What's New? Astrophysics!

It's certainly been a while since I've written a blog post.  A lot has changed since February 2012.  I graduated from Southern Miss with my bachelor's and am now at Florida State working on my PhD in Astrophysics!  In 2012, I would have never guessed that in a few years I'd be doing research in astrophysics (hence the background change) with only a few years left until I'm Dr. Bloor.  I was just going through my old posts and was having some serious nostalgia.  Then that got me thinking: what is my new post going to be about?

Whenever I tell someone I'm working on a degree in astrophysics, I always get "You must love the Big Bang Theory" or "How do you feel about Neil deGrasse Tyson?"  Both of which the answer to is "Ugh."

I'm not a fan of either.  I understand that the Big Bang theory is funny and that they do incorporate actual physics into some shows (so I've heard), but it plays into the huge stereotype of physicists.  True, it's a male dominated field.  And granted, most are nerds.  But as a woman (and I consider myself to be pretty normal), it's tough to be around the Sheldons every. single. day.

And then there's the infamous astrophysicist Neil... He's the guy that pointed out the inconsistencies in the Titanic film regarding the stars and blah, blah, blah.  And if you follow him on twitter, you'd see that he's constantly trying to correct people and start arguments.  How does he even have time to do science???

Anyways, I've been reading through Proverbs this month (there are 31 chapters and 31 days in January, so I thought it would be a good refresher of the book).  And there are so many verses that speak about arguing and being quarrelsome.  Then I thought about how argumentative Dr. Tyson is and how I thought it was rude.  And actually, it's not a becoming quality to have.  Proverbs 20:3 says, "Every fool is quick to quarrel."  There are other good ones too: "Interfering in someone else's argument is as foolish as yanking a dog's ears," Proverbs 26:17 and "A quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof," Proverbs 19:13.

It's hard being a field with people who are so concerned and set on being right.  Yes, a scientist's goal is to make others see his point of view.  But there are those that are so focused on being right without caring that they look arrogant and look down their nose at those who don't agree with them.  Didn't we get to where we are in science by questioning those who thought they knew all the answers?

Sorry to go down such a rabbit hole, but clearly I feel very passionate about the subject.  Anyways, let's all just get along!

Shine This Week!

Memory Mae & Moments of Grace

Oh, how I love my puppy girl!  :) 

Memory is my adorable 6 year old shih tzu - cocker spaniel mix who loves when I come home from college.  Mom will say, "Erica is coming home!" and Memory will jump onto the back of the sofa looking out the front window for me!  This girl is a priss to say the least!  And she is so smart!  It breaks my heart when I'm leaving for school because she pouts and won't give sissy bug kisses!

When I was home this past weekend, she wanted to come to bed with me.  My door was just barely cracked open, yet she just sat outside the door and growled even though she knows she can scratch the door and it will open so she can come in.  I was in the middle of my bible study and God spoke to me through that moment: Memory outside my door was just like me wanting to spend time with God.  The door is cracked, yet sometimes we are so stubborn and set in our ways, we just sit there and growl waiting for Him to come open it more.  However, He is a gracious and loving God and will open that door despite our stubbornness.  And of course, I got up and opened the door for Memory to come lay down with me since I love her so. 

Also, I just got sick yesterday, and today, I am already in the valley of death surrounded by a billion tissues, sudafed, and my lamb stuffed animals (Lambie and Special), wishing I had Memory here.  Mom offered to bring soup, but I'll run to Chick-fil-A soon.  Pray for me.

Despite my fragility, I'm going to try to shine this week. :)



Feel Better List #3

So it's about time for a new feel better list.  Things have been getting crazy around here... As the saying goes, "When it rains, it pours." (and it's raining today.)

