Eric's page

12:34:56 7/8/9

2009-07-08T00:47:00.002-04:00

Jason_SegelSo check this out, at 56 seconds past 12:34 tomorrow, it will be 12:34:56 07-08-09

I'm getting cool date-number tweets from Jason Segel. cool.

Also neat is that it's already happened... happens twice today.

Gooooooooal!

2009-06-24T19:10:00.004-04:00

USA beat Spain.

Sounds small. One game. What's the biggie? Understanding the circumstances that it took to get us there... and the Goliath crushing power that even Brazil and Italy bowed down to makes this the biggest soccer story of my life. Or at least bigger than any event on the international soccer stage that I've gleaned from the scarce soccer coverage and despite my undulating interest.

First, how did USA get there? Having already beaten teams from tiny countries, we qualified early to play in the World Cup next year. This was expected to happen, but we're always on our toes because the USA team is finicky and can lose to anyone at any point. Round two we got placed in the most ridiculous group: USA, Brazil, Italy, Egypt. Only two teams advance, so we can basically play hard, let Brazil and Italy go forward and admit that we were out-matched with our heads up looking forward to a more fortunate grouping in the World Cup. As expected, Brazil killed us and so did Italy. In fact, in both games we spent the major part of the clock with a man down due to red cards/ejections. Way to go US, real classy. On the bright side, we gave Egypt a beating. Basically, beating up the little kid allowed us to pass along the pain to a smaller and weaker team. This beat down actually turned out to be useful...

Because the impossible happened. You must first understand that, to any American, soccer tournament rules are confusing and verge on outright ridiculousness. So when Italy got beat in a surprising upset against Egypt with a large point differential, the United States magically moved to second place in our group ahead of Italy. Even though Italy had beaten us Head-to-Head! We had lost to our opponents by few points than Italy, and since the three teams besides Brazil, who was 3-0, were tied with a record of 1-2, we won the point differential tie breaker and eeked into the next round.

Only to play in the Semis against unbeatable Spain-- This is a team that had not lost their last 35 games and is undefeated against the US for a long, long time. In the last couple years, Spain has gained the reputation of being the powerhouse that even Brazil and Italy could not match up to.

And we beat them!!! We weren't even supposed to have made it to this round... it should have been Italy vs. Spain... but we were there and we beat them!!! Finals here we come!!!

Shout out

2009-06-15T23:30:00.006-04:00

This blog goes out to my mom. Trainer, Jillian Michaels, challenges you to perform high intensity workouts combings your arms, legs, and abs for twenty long, shirt-drenching minutes. Jillian's video is the 30 Day Shred that Jess found and one Jess has us do-- and it whips my butt into a higher gear than anything I ever do at the gym. My mom did something I never even considered doing because it sounds so painful and hard-- She took Jillian up on the challenge to do her high intensity workout for 30 days in a row. No breaks. No days off. No resting tired, achy muscles. Today, my mom completed her 9th day, and is rocking it. I'm insanely proud of her and in awe.

Just wanted to throw out this shout out. I feel like she's in the middle of a long race... or more like a multi-day event-- like the tour de france. Gooo mooom!

Reading Speed

2009-06-10T23:12:00.004-04:00

You've gotta try Zap Reader. This site lets you paste text into its window, and then presents the article you've copied at an adjustable a) number of words per minute b) number of letters at a time c) and probably other cool stuff in settings I haven't checked out yet.

On the surface it's just cool to get a sense of what speed you're comfortable with. Beyond that, I began to wonder how useful it is as a teaching tool to improve reading speed.

Here's what I've found:
After using Zap, when I was reading a slate article I was less enticed to look back at previous words, which I know is a major lag on reading speed. I also found myself focusing on words more closely-- and noticing spelling more-- than what I usually do (generally I glance at word clusters). Now, I'm not certain that's a good thing, because people read by sudden saccades capturing word clusters. One would think the wider the spacing between saccades, the fast you'd read.

Let me pause here and say, I was using Zap on 4 words at a time... various word presentations could have a very different training effect.

So, to sum up, looking back at previous text less is an improvement, and looking more closely at words may be a good thing, but maybe not. The third, and ultimate effect, which is something I've been working on doing but failing-- after using Zap I found myself internally vocalizing the words LESS. Not saying the words as you read is supposed to be the ultimate source of quick comprehension of a passage.

I find all this stuff both very interesting, and also very confusing. That said-- reading is so ubiquitous... for fun, for work, for tests... that it's definitely worth thinking about. Plus I'm always curious about teaching methods, and when I happened upon this site, I was like, Damn-- this could teach kids to read reeeeal goooood. Not sure why my education just dipped there, but it did.

Or just play around with Zap. It's cool (though it's super-version 1.0... I wish google would do this and have it be way less clunky-- like copying slate articles in is a pain in the butt-o cause of all the inserted ads and crap).

Need a hobby

2009-06-08T15:55:00.007-04:00

Over the next 2 1/2 months, I'll find myself with a lot of time. My work responsibilities will decline until my last day on June 26... From there I'll be a free man. Travels will include a family bike trip in Tahoe, a road trip from Boston to KC and back from KC to Pitt. Several trips
to DC including most likely one with a UHaul and lots of stuff. I'll be selling furniture and possibly buying some too. And I have plans for friends to visit and hopefully I'll visit some as well. Still... all this does not 2 1/2 months make (how profound).

With all this time I'll have before the big plunge, what should I do... One can only
plan to move for so long or work on wedding planning for so many hours. I'll be without my buddy and permanent companion for most of the weeks and some weekends next year- So too much traveling really defeats what I'm going to miss the most: endless time with Jess. Some ideas are: finish every NY times from now until the start of school (sounds awesome)... Read lots of books, work out like a stud. Is there more? Cook. What else? If you had the time, what
would you do? What will I wish I had done when I start school. Definitely seeing friends and family, because I already feel guilty for when I'm going to have to answer the phone and say I'd call people back in 2-3 days...humph.

I'll edit this post as I generate and revise ideas:
a)Watch the following movies:
watch every conan episode!
Indiana Jones trilogy with Jess
b)Read the following books and papers/mags/journals:
Washington D.C. Gore Vidal
c)Be able to do the following:
*25 pull-ups
*100 push-ups
*run 13.1 miles
*wall-squat 3 minutes
*pike 2 minutes
e)Go to: Planned: KC, San Fran/Tahoe, DC
Not planned, but planning on it: Chicago, Philly, NYC,
Not Planned but hey, it could happen: Denver, LA
Wish I could: Japan, Belgium, Paris, Portland/Seattle
f) in DC see: Brickskeller, Amsterdam falafel...
g) hiking sounds cool. Dave's been doing that a lot... Todd and Nithin might be hiking in Yosemite....
h) Play Braid

Scrubs

2009-05-20T23:36:00.002-04:00

The Scrubs Finale was sooooo satisfying. It was a long goodbye that at times felt like when Harry and friends were camping out in the woods... but along similar lines to HP7, the end was never as good as the start, but saying goodbye reminded me of the lifetime of memories poured into what came before the ending. Walking down the hallway actually surprised me at how many faces I knew, and how many I had forgotten.... and the epilogue to both Scrubs and HP7 seemed thrown together, but still a nice touch to soften the ending point.

And then there's going to be season 9!??!?!?

Iced Tea

2009-04-25T17:41:00.000-04:00

I, like my brother, have recently discovered the joys of making my own iced tea. Such a freaking delight... I drink it like water. Having some right now-- yummm.

Susan Boyle

2009-04-17T08:38:00.002-04:00

You gotta watch this:
And then Susan Boyle began to sing.

4.16.9

2009-04-16T10:40:00.002-04:00

2 squared = 4

.

4 squared = 16

.

3 squared = 9

I guess this will happen a lot this year (in Jan, Apr, and Sept) ... 1/1/09, 1/4/09, 1/9/09....4/16/09...9/9/9... Wild.

Parks and Rec

2009-04-09T20:39:00.006-04:00

Parks and Rec. Gonna be a thick wall to bust through before I get remotely hooked on this show. I immediately don't care about any of the characters. By sandwiching it between two new offices, they were sending a clear message that their target audience was the audience of the office. I expected it to have a similar sense of humor. What I didn't expect was it to be a xerox of the exact same thing as the office. Except it's copied onto slightly less white paper than the pristine office. Maybe eggshell. And the paper's a lot more flimsy. Oh and like with most Xeroxes, there's a lot of new blemishes and fading.

This review is all from a first glance impression. To be honest I'm judging the book based on the cover and the first 12 minutes (it's on right now, and it's 8:42pm).

Someone thought this show was a good idea. So I wonder which template they were following... the Stewart/Colbert path, or as one show dies the other takes off (didn't have a good example but I know there's plenty). Is this an admission the office is on its last leg? Do the NBC Execs want it to pop off a kid that'll take over the store? OR.... Were they hoping the mentor and the mentee would run together the way Stewart and Colbert have essentially doubled the time and grew their audience on comedy central (or hulu). But they're failing if that's the plan. Colbert fit perfectly because it was the Yin to Stewart's Yang. Where as this show is just doubling up on the yang. If you're doubling my freaking yang, just make more Office!!!

Why Bankers Went Bust

2009-04-07T11:29:00.005-04:00

Why we're in a recession!: I'm reading slate. There's some cool mind-math puzzles that Larry Summers had to answer to get a job. I'm reading. I'm thinking. And I'm getting the answers wayyyyyy wrong. Wrong, as in, not the same as what they say is the right answer. But then, I think some more, and realize WAIT... WTF.... Their answer is TOTALLY not right!!! I'm hesitant (though, still enthusiastic) about my protest because I had the same emotional objection to the Monty Hall problem, and eventually came to realize the right answer WAS right. But in this case, the problem seems practical and tangbile enough to where I think their answer is what f'ed up America's banking system.

Here's the question, answer, and their solution (from slate):

There's a dollar on the table. I'm going to flip a coin. If it comes up heads, I'll double the money. If it comes up heads again, I'll double it again. Whenever it comes up tails, we stop.

But there's a catch: You have to pay a fee to play. How much are you willing to pay?

The answer: infinity. You should theoretically be willing to pay any amount, since the probability on any given flip is that you win 50 cents. (On the first flip, $1 x 1/2 = $0.50. On the second flip, $2 x 1/4* = $0.50. On the third, $4 x 1/8 = $0.50. And so on.) So the potential winnings extend infinitely.

