We all get the slip sometimes every day; I just keep it to myself...

I found out quite recently that the lab at which I am currently volunteering--the one at which I was hoping to secure a paid position--is shutting down some time in this June. It is pretty much the only active participant-based research laboratory in the Linguistics department. There is always corpus or computational based research to be done, but I quite prefer getting data from real live people!

I decided to branch out and contact some of the research faculty in a different but related department--Speech Language and Hearing Sciences. There are quite a few labs that do psycholinguistic or cognitive science (mind-brain relationship) research. So far the two professors who run the two labs that are tied as my first choice have scheduled to meet with me. I am excited! I would be pleased to simply work for experience as I am now, but boy would it be nice to get paid.

Of spring and strawberries

Today was my first real day back to school after a 2 week long spring break. I was glad to see my classmates again and, although it is unfortunate, I was relieved to find that I am not the only one who has found it hard to get her brain back into productivity mode. Spring break is the cruelest reward. The air is fresh with the scent of blooming flowers, the sun is warm, and the birds are alive with song. After a nice relaxing break in such an atmosphere, the lastthing on my mind is the many papers I must read and write before the semester ends in just one month!

A friendly girl in my class today remarked that I smelled like the strawberries on my sweater. It was such a nice comment, both in the sense that it is a pleasant thing to be told and because it is the type of thing we usually think to ourselves and do not share with others, especially not the ones with whom it concerns. Every time this girl speaks, it is like you are granted a glance into her mind; her speech, I think, is the closest auditory language to what Steven Pinker calls "mentalese"--the language of thought. Raw, sincere, pure.

Anime Conji

Ryan and I took the bus out to Hillcrest today and walked on over to Hotel Circle in order to attend San Diego's first Anime Conji. The first day of this small fledgling convention was more than a tad disappointing, but I guess it is my fault for expecting much out of a small fledgling convention. Downstairs in the lobby area, there were groups of お宅 romping around and speaking a bit too loudly, hoping that the references they were making would be be overheard and acknowledged by others. It's a sort of nerdy social display that I've come to recognize. Down the hall, there were rooms showing アニメ. "I could've stayed home and done that," I grumbled under my breath.

Upstairs there were various vendors selling trinkets--some handmade. J-List/J-Box was present, with a $5 T-shirt box. They didn't have as much variety of stock as they usually have at Comic Con, which, we are opting out of this year by the way.

One thing I was very interested in attending is the Mochi Maid Cafe. Unfortunately, due to an overwhelming response, they handed out wristbands before they actually opened and, so, when we headed on over at the time during which they were to open, we were turned away.


I was ready to damn this convention straight to 外人 hell as we made our way back to the stairs, planning a quick get-away. Just before we approached the stairs, however, I spotted a room with a floor covered with red cloth. Three friendly 日本人 were in there who welcomed us to try 書道, Japanese calligraphy. The experience was satisfying and heart-warming. It turns out I hadn't wasted my time traveling to Anime Conji.

I apologize if I sound a bit too negative or perhaps over judgmental of this very new convention. I must admit I may have been a bit edgy since I have been battling with agoraphobia and generalized anxiety for a little less than a year now. The area at which Anime Conji is being held is quite beyond my ever-expanding comfort zone and I had a few panic attacks along the way. If you've ever had a substantial panic attack before, you know that whatever lies beyond that panic attack, better be pretty freaking worth the suffering!A

life is a highway

I worked on a Saturday and it's OK because I actually enjoy my job. Granted, I may have been a bit less cheery if I had to come in to the lab early in the morning, rather than at around noon. I'd like to say that weekends are for sleeping in, after all, but, I have to admit that I enjoy sleeping in every day. I am simply not a morning person.

Due to my own procrastination, I wound up having to leave the apartment without having eaten. I figured I'd pick up something at the (rather good) café that is attached to the medical building the lab is within--of course I neglected to observe that the café is closed on weekends! So there I was, administering muted video stimuli to participants in an absolutely silent room when my stomach starts growling loudly. Ugh. It wasn't until around 3-o'clock that I wound up getting some food in my belly at San Diego State before taking the bus over towards Hillcrest for another day of Anime Conji.

