Yes, I'm still around

Today I have some art links for you:

• Photographic Fiction: daniel blaufuks: collected short stories. Link via Fishbucket. No reading required.
  
  
• Save that Screen in Style:Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Screensavers available for download, including Gauguin Tahiti, Van Gogh, more. Of course, I won't install them myself. I don't plan to give up my Citgo Sign screensaver.
  
  
• Old and New:Istvan Horkay: Digital collage. Link via Giornale Nuovo, who also has many more more relevant links.
  

Enjoy!

And, oh yeah: check out the bizarre Wisconsin/Saddam story on Xolo's blog today. Because that was quite a interesting/unnerving coincidence.
 

Death

My father called last night to tell me that my grandfather, his father, had died. He was 94 and had lived a long and full life. Nevertheless, I still just feel stunned. I haven't yet been able to integrate this new reality into my vision of the world.

I worry most about my grandmother. After being married to someone for almost 70 years, raising 4 children, growing old together, imagine how her world has changed. He lived through five heart attacks, and she was there with him, and he survived them. And this time he didn't survive. Now what?

Sorry, I may need a break from posting for a while. Need a bit of time to myself.  

Spongmonkeys, moonpies, and subs?

A while ago, I extolled the virtues of the very strange rathergood.com animation: We Like the Moon. Indeed, I still get a huge kick out of it.

Recently, watching something on the Discovery Channel, I was absolutely stunned to see the We Like the Moon spongmonkeys on a commercial for Quiznos Subs. Had I really seen that? Was it a figment of my imagination? If not, was it official use or stolen? If you aren't familiar with the whole thing, could those spongmonkeys and their horrifying teeth actually be appetizing? Are they even if you are? Questions and questions ran through my mind.

I still don't know. Does anyone else?

In any case, B² has posted a link to an .asf file of the Quiznos ad! You are my hero B²! This proves it wasn't actually a figment of my imagination! I may well be hallucinating stuff, but at least I'm not hallucinating spongmonkey submongers! Yay!

But the questions remain...
 

Overheard on the Train

Two women, waiting to exit the train, speaking in very thick New England accents:

Woman 1: Today you get to shave your hubby!
Woman 2: Oh yeaaaaah! I forgot about that!
Woman 1: It's a special.... chore.

Then the doors opened and they walked out into the night.
 

Some Pictures: I've posted a few over at my photoblog.  

My life story, a long and difficult journey from the deserts of New Mexico to the wild Ocean State, told in the form of online license plates:**





Make your own!

Wait, isn't license-plate-creation usually associated with prison and prisoners? Oh well. It's subervsive art.

Thanks again to Radmila for link!

** slightly abridged  

Things:

1. Yes, I'll shut up about the online market in human body parts. Fine.
   
2. Some very lovely batik-theme background patterns are available right now at Citrus Moon, under the theme of Ganesh. I particularly like this one. Tile it.
   
3. Magnatune, linked recently by Xolo, is definitely worth a look. I really like Shiva in Exile, which is something like goth music from India.
   
4. Everyone who's feeling sick or sad: Feel better! I have a personal interest in this! Because, empathy causes real pain. [link via Sherri]
   
5. In Canada, milk is sold in bags! Take a look. Thank you Radmila for sharing!
   
6. In conclusion: why isn't there more love poetry to corn? Next week, maybe I'll have a contest for best love poem to corn! I'll have to think of a good prize. Suggestions?

 

I'm still going on and on about this buying cells online that have been sucked from dead people thing. Too bad

My Google ads now display such things as "Normal Human Cells." Like prostate cells. And these things aren't cheap! 455 US dollars for a T-25 Flask! Also mammary cells, bladder cells, neural cells, etc.

You could make a whole 'nother person! Just need an instruction booklet.
 

Corn: Even I didn't know it could inspire such love

I was feeling bad that I haven't written enough about erotic vegetables since my return from hiatus. So, I thought, maybe if I do a Google search for "I love corn" I'll get something interesting. And, I guess I did.

Result #1: I love corn

This whole cornstar website is interesting, if by interesting I mean very bizarre and slightly frightening (but in a corn-smut-type-of-interesting way).

If you have work-safe issues, or children, or anyone else around that might possibly see what you are doing at the computer, might wait on this one.

Result #2: this time with "I love corn more than I should": 237 Intimate Questions Every Woman Should Ask a Man by Laura Corn. Ok, I guess if you're going to ask 237 intimate questions, one's philosophy on vegiality might come up. And this Ms. Corn, hmmmm.
 

