Sunday, March 04, 2007

It's All About Me

It was recently brought to my attention that there is fairly little information about me in my blog. I made the decision to keep it as impersonal as possible when I started the blog but now I can’t figure out why. It seems contrary to the whole concept of blogging. It’s not a lot of fun to read a blog when it is suspended in empty space, so to speak. So in an utterly tacky move, I am tagging myself for a meme that’s been making the rounds (it’s ok! Amanda said I could) – five things you don’t know about me. Assuming you want to know them. If you don't, stop reading now.



Deep Breath (as my cell phone tells me every time I open it). Here I go.


1. I am in grad school, working on my PhD in Virology. I work in a basic science lab studying… ready for it? Herpes. No, not the one “down there”. The other herpes, HSV-1. It’s not as good an ice breaker as one might think. Although I totally win over my friends who study HIV
- usually people just back away slowly from them. I should (please please) be done by next winter. And then… Then will be then. Deep Breath.

2. I wear the same bracelet every day. I used to have a bit of a bracelet fetish and still have piles of them but I am now committed to the one perfect bracelet. My parents brought it back for me from Ireland eons ago. It has almost become a part of me, much like my signature scent. I feel odd without it. And the photo was taken in my kitchen, so whatever you see in the background is where I make all the giant messes that serve as preludes to dinner.


3. I love (love love) Jane Austen. Can take or leave the Brontes, Dickens is a’ight, but it’s Austen that I cannot get enough of. I am pacing myself, not letting myself gorge on all her books in one fell swoop because then they will be done and I will have nothing left. That day will, unfortunately, come and it will be a very sad one, matched only by the day when I finish the last Harry Potter book. I am telling you now that I will crying and I am not ashamed to admit it.

4. Now this is getting hard. I am running out of things to say… Oh, I know! I sail and ski. Those are my two big activities. Summer is all about sailing – on the Boston Harbor. I hardly ever get to cruise for fun with a bottle of wine and lots of cheese… ooh I miss that… I have mostly been racing Solings once a week (I’m foredeck).



The boats at the dock are the ones I cruise on (J24), the smaller boats on mooring balls in the background are the ones I race. FYI, I am maybe one step above sucking when it comes to racing. Skiing I love but never do more than twice a year which I am trying in vain to remedy... but I love it.

5. Now I am totally done. Four is the best I can do. Now maybe the food I make and eat can be taken in context. Context of what I am not entirely certain, but you can be sure that I am likely wearing that bracelet.





8 comments:

JC said...

It's so nice to learn more about you Anna, you seem so mysterious. The sailing thing is really cool. About the only sailing I've ever done is riding as a passenger on my uncle's catamaran when I was younger. And people down here seem to prefer their boats with motors (not me). And I like the bracelet picture.

I was starting to think you had been abducted by this Melanna person, I'm glad to see that isn't so! ;)

Anna said...

I am telling you, Blogger is screwing with me. The whole commenting thing has gone wonky. I seem mysterious. Hehe. Cool :) I like catamarans. They are super easy and they fly like a bat out of hell.

Anonymous said...

What do you mean not the one "down there" ? Herpes simplex virus type-1 can very well be genital herpes. Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) can be genital herpes, oral herpes, OR both.

Anna said...

That is very true, Angela. However, there are 8 different human herpesviruses. HSV-1 and HSV-2 are distinctly different viruses, with different pathogenicities. HSV-2 is most commonly associated with genital herpes, while HSV-1, the virus that I study, is most commonly associated with orofacial lesions (although it can cause genital lesions. For simplicities' sake, since I am writing a blog about food and not my work, I chose to differentiate between the two viruses based on their most common sites of infection. If you have any more questions about this, please feel free to email me.

Ben Chen said...

Sooooooo to hang out with you, I have to have Herpes?

Anna said...

Where did you get that?? In any case, you shouldn't worry - I can guarantee you already have it. One of the eight, at least :) I am not the biggest fan of herpes myself - I think 6 years is enough time to spend on one subject.

Anonymous said...

Nice arm, good work with that...
and you sail too!
*swoon*

If you're ever in the UK, make sure you go to Bath. Aside from it being a beautiful town, there's a Jane Austen museum which is supposed to be really good.

Do you have a Jane Austen cookbook? I've always been curious about the kinds of recipes they include.

Anna said...

Woo! Swooning. I am dreamy like
that :) Err not so much.
I was in Bath ages ago, but all I remember are the, well, baths, and the funny river dam thing. I had no idea there's a Jane Austen museum there! Now I have to go again. Also didn't know of such a thing as a Jane Austen cookbook. You are simply a well of useful information. Most excellent.