Wow, it's been a while since I last updated here. Needless to say oodles of things have happened in the interim; so much that I'll just write what pops into my head instead of crafting a structured entry.
- trip to Sydney on my 2 year expat anniversary. Seeing everyone again, being babysat by various friends during my week of couch surfing, dinner and marvelous views at Ripple's, hanging out at Darling Harbour, celebrating Nathan's 30th with everyone, the list goes on....
- having a pleasant dinner cruise with the family on the Harbour for Brother's birthday. Fantastic weather, standing on the top deck soaking in the sun setting behind the Bridge and Opera House. Two brothers hanging out again, smiling, and enjoying the moment. No stress.
- getting my Maton tuned up and belting out a few tunes on a beautiful guitar.
- returning to Boston to find Emre at the airport for a surprise welcome home, plus entering my apartment and finding fresh fruit, yogurt, bread and other goodies in the kitchen courtesy of Sue and Till. They definitely spoil me. Also discovering that Till's brother and girlfriend, who I let stay in my apartment while they were visiting during my absence, had bought Fetch a new, large aquarium to lounge around in as thanks for my hospitality. Sven calling to welcome me back and letting me know how much he had missed me.
I had left home, flown to the opposite side of the globe and arrived home again.
Awesome.
- Had a really relaxed and super enjoyable time a few weekends ago that for some reason sticks in my head although nothing extraordinary happened. Ran 5km along the river in gorgeous weather and people watched afterwards; played guitar; cooked a killer spag bol; and generally enjoyed being in a good mood.
- I saw my future husband the other day, well dream-husband anyway. Light brown hair, sunglasses, green shirt and white shorts on a drool worthy body. Hot.
- Ash and GK swinging by Boston on their US trip. We drank, ate and were merry. Brief, but fantastic. Glad I could share a slice of my Boston-life with them.
- Seeing Gomez play. Wow, are those guys talented. Vocals were outstanding, guitar work was impressive and a very good vibe in a pleasant venue.
- learning to sing and play guitar at the same time with some success but still a lot of work to go. Trying to nail "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Greenday. Thanks Nathan for getting me started on this!
- meeting Maynard James Keenan, lead singer of Tool, the other week at a wine signing. Not only do I have a couple of bottles of plonk with MJK's autograph, but I got a "thanks man" from MJK himself. Sweet!
- The big decision to end my postdocing and potentially leaving science next year. Yep, it's homeward bound for me in March. Bloody scary but super exciting. Kinda like going skydiving I imagine, except unlike the certainty of gravity, I have no idea where I'll land.
- Michael Jackson died today. He was an incredibly messed up man but produced some incredible music, and who can forget the moonwalk. Sad.
- Had fun at a lab party the other weekend that was held at a colleagues (Tom) place. He lives in the sticks in a house his grandfather built. It's more of a small farm really, with fields and tractors and sheds full of plows, bansaws and other manly equipment. Played ping pong against the boss, pitched for our team in Whiffle ball (baseball but with a plasticky ball) and belted a few around the ground, had a few hits at badminton and sunk a few beers in between glasses of Tom's Twisted Tea (tea with vodka and a few secret ingredients). There were quite a few kids running around playing games with the grown ups, which made me think a bit about whether I'll end up having kids or not -- I'd like to but the odds are stacked against me. Maybe I'll have to make do with getting a pet dog or something in the future.
- watching the new Doctor Who series over Netflix. Bloody entertaining, hilarious and jolly good fun all around. Highly recommended.
- someone's yelling in the street. No words. Just a primal bellow every now and again. Sounds like someone's a tad frustrated or angry, wonder what happened...
Showing posts with label Dog's breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dog's breakfast. Show all posts
13 June 2009
23 December 2007
An update
Name: Ben.
Hometown: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Current Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Work: My project has yielded some promising results, so that's a positive. I don't find my project particularly interesting or beneficial for me career-wise, so that's a negative. Additionally, my current research isn't really that congruent with my PhD training, and it's not what I want to research in the future, score more negatives. I came to Boston to gain experience such that I could return to Sydney and consider starting my own lab. My current position isn't facilitating this ambition so I'm scoping alternate labs, with the aim of starting afresh early next year. So this work transition is totally stressing me out. Work score = 4/10
Family: My family is dysfunctional to say the least. Brother is still recovering from his psychosis and remains out of the workforce. Dad continues being a selfish asshole that makes me ashamed to be his son. Mum is overworked and always stressed due to Brother's illness and Dad's antics. Since I am the only family member she can really speak to, she misses me significantly. I'm constantly battling the feeling of guilt over leaving her (and Brother) to pursue a life on the other side of the world. Still, things on the family front aren't as volatile as they have been previously. Family score = 5/10.