I arrived at Anime Conji around 5ish,
grabbed some deliciously seasoned yakisoba noodles from the same folks who were doing Japanese calligraphy the day before, and got Ry to buy me a fun DragonQuest Slime shirt. Ry was there pretty much all day, but he's a bit more into the anime fandom than I.

After my short stay, we decided to head home since Holly and Kris had invited us to dinner at their place.

We hopped on the 20 bus since it arrived before the 120. It was a very spontaneous act--much more like the old Sarie (i.e. pre-agoraphobia). I was good until we hit the highway...and kept going on the highway...and going. I had a pretty good panic attack but I think I handled it quite well. The 20 spit us out near the City College trolley station. I panicked on the trolley, too. Before that, I had only been riding the trolley to and from school--a mere 5 stops. I think today was a pretty good boost to my self-efficacy and esteem. I'll beat this thing yet.

Mooster's Day Out

MuiMui "Mooster" Kazemi-Razon is my and my boyfriend's white-faced cockatiel. He is our baby. I'd always wanted to bring the Moos on outdoor excursions, but, being that he is fully flighted and untrained, that does make things rather difficult. Mui is very bonded to me and tends to flock to my shoulder, but, once he gets spooked, he panics and flies aimlessly. He'd be lost for sure! I had tried a bird harness, but he absolutely loathes the thing. I imagine if I had tried it when he was much younger (he's just about 2 years old now), he may have adapted to it easily. However, he is much too spoiled and headstrong now and will have nothing with that harness!

I looked into alternate ways of bringing Mui along and found this nifty bird carrier backpack thing called Pak-o-Bird by Celltei.



It comes with a dragonwood perch and stainless steel food and water dishes, to ensure that your bird-o is comfy and well-nourished on trips. Though the water dish does tend to spill in transit, you can purchase a no-spill water bottle (like those things hamsters drink out of). I may invest in one of these bottles--for now I've resolved to just slip Mui some water when we sit down for a rest at a park or a restaurant and then to pour the dish out before I begin walking again.

Pak-o-Bird comes in many sizes--I got one size bigger than was recommended for cockatiels just because I wanted to REALLY make sure Mui didn't feel cramped. I also opted for the stainless steel mesh over the nylon mesh since Mui loves to chew on things. When it arrived, I placed Mooster on it to make sure he could get acquainted to it. Then I placed him inside, and he seemed to actually enjoy it, unlike the "pet-carrier" we'd gotten from a pet store to bring him to the vet (i.e. a cardboard box with holes that folds up). He actually acted as if it were his "Hate Cave," which is what I liked to call the top part of his cage when it is draped with a blanket. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_0bjyAaQgM] He gets very excited and territorial of his Hate Cave--he will defend or sometimes attack my boyfriend if he approaches, and if I approach, he will display and nibble.

On our first outing, we visited a park just down the street from our apartment. He didn't panic and seemed to really enjoy the scenery and the sounds of wild birds. I decided to go a bit further and do some grocery shopping. Mooster's Pak-o-Bird fit quite nicely in the cart and he stayed quite calm as I went about my shopping. This is certainly a nice alternative to leaving him home alone while I run around and do errands so close to home.

On our second outing, I wanted to see how Mooster would fair on the trolley (light rail). Beforehand, my boyfriend Ryan and I grabbed a quick bite at our favorite local coffeeshop.
Mui attracted quite a bit of attention and one lady even commented, "Your bird made my day!"






We then proceeded to the trolley. While we waited at the transit station, a sheriff stopped to talk baby-talk to Mooster. Animals bring out so much kindness in people, I tell you. After we boarded, Mui continued to be very well behaved and continued to attract more positive attention. I had a nice conversation with a guy who also had a cockatiel around Mui's age. He sounded really interested in getting a Pak-o-Bird for his cockatiel, too. After we saw Ryan off to work, we took the trolley back home and relaxed a while.

A few hours later, our friends Holly and Kris wanted to go grab some dinner at a great place down the street with outdoor seating. I grabbed the Pak-o-Bird and Mooster had yet another outing.




Once Holly learned I was taking the Moo, she decided to bring Turtle, her small corn snake. Both Moo and Turtle really enjoyed the afternoon sunshine.

I'm really thankful that I now have a means to bring Moos along on some of my outings now. He really enjoys the outdoors time and it really does seem to brighten up people's days!