Everybody's Working Over the Weekend...

So this weekend proves to be a packed one! Tonight I'm trying to get home early and work on my little box project, then my friend from OK is coming in town for her friend's birthday and I'm gonna tag along (one: I want to make sure they don't drink and drive, two: I want to have my car with me if we're going to lower greenville, if you know what I mean). Tomorrow I have class early then I'm going with the SURF kids to the DWA at 11 or so. We're staying until 1 or so, but I hope that means they'll feed us there (the resturant is freaking good)! I'm supposed to go out with another group of people on Saturday night, but I've not heard from them, so I'm not really sure what's going on. On Sunday I have to clean all the windows in my house for my mum so as to pay back a mastercard bill (I like bartering, it leaves me with more cash in the end). I will most likely come into lab sometime over the weekend, so there's that to add on too.

I've decided to really start looking for a job in Austin so I'm going to apply to two different coffee shops (I used to work the esspresso bar at Borders) although I'm not sure if that's realy what I want to do (though I do want ot earn some more cash). I'm also submitting (Matt is too) to a post on the Austin craigslist about writers for a new independent music magazine. It's called Harmonium so we'll see if they want me as a writer or what. This is the meat of their post:

Are you a talented critical writer? Do you love music with every fiber of your being? If so, we would like to hear from you. We are a group of self-labeled music nerds who love and have written about music through a variety of official and unofficial channels for several years. In fact, we spend so much time talking and writing about music that we have decided to embark on the creation of an online music magazine entitled HARMONIUM.
Yes, there are a lot of similar endeavors out there (pitchfork, cokemachineglow and tinymixtapes to name a few), but ours will be more inclusive, more informal and (hopefully) more interesting. At launch (currently slated for september 1), the magazine will be simple, featuring album reviews, interviews and columns with an emphasis on quality music, no matter what inherent mainstream/indie appeal there may be. But the long-range plan is to incorporate an easily-searchable database into the site that will dynamically serve content based on a variety of criteria (band name, album title, song lists, tour dates, etc.).

So that's the idea anyway. I'm not sure what all their ideas about inclusivity, informality, and interest mean, but I thought it might be an outlet to see shows or something and then get to write about it. They want album reviews, which I'm happy to write about, but they should really move out into the more live scene (this is Austin after all) and put in some interviews if possible. I'm submitting a critical sample over How To DJ Right and I hope that they think a book review, much less one about the DJ scene (what do you want to bet that these guys are indie-rock elitist?) will be interesting. I'm working on this strange "top five" thing too: they want a list (with sentence explination of each) of the top five mainstream and bottom five (I guess that means worst five?) independent artists from the past ten years.

I've really only one thing to do at work today but I think I'll stay the whole time because the grad students are giving us a free dinner at 4:00 so I might want to do that, but I'm not sure. I hope everyone has a great weekend and were all almost back to Austin! I can hardly wait to get back. I have a great feeling about this last year!


Work, work, work, all day long...

Brain-Dead Zombies Walk The Lab!

So I've been at work for 1.5 hours and so far, no one has said a word. A few half-hearted smiles were exchanged, and that will sort-of suffice for a "good morning" in this place. It's so strange to watch everyone and see how just gone they look. The lab manager is working on her thesis, the new post doc is wondering when all his stuff he ordered will be in so he can start his really tough experiment, the lab tech is on the phone to figure out something with her daughter's school, the grad student is figuring out class stuff and reading a paper that she has to present in journal club this afternoon, and yours-truly is 200 miles away from here, enjoying his new apartment in the laid-back atmosphere of Austin instead of the rainy, dreary Dallas skyline.

I got to talk to our token Englishman yesterday, and I was glad to find him in good spirits and doing freelance work with AMP magazine as an interviewer of groups, etc. I didn't get a chance to ask about his family (although his brother was there) because they were going to move to Canada (eh?). Matt said it was the most rainy june on record, so one would venture to say that the man felt right at home. I was meaning to ask him about the rash of terrorist activity in England, and to make sure all his family over there were doing ok (his family is from London). His birthday is rapidly coming up (as is my Roomie's) so if you know either gentlemen, buy them a drink when they turn 21.

