新年快樂+ Pittsburgh's goin to the Superbowl

對於大概20位有在看我部落格的朋友 非常抱歉沒有依照原定計畫update部落格 (shame)
我也不知道自己在忙什麼 覺得好像有點忙 但是什麼都沒做好的感覺
這個星期三是我postdoc evaluation 因為我才開始一個學期 所以進度也不多
不過接下來這一年我手邊大概有5,6篇paper等著我寫 1個pilot study等著我去做, 3, 4個meeting要去
anyway...現在並不想想太多

農曆新年要到了 祝大家牛年行大運
健康快樂 該嫁(娶)的快嫁(娶) 該生的快生

匹茲堡依舊沒有過年的感覺
台灣同學會似乎成荒廢的狀態已有幾年的時間了
大家好像都是各組小團體 我明天也要跟我的小團體一起吃火鍋(自從布先生說在台灣吃火鍋吃到怕...我今年冬天到現在都還沒吃火鍋)

最近還有一件令人振奮的消息

我們Pittsburgh Steelers(鋼鐵人) 上星期日成功挑戰AFC冠軍
(美式足球有兩個聯盟 AFC 和 NFC, 兩聯盟的冠軍爭Superbowl冠軍)
2/1 晚上六點將要和亞利桑那 Cardinal 爭奪今年美式足球超級盃冠軍
沒想到這才在Pittsburgh這幾年就可以看到Steelers兩次進軍Superbowl(2006年我們拿冠軍喔)
這次Steelers 贏的勝算很高 所以我們很有機會拿下第六個superbowl 冠軍
如果真的是這樣 我們將是美式足球史上第一個拿到六個冠軍的隊伍 Oh Yeah~~~
我們的新教練也會是史上最年輕拿到Superbowl的教練

最近大家都在唱Steeler Superbowl 歌 "....Here we go, Steelers, Here we go, Pittsburgh's goin to the Superbowl...."

整個城市high到不得了 連教授們都在討論球賽 我從Pittsburgh搬去德州的朋友還特地叫我幫他寄幾條 terrible towels下去
Terrible towel是Steelers的招牌...其實就是一條黃黃的毛巾寫著terrible towel. 由來就請大家點這裡去看吧!!

那...就醬吧 下次再寫

My summer (3)

我的summer好像寫到六月就停住了
七八月也不是沒事發生..只是好像有太多事不知道怎麼寫

June
其實整個暑假我一直在擔心找工作的事情
原本老闆promise我的postdoc position在經費短缺下無疾而終
讓我忿忿不平的在五月多開始我的job hunting.
對於老公還在念博士班的我...
工作地域性選擇只能在距離匹茲堡開車四五個小時左右的地方
長話短說...這個月面試了我們學校aging center 的postdoc position
面試過程還不錯...只是要等和另一位教授面談

July
我們安排了一趟"結婚兩周年之旅"
今年因為時間和金錢的關係...我們棄守海邊
選擇Lake Erie沙灘和附近的小酒莊
我還穿我生平第一件比基尼(其實也沒什麼看頭啦!!)
照片之前已經上傳了喔

月中陸陸續續接獲幾個工作面談的消息
也和另一位教授面談aging center的postdoc
面談的過程幾乎是篤定我會拿到這個position
但因有前車之鑑 我還是要確定有拿到offer letter才放心
誰知道在我和這位教授面試一個星期後 她的先生過世了
我postdoc的事情就懸在哪裡沒有動靜 也不好追問
讓我一度非常之緊張

這個月收到一個令人遺憾的消息
布先生的外婆得了癌症 且癌細胞已經轉移
高齡87的外婆不想接受治療...因為她已經準備好要去見上帝

August
八月的第一個週末...我們和布先生在Maryland的朋友一起去露營
雖然營地有點無聊 但是我們四個在一起總是有一大堆歡樂
露營完繞到去Lancaster看外婆
外婆精神奕奕 開心的要我們替她高興 因為她要比我們都早去見上帝
好像真的只有信仰很虔誠的人 才真的能將死亡看得這麼開
我很佩服外婆的勇氣和開朗

月初..我收到aging center的正式通知
我的postdoc position將從九月開始
也終於消除了我這幾個月來不知道工作在哪裡 不知道要不要搬家的恐懼
這個月也是我要將我手邊工作結束的時候
由於實在沒有人接手我data management的工作
我只能盡力的把東西弄到好 弄到清楚 make things easy for everyone

月中...在毫無預警下 布先生的唯一姑姑去世了
姑姑本來身體就不好 但是走得這麼突然也是很令人驚訝
畢竟他最小的兒子還在念高中
喪禮的前一天是viewing and visitation
大概有四百人來吧...我真的沒有誇張
一個一個排隊和一排家屬慰問說話 大概花了五個小時吧
我和布先生都說 如果我們死後有一半的人來 應該就算做人很成功吧
意外的 姑姑的喪禮沒有很哀戚
或許大家已有心理準備 她會走的比較早
這樣對她來說也是種身體上的解脫
只是看著爺爺奶奶送走自己的女兒 覺得很心疼
爺爺在喪禮上說他還記得姑姑小時候對著她說 "Hi Daddy"的那個表情
我眼淚馬上就飆出來了
對活在諾大國家的美國人 婚禮和喪禮常常是所有家人相聚的日子
所以在某種程度當 喪禮不是那麼的哀傷吧

