Hollywood Unites for Haiti Fund

My blog today is not really a blog but a plea for helping the victims of the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti.

I will redirect you to the Hollywood  Unites for Haiti website where more information on how you can help can be found. The monetary contribution link can be found here. There are several scam websites out there exploiting this disaster in Haiti, so beware of these. More lighthearted stuff will return to the blog in the upcoming few days.

Existential questions, Atticus Shaffer, The Middle and a date update

I often wake up with existential questions running around in my head like squirrels on meth. Questions like am I a nerd or a geek? Or am I both? What was Aaron Spelling thinking when he hired Shannen Doherty to work on Charmed after what happened on the original 90210? And who came up with the word “hubris”? That word sounds weird, “hubris”!

The existential question I woke up with today is: if I were able to pick a TV character to be my friend whom would I choose? The answer came very easily to me. It would definitely be Brick from The Middle. Brick is quirky, smart, loves to read, whispers to himself, has no friends and is afraid to kick a ball! He would be perfect as my friend. Sure, there is a vast age difference, but who cares, I’m sure we’d have fun. I must say the charming young actor who portrays Brick, Atticus Shaffer, has perfect comedic timing. Even the blandest of lines sound funny when he works them (not that there are that many bland lines on The Middle, this show is pretty good). Who wouldn’t want a friend with a cool name like Atticus? Somebody slap this kid with a couple of Emmys already. Listen to me Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, you must be watching shows from another dimension if you don’t recognize this kid’s talent soon.                                                           

                                                                                                               

The very talented Atticus Shaffer (Brick, The Middle)

Speaking of The Middle, did you catch Brooke Shields as the skanky Rita Glossner on this week’s show? DeAnn Heline, Eileen Heisler, ABC...please do us all a favor and hire Brooke as a permanent fixture on the show. Please. America, do yourself a favor and watch this show. The wry, humorous take on family life on The Middle is often roll-on-the-floor hilarious. Combine this with a very talented cast and what more do you want from a show? Comparing The Middle to Malcom in the Middle is legitimate but unfair. The characters have different issues, the focus of the show (mom-centricity?) is very different and the sense of humor is unique. The Middle is also much funnier. The show has been overshadowed by the critical success of the slightly overrated Modern Family this season. Yeah, the critics love Modern Family, it’s their doll. They praise it for its diversity, cast and humor. I get that, but I think The Middle deserves more praise than it’s getting. Well, that’s my two cents about the show!

       The hilariously skanky Rita Glossner (Guest star Brooke Shields, The Middle) sporting a bra and a beer (A guy's favorite two words starting with a B?)

-tonight I’ll be going out on a date with OKteChy22 from that personals website. If it goes well, I’ll let you know how it went in my next blog. Otherwise, I'll pull a Scarlet O'Hara, ignore the whole thing, think about it on a different day or pretend it never happened. Another existential question, should I wear the blue shirt or the green one?

The superbly funny cast of The Middle. Left to right: Neil Flynn (Mike), Patricia Heaton (Frankie), Atticus Shaffer (Brick-my imaginary friend), Charlie McDermott (Axl) and Eden Sher (Sue).

A heartfelt letter to president Obama

Dear Mr. President Obama,

News surfaced today that the whitehouse is considering scheduling the State of the Union speech on either Jan. 26th or Feb. 2nd. Deciding to give the speech on the latter (Feb. 2nd) will crush the hearts of millions of people. I, myself, might  go almonds, peanuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, macademias, and hazelnuts, in short nuts with a capital N. I have a valid reaon Mr. President, I do. You see, Lost is scheduled to premiere on Feb. 2nd and if you decide to give your speech that night, the show will be bumped. And all the Losties will be bummed. Please, please, pretty please pick any other night.  Jan. 26th means American Idol won't be able to air a new episode, but it's the auditions phase. Fans will understand. It's not like the fate of Simon or Randi or that new judge whose name few can remember was left hanging on the line in AI's finale last season! (We know Paula was "killed off" and a new  "character" will surface on AI. The new "character" is called Ellen and she's supposed to be a lesbian. Odd thing about Lost Mr. President is that there aren't any gay characters on the show. There was once a character who could have been a perfect angry lesbian. Her name was Anna Lucia, she was killed off. She is supposed to resurface on the show this season. Do you think Paula wil resurface on AI Mr. President? Maybe she and Ellen can make out on the show. It would air during sweeps and would signal the end of AI.)