NASA had to ground the shuttle mission (I'll bet Julie is bummed) but I'm afraid I don't know why (I only have a few headlines this morning). Her job is either going to really slow down, or really speed up! I'm not sure when she switches Labs (or sections or whatever the right term is) for her Fall rotation, but I think we may go to Houston soon to go visit her (and Matt may want to join us) I also wnt to see my Aunt and Uncle and see how things are going for them as well as take the mattress of their hands to use in my room. That reminds me that our new IKEA is opening soon, so I'm gonna go look for a bed.

I think I'm going to start building my DJ case today, it's going to be 19x19x8 and I hope it will work well. I need to look into geting carpet or some kind of covering for the outside and get some hardware for the actual case itself (read: handles, clasps, corner covers, etc.). I need to ut wood on the outside of the frame (David was working with me to figure out the best design) and when I showed Brian what I was looking to do he told me that I should use something called MDF for make the pannels from (he's a construction genius too) so I think I'm going to buy the wood, seal it and then cover/mount it. I think this should be a pretty easy little project if I set myself to it. I don't have a lot to do today but please post something, because I'd love to hear from everyone!


Are we the last living souls?

Two Turntables and a Microphone

I finally got that mixer from my friend at Guitar Center (very nice deal) and I chose this little discontinued number (they stoped making it in 2004 but it is new (read: unused) regardless. I had to download the manual which wasn't much fun and because Guitar Center is so goddamned disorganized, they had to order the power adapter from Stanton for me (my friend felt bad so he let me take all the free hookup cables I wanted so now I don't have to find those). Now all I really have left to do is build a rack case and practice my ass off. My drums training should come in handy but we'll see. This past weekend, Larry said he had some DJ CD players so I told him to come jam when we get back to Austin. I'm really loving how this equipment is pushing me deeper into my record collection and how it's really forced me to look at my collection as an organism with systems and a pulse. I've been breaking down songs, exploring records I don't normally pull out and finding some gems holed away in the back, begging to be played. I am a huge fan or the pitch (speed) control that I have over the CDs: I can speed up or slow down a track that sounds one way, and turn it into 2 more songs by playing with speed. If you have a record player, put on an old rock record, put your fingers on the label and gently push it forwards lightly to see what I mean. I hope that with enough practice I can lay down tracks at our parties this next semester. I still need another mono cable for the mixer (to connect to the players) and some small RCA speakers (think cheap RadioShack computer stuff) and it's really time to trade in the old headphones, they're 5 years old and leak sound like mad, so maybe I'll splurge and get some KOSS ones for $30-40 at my old place of business.

I have been thinking up the design for my case. all the units are the standard rack mounted 19 inches across. The controler for the players (the thing with the jogwheels on it) and the mixer sit on top of the actual players. The face of the players will point at my body as I play, whereas the controler and mixer will be on the "top" of the box. The length of the players is shorter than the distance from the bottom of the controler to the top of the mixer, and I think I'll use the little exra space for a power strip (with surge-protection) so that I can plug everything right into a wall outlet instead of having a million plugs going willy-nilly all over the place. I'll most likely get my brother David to help with the assembly if for no other reason than he is amazing with that kind of thing. His brain is great for spacial work and he can often see a problem long before the normal person would get to it. I would rather him tell me that he sees a problem with the design before I start than to have to run into it in the middle of construction. I plan on putting some pieces of wood arround the metal frame (which I'm making from standard metal rails from Home Depot) and then covering the wood with with either very thin carpet or perhaps plastic. I should have it done in a few days (weekend project?) and I'l post a picture of the setup here when it's done.

