December 2008
47 posts
1st Annual Brain Drool Awards: 2008's Top Picks
I stole this idea from my friend and fellow blogger, JR. So thank you, although you will likely never read this blog anyway.
Top Picks in Music:
2008 was not a good music year for me. This is not because good music wasn’t released, but because I didn’t have money to purchase it. Thus, I received the majority of my music from 2008 a few days ago, with many CDs still not...
The Top 10 Events of 2008 - #1 - Being in Love
I am in love. In July I asked an incredible, loving woman to marry me. Each day my love for her has been growing, and I can’t wait to take her as my wife in May.
The Top 10 Events of 2008 - #2 - Road Trip
I took the month of August off to drive across the country with my great friend Jeff. For me, the trip was not just about what we were able to see, but also about what I was able to learn about myself. Feel free to check out the blog or photos.
The Top 10 Events of 2008 - #3 - A Closer Family
My sister and her husband moved this year. At the beginning of 2008, they were a three hour flight away. They are now a two and a half hour drive. As a result, I have been able to see them more often! Visiting them is always joyful :)
The Top 10 Events of 2008 - #4 - Phanatic...
The Phillies won the world series this year, in case you missed that event. I was lucky enough to be a part of the victory related festivities in a unique way, which included a press pass.
The Top 10 Events of 2008 - #5 - Patent
2008 saw the filing of my first US Patent.
The Top 10 Events of 2008 - #6 - Becoming a Fellow...
I was awarded the NSF IGERT fellowship in March, which funds my Ph.D studies. It has treated me very well, and I am most grateful for the its support.
The Top 10 Events of 2008 - #7 - No Longer...
In June I graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. My fiance also graduated with a B.S. in Molecular Biology, so there was much celebration surrounding the completion of our undergraduate work.
The Top 10 Events of 2008 - #8 - My First...
In March I had my first speaking engagement at a conference. It was the American Physical Society March Meeting in New Orleans. To add to that, I spoke at two other conferences later this year (one just a few days ago).
Did you know that my time in New Orleans had a part in the creation of this blog? Oh yes. My thoughts about various life issues during the trip acted as a final straw...
The Top 10 Events of 2008 - #9 - A Duo of Concerts
The past year afforded me the opportunity to attend two special concerts: Linkin’ Park and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I had, for a few years, been wanting to see both bands in concert at some point.
The Linkin’ Park concert was the headlining act at Projekt Revolution, a tour sponsored by Linkin’ Park. It was a wild experience, but the concert itself was one of the best rock...
The Top 10 Events of 2008 - #10 - A Duo of...
I made two wonderful getaway trips in 2008.
The first was a trip to South Carolina with my fiance and her sister around New Year’s. We stayed with family friends and visited with their grandmother. It was wonderfully refreshing. On the food scene, I was introduced to a number of southern goodies - a riverside meal, Lizzard’s Thicket and hoppin’ John.
The second getaway was a...
Jared’s guide to the conference experience:
I’ll keep my explanation of the conference brief. You can break down the events into two distinct parts, actually. The first day and a half were spent in an NSF IGERT workshop. Unfortunately inclement weather limited the activities during this time to a private industry panel (with a 40% attendance rate due to weather) and brainstorming sessions concerning the individual implementations of the...
It
It began with a conference talk, which graduated into a 4 hour van ride. This van ride was capstoned by a brief stint at the Eugene, OR airport before stopping in at San Francisco for a few hours. Five hours of red-eye inducing air travel later, I found myself on the airport to center city rail line. A quick transfer has me now typing this message on another hour long train ride, awaiting a...
On the road to Salishan
Twisting and turning - these two words perfectly describe our current journey: 9 graduate students, a 15 passenger van and route 101 along Oregon’s rich coastline. Sadly, the amazing views are masked by the darkness of a 6:35 PM post-sunset sky. I expected this portion of the trip to last no longer than 1:30. We are currently sitting at about 3 hours and counting. While we are almost certainly...
I have taken to the air once more. A new adventure each time. The camera has come out - I find that the West gives me this insatiable appetite for imagery. Such wide open land begging to be put onto digital film. I wish the windows were cleaned better inside these windows. In other, more practical notes, I meet a number of students who are also attending the conference with me. They are from...
Uploaded from Denver!
It’s an unreasonable 5:50 AM Eastern Time as I write this. I’m waiting for my first leg out to Denver, with Eugene, OR as my ultimate destination. I am going to sleep well tonight…whenever tonight happens. I feel as if the Sun will never rise. However, it will. So in case you missed previous memos, I’m off to attend/speak at an NSF conference in Oregon. Upon my return to Philly, I have a...
Homosexuality
I’m gonna risk stepping on a lot of toes with this post, but so be it. Political correctness is highly overrated anyways.
Yes, I’m whipping out the gay card. It came to my attention when I learned that Ray Boltz, famous CCM singer, has publically announced his homosexuality. What has shocked me most about this are the various responses that the announcement seems to ellicit. ...
Happy Birthday, Fiancé!
It’s my fiancé’s birthday today…so we’re spending some quality time together in the city this evening! Thus, I have much work to do until then. For now, enjoy all of the posts below, all of which I am positive you have not read or seen.