So dear Mr. President, please don't crush my heart. Don't you want to watch the show? Oh, right, there aren't any major African American characters on the show anymore. Wow, this show lacks two major outspoken population groups, gay people and African Americans. Guess they're only after the straight white male demo. Ah, well. I can live with that. I understand the importance of your speech Mr. President, but can't we hear about healthcare reform, scary terrorism plots and border safety on any other night? You must know Mr. President, your recycle your storylines more than a soap!

Oh, and by the way Mr. President, OKteChy22 wants to go out on a date! Lonely Boy has a date on Saturday. Woo-hoo! Speaking of Saturdays, why don't you give all your speechs on that night from now on? Nothing major airs on Saturdays. [It's TV's wasteland of the week. No one watches anything on Saturdays, but let's not tell the president this fact.]

I'm attaching two Lost posters that are supposed to hold many clues. Perhaps I can lure you with that. They're called the Lost Supper. Why two posters? Why the missing characters? What do the skeletons mean?Why are they all gazing at Locke in the first one? I have my theories, what are yours?

Alright, thank you for reading this Mr. President.
Please say hi to Michelle.
Tell her to try the guava cake from yesterday's blog.

XOXO.

Lonely Boy.

P.S. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Lost Supper v. 1.0

Lost Supper v. 2.0

Guava cake...and internet dating attempts!

I’ve been mentioning guavas all week long so I decided to include my favorite guava cake recipe in the blog today. Guavas are very tasty fruits and there really aren’t that many people who dare use them in a recipe. They taste great raw and believe me they're pretty darn good in this cake recipe. First the ingredients:

1 cup guava pulp (preferably fresh, but you can use the canned variety). I know it's tasty, but don't use the creamy seeds portion of the fruit.

1 ¾ cups granulated white sugar

¾ cup softened butter

3 egg yolks + 4 egg whites

½ cup guava nectar (if not available substitute with ½ cup of yogurt)

3 cups flour

¼ cup raisins (presoaked in rum)

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cooking instructions:

Sift dry ingredients. Add first the sugar then the butter using a mixer. Next, add in the guava pulp, the nectar and the egg whites. Add in the yolks one at a time. Finally add the raisins and mix. Pour into a greased and floured 13x9 in. pan. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven.

The cake by itself is amazing. I occasionally top it with cool whip that has been mixed with an equal amount of guava pulp. I usually use the common guava (apple guava); however, the pink variety (strawberry guava, common in Hawaii) works just as well although the flavor is different.

Enjoy!

You can use guavas in savory recipes too. BBQed sirloin that has been marinated in equal parts guava pulp and white wine with some chilli flakes is simply heavenly! Wow, I've worked out quite an appetite simply writing this!

 Strawberry guavas

Apple guavas

-I have to compose an email now and send it to OKteChy22. I’m not sure what to write! You see, OKteChy22 has just responded to my let’s-go-out-on-a-date-stranger-I-met-over-the-net email. Lonely Boy gets flustered when things like this happen. I'll leave you with this cliffhanger; more on that email tomorrow!

On failed experiments and Lady Gaga!

It's been almost two days since I asked OKteChy22 out on a date via email. Still no response! Guess this Lonely Boy is bound to be lonely. I'm looking at it as a failed experiment. That's the lab rat in me speaking. In case you hadn't guessed from my previous blogs, yes, I'm a lab rat. What is a lab rat? Here's one definition from Urban Dictionary:

"Lab rat: someone who is addicted to being in lab, constantly running experiments, and can't stop to go home even though they know that it's healthy to maintain a personal life because they find themselves chained to their experiments through an obessive personality type."

Yep that's me!

As for the personal life thing, I'm trying. So far, that experiment has not worked out! You know whose experiments never fail? Lady Gaga's! Her experiments in fashion are so bizarre, they can never really fail. If they failed, how could one tell?  Here are my top 5 favorite Lady Gaga fashions of 2009:

5- Saturday Night Live appearance: not only did she almost kiss Madona, she was atomic! She was da bomb!