Brief observations:

I guess whether I do or do not have a penis is much more interesting to people than that stem cells and other biomaterials derived from adult human cadaveric vertebral bodies appear to be widely available for purchase online.

I don't have a penis.
 

Varieties of Spam

I get all kinds of spam. I get Chinese spam, Korean spam** , buy-prescription-drugs-online spam, penis spam, booby spam, you know. Here's one from today that I found sort of amusing:

To: me
From: Marilyn Payne [payne_fc@rescue-europe.com]
Subject: WANT A BIG . ONE ; outqwjatniu
Message: The only solution to Penis Enlargement
daelxmdiryxhw gmzegwbhihtrr
ONLY THIS WEEK: Add at least 3 INCHES or get your money back! ...
Also check out our *brand new* product: Penis Enlargement Patches
Comes with the 100% money back warranty as well!

Someone named Marilyn Payne wants me to buy Penis Elargement Patches - a situation that is both amusing slightly alarming. She almost had me at "outqwjatniu" but then, alas, I find "daelxmdiryxhw gmzegwbhihtrr" to be a bit of a turn-off. Sorry Ms. Payne. Take your wares elsewhere.

**Please note that in Korea, I met many people who actually rather like SPAM the meat product, and there are some Spam concoctions that are interesting and not half bad. In particular, a wartime nostalgia food of ramen, smam, kimchi, and whatever else was available: recipe here. Not bad.

But one thing I get this is probably less typical is this:

I get Science Spam

Where did they get my name? Listserv subscriptions? Educational/school directories? Do they cull email addresses from lists of grantees at national agencies? I wonder about this actually. Here are some examples. Please note that my research has nothing to do with stem cells, genotyping, or laboratory genetics at all, actually:

• NDRI Announces New Human Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Derivatives for Research
  
  NDRI is pleased to inform you that we have extended our tissue product line to include stem cells and other biomaterials derived from adult human cadaveric vertebral bodies. The following are now immediately available:
  - Fresh and cryopreserved whole bone marrow
  - CD34+cells from bone marrow
  - CD34+ depleted cells from bone marrow
  - Mononuclear cells
  - Bone chips
  
  Full quality assurance data will be supplied with each batch.
  
  Cord blood is also available immediately for your research; high quality islet cells from human pancreas will be available shortly.
  
  
• It is my pleasure to introduce deCODE genetics microsatellite genotyping services. We are now proud to offer our expertise in genotyping to the rest of the world.
  
  * Marker sets of 500, 1000, or 2000 microsatellite markers
  
  * Deliver quality-controlled genotypes in a matter of weeks.
  
  * Fine-mapping: to date, deCODE has designed and validated over 15,000 markers that successfully have been used for genotyping.
  
  * Our prices are very competitive and our commitment to quality and customer service ensures that your samples will be handled with care and efficiency.
  
  
• Dear Dr. [MYNAME, ALLCAPS]:
  
  SuperArray Profiles: New Product Update for February, 2004
  
  GEArray, the focused and application-specific macroarray:
  
  Human Dendritic & Antigen Presenting Cell Gene Array
  Available in both Nylon (HS-604) and Nylon-on-Glass (HSV-604) Platforms
  
  The GEArray Human Dendritic & Antigen Presenting Cell (APC) Gene Array is designed for studying the expression profile of genes involved in APC function. It includes genes important for APC activation and maturation such as cytokines, chemokines and their receptors, other cell surface receptors, and signal transduction molecules. Genes involved in antigen uptake, processing, and presentation are also represented by this array. In addition to being functionally defined, many of these genes are highly expressed in mature dendritic cells or significantly change their expression during the APC differentiation program.
  
  Human G-Proteins & Signaling Molecules Gene Array
  The Nylon GEArray Q Series Human G-Proteins & Signaling Molecules Gene Array (HS-047) is designed for studying the relative gene expression profile of 11 alpha, 3 beta and 9 gamma subunits, as well as several effectors and downstream signaling molecules in each of four different G-protein pathways.
  
  SureSilencing siRNA News:
  Kits targeting MOUSE genes are now available.
  NEW: Human Transcription Factor Pathway Set
  This set includes general transcription factors and those responsible for cell cycle control, oncogenesis, heat shock response, and signal transduction.
  Prices reduced on all Pathway Sets.
  
  Upgraded SingleGene PCR Kits
  An Internal Normalizer is now included for better gene expression profiling results.
  
