tarahime: (Default)
tarahime ([personal profile] tarahime) wrote2011-01-22 11:44 pm

there and back again

Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and New Year! I'm trying out my new year's resolution and hoping it sticks after the pitiful blog output I had the last couple of years. This year, I'm going to just do it. Not to rip off Nike, but far too often I come up with ideas of stuff I want to do, but never accomplish them. Not this year.

As such, I want to reconnect with my LJ friends (by posting more, commenting more, etc.)! Even though I've basically moved to Facebook and Twitter, I miss posting inane fandom crap with sprinkles of real life to LJ on a daily basis. I'm not sure how well I'd do at blogging everyday due to my law class, but I can update at least once a week. It used to be daily back in high school and my early years of college. Aaahh in November I will have had this LJ for nine years. That's mind-boggling.

On that nostalgic note, last year ended pretty well. Finished a whole year of grad school, and I went to London for the third time with [livejournal.com profile] faeriecross in tow, and I got to do overseas correspondence by covering a lecture at the House of Lords. I was also involved in an award-winning original play as the makeup designer, and was a founder of a social media site for my university. The greatest accomplishment of all was being promoted at work as the A&E editor, which has been a goal of mine ever since I started working at the paper. This year I'm planning on some more trips and adventures, life permitting. It's amazing in a few months I'll be entering the last year of my 20s. omgwtf!

My hair color is awesome and it was a total accident. ...just had to throw that in there.

Other than that, I've been starting some new fannish creations. I want to give Shrine Maiden a new look, write some fic, make some icons and remodel my personal Web site.

Tell me what's up with you my flist! :D
beccastareyes: Image of Sam from LotR. Text: loyal (Default)

[personal profile] beccastareyes 2011-01-23 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Started a new exercise routine, working on my research, and drawing stuff. Writing not so much, but maybe next month.

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
There's been an exercise bug going around. Right this second, I'm tempting whether or not I should go to the gym since I didn't walk the track earlier today.

What kind of research? Are you getting your doctorate or do you already have one?
beccastareyes: Image of Sam from LotR. Text: loyal (Default)

[personal profile] beccastareyes 2011-01-24 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
Getting my doctorate, hopefully before 2012. I've got one more chunk of data to analyze, and I'll know when I can finish once the program to analyze that chunk works.

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
SPSS? That's the program we use to analyze our data.
beccastareyes: Image of two women (Utena and Anthy) dancing with stars in the background.  Text: I have loved the stars too fondly... (stars)

[personal profile] beccastareyes 2011-01-24 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
We use IDL, which is a programming language. Right now, I have a function with two variables* that I'm supposed to fit to the data we have, after I calibrated the data (basically turn it from 'number of electrons recorded at a given time' to 'the percent of starlight from a certain star shining through Saturn's rings at that time').

Except the function needs tweaking depending on things like orbital geometry of the spacecraft that took the data... and right now, there's not enough difference between the two variables, so it tends to give me results that don't look at all like the data, and that break the model.

* Basically relating to what sizes the chunks of ice are in Saturn's rings: one parameter is 'how many small particles for every big particle' and the other is related to the biggest and smallest particles. Some of the starlight gets bent by the ring particles (like how light is bent when there's water droplets in the air, giving you a rainbow), and the amount its bent by depends on what the ring is like.

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-02-09 04:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh wow, that sounds really cool! At least it's more interesting that doing my empirical data.

[identity profile] foxy-baby05.livejournal.com 2011-01-23 06:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Trying out an LCLS diet (Low Chocolate and Low Soda). Soda went well, but the chocolate, well... no. Boyfriend and I are okay and he's hoping to come down for Valentines.

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
I'm the exact opposite. I can give up chocolate, but soda is hard for me.

[identity profile] foxy-baby05.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
It's hard to give up chocolate for me. I go to my aunt's house, and it's there. I go to the grocery store, it's there like, "Eat me! :) It won't hurt ya." Tom's glad I was able to curb both for like 3 months before the chocolate part relapsed.

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
Yea, I'm trying to limit myself to one soda a day and opt for water the rest of the day until I can curb myself off. I think it would be easier to quit smoking or drinking alcohol first.

[identity profile] foxy-baby05.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
Mine's down to one soda a MONTH. Which is fine, cause I have stuff like Kool-Aid packets I mix into a bottle of water. @_@

[identity profile] ichiban-victory.livejournal.com 2011-01-23 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Long and the short, I graduated from university (hurray!) but was laid off from my forever bakery job back in July, so I've been beating the pavement ever since. Oh, and attempting to make pennies bleed, or something.

I'd say that's crazy you've had your LJ for so long, but in December I'll have had mine for 9 years as well. Where does the time go? o_O

How was London?

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
Oh man, that sucks about getting laid off. Did they have to cut back on people or something? Congrats on graduating though! Whatcha think you're gonna do now?

It's still crazy, no joke.

London was amazing!! Deep down, I'm an old British gentleman.

[identity profile] ichiban-victory.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
I'll put it this way: The bakery was sold to new people who knew how to make the place "better" by completely changing things up (they got rid of the espresso machine...in Washington State!), and when that resulted in less customers and less income, they decided to lay off staff - starting with me. Within the next month everyone I worked with there had either quit or been laid off...so yeah. I'm still surprised the bakery is in business, to be honest.

One day I hope to visit the UK. Get back to my English/Scottish roots. Although, truth be told, I'm drawn to their countryside more than anything!
Edited 2011-01-24 02:39 (UTC)

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-02-09 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
The countryside is BEAUTIFUL! So I hope one day you get the chance to see it. It is a real treat. :3

[identity profile] yuuo.livejournal.com 2011-01-23 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I recently quit my job to be a stay-at-home wife. I've been writing, a little, but mostly I've been reading. :|a You've done a helluva lot more than I have.

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
I miss reading and writing. Heck I also miss sleeping. :( You were still at Subway right?

[identity profile] yuuo.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 08:18 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I was at Subway again. I keep going back to that place. :|

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-02-09 04:37 pm (UTC)(link)
It's like a vortex of punishment. D:

[identity profile] linachu.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
I HAVE BEEN RESCUING YOU FROM SOLICITORS. :D

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 05:41 am (UTC)(link)
AND RESCUE WELL YOU DID MY SON! ♥

[identity profile] animefall.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
I'm been hanging out with my awesome bestie. :3

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-01-24 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
Wanna hear a secret? I love love love hanging out with my bestie. :33

[identity profile] faeriecross.livejournal.com 2011-01-26 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Tara, your layout is Deshi's! Why?

Wait...

YOU.

ARE.

DESHI.


O_O IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW.

[identity profile] tarahime.livejournal.com 2011-01-26 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
.... 8D LOL Oh BonBon. ♥