Today's meme is brought to you by the ever sweet marcasite 

Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.

( And this is what she chose for me )

Since it's raining here...YET again.  I've decided to steal scullyseviltwin 's informal meme so aptly titled "The Gents That Do it For Me."  I think the title is pretty self explanatory.  Under the cut you will find a small array of the bold and the beautiful and the geeky who light my bunsen burner. 


( Here be the gents )

I am desperately in need of a little advice...

Through the wonders of the internet, I found a forensic job opening in Englewood, CO for an entry level forensic scientist job for the Denver Police Department.  I read the description, and it seems perfect for me.   And it's in my ideal locale.   So why I haven't I applied?

I can only access the online application through a website called scientistcrossing.com.  The problem is it costs money to join this employment site; they say 7 day free trial...and then you have to pay $30 a month for three months.

I have searched the Denver government jobs website, but this forensic scientist job isn't listed.  It seems like all roads lead to this scientist crossing site and they are very pushy with the adds.  So my questions are...

Does this scientist crossing site look legit?  Is this forensic posting real?  Or is it a way to lure people into thinking they''ll have a better job when really they're after your money?  If it is real...

Should I pay the money to apply to this job?  I'd hate to pass up on the opportunity to apply for a job in my hometown, but I also don't want to lose $90 bucks to a bunch of assholes who are just pulling a fast one.

Please, please, please let me know what you think.  I really need a second opinion.  Thank all!

Below are the websites so you can see for yourself:

Here's the link where I found the listing at careerjet.com

Here's the link I followed to scientist crossing.com

I am both amused by the creativity in this commercial and just slightly offended by the sexism.  How is that possible?

Thesis Status update: Second draft turned in.  Nearing completion...

From what I from I hear from other classmates, is it typically takes about three reads for the final draft to be approved.  So after this one, I'll only have one more left, and then it goes to the printers.  WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's not a lot of entry level forensics jobs out there right now, but I'm applying to the level one positions I'm coming across.  Everyone is wanting experience in a real lab so I'm hoping the master's helps me a little.  I'm not sure I'm completely qualified for a lot of them but eh *shrugs* I'm throwing my name in the ring anyway.  The worst they can tell me is no.

Had a fabulous weekend.  Friday night I finally got to talk to my friend who had surgery in May; she is doing a lot better.  We had a nice chat catching up.  When I told her I wouldn't be having a ceremony since I was graduating in September, she told me we would hit up a thrift store for robes and she would hum the graduation theme for me.  I love her :)

 I also got to talk to an old co-worker who was so cute; right after I picked up the phone he was like "I'm so sorry!  You probably think I'm an ass, but I haven't forgotten about you!"  I got the latest scoop on the happening at my old job and we made plans to get together on my birthday since I'll be back in the ole CO.

My dad was really funny yesterday; I called to wish him Happy Father's Day and to tell him his present would be late (*sssssshhhhh* I got him a custom made Cincinnati Reds Johnny Bench t-shirt; the Reds have always been his first baseball team).  We chatted for a bit and then he asked if I wanted to talk to my mom.  When he was handing the phone to her I heard him say, "Well that was sweet of her to call."  Duh, Dad!  Of course I would call!  Mom then tells me she got him one of those digital picture frames and filled the memory card with his racing pictures from the computer (Dad's a big NASCAR fan), and wrapped it up to give to him.  Well, while she was at Safeway she found Bob Evan's sausage (Dad's absolute favorite meat in the world; it's only available in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and states in the same general vicinity).  She bought a bunch of sausage as a gag gift of sorts.  She said she wrapped up his frame and left a note with it saying to look in the outside 'fridge for the rest of his present.  Well, Mom found a note from my Dad before he left for work, going on about the sausage, and where did she find it, and oh how great that was.  And PS, thanks for the frame.  *snort*  My Dad cracks me up.

Hours at work are still down which means I'm only working once a week.  Which means I have loads of free time to go...nowhere.  I can't afford anything extravagant.  And can I go to the beach?  No.  Because it's been raining for the last FIVE DAYS and will continue to do so for the NEXT five days.  And taking a walk is risky because I might get soaked, so I've been homebound for a while.  I swear, the first sunny day we get my pale white ass will be at the beach.  (Just the image y'all wanted I'm sure)

That's all here.  Off to more job apps!