Of course, you can't offer the guy infinity dollars. So the interviewee is forced to either settle on a real world number—as much as the player can afford—or delve into marginal utility theory. Either way, the interviewer gets a sense of how the person's mind works. (This answer is understandably baffling to most people. See philosopher Ian Hacking wrestle with it here.)

They're so freaking wrong!!! Infinity isn't right. Because 99.99999...% of the time you'd GO BANKRUPT. And only once in a bazillion (haven't worked out the exact math, might be more like a gazillion) you'd become rich. Except we only live once. So you can't go risking inifinite money for a tiny chance of bigger inifinite money. You have to play the game as if you had your kid's college fund on the line, not some theoretical iterative game.

My real answer: I'd pay $1.50 It's even chance from the first flip whether I lose 50 cents or make 50+ cents. And that 50+ cents could get huge, so it makes putting my 50 cents on the line worth the risk to play.

I think--- what would you pay? What do you think about the inifinity answer?

EDIT: okay, I wouldn't gamble with my kid's college fund. I'd pay $1.50 to play if I had 50 cents to lose!

Edit2: okay okay the author Chris Beam does get to the same moral that I went to. Obviously I should have finished the article before ranting. "Theoretically, [the game] is worth an infinite amount of money. But in the real world, it's not worth infinity." Agreed.

Stretching is torture

2009-04-01T23:12:00.004-04:00

Running is being free. Weight lifting is a testosterone pumping challenge of brute force. Rarrrrrr!!! Stretching is torture. A mild form, sure. I'm not falsely confessing to crimes or anything.

Actually right now I'm feeling terrible, because over these last couple years the media have brought us lessons of what torture can actually entail. I shouldn't make light of torture, which is devastating just to imagine someone enduring. John McCain not being able to raise his arms above his head-- I don't know what specifically brought that to be, but my imagination runs to horrible places.

Well, when I was stretching, I thought, oh hey, I'm voluntarily pulling my arm to a place that's uncomfortable... Screeeeech. That's me pulling out of this metaphor.

Dessert Last

2009-03-31T22:06:00.003-04:00

Thought and theory... if you wake up and watch tv, nothing will be interesting all morning except video. If you wake up and listen to a podcast, reading will be boring. But if you wake up and read, you'll have interesting things on your mind and even a lecturer may seem interesting. Makes sense, but not really sure if it's true-- I'm gonna test it out in the coming days. Are the meat of my mornings more interesting if I appetize myself with articles. How does watching The Daily Show while I get dressed affect my perception of the main components of my morning?

I thought of this when I came home from a run with Jess and went to reach for the apple cider. I needed both sugar and some water. But I needed more water than sugar. And right after a run water never tastes better. Unless, I worried, if you've just had delicious apple cider... so I went for the water first so I didn't screw up water's deliciousness...

Said persons

2009-03-26T12:46:00.001-04:00

Who talks like that? British people?

"People tell others not to do drugs. And said people know what they're talking about..." Is this a normal use of the word SAID? Is it British...What's the deal!?

No End in Sight, Good.

2009-03-24T22:28:00.004-04:00

I cringe when I come to the end of a book because unless it has a sequel, the last page is the end of the story and a good bye. It's hard to invest into characters for such a short period of maybe a couple weeks, or if I'm really lazy, a couple months. It's why I've found myself drawn to the new type of television shows. I used to dig movies way more than shows, because a movie you have at least 30 minutes of characterization, whereas like in the Simpsons-- in old tv, whatever happened yesterday is forgotten and we start fresh each show... I know the amnesia gives the writers the freedom to branch out and write for what a record breaking 20-some seasons? And it also avoids the tangled relationship messes that occur every show around season 3 or 4... but the animated characters of the Simpsons remain, perhaps as they should, 2 Dimensional. I've come to love the long seasons of tv that trounce movie time as each season brings 6, 12, 18 hours of continuous story.... and then a pause before the expected sequal the following year (unless the show gets cancelled).

This all came up because I was trying to figure out why I like reading the news... politics. And I think part of it is that everyday there's more story on the same fascinating people. I'm addicted to hearing more unbelievable things about them, and there's millions of dollars (billions?) put into having reporters find the scoop and interestingly write about it. And it lasts for years and years and years. And while some characters do die... it's never because the actor wanted to move to another show or argued about contracts-- it's as dramatic and traumatic as it can be because it's real. And it's emotionally consuming... like the death of Tim Russert-- a major player in this theater, has stuck with me since I heard. And I felt for his son, and his friends James Carville and Tony Korheiser (who's all the way over on ESPN talking sports)... I felt for them.

I hate calling it a show because it's all real. But the tangled relationships and insane plotlines are too rich not to compare.

The main thing is I never have to say goodbye. There's never an end. I hate the feeling of picking up a book, and knowing that as I read, I'm slowly exhausting the availability of the story I'm consuming. These coming months I'm going to learn to enjoy reading as an escape because I know starting in August I'll need healthy escapes like exercise and reading that can hopefully give me the release I need as I avoid too much tv and dumb online games (as much as I can).

PS-- While reading a book, one of the worst things for me to know is how many pages the book is. Some how that number 432, or 247 (maybe 61) gets lodged into my head, and each time I turn the page my brain does a quick: page 121! oh no, almost half the book is over. It's best for me not to know-- same with movies-- Never want to know the playing time. And it's the achilles heal of tv drama. Well they're about to solve the case... they have to-- it's 9:57!!!

Flip a Coin

2009-03-23T11:33:00.003-04:00

When faced with a decision, I have a hard time figuring out what my gut wants me to do. I usually end up taking several nights to weeks agonizing and sorting through lines of thought before realizing how obvious the right choice was. I heard something today that struck me as wise, even though I think I've heard this several times before.

If you can't decide between two choices, flip a coin. If you're unhappy with the result, you've got your answer.

Campaign Memory

2009-03-21T18:52:00.001-04:00

I was telling Matt about, to me, one of the worst parts of the 2008 campaign: video

when to panic

2009-03-11T01:00:00.001-04:00

I'll start this thought and finish another time...

It's been on my mind lately the idea of knowing when it's the right time to panic. Clearly if there's an imminent accident up ahead when I'm driving, I need to quickly respond by taking a sharp detour and risk the injuries caused by running off the road... I mean, not always... not on a bridge or anything. Especially not if there wasn't actually going to be an accident.

It's that moment in the decision process I'm curious about. When to decide this is an emergency and I need to act to reduce my losses?

What if you don't catch on the problem is as big as it is until later. The morning of 9/11, a friend wrote me over IM that a plane hit a WT tower in NYC. I was shocked. And then got dressed and went to class. Not comprehending how horrendous and pinnacle of a morning this was.

As we face this financial crisis, I continue to wonder how big of a deal this all is. Have I fully grasped its impact, or am I not fully aware of the present moment while I make my way to start class just like I was planning when I woke up?

Slate

2009-03-06T08:36:00.002-05:00

I feel like today's slate offering is excessively good. Do they wait until I have a presentation at noon to unleash the Great Slate Day?

Dave-- good ideas. I'm gonna tinker with them. I'll post if I fall for any of them. Jess suggested another promising one to add to the list: Google Reader.

2009-03-05T10:45:00.004-05:00

Hey all,

I'm looking for a place to keep track of articles-- ones I want to read later. And as a side-benefit, I want to have the articles to look back on as a little scrapbook/refresher. The third benefit I'm looking for, if the website exists to make it happen, is I'd like to make my list available to you. I've thought about posting article recs a lot, but recognize that a blog isn't a perfect match with my want to collect and post bookmarks. My sense is blogs are more commentary, and there must be something more tailored for what I'm looking for.

Any ideas? Do you guys do anything like this. BTW- I generally enjoy getting artcle's emailed to me-- even if I don't always get to them right away. (But I also recognize email is probably the most clunky and improper way to do what I'm looking for.... email is temporal and demands attention... I want something for when I hit a leisure moment I can drop in on what my friend's have bookmarked and anything I've set aside for myself to read later)...

My wussy workout made me think

2009-03-04T06:35:00.006-05:00

As you may know from Jess's bloggo-- we've been on a New Year's workout kick that's still ticking as of March 4th (As my dad has joked-- March 4th: the one date that's also a command. March Forth!)

So I woke up sore this morning from my workout yesterday and thought that's weird-- why am I sore ALREADY? I've been getting sore on the second day following my workout. I did a leg muscle workout (ugh!) yesterday, but really didn't work that hard-- lots of reps at low weight. I wasn't totally goofing around-- still had a sweat ring, but I wasn't killing myself on any one workout. I didn't give my 110% by any means.

This quick-onset of soreness after my low intensity workout made me think-- do intense muscle training exercises give you delayed onset soreness, while cardio-like workouts cause more immediate soreness?

Kind of. After googling around a bit, I first was disappointed at the confusion and lack of a clear answer. But there seems to be a standing theory that, "the type of exercise – intensity, duration or type of contraction – influences time course. Most researchers have started from the observation that soreness is most severe after eccentric contractions [14]," Okay, we're on to something... but what the hell are eccentric contractions? You all may already know, but this was new to me: concentric contractions are 'normal' muscle contraction. But eccentric contraction is the work of a muscle as it resists opposing force to decelerate the movement. Like if you're doing pullups-- after you get your chin above the bar, rather then just falling, you resist your weight/gravity's force by slowly lowering yourself to starting position.... That's supposedly amazing for muscle growth and seems to be heavily correlated with delay-onset muscle soreness. And why you overhear trainers saying-- Up...And now down--slowly! Because you're basically forcing your muscle to work just as hard as going up but mechanically the muscle is creating its cross-links in the opposite direction.

Yesterday at the gym, my muscles still got crazy exhausted, even though I was doing low weight. I didn't consider that I was skipping half my workout by making the 'And Down' part way too easy.

Conclusion: because I was a wuss yesterday at the gym, I'm already sore today. booo. I'm a procrastinator, so this doesn't sit well with me.
EDIT: But runners get Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness... which seems more similar to low-weight, more reps... hmmmmm.....

Keep in mind, my "research" consisted of a 15 minute internet search at 6:30am.