Dear Kevin
Profile: My most frequent poster in the past month or so. Thus, he gets the final commenter spot. K: yes - pandora possesses this very dangerous addictive quality… and i don’t even have access to a computer throughout the day. to those who haven’t heard - you’re missing out. and to you, j - what’r your favorite stations? J: I listen to many of my stations equally. ...
Dear Julia
Profile: She’s certainly short-winded. From her comments I can tell that she is gorgeous, taken and seriously in love. Sadly, she seems to lack a desire for edible experimentation. Ju: I want to see deep thoughts. :P Ja: Unfortunately thoughts are not visible. Ju: good explanation and thoughts on the issue. Ja: not to take such a comment out of context, but thank you! Communication is...
Dear Mr. Kohlmann
Profile: German. Posts indicate an obsession with children’s media and highly dysfunctional shift key. M.K: i’ve failed at fasting before, for the same reason. don’t know what it all means, but thanks for sharing. i think i’ll only ever fully depend on God if driven to despair…
J: I’m not sure I agree with the statement that you’ll only fully depend on...
Dear Jordan
Profile: He’s very sweet and wonderfully creative with his cuisine! He appears to be an excellent candidate for a groomsman.
Jo: I eat oatmeal practically every morning :) My sweetener of choice is honey, haven’t tried vanilla yet. Raisins and brown sugar can also be good!
Ja: I miss my oatmeal every morning! I really need to pick some up. Maybe we should have an oatmeal party. ...
Dear Music Writer
Profile: Incredibly straightforward, this person lets you know who wrote the music. Also goes by the pseudonym “online baseball games”(OBG). MW: Looks very very interesting! Thanks for letting us know about it.this why i love internet the power of sharing .I am in love with your blog
My best regards, online baseball games
J: Why thank you OBG. How did you come to find my blog?
Dear Brotha Dan
Profile: The family arms dealer. From guns to spears, he has one meaty selection.
Dan: I spent many weeks back in the late 90’s in Zurich and loved the “old” and the “new”. There is a great place to eat which is an old ammunitions depot. Long tables with meat pounded out on the blades of long swords!
J: Meat and swords, eh? For a similar experience in the US, I...
Dear Joe H
Profile: Acclaimed art critic. Lover of all things Broard.
JH: [About an image of the Phillies’ victory parade] Even though I wasn’t there ….this shot summarizes the beauty and excitement of the day. I love the colors and the perspective from the exact centerline of Broard Street….You need a permanent press pass!
JC: Why thank you! After having experienced this parade,...
On a Train to the Big Apple
I’m taking a brief break from the current series of comment responses to leave a brief notice of my whereabouts…at this time, a train to New York. I’m sure by the time I actually post this, I will already be well on my way back to Philly. Alas, broadband wireless internet shall have to wait a few more years. In other news, I did my once a year shopping extravaganza this past weekend with my...
Dear Mom
Profile: Her comments indicate that she is in fact someone’s mother, and an excellent mother. She also has a thing for wrapping presents, as she encourages others to think about the box’s outside. Mom: Critical and difficult question. Think outside of the box. J: I’m wondering what is inside the box this coming Christmas.
Dear Misters Bert and PHUF
Profile: Single, likes long walks on the beach, his roommates and the possibility of one day being awarded the Nobel Prize. Bert: My opinion is that [the Nobel Prize] should be awarded to a single person. The whole teamwork trend isn’t a bad thing. There should be a separate award for teamwork named in honor of those who pursued collaborative scientific endeavors at Apartment 217. Among...
Dear C3
Comment response week has begun! I am responding to comments made in the past two months or so. The responses will all be structured the same: Each one is entitled “Dear __.” I then proceed to give you a brief profile of that person for you based on their comment(s). Lastly, I will put my response to comments in dialogue form, as shown in the first post below:
C3 Profile: Creator...
Comment Response Week
Hello All,
Next week will be the beginning of a series of special brain drool sessions leading up the year’s end and next year’s birth. And I want to begin by fielding your questions and responding to your comments! So starting next week, I will begin to post responses to comments anyone has left on my blog in the past two months. So if you want me to write something to you, leave...
Trip Hop
I just learned about trip hop today. I think I’ll be listening to it much more often in the future. You can listen to it right now if you scroll down to my pandora stations and click on the trip hop one.
A Photo Drought
My friends…I have sadly not been taking as many photos as I would prefer lately. I’ve been busy…too busy. I need to be taking photos…getting behind the camera. Luckily, I have two hopeful shoots in the near future…both city based ones. I also hope to take some coastal shots on an upcoming trip to Oregon. Do you have any ideas for something that I should shoot?
A Shrek Christmas
I am a fan of Shrek. I think it is incredibly funny. But I was not amused by the following:
In the Shreak Christmas special, Shrek goes to read the Christmas story, and he begins with “Twas the night before Christmas…”. I thought it was a joke. Sadly, it was no joke. As the special continued, I realized that Christmas is no longer a story of Christ in the eyes of so many. ...
Stuff White People Like
So my fiance has gotten me into this book called “Stuff White People Like.” The author has a blog. Why do you care? Well, it’s amusing to say the least.
I thought of this because I am currently sitting in Elcy’s cafe. This is the second time I have taken a Monday morning to sit in this place and do work. I am able to concentrate in the laid back, homey feel of a...