Friends: Bing and Lulu continue to be my extremely compassionate guides here in Boston, I owe them a lot. They're like caring older siblings, who are wiser, reassuring and less erratic than me. I continue to talk with them extensively about my work dilemmas and Boston life in general. My two very close friends in the lab, Maestro and Ariel have been extremely considerate and are two really positive people who are fun to hang out with. I'll blog about our time together in future posts. Bay-buddy is constantly supportive and has helped me out immensely, but since he is no longer in the lab we only catch up weekly or so. Of course there's Ex-flatmate and my other long-time mates, GK, Entrepreneur, The Scotsman, Ace & Surfermate, providing essential support +61. Friends score = 9/10.
Love: My status is single. Very, very single. Sigh. I didn't blog about it, but there was an Irish guy, Sean, who I am no longer seeing, but it's OK as it never seemed to be a serious long-term relationship from the beginning. There just wasn't that 'something' between us, but we had some great times, he was charming and damn his accent was adorable (of course he said the same about my Aussie speech). I haven't been particularly proactive in finding a boyfriend recently and this is something I'm seeking to improve on in the immediate future. Love score = 3/10.
Mental health: Between my family and career, it's been a particularly uncertain and worrisome period of my life. Boston still continues to show me novel experiences that makes me feel as if I'm moving forward in my life, perhaps not always in an anticipated direction or as smoothly as expected, but still 'proceeding' nonetheless. There have been times when I've been on the precipice of slipping into depression again, but thankfully this has been avoided. A few weeks of being generally melancholic is the worst I've felt. Mental health score = 6/10.
Physical health: The gym is one of my favourite places. Maestro and I go regularly. We not only train together and motivate each other, but the gym is our place to discuss the lab and everything else in our lives. It's one of our sanctuaries away from work where we can work-out and goof around. I also feel that the exercise-induced endorphins are a key to me avoiding depression. With winter here, running outside is no longer an option, so the gym has become crucial to my mental and physical well-being. I'm definitely as fit as I've ever been, although an underwear-model-worthy six-pack still eludes me, so minus one point. Physical health score = 8/10.
Overall: It's been an emotional, life-changing year, and compared to some other awful years, 2007 ranks as a good one. My Boston life could obviously have been better work-wise (and relationship wise), but in the end this is irrelevant as it could have been much worse. It's difficult to not regret or overanalyse certain decisions I've made in, and leading up to, Boston life, but I'm trying to remain pragmatic and positive about my current situation.
With the close of another year, it's natural to take stock of our lives and resolve to improve on the less optimal parts. I'm looking forward to the challenges of next year. It's not going to be any easier that's for sure, but that as they say, is life. There's no guarantee that I'll rant any less, but I'll try to rave a bit more. My Boston adventure is just getting interesting, I feel that it's "maturing". Should be an intriguing next couple of months.
Blogging was initially designed to keep my mates up to date with my activities here, and it has also been cathartic and immensely enjoyable, I anticipate blogging through next year.
Life is always a struggle, and as one individual amongst the 6,639,361,044 current inhabitants on this world, I try to remind myself that I'm very fortunate to be in my current position. For those of us living relatively privileged lives (I'd imagine the majority reading this blog fits into this category), it's always refreshing to look outside of our daily microcosm and gain a wider perspective on the grander scheme of humanity. Considering I'm not fighting for survival in a war-torn country or suffering from a debilitating illness, it's clear that having an ideal job or being in a loving relationship, really are luxuries in life.
Of course we all know these realities, but it's not often that we actually remember them.
Having the opportunity to live abroad in a great city, getting a PhD, having a Macbook Pro to play with, hanging out with some amazing friends and having a loving (albeit messed up) family are luxuries in my life. I shouldn't complain.
Well that's my current status and the last post until I return to Boston from my European holiday (I fly out in a few hours and still have to pack, shit!). To my mates, enjoy the Sydney summer, don't go too crazy over NYE (I'm looking at you Scotsman), and if there's anything I've been reminded of from living in Boston, it's to be a little more bold and dip outside your comfort zone from time to time, who knows what you'll gain. Miss you guys immeasurably. To everyone reading this, may the New Year find you safe and well. My overall score remains = +61.
