Living with Caoimhe.

whoo hoo

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:29:00 +0000

Boss is gone for three weeks.
Can finally take some time to organize my desk!!

look at the wierd guy

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:44:00 +0000

So yesterday on my way to the train I saw a middle aged white guy...

short shaggy blond hair...

black T-shirt...

uncomfortably short black cotton shorts...

I thought 'wow, kinda weird looking'

Then I looked down.

The man was wearing black high heels.

I almost burst out laughing as we was walking towards me (crossing the street)
I was surrounded by other commuters and was desperately looking for someone else that saw what I saw. I felt like I was taking crazy pills because everyone seemed to ignore him!

Finally I saw someone look at the weird guy, then look at me, and then I got to share a laugh.

Sorry, never going to accept this as normal.

was he gay? was he an art student?
he was to old to be an art student....

was he a professor of art?!?!

gruesome details.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:56:00 +0000

New pictures of CaoimheBear Thunder.

Harvested peritoneal cells today and usually I'm really good, but I was in a bit of a rush and it didn't go as smoothly as I expected. Don't want to get into the gruesome details, but let me just say a lot of Red Blood Cell lysis buffer was needed.

The experiment went well in the end, I found a lot of B cells expressing some of the proteins we're searching for so that's good.

On another note, our window AC unit is pretty much dead now. It was gutted last night by my husband (in response to bad smells and loud noises.)

I want to stress the fact that my husband gutted it...now, imagine the gore of the act of "gutting" something...ripping out pieces, breaking the moldy styrofoam into smaller parts, twisting them around in order to remove them from the body of the unit...it was horrifying actually.)

But, alas it couldn't really be saved after replacing the face and screwing things back together..
The fan still ran but most of the cold air went right out the window.

Not looking forward to spending any more $ to buy a new one.

thinking about heading home from work a bit early today. It was a long day.

I'd order it again. yum.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:02:00 +0000

Dr. Raif Geha won the AAI Award for Human Immunology Research and the floor had cake yesterday to celebrate. Of course Dr. Lee and I were the first in our lab to head over. (If there's free cake, not only do we know it but we are the first to get a piece).

Headed over to the Laundromat after work. (Best laundromat in Boston. $1.75/load and 25 cents/ten minutes.) last load is at 7:30pm. It is super clean and there are plenty of carts and tables to fold. free wifi and a TV. and a bathroom!

Oh, the day before Patrick and I tried out Six Burner. (across from Back Bay Station) I ordered the grilled cheese and it was delicious. I'd order it again. yum.

Work is not extremely busy today. I just have to make dendritic cell cultures for the lab and genotype some mice.

The 2010 Boston water crisis

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:07:00 +0000

on Saturday, a major water main burst and most of Boston was without drinkable tap water. We found this out when we stopped at the ABP on Cambridge. No hot coffee...which was a bummer for many people.

Sunday we went to look at some open houses. We didn't think much of the water problem until we went to get some groceries in South Bay. Who knew it was the end of the world! Bottled water was practically out of stock. Some people had two shopping carts full of bottled water...

We stopped to get some water at the convenience store by our apt. Got home and watched the news showing people waiting in line to get a free case of bottled water...

It was kind of crazy I think. Especially when we could just boil water.

Today the "boil order" was lifted and Boston is back to "normal"

Parenthood is one of my favorite shows now.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:42:00 +0000

I got cat food here yesterday

What a fancy veterinarian office! It looked like a day spa inside.
Got home and Patrick already had dinner ready. Such a great thing to come home to! It was a cold and rainy walk home and it instantly put me in a good mood.

Ate dinner and watched TV...Parenthood is one of my favorite shows now. (Along with The Office, Bones and 24)

I'm at work now (the only one here actually) so I will continue this later.

Cat food.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:35:00 +0000

I haven't written in a while.

Lots of life has gone by.

Today's pointless issue:
Caoimhe is totally out of cat food. Science Diet.
(Which is only sold at Pet stores and veterinarian offices.)

The only pet store in Boston is the Petco near Cambridgeside Galleria. It is such a long train ride! Trying to get Patrick to agree to going out to dinner at the Chesecake factory up there so the train ride is more fun. Not sure he'll agree. We started dieting a bit and actually went out to eat more than usual this weekend.

I might end up stopping at the Back Bay Veterinary Office on my way home to pick up the cat food instead.

life is so different when you don't have a car.
This will be our first Boston spring/summer without the Jetta.

2010.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:09:00 +0000

Wow, I haven't written in livingwithcaoimhe for a long time!

Lots of news to catch up on.

Biggest news: Patrick and I are engaged!! yay! He proposed on Christmas morning while we all opened presents. Caoimhe is pretty excited I think...
Actually no. I lied. She doesn't care.

(That was a Lolcat that someone made from Caoimhe's picture.

