Final Halloween preparations

I was able to complete my spider when I got home. I hope mom appreciates the 8 legs! 

This has become a classic for me. A man (stuffed with leaves) holding his head in his lap. (He should probably tie those shoes!)

 And a final picture of my ghost circle, now complete with the fire they are dancing around!

Cats

The cats are hanging out close to each other more often now. This first one is a little family portrait we did (as you can see, though, Shep is blocking Paws' vision of Ichi!) and the one below occurred when Paws had been sleeping on our bed and didn't notice Ichi come up next to her! He didn't bother her at all, just sat real close, but then when she woke up she left. He still tries to play with her once in a while, which she does not appreciate! But for the most part they are pretty amicable. 

Halloween Preparations, cont.

The Halloween preparations continue!

Shep bought me an awesome door mat:

 I added the orange and black wreath I made last year to our front door:

 We carved pumpkins! Shep's is on the left, it looks scared and goofy. Our friend Joanna's is in the middle, it is a silhouette of Alfred Hitchcock. Mine (right and below) looks pretty evil!

 My circle of ghosts is complete, except for the fire (Christmas lights) that they'll be dancing around:

My spider does have 8 legs, but hasn't been hung up yet, because I am worried about it lasting too long in the rain and wind.

Halloween preparations!

Halloween preparations have begun! Seen here are the beginnings of a spider that will live on the front bushes, the beginnings of a group of ghosts having a seance around a fire, and a witch!

Pizza Pi

We went to the District of Pi the other day. They are a pizza place in DC. I thought Andrew would appreciate a lot of their designs, so I took a few pictures!

Their bar, with the numbers of Pi: 

Their glasses:

New office decoration!

I got a new item to decorate my office at work with! The reason I acquired this brain is a long story... here goes!

During the SfN annual meeting every year, we have a big party for our VIPs called the Presidential Reception. We invite the neuroscience rock-stars to network and basically kiss up to them to thank them for being members? Anyway, they always get some sort of small gift as they leave the party. The gift is always a different neuroscience-related item. Last year it was the wrapping paper covered in neuroscience images I was able to give Dad a packet of. This year, someone decided that the gift should be little chocolates in the shape of brains.

Well. A brain made out of chocolate requires a brain shaped mold, which requires an accurate brain model! Since I am one of the go-to neuroscience experts on staff, the woman who is organizing this came to me asking for good images she could send to the mold-maker for him to base the mold off of. I told her that I did not think it would be a good idea to base a 3D mold off of a 2D image, so instead suggested that she buy a cheap brain model.

So, the molds have been made, and they returned the model to us, which was given to me so that I could have it during our exhibits (like during the National Science Teachers Association meeting)! So now I get to have a lovely brain on my desk!

This brain decoration joins my many other office decorations.
Images of Shep and I, Paws, Ichi, and one of Tania, Rana and I (during the Chicago SfN meeting):

 Some small cute trinkets I've collected. The one in the right back is a little fold out pop-up type thing of koala bears I got from Shriee, the Australian graduate student who won the first Brain Awareness Video Contest.

 And my plants!

Psychics

This is a photo I took a few weeks ago but never got around to uploading. It is taken right outside the National Science Foundation. The purple booth is a psychic booth.

I just thought it was a bit ironic.