Oh yeah, so there is a blog here...

So I haven't been writing much because well... I haven't been running all that much.

Total slacker! I know!

But this weekend I did go running.

In Austin.

With fellow scientist who blogs, Tammy (well, who used to blog, but stopped, which is why I didn't link to her).

I ran a whole 2.3 miles. Crazy!

Next thing you know, I'll be running a 5k or something!

Baby steps, Danielle. Don't get ahead of yourself.

So we ran, and then we ate breakfast outside at Austin Java, where a bird pooped her in coffee and another bird pooped on me personally. Twice.

So I realized I haven't posted anything since the middle of October. Here would be the highlights, very few of which have anything to do with running:

* I turned 31 on Mole Day. Me and Avogadro are totally homies.

* I spent my birthday week out in the wind, cold, and rain on my lake, all in the name of science. Good times! Here is me looking very sciencey while mixing up our dye:

* I found out my sister is moving to New Zealand at the end of the month. This was completely independent of my scheming. And I applied for a travel grant to go to a conference in NZ in February. I think I have Joe convinced to go gallivant around NZ for a bit afterwards and told him to find us a race. He found us this one and really what better way is there to spend Valentine's Day than trying to leave your friend in the dust? We are tied at 1-1 for who beats who at the HM distance. Of course, my only chance is if he is injured, so you better watch out... If anyone wants to come NZ, join in the fun!

* I went to Austin to visit one of my best friends from college! Like our college days, we did a few things, but mostly hung out on the couch and watched TV and ate leftover Halloween candy. She was in the hospital for like a month this summer and is still recovering, so she gets tired quickly. The point of the visit was to see her after her bout with pancreatitis, where her lungs and kidneys also decided to shut down and pretty much she is only alive because she is still young, so I wasn't going down for an excitement filled weekend.

* On the way back, I had an Iowa bonding moment with the six of us in the back of the plane recounting funny stories about things like asking us if we grow potatoes and confusing us with Ohio and pretty much how we get no respect. Then to top off the conversation, the flight attendent came over the announcement system and pronounced Des Moines as "Dez Moin-ez" and we all started laughing hysterically.

As an aside, why do people have such a hard time with Des Moines and Illinois? Did you not take 5th grade geography? I am from Massachusetts and I have ALWAYS known how to pronounce Des Moines and Illinois!

And yesterday.

What can I say about yesterday?

I worked for Obama as a poll reporter in the morning and then knocked doors all afternoon. After turning red in 2004, Iowa didn't let me down this year. I have always kidded that I would only move to a blue state (IA was blue when I moved here), and Obama just gave me a whole heck of a lot more new states to move to.

Although that is all pretty irrelevant, since yesterday morning I got a job offer in Seattle, which is in a consistently blue state. I have a month to decide, but I am not going to hear from NSF regarding New Zealand until March and that fellowship has about a 20% funding rate. Wellington has mountains and ocean, but then again, so does Seattle. The only thing Seattle is missing is the boys with cute accents - unless you count the Canadians there and their funny way of saying "about."

So yeah, yesterday was quite eventful!

On an amusing post-election day note, I leave you with this:


PS The Obama office here is trying to get rid of a crapload of Obama posters, stickers, etc etc. If there is anyone who is not in a swing state who wants some schwag, let me know!