4-Kermit the frog dress: it's no longer Sesame street, it's sex-me street (if frogs turn you on that is)! Kermit's reaction to this dress: I had no idea I had so many look-alikes/my mom was a quadzilimom, TLC should have given her a show!/GAGAuella killed all my siblings to make  this dress. Wanna buy the movie rights Disney?

3-The bubbles dress: I would like to see Sarah Palin in this dress...Outside....In Alaska...During winter! Hello Russians I can see from my house!

2-Gaga at the VMAs: forget any fake stunts MTV tried to pull off! Boys and gals, do NOT attempt this at home.

1-Lady Gaga meeting the Queen of Britain herself! Wow Gaga, wearing that? That takes balls (being sarcastic here and alluding to the "rumor" Lady Gee is a transexual. Seriously Lady Gaga I don't care if you are, I am a fan. Just having some fun at your expense. You can pull off a Britney and prove to the world you're no tranny...if you care.)

Alright that's today's blog. I have to work on a presentation now! Please check in tomorrow. I'll share my guava cake recipe and let you know of my internet dating attempts! Later fellas.

Flaming hoops, daytime TV and another shirtless McConaughey!

’t was a few days after Christmas and no one was in sight,
No techs and no students in lab gowns that are white!!!

I’m still relishing working all by myself in the lab! Ah, the quietness (when my very loud music is off that is.) My only interruption today was lunch with a friend leaving for her Ph.D. Little does she know of the gruesome road ahead: deadlines, papers, experiments and qualifying exams! Thank goodness that’s all behind me. Now it’s proposals, grants, students and faculty-promotion worries for me. Thinking about it, really it’s not that much different from being a student: same ***t, different flavor! Humans like to make life hard on themselves and for each other, don’t they? We like to create goals and objectives to be attained in a particular time frame. I understand that without goals and objectives we’d go nowhere; however, does it have to be so cumbersome? It always seems that the powers that be, those above you in the chain of command, like to set up those giant flaming hoops in your career/education. This sometimes sucks the fun out of it. I should try and remember these particular sentiments next time I set a deadline for one of my students! After all, I am the loner Lonely Boy, not a misanthrope. I do not dislike humans; I just don’t want to be around them all the time.

So far I still find academia and research to be fun; you know, it’s the thing for me. Ten years down the line, not sure. I know some people manage to stay in the same job for a very long time without losing their minds but I’m not very confident I can do that. I’m always wondering what the next thing is for me. Perhaps I will lose this restlessness with age (I’m a faculty member now, so I’d better!!!) Susan Lucci has had the same job for 40 years! Yep, today is a special day for those who care about soaps. Not the sanitizing variety, but the ones on TV. “All My Children” is celebrating its 40th anniversary. What a feat! Some of the original cast members, including La Lucci have been on the show since day one. That takes balls. I applaud La Lucci’s balls! She, however, will be the last original cast member standing this time next week. The only other original cast member, Ray MacDonnell, is retiring and his last shows air this week. The ever-pregnant Kelly Ripa of the “Live with Regis and Kelly” fame and the “Hope and Faith” flop will return today to the show that launched her career for the 40th anniversary celebration. Things, though, haven’t been so good for other soaps lately. Few months after the longest running soap Guiding Light went off CBS’ airwaves, the network canceled As the World Turns. Proctor and Gamble, the company that put the "soap" in soap operas is giving up on these shows and will no longer produce them. No more soaps from Proctor and Gamble, that's the ones on TV, not the sanitizing variety.

The face of daytime TV is no longer the same; soon there won’t be ay Oprah either, she will end her show in 2011. Yep, God herself is resigning. Ah, things change! Know what doesn’t seem to change? The state of shirtlessness in the McConaughey clan! Matthew McConaughey and his girlfriend Camila Alves welcomed a little baby girl this past Sunday. She was born shirtless. Takes after her daddy. Wonder what her abs look like!!!

Daddy for the second time, Mathew McConaughey, bizarrely  caught with a shirt on!

