The 2013 (or 2014, depending on who you ask; there were apparently some issues with the 2013 list causing YOLOCALYPSE) University of Chicago Scavenger hunt is either in full swing or panic mode (again, depending on who you ask). And this is something that everyone should know about. Here’s a summary for those of you who didn’t choose which college to go to based on criteria like “... »
I wish I could add a ton of hilarious commentary. But how do I top “I’m a writing panda. I eat words like bamboo.” HOW? I can’t. What I can say is that whenever I’m like “Ugh. Marriage. How the hell have I been doing this for 10 years?” I see something like this and I’m like “OMG I LOVE MARRIAGE AND MONOGAMY AND EVERYTHING ABOUT NEVER DATING SW... »
Last week, I wrote about our involvement in a ballet recital and how I had the opportunity to actually make costumes for 3 of my daughters for the recital. The post discussed Zoë’s skunk costume and gave a bit of information about actual skunks themselves. As stated in the previous article, my twins were cast as frogs in the recital. Upon hearing that she got the frog part, Briar immediatel... »
Whew, this last week has been a busy one. Our entire family is involved in the ballet recital, “Snow White”, and it’s been either ballet practice or recital rehearsal almost every day of the week. It’s truly a family affair; we each have a part in the play: Rob is Snow White’s father. It is quite a role and he is kickin’ ass! He actually has the biggest role in ... »
I am lucky. I look like 90% of the women on the big screen, the small screen, on the covers of novels and in the pages of comic books. I am white, skinny and have learned how to use makeup (as well as a few laser surgeries) to cover the birthmark on my face with which genetics graced me. That doesn’t make me a good cosplayer. In fact, it means that I can be a little more lazy with my costumes than... »
This article, about why stretching before a workout is foolish, sparked a lot of reactions for me. I always stretch before I work out, and I have my students do the same. It made me re-evaluate why I do. And I think the conclusion I came to was that it really depends on the kind of exercise you do. The article itself seems like a great example of two things: “science” “proving... »
I go by “mad geneticist” on tumblr, but most of the posts I’ve written up here – and there – have been the kind of posts that a run-of-the-mill geneticist would write. For example, they have been about biology. Some more technical than others, but that has definitely been a defining characteristic. I’m going to buck that trend. This post has nothing to do about ... »
Sometimes, there’s a post where I have to jump around my apartment for a bit to get rid of my excess excitement long enough to sit down and write about it. This is one of those. Imogen Heap is a British artist known for creating dramatically produced electronica/rock/pop music (here’s one of her best-known tracks). Like many musicians who rely heavily on computers for their final produ... »