I got my first draft back, and my advisor really liked it!  She told she thought it was good, and really well organized.  Woot!  I have finished my corrections and after some more read throughs, I will be sending it off for a second reading.  After will be more corrections and then I can start getting it ready for final printing.  Huzzah!

Because I have no jobs lined up yet, and because I can't afford to stay here in Boston, I will be going back to Colorado at the end of July.  I'm very excited to go back and see my friends, and hang out with my family again.  I think going home will be the perfect opportunity to re-charge my batteries as I'm searching for jobs.  But with that relaization comes the fact that I won't be living Boston anymore and there will things I won't have at my finger tips.  I've decided to compile a list of things I want to do before I leave Boston.  I'm going to try to accomplish as many of these as I can.  Any one on the area is more the welcome to help!

( Here be the list )

Oh how I love the public transportation in this city.  Nine times out ten, the ride is uneventful; people are reading, texting, listening to their iPods, or just generally staring out into space.  And then...there is that one ride where you get to meet the more colorful people of the world.

I went up to school earlier this afternoon to look at some IR spectra for my thesis, and just as I walked up to the bus stop, here comes the number 8 bus.  This is especially good because the 8 drops me right across the street from my apartment building.  Huzzah!

I get on and am immediately greeted by the booming voice of a guy I shall dub Loud Man.  Loud Man was loud.  He was going on about education, government, the usual crazy loud rantings.  But he seemed fairly harmless (as long as you avoided eye contact).  Because the bus was fairly full, I ended up taking a seat in front of him with a set of seats between us.

Loud Man remained loud from the moment I got on, but I had my headphones so I just tuned him right out...right up until Cell Phone Man got on.  Cell Phone Man got on the bus at the stop after me, and ended up sitting directly behind me.  Well, his cell phone went off and he started yelling into his cell phone because he can't hear.  Cell Phone Man asks Loud  Man to be quiet and then it turns into Angry Loud Men Squared.

Loud Man says he paid his $1.25 to get on the bus and if Cell Phone Man doesn't like it he can get off.  Cell Phone Man keeps telling him to be quiet...all while yelling mind you.  The bus drivers tells them both to be quiet which prompts Loud Man to walk to the front of the bus and start talking to the bus driver about how its not his fault, Cell Phone Man is being a pain in the ass, blah, blah, blah.

Then Loud Man asks Cell Phone Man if he wants to get off the bus to bring it.  CPM says he better not threaten him.  This goes on for a good ten minutes until LM gets off the bus in the South Bay Mall area, a large shopping center.  LM keeps taunting CPM right up until the bus is pulling away from him.  The best part is CPM saying he'd take him on...if the cops werem't right there.  If the police weren't around, CPM says LM be going down.  While yelling of course.

I will miss a lot things about Boston, but this is DEFINITELY not one of them

Another one of those getting to know you memes brought to you by ellipsesbandit :

Rules: Leave a comment saying "interview me" and I'll give you 5 questions. Repost to your own blog at your leisure

Here are my questions from the Bandit:

( Answers here )

It's no question that the Geek Love Ship has been losing passengers since January.  Some people decided when Billy went, they went; others tried Laurence Fishburne out for a while, and decided they didn't like him and left.  Some people wrote their last fic, giving the geeks a fond farewell as well as saying their own farewell to the fandom.  And a precious few are still hanging in there.

I am still hanging in there.

And yes, it difficult when my geeks aren't even on screen anymore and they're not even mentioned.  But a few weeks ago, I realized I wasn't done with Grissom and Sara yet.  I saw the video of Billy singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Wrigley Field and while I cringed (the man is sexy, but he CANNOT sing worth anything) I also laughed because he was just so adorkable in his jersey and hat and his enthusiasm.  And it made me think of Grissom and Sara and what Grissom would be like at baseball game and what would be going through Sara's mind.

