Flowers for Friday – yucca – white glistening spheres
I’ve been waiting for the right time to post this pic ever since I took it during my trip to Indiana 6 weeks ago.
And By Golly THIS is the TIME!
I am SUPER excited, because I just got some of the absolute B.E.S.T. and MOST FANTABULOUS data that I’ve collected the entire SIX years I’ve been working on my Ph.D.!!!!!!
I can’t use enough caps, exclamation marks or words of excitement to convey Just How Thrilled I was today. (which was yesterday if you read this on Friday)
!!! EEEK !!!
I sat and stared in shock.
I did the happy dance.
I clapped.
I jumped up and down. Perhaps that is redundant, because my ‘work’ version of the happy dance is not the same as my ‘home’ version and mostly involves just a bit of very light jumping/bouncing on my feet.
I smiled really really big.
And I altered my experiment plans for tomorrow so that I can repeat this T-riffic result.
When I got home, I hugged HB and squealed
“Good data! Good data! Good data!”
(of course, he’d already heard the semi-complete version on the phone earlier)
Then I told him that we needed to break out the champagne!
(not really, cause I don’t drink, and he knows that)
Wait! Ice cream! A perfect way to celebrate!
Um, rain check on the ice cream though, it is getting kinda late in the evening to be eating ice cream.
This weekend, I will DEFINITELY be partaking of either Cold Stone Creamery’s chocolate ice cream with peanut butter sauce or Peaceful Meadows’ chocolate ice cream with homemade peanut butter sauce.
Cause This Moment can only be adequately celebrated by partaking of chocolatey goodness combined with peanut butter heaven.
THESE are the moments, my friends, that can be
so
very
few
and
far
betweeen,
that get me out of bed at 3:15 a.m. or keep me working for 14 hours straight.
THIS is what makes it alllllllllllllllll worth it.
YAY!
Oh, flowers, right?
Don’t mind me, I was just distracted. Residual shock, you know.
Here is the big size of the one above. It will take forever and a day to load, but I think it may be the best photo I’ve taken yet.
These flowers belong on this plant.
It is a yucca.
I did once see a really really big version of this plant when we were in Texas. Lesseee if I can find that photo.
Well, the only copy I seem to have is the one with my mom next to it, so, here is the one with her cropped out of it.
Oh, wait, here’s the huge one!
It just wasn’t blooming, but you can actually see the leaves on it, instead of just the flowering stalk at the top. We did talk amongst ourselves about how impressive it would be when it finally bloomed.
Those were all taken with Tweedle Dum, even the really good one at the top. Not too shabby for the lil’ ol’ Sony Cybershot DSC-P71, eh?
Amber says:
Ohhh!!!
The first pic is mighty gorgeous. The best yet, I say! oh Danielle! Breathtaking white sparklies.
And did you say chocolate ice cream mixed with peanut butter sauce????? OHHH HEAVEN.
Congratulations. I doing a mental-happy-dance for you since I’m stuck on my couch. Yay!
Lots of hope for more goodness.
Closet Metro says:
Umm, it’s only too late in the evening to eat ice cream if it is early enough in the morning to eat eggs.
But I’m with you on the chocolate-peanut butter yumminess.
Congratulations on your “happy dance inducing” good data!
Ern says:
I’m with CM on the ice cream bit. NEVER TOO LATE! Especially when you got AMAZING RESULTS!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! I so know how you feel. Well…I can imagine how you feel, because I imagine how I will feel in a few years when I am almost done with my PhD and I am lucky enough to get JUST the results that I was hoping for. Yea!!!! Danielle!!!!!
Mother Hen (Danielle's mom) says:
YEAH – WOO HOO and all that happy talk for your results from the experiments!
Photos of Yucca are great and really striking with the blue sky behind
them!
Mother Hen (Danielle's mom) says:
YEAH – WOO HOO and all that happy talk for your results from the experiments!
Photos of Yucca are great and really striking with the blue sky behind
them!
Danielle says:
Amber, Thanks! I really love that photo. I think it might get a bit lost in the midst of the data excitement and talk of ice cream. But i really did want SOME sort of pic to go with my happiness.
And yes, I did indeed say chocolate ice cream with homemade peanut butter sauce. It is to die for.
CM, Wait?! You mean you’ve never eaten ice cream for breakfast??? Didn’t you know that at some of the most popular diners, they will serve you eggs, toast, bacon, and a side of ice cream? Man, I’m gonna have a tough time in MN if I can’t get that for breakfast every now and then.
*teasing, of course*
Ern, reading your comment made me realize something that I didn’t explain.
I had given up HOPE of getting this particular result a couple of years ago. At this point, I was just trying to get a replicable result with a different manufacturer of that stupid compound (the one that I’ve gone on and on about). (it is like a rescue experiment) We had gotten to the point, where we assumed that we were only affecting part of the pathway and that another suspected part of the pathway, must be playing a role. Which makes it even more Incredibly Shocking. But uber exciting!
Lesson: never give up hope.
check.
jenski says:
I’m SOOOOO happy & excited for you, Danielle! I’m glad all of your planning and hard work REALLY paid off!
La Pix says:
WOW! I am so happy for you! Good Data!
On something you’d lost hope to prove statistically significant. FANTASTIC!
I am sncerely almost as excited (bad me) about the first two photos here because I think they are GORGEOUS. The color, the light, the compositions. My faves of all your oics of all time (that I have ever seen anyway). REALLY GORGEOUS. And I’m excited because you seem to be taking more chances with the framing of your photos, and with perspective, and it’s just cool and inspiring. I love evolution.
Keep us posted on your labors of love. And your moving info too.
Squirl says:
I am sooooo happy for you! That’s such great news. By now you might have had your ice cream. Maybe I’ll have ice cream instead of dinner tonight, hmmm.
The yucca picture is absolutely gorgeous! I seen plenty of yuccas in bloom but you captured such a fantastic angle.
LadyBug says:
YAY for you, hon!!! I’m SOOO excited for you. I’d do my own little happy dance, but I’m ex.haust.ed. from spending the day school clothes shopping with the girls. But, inside, I’m LEAPING with joy.
The BIG photo was well worth the wait to load it. It’s beautiful. Looks like a chandelier. I hope you don’t mind, but I “borrowed” it for my desktop. (I didn’t think you would, since it’s basically just replacing your pic of the wiggly building reflection pic.
)
Congratulations on your fabulous results, Danielle. I’m so proud and happy for you.
(And I hope you and HB celebrated with a little, ahem, bicycling. *grin*)
Momo says:
Love the pictures. Very pretty!
I’m soooooo happy for you on your experiment results. May you get lots more really good data on any future experiments.
I’d eat ice cream anytime, then throw in chocolate and peanut butter…I could live off that now.
AZJ says:
Congrats on the result! I am soooooo happy for you:)! You definitely deserve a celebration or two…
Amber says:
How about when you get to MN, we go out for some ice cream? We can drag the boys along, too.
Danielle says:
that sounds grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat, Amber!
And, I’m not ignoring everyone else.
I’ve read and re-read these comments yesterday and today; they have brightened my days. Right now, I’m just very very tired, and trying to work up some momentum so that I can finish my day’s work. *yawn*
sooooo sleepy.