Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Dog days of winter

Things don't always go as planned. And when that happens, I like to find the closest dog and hold on for dear life. It's usually this guy.


Meet Sunny. He is the black lab mix belonging to my greatest grad school friend, Jeanne-Marie. He likes treats, backing his butt up to you for a petting, and long runs on the beach (JM is from the Outer Banks). He also knows a range of tricks including "Tell me you love me" (*BARK!*) and raising the roof. 

Last week I got to spend a couple days in Charlotte visiting my most favorite blonde dog, Hope. So, if your week is going like mine is, hopefully these puppy pictures will cheer you up.


Sleeping in between my legs.

Helping with research.

Dancing to her "favorite song."

Destroying the bone I got her within five minutes.

Kisses.

Tired of research.

Smiling and playing!

Not so sure about all this work stuff.

How bout play instead?

Walking herself.

Sleeping upside down under the table and against my leg with ball still in mouth.

Hugs.

"If I chew on your lap and your lap is on the couch then it doesn't count as me being on the couch."

Always touching somehow.

There is no better stress reliever than a lab.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Duffluff, Thesis. Thesis, Duffluff.

My life is consumed by my thesis, so I don't really think of anything else. Which makes it hard to generate blog material. So, I've decided to blogify my thesis and bring the amusing side of it to Duffluff.

A very very simplified overview of my thesis goes like this: I'm studying how ConEdison (the NYC power company) and its consumers turned to Twitter during the power outages surrounding Hurricane Sandy.

One step of this process involves coding 6000 consumer tweets as "positive," "negative," or "neutral." In reading through these tweets I've gained, lost, and regained faith in humanity every ten tweets. Some people are selfish, impatient and mean. Some people are kind and understanding.

And some people are just too damn funny.

So here are some of my favorite tweets thus far:


@jbssliggity: I got 99 problems but conedison ain't one


@rilaws: ConEd just called me to ask if I like scary movies.


@samir: BREAKING: @ConEdison hopes to restore power by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 tonight (or maybe tomorrow or maybe the next day.)


@bryanrwalsh: Got a call from ConEd telling me my kid's school might not be open tomorrow. Waiting for next call that tells me where this kid came from. 


@rilaws: Phone call from ConEd was just someone whispering "Seven days."


@MMFlint: By not spending money updating their infrastructure ConEd gets 2 have bigger profits.Why don't we the people (government) run the utilities?
         **Because the government does such a great job running things?**


@nancyjweiss: The hipsters r using another acronym in lower Manhattan - SoPo, South of Power. Come on ConED. Peeps is freezin' out here. 


@trcyzee: And on the seventh day, ConEd still didn't deliver power. 


@kinxp23:  Mi undastan seh #ConEdison a guh roun a try fix ppl light inu but dem need fi hurry up n reach the Bx cuz mi #COLD #notcool cya live suh
            **I originally dismissed this one as something written in Spanish until I gave it another look. Still not sure what it says but the #notcool hashtag helped me code.**


@GodlessBastard1:  God caused the storm because of butt sex, but ConEdison turned off the power because they want you all off Facebook


@TomfooleryTM:  If we lose power and have to use magazine porn or, much worse, our own imaginations, ConEd &TimeWarner consider yourselves class-actioned. 


@wrygoneawry:  #ConEdison is basically yelling "You can't fire me! I quit!" at a hurricane. Sorry, Lower Manhattan. #Sandy
             **This one was about the time ConEdison preemptively turned off power to some parts of NYC**


@workforfood: 4:53pm - ConEd sends notification about shutting down our power tonight.
                     4:55pm - I start eating all ice cream in the house. #sandy


@KaraLaricks: Um the power better not go off before @RuPaul's Drag Race tonight or ConEd WILL lipsynch for their life. ha!


@RenataReborn:  ConEd you cockblockin whore!!!!!!! They already started decreasing the power, I know it! My curling iron is flickering!!!


@Arlene411: "@ConEdison: Don't go near downed power lines. #sandy #nyc" Except for Staten Islanders please go near downed power lines


And, because the word "ConEd" was one of the search terms I pulled, I got some tweets referring to things that were cone-shaped, or "coned."
@IAmAffiya:  I'd like to think that the 'KKK' members had secret stash of chocolate ice-cream underneath those white-coned hats.