Hometown: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Current Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Work: My project has yielded some promising results, so that's a positive. I don't find my project particularly interesting or beneficial for me career-wise, so that's a negative. Additionally, my current research isn't really that congruent with my PhD training, and it's not what I want to research in the future, score more negatives. I came to Boston to gain experience such that I could return to Sydney and consider starting my own lab. My current position isn't facilitating this ambition so I'm scoping alternate labs, with the aim of starting afresh early next year. So this work transition is totally stressing me out. Work score = 4/10
Family: My family is dysfunctional to say the least. Brother is still recovering from his psychosis and remains out of the workforce. Dad continues being a selfish asshole that makes me ashamed to be his son. Mum is overworked and always stressed due to Brother's illness and Dad's antics. Since I am the only family member she can really speak to, she misses me significantly. I'm constantly battling the feeling of guilt over leaving her (and Brother) to pursue a life on the other side of the world. Still, things on the family front aren't as volatile as they have been previously. Family score = 5/10.
Friends: Bing and Lulu continue to be my extremely compassionate guides here in Boston, I owe them a lot. They're like caring older siblings, who are wiser, reassuring and less erratic than me. I continue to talk with them extensively about my work dilemmas and Boston life in general. My two very close friends in the lab, Maestro and Ariel have been extremely considerate and are two really positive people who are fun to hang out with. I'll blog about our time together in future posts. Bay-buddy is constantly supportive and has helped me out immensely, but since he is no longer in the lab we only catch up weekly or so. Of course there's Ex-flatmate and my other long-time mates, GK, Entrepreneur, The Scotsman, Ace & Surfermate, providing essential support +61. Friends score = 9/10.
Love: My status is single. Very, very single. Sigh. I didn't blog about it, but there was an Irish guy, Sean, who I am no longer seeing, but it's OK as it never seemed to be a serious long-term relationship from the beginning. There just wasn't that 'something' between us, but we had some great times, he was charming and damn his accent was adorable (of course he said the same about my Aussie speech). I haven't been particularly proactive in finding a boyfriend recently and this is something I'm seeking to improve on in the immediate future. Love score = 3/10.
Mental health: Between my family and career, it's been a particularly uncertain and worrisome period of my life. Boston still continues to show me novel experiences that makes me feel as if I'm moving forward in my life, perhaps not always in an anticipated direction or as smoothly as expected, but still 'proceeding' nonetheless. There have been times when I've been on the precipice of slipping into depression again, but thankfully this has been avoided. A few weeks of being generally melancholic is the worst I've felt. Mental health score = 6/10.
Physical health: The gym is one of my favourite places. Maestro and I go regularly. We not only train together and motivate each other, but the gym is our place to discuss the lab and everything else in our lives. It's one of our sanctuaries away from work where we can work-out and goof around. I also feel that the exercise-induced endorphins are a key to me avoiding depression. With winter here, running outside is no longer an option, so the gym has become crucial to my mental and physical well-being. I'm definitely as fit as I've ever been, although an underwear-model-worthy six-pack still eludes me, so minus one point. Physical health score = 8/10.
Overall: It's been an emotional, life-changing year, and compared to some other awful years, 2007 ranks as a good one. My Boston life could obviously have been better work-wise (and relationship wise), but in the end this is irrelevant as it could have been much worse. It's difficult to not regret or overanalyse certain decisions I've made in, and leading up to, Boston life, but I'm trying to remain pragmatic and positive about my current situation.
With the close of another year, it's natural to take stock of our lives and resolve to improve on the less optimal parts. I'm looking forward to the challenges of next year. It's not going to be any easier that's for sure, but that as they say, is life. There's no guarantee that I'll rant any less, but I'll try to rave a bit more. My Boston adventure is just getting interesting, I feel that it's "maturing". Should be an intriguing next couple of months.
Blogging was initially designed to keep my mates up to date with my activities here, and it has also been cathartic and immensely enjoyable, I anticipate blogging through next year.
Life is always a struggle, and as one individual amongst the 6,639,361,044 current inhabitants on this world, I try to remind myself that I'm very fortunate to be in my current position. For those of us living relatively privileged lives (I'd imagine the majority reading this blog fits into this category), it's always refreshing to look outside of our daily microcosm and gain a wider perspective on the grander scheme of humanity. Considering I'm not fighting for survival in a war-torn country or suffering from a debilitating illness, it's clear that having an ideal job or being in a loving relationship, really are luxuries in life.