And that's when it hit me.  I'm not done with Grissom and Sara yet; I'm still inspired to write fic for these two.  I think there are plenty of untold stories left: how they got Bruno, when they got married (because we KNOW they did), how they adjusted to living together, discovering they have a mutual love for baseball (I think Sara's a closet Red Sox fan), and it goes on.

Maybe I'm trying to hang to something to really good, but it's still getting me to write something other than lab reports.  And while I'm not quite as inspired as I was when I first started writing, I'm not ready to jump ship yet.  I'm trying to get back into a steady writing schedule because there are still so many things I want to fill-in and share with my fellow fans.  I want to exhaust my last efforts before I give in.

So there you go.  Viva Geek Love!!

So New York City was awesome as usual.  With the exception of the rain I brought with me on Friday, the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  We ate, drank, and were very merry.  I will give full details later, but first I need to do a little pimping...

grand_falloon is preparing to run the New York City half-marathon in August.  For those that don't know, a half-marathon is 13.1 miles.  Yes, she is one of those crazy people actually enjoys running long distances instead of curling up with a large bar of chocolate.

But it's for a good cause!  She is running for Team for Kids, a fundraising group made up of more than 5,000 adult runners from around the world who raise funds for youth fitness programs through the United States and South Africa.  Since 2002, Team For Kids members have raised more than $12 million.

As she has succinctly said in a previous email, "I joined this team because fighting childhood obesity is a cause I'm particularly passionate about.  And, unfortunately, kids don't have as many opportunities to be active anymore.  We need these programs more than ever, and I'm willing to lace up my shoes and get my butt off the couch to support this cause."

But seriously, I saw firsthand how passionate she is about this.  She explained to me how she first came into running through an old coworker, and how much she enjoyed participating in 5K and 10K runs.  She immediately wanted to start training for a marathon, but went through a rocky time of considering a big move across the country, long bouts physical illness, along with intense insomnia, and had to stop running for a long time.

Well, things have finally calmed down for her, and she is happily back into training.  While hiding from the rain Friday night at her place, she told me how important this was to her and that if she could just make it to the full marathon in November (a big fat 26 miles) she would be thrilled.  If shed would be able to run the big one, and then be told she could never run again, she would be happy.

So if you can, please donate to help grand_falloon reach her donation goal.  Any amount you can donate would help and would be greatly appreciated.

And as a bonus to all of you that donate, I'm taking a page out of mingsmommy 's book by adding,  I'll write you a GSR ficlet with your choice of prompt.  Even if you're not on my friends list and just stumbled in here today, I'll write you a fic.

By donating you'll be helping a great cause, a great friend, and you even get a little geek love.  What could be better?

Click here to donate, and here is the info you need:

Her name: Maria Rodi
Her entry Number: 418886

Thanks again flist!

So I learned the hard way last weekend that going without caffeine when you're grouchy is BAD idea.  I didn't sleep well and went into work, feeling pretty rotten.  I decided to forgo a cup coffee to save money.  After having a bad day at work, which included three glasses remakes, I decided to make an addendum to my saving money.  When you're grouchy and hormonal, screw the money and buy the coffee.

So I realized I never told you guys about my parents' visit!  It was awesome; we had a great time!  I took to all of the Boston hot spots like the Freedom Trail and Harvard Square.  We also spent a day up in New York City, which was AWESOME! grand_falloon kindly gave up a whole Saturday to play tour guide for us.  My parents absolutely loved it.  They had a blast.  We saw everything from Central Park to Times Square to the Brooklyn Bridge.  She even shared with us the best place to get pizza.  It was an exhausting day, but lots of fun.

Then I got to drive in Massachusetts, which let me say can push you to a coronary.  My dad wanted to go Battleship Cove, place in southern Mass that houses some PT boats, submarines, and such.  He had reminded me and reminded me every time I had called home previously.  So we hit the road.  For the first 40 minutes the drive was fine.  But then we missed one the exits we needed and it all went to hell because Massachusetts' roads are the worst designed roads EVER.  Instead of simply getting off at the next exit to turn around, we had to drive in a circle for 15 minutes trying find where we were going, all while yelling at each other.  After we finally got there, I charged my Dad with driving back.  That is the price you have to pay.

