Note to readers: this post will only make it out there if this temptative comfortable position I found for typing proves to be good enough.

Interesting:
We plant scientists are maybe not as creative but definitely not as freaky as fruit fly scientists:
'Sonic Hedgehog' sounded funny, at first

Disturbing:
I was randomly browsing blogs (something I very rarely do) and came across a white power, anti-Semitic blog hosted by someone at U.K. Quite scary for a pacific, South American, Jewish descending girl like me.

Funny and instructive:
I also came across this very cute blog called Adopt a Microbe, check it out.

Creepy:
Last night I went to the local Centro Espírita, and when I left, a dude who was also at the meeting approached me as I was walking home. After small-talking a bit he asked me if I had a boyfriend, to really throw him off I said I have a fiancee. Dude asked me to send a message to my fiancee - with all due respect (!!! those were his words), he is a very lucky guy. WTF?? I am wearing a neck brace!
Anyway: my dear fiancee, wherever you are, please know you are apparently a very lucky guy, I'll be even luckier if I ever find you.
This morning as I was waiting in line at the grocery store, the guy waiting next to me said "I bet you were fighting with your boyfriend and hurt your neck"; to that I replied "if I was fighting with my boyfriend he'd be the one with the neck brace"; to what he replied "I meant you hurt your neck when trying to hit him! Well, you deserved it". WTF???
As if the pain wasn't enough...

Careful what you wish for!

It might have been all this talk of getting older when really I am still such a little baby, life decided to teach me a lesson...??

As of yesterday morning I can't move my neck. The pain was such that I had to go home at lunchtime. I started taking some heavy drugs (painkiller + muscle relaxing stuff) that made me very drowsy and didn't really help much with the pain. Came into work today but I am still in total pain. My dad told me to take an anti-inflammatory, put warm pads and immobilize the neck as much as possible.

An old lady, the hunchback of Seven Lakes... no, it's me!!!

Airport frenzy and puppy hair

Back from the weekend in Campinas, all I can say is I was glad to make it there at all. Air controllers in Brazil decided to show just how much control they actually have - and in sort of a 'strike', they significantly lowered the number of airplanes controlled by each person simultaneously, this way causing the biggest mess in history of Brazilian aviation during the last national holiday.
Strictly following the Murphy's laws that rule my life, I was caught in the middle of this mess. Last Thursday (Dia de Finados) I got up at 6:30am to get to the airport by 8am and catch a 9:15am flight to Campinas. My flight ended up leaving at 6pm, i.e. a total of 10 hours at the airport - and I should consider myself lucky, since there was people waiting for the same flight who had been at the airport since Wednesday afternoon.
It sounds worse than it actually was - after 2 hours waiting in line to check-in, in the morning I sat around, worked on a manuscript, and got to know a bunch of people waiting for the same flight. The airline sponsored our lunch, and a bunch of us spent many hours at the airport restaurant, chatting over beers. That's when the phone calls started - mom, dad, friends wanting to know if I was alright. "Sure I am alright, just sitting around! I don't understand why you're worrying so much."
They were worried because the TV started to show images of airports where the police had to come in and help control the situation, where airline booths had been invaded, aircrafts taken over by angry passengers... oh boy. From the restaurant at the top floor of the Confins airport, we had not a clue - so we decided to head back to the gates and see what was shaking.
Indeed things were a little crazy... and after some passengers who had a few extra beers making a scene at our gate, the airline managed to fly us with only a 10-hour delay.
The situation is now under control thanks to an emergency plan, but we are far from finding a solution. Flight controllers are overworked and underpaid - and so are we, but they are called controllers for a reason.

Back to 7L, I went to get a much-needed hair cut and decided to try a celebrated, L'Oreal-chique hairdresser. Indeed he did a great job on my hair, with the exception of completely ignoring that I asked him to keep it long. No big deal considering it took me only 5 years to let my hair grow long.... but so they say, short hair suits older women better, so I am getting acquainted with my soon-to-be, over-30 looks.

Much Posting About Nothing

OK... I have nothing really to talk about, but I couldn't just leave without saying a word! I'm going to Campinas, will be back blogging Monday. So let's see... Brazil by Lyza is now a permanent blog feature... it's still hot as Hell here... flight controllers are on strike and I foresee many hours of airport chaos ahead of me. Lab folks finally tested the competent cells and concluded they were at 10e4... guess I should even feel proud that I got two white colonies after all. I'm the cloning wizard! Which reminds me, I saw another lizard today, this one had yellow stripes and it was pretty, but it did kinda scare me since I almost stepped on it. Both Almodóvar and Wenders have new movies that are never going to make it to 7L, and I am tempted to try more downloads using BitTorrent. On second thought, season 3 of 24 is only at 20%...
Gotta run... have a great weekend everyone!!!

