Lonesome

It is way too quiet here at work. Frantz has been gone for ~3 weeks. His boss has been gone for 2 weeks and another labmate has been gone for a week. My boss is on a cruise. It's Friday and it looks gorgeous outside. Only 3 more hours...

Beer meeting

This is what our country has been reduced to, a debate over which beer should be served at the meeting with Obama, Gates, and the arresting officer. Let's get back to the important issues like who gets Michael Jackson's kids and who gave him meds that he shouldn't have taken.

Citizen Grant is so tired...

How tired is he? (Thanks Richard Dawson, Brett Sommers, Charles Nelson Reilly, and the rest of the Match Game '75 panel) He's so tired that he just looked down at his shoes to check the laces even though he's wearing shoes without laces.

Ah, a bit of a break

Work has been insane this week. I have to get two compounds in by Monday and I've been killing myself here to avoid having to come in this weekend. I have a reaction running that needs another 30 minutes so I'm sitting down for a spell.

Have you heard the new Dead Weather album? It's very good. Even the weirder songs have grown on me. I highly recommend it. The songs are gritty and make you feel like you're in a Tarantino movie walking with a pistol through the rain, cigarette dangling from your lips, waiting for someone to fuck with you. My favorite tracks: "60 feet tall" "Hang you from the heavens" "So far from your weapon" "Treat me like your mother" and "Bone House."

Another recommendation? Sure. Ezra Furman and the Harpoons' Inside the Human Body. Ezra Furman has a very Gordon Gano-y voice, but the music is more folky rock with some Dylan influence. Just check it out, it's good. What, you want to know my favorite tracks? Here you go: "We should fight" "Take off your sunglasses" "The Dishwasher" and "Big Deal."

The new Wilco album is ok too. Especially "Wilco (the song)" and "Bull black Nova."

What books have I been reading? Any suggestions? Sure. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, and Straight Man by Richard Russo are all worth your time.

How about television? Summertime tv sucks a big one. We've been watching Mad Men on DVD for the past few weeks and it is really good (a wee bit late on the bandwagon for it, ah well). We also tune in for Deadliest Catch and Better off Ted.

I believe my reaction is now complete. Cheers.

I won the mental floss sidekick challenge!!!

Woohoo, after getting screwed in the tequila haiku contest, I won the mental floss "Become a Sidekick" contest." I won a book. Hooray!

Re: Fw: How you know my mom is back from vacation

I love my mom. I just wanted to say that, but she forwards more emails than anyone else I know. I'd say ~15% are good (usually the good ones have failblog style pics). Most are not very funny jokes, but every once in awhile I get sent some wacky religious or political stuff that doesn't make sense based on how she votes. She doesn't even go to church, but you'll get stuff about how if you don't forward this email you don't love Jesus. Also, I don't care if illegals are getting social security. It won't be there anyway thanks to a bunch of horny GIs back in the '50s.

I'd like to see some emails circulated about downsizing the elderly population:

My tax dollars are paying for gramps to keep on kicking until he's 100? No thanks. Have you been to a retirement home lately? You don't see your great uncle Jerry picking up trash or mowing the yard. He's sitting on a bench watching people walk in and out of the lobby while waiting for applesauce and bingo. Our tax dollars are being spent on BINGO! That's gambling. The bible says that gambling is a sin! If you don't agree with me, then you don't love Jesus or America. Forward this to 10 people to have a good day. Delete this and burn in hell for all eternity.

The Dead Weather and Wilco

Last night, I bought the new albums from the Dead Weather and Wilco. I went ahead and bought them on my iPod then decided to go ahead and transfer them to our computer so I could burn copies for the car. All that was done easily. This morning, I plugged in the ol' iPod to find the new music missing. Wha happen? I've bought a few other albums through my iPod in the past and haven't had this happen. Now I'm stuck at work without new music to listen to make my day go faster. Neat.

Revolutionary Road

Well we watched it last night and I have to say, "Meh." Kate Winslet's American accent sounded like Daphne Moon's from Frasier. I kept waiting for her to say "sure" over and over again. It felt more like a play than a movie and much of the fighting felt forced to me, at least on Winslet's part. I usually like her, but I wouldn't call this one of her better performances. Take that Golden Globes! Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) or Meryl Streep (Doubt) should have won it this year. I just wanted more of John the mental patient. He made me smile.

Best name winners

While I won't mention the name of the place I work, I will hand out these awards. For best male name at work, we have Clive Gideon Diefenbacher. For female, we have a brand new entry from South Africa with Irmgard Donderwinkel. Congratulations all around for having parents with awesome naming skills or marrying someone with a great last name.

Michael Owen, Sarah Palin, and breaking a kid's tooth with my knee

First, Michael Owen has signed on as a striker for Man Utd. Wha-wha-what? If he can stay healthy, he'll be a nice edition with Tevez leaving any day now.

Palin is leaving office. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

And finally, I have managed to break an eleven year old's tooth in half with the might of my left knee. Lindy's cousin Mitch and I were outside playing ladderball and after the game he decided it would be funny to take my shoes and run. I took off after him. When I closed in, he dropped my shoes, but I went after him anyway just to mess with him. I barely touched him on the shoulders and he went down like Ronaldo. On the way down, his face found my left knee. I heard a crack and thought I had just clipped his chin and clicked his teeth together hard. I jokingly asked him if I had knocked a tooth out and then saw him picking up the lower half of one of his front teeth. Then I looked down at my knee only to notice a nice gouge in it from said tooth. So here we were, an 11 year old holding part of a tooth (clean break, no blood, but still painful) and a 31 year old with blood gushing out a hole punctured in my leg. Luckily, his mom and sister were laughing, but I still felt horrible about it. I've known this kid since he was born and now I've ruined a permanent tooth of his. Other than that, we had a pretty good time in Illinois. Happy 4th everyone!