The trip ended with a Red Sox game, courtesy of the ever wonderful scullyseviltwin who scored us some tickets.  The seats were PHENOMENAL.  We were right behind the third baseline with a clear view of everything.  Let's just say I owe Miss Leslie several Sam Summers for getting us those tickets.  It was probably the fastest game I'd ever been to: 2 hours and 13 minutes with a score of 2-1, Sox.  Nothing particularly exciting happened, although we got to see the biggest WTF moment ever.  In the top of the 8th, a Blue Jays hitter popped a fly ball between Pedroia and Bailey (second and first basemen respectively).  No problem; easy out right?  WRONG.  It looked like the guys did an "I got it!  I got it!" and then they both decided the other one had it and the ball landed with a resounding WUMP in the grass.  It was...interesting.  But then I got see my favorite player!  Jonathon Papelbon came in the 9th to close the game.  The bullpen is on the other side of the field so we couldn't see who was warming up during the 8th inning.  There was a colective moment of silence as the doors to the bullpen opened in the top of the 9th, but once the opening chords of "Shipping Up to Boston" started, everyone was on their feet.  Including me, who was screaming like a maniac.  I think I scared my folks with my ahem...enthusiasm.

But all in all it was a really nice visit.  It isn't often I get my parents' undivided attention and it was great to spend some time with them. 

I'll post pictures later.  Tomorrow I head off to New York City for a weekend of mojitos and fun with grand_falloon  again.  It'll probably be my last visit for a while as I'll be moving to...whereever in two months; so I'll try not to cause too much trouble.

I'm really tired right now, but I have enough energy to tell y'all this...


Just a few minutes ago I sent my first draft of my thesis to my readers..YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!

All 75 pages of my blood, sweat, and tears.  And I am NOT kidding about crying over this thing (the freakout over postponing my graduation and do you have any idea how frustrating Microsoft Word can be?  Especially when you have to make special tables and number sections differently).  But all of it miiiiiiiiiine.

I will write up a more thorough squee of this major accomplishment later, but for now I want to celebrate with sleep.  Precious, precious sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

And oh yeah, I sent the copies while watching CSI; I thought it was apropos. He he he he he he he he....

So yeah...I think I finished my thesis.  I went up to school today so I could look at the conclusions of some of the signed theses in my department to see if I was on the right track.  And surprisingly enough, I was.  I headed up to the library to make some adjustments and added some future recommendations, but other than that...I actually think I might be done.

Obviously there is still the process of me reading it over and making corrections before that wonderful (and scary) moment when I turn in my first draft to my two readers.  And of course there is that time when I bug some of people on my friends list (becausetheylovemeandwithouttheirhelpmythesiswouldflopcompletely) to look over my conclusion to see if sounds good.  But other than that...

For the moment, I'm done.  Wow.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.

So I am writing my conclusion for my thesis, and I wanted to see what kind of stuff I should be writing, and I googled "thesis conclusion." 

Do you know how many websites actually SELL theses?  You can BUY an essay or thesis or dissertation.

What. The. F*ck??

Seriously, people do this?  It just baffles the mind, that some lazy loser would buy their thesis statement online.  And what about the people who write this stuff?  I cannot believe it.  Both sides of it disgust me.  It's just...BLECH!!

Well, I know mine cam from my own blood, sweat, and tears.  And if I ever see my thesis posted on a website, well...let's just say it's a good thing I know about forensics ;)

Happy Birthday, mingsmommy !!!  I hope you are having a wonderful, most happy birthday.  There is a present for you on the way (which I am so sorry that it is going to get to late).  But until then, there are some gifties under the cut.
( Happy birthday, Mingsmommy )

Because I follow the cool kids and I'm in the middle of writing a story so I need all the help I can get. Concrit welcome!

THE ANONYMOUS WRITING FEEDBACK MEME

I am a bad bad blogger!  I have totally failed to mention my parents are coming out here...tonight! 

This is their first trip to Boston since I've been out here.  I got passed over last year for the 50th running of the Daytona 500.  I know where I rank in the world ;)  But in my parents defense, they had the Florida trip planned before I went off to school so...