  MultiGene-12 RT-PCR Profiling Kits now represent more gene families:
  EGFR / PDGFR, MAP Kinase, Cyclin-Dependent Kinase, Ephrin Receptor, RSK & SGK

Does it alarm anyone else that stem cells and other biomaterials derived from adult human cadaveric vertebral bodies appear to be widely available for purchase online? Just wondering.
 

I'm still sick

Last night I hardly slept due to, first of all, a horrible cough, and second of all, a horrible sinus headache. You know, one of those unbearable headaches where you wonder if it might not be easier just to crush your own skull and get it over with already?

Sorry for that image.

Being sick sucks.
 

Wishes

I'm not really under the megalomaniacal impression that people I don't know are clamoring to buy me things. But, since it's a nice idea for a game of play-pretend, I've made up a mini Amazon Wish List for anyone to peruse.

By now, my real wish list is up to around 19 pages and 472 items, so I'm not linking that! I made a little one for you, mostly compiled mostly haphazardly from the real one.

So. Buy me stuff!

Or not, it's up to you.

I'll still like you even if you're a cheapskate.

[Just kidding]  

Why my low number doesn't make me feel inadequate
Just in case you were wondering about that

I notice my sitemeter count is at 4,381. To me, that's amazing. Yes, I know there are many many bloggers out there celebrating their 50,000 or 100,000's, but to me approaching 5,000 is actually quite a lot.

But, I still feel the need to point out these few things:

1. Yes, I've been on hiatus, and I still got hits. What does this mean? Not sure. Perhaps I'm more interesting when I'm not around.

2. I'm off-Googled and have been since shortly after I began. No random and ineffective porn-seeker hits for me!

3. From the outset, I excluded my own ISP from the sitemeter count. So my zillion auto-hits to see if I got any new comments have not been counted in my total. Also, due to the nature of it all, hits from Xolo have also been excluded due to having the same ISP.

In conclusion: Life ain't so bad after all.**


**Please note my use of "ain't" as a deliberate colloquialism and not as indicative of my normal writing nor speaking patterns. Thank you for your concern.
 

How I got my purple plaid wool shirt, which I'm wearing today

When I was younger, my dad would give me his old wool plaid shirts once he had worn the elbows out. I loved these shirts because they were cozy and warm and added a useful layer for the cold (but not New England cold) New Mexico winters.

Now, at this point in the story, I need to explain an important fact: my dad is colorblind. He can't see red, and he can't tell green from brown. He's told me stories of days when I, as a small child, would ask things like "Daddy? Why are you wearing green pants?" or "Daddy? Why are your shoes red?" Apparently, he had thought he had found a nice pair of brown slacks or black shoes on sale. Later, he actually used to bring me shopping with him sometimes to tell him what color things were before he bought them.

When I last went to visit, we went for a hike. He was wearing a wool plaid shirt, as would be expected, but this one was purple. I wasn't surprised at all. Then he told me a story about the shirt:

"One day I was walking [somewhere], and this man I didn't know came up to me. He said, 'It takes a very secure man to wear a purple shirt!' Purple? I wondered. I thought it was blue"

But since it was a nice wool shirt, its color wasn't a good enough excuse to not wear it.

"Well," I said, "you could give it to me!"

And so he did. And now I have a nice, warm purple plaid wool shirt. And the elbows aren't even worn through!

The End  

the exciting and romantic life of a snotty graduate student

Today I spent most of the day sleeping, blowing my nose, or complaining.


More Links to the Underground:

• Infiltration: "the zine about going places you're not supposed to go." Including the Toronto Subway and Paris Catacombs. [link via Fishbucket]
  
• Under Rome (en) / Roma sotterrranea (it). Probably the most layered city of them all.
  
• Napoli Below An interesting proposition, particularly if you've ever seen Napoli above.
  

 

Comparative weekends

I went to the first meeting of class in Cambridge yesterday, and I was pleased to see that a friend I haven't seen for a while is in the class as well. When we went around introducing ourselves -- I'm so-and-so my research is such-and-such -- and when her turn came she added, "And I just went to the Grammys!" Apparently, a gay friend of hers needed a female date to go with him.

Let's not forget that the Grammys were in LA on Sunday, and this was Monday afternoon on the East Coast. And there she was smiling, energetic, and tan.

"You went to the Grammys?" I later asked, incredulously. "This weekend I sat in my pajamas at the computer!"

But in perfect honesty, I'm not jealous at all. She's great, and it's fun to know someone who gets to jet off to the Grammys, but I realized that I wouldn't even want to go to them personally, and it doesn't bother me one bit to acknowledge it. I guess it's one thing about getting older that's nice - the ability to acknowledge that I'm weird and the right amount of I-don't-give-a-shittedness necessary to be completely comfortable with it.

