Freaky Batwalking

I have a new feed in my blog reader with entertaining pointers to the wacky corners of the Internets, and often video clips to go along with it.

Today, they linked to a video of a bat walking on a treadmill.

Thank you, Transbuddha people.

Dick Dick Dick - Dick Dick Dick Dick Is a Killer

President Clinton Fucked It

Updated with some other choice soundbite constructions:

"A sex change is the only certain way to preserve the sanctity of marriage."

"Tonight, I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of the United States. Your enemy is not surrounding your country, your enemy is ruling your country. And the day that he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation. Whatever action is required, whatever action is necessary, I will defend the freedom and security of the American People."

"There are principles for every occasion."

Congressional Meddle

The Schiavo Controversy

If I were Terry Schiavo, I'd just want all these people to shut up already

I am so tired of this shit. The freakin' US Congress decided yesterday to insert itself into the debate over whether that poor woman in Florida can die peacefully or not. At least this circus is potentially over.

Time to finally do something like this: http://www.medicaldecisionscard.com/

Why is the concept so hard for America to grasp, though?

Step one. Check!

For my hundredth blog post, I can say that I have reached the first milestone in my graduate career. I turned in a three page research proposal yesterday, which is part one of my written qualifying examination. I predict that everyone who turns these in gets a conditional pass requesting a rewrite the first time, since this is first and foremost an exercise in experimental design and grant writing.

It involved crazy amounts of research into a set of experiments I never plan on running, based entirely on a field outside of what I actually do. In a nutshell, I was proposing some new characterization of a set of proteins that work together as the garbage men of the cell, tracking which proteins should be recycled for parts. Still, I did build a framework for a new experimental method that I might be able to use down the line.

There was an appropriate level of celebration available through the special St. Patrick's Day homebrew club meeting last night, too. Oh, yes.

We're all living in Amerika / Coca-Cola, Wonderbra

Sing it, Rammstein.

See, I keep forgetting to write about this series of consecutive billboards on Westwood Blvd. on the way to campus...

1) Trimspa, the diet pill that turned chubby, disturbing Anna Nicole Smith into thin, just as disturbing Anna Nicole Smith.

2) An ad for "Fat Actress", a new series (fer chrissakes) on Showtime starring Kirstie Alley, with her laid out in a pink dress on a large pink bathroom scale. Sample episode synopsis online: "Kirstie forces her agent to set her up on a big network meeting with Jeff Zucker only to find out that he thinks she's too fat for tv; Kirstie sleeps with an NBC exec and ends up with a holding deal." Now that's quality.

3) New Coca-Cola with lime. Because vanilla coke was so yummy?

The Long Walk

I finished the 20th Los Angeles marathon.
It took slightly more than 7 hours, but
I finished a marathon.
I had to walk most of the second half because my thigh muscles were rebelling, but
I finished a marathon.
I only trained hard for 2 months, really, but
I finished a marathon.
I even had a lingering sinus infection, and a coughing fit for most of mile five, but
I finished a marathon.

I finished a marathon.

Guess which one is me