Life, the Universe, and Everything

It has recently become very apparent that I have a habit of "placing the cart before the horse." There are certain people that tell me this may be serous shortcomeing in character, and others call me a dreamer, but is that such a very bad thing?. I am a very excitable individual. I tend to take ideas and kind of run with them. Now, it is normal for an individuals to contemplate the possible outcomes of an event. That sort of thinking is even commendable, for it demonstrates ones ability to rationalize. When an event presents itself that necessitates a decision, I try to make a logical descision. When I rationalize with myself, I formulate a number of consequences, however (and this is the zinger) I tend to fixate on the most appealing one. Unrealistic? Perhaps. It would be awefully nice if life was so idyllic. However, is it so very bad to hope for the best? Is optimism necessarily wrong? As T. E. Lawrence once said, " All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by ...

It is amazing how productive I can be when I am trying to avoid being productive. Case in point : This weekend I had a microbiology test for which I desperately needed to study. The problem being, I had virtually no interest in the material being tested over. As such, I systematically identified and preformed every other undesirable chore available in the house. My hope: that my slack rate and my productivity rate would balance each other out. So, in avoidance of said material, I did 10 loads of laundry, reorganized my storage room, went grocery shopping, and did some very nasty dishes. In retrospect, it was slightly foolish. What was it about the test that was so repulsive that I would rather face a pile of dirty laundry that weighs more than I do? Are the mechanisms of bacterial transcription and translation really more offensive than a sink filled with plates featuring week-old-spaghetti clinging tenaciously to small chunks of rancid meatballs? That is a tough call. I go through th...

Tis true. If there was a monarchy in the mythical land of good intentions, I would rule absolute. For instance: Somewhere in a box, I have whole sets of Christmas cards dating back two years. Now, buying a box of Christmas cards and forgetting about them is not in and of itself spectacular. What is interesting is that they are completely filled out, many with addresses and stamps on them. I simply cannot bring myself to mail them. As a matter of fact, I have 3 complete sets of cards that I never sent out. All in all, that is about 60 cards that I wrote in extensively, and never sent. It is almost like some sort of neurosis. I also have a few letters like that. I am not sure what it is about me that makes me unable to send those cards. I cannot even be able to speculate. I have thought about it for a long time, and I can devise no feasible hypothesis to explain the behavior. It is ironic in a way. In my everyday life, I find that I say too much. I have long suspected that I am quick to ...

Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to you You look like a monkey And you live in a zoo... Last Friday I was walking down the sidewalk, and I heard some young girls singing the above verses while playfully chiding one of their contemporaries (man I sound old). Being as how it was practically my birthday, and considering the tune was amusing enough, I have had the song stuck in my head for days now. I found the above picture of Charles Darwin and thought that the image was strangely fitting for the sentiment. I love my birthday. Some people would prefer not to have them due to some fear of aging. I, however, do not prescribe to that school of thought. Birthdays are awesome. My birthday is the only holiday specifically dedicated to me. I do share the day with approximately 0.274% of the world population (assuming there is an equal probability of being born on any day of the year - which incidentally I do not think is true), but I still consider it a 'me' holiday. This year wi...

So I recently got the sordid details of my latest research endeavor. The intricacies are probably not as interesting to you as they are to me, however, suffice it to say that I will be working in plant science. I have worked in the field before, but this time is a little bit different: I get to work with tobacco. Herein lies the irony: Not only am I currently employed by a brewery, but I am researching tobacco. All I need to do now is get involved with an arbitrary militant group, and I will be my own Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. I always try to find humor in what I do. In my last research position was working in a molecular genomic lab. We worked on some very esoteric problems, however one of the projects we were working on (in collaboration with another facility) was attempting to understand and mitigate the expression of the genes responsible for alcoholism. So at that time, not only was I making alcohol to distribute to the masses, but I was simultaneously work...

"A hard drinker, being at table, was offered grapes at dessert. 'Thank you,' said he, pushing the dish away from him, 'but I am not in the habit of taking my wine in pills.'" --The Physiology of Taste As graduation approaches, as of late I have found myself seriously considering pursuing a masters degree in oenology and viticulture. How does the saying go? In vino veritas ... There is some truth to that. Which is to say the alcohol industry is where its at. The people are fun, and the job is all about drinking good wine, eating good food, and traveling abroad. Plus, I get to work outside doing something somewhat reputable. What more can you ask for out of a career? There is only one caveat to the whole scenario: there are only four (major) schools who actually offer the degree. Cornell is one, then there is UC Davis, Fresno , and Washington State . My fear: that I get rejected from all four. What then? Would I have to give up on my dreams of dri...

So it is almost that time again. Another year, another candle on the cake. With a whopping 25 candles this year, the pastry should be visible from New Jersey. I grow nervous. Certain key individuals have not asked me what I want this year. Maybe I'll just get a lump of coal. Or is that Christmas? Well at any rate, I did receive one early present this year: I opened a case of Boulevard's Christmas beer, Nutcracker Ale, and noticed a very interesting phenomena: My name is on every bottle. Now before you jump to conclusions as to the nature of my most recent exploits, I would like to add that there are many other names on the label besides my own. The company, in recognition of its employees, places their names on the labels of that particular brew. It is a nice little perk. Last year I was not on because I do not work there on a full time basis; however, I guess this year they thought enough of me and my work to add me anyway. I rock!!! So next time I am battling with someone o...