What else, Obama's president, Brad and Jennifer may be back together again, 24 started another season, my parents are back in Vegas, Patrick started grad school at MIT, We are living in the South End now and I'm already on my 4th lab notebook here at Harvard/Children's.

Movies we've seen since 2008...
Paul Blart Mall Cop
The Dark Knight
Taken
The international
Watchmen
I Love you, Man
Observe and Report
X-Men Wolverine
Star Trek
Angels and Demons
The Hangover
Land of The Lost
The Proposal
Year One
Public Enemies
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Orphan
The Ugly Truth
Funny People
Inglourious Basterds
Zombieland
Couples Retreat
The Boondock Saints II
Invictus
Avatar
It's Complicated

Christmas 2008 part I

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:54:00 +0000

Hello from Sunny Las Vegas!!

So far this Christmas break has been absolutely wonderful! Caoimhe and I landed in McCarran Airport around 11pm MT (2AM my time.) I was super tired but once I saw my family at Baggage Claim I was wide awake. Mom and Dad were so excited to see Caoimhe. :) it was really sweet.

We got home and stayed up til Midnight to open presents. (It was too late to go to Midnight Mass.)

Here are some pictures so far!

Mom made pozole Christmas day for lunch.

I made a cheesecake for dessert. (It actually tested delicious.)

More pictures to come, (my dad has 3 digital cameras (technology crazed) and we were using which ever camera was closest...so I have to upload all the memory cards and find some more.)

Ready to go!

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:26:00 +0000

What a great day for making a snowman! I dug my car out instead.
The snow was packed all around my car and all I had were gloves. I started with the trunk because the ice scraper/brush was in there. (turned out to be absolutely useless in the heavy snow situation) I ended up pretty much on top of the jetta shoving snow off using all my upper body strength. I started digging to get the driver's side door open (to start the car) a really nice guy stopped and let me borrow his shovel. (awesome!) so that worked much better. This was a really strong metal work shovel. I have never owned a shovel..but when I do (probably pick one up when I get back from vegas) I am definitely spending my money on a shovel like this. What a great tool.

Thankfully, the car started I unlocked the doors and shut the door. (memories of the Honda cr-v incident 2 years ago crossed my mind). And I finished pushing the snow off the jetta.

Afterwards, I stopped at the 7-11 on Charles street to get a cup of coffee. Yum. Then I walked down Charles dodging all the puddles and all the dripping store fronts. There is a lot of ice out there.

And now I'm home. Pretty much packed and ready the go. I already checked in online last night. Laundry is done, garbage gone, The apartment is clean and organized. I suppose I can just chill out watch tv. Yay for going home!!!! (caoimhe has no idea how her life will be dramatically different in about 5 hours)

I hope everyone reading has a safe and merry Christmas. My prayers go out to my loved ones who are in the hospital this Christmas.

Wrapping things up before Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:22:00 +0000

Christmas is almost here! I am so excited to see my family again. I have been quietly home sick since last Christmas when I got to spend time at home.

So this year, Caoimhe is traveling with me! I'm so glad JetBlue allows pets on the plane. This will be her first time flying but I'm pretty confident once we're in the air she'll just go to sleep and be fine. Crossing my fingers.

I just bought a Sherpa soft-sided carrying case for her (because that's all JetBlue allows on the plane).

I bought it on Saturday, brought it home, covered it with an old throw, took off my sweater and set it on the bottom...Caoimhe sniffed at it and immediately crawled in turned around and fell asleep. PERFECT! I was totally doing a jig in my head. so I quietly tip-toed away and finished wrapping all the Christmas presents I got for my fam.

She's been in and out of the carrying case all day! I'm glad she'll have a comfortable place to chill when we get to my parents house.

So, we leave tomorrow. It'll be a bit of a hassle having to go through security with her. I bet I'm going to get a lot of "oh look at the cute kitty!"

It'll be all worth it though, My parents and sister will have a fun time watching Reggie (their cat) and Caoimhe figure each other out.

On another note, this New England storm seems to be pretty much over. The slush and yuckiness is all gone now. And the ice is starting to form, especially on the high traffic areas on the sidewalks. My Ugg boots are keeping me nice and cozy. It's sunny at least.

Vegas weather is not looking so hot. Today I read it was about 37*F. Not what I was hoping for.

Just have to get through everything I need to get done at work today. (wean some mice, finish PCR, read a proliferation assay, organize instructions for when I'm gone) and I am so out of here!!!!

Sheena & Patrick go to NYC (more pics part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:15:00 +0000

zoom

lower manhattan

Lemonade on Ellis Island

skyline

Central Central park

Sheena & Patrick go to NYC (more pics)

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:08:00 +0000

Haha!

Rockefeller Center

Subway. I made the mistake of asking someone "where's the red line?"

On our way to the Statue of Liberty.

Here she is.

Do petitions actually work?