Epistaxis (nosebleed) and how Linguistics did me wrong

2009-02-19T12:29:00.006-05:00

I've probably had half a dozen nose bleeds my whole life. Not too many, but I've had my fair share-- including the time I got hit in the face by a soccer ball. Before this winter, I never really thought much about nose bleeds because it always seemed like such a random unfortunate event. But this winter has been (I wish I could say WAS, the past tense, but it's snowing right now) very cold and very very dry. This winter I've had more than my share of nosebleeds-- that was until I finally bought a humidifyer. Anyway, it's caused me to have a personal interest in them, so when I saw this article about epistaxis, I was curious to see what medicine was up to in this arena.

Overall, I thought it was kind of hilarious to read common Dr. Mom advice written in Scientific Jargon:

Most anterior nosebleeds are self-limited and do not requiremedical treatment. They can be controlled by pinching the anterioraspect of the nose for 15 minutes, which provides tamponadefor the anterior septal vessels. The patient should relax, ifpossible. The head position can be either forward or backward,whichever is more comfortable, but it is important for the patientto avoid swallowing or aspirating any blood that may be drainingposteriorly into the pharynx. A common mistake is for the patientto attempt to compress the area along the nasal bones. Pressureshould be applied more distally by compressing the nasal alaagainst the septum.
Schlosser 2009 NEJM.

My mini-glossary:
epistaxis- nose bleed
tamponade- stopping bloodflow with pressure
aspirate(1)- MEDICAL: entry of foreign materials or secretions into trachea or lungs (breathing in)
aspirate(2)- LINGUISTICS: the strong burst of air accompanied by the release of certain sounds. The candle test tells you whether or not you aspirated. Both sounds 'p' and 'b' start with an aspiration and then followed by a voiced (use of vocal cords) "uh." The difference between the 'b' sound and the 'p' sound is how long after you aspirate do you then voice the "uh" sound. Interesting studies have been done to find a fuzzy border around 60 ms. If it takes longer than 60ms before you voice the sound, it is recognized as a 'p,' less than 60 is a 'b.' But the closer to the boundary at 60ms, the more confusion there is.

Sort of sad to me at this point that I had to look up the medical definition of aspirate, but could write pages about the linguistic use of the term... not to mention it feels like the linguists tried to borrow the word and got the definition backwards... IT SHOULD BE AN INWARD BREATH, NOT OUTWARD! This actually caused me great confusion when Jess was telling me about someone in the wards who aspirated something... But I was like, "they breathed out??? How could that cause you harm!?" She looked at me puzzled. Damn you Linguistics! So close.

PS funny word from this article: rhinorrhea. Can you guess it? Rhino + Rrhea. Rhino, like rhinovirus or that rhinosauruses have big noses (I guess??)... and _ _ _rrhea. You guessed it: rhinorrhea is a runny nose.

Effing G!

2009-02-11T23:37:00.004-05:00

I know I don't blog much, and most the time when I do it's either short or about tv. This one will be both. For years I've heard people talk about the show Freaks and Geeks, and rather than check out the show, I've confused it with Weird Science-- a show I saw a clip of long ago, and I never thought very much of the few minutes I can recall-- and went about my day happily.

Right now, I am a minute and 30 seconds into Season 1, Ep. 1 Freaks and Geeks-- and so pumped about the show. Why? Somehow James Franco!!!!!! and Jason Segel!!!!!!!!!!!! (how I met your mother; slackers; forgetting sarah marshall.....) are both leads. I think this is where they got their start. So freaking cool. I'll let you know how things go...

BTW-- huge props to Dave for getting us totally hooked on The Wire. I've barely watched any 'tv' for months, since nearly every night has been consumed by at least one episode of the wire. The other day we even canceled our own movie plans in favor of the wire--It's not like we were to0 lazy to leave the house-- we came home from dinner to watch! (I just thought about how Mark Twain refrained from exclamation points because he thought it represented laughing at your own joke.... hmmmm.... he would not have been a fan of this blog entry!!!)

2009-01-30T17:17:00.003-05:00

There's a dozen better shows, but episode 1 of Friday Night Lights is the best episode of television ever made. The intro theme song still gives me chills.

(Maybe I shouldn't blog... Maybe I should TWITTER!)

Article Rec

2009-01-29T08:50:00.002-05:00

Article recommendation of the day:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/us/politics/29whitehouse.html?hp

Back to School

2009-01-09T10:06:00.003-05:00

I'm having a Billy Madison moment. Quotes from the movie and video clip images are appearing in my head in scattered pulses-- like when I was trying to recall my dreams this morning. It's been too long since I've seen the movie, so the words are hazy. Back to school Back to school Back to school (he sings)... Well I did it (he explains on stage to a roaring crowd at his graduation)...I can tell exactly why these specific thoughts are appearing. Because I did it. I'm going Back to School Back to School Back to School next year. I'm going to medical school. I'm going to be a doctor! There are a couple very slight differences between Billy and myself. Okay, I know Billy says he's going to be a teacher, and I love teaching-- But my calling is to be a doctor. And yes, he celebrates with Veronica Vaughn-- one hot piece of ace (as the late Chris Farley explains)... But I'm marrying someone millions more amazing. So yes. I'm a happy boy. My heart is full... My eyes are clear. I can't lose (right Coach Taylor?... BTW-- on the gabfest today both David Plotz and Emily Bazelon unabashedly discussed their love for Friday Night Lights... me too).

In the new years spirit, here's to 2008 for getting me there. For setting me up for success. For bringing me back to where I'm home and comfortable. Back to school. If 2008 was a year to set things up. 2009 is my year to get things started. Studying for my first real tests in years. Planning my wedding....

I wish I could blend this coming year into one smooth delicious spread. But instead it's going to be divided into two very different halves. The first half will consist of traveling, visiting friends and family, challenging myself to workout and recover... delights. The second half is the start of my career. I know not to be afraid because Jess has gone through the first two and a half years with pride, success and lots of smiles. I'm going in, and I can't wait. Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose.

iCUP funny

2008-11-17T22:19:00.002-05:00

I'm the greatest Wizard of the Mall!

Say it a couple times. I'm in a goofy mood. Perhaps cause Jess and I took our first day off from the gym since what seems like forever. Instead we reheated leftover, watched goofy tv and rested our lazy bones. I'd better rest fast-- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday promise to be intense.

We did it!!!

2008-11-05T15:34:00.005-05:00

I felt like I was in a Diet Coke commercial today. As I walked from the bus to work, the people I passed on the street had an extra boost of bubbly in their step. People were smiling. Barack Obama becoming our next president had a more tangible effect than I expected-- it's not just a buzz in the air, there's a visible release of tension. I love it!

On another note, I read this article on how the producers of Meet the Press are having a hard time filling Tim Russert's shoes. Chuck Todd's great but too shy, David Gregory has the opposite problem often times being too bullish, Gwen Iffel's been approached but no offer has been made. I'm going to throw my vote out there while I'm in the habit of voting, and having the person who I vote for win! Gwen's great, and I think she's one of the few people who could carry the torch without diluting the power of the show, but she's not my #1 choice. I can't think of anyone I'd rather watch run Meet The Press than John Dickerson. I wanted to comment on the article to get John's name in the mix, but there wasn't a comment section. So I wrote this blog. Listen up-- the best person for Meet the Press is JOHN DICKERSON. (Gwen is a fine choice too).

EDIT/ADDITION: And, while Russert wrote about his dad, Big Russ, John Dickerson also has a book, On Her Trail, about his mom. Not that the new host needs to be a replica of Tim, but I think John Dickerson approaches politics with the zeal, passion, and joy that helped Tim Russert make Meet The Press so powerful and appealing.

Winless in Missouri and Ohio.

2008-09-23T18:29:00.004-04:00

Of the six football teams yet to win a game thus far-- four of them are from either Missouri or Ohio. Said another way, none of the football teams from Missouri or Ohio have won a single game this year! Unbelievable-- what's the deal?

And what do Missouri and Ohio have in common? answer: Swing States? I dunno.

Here's a funny comment about the Chiefs: "The Chiefs aren't showing any signs of being a team that is ready to compete to win a game." -ESPN.com Oh dear.

Dear Biden

2008-09-10T00:21:00.002-04:00

A couple questions I'd ask Sen Biden (if I happened to be having lunch with him tomorrow):

"How do you explain the voters who support both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, and what do you say to these voters to explain why they should vote for Sen Obama and yourself?"

"Sarah Palin's been quoted as asking what the VP does on a daily basis... If/when you become VP, what specific tasks do you plan on attending to on a daily basis?" ... "Are these the most important issues facing Americans, or are you letting Sen Obama attend to the most important issues?"

"You and Sen Obama have expressed the importance of reaching across the isle to work with Republicans. Why is this necessary given that the Democrats will have a majority in the house and senate during at least the first two years of your vice presidency?"

"How pissed would you have been if John Edwards had been nominated?" ... "Do you feel that he should have been asked to speak at the convention given that despite his personal life, he has been the strongest advocate for the poor in either party?"

What would you ask?

NBC = Obama, CBS = Bush, ABC = McCain?

2008-09-09T23:51:00.005-04:00

Fortunately my title follows mold of CNN's/FOX's headline strategy: "If you end with a question mark there's no face lost when statement is found untrue?"

But here's my random ramblings (I'm going to take some for myself, thank you very much David!). I love NBC shows. Their Thursday night lineup is amazing, even without Scrubs (*tear, tear* BTW: they've moved to ABC). Sure some of NBC's shows are awful. But for every Chuck there's an Earl, for every Gladiator there's a Hero, and for every flaw in the their Olympics coverage there's juicy drama spewing from Friday Night Lights. I'm totally loyal to NBC. Not that I don't watch other channels, but if my tv was stuck on a channel, I'd hope for NBC (or Comedy Central... or Food Network, but I was talking about the tv that doesn't get the expensive channels).

A couple years ago, I heard CBS was actually #1 in the ratings. The channel of Two and a Half Men, and the multitude of CSIs was way more popular than NBC's shows. Imagine my surprise in hearing this. Seriously. That moment gave me further proof that I am not in the majority. I was again confused by the decisions of my fellow Americans.

Tonight I started to wonder if certain channels appealed more to people of different parties and values. Do people who watch NBC vote more often for Democrats? I heard that CBS, though the ratings leader, pulls in older viewers... so are they more into... older politicians? My guess is no. I bet that CBS = Bush (old voters are less into McCain... some think they themselves couldn't be president so at 72 how could McCain; others are just less radical than he [used to be])... then does ABC = McCain? NBC definitely seems like the Obama channel-- young, more liberal. Heck, it's family with MSNBC-- did you see the lovefest between Olbermann and Matthews over Obama while he gave his speech? It got them kicked out of the anchors chair from now until the election.