Of course we all know these realities, but it's not often that we actually remember them.
Having the opportunity to live abroad in a great city, getting a PhD, having a Macbook Pro to play with, hanging out with some amazing friends and having a loving (albeit messed up) family are luxuries in my life. I shouldn't complain.
Well that's my current status and the last post until I return to Boston from my European holiday (I fly out in a few hours and still have to pack, shit!). To my mates, enjoy the Sydney summer, don't go too crazy over NYE (I'm looking at you Scotsman), and if there's anything I've been reminded of from living in Boston, it's to be a little more bold and dip outside your comfort zone from time to time, who knows what you'll gain. Miss you guys immeasurably. To everyone reading this, may the New Year find you safe and well. My overall score remains = +61.
23 November 2007
Shotgun solutions, never a great idea
In recent news:
"A man trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut blasted the wheel with a 12-gauge shotgun, injuring himself badly in both legs, sheriff's deputies said. From about arm's length, the man fired the shotgun at the wheel and was "peppered" in both legs with buckshot and debris, with some injuries as high as his chin, according to a sheriff's office report." The full article is here at MSNBC.
Having read this, I don't feel so stupid about my feeble tyre changing attempts anymore.
To top off the unfortunate self-shooting story "it was not immediately clear whether the shotgun blast loosened the lug nut." Ouch.
"A man trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut blasted the wheel with a 12-gauge shotgun, injuring himself badly in both legs, sheriff's deputies said. From about arm's length, the man fired the shotgun at the wheel and was "peppered" in both legs with buckshot and debris, with some injuries as high as his chin, according to a sheriff's office report." The full article is here at MSNBC.
Having read this, I don't feel so stupid about my feeble tyre changing attempts anymore.
To top off the unfortunate self-shooting story "it was not immediately clear whether the shotgun blast loosened the lug nut." Ouch.
14 November 2007
Locker room fun
17.27.13
That's the combination to my lock, so help yourself to the goodies in my locker.
Sorry about the totally misleading title. Actually I'm not sorry. Unfulfilled expectations suck, don't they?
2 November 2007
Friday vent
The reasons are many, but lately I've been in a state of melancholy. Gripes? Factors that are particularly pissing me off? I've got plenty, here's a sample.
- My pay, or rather, being underpaid. What do you think the salary of a postdoc in biological science should be? Keep in mind that postdocs have the highest academic qualification possible (Ph.D), are the work horses of US labs, and are doing a job to advance scientific discovery, a discovery that in the future may benefit your precious health. For example, thanks to medical science you no longer face a hideous death from smallpox, so I don't want to read any more shit about scientists being evil because we use animals in research or do things like genetic engineering. I don't want to hear people complaining that we don't have a cure for cancer already. Science is fucking hard OK?, this shit takes time so back the fuck off. If you're one of those people having a go at science and aren't a scientist or don't know a scientist, then you probably have no accurate idea what scientific research is about anyway, so in addition to fucking off, shut the fuck up. So back to my question, what's the salary of a postdoc? Well an entry level postdoc in the US gets the princely sum of around $37,000 per annum (before tax; according to government guidelines). Constantly working weekends, major job instability, the frustration of experiments constantly failing, that's the existence of a typical postdoc. All for what? not even 40-fucking K to live off. Pathetic.
- Myself, for being too lazy to go to the gym this week. Plus me overall, but let's leave the self-obsessed deconstructive loathe-fest until next time shall we?
- Overpriced piss-water Starbucks coffee.
Starsucks by www.organique.com (top) and Kieron Dwyer’s take on Starbucks (bottom). - Cold weather.
- The lack of hold that is provided by my hair gel and the fact that I can't find the brand I used to use in Sydney. Don't roll your eyes, I'm gay, I've got the bloody right to bitch about meaningless shit like this.
- The slow death of my African violet. I water you, give you light, provide a moderate temperature, why are you dying?!
- Having no idea what my future career will be. Do I stay in science or bail already?
- My cell phone constantly having crappy reception. While I'm at it, a big fuck you to Verizon for making me put down a freaking $400 deposit just so I have the privilege of getting a shit-house cell phone with your glorious network. All because I don't have a credit history in the US. What bullshit. Fuckers.
- Having to work out the fucking tip at bars and restaurants. I've had 8 beers already and now you're making me do fucking maths? It's insane.
- American spelling, the way the day/month order is switched and the use of Imperial measurement in the US.