I am 100% sick of work now. I have 12 more days of work and it adds up to one failed troubleshooting step after another with no data, no results, and no fun. My friend's lab fucked off to downtown yesterday for lunch and drinks at the DWA and then shopping and hanging out at the West End Marketplace. I wish my lab had 1/2 as much fun as others do. But I suppose summer is for vaccations, and why should I get one? I am dying to get back and to get away from work due to how crappy my experiments have gone this summer. Even my mom was sympathetic this morning when I got out the door a little later than normal. I must have looked tired because she said she was sorry my lab work wasn't going well and that I didn't get any data. I hope my face doesn't belile my thoughts because I don't want to bring anyone down just because my stuff is fruitless. I'll perhaps post more later, but I got to see so many of my friends last night that I felt really good and quite a few of us are off the get some real Chinese BBQ (gotta love the real thing) later on tonight once we all get off work.


Hey boys, hey girls, superstar DJs, here we go!

See Logan. See Logan Run. Run Logan, Run

Two friends of mine and I went to get dinner at Two Rows and then saw The Island last night. There are two new beers at the local now: a Heffe-wisen and an IPA, both types being in my top five of beers that I like! We had a good talk about all sorts of things: relationships, people's behavior, religion, hobbies, etc. The girls hit it off quite well even though they'd never met. We went to see the movie at the theater in Plano and the movie was a lot longer than I thought it would be. The story is really a splice of Logan's Run with THX 1138. They even used the strange uniforms and even a set from THX 1138! All in all a good movie, but an odd amount of pain for the rating: watch it and see how many times you find yourself saying, "owch!"

I was up until 3 or 4 so I'm quite tired. I feel like an automaton at work now that I'm just troubleshooting one thing after the other until I can go home. At least they feed me today and I know the lecture is going to be a good one. I really don't feel like being here and would much rather return to Austin with my friends and have a better time than I'm having here. I did see previews for V for Vendetta and Serenity, both of which I really want to go see when they come out. But for now, I'm, just biding my time until it's all over and done with. Sorry I don't feel like writing much today, but things are slow and this place is killing my gumption so I will leave with a shorter post today.


Remember, remember the 5th of November

Weekends at Home

I was in Austin all weekend for a wedding that lasted 18 min. We had a great time, and it was so nice getting to see everyone again. I have begun to think of Austin as home and I've been away too long! I got to see some URHA/ RHC people I'd not hung out with in a long time. I was able to hang out in my own apartment and enjoy that, as well as go downtown after the wedding to drink it up at McCormicks & Schmidts, The Gingerman, and Chuggin' Monkey where we got to hear a pretty good resident DJ (though I wish it were Friday and we could've gone to see Chicken George). There was no drinking at the reception and no dancing (silly religious people and their rules) but Hoon and Sarah looked great and the whole thing was really beautiful and done very well. Being the first wedding of a friend's that I've gone to since leaving High School, I must say that it was still a lot of fun! We were all having such a good time, it was a real shame I had to go back to Dallas.

I finished The Once and Future King today and have been pretty busy in the lab (not that I want to be or anything) but that's kinda how it goes. I am in effect counting down the days until I return to Austin and get to have some really nice back-to-school parties to host/attend. Nick and Erica were nice to hang out with, even if they do sleep a whole lot! When I got back to Dallas I went out with some people from work and that was fun, but I left my phone to charge in the car, when I got back to the house (I'm sorry to the people that called/ messaged me, I was home, just not near my phone and I would have loved to talk with/ hang out with you). I hope the day goes quickly because I can think of nothing better than going out tonight to forget that I have work still left to do here!


Can't I just go home, already?

I'd Get Back on my Horse, But it Just Died on me...

Well, I get in early, hoping, really hoping, to get some kind of results from last night, but what do I find? Nothing. This summer is getting very exausting what with no data to speak of and the seemingly simple steps which don't go according to plan! I am ready to leave the lab and get back into school. A man can only take so much failure before he needs a break from all of it! I think I need a vaccation and I'm hoping that by going down to Austin for the weekend will be the thing I need to recharge my batteries and give me a jump start from the lab failures.