WAKE UP, sleepyheads!!!

Readers from Ithaca are sure to appreciate Cham's latest cartoon :)

President Squid is on the NYT

In 2nd Term, Brazil's Leader Has Agenda Topped by Ethics

Peter Pan Syndrome - Part II

Last night I was chatting with E over a beer and he mentioned "hey, did you hear that 'So and So' from the gym broke up... she was really devastated last week". Me: "heck, I didn't even know they used to date!" (Note before I go on: it's hard for me to interact with new people at the gym... perhaps because I have my iPod on 100% of the time - or else I feel naked - and, at least according to E, I look too serious and unapproachable)
Well, 'So and So' did date, and for like 5 years. Mrs 'So' is a really nice gal who I actually know, at least superficially, and Mr 'So' is a guy who managed to break the iPod barrier a few times to chat with me. He seemed like a nice guy, and a few weeks back he kinda sorta asked me out, luckily I had no interest whatsoever and turned him down.

... no comments

(now folks, please don't take me as one of those bitchy feminists, but stop asking what compelled me to write the Peter Pan Syndrome post, ok?)

(untitled)

I had some ideas for posts but it's too freaking hot to think. My brain cells are melting so here's me mumbling random thoughts about this weekend.

Sat morning: I saw a little baby bird fall from its nest on the roof and saved it from being eaten by a kitten at the backyard. Lunchtime: both days were as previously described here. Afternoon: manicure, pedicure... things to make girl happy. At the salon I heard there was a huge storm in the morning, my street even flooded but I slept right through it (oh... yes!) - happiest moment of the day. Sat night: house was a zoo - main wildlife attraction: a pair of 9-year old boys. Spent the evening apartment-hunting at Cornell listings. When I get day-dreamy, I get to thinking which nice car I am going to buy when I start my new postdoc job.
I am counting seven mosquito bites on my left thigh... Don't you hate when Gmail asks "send this message without a subject?"
My download of season 3 of 24 is going real slow, plus when it was about 5% it started again from zero for no reason, crap. I am feeling bad that season 2 is going to end so I didn't watch a single episode. Today I ate the last piece of the 2 bars of dark chocolate I brought from São Paulo, fancy chocolate - the type you can't find in 7L.

Found out I need to go to Campinas to pick up my passport, left it there for renewal. Nice excuse for the sum of money I am spending to fly down again this coming weekend. It is (yet another) long holiday, so leave Thurs come back Mon: with passport, 300 bucks poorer, but great! - get to spend holiday with mom.

This afternoon went to the voting ballots even though I can't vote in 7L, voting is mandatory in Brazil so I had to justify my absence. Got a ride with Claudia to go into work and start some cultures for miniprep - got like 4 white colonies out of 9 transformations, inoculated some blue-ish colonies out of sheer despair to clone. The lab folks finally agree the competent cells are crap.

Sun eve: went out for beers with Elisson - wanted to go to the movies just to be in an air-conditioned room for 2 hours, but the movie was crap - so beer instead. Now bed, alarm rings tomorrow at 6:30am to start a short week thank God!

I saw a giant lizard!

Yesterday I had another close encounter with an amazing creature of the Brazilian Cerrado , the lagarto teiú (lagarto = lizard). I was walking from lab to office (which are in separate buildings), minding my own business, and he was right there, crossing the yard in his 'lizardy' awkward steps.
So pretty! This guy was easily 3-feet long! Of course I didn't have my camera on me (just like I didn't have it on the day I was almost run over by a crowd of monkeys at this same place). But I've found a bunch of pictures of this lizard online (the name in English is Black and White Tegu).

Duh!!

In case you've tried to access the map bellow... I had forgotten to change the settings and the map was set to 'private', so no one could access it. You should be able to see it now... my apologies...

Brazil by Lyza

This is something I've been meaning to do since I started the blog!
I have been writing about locations, different places where I have been, but knowing that a lot of my friends can't really place them in a map. I wanted everyone to know where these places really are... so finally I've put together a little map, it's called Brazil by Lyza and it's hosted by Community Walk.
I have placed on the map all the different cities where I've been since I arrived in Brazil, and that I've mentioned in the blog over the past several months. I've also built paths between the different places to give an idea of the distances traveled (yes, Brazil is pretty large!).