月底...表姐帶著她兒子來美國 順道停留匹茲堡幾天
由於我想力轉大家對匹茲堡"無聊"的印象
我可是每天安排他們出去玩
也把自己在工作和導遊兩種身分之間搞得團團轉

喔對了...八月還有一件事
即將在十月結婚的好朋友 AM 邀請我當她的伴娘(AM也是我美國婚禮的伴娘)
我當然是不會放過這個機會
這大概是我唯一在婚後當伴娘的機會了吧
(事滴....在美國結婚以後還可以當伴娘喔...懷孕也可以...反正沒有限制誰都可以當)
我已經花了$250的機票要飛去紐約參加AM的單身派對 (還不加吃喝玩樂和住宿)
還要買伴娘禮服以及金屬色高跟鞋
這次可是心在淌血的當伴娘呀!!!! 不過我相信這個經驗及回憶是值得的

我的summer應該就在這樣的總結下結束了吧
之後應開會發表一些做postdoc心酸
為什麼說心酸呢? 因為postdoc 都是超時工作 薪水又很低
不過...我也是想試試看自己到底是不是合走學術路線
光靠熱誠是不行的 要有寫研究計劃的能力才行呀!!

Anyway....goodbye my friend..and goodbye my summer.

My summer (2)

布先生堂弟的婚禮非常漂亮
在河畔的草地上舉行浪漫的婚禮
綠色草地+白色木椅+玫瑰花瓣
好像不浪漫也不行


儀式後的婚宴也是很不錯
場地布置的很不錯 菜色很棒 蛋糕美麗又可口
這算是個很classic的婚禮

我和布先生的婚禮就比較簡單
我們趕著那個七月結婚...場地都定不到
最後還是在學校禮堂用外燴 (聽起來好像台灣的辦桌)

新人年紀很輕 才剛大學畢業
但是已經交往多年 決定攜手人生 家人也相當支持
雖然年紀輕 但覺得他們有"成家"的成熟度
真的勇敢 我就沒有辦法想像一大學畢業就結婚的日子

這次的婚禮也讓Brian見到了久違的家人
然而這又是一次去Lancaster 但沒有做任何的"觀光"
布先生的爺爺奶奶外公外婆爸爸媽媽都是Lancaster長大的
我去那裡不下五次了吧~~還是沒真正給他好好逛一逛
每次去不是耶誕節就是新年....很多地方都沒開 sighs~~

anyway
婚禮過後的一個星期 陪伴我渡過Brian不再這段時間的室友May也搬走了
我們整整花了一個多星期的時間打掃及重新佈置家裡
六月的最後一個週末就在下大雨的BBQ party 中結束

==to be continued==

My summer (1)

好久沒有update 我的部落格了
繼六月多上傳布先生堂弟婚禮的照片 就沒再動過了

這個暑假其實蠻熱鬧的 覺得每個週末都在忙
布先生在六月初回美後 我們就去DC小玩了一下
還意外的參加希拉蕊的退選演說
雖然我們比較支持Obama 但是希拉蕊也真的很了不起
我對他演說中的一段話深為感動

"....Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote. Because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together. Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard fought campaign for the Democratic nomination. Because of them, and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African American or a woman can yes, become President of the United States."

大致而言 她強調因為前人的努力 這個世代的我們
將"女性享有投票權"視為理所當然
將"有色人種接受同等教育"視為理所當然
因為她和Obama及大家在總統初選上的努力 我們的下一代
將"女性及黑人美國總統"視為理所當然

當下聽完這段話...超級感動 有點想哭的感覺
其實我們幸福的生活在一個多麼自由的國家呀!! (至少在台灣和美國)
我很不理解為什麼有人贊成和大陸統一 或是所謂的一個中國的信念
台灣因為民主的進步讓大家對很多"權利"都視為理所當然
失去言論及政治自由的台灣人真的能幸福嗎??
我想媒體人應該是第一個想跳河的吧!

DC之行回想起來好像就數這件事最值得一提
我們還參觀了air and space museum, museum of natural history and library of congress (國家寶藏第二集取景處)
也發現了一家好吃的Tapa餐廳
Tapa是西班牙式的一種吃法
每一到菜都只有一點點 大概和台灣小吃點的小菜一樣多(maybe)
據說是因為西班牙天氣熱 也因為民情關係
大家都一點一點慢慢吃 整個晚餐可以吃上好幾個小時
所以Tapa這樣的小盤菜方式很流行

一般Tapa餐廳都推薦一個人點2-3盤Tapa
我個人是覺得吃不飽(除非有附麵包)
請不要太餓的時候去Tapa餐廳
因為一份Tapa 價格是在$4-10 但也很精緻
很適合去吃氣氛或是晚上8,9點以後的alcohol with fine food聚會
不是吃粗飽的

推薦 Tapa restaurants
DC : Jaleo
Pittsurgh: La Casa(Shadyside, Ellsworth St.) , Ibiza (Southsied, Carson St.)