Update:

I liked the comment poem by Lux so much, I've decided to include it here in the post as well.

I'd rather hang out in my jammies
Than go to the god-awful Grammies.

Absolutely just-right.  

The welcome back virus (of the biological sort)

So, just as I've returned to the land of the blogging, I manage to get a pretty awful cold. Luckily, this type of virus is not (yet) transmissible through the web.

Also, some things:

1. As Xolo already mentioned, I got my official acceptance to the Johns Hopkins MPH program. Whether I'll actually be going there remains to be seen.

2. I cross registered for a course at another school in the Boston area, which means of course that now I get to commute two days per week! But I got a piece of paper that supposedly lets me get into one of the most well-guarded spaces in the universe: their library. (the unbelievable security has been mentioned also in the past- Sept. 26 '03 - stupid permalinks)

3. I forgot to mention: I came back from my Dissertation hiatus because I totally gave up and decided to just work as a telemarketer and a census taker! No, wait, that's Estella. Indeed, my irrational fear of the telephone will forever prevent me from following my dreams of telemarketing supremacy. Oh well.

Medical link that makes you squirm of the week: The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices. [Link via The G-Spot.ca]

I'll be back with renewed corniness and vigor when this virus goes away. Maybe I'll try this. That might health me up.  

What have I been up to for all of this time, you ask?

Some or more (or all) of the following items:

• I turned in a first draft of my dissertation on January 30! Yay! Of course, there's lots and lots of work still to be done on it for subsequent drafts.
  
• I sent in myriad applications for postdoctoral fellowships and MPH programs.
  
• I had two phone interviews for a postdoctoral position at UC San Francisco. Have my fingers crossed...
  
• I have learned information that tentatively leads me to believe I will be accepted to MPH programs at UC Berkeley and Johns Hopkins. But no official word yet...
  
• Finally got my hair cut!
  
• And I continued to floss my teeth every single day!

Links saved up over the long, long painful months of my absence:

Corn Related!

• Burn that Corn! The Corn Stove. In case it's cold and you have some corn you're done with.
  
• Toss that Corn! "The American Cornhole Association is an organization chartered with the sole purpose to promote the game of Cornhole or Corn Toss." Wow, do you go through corn. [link via MangoMonkeyMandess]

Art, Museums, Exhibits, and Cetera:

• Art of Ray Caesar, and interesting mix of computer-generated and nostalgia, yet still idiosyncratically surreal. I like in particular The Widows Tea Party, The Queen of Flys, and Kitten. [via Fishbucket]
  
• Dream Anatomy, an exhibit through the National Library of Medicine. [yet again via Fishbucket]
  
• The Museum of Menstruation. Why not. [link via greengrl]
  
• Lost Cases, Recovered Lives: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic. I'm seriously going to go to this exhibit someday, even though it's in Albany. It's actually relevant to my doctoral research. [link also via greengrl]
  
• Chaise Magazine, newly created at my school. A DVD-format magazine focusing on local artists. A good idea, I think.
  
• Undercity. How can anyone obsessed with subways and underground passages not like this? Visit under Providence, under Boston (and rumors), or missile silos near Roswell, New Mexico. [suspiciously, this NM link doesn't actually work. So I guess you don't need to click on it.]

Linguistic Curiosities:

• The proper plural of penis. So that those of you with more than one of them can at least be grammatically correct about it. [link via Quislibet]
  
• bo logh, a blog written entirely in Klingon. Did I mention that Marc Okrand, the creator of Klingon, is my uncle-in-law? But yet I speak no Klingon and have absolutely no idea what this blog says at all. [link via Volume22].

No wonder I went on hiatus. This takes up a lot of time! I think it might take me a while to get back into the blogging mindset. (i.e. - I only spent five hours blogging today? That's nothing!)
 

Something new: Some Pictures

see you soon
 

Oh. That explains it.

[stolen from the bottom of Sherri's adbar]  

Corn Smut "New Season" Teaser: appropriate for near-end of hiatus, no?

February, it is!

So here I am to announce that I will be back next weekend: February 7 or 8. This coming week I actually have a lot of postdoc and MPH applications due, but after that things should, hopefully, calm down a bit, leaving a little bit of extra time for me to slake my blog starvation!

Thank you Lux for your persistence! It's nice not to be forgotten.

For the moment, then:

See you in a week.  

I've been around...



create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide

Red = been there
Green = not yet

Link via Sherri