Yessss. So nice once in a while to do absolutely f*ck all one day and not feel guilty about it. That was today. It started when I got woke up by my ringing phone. It was my Summer Plans calling, haha. I've got myself a position on an archaeology crew for the summer/fall with PennDot! It's the internship thingie I alluded to previously (and ( Read more... )

Posting two days in a row? It's like a Lent Miracle! Actually, I'm hard-core procrastinating on all the Things I Should Be Doing. But I'm also celebrating the fact that I had an awesome interview today for a summer internship. I've been led to believe by a few of the people involved that I have a very, VERY good chance of getting the position this ( Read more... )

YOU GUYS.  DAVID BOWIE IS A FABULOUS ROCK STAR, GUYS.  Did you know that?  I KNOW IT NOW, TOO.

Also, this is a very lovely planet you guys have here.  Earth, you call it?  Not the prettiest-sounding name, but ok.  I'm really enjoying the variety of cultures you humans have here.  So much to see and experience!

Okay, then.  DAVID BOWIE.  I knew who ( Read more... )

I don't remember if I posted about Symphony of Science before, but if I have, I'm posting about it again because it's awesome.  If you've never heard of it, Symphony of Science is a music project that samples science documentaries and interviews with a number of eminent scientists like Carl Sagan (astronomer), Stephen Hawking (physicist), Neil ( Read more... )

Ever have one of those days when you feel like you're THIIIIIIS CLOSE to throwing the biggest temper tantrum ever?  Today hasn't been one of those days.  It's been the kind of day that comes just before that other day, where you know it's coming.  I seriously just wrote a huge bitch/whine post about the whys of this, but nobody wants to read that ( Read more... )

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present what is quite possibly the nerdiest video ever: the Star Trek theme, played on theremin!

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But wait!  The theremin can be quite classy, too.  Here's Lydia Kavina (the world's premier theremin player):

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If you like the sound but don't have the budget for a theremin, there's always the musical saw (and this ( Read more... )

Whatever flaws the show itself may have, J.J. Abrams' "Fringe" has a great main theme, doesn't it?:

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I don't know why, but it reminds me of the main theme from PBS' "Mystery!" (which is really nothing like it at all, but they both have some kind of indefinable creep factor that thrills me.)

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Anyway, the only problem I have with the "Fringe" theme is ( Read more... )

My boss is awesome.  How awesome?  Like, gave-me-a-violin-for-free awesome.  Really.  It plays good and everything.  And he just let me have it.  Lemme 'splain:  In March of 1998, there was this old lady named Mabel Grey who brought her violin in to get serviced.  The work was done, to the tune of $112, and the store called to tell her this.  Well ( Read more... )

I had a fic recced on calufrax ! I feel so...legitimate. Or official? Like I can now apply for my official Fandom Participant Card or something. Thanks for the shout-out, philosophercatAlso, I spent most of today arranging "Do You Hear What I Hear" for a viola quartet. Why that song? Dunno. It's pretty. I've got two of the four parts mostly hashed out, but it ( Read more... )

A proper full-size viola has a 16" fingerboard. My viola is a 15", because a 16" is just too long for my short arms to play comfortably. While playing an undersized instrument is easier on my arms, it does bad things to the sound quality of the instrument. I didn't think one inch made much difference, until tonight. Like all stringed ( Read more... )