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:55:00 +0000

This is a petition directed towards the UN to apply a "responsibility to protect" doctrine to force international aid into Myanmar. (Please read the letter...and if you agree, add your name...this petition might get through to the Secretary General.)

The Burmese Government is either absolutely retarded or they are purposefully trying to kill the Burmese people by not accepting international aid!

or its both.

The Burmese people have been begging for the World to help for years.

This country used to be self-sufficient. Once upon a time the Burmese had good school systems, thrived on its natural resources and people were happy.

Than Shwe and his cronies came straight from Hell.

everything's all good.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:56:00 +0000

Since the last post, my dad finally got in touch with his brother out in Burma.
So, we're all a bit calmer...still furious about the situation out there, but able to focus. My mom, who is actually from Mexico, seemed to be the most upset about what was happening over in Burma. I talked to her on the phone last week and boy was she livid!

I have to give my mom a lot of credit. Not having a secondary education, she surprisingly understands what is going on in the world.

She was nearly in tears over the phone talking to me about what she's heard on the news. My mom was pissed, and agrees that all we need to do is drop a bomb on the secret capital. Then we started talking about guns and Buddhism...and she actually thought Dad was going to go over there to "do something about it".

I'm sorry but that made me laugh so hard. which caught my mom by surprise...He's turning 63 for God's sake! I reassured her that Dad is NOT going to go Rambo on them.

anyway, good news...I finally got a job here in Boston! I'll be working on Asthma and Allergy research with the Childrens Hospital Boston.

My boss to-be, Dr. Dale Umetsu was on NPR in 2006. If you want to listen.

Oh, more news: my parents are moving to Florida. :) Dad got a promotion and mom will be beachside, I'm sure.

This weekend Patrick and I had a blast!
We ate out every night (mostly in the North End)
Hung out at a neat cigar parlor (which used to be a speak-easy)
Had a delicious cannoli at Mike's (A super nice man bought for us)
Saw some neat real estate properties (Beacon Hill and North End)
played scrabble (Patrick beat be by less than 10 points!)
and baked Friendship bread...yummm, (thank you Michelle for mailing it to us!)

Happy Mothers day Tina!
and to everyone back in IL, WI and Davis, CA. I miss you!

pictures.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:14:00 +0000

From The Weather Channel:

These are amazing pictures.

http://climate.weather.com/articles/myanmar_slideshow.html?page=1

Thank you Google.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:01:00 +0000

If anyone has noticed while "googling" recently...
Google has included a link to support the Crisis in Burma on it's front page.

all you have to do is watch.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:28:00 +0000

A month long campaign to expose the human rights disaster in Burma. One video every day of May. Today is day 7....

All you have to do is watch. Please watch at least one video for the poor people of this beautiful, once thriving, country.

http://www.burmaitcantwait.org/burmaitcantwait/

and if you can spread awareness by forwarding the site to friends....

The only Nobel peace prize laureate ever to be imprisoned is still under house arrest in Burma. It is absolutely offensive.

I have family in Burma.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:16:00 +0000

The cyclone hit Saturday.
CNN reports the death toll may reach 10,000.

I have family still living in Yangon.

Its so sad that the only news on Burma has been bad news.
Very bad news.

This should seriously be the last straw.

Make Way for Ducklings!!!

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:26:00 +0000

adorableness.

This one's for Aiden.

Reading in Boston Common.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:17:00 +0000

The oldest public park in America.
These are pictures I took while reading under a tree, one unseasonably warm spring day.

Looking north at the Bottom of Beacon Hill. (Beacon Street)

Random Boston pics.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:05:00 +0000

Boston from the Science Museum. (looking east) That white dome is the Hayden Planetarium.

The Science Museum. (looking northeast)

Back Bay from the LongFellow Bridge. (looking south) I was experimenting with my camera.

Public Garden.

Acorn Street & Public Garden

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:55:00 +0000

Here's me with a delicious almond poppyseed muffin (from Beacon Hill market on Anderson and Myrtle) on Acorn Street. (They kept the cobblestone road here, for some reason this is called "the most photographed street in America" (Which I think propagates its photogenic qualities by serving as a tourist attraction.)

SO of course, I HAD to have a picture.

Then we walked through The Public Garden. It was only Early April, so the swan boats weren't out yet. (They are now though!)

My hood.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:47:00 +0000

See that cluster of houses behind me that looks like the slums from far away.
That's Beacon Hill, the most preserved, old school, and in my opinion, the most beautifulest place to live in Boston!:)

You can see the top of the State House in this picture. (gold dome, which also marks the geographical center of Boston.) Our apartment is a few blocks from it.

When we finally got there.

noreply@blogger.com (just sheena) — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:28:00 +0000

Patrick took us across the LongFellow Bridge to MIT.

the weather was kind of crappy.

The Charles River Basin, just north of the Hatch Memorial Shell.