Having a watch

Good smelling things

Getting mail

Watching Beauty and the Beast

Playing Madden

NCIS

Skateboarding (without falling)

Hammock music

Taking medicine

I'm going to try, but it's going to be hard to Shine this week. :)

Last Week at Home :(

Less than 1 week before I head back to Mississippi.  I'm totally not ready!  So much family time left, so little time!  And not to mention ALL the packing left to do.  I'm beginning to feel the stress of school already.  Today I got most of my linens together!  Yay!  Ha... That is pretty vital though.  Now to finally gather and organize all my school supplies and things for my dorm.  I won't worry about clothes until the weekend... Trying to push that off as long as possible!  Anyways, as my efforts to clean out my room are being obstructed by my packing, I am trying to weed out what I need and what I think I might need to take with me.  After two years, I should have the hang of this... But I don't.  I absolutely do not like packing.  Better yet, unpacking.  So in order to have my preparation go a little smoother with a little less stress, I've created a back-to-school playlist to keep me going and keep me sane. 

Love You Like A Love Song - Selena Gomez

Knee Deep - Zac Brown Band featuring Jimmy Buffet
Wildflower - The JaneDear Girls
Who's Your Daddy - Toby Keith
Summer Girl - Leighton Meister
Country Girl (Shake It for Me) - Luke Bryan
Get the Party Started - Pink
All I Do Is Win - DJ Khale
Change -Taylor Swift
Dirt Road Anthem - Jason Aldean
Mississippi Girl - Faith Hill
Beautiful Disaster - Jon McLaughlin
Rollerblades - Eliza Doolittle
Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae

A little bit of summer, a little bit of Mississippi, and some music to keep me from crawling into bed and not packing.  Shine this week. :)

Feel-Better List 2

Writing Thank Yous
Watches that light up
Soft robes
Going to sleep fast
Vera Bradley
Luke Bryan
Scarves
Disney Princesses
Giving gifts for no reason
Sorting through clothes
Sequins

Shine this week. :)

Evan Almighty

Watching Evan Almighty the first time through this week actually made me step back and look at my life situations.  Some of the quotes in the movie from Evan Baxter and God (portrayed by Morgan Freeman) were pretty inspiring! 



Here are a few quotes that show exactly what I'm talking about:

Reporter: What makes you think God chose you?
Evan Baxter: He chose all of us.

•  Ooohh... Burn. Ha! Really, though, it does hit ya pretty hard.

God: How do we change the world?
Evan Baxter: One single act of random kindness at a time.
God: [spoken while writing A-R-K on ground with a stick] One Act, of, Random, Kindness.

• Seems simply enough, right? Try it.

God: Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

• Wow. "Opportunity" may be my new favorite word.

Opportunity. Shine this week. :)



Feel-Better List #1

Being down on myself, I starting thinking of things that would make me feel better about myself, things that would put me in a good mood.  I'm thinking of making these lists whenever I need a pick-me-up. 

Warm Delights

Wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt to work out in

Brushing your teeth at least twice a day (sounds weird but it makes me feel good!)

Color coordinating

Being organized

Crossing things off a list (even if I write down something just to cross it off!)

Cute band-aids

Making lists (if you haven't noticed, I'm kinda obsessed with lists.)

Saving pennies

Painting a canvas

Reapplying sunscreen

Here's to more Feel-Better Lists! Shine this week. :)

My Creativity!

Over the past several months, I have tried my hand at painting canvases.  I think they have turned out rather well! (By the way, none of these were stencilled or traced; all are uniquely my own creations!)

This was my very first one!

I needed inspiration for my hectic sophomore year.

Free-handed Disney font!

This one I painted for my grandmother who is recovering from her second stroke. 

This birdhouse was hanging in her backyard.

Miryam just graduated from art school and is going to film million-dollar movies one day.

My boyfriend said that if he ever got a tattoo, it would be something like this.

He is a huge Florida Gators fan, but we are both proud of our school, Southern Miss (To The Top!).

The K and R are initials for my parents.

I'm hoping to have a little side business out of my paintings! 

Shine this week. :)

From Prom to Gym

Thanks to Seventeen Magazine, I have found some adorable hairstyles that are not only ideal for prom (EEK!) but for the gym as well!  Who doesn't want to look amazing jogging at that treadmill as the buff guys walk in? Ha! For details on how to create these styles visit Seventeen.com or follow this link.

   

This is my motivation to actually hit the gym this week!

Shine this week. :)

Summer Stripes

I've heard that stripes are going to be very popular this summer!  I have so many striped clothes, I don't know what to do with them!  But instead of the solids I wear so often, I'm going to start incorporating more stripes (colorful) stripes into my outfits.

Shine this week. :)