This is a typical Google Map, where you can zoom in/out, change to satellite view and everything else. I plan to turn the map into a permanent blog feature in the near future. Hope y'all enjoy a little taste of Brazilian geography ;)

It seems Jorge Cham has been reading my blog

I have been criticized for spending too much time on the Internet... well here's why! So thank you, my blog readers (all four of you!) :)

Portuguese rules!!!

From the NYT: At Long Last, a Neglected Language Is Put on a Pedestal

Today was Formula 1 Sunday

I confess - I didn't resist. I had for a long time lost my interest in Formula 1 and didn't follow any of the last two seasons. But being Brazilian, and being in Brazil at the time of a race like the one we had today, I once again surrendered to this national passion, second only to soccer. When I was in São Paulo last week, where the race was to take place, I was astonished to see the words 'O Duelo Final' (A Final Duel) overlaid on 15ft high billboards, with the heads of Alonso and Schumacher, spread all over town.

Yes, Formula 1 is a big Brazilian passion and I grew up seeing my brothers wake up early on Sunday mornings to watch the races, no matter how late they had partied the night before. It was fun to be there, although I would usually fall back asleep after the best part: the starting lap.

And just so it happens that the Interlagos race is the one that closes the championship. And that it was Michael Schumacher's last race before retiring from being the best F1 racer in history. And that Felipe Massa had the pole position and it's been 13 years since a Brazilian won a race at home, when the late Ayrton Senna won in 1993. It was all over the news and it was the number one subject at bar tables across the country (giving presidential elections a rest, even though we are a week away from the second round).

All of that seemed like enough reason to just get over it and watch the race - and I am glad I did. Felipe Massa won the race gracefully. I confess I got a little emotional watching the crowds go wild. I even confess I was cheering for Schumacher, after he blew a tire and had to stop, coming back at the last position. He worked his way up to 4th position, and it was spectacular. So yes, I did cheer for him although he is not exactly a nice guy. Personal issues aside, I admired his ability to find the right moment to end his racing career. Only a wise man knows when it's the right time to let go of a passion, of something he is really good at, and move on to new projects.

I wrapped up my 'sporty' afternoon watching my soccer team play on TV for the Campeonato Brasileiro. We are doing well this year and still hold a change to make it to Libertadores da América. It sure does feel good to be back home in days like this... :)

(a lilttle irony I could not keep myself from mentioning... for those who think sporty people don't 'waste time' on the Internet, I found out Felipe Massa has a blog, a really cool one, in the Ferrari website)

The Peter Pan Syndrome

As we left campus to catch a bite of lunch, Zack stopped at a pastel green building the locals call Guacamole Memorial. It's a private dorm, the largest in the student ghetto. He glanced at his watch. "D’you mind if we turn in here first, Professor? I forgot something."

"Would you like me to wait outside?"

"No, you can come in."

All in all I wished I hadn't; faculty could hardly be more conspicuous in a place like this. Besides, it was co-ed, and as we passed girls in various stages of dress, I felt as though I were visiting a house of questionable repute. Zack noticed my uneasiness and laughed.

"After a while you get used to it, Professor S."

"I don't see how."

A few paces further was his door. Turning the key, he said "C'mon in. Don't step on the skateboard. I'll be just a sec."

My eyes scanned the room. On the bed was a water gun version of an AK-47 assault rifle; next to it, a pile of comic books. On the desk perched a PlayStation console. From the ceiling hung a model of a Star Wars craft – I think it was the Millennium Falcon. On the floor, a business textbook was opened to the section on Bayesian analysis; alongside it, a copy of Horton Hears a Who was opened to the section where Horton is vindicated. A couple of limp mylar balloons were attached by laces to a pair of sour athletic shoes. Zack thrust his arm into a pile of clothes, thrashed around, and pulled out a leather wallet. "That's lucky," he said. "I was worried that the washing machine might have hurt it. Let's go."

By prearrangement, we headed for the Edge of Night. He ordered a fried egg sandwich, I called for my usual Reuben. No sooner had we given thanks than he got down to business.

"The reason I invited you to lunch, Professor Smith, is that I wanted to ask your opinion about something."

"Go ahead."

"What's wrong with me?"

I studied him across the table. "What makes you think there's something wrong with you?"

"Lots of things. For one, next semester I graduate, and I've gotta start looking for jobs."

"Do you call that bad?"

"It is if you didn't need an Ph.D."

"But, Zack, if you didn't need one —"

"Then why am I getting one? That's just it: I don't know."

"I see."

"Here's another thing. There's this girl, Julie. I think you know her."

"I've seen you with her. Nice girl."

"Well, I'm crazy in love with her. And she says she loves me too."

"Do you call that bad?"

"It is if I don't want to marry her."

"Don't you?"

"I do and I don't."