Anyway.... I just needed to blog so I kept my space on happyredpigs's friends link. But, if you have any channel/candidate match-ups... comment away!

Give a little bit... (doo doo doo song song lyrics)

2008-04-30T10:30:00.004-04:00

I don't mean to brag or to lay myself out as a BIG SPENDER... But I did want to report my third donation, as of this morning, to Barry Obama. I wasn't thrilled about contributing to the slug fest between our two democratic contenders, but i also didn't want my horse to start falling behind in the money game (how many tired sports methaphors can I throw in here?).

Today's donation was a whopping $5. The same as the other two I've given. And I'd like to think that I spent these fifteen bucks wisely-- that the benefits of Obama having tons of donors, and a very low donor average is a powerful extension of his broad appeal and potential as a president. That the money game matters, and that a tiny donation matters as much as a large donation is an important realization. Because of small donations, he can announce that his average donation is only $96, and he can announce a vast array of supporters.

Today is the last day before the next tally of donations. Hillary's gotten a huge $10 million dollar boost from post-Pennsylvania excitement. If you like barry, but don't want to fuel the fire of mud slinging (mud on fire?)-- I'd suggest giving a dollar... get your name on that list for Obama, lower the average gift a tiny bit, and connect to your candidate of choice.

theme change

2008-04-24T17:51:00.002-04:00

I think we can... I think we can... I think we can --- the 'lil bama who could....

Yes we can

2008-02-20T22:50:00.000-05:00

Yes we can! That's what I've got to say. Yes we can! Yes we can.

Vēnī, vīdī, vīcī

2008-02-12T22:36:00.004-05:00

The loss of Zzzzzzs was for my interview at Pitt Med. A big day. And I feel pretty good about it.

I'd never really 'prepared' for an interview before. I mean, I would definitely review what I've done lately and try to think of a few key questions to ask, but I always avoided rehearsing for fear of sounding too practiced. And that logic totally sounds right-- if you can a response, you're going to sound canned. Connected with that is if you go in confident about yourself, you can answer any question because an interview is just a bunch of questions about yourself.

Well this weekend I went contrary to my previous wisdom. I STUDIED my ass off. I didn't even study for my courses because I was too busy preparing for this interview. In fact, I may have gone a little overboard given that I had prepared about a days worth of topics to discuss so many layers deep in detail that the 2-3 hours of interviewing could never have necessitated such studying. But included in the amazing life lessons Lyle gave was the 5 P's. Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. And I remember thinking how corny that was as I prepared my lesson plans-- and then next day struggle to present what I had intended to teach in any cohesive form. It wasn't until I realized that my 5th hour class was receiving a far superior education than my 2nd hours class (we didn't have a 1st hour-- gosh life was good)-- and even after my fourth iteration of a lesson I was never canned-- I was Prepared.

So yes, I went back through every topic of conversation I could think of and found the common lapses of knowledge I'd face-- I want to talk about our (Jess+me) food odyssey to Toronto, but what the hell are those Japanese oysters called? Yes Pittsburgh's an intense sports town, but which football player's statue stands next to George Washington's at the airport representing the priorities of pittsburgh, Our first president, and a really great running back named...

I also wrote out my responses to why I want to be a doctor, why pitt, what's my research about. And I even put a notecard with the my answers in my pocket as an old extemp trick to make you feel comfortable that the answer's there even though you can't look at it.

I don't want to go into the details of the day online, but as you may be able to tell, I'm still reliving the experience, and I feel really good about how it went (which is good because I was so scared before it happened).

Any Zzzzzs for me?

2008-02-10T22:45:00.000-05:00

Do you think I'll ever be able to sleep the night before a big day? So far, I'd say the empirical evidence suggests the answer is no-- I will never sleep well the night before. I am right now on a marathon of sneezes, in fact so, dire jess just came over to hand me a claritin...yum.

think I'll be able to sleep now? doubt it....

Papers part II

2008-02-05T20:02:00.000-05:00

I spent much of the day convincing CGS to let me drop my writing class... I dropped my writing class!!! I feel so free.

Going to the gym tonight AND tomorrow... woo hoo!

And thanks mom for the note :)

Papers

2008-02-04T22:40:00.000-05:00

When I was blabbering on about my spring schedule, which includes a Writing in Biology class, why didn't anyone remind me-- I hate writing papers!

Kenya-AA

2008-02-02T19:09:00.000-05:00

I'd like to tell you a little something about my mocha colored friend-- Kenya AA coffee with whole milk (KAA). I know KAA has no mocha, but she tastes like the drops falling from dark chocolate recently dipped in a French cafe's demi-toss espresso. Thick, creamy are generic terms that can describe any number of substances. KAA is Angelina's hot chocolate. It's a taste that causes me the need to call someone. You may have received one of these calls and not even known it. When I make these calls, I never let on what why I called because you wouldn't respond kindly, and that would ruin the whole experience. I call to share a 3 minute conversation before returning to whatever work required the caffeine in the first place. For instance, I'm supposed to be writing a presentation and paper right now. Oooops and it looks like our 3 minutes are up.... talk to you soon.

Ooooh and jess just called-- she's got some good timing... The young lady knows me well.

One more thing

2008-02-01T02:06:00.000-05:00

Google owns YouTube... So why is it that when you're watching XXXXXX part 1/9 the recommendations that appear when the clip ends is usually something like XXXXXX part 4/9 XXXXXXX part 7/9------- Are they not aware that people like to watch things in sequential order? Is this a hard thing to program? I mean, even if it is--- it's google for goodness sakes.

A nice story

2008-01-31T22:55:00.000-05:00

I've had a lot of people ask me why I'm for Obama. I generally select a reason and explain, but I can never fully express my thought without thinking of several counter arguments as I'm speaking-- and I just hope that if I'm arguing with someone they don't come up with them. Like policy: healthcare--- GREAT, right.... why no mandate? His argument that if people can afford it they'll get it is disingenuous because he's also said if he needs to put in a mandate to properly fund healthcare for sick people with the money from young healthy people, he will. Basically, to me no mandate is him not wanting to annoy his core troops-- us young college educated people many of whom may decide to not pay something like $200 per month for healthcare. Even though, he'll probably end up putting in a mandate to make all the numbers add up.

He seems like a really great person, but politicians are professional actors, so how do we really know. Finally! this story came out that makes me actually confident he's a pretty good guy. This is just a really nice story that may tell you a little about Obama as a human being.
Washington Post "Richardson's Choice"

Bill Richardson recalling a moment in one of the debates:
"I had just been asked a question -- I don't remember which one -- and Obama was sitting right next to me. Then the moderator went across the room, I think to Chris Dodd, so I thought I was home free for a while. I wasn't going to listen to the next question. I was about to say something to Obama when the moderator turned to me and said, 'So, Gov. Richardson, what do you think of that?' But I wasn't paying any attention! I was about to say, 'Could you repeat the question? I wasn't listening.' But I wasn't about to say I wasn't listening. I looked at Obama. I was just horrified. And Obama whispered, 'Katrina. Katrina.' The question was on Katrina! So I said, 'On Katrina, my policy . . .' Obama could have just thrown me under the bus. So I said, 'Obama, that was good of you to do that.'"

Will Smith and the Scientologists

2008-01-23T01:49:00.000-05:00

This is cool enough for me to steal from Digg....
[I Am Legend Predicts Super Bowl]

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr

2008-01-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

Fingers cold, soooo cold. happy. Ate great szechuan food. And cuban. At gelato, La Colombe coffee, fingers purple like the tempranillo. We took a picture of Jess because she's wearing a coat and scarf while holding the gelato cone, big grin.

I'm on a weight loss team

2008-01-15T20:44:00.001-05:00

Will I win the weight loss challenge? (keep in mind this is a joke I just thought of..... are you ready..... here it is: fat chance)

I'm back from a, well, let's call it a long hiatus. I'm back though, this time without probably the main reason why I left--the blogging pressure!-- to improve, edit, rethink, to have to think at all! I mean there's a lot of fun blogs out there to read-- logical and hilarious stuff (Dave's), swirlingly exploratory and adventurous (archimedes) and truly genuine and personal (happyredpigs).

I hadn't found a voice, and it was too much work trying to create one. Instead, this will be my mess.

Actually, it'll be as Jon Stewart described the content of his show: without writers to devise clever bits, everything is basically my immediate reaction to whatever I just saw.

Oooh so yeah, I joined a weight loss team. I know that sounds crazy given that if I lost the maximum goal of 25 lbs I'd probably be in a serious condition. But it starts January 29th and ends in the middle of april. My whole team at work is doing it-- and most immediately I'm excited about the chipotle burrito I'm going to have before the first weigh in... mmmmm Chipotle.

Wolf's behind the times

2008-01-15T00:44:00.000-05:00

I'm laying here watching the Las Vegas Democratic CNN debate, and the words of my good friend Matt keep ringing in my head-- this is such a shit show. It's a mess. The first 5 minutes were Clinton(C) on C, Obama(O) on C, Edwards(E) on C, C on O, O on C, C on E..... It was the starting 3 hogging the ball while like 4 other candidates just twiddle their thumbs. The whole time Wolf looks crazy anxious because they're not getting to all his well crafted questions, and the audience is getting rowdy! So Wolf steps in and tries to take control. He starts moving on through his list of questions... the only problem is the candidates try to debate the question, but he's too busy shushing people to get to the next question before the topic can be discussed. It's so frustrating watching Wolf try to follow the group press conference model where each candidate gets a question and some number of seconds to respond. Rather than asking questions he should be calling on people and letting them weigh in on the debate. Wolf's either asking BHE a question, or is asking another candidate about BHE. The cycle continues as BHE bring up a topic disagreement like on healthcare, and rather than calling on each candidate to weigh in-- something he could moderate and make sure people have relatively equal time to talk-- he interrupts the debate to hear what Dodd thinks about E's policy changes. Rather than talking about the policy, he's asking someone else what he thinks about the policy changes! It's ridiculous!!!

Wolf better get his game together.

And what's with the if your name was discussed in the previous speaker's comments then you get a chance to respond rule anyway? Everyone seems to act like it's a rule......I mean it makes some sense. Is it a rule that each candidate must have equal time? You do opposing viewpoints....