I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with a SURF friend of mine last night and it was a very cute movie. There were a lot more side plots and some things were left out but all in all a very nice film. Johnny Depp and Deep Roy were awesome and the girl who played Veruka Salt couldn't have been more perfect (total brat, huge teeth, etc.). I want to see more movies, but nothing looks particularly good at the present.

My brother gets in from Spain this weekend and I'll be glad to see him, though I'm sure he'd much rather stay there than here, but what can you do. He took lots of pictures and calls the house often enough, but I'm never home to talk to him, so I'll most likely take him out to lunch and make him tell his tale. I actually got a belt yesterday and it's reversible (that's nifty) and I think I may look into getting that mixer if Guitar Center has ordered the power supply for the damned thing. That will be about the last of my purchases for quite a while, I suppose.

I'm taking a long long lunch today because I have two lunch meetings back to back, and pretty much no work to speak of today due to experiement failure. This is quite dissapointing, really but I suppose I am getting paid for the whole experience, andthat's a good thing too. I don't feel much like writing, or really doing anything in fact. I made a mistake and amazon sent the books to Austin, but they said they'd hold it for me and I'll pick it up on my way down tomorrow, so hopefully I'll get both my books. I hope this is a good book, and I know this one is like the DJ encyclopedia or bible, or whatever tome of knowledge you wish. So these should boost me on my way towards making good sounds.


Get knocked down 7 times, get up 8

Stress: Breakfast of Champions (Now with Fiber!)

So I'm not sure what is exactly wrong with me...I was on edge all day yesterday with no real reason to be that way. I was stressed out about work, the phone call, not seeing many of my friends, and generally having a stressful summer when I needed an non-stressful one after the goddamned MCATs. I really ought to be thinking that I have it pretty good. I have a place where I can get $1 beer for half the week, I have a job that pays (even if it sucks at times), I have new music, I'm done with medical school applications, I get to see people in Austin this weekend and go to a wedding with great food, and I get to see some old friends tomorrow that I've not seen in a long time. I think all the stress is building up towards the culmination of the summer and that's most likely what's got me down. I think I should run more or something to work the stress out physically (we have punching bags at the gym at work).

Let me see...In other news, my cells got in yesterday, and now I can do some actual work with my experiment! I feel only half-hearted about doing anything more (I have 3 weeks left) because it's not really going towards any goal per-se, but I guess I am getting paid and if anyone would ever want to take up the experiment at a later date (I'd doubt that, but you never know) then I guess I might be able to finish making the virus, just not testing it. This has been by far, on the scientific front, the worst summer of my undergraduate career. If I wasn't getting paid to do this, I'd be in Austin taking physics or history or some such bullshit course that I need to graduate.

I made an error with those books that I ordered. I had them sent to my Austin Address but unfortunately my old Austin address (read: Roberts Hall). I deem this "Not a good thing" and I'm going to call the Waller Creek Offices today and see if they can hold the package until I get in on Friday and pick them up by hand. I'm sure they can and would understand my problem. I know they call the people to whom the package belongs during the year, but I'm not sure of the summer policy. Thanks for posting yesterday gals, that helped my otherwise crummy day. I resolve to be more in control of my thoughts and emotions today, and have a much better day today than I did yesterday, though the lack of sleep may also be contributing to my stress level as well.

Silly me, I almost forgot that I got new shoes yesterday (I need to get a belt today) they're super spiffy and super comfortable! I think they look good with my suit, but they have no laces, so that part is interesting! They make the suit look nice without being too formal and I think they'll last a long time. Post and tell me what you think!


Always add the milk last

Waiting and Phone Calls

So there's a rather funny and interesting story I'd like to relay. I did almost nothing at work yesterday due to the fact that I put in an order for some stuff that hasn't come in yet, so that was a refreshing break from my normal schedule. I ran 4 miles and was very proud of myself for doing so in 30 min. I left early enough so that there was little to no traffic on the Tollway, and went home to shower before going off to the tailors' to pick up my suit. The suit fits quite nicely and I feel very comfortable in it, so nice job there. Some of my SURF friends (the non-lame ones) wanted to go get some beers so that too was nice! Maggy Potts called me and wanted to know if I wanted to hang out tomorrow(that being today) as she just got back from Mexico and wanted to see me to talk about the trip. However, as I was driving Downtown, I get a phone call from an Austin number I don't know. I pick it up and a woman asks for William Yarbrough. That being me, and as only friends really call me "Will" I think it's something important. It turns out to be Dr. Field, one of the people from whom I'm getting a Medical School letter of recommendation.