There you go. We’ve covered lab stuff, academia, babies, McConaughey (it’s impossible to “cover” him!) and soaps today. Speaking of soaps, if you’ve been following my own little drama on this blog, I mustered the nerve to ask OKteChy22 out on a date! Not while chatting on MSN though. I was too cowardly to do that, so I sent out an email with my request. Pressing the send button on that email 21 hours, 34 minutes and 18 seconds ago was not an easy task. I’m still waiting for the response. What will the answer be? Will we go out on a date? Will I be ignored? More to come as my story unfolds!

-Off to watch some shows online while my gel runs (that’s an experimental reference. Got nothing to do with hair or sex!) TV’s winter hiatus is finally over and there are new episodes of some of my favorite shows. I live vicariously through your adventures Peter Griffin!

The most wonderful time of the year, Lost and those eyebrows on Joseph Fiennes!

Yes, it's Christmas season once more! Silver bells on every street corner and meeting smile after smile (did Jay Livingston and Ray Evans ever notice those check out lines at the mall before composing this song?!!! Smiles? Humbug!) The best thing about Christmas for me is the prolonged Christmas break people in academia take around this time of year. This means no one in the lab besides me. Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that students in my lab do a lot of the work and generate papers for me. However, when it comes to working in the lab, I'd rather be all by myself with the music playing way too loud. That decibel level is probably not very safe for my tympanic membranes (that’s eardrums for non-geeks/nerds) but that's how I enjoy it. Although I use my ipod when people are around, there's nothing like free range music!

A little secret about me: when others are in the lab, my ipod is often turned off although the earbuds are in my ears. I found that this method is the best way to avoid being interrupted. Makes your students and colleagues think twice before talking to you. It's true that collaboration is a basic ingredient for nurturing successful science (that, and humongous egos), but can't we collaborate without too much interaction?

Nothing beats working in the lab and checking out youtube videos while waiting through an incubation period. These days I'm mostly youtubing Lost promos and videos (now this should be Oxford's word of the year, youtubing. I really liked last year's word, "unfriend.” Speaks true to my essence, unfriend). Thirty days to go before the premiere of Lost’s final season. This will be my favorite Christmas present…a month belated, but still my favorite this year. For those who have been living under a rock since September 22nd, 2004 or who find this show too demanding, well, Geico caveman you're too lazy!!!

Let me give you a dumbed down version of Lost's previous five seasons. An airplane crashed on an island. The survivors tried to get off the island. Polar bears, black horses and dead people appeared. Some survivors left the island. For some reason they went back to the island, time traveled and tried to change the course of history. They attempted to prevent the airplane crash by setting off a nuclear bomb in the 70s. Last season's finale left us with the bomb going off. Who will survive the bomb and will they succeed in changing history? Will they all be gobbled up by the smoke-monster? Oh, what's the smoke monster, you ask? Well, I don't know! It's a monster. Made of smoke. I'm not sure if the producers know, but spoilers say this will be explained during this final season. Can't wait for that. My theory is it’s LA’s pollution, personified. Now you're up to speed. Do yourself a favor and watch the show. Be part of history. Why should we care for "belonging" and being part of history, you ask? Well, I don't care about belonging, but you might, just saying! I watch it for the joy...and the sore brain muscles. Lost is a pleasurable masochistic experience! A non-pleasurable masochistic experience: the first six episodes of FlashForward. The episodes that followed were less painful. The network (ABC) promoted this show as the next Lost, which didn't do it any favor; nor did Joseph Fiennes' constantly furrowed eyebrows. Those eyebrows are distracting. Another set of eyebrows I find distracting, those hijacking Zachary Quinto's (Sylar, Heroes; Mr. Spock, Star Trek) forehead. Zach please get a real stylist! You did the nose, why not the eyebrows?

Best eyebrow-method acting: Joseph  Fiennes

    Most distracting eyebrows of the year: Zachary Quinto

FlashForward and eyebrow acting are a story for another day. Now, I should chat with OKteChy22 from that personals website. Something might be brewing. Will Lonely Boy drop the "Lonely" bit by the end of this week? Hmm, The Boy Blog sounds like a blog with a completely different direction! I'll let you know how this went in tomorrow’s blog. Stay tuned. I have the mind to invite OKteChy22 for a chat over a cup of coffee, a non-digital one.

-Oh, and yesterday’s guava was exotically scrumptious! I have a guava recipe to share. Soon.