Textcast

2008-01-14T07:50:00.000-05:00

A new finding.... Slate has a textcast. WTF is a textcast? Be patient, I'm new with it... it seems like you download it like a regular file, and when you try to listen to it there's no music........ BUUUUUUUT, if you click the center button three times you find that they've given you something to read on your ipod. After searching around, I've only found Slate's textcast, but I'm hoping there's more to come. One issue is that if I continuously scroll, my ipod gets all confused and bounces around irratically, so I have to basically scroll page by page.

Similarly, I saw on digg that you can actually download a current version of Wikipedia directly on your ipod. Only takes 1.7GB. For most people that's nothing, for me, that's half my ipod!

NFL-- we had a nice time.

2008-01-13T20:06:00.000-05:00

Even though the Chief's totally sucked this year, the final seconds of the Cowboys vs Giants game was so damn exciting. I just hope the excitement was enough to satisfy me through the approaching months without the NFL. I can't believe San Diego beat the Colts. Unbelievable.

Podcasts

2008-01-13T00:11:00.000-05:00

I am a podcast junkie. Whether I'm cooking, riding the bus, or analyzing EEG data-- I'm probably listening to a podcast. Podcasts are free, but they do take an enormous amount of start-up time finding good ones and a moderate level of effort to maintain. Preferences are extremely individual, so while recommendations should supposedly decrease the large start-up cost of finding podcasts you like, most of the time I've found myself holding on to recommended podcasts for a period of time and later realizing I've stopped listening to them.

Anyway, if not for helping you find stuff you like, then maybe just a glimpse into my psyche... here's my list of podcasts:

#1 PTI, daily, 30 minutes
Pardon the Interruption-- This show along with around the horn is my ultimate source of sports info. It's commentary, not news (something I've decided I greatly prefer-- Economist over Time, OpEd before main pages), and more importantly, the hosts are funny as hell.

#2 Slate Magazine Daily Podcast, almost daily, ranges from 6 minute articles to 30 minute gabfest, to 1.5 hour bookclubs
The gabfest is my absolute favorite thing to listen to, which comes out every late Thursday night. It's two of slate's editors/writers and John Dickerson, slate's chief political writer. For 30 minutes I get the most insightful look at politics in a banter that's hilarious. The rest of this podcast is a slate article being read aloud. Great orators, and interesting articles-- but I've stopped listening to those because I prefer reading he articles myself.

#3 The Bugle, weekly, 30 minutes
“Audio newspaper for a visual word”
John Oliver (from the Daily Show) and another Brit discussing current events. Zany, goofy, silly, and makes me laugh out loud even when I'm trying not to-- like when Jess is next to me trying to study.

#4 Scene Unseen, weekly, 1 hour
Two guys in LA review 1 movie and it takes them about 45 minutes to swerve through all their tangents and random discussions. One guys has seen it, the other has only seen the hype.

#5 Meet The Press, weekly, 1 hour
Tim Russert's the man. Best interviews and follow-up discussions anywhere outside of the Daily Show.

#6 This Week with George Snufflelffagous, weekly, 1 hour
I appreciate his attempt to be as good as MTP. He tries hard, and he produces a decent show. Always #2 to Russert. If he has on Edwards, that's because Russert's got Obama.

#7 Veracifier, varies, usually 3-10 minutes
Often feels propagandist, and is. It's very left wing-- They gather an immense amount of video and play interesting clips, but nothing can whole-heartedly be believed. More unfortunate for me is that it's video only, so my G1 nano doesn't accept this show. Nonetheless, when a new veracifier comes out it's worth a look because every once and a while they're insanely insightful.

#8 Real Time with Bill Maher, weekly when on, 1 hour
This deserves to be much higher, but the shows only come in spurts, so you can't count on it. *Something to keep in mind while shopping for podcasts is look at when the most recent episode was put out. If the last one was in october 2006, don't subscribe because I doubt any updates are coming. *Also look at the frequency the episodes come out. Daily's are fun, so are weekly's, but anything that's sporatic can be a real drag not knowing if it'll be there for you.

#9 On the Media, weekly, 1 hour
A fascinating approach to the news. A news podcast that not only discusses interesting segments in depth, but does so with a curious eye to the inherent biases of the media.

#10 NewsPod, daily, 30 minutes
A daily podcast each epp. is about 30 minutes long (so it gets huge props in those departments-- *shows that are too short suck because you end up spending more time selecting what to listen to that doing your main activity. 30 minutes to 1 hour for me is ideal). This show is produced by the BBC and gives the news through opinions and in depth reporting.

#11 The McLaughlin Group, weekly (though they often fall behind-- I think still catching on to the internet), 30 minutes.
Listen to only AFTER Meet the Press and This Week (Unless you are very, very old).

#12 Ask A Ninja, weekly? (varies), several minutes
HILARIOUS. video.

#13 Best of YouTube, weekly? (varies), several minutes
HILARIOUS. video.

#14 NPR Intelligence Squared, sporatic, 1 hour
1 hour. It's a debate. There's a motion such as “Is Aid to Africa Doing More Harm Than Good?” 3 experts in favor and 3 experts opposed duke it out-- each person gives an 8 minute speech, then they all answer questions at the end-- NPR edits it down to less than an hour. Super duper interesting, but I usually end up feeling much much much less knowledgeable than when I started. *But it's more just fascinating to hear the discussion than to become educated on a topic. I think this may be a golden rule of podcasts

#15 NEJM, weekly, 5-15 minutes
New England Journal of Medicine Interviews with PDF
Weekly provides one of their articles in pdf and interviews and discussions with the author. Probably the most rewarding podcast-- though to be honest I'v only used it a couple times. Obviously, this one no longer is for multitasking. They cover topics such as “The Battle over the SCHIP” “Childhood Obesity” “Comparing Physicians on Efficiency”...

$16 Science Times, weekly, 10-20 minutes
The less advanced equivalent to the NEJM podcast, while still providing a great deal of insight. The problem with this one is that they only put up the interviews with the author-- it's sort of up to you to read the science times before hand.---------A GREAT alternative to this podcast, which I used to listen to, is Science Friday from NPR.

Some others that I subscribe to:
Larry King-- video interviews. Only watched a couple
America Votes 2008-- 3 minutes or so daily. Not insightful, but keeps you up on the horse race of the election
The Economist-- Used to be one of my favorite podcasts. Less so now, and I'm not sure if they changed or I did.
People.com-- Did you know Jessica Alba's pregnant.
Around the Horn-- great extension to PTI.
Pittsburgh: Hear and Now
Political Points: On The Presidential Campaign
Slate Explainer podcast
Slate V podcast
UCSF Science Cafe
Video: Arts/ Movies (AO Scott)

And I'm trying out a new batch... that's how it's worked for me. Every so often I'll shop around for new ones, try a bunch out and end up keeping a couple. Here's what I'm testing out:
60/20 Sports with James Carville and Luke Russert....Yeah James Carville doing sports!
Bellissimo Coffee Podcast
Coffee Convo
NBC today show (audio)
NPR: Kitchen Window

First Debate

2008-01-06T22:59:00.000-05:00

The first debate of the year happened, and I missed it-- thank goodness for YouTube. So I'm not being cheeky by saying 'first of the year' as in the first in '08-- I mean, remove all those countless hours of "debate" soundbites produced the ridiculous number of group press conferences called debates (I think there was something like 73?). Did you delete them? okay good. Now watch the January 5th ABC New Hampshire debate. Edwards, Obama, Richardson, and Hillary-- back and forth alliances (interesting to see Richardson and Clinton saddle up to each other-- Clinton to Richardson because he's not a threat and Richardson to Hillary because-- cabinet post? VP? They're of a similar generation and Richardson's nauseating need to answer every question with the headlines of his resume complements Hillary's attempt to be the experience candidate. While Obama and Edwards-- young "for change" guys-- tag team on Clinton even though they're #1 AND #2 as Edwards points out) disagreements, some policy, and good television.

Tomato Bison stew

2008-01-01T17:20:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post this recipe. I found it online somewhere, and now I can't find it again. Anyway, I've made it a couple times, and I love it.

Tomato Bison stew featuring zucchini and squash

3 tbsp canola oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic
.5 lbs buffalo (can be ground)
1 zucchini
1 squash
.5 cup water
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp pepper
.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp dried basil
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can tomato pieces
1 habenero

Saute canola oil, chopped onion and diced garlic in a large pot at medium heat.

Let onions heat up and then add cubed buffalo to the pot to brown the meat.

Cut the zucchini and the squash in half lengthwise first, and then cut into thick pieces (about half an inch). Add to pot along with water, turmeric, chili powder, pepper, and salt.

Let the zucchini and squash soak up the flavor at slightly lower heat (not boiling).

As zucchini and squash soften (20-30 minutes-- or as David says, when bored) add condensed tomato soup and tomato pieces. Also add 1 whole habanero. Keep lid on pot (unless looks too thin, then remove lid).

Let simmer on low heat for about an hour. Add dried basil to pot.

Turn off heat. Serve with Challah (next blog). yummm.

On the Streets

2007-05-09T10:27:00.000-04:00

Tony Blair is soon to be out of a job, and needing to find work, the way Bill Clinton has, to maintain his presidential lifestyle (okay prime minister, whatever-- same diff)...

As his predecessor, Gordon Brown, takes over (the way he was explained to me is G.B. is the British Al Gore-- only maybe less chubby... but just as boring-- c'mon, you know I love Al) Tony is going to be left with nothing to do and his entire life ahead of him... minus the 54 he's lived so far. And so he'll be left, like Bill Clinton, with greater recognizably and energy, but lacking a pulpit to wield his power.

Not to mention the fact that people are living longer and longer. Recently we had 5 living former presidents. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great Jimmy Carter started Habitat, and Billy C. has done amazing things with his global initiative and campaign fund raising to get back in the white house as #1 stud (and crossword king-- did you see him and Jon Stewart in "Wordplay?"!!!) BUT... shouldn't there be something else? More than biding time, and just collecting dollars for scattered ambitions? Maybe not, I mean it sounds like a dream. And perhaps a motivating factor to become president (the whole 4 or 8 year duty sounds pretty horrendous, "but from there I get to coast as a former prez... I'm in!" -- I'd rather be a cushy senator).

Also why is the US president the "Most Powerful person in the world?"... shouldn't the president of the WORLD be the most powerful... and why do we get corrupt dolts to be the secretary general? Not that I know anything about this new guy, but I was not impressed by Kofi. I know the UN has image issues, but perhaps part of it is that its leaders seem to be the sidekicks sent away to Abu Dhabi by country's big fat-cats in charge (Garfield reference) to pretend to run a political office... that we can ignore when convenient.

