Becca Stareyes

So, I'm going to tell a Valentine's Day story.

When I was growing up, my mother used to give each of us kids a box of chocolates on Valentine's Day. Heck, she'd still do it when I was in college, and last year she sent me a care package with chocolate and a new purse and hat. It sent us a message about what Valentine's Day was about -- celebrating love in all forms, whether it be familial, friendly, or romantic.

So, I was a bit surprised when I got to college and discovered a lot of my single friends hated Valentine's Day. Because to them it was about couples rubbing it in their face that they were together, and greeting card and chocolate companies making money off of things.

So, I guess I just want to extend the hand of friendship to you all, and hope you have someone (or many someones) who loves you on this day, whether it be a lover, a friend or a family member.

Since I can't give you all chocolates, (and virtual ones don't taste as good), have some pictures instead:

Scientist Valentines

Astronomical Valentines

Everything is done. I even finished my Yuletide fic -- I'll post a link to it when the reveal comes. About the only thing I didn't get done was to color my MRCAeX and MAX pictures. I have them scanned and I'll color and upload them at home.

So, until then, I'm heading to Nebraska.

I am so tempted to, after grading is done, to take a mental health day off and just use it to catch up on all my projects -- Yuletide, my MAX and mrcaex projects, and Christmas gifts. Maybe Thursday, especially if there's miserable weather.

(And maybe pick up something to hold all my CDs/DVDs)

I'm also doing 12dayschristmas, but I'm also not starting that until I leave for Christmas break. (I'm going to try to do 12 fandoms, with one getting all 12 days, one getting 11 days, and so on...)

In holiday news, the holiday party was a sucess. Sadly, only one professor kareoke'd, though several of the office staff, many grad students, and even some of the people catering dinner. (Though having Dr. Bell and his three grad students (all Martian geologists/planetary astronomers) sing 'Rocket Man' by Elton John cracked me up. Especially the second verse:

Mars ain't the kind of place you raise your kids,
In fact, it's cold as Hell.
And there's no one there to raise them, if you did.

And all the science, I don't understand, (Dr. Bell told the others to take this verse.)
It's just my job five days a week.
A rocketma~n.
A rocketman.


Dr. Bell also did "Sweet Caroline", which I have a special fondness for, as it's a song I associate with my mother's family.

(Also, apparently Dr. Bell has a Wikipedia page. My advisor doesn't have a Wikipedia page, though he's mentioned on the Icarus page.)

Sometime in the next week or so I will be making out holiday cards. If you want one, feel free to leave an address here.

I had a box of little light clips over the weekend, when I ran out of lights and put off finishing decorating for that. I now do not know where they are. I have the little sticky tabs that hold them to the wall, but no clips. Things would be helped if they weren't made of clear plastic.