Here's some back story. So far I asked 3 UT Austin professors to write letters for me, and 2 UTSouthwestern M.D.s to write letters for me. I was only waiting on her letter to have the full set of 5 letters sent out. All but Dr. Field wanted just my resume, my personal statement (a small paper of intent of your philosophy and reasons for going into medicine) and the cover letter supplied by the Health Professions Office at UT Austin. Dr. Field wanted all that, plus a transcript (those are not free), a paper detailing my work in research as an undergraduate, a paper to outline 3 character traits about myself, my MCAT scores, and it needed to be in a binder. I took care of all of that for her and she said she would be happy to write me the letter. I have taken Dr. Field for a full year, having made an A in Microbiology II and a B in Human Infectious Diseases. She most certainly knows who I am, we have talked about subjects other than her class, and I go to her office hours: we've met.

Back to the story: So she calls me and says that she was working on writing letters when she came to mine and found that she couldn't write one for me because I've lied on my resume. As I do my best to regain control of my car because of the shock from that, I ask her what she means. She said that I had put under my awards that I was on the Dean's List for 2002-2003 academic year. She said that I was only on the Dean's List for one semester of that year. That bit of info was correct, but with all the awards, etc. I only put down the years in which I won/ got them, not the semester given. I told her this and she said that it was something which I should have caught and that people do check up on things I write down (no shit? really?). She said that because this was tantamount to a false resume she couldn't write me the letter. Now, keep in mind that Medical School applications need to be in ASAP, she leaves me in the lurch with no letter and a lot of work wasted already. This is not a good thing, but I've been doing my best to be Zen about the little roadbumps in life, so I don't get angry, I simply go out and have a few drinks with friends, drive home and go to sleep.

This morning I called the HPO office to see if I even need the 5th letter, and it turns out I don't because I need at least 3 and at least one of the three must be UT Austin faculty. I have 4 and to of those are UT Austin faculty, so I'm set. The way I see it, I almost don't want a letter from someone that is quite that anal retentive about that sort of thing anyway. So, Dr. Field, thanks but no thanks and that pretty much ends our business together. In other news, I'm getting Nick a jacket for the wedding so he can keep up the metro-sexual image that everyone attributes to him (poor chap didn't have a proper jacket) so I think together we are more metrosexual than either of us alone. We're like the goddamned metrosexual-wondertwins or something, except he's better looking and we're not twins. The wedding sounds great at this point and I can't wait to get down to Austin again.

I hope to have a mixer by the end of the week, and I'm looking into this one for a c-note at Guitar Center. I am also getting a few books (yes I'm a dork) on Digital DJ techniques and tips so hopefully I will get good through practice, much to my houseguests and roommate's chagrin. I got the new White Stripes album (I hate the group but I think their music is grand), the new Daft Punk album (takes a few listens but it comes out very beat-saturated), and the new Chemical Brothers (I was not happy with "It Began In Afrika" but this restored my faith). All these albums are great and if you're looking for some fun music, check it out.

One final note, I promise to cut out the science almost all together for my readership as only a few people are even very interested and those people don't read this as much as the people who are confused. So take heart, non-science types, I'm trying to not say anything about it!