Why don't we have Clinton and Blair go head-to-head for the TIPPY TOP spot? or better yet... running mates :)... I know they both (particularly Blair) have image issues with the UN... but this could be the bridge to legitimacy we've been needing. I'd like to see US president '09 trying to push secretary general of the UN Bill Clinton around. They'd look like a lost child confused about their place in the global hierarchy.

I know this would never happen. Instead, as presidents end their terms with so many healthy years left, we're just going have to deal with a chaos of former figure heads with nothing to do but raise money. Tony... welcome to the club.

ADDITION: (the economist today adds Castro to the mix: In his broadcast conversation with Mr Chávez he spoke of fulfilling his "new tasks". Both his Granma articles and a brief official statement that a working group was being formed to propose constitutional changes might indicate steps towards the establishment of a new post-presidential function.)

pre-mcat part1

2007-04-11T21:28:00.000-04:00

Hold on folks-- I paused the Colbert Report for this s it must be important. As of this moment I feel released... I'm cleansed. The MCAT weight on my shoulders has suddenly been lifted. Isn't the test tomorrow? Should I be studying-- or atleast waiting another day to relax?

crap, maybe you're right.

I studied all day today-- and really to tell you the truth I've worked harder the last couple months than perhaps I ever have. Over the last hour and a half things have just been falling into place. Jess just got home--- I'm going to relax with her for the rest of the night and get back to you tomorrow---- when I'm done!

Deathly Hallows

2007-03-28T13:32:00.000-04:00

The cover is unveiled. But more importantly, you get to see THE Arthur A Levine on television... I was underwhelmed. Not nearly as engaging as seeing THE Arthur Frommer in eurotrip :)... or was he? I did a little IMDB research only to discover disappointment--Eurotrip couldn't even get the REAL Frommer to make a cameo! They got a fake (You might call him an "actor"). Thank g-d for Harry Potter-- JK never disappoints (note: book 5 has been eternal sunshined from my memory... all that's left are painful snippets: awww pretty magical horses only I can see. Aren't they pretty. Luna can see them? she's weird........ Gotta save Ron's dad! Can we apparate? "Bloodly hell, for the last bloody time, no" Oh right hermoine. But Arthur's going to die. If only there were magical animals somewhere to help us....) That's the third arthur allusion in the this blog: Levine, Frommer and Weasley!

Watch the video. It's funny to watch Matt Lauer not give a shit.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be there at the midnight party July 21st. My copy's already preordered :) We're going to get Jess on that list, so we can read it together. Can't wait.

Give an hour once...

2007-03-11T03:14:00.000-04:00

....to get an hour of Sun... every day for the next 7 months . In my opinion March 11th is now one of the greatest days. Say goodbye to SAD and say hello to SUN. With the barebones reduction in carbon emissions (a reduction is a reduction, no matter how small-- every little bit helps), and the joy it brings me and every person who's mood is directly tied to the weather, how could this change be bad. Who suffers? What cost is there in balance with the benefits? Besides the computer folks who had to suffer through a mini Y2K to coordinate Outlook and meeting planner updates.

The Children. I had a chance to chat with a lovely elderly lady the other day while her husband received an MRI. Our conversation slipped into politics. Discussing Bush as a person who lacks depth in understanding of cause-and-effect, we moved through iraq to global warming. Having agreed on these topics, but still outside the realm of casual conversation, I pivoted the discussion to a much less volatile subject, so I thought, of daylight savings time. Not every one likes losing an hour, but clearly someone with more than a dab of foresight can appreciate the benefit of having that extra hour of sun. It was on this safe topic that I hit a wall. She became adamantly opposed to moving 'spring forward' several weeks forward. Heartfelt she described children standing out for the bus in pitch black of night. She discussed how in the Nixon administration they tried moving this date up before only to realize the costs actually outweighed the benefits. This lady's passion about it has not dampened my sincere love for what tonight means for me over the next 7 months, but it does give me a sense of history repeating itself. I wonder if the benefits do actually outweigh the costs... if this time the environmental factors barely make this change worth it... or if I should only tentatively hold the second sunday in march as one of my favorite days. History may repeat itself in the near future, and I'll have lived through some of the few Marches of recent memory that the sun set after 7pm in Pittsburgh.

I'm back

2007-03-07T16:58:00.000-05:00

Welcome back. Thank you thank you, it's just good to be here. Writing. Over the last 6 weeks I've dedicated every second of free to time extracting as much MCATty goodness from my numerous prep. purchases-- it's paying off. In face of my fear that I'd hit a ceiling, the strange trend has occurred that the more I study the higher my score goes. It's a damn good feeling.

Why am I studying for the MCAT? Didn't I already take that-- yeah, and I did alright the first time. But given that I'm on the waitlist at Pitt, and my scores expire after this year, I can only benefit from a high score. So why not... I just haven't be able to read the times as much... or blog!

Now that my science scores are in the right range, it's time for me to devote 80% on verbal + writing. To that end, per Jess' suggestion and helpful encouragement, I'm going to be blogging quite a bit. In fact, I'd recommend you pick and choose which entries you read. You're absolutely under no obligation to read each one--- in fact, for the first time, I'm not going to be writing for someone else, but rather, I'll mostly be writing for the sake of writing...

That said, did you see this NY Times article on Obama's fishy dealings? He's so fantastic that even when his attackers leak potentially detrimental headliners, the friction merely buffs his already shiny image. He apparently invested 50 grand in each of two stocks. The issue is that he had received donations from members of these companies and also legislated to increase funding for their line of work.... oh that could be fishy, hmmmm. But it's not... First of all none of this is illegal... though legal shouldn't be the bar we're reaching for. He's Mr. Ethics. And he is: he had arranged for his Fin. Adv. to take care of the stocks to where he's blind of trading-- these investments were made while he was setting up this smart screen to protect himself from this type of thing ever arising. When he became aware that these investments had been made (not on his order) he sold them immediately for a $13,000 loss. This guy is pure gold.

I hear they make good salsa

2007-01-03T13:05:00.000-05:00

Going to New York City! for an EEG analysis conference. May9-11. That is, of course, unless someone decides to enroll me in medical school. I guess either way I win :)

Vote Often

2006-12-11T15:42:00.000-05:00

I will not lose. I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, but seriously--- Slate's the best. And they're currently only winning by a slight margin (488 votes vs. the runner up's 486!) Vote. Every 24 hrs. that is.
http://2006.weblogawards.org/2006/12/best_podcast.php

*We won!!! WE DID IT!*

Merci Beau Cul

2006-12-08T17:56:00.000-05:00

(Beaujolais Nouveau, on my bed, with The Daily Show)

Journler has replaced my swiss cheese memory with a solid, damn what the hell was the really good hard cheese called, the solid one that Jess, Kathy, Jeff and I ravaged through, starts with a V and ends with like a double x or something-- from Holland (is that how you spell holland?). We had that V_____xx cheese about a month, almost maybe I'd say a month ago, or about that maybe longer.... No more of that! With this thing I'll have instant access to the highlights (and lowdarks*) of my life with exact dates to boot! check it out. It's like PostIts meets google. Solid.
find it here (free)

My computer is back and almost fixed. It's great having my old friend back... had to get it a new hard drive. Not entirely fixed though. Sometimes he (are computers feminine like ships? Mine's more guy-like-- Has a lot of fun, but can be really lazy sometimes.)... The almost refers to how my computer flashes its swirling rainbow wheel (of which I have my conspiracy theories! ask Jess, she'll tell you), freezes, and requires rebooting at random.

Did I mention the Beaujolais?

*needs no explanation.

tongues out

2006-12-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

IT'S SNOWING!

soft fluffy light snowflakes

Eat the rich, or perish

2006-12-06T07:28:00.000-05:00

(sitting here at 61c, on the verge of completing the program I designed, running a patient this afternoon on it, the sun's waking up with me)

Capitalists are darwinists. They believe that the best and most efficient companies will thrive and multiply whereas the duds disappear from memory. Niche optimization is encouraged-- if the market is saturated with coffee shops on a block, maybe a deli, HR Block, or fashion boutique would find ample interest and monetary resources in the same store space. Stores eat different people; at least, they eat different budgets. Sometimes these resources are in odd places, such as finding a group of students willing to pay 3 dollars to put jimmies on their Cheerios at Cereality. They found a Galapagos island where they rake in tons of scurrying Penn students. Placed on an island with fewer fruits and nuts (woo zing!) Cereality would starve its way to demolition.

This morning dribble is meant to add to the recent onslaught of scientists 'fighting back' to protect the theory of evolution. I'm saying, if you believe in capitalism you believe in evolution. The ID-er's last question is always-- oh yeah, well if evolution exists, name 1 example of it today. Ugh! I think this question's meant to piss off scientists into responding aggressively: Clearly you're void of the ability to discern rational thought from the excrement spewing out your pie-hole. Or an even less helpful I'll-show-you-mine-if-you-show-me-yours: By all means, demonstrate g-d's existence. To accurately answer the question, use an example of any organism with fast reproduction-- take the flu. Still nothing? Try this answer: Capitalism. The free market is the application of natural selection to economics.

If they refuse to believe in evolution, call 'em a commie. :)

I don't pretend to believe that this blog scratches the surface of the humongous topic of where us humans come from. Dawkins tries to in his books, but he leaves huge gaps. Don't hold your breath. A well-written all-encompassing written record with all of the answers would have to be practically the length of the bible. oh wait. oops.

Look at the baby

2006-12-05T09:41:00.000-05:00

My PI emailed at 7am-- he's in the labor and delivery room. He's been in there since midnight! No baby yet, but he's going to keep me informed. I'm so excited for them. Upon hearing the news, rather than immediately responding and sharing my excitement-- I took my energy to the halls. Telling anyone I deemed slightly familiar every detail I knew: They're having a baby. They don't know if it's a boy or a girl. It's all happening in Magee. The due date was Dec 15. Jess made 'baby Wolk' an adorable knit hat. Did you know freezing Canadian winds are rushing down through the states reaching Orlando with winds ranging from 20-40 degrees below zero and will last from Wednesday until late Friday (turned to weather lacking more baby details).

All I'm saying is this is exciting. My email response included, "...enjoy your time with your family." not wife... family.