==to be continued==

Now officially YT, PhD

Yep, it is official -- I am now married to a doctor. YT formally graduated yesterday, and was 'hooded' by her advisor in front of hundreds of people (video below). He nearly knocked her cap off in the process, and incited worried cries from the audience, but otherwise all went well. It looks worse than it actually felt, according to YT. There are also various posed photos posted here for your viewing pleasure, or general curiosity.

I, as you may know, was unfortunately not able to be there, since my classes et al. don't finish until the end of May. I told her she can skip my (hopeful) graduation in return some day, but she said she has no desire for revenge. Yes, she's a wonderful wife. Her parents also were not able to attend as well, since they're travelling soon to China on a company trip. I showed them the video just after it was posted, though, and I must say, Dad looked extremely proud (Mom was watching while on the phone with YT). I'm sure they wished they could have been there, too.

But lest you may fear that YT's triumphant exit from student life occurred with family in full abstentia, my parents and brother were in attendance. My folks even braved the long 5-hour drive just to be there. It's a comforting feeling to realize that in-laws are definite family, and YT & I are both thankful for that. It's seems like another example that we just decided to switch families for a little while. Still, it will be nice to get back to being a 'regular' married couple again. Just a few more weeks.


Anyway, just a quick post, and a hearty congratulations. Way to go Dr. YT! I will dutifully resist the Dr. Honey or Dr. Sweetie jokes.
(You're welcome.)

BB

Happy holidays

This is going to be a very different Christmas for me.

I've been having trouble getting my advisor to read my dissertation. Many reasons, but I'll just say that it's almost all written and the rest of it is basically out of my control now. So, my original defense date in December was postponed to January. There has been a lot of discussion with Brian about whether I should go back to Taiwan now and return to the US in April to defend my dissertation, or just hang in there for a couple more weeks and go home with a PhD degree. And I/we chose the latter. I double-confirmed with my advisor today, and he said that I will be able to defend in mid-January. But, knowing him, I guess I'll have to wait and see. But I'm optimistic and feel good about it.

So, this is going to be a difficult Christmas for me. I not only have to work a lot on the finishing touches of my dissertation, as well as the presentation for the defense, but I also have to do it during the "supposed-to-be-happy" holiday season without Brian. I do miss Brian and my family a lot, but I really want to get rid of the PhD burden ASAP so that I can enjoy my time in Taiwan with them more fully.

I won't be totally left alone for the holidays, though, even though most of my friends will be out of town. Some good friends are coming back to Pittsburgh for a family visit, and I'll spend a morning with them. Also, Brian's parents will arrive in Pittsburgh this weekend and we will have our own family Christmas (with Chad too, of course), and then they will head on to Lancaster, PA for the extended family Christmas gatherings. (I'm sorry that I won't be there this year, but I hope you all have a great time.) A friend from PMC (Pittsburgh Mennonite Church) also invited me over to her house on Christmas day, so I think I'll be doing alright. At least I'll be productive and also have a little bit of fun as well.

It's a nice feeling knowing that the road to the PhD is coming to an end. There is still a chance that I won't get enough feedback on my dissertation over the holidays, but I can only keep praying that this won't happen again. So, your prayer will be very appreciated.

That's all for now. Hopefully my next post will deliver you good news.

Wish you all a happy holiday and a wonderful year of 2008.

Yahtyng

From the wife

As Brian said, this is "our" blog, so I think I ought to write something too.

There is really not much to say about my life now, though, since I'm spending as much time as I can working on my dissertation. I scheduled a date for my defense (let's not reveal that in case I have to postpone it) and I'm trying my best to finish quickly. So, I'm busy most of the time, but I do feel lonely...even with the company of my wonderful roommate, May, and my always-hungry cat, Oliver. It is nice to have someone that I can talk to and have dinner with everyday. But still, I miss spending time with Brian.

It has been a difficult and stressful time for me to manage my dissertation, parting from my husband, and a little bit of job searching. I'm pretty fortunate that I never really had a sleeping problem before in the past (knock on wood), but I have started to experience difficulty falling asleep in the last couple days. Plus, Oliver has been waking me up really early in the morning by creating all sorts of noise, stepping on my body or rubbing his face against mine because he is starving. The video below pretty much captures it.


In the past two weeks, he has finished his food within an hour or two, and the rest of the night, he has nothing to eat. Does a cat's eating patterns change due to weather?? Maybe he just misses his daddy too much that he turns his frustration into eating (I'm glad that I don't have this problem).

But I'm doing alright. I just try to do my best and try not to worry too much. Nobody says that life is easy....I just have to deal with it. Just hope that the process can be short and smooth.

Well, I got to go....

By Yahtyng