In my spare time I play the violin with the Kensington Symphony Orchestra, a community orchestra that puts on five concerts a year.

Before RSI* took over my life, knitting was one of my favorite hobbies. My Ravelry page tracks the meager list of projects I still work on during long nights at the telescope. (Membership in Ravelry required to see my profile.)

My sister, Stephanie Peek, is also a scientist, studying whales at the University of Wyoming.

My husband, Joshua Peek, is also an astronomer. His web site might look familiar. I’ve decided it’s a compliment.

The yummy fresh & local food is one of my favorite things about living in Berkeley. A few years back I made a slideshow at the Tuesday Farmers’ Market.

Some of my favorite places to eat in the Greater Berkeley Area are Café Colucci, Cheeseboard Pizza, Corso Trattoria, Nefeli Caffe, Tacubaya, and T-Rex. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but they are the places where, after living in Berkeley since 2003, I might dare to consider myself a regular.

Some of my favorite recipes are Sesame Avocado Quinoa (add a poached egg for extra delicious), Pickled Red Onions, Good Mother Stallard Bean Stew (swap porcini for pancetta to make it vegetarian), Otsu, Poached Eggs in Turkish Yoghurt, and Grilled Pizza. My very favorite madeleine recipe is here.

*Suffering? I’ve got advice about workstation options and forced-break software. Come on by.