When NO means YES

2006-11-29T07:56:00.000-05:00

This blog is not in the form of ridicule, but rather wonderment. And actually was inspired by Angie's linguistical musings of epiph!any.

How many times have you shown up at a party as the only guest who didn't bring a gift? They said no gifts right? You think to yourself as you enter the party with a pile of bows and envelopes to your left, at least ONE person knows how to follow directions. I'm a real friend cause I actually listen when told NOT to do something! Chances are you've learned how to translate the double-speak of party invitations better than me. Here's one that I just got, which logically makes no sense-- but in party-speak it's extremely helpful and specific.

[They] emphasized once again that gifts are not necessary and should be kept simple.

How the hell do you keep a gift simple if you weren't supposed to get them anything at all? Damn that's confusing, and now I have to go shopping. Fortunately, this is the best part, they've registered:

He says that the most meaningful thing to them would be the gift of a book. They are now registered at Baby's R US and Amazon.

Once I've learned to understand this contradictory language, it becomes so easy to do the right thing. They've practically done all the work for me.

Gotta run. idea. off to register for Chanukkah. No gifts necessary, but here is a fun site that'll get you started. (In Eric-speak, registering means asking you to shop).

Merlin steps up to the plate

2006-11-16T13:34:00.000-05:00

Monday is my Pitt interview. We moved it up. How frightenning. I've gotta go make sure my suit still fits. wish me luck.

The Political Science of Sleep

2006-11-08T02:15:00.000-05:00

I'm rubbing my eyes. It's like a Chrismas morning miracle. I went to sleep and all hope had been lost for McKaskill of MO and Webb of VA. In fact, 70,000 of the last 100,000 votes would have to swing Webb's way, and for my pro-Stem Cell gal of Missouri, being behind Talent by 11 points, she was just screwed.

And now here I am rumbbing my eyes both because it's 2am and I really just woke up to pee, but also because I'm in shock. Having already claimed the House with an overwhelming victory of seats going to the dems, way more than necessary, in fact, taking them to the tune of a mid-to-high twenties is supposed to send a serious message. 3/6 necessary seats swung to the democrats. And here's the miracle. When I woke up, in the last three senate races to be counted (MONTANA, MISSOURI, and VIRGINIA) Tester (D), McKaskill (D), and Webb (D) had all pulled ahead.

There's only one word to sum up how I feel right now: miracle? no. "Goodnight" Who knows what great news will come of it. I have one interview for med school right now (at Pitt!). Maybe there's more good news ahead, if I can just get enough sleep good things will happen.

g'night. And well done to all the youngins who voted. That's what it's really all about. Elections are less about a fight for the seats and more about a tug of war for who the politicians should listen to-- and they sure as hell don't listen to people who don't vote in large numbers, like young people. Let me be the first to pair up with Katic Couric and coddle you with high praises for voting. You did so good. yes you did. I'm so proud of you.

Boo!

2006-10-31T21:11:00.000-05:00

Violet and Dash.

Happy Halloween!

(source: Jess' camera-- I don't have one. Thank goodness she does so we can share this incredible moment)

Breaking the Seal

2006-10-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

My g-d it's been foooooooorEVER since I've addressed my blog. How could this have been???-- I definitely haven't been too busy. What've I been up to? Taught my first KAPLAN class (scary as hell!)-- all I have to say is 3 hours is a loooooong damn time (what's with the elongated o's?)

I'll give you hint to both questions (How could I have stopped writing + what's with the elongated vowels): I rrrrrrreeeeeeeheallly don't want to have to repeat myself newbie. But I have to give it you ya there, ya did have me there. there.

Okay yes it's Scrub's fault. But I promise I won't fade away again into a pool of happy scrubsy-ness. It's not like tomorrow I'm going to download the entire 5th season off of iTunes, and re-immerse myself into television. That'd be reeeeeeediculous (sorry). I already watched all of season 5 on iTunes, and I'm in no mood to watch them all again! It's true, I feel more like reading something smart (Harry Potter).

I'm back baby. Just saying hi. (and I feel goooooo ooo oood!)

2006-10-14T00:08:00.000-04:00

Episode 1
12:03am It's even scrubsier than EVER! holy crap. this first episode was flawless-- all smiles. buh buh buh buh buh buh buh, buh buh buh buh buh bah bah..... mmmmmmmm.

Episode 2
12:06am Are they having Zach Braff be shirtless on purpose? Is this going to become a thing? why why why. Just because they've shown Eliott in a hundred different bras doesn't mean they need to impose equal time.

12:11 dvd started skipping. totally screwing with my rhythm. -- great hangman word by the way, rhythm, no vowels, very tricky.

12:17 Eliott's chief resident instead of JD? sick to my stomach... WAIT WAIT Ohhhhhhhh clever twist. I actually didn't see that coming.

12:31 had another dvd player problem. I find myself saying parts of lines with them even though this season is completely new to me.
12:47am I'm being deprived my birthright. Still not working.
12:48am thank g-d it's working.
12:57am the lord giveth and the lord taketh away. I just don't understand why. I didn't even make it through two shows. hmph. more for tomorrow, i guess. Turk's proving himself to be by far my favorite (still). three scooters with matching helmets-- genius.

Who put the silverware in the pancake drawer? hmuph!

2006-10-13T23:09:00.000-04:00

It's here It's here It's here. I can't believe it's finally here. I'm sitting here with the openning song for the Scrubs DVD playing and it's going through all the "remember when" scenes that are usually exhaustingly over-viewed and nauseating from over-viewing-- but for now they serve the purpose of getting me as giddy as a little school boy about what's about to happen. I have no idea! This is incredible. Plus the chiefs vs. steelers game on Sunday. It's all happening.

Jess is sound asleep from working hard and doing amazing in med school. She had her last anatomy practical and she's resting up for a 2-day study-out before the final. I'm up. No final. Just me and scrubs. It's an immediate tunnel back to Paris, to LA, to all the places where I've excitedly openned a new disc of scrubs. Edgar, JJ, you guys know what I'm talking about. David, Evan and Jess have gotten caught up in the Scrubs fever. Even my boss digs it. Anyway, I'm going to watch one episode and go to bed. ha! yeah right. Hopefully it doesn't overwhelm the other sides of my life... I mean, hopefully merlinwall doesn't become 'blogging the scrubs season 4. ' It totally will. And I'm all in. Here goes!!!!

"I'm no superman"

poo, good for humanity?

2006-10-09T08:21:00.000-04:00

Well not poo itself (or dookie, or whatever you'd like to call it)-- but the hydrogen sulfide gas that's been dubbed 'sewer gas' is being investigated for its possible efficacy as an anaesthetic. Researchers have applied this toxic gas to rats at doses lethal for humans and found the metabolic rate, temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate all plummet, while the blood pressure stayed relatively stable.

Hold on and rewind please. What!?!?!? I must have had too much champagne before bed last night. I have to make sure I wasn't still reading Proud Cystic-Fibrosis Foundation doesn't need your charity found at The Onion. I mean, we're talking about toxic smelly poop gas! *For an in depth discussion of the chemical composition and attributes of hydrogen sulfide gas, I turn to my biochem correspondant at happyredpigs (scroll to 'Matches, Poo, and You: a lesson in everyday chemistry')* Using that??? I guess maybe I'm just jealous that I WOULD NEVER HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT.

On the plus side, they would be using the gas to replace the extremely difficult, unstable, and still new procedure of inducing hypothermia, which allows the organs to keep working during surgery while operating on a trauma patient or the heart.

On the down side, a doctor questions, "is it reducing brain metabolism or simply having a toxic effect on the brain stem?" oh dear. see the BBC article here

All in all, I'm curious to see how this all works out. And I'll be lighting matches after #2 in the meantime.

Less AD in Bangalore than Bangor?

2006-10-08T17:12:00.000-04:00

I have to run off to a Kaplan meeting, but I wanted to say hi before I go. I ran across this article on Alzheimers. Rather bizarre thought, but who knows. Here's the headline:

Chemical Found In Curry May Help Immune System Clear Amyloid Plaques Found In Alzheimer's Disease (curry and turmeric have it)

hmmmmmm.... Anyone up for Panang?

the waiting game

2006-10-04T13:56:00.000-04:00

It's not a game anymore. I'm absolutely sick of waiting to hear from medical schools. I hear no news is good news. But to me it's a Turing machine.... sure I'll only hear from them when there's good or bad news, so not hearing means I'm still in the running. But I feel like I've been running for months, and I'm all plum tuckered out.

finding common ground

2006-10-03T13:35:00.000-04:00

Finally Bush and I agree. fart jokes are hilarious. Slate's article on the Bush family's love of fart jokes. I rather dislike this article actually because it has the tone of 'attacking' GWBush. It basically says he has the humor of a 12 year old.... so? There's plenty out there to tear apart the GOP. There's so much disagreement out there. Leave farting out of this.

Go here to test whether you're with us or against us (ahhhh, this divider mentality is contageous... just enjoy).

BTW-- did you see Trent Lott on the Daily Show yesterday? I always thought of him as evil incarnate, but I went and looked at what he actually said about Strom...

"I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."

Not actually as bad as people made it seem. I mean, maybe he's a racist (a la G.Allen), and meant that if we pursued racially discriminatory policies we (meaning him and his WASP buddies-- baptist fits this category, right?) would be living large. But maybe he really did like Strom's defense strategies... I have to imagine that if he meant the racist version that he would have never said those words in a public forum (Strom's 100th b-day party). Then again, it's very likely to be both-- he's racist and liked Strom's defense policies. I just haven't recovered enough evidence to noose him yet. Now foley and allen and frist and santorum and brownback and roberts and ashcroft and rumsfeld and ney/abramoff and gonzales and bolton and cheney and rice and rove and bush, they're a different story, ....but not cause they like fart jokes.

Slow Reading part II

2006-10-03T10:18:00.000-04:00

I signed up for the NY Times and now I'm addicted. Seriously each day that I don't read it cover to cover I feel like I'm behind (plus there's always interesting articles on slate and the perverted IM convo from Foley to his page). Not to mention none of the above telling me that Zeta-Jones got booted from her T-mobile deal. I mean, omg. I had to read that through a Post-Gazette dispenser. Then tomorrow there's another newspaper on my porch. Don't get me wrong, I love it. There's only one solution-- learn to read faster. I did some research.