Last night a DJ saved my life

Weekend Warrior

I just got the news that I don't have to come into work this weekend, which is nice because I have a ton of things that I need to get done (read: haircut, oil change, etc) and I'd rather not spend all my days at work for something that's not giving me results anyway! This is mostly due to the fact that the cells I ordered won't be in until next week, so I've got a whole lot of nothing until then. I think I'm going to get a few new CDs this weekend to listen too as well, just because I haven't gotten any CDs in a few months now. Mike Tann came over last night and we watched some TV and I spun a few records. Tonight promises to be more friend-oriented, with Brian, Mike and Haley (his new girl), Andrew, House (Amy), possibly Nikki and a friend of hers and maybe even Sunbola and Laide! I hope the jazz is good and I have anough energy for all the galleries (I've not hung out in the modern stuff in a good long while). Brian's Rebecca is coming into town in a day or so, so he'll be out of the picture for a while, at least.

So I should have my suit done on Monday and I think I need a new pair of dress shoes, but that means I need a new belt (I've lost weight too, so a new belt was in order anyway) because a gentleman always matches his shoes and belt. I should look damned spiffy in this new suit! I'm also excited about going to Austin, as I've really started to miss the laid-back atmosphere of the place. I've decided to do my hair at least one last time, when I cut it this weekend, as the black has kinda grown on me. Mike and I were checking out all the fun stuff on the inter-web last night like threadless and ytmnd just for some kicks. I wish my work wasn't so stressful and then I micht enjoy my summer a bit more and not be worried about work, coz I'm always worried about school when it's during the year. Speaking of school, I'm only one more letter of recomendation away from being done with the med school stuff, so that does make me a happy lad!

I finished PiHKAL and was thinking about starting TiHKAL but I need to find a bookstore to carry it first. I picked up T.H. White's The Once and Future King and am plugging along through that because I used to love the stories as a kid and I'm glad to be reading them again. It's a great work and I'd suggest it to anyone. Post a comment to tell me you're still alive out there, not just my two loyal readers! Cheers to all of you and I hope you have a good weekend!



Everybody's working for the weekend.

All Fall Down

Well, it's not nice to see something you thought was going so well, turn around to slap you in the face with defeat. It's even worse at eight in the morning. My boss has no idea what the problem is, there's nothing in the literature to help, all the old notebooks that have done things like this don't help either. I went to see Jessica's boss to see if she could help, but all she said was that I've accounted for almost every conceivable control and that the last thing I could try would be a desperation move and break down all the steps into long, drawn out steps and do everything one at a time. I'm not really sure this will work, but I'm out of options, so there you go. My roommate and I had a talk yesterday in which he told me he wanted to go into medicine, that he couldn't do lab work his whole life and that he wanted to do some research with some meaning or at least some applications that could be seen in foreseeable settings. Nick is a good scientist, but the way he speaks about science and research, doesn't remind me of the clinical physicians I know. He sounds like a M.D./Ph.D. student and I hope he looks into that because he's exactly the kind of person they need/ are looking for! The program is hard, takes about 8 years to finish, but I think he could do it. They're really selective, but I doubt with his grades and probable MCAT scores, he would have much of a problem with that.

Michael Hanson leaves today to go visit Randi, so I hope he stays safe and has a good time out in the wilds of Wyoming or wherever the hell the park she works at is located. I really need to start hanging out with my friends more this next year, as I kinda got out of touch with the friends with all the MCAT mess. I looked at a suit from Men's Warehouse, it's a charcoal grey (dark) three-button light wool suit. I must say, I look good...scratch that, deadly in that thing! Here's what it looks like, it has a very athletic cut to it, which I like in a suit and is conservative enough for medical school interviews. I wish I didn't have such broad shoulders/ biceps because it makes the suits cost more, but I think my 'rents might help me out with it.

Thanks for the posts on the beds, and you were right: the one really does look like a park bench of sorts, so I think I'll go with this one, just imagine the white mattress as a futon instead of a box spring and in black. I was told "that's so you," although I'm not totally sure what was meant by that. I do dig the bed though and it will be interesting, although a lot of comments about how low it is have surfaced. Futon is a bastardization of shikibuton or "bedding" in Japanese. They're placed directly on the floor and then rolled up when not in use. Cheap, and good back support, how can you go wrong?