But I am waaaay excited!  We've got some great things planned.  The ever wonderful scullyseviltwin scored me some tickets to the only Red Sox game at home while my folks are in town.  My Dad is super happy. 

And thanks to a suggestion from a friend's mom, we are waking up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning to spend the day in the New York City, where grand_falloon has offered to play tour guide to the midwestern hicks.  And my father has been sworn to never, ever buy a Yankees cap.

The rest of the time we'll be eating, drinking, and being merry all the while doing all of the traditional Boston touristy stuff.  But it will be a good time.

And in other news...

For all CSI fans, go pick up the new CSI:Reloadead magazine right now.  I command you!  It is so full of GSR goodness...just mmmmmm.  Cute pics and several key GSR moments were named best of their respective season.  It's such a nice dose of Geek love.

And I'm writing a Grissom/Sara France fic based on some very recent spoilers.  Poke me to keep me writing.

I don't know who I'm angrier at:

The idiot drunk person who set off the fire alarm

or the apartment management who hasn't off the alarm.  I've been listening to the alarm for 45 MINUTES.

I am now done with my last grad school class, EVER!!  WAHOO!!  Now all I have to do is finish my thesis and be on my way.

But before I do that, I have more fics to add to my favorites list.  When I said I spent hours on the compy reading, I meant I spent hours.

The Hubble Factor by Kristen Elizabeth.  This fic wanted to make me wish I'd fall and slip in the shower and never see the light of day again.  It's so heartbreaking and gut wrenching.

Lip Service by VR Trakowski.  A fic I adore for its absolute brilliance.  Taking something as cheesy as a kissing booth and turning it into something believable?  That's real talent.

And Then Some by dreamsofming.  A story that made me believe GSR could make it through anything no matter what.  And one of the best sex scenes ever for its mixture of emotion and sheer hotness.

Secrets by Joan Powers.  It takes a lot to make me cry and this one just about killed me. 

Escapade by Miss Jazz.  I love this fic just for its sheer happiness.  The team is just so much fun outside of the lab.  I am still holding out hope it will be finished some day.  I squee when I see chapter alerts as I did when I first started reading it.

SOS by wobbear.  Another one I have to bow down to for her absolute creativity that was always fresh and never got old.  I was just blown away by the whole concept.

Delicious by Mingsmommy.  After reading this one, I couldn't even look at my fruit bowl without blushing.

Animal Crackers and Melting Igloos by Miss Jazz.  Now that her name has appeared three times on my list, I will answer your question; yes I am a Miss Jazz fangirl.  And oh how I love me some GSR fluff. These are just so, so sweet and fun.

Only the Brave by Summer Reign.  I fangirl this author too.  This one was published right before "Goodbye and Good luck" and soothed the impending doom of Jorja Fox's departure.  It had great story progression and character development.  And the thought of Grissom in bed with Bruno and the stuffed bee...well, you can't beat that.

A Trial of the Heart by Teenwitch.  I cannot beieve I almost forgot this one.  This fic was phenomenal.  For the story telling through flash backs, for the development of Grissom and Sara's relationship after being kidnapped, the casefile.  Everything. 

And finally some honorable mentions, but more for personal reasons.

Mayfly Cage by EllipsesBandit.  Bandit doesn't watch CSI; everything she knows is based on what I've told her and what I've shown (ie forced) her to watch.  But you wouldn't know that after reading this (a birthday present for me).  Not only that, she used the idea of Grissom and Sara's first photo together very, very creatively.  Sprinkle in some inside jokes and you have a fic I constantly read over and over.

If You Can Make it Here, You Can Make it Anywhere by grand_falloon. Another birthday with the perfect alternate reality to the disaster that was Season 3.  A lot of personal touches that made me grin, but mostly that she took the setting where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan kissed in You've Got Mail, and gave it to Grissom and Sara in a non-cheesy, fluffy, made me happy way.  I am a fluffist and this just warmed my little geek love heart.

I think I'll do a little reading before bed.  I bid you all a good night.