, it’s not my first time at the rodeo. Unfortunately, it was time to update on my tetanus and Typhoid. Fortunately, typhoid protection can now be achieved by taking a small oblong pill with a glass of cold water every other day for one week.
I suffer from an aversion to long, sharp items that are inserted into my arm (or anywhere on my body, for that matter). I have been long affected by this loathing and it still lives on, despite the many hurdles I have overcome. I mean, seriously, when someone sticks a foot long needle (again, the whole Toe Woe Incident of ’09) in your foot three times within a period of 5 minutes, can it really get any worse?
But wait, Will, don’t you have a tattoo? What’s up with that? That my friends, is what you might call a moment of great consequence. Okay, honestly, the needle just inflicts a surface wound. No biggie.
So, when Dr. Dan the Medicine Man (a.k.a. Dad) comes trotting through the door with a little mL vaccine bottle and a couple of Safety Syringes, you know it is not going to be a pleasant evening. True, everything is a bit of an overreaction but I’m allowed to overreact every now and then, right? Right? RIGHT!?
Doesn't he look so smug?
I’m not sure the last time I had a tetanus shot, obviously it’s been more than 10 years (why I needed an update). I recall I was on the brink of one that time I caught that cute, fuzzy chipmunk in my bare hands (in which he subsequently let me know he was not the singing variety and did his best Mike Tyson impression and left with a sizable chunk of my thumb, ask Brian Huckaby).
Whenever it was, I don’t think it left me as sore as the one a mere month ago. My Dad is insistent it’s just “one of the normal side effects”. I think, and he’ll agree, that it might have had something to do with the person administering the shot. I went a week with out being able to life my arm past 45°
That being said, things were a lot smoother on the weeklong jaunt with the Typhoid regiment, for me at least. Brittany suffered some early mornings and late nights with stomach cramps (again, just “one of the normal side effects”). Doing my due diligence as her partner, friend, and bunk buddy, I told her to let me know the next time another stomach episode came around.
“Why?”, she asked. “So I can just tell you I have an upset stomach?”
Touché.
All of this got me thinking. Some about the steps we are going to have to endure before we finally make our hop, skip, and jump across the Atlantic, and the majority about The Oregon Trail (which you can play an emulator version on your Mac or PC here.)
I mean, when is the last time you ever faced Typhoid?
Post by Will
January 23, 2010 at 11:17 am
We have admittedly been poor in keeping up with updates this past month. That’s okay because a picture, supposedly, is worth 1,000 words. So, I present you with 12 photos from each month of 2009 (that’s 12,000 words, at least, if you’re keeping score). I have spared everyone the horror of any photos from this. So, sit back, enjoy, and we’ll be back full-time in February.
January, The National Mall — Frigid temps, hot chocolate, ridiculous amount of humanity, long waits, epic treks on foot ... Totally worth it.
February, College Park — Brittany starts her second year of classes at UMD and proceeds to keep the "Doctor Legacy" alive for the next generation of Bramletts.
March, Downtown Washington — Unbeknownst to us, we begin our last (currently) days of living in the city. I don't know if we'll ever live somewhere with a view like this again.
April, Tidal Basin — We brave the sweaty tourists, swallow our pride, and decide to wade in to look at the cherry blossoms.
May, Logan Circle — We're still on our quest to find our new favorite eatery. Café Saint Ex is not it.
June, U Street — We brought Dad to our favorite Saturday morning haunt, Busboys & Poets. He flipped out, much to Brittany's dismay.
July, Amelia Island — We spent some time down on the beach with the complete Bram Fam. It was a great time aside from the fact I was in a boot on the beach (totally beach bummed). Again, I'll spare you a photo of the toe (you're welcome, America).
August, Greenbelt — Thanks to the quick reflexes of Jean Baldwin, the Bram Fam added a new addition, Margot Moses (you're welcome, Bob).
September, The Lincoln Memorial — My parents came up and we decided to hit the last few D.C. tourist spots they had not been to (at least, since eighth grade).
October, Staunton — Brittany planned a great little trek for us to the heart of Virginia wine country. We took a long weekend to not take ourselves too seriously ...
November, Annapolis — Brittany's parents came up and we ventured over to our state capital to mill around some pretty interesting (and free) homes, museums, and of course, the Naval Academy.
December, Greenbelt — Our first real snow since the Blizzard of 1993 (The Storm of the Century?). It was also my first experience shoveling snow (Blergh).