I got my MP3 player back from the company yesterday, but I haven't gotten around to charging it or putting music onto it. That will be plans for tonight as well as trying to have some people over for a movie night or something to that effect. I haven't hung out with Brian in a while and I think Andrew, Emma, and Nick Olsen should come too. I want Michael Tann, Brian, and Andrew to come with me out to the jazz/ DJ thing at the DMA tomorrow. Andrew will come for the art, Brian for the jazz, and Michael because this new girl he's trying to hook up with will think he's cultured and refined for going to the museum. This weekend will be busy though, and I need a haircut. Here's another thing I need help with: should I do the black again or let my natural color grow out? Any thoughts on the matter?


Ashes to ashes

Days Go By

So I have done what most of my friends do every summer, that is, lose track of time. I was thinking it was Thursday when I got up, only to find it was just Wednesday! I had an interesting weekend filled with art, culture, and a strange drink from Chili's. Things are looking up in my experiment (I think) though I guess I'll know by the end of the week. As a side note to any scientists who may be reading this (Meg, Nick, etc...) I'm having a problem with my DNA: I'm trying to get these two separate pieces of DNA to anneal. I end up with 3 bands where I want one, and then when I ligate them, the pieces don't go in the right orientation (this is from a restriction digest, not sequencing). For the non-science people, that is, everyone normal: I hit a snag with some DNA and I can't get out of it, it should be an easy step and it's being difficult. In other news I have been hanging out with a lot of the SURF kids and they are a odd mix. I got some that are awesome to hang out with, some who I believe actually hate fun and would rather talk on the goddamned phone to friends in their hometowns who they will see in a month, than hang out with cool and interesting people here that want to show them fun things to do in Dallas, and some who believe, fully and without humor that the world is 5000 years old and dinosaurs didn't really exist, and a bunch of other things that most people would find crazy (keep in mind, these people work in SCIENCE!!!!!) so you can see how mixed this all is.

I will be going to Shakespeare in the Park on Thursday, but I may forfeit and try to enlist grad students to come hear Jazz Under the Stars. I hope Spanish wine is enough to entice them to come. I got a blazer yesterday from the Salvation Army of all places, but it's nice, wool and silk, and is a clean charcoal grey that goes well with jeans for a "going out to the club" getup. I've been keeping up with my running and so far I think it's paying off pretty well, but not as fast as I'd like. I'm excited about moving into my apt, though I'm still working on the logistics of getting everything (couch, table, desk, chair, bed, etc.) down to Austin. I'm excited to get my own place finally and Nick and I will keep it clean and neat to the point of gay, I'm sure. With the purchase of a Radeon 9600, there is a fourth member of a little CS team that Nick, Erica, and I will be forming next semester. It should be interesting if nothing else.

I think I will go out and get a suit today or tomorrow as I'm sure I'll need one for the wedding and I'm damned sure I'll need one for (hopefully) any interviews I'll get from medical schools. I think I'll pay a visit to Macy's first then go see my friends Chris and DR at Men's Warehouse. I think a black one but three or two buttons? Post and tell me, I value all your opinions on the matter. In other news, I used three words last night that so rarely come up in conversation: doppelganger, antitranssubstantiationalist, and exacerbated. They're all fun words and I'm vexed that I don't oft get to use them. For those that noticed: great job, and for those that didn't: look at the very top of your window, I forgot that I know HTML and could change that little sucker, so you'll see more random crap up there from time to time.

I almost forgot: I'm looking into getting a bed (hopefully queen) from the new IKEA that's going to open in a few weeks in Frisco. Tell me, which do you think I should get? the Kodal, or the Malm, or the Hopen? I need some imput on this so feel free to post some comments!

Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man

End of an Unproductive Week

None of the three tries on the next stage of my experiment have worked this week. This is not such a big deal as I have come to realize that I'm never going to get this to work in the 5 or so weeks I have left. Not to say I'm not going to keep working my ass off for some kind of data, good, bad, I really don't care, as long as I get something, anything, that I can put onto a poster! Well, at least it's some kind of learning experience that I can use, and even if I manage to get bad data, I'll put it down in poster format. I'm looking forward to this weekend and hopefully having a lot of fun at some free places. Taste of Dallas is in town and that'll be fun (White Lotus Society and Ozomatli are playing tonight) . We saw J5 there for free last time we went (Andrew brought Heidi, Kevin, Alan and a bunch of the mangos last time, so we had a blast)! People have been ditching me for lunch as of late, I guess we're all just trying to catch up for the 4 day week and the day we kinda lost (we pay the price gladly). I think I'll also go to the Trammell Crow building downtown to see the free sculpture and asian art exibits that are down there. Well, summer is taking its toll and I wish I were back in Austin, even if it is for school. I'm just afraid that because I don't get a vaccation or get away this summer I might go insane this fall from lack of fun times and the lack of doing nothing at all.


That which doesn't kill you, hasn't tried hard enough

Happy July Some-Thing-or-Other

Well, as an employee of the United States Government (read: "The Man") I got off for a 3 day weekend this past weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, Brian, Andrew, Joel and I all had a big ass lawn sale. We made about $300 all told, so it wasn't such a bad haul. Brian came out with the most, but I didn't do bad either, though I wish I had sold more not just for the cash, but rather to get rid of some of the stuff. I sold a lot of books, but it pissed me off that we got such a low price for them and we had so many. I really thought we were going to make much more off the books than we did. I went to the lake on Saturday with Mike Hanson and Scott Edmiston. It was nice getting out to the lake and drinking with old friends. Sunday was super hot, and I got a nice red burn on my face and back. I don't think I'll peel, but it still wasn't good. After the sale on Sunday I was all set to have my Communist Party after I had dinner at El Fenix with Michelle. After going to the store, picking up my stuff, I called Brian, who remarked he was too tired, and that he didn't want to do anything that night. Well those plans went down the shitter, but thanks go out to Michael Tann for coming through in a pinch to deliver some fireworks action and then a party that went until four in the morning. It took forever to get to Mike T's place as all the roads into Addison! were blocked off by the 5-0.

We had to rescue poor Whitney (a very nice friend of Michael's who is in training to become a chef) as her car broke down before she got to Mike's . After a little drink mix display by me, and the subsequent tipsy-ness this caused in everybody (such a low tolerance) I took the job of driving. After getting there and mixing some more, everybody was really friendly with me and I thought I recognized quite a few people but could not remember where I had seen them all. After taking Whitney back home so she could sleep it off, I was going back when it hit me: the people at the party looked familiar because they were mostly the younger brothers and sisters of people I had gone to school with. So hooray for being the oldest, and only legal person at the damned thing, but it was fun nonetheless.

Monday, I did my best to not have any work to do as I had already put off work on Saturday. I hung out all day and was lazy in the evening until Mike Hanson gave me a ring and we saw George A Romero's Land of the Dead at 8. After the movie we went to Brian's, where Andrew, Bane, Emma, Tiffany (Dunn Brother's Tiffany, not White, Austin Tiffany), and Nick were hanging out. I played X-Box for a bit (Halo II) and got the snot beat out of me by Mike. Brian's door broke when I shut it to let Maggy Potts in, and Brian, being a bit chemically fueled (Brian has seemingly eschewed the sweet kiss of alcohol for his new imbibement, to my chagrin) declared that I "broke his door." This seemed to be a bit much but regardless, I spent the next hour and a half removing the door, and trying to fix the mechanism. I fixed it well for the time being, but he really needs a locksmith. Maggy let me rant at her for a few hours, so that was super nice of her.

I was a little miffed at some of my co-worker friends who neglected to call me back because they didn't get back until two in the morning (don't they know that I'm still up and moving?) but did promise to go out to the pub with me tomorrow night for $1 pint night. I need to convince Brian that we need to have another shindig before his parents come back in town. Well, there's my three day weekend in a nutshell: alcohol, friends, work, sunburn, and no sleep the whole time. No wonder I feel like crap today!


vacation, all I ever wanted...