"Why?"

"That's just it: I don't know that either." He ran both hands through his hair. "I'll never find anyone like her. I can see myself growing old with her. If I don't act soon I'll lose her forever. But I keep telling myself that I can't."

"Do you feel that you're not good enough for her?"

"Of course I'm not good enough for her — nobody could be. But that's not it."

"What is it, then?"

"I don't know! I must be crazy... do you think I'm crazy?"

"I wouldn't say crazy."

"What would you say? That I can't handle responsibility?"

I pulled at my beard and considered him. "I happen to know your advisor, Zack. He has nothing but good to say about your thesis. And last year, when you ran the Speakers Program for the Student Council, I heard that you were the best chairman they'd ever had. So it isn't that you can't handle responsibility..."

He was silent.

"I think you're just afraid to grow up."

"I'm terrified to grow up," he blurted. "Lots of my friends are too. Some of them even more than me. Except they don't know it, or else they think that's normal. Why are so many people like that?"

"A better question would be 'Why are you like that?'"

"I don't know. I guess I think I'll make a mess of things."

He changed the subject.

"Were people of your age afraid of growing up?"

"Lots of people my age still haven't grown up," I said.

"Has it always been that way?"

"I'd say 'No.' Historically, some people have been afraid of growing up, but most have looked forward to it. Prolonged adolescence is an invention of modern times."

"How recent?"

"1950s or 60s, I'd say."

"Isn't that your generation?"

"Yes, we have a lot to answer for."

"What made it different from the generations that came before?"

"Lots of things."

"Like what?"

"Too many to list them all."

"Then list some of them."

I sighed. "Too much free time. Too few responsibilities. Too much disposable income. Enormous high schools in which teens imitated each other instead of grown-ups. Mass higher education for people who weren't really interested in it. Separation of the generations as families moved around. Loss of traditions. Rise of 'experts'. Decline of faith. Resulting loss of perspective. With that, an increasing inability to set distant goals for life. That's just for starters."

"What do you mean, 'just for starters'?"

"I mean there's a lot more."

"What?"

"The sexual revolution. And with it, the collapse of the ancient tacit covenant among all women. You see, once young women stopped holding out for marriage, their bargaining power was undercut. As my grandmother used to say, 'Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free?'"

"Like most of us do."

"Right. But the next part of the story concerns you particularly."

"How do you mean?"

"The increase on divorce rates. This had all sorts of bad effects. A child idealizes his parents. If they couldn't stay married, he thinks, then how could he? He may even blame himself for the divorce. And so he expects to make a mess of things, as adults always do."

"Worse yet, a lot of divorce means that a lot of kids grow up without dads. If a boy's father deserts his mother, the very idea of fatherhood is diminished in his eyes. That's a catastrophe, and I don't just mean that he's sad about it. To a small boy, his father is more than his father — he's his vision of his future, his portrait of adult manhood. If that vision is discredited, then growing up itself is discredited."

The stricken look on Zack's face continued to deepen.

"This sense of disillusionment spreads through the —"

"Please stop, Professor."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I just need to stop listening for a minute."

We finished our sandwiches. I asked for an espresso. Zack signalled for a refill on his soft drink. He set it down, took a long breath, then exhaled.

We looked at each other.

"So how does a guy —"

"A man, Zack. You're 28."

"I don't feel like one."

"But you are one."

"Then how does — a man — of 28 — start growing up?"

"In order to grow up, you've got to start acting like a grown-up. It's the same with every trait of character. To become courageous, you practice the actions of courageous people. To become frank and open-hearted, you practice the actions of frank and open-hearted people. Whatever you do consistently, for good or ill, you become."

His brow furrowed. "That sounds circular."

"Think about it."

For a long time Zack looked at me goggle-eyed. Then he collected himself, folded his arms, and smirked.

"So you say. But if I'm supposed to do that, then what's Julie supposed to do?"

I wasn't about to be sidetracked.

"Well, Zack," I said, "she can hold you to it."

(modified from original by J. Budziszewski)

I don't want this post to cause trouble, as I sense that not everyone will agree with it. But I was never afraid to be controvertial and I am not about to become. I didn't write this text, and I agree that some of it is overrated, but I like its central message.
How many Zacks do you know? Girls, how many guys (ops - men) like Zack have you dated... how many of them listened to sermons like this from how many Professors... and how have them turned out?

There's a lot of change in society, and as with any change, good as well as bad things come with it. To be a woman caught between the waves of this change is a tough spot to be. There's no denying that.

Also, I got an interesting perspective from a recent article on the NYT entitled To Be Married Means to Be Outnumbered. I recommend reading it.