Building character

Do you remember the classic Calvin and Hobbes strip about "building character?" Every time Calvin's dad asks him to do a tedious chore, he justifies it as an opportunity to "build character." Well, lately at work, I've been building more character than I ever wanted to. It's kind of a crunch because we're all leaving by the end of June, except for one, so we have to shuffle things around and cover for each other until all the new staff are on board. So between me and Marisa, we will have to juggle six research studies and generally hold down the fort, which is easier said than done. As if that weren't enough, one of the doctors is writing a grant and I'm the one lucky enough to help her with it. *sarcasm alert* It just so happens with the timing of various departures that I'm the most flexible with my availability. Wooo. This would be annoying per se but it's an especially fun treat because this doc is probably one of the most anal retentive, OCD, super-anxious people I know. And trust me, that's saying a lot. The damn thing is due on May 29th, so I'm going to have to channel all my spiritual and meditative powers to stave off a psychotic break. Not to mention the large, stiff drink I'll need that night.

Anyhoo. My latest Netflix rental was Little Miss Sunshine and I absolutely loved it! That's a movie I could have bought at the store and kept. I'm glad Alan Arkin won the Oscar for his role - he was brilliant! I wish Steve Carell had won something too, though. He is incredibly talented. The whole story was very well written, acted, and filmed. I love movies like that which are like little glimpses into someone's world, kind of like being a fly on the wall for a little while. There's no big finish, no preachy moral, no melodramatic symbolism. Just a story, plain and simple. Next on the list is Miss Congeniality (pure coincidence that two movies based on beauty pageants are adjacent on my queue, I swear!). I would also like to get to the theater to see Shrek the Third sometime soon.

I also would like to draw your attention to the recent additions to my blog, namely links to my Flickr photos and my del.icio.us page. The former is a wonderful way to post, share, and organize pictures and images. The latter is a very handy place to store all your bookmarks and favorite links which you can then access from any computer. Both are free services (Flickr has the option of a paid account with more features and less advertising) and very easy to sign up for. And, as with most things, it's more fun when your friends are doing it. I haven't uploaded all my pics to Flickr yet, but there are a few from the wedding. The main way I am sharing photos right now is through Facebook, but I've been wanting something more permanent and user-friendly than Snapfish or Shutterfly. Check back often - hopefully I'll have most of my pics up in a few days!