First of all, don't look back at old words. Keep your eyes moving to the next set of words.
(Duh, right? a disappointing first tip) There's even a word for looking back-- regression. Jess pointed out how strange it is to have a word for looking back. I totally agree. Strike one turboreader.

Sub-vocalize as little as possible. As you've read the words above, have you heard yourself in your head reading? You're supposed to read without talking in your head, I guess. THIS IS SO HARD FOR ME! I find myself trying not to hear my voice as I read, and instead realize I've stopped breathing. Other times I read, and don't sub-vocalize and have no clue what I've read. However, when it does work, it's amazing. I feel like I've freed up an entire portion of my brain to think as I read leisurely. It does actually work. A hit!

The other tips are things like concentrate and don't reverse words... (strike 2 and 3)

Slow Reading part I-- the trauma

2006-10-03T09:37:00.000-04:00

Oh teenage trauma. It can really have an amazingly long lasting effect. Fortunately for you I'm not about to delve into a some teenage sob story culminating with a gaggle of condescending girls laughing hysterically (or maybe you'd like that)... No, this is about something much nerdier.

I always had a hunch that I read slowly, but how could you know what slow is? My basis of comparison was my brother who whipped through Feynman's series as a pre-teen in weeks. But when Mrs. Muelbach in 10th grade had us read until she said stop, I had proof. She went around the room asking how many pages we read. 37, 45, 29, 48,18... 18? Had I really just admitted to the class that I should be classified as mentally retarded? Now I know that there may be some foul play as well as a bit of a heisenberg effect whereby everyone, knowing they were being watched, sped up. I had even skimmed a couple passages! Still only 18? No one laughed or snickered at me, but they were probably just shocked. (Only recently did I go back and calculate that the responses of even 35 would have been approaching 600 words per minute... damn liars!)

Dark Cold Night

2006-10-02T21:24:00.000-04:00

Anyone else fearing winter like I am? Right now it just hit me like a sack of potatoes (ha!, I could be vice president) that each new day isn't getting warmer with longer days. In fact I read that each day it gets dark 2 minutes and 33 seconds earlier each night. Can I hear some amens on how much that sucks.

Deals

2006-10-01T14:20:00.000-04:00

Quick note:

Netflix-- 1 free month. caveat, you have to cancel or they keep charging. hint, get the best plan (4 dvds) for your free month... no sense getting anything less for free (thanks g-ma/g-pa for the tip!).

Amazon-- 3 months free shipping. Just sign up for Amazon prime. Again the caveat, you must cancel before the end of 3 months.

I'm getting a televsion dammit!

Bananas for Greasemonkey

2006-09-29T10:24:00.000-04:00

First of all let me tell you that my obsession with podcasts has transferred to Firefox Extension and User Scripts...

After installing greasemonkey: http://greasemonkey.mozdev.org/ (the step '2')
I went and searched for scripts: http://userscripts.org/

Understand that my boss is away on vacation, and so I'm working at home, which includes laying in bed hiding from the cold that lurks on the other side of the comforters. Clearly, it also includes being frequently distracted. I figure the time I spend searching for cool scripts would have been used doing silly activities like commuting and getting dressed.

Few favorites:
facebook flyer remover-- The first thing that catches your eye every time you sign on facebook is some looney that you've never met dancing on a table with a cigar in his hand and there's a note underneath it to the effect of "Happy birthday Schmuck!" If one were to chose to perhaps have this experience never happen again, all you would need to do is install this script. Many similar scripts are available to do similar ad removals from popular pages like gmail. Now, there is an argument out there of the ethical nature that may construe this as stealing... therefore I do not condone any actions taken based on my posting... in fact, lets make a general rule that I don't condone anything, ever.

Google Maps multi-line Input: You want to copy/paste an address that's written on several lines all at once (like an address should be)... now you can. Takes up a little map space, though.

Facebook Auto-Colorizer-- turns each persons page into a bi-chromatic scheme based on the person's picture.

inYOfacebook-- Displays a larger image when cursor crosses a picture.

Gmail CSS skin-- Removes the lines on the gmail interface and just turns the whole screen into a cleaner more enjoyable image.

Well this has been fun... happy 10 days in RH-YK.

Cheers

2006-08-12T10:23:00.000-04:00

Is this the place where everyone knows your name? I know you'll be sick of reading about my infatuation with this "61c" place. When I walked in just now the gy behind the counter, who was helping another customer, turned to me and asked how my trip to Mt. Lebanon went yesterday. I wasn't surprised that he remembered I went, but his immediacy, casual and genuine asking, and the following discussion about how damn rich those folks are just feels like I've planted right next to my favorite (coffee) bar where everyone knows my name.

Plus 10 points

2006-08-11T09:19:00.001-04:00

Sitting here in 61c, my new corner coffee shop, with a dozen folks lined up at royal red and blue (go Penn! don't get confused, I'm in Pittsburgh. But whenever I see my alama's colors you know I've gotta shout it out) wooden tables with laptops out-- I feel good here. Now, if I walk south half a block to the Giant Eagle, where 2/2 the cashiers have been a-holes, I feel a little less sweet midwest meets the intellectual east. Giant Eagle may be a remnant from the actual steelmill days where life is tough and you should just feel lucky to be eating and have all your limbs.

I digress (crappy transition)

61c right down the way from my new apartment. APARTMENT. It's going to be beautiful. It's in an incredible location and has huge potential, but entering for the first time to a dirty place wiped all the gleem off of a possible first-impression buzz.

That was my last digression (I swear)

Sitting here in my coffee shop-- where a cup of coffee is a buck-ten just like it should be, I found myself with the difficult task of figuring out how to get out to the burbs w/out a car. Cab is not option-- it would work, but I'd consider it a complete and utter failure of my meet and greet the new city focus. Plus they seem pretty expensive here, and I'm on a budget-- cut the deal margins right off of buying two couches for less than 200 bucks.

Sitting here realizing I need to get far and fast, I start to surf for the answers, skeptical of my abilities. I don't even know what part of town this is-- I'm in squirrel hill, what's this place called? So, with my repetoire of skills I rely on my best one-- new guy (I'm realizing I've been the new guy a lot in my recent life). So I ask my new barista, and he starts to answer loudly, embarrassingly loud-- I sit down feeling called out and unhelped, when two guys start talking at me basically at the same time. One emerges as the more knowledgeable. He sits down and starts telling me stories of how he used to be a police officer but has since retired and hangs out here. A sweet guy who reminds me of an aged hero version of DJ Johnson with a touch of Lyle. He stops writing and explains the 8 lines of directions including distances, times and most importantly exactly how to get to my remote location. Then he hands me a bus schedule he had in a plastic bag. This is my kind of place.

Jess and I have been rating people and keeping tally-- not a 1-10 scale of hotness-- on pleasantness and qualities we find appealing-- again attractiveness not included-- many folks have received negative scores... This guy gets a plus 10.

Road Warrior Turns in his Tank

2006-07-30T13:37:00.000-04:00

But not before one last hoorah! Road Warrior is at it again for the last time (at least for the near future). I didn't self-title myself Road Warrior... okay, maybe I did. But I think it was fitting-- I mean, I got from the parking lot of my hotel in SF down to my Glendale garage in exactly 5 hours. Well I'm at it again. This time not for speed, but for distance. I've always been more of a sprinter, but more and more I'm trying to train myself for marathon type experiences-- I planned ahead this time. Due to illness my dad will not be joining me on my 1,800 mile trek to Kansas. He's got a 99.9 degree fever and still has the 'put me in coach' fight in him. I have to think that if my mom hadn't talked a tiny bit of sense into him, he'd be daring and creative enough to find a way to be next to me in the car. I'm glad he's resting because we've got a lot to do in when I get home. Anyway, back to me (yeah my dad's tough, and my mom's sensical-- everyone already knew that)... I'm about to embark on the mission solo. In preparation, I picked up some rations. And David, who came over and helped pack my car full of clothes also spent hours arranging "The World is Flat" on my ipod.

So if you think of me-- give me a call... I won't be far from my phone. *Quick hand slaps* Let's get pumped up. LET'S DO IT!

See you in KC.

Fresh Start

2006-07-22T14:40:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be moving to pittsburgh soon. As I pack and mentally prepare to traverse the country I am awarded the opportunity to once again skim off the fat. I'm sitting here in my room throwing away trash that at some point or another I thought could perhaps become a treasure or a relic or provide me mario tunnel back to a specific memory. The items that fall in the category have been placed in the keep pile, but currently the match between keep and trash is a landslide toward the dumpster section. That said, I'm trimming the fat. I'm making myself mobile. Trying to cut out everything except for what can fit in my car along with myself and my dad-- who is kindly flying out here to drive back to kansas with me (and later reclaim his rightful ownership of more fat being shaven-- "my" car). I'm lean and happy as can be. Sure I'm sad about leaving Poly, David and Evan, and the beach-- but yet somehow I can't wait to be in pittsburgh. Is it the brain imaging job where i will slowly advance our ability to impede the threat of alzheimers.. yeah, some. Or maybe it's the thought of discovering a whole new city, and just like this year finding the little places that make me happy in a new unfamiliar town. yeah, that's good. Maybe I'm looking forward to being able to mention my research a med interviews as another fraction of a booster point to the admissions committees? kinda. But if you didn't know I was sort of a romantic, then you obviously haven't been in my head very much. What puts a glow in my heart is knowing that I'll be starting a new life-- where I can plump up and plant myself as a fat-cat pack rat right exactly where I want to be-- I'm as excited as a kid (to borrow a phrase from my dad) thinking about my life finally being intertwined with Jess'. I finally get to be where I want to be, and not have to say 'bye' with tears, but rather the nonchalance of a person knowing it's not goodbye until the next blink of an eye, but the opposite-- goodbye for a blink of an eye. That makes all the difference.

For those of you that have made it through this entire jumble of words-- let me say this-- I hate having to say goodbye. I would redesign the world so that ALL the people I care about could be with me intertwined in my life. I wish my parents and my friends and my brother would never have to meet with the pressures of a looming airline flight.

All of this 'cutting the fat' was supposed to culminate at the peak announcement that "HEY-- I cut off my old web log, and have started a fresh one... cutting the fat" But I'm glad my musings surpassed that tiny announcement to reach what I'm really thinking about. 2 things: 1) I'm so excited about moving to pittsburgh. 2) I miss regularly seeing so many people that are close to me in my mind, but that I may not have even talked to lately.