Seriously, why the fuck is arguably the most powerful nation on this piss-ant planet still not using the metric system? and don't spout the bullshit about it costing too much to convert the US to metric. If the US can afford $720 million per day on killing people in Iraq and Afghanistan (or half a million bucks per minute, with a projected cost of $2.4 trillion in ten years), then surely, metric conversion is attainable. - My constant misspelling of "Ex-flatemate" in a whole bunch of old posts, which I've now tried to correct.
- This whinging nothing of a post.
31 October 2007
Halloween meets Happiness & Cyanide
Halloween is a non-event in Australia so it's been interesting to see people of all ages dressed up in crazy costumes on the T or the kids trick-or-treating in Boston. They really love it here. Someone even put a few of the iconic carved pumpkins on my building stoop the other day which was very quaint, but all in all, I can't say that I really 'get' the whole Halloween thing.
16 October 2007
PhD 101
Ex-flatmate requested a photo of my PhD thesis after reading a previous post where I was rambling on about how chuffed I was with its cover colour, and since he hasn't seen it before here it is mate:
19 September 2007
Two more things
Two events mad me sad today:
1) Someone stole my coffee delivery.
My coffee delivery from Green Mountain was supposed to arrive by FedEx today, so I worked from home in anticipation of getting my dark roasted beans. Stupidly, I decided to run some quick errands so I stuck a note near the foyer buzzer for the FedEx guy to leave my package without a signature, just in case they came while I temporarily abandoned my FedEx vigil. Of course they did arrive when I was gone. When I got back and logged in to track my package I was stunned to see it had been delivered. Since I returned by a back exit, I ran downstairs to the main entrance and was totally dismayed to see absolutely nothing there. Some bastard had flogged my $30 worth of coffee. Dammit! It was no more than 15 mins between the recorded delivery time and my arrival at the front door. I'm pretty pissed off, but my lesson is learned. From now on, all deliveries are going to my work address where there will be someone to sign for a delivery at all times. Whether it was the FedEx person, or someone that lives in my building, I do hope they enjoy MY coffee, the fucking thieving, scumbag, low-life parasites.
2) Ace isn't visiting.
Well, he's not visiting anytime soon at least, although hopefully I'll get to see him early next year. I'm feeling suitably crushed right now.
1) Someone stole my coffee delivery.
My coffee delivery from Green Mountain was supposed to arrive by FedEx today, so I worked from home in anticipation of getting my dark roasted beans. Stupidly, I decided to run some quick errands so I stuck a note near the foyer buzzer for the FedEx guy to leave my package without a signature, just in case they came while I temporarily abandoned my FedEx vigil. Of course they did arrive when I was gone. When I got back and logged in to track my package I was stunned to see it had been delivered. Since I returned by a back exit, I ran downstairs to the main entrance and was totally dismayed to see absolutely nothing there. Some bastard had flogged my $30 worth of coffee. Dammit! It was no more than 15 mins between the recorded delivery time and my arrival at the front door. I'm pretty pissed off, but my lesson is learned. From now on, all deliveries are going to my work address where there will be someone to sign for a delivery at all times. Whether it was the FedEx person, or someone that lives in my building, I do hope they enjoy MY coffee, the fucking thieving, scumbag, low-life parasites.
2) Ace isn't visiting.
Well, he's not visiting anytime soon at least, although hopefully I'll get to see him early next year. I'm feeling suitably crushed right now.
27 August 2007
Love, drugs and lethargy
Lately my brain feels like mush. I haven't been able to think, speak or write in an intelligent fashion, and while a part of me is petrified about my declining mental faculty, another part is happy to slide into early senility. Hence the severe lack of quality blogging these past weeks. I've been meaning to blog about my recent sojourn to New York and Rhode Island, but as with everything at the moment I can't be bothered, maybe I'll get around to to it later.
In line with my mind-zombification, I've been avoiding strenuous thought-processes by watching a lot of DVDs that have been on my "must-watch list". I really connected with the profoundly tragic, soul-crushing, love story of Brokeback Mountain that I watched the other day. It's such a beautifully crafted film, with stunning cinematography and superb acting that made me cry just a tad. The juxtaposition of the heart-wrenching story with the beautiful scenery in certain scenes provides a stark disconnect that serves to hammer home the emotional ordeals throughout the story. Although the epic story drifts towards being too drawn out at times it is constantly redeemed by intense, emotional scenes that ruthlessly pummeled my mind into a state of utter anguish, empathy and despair for the characters. It's not just the two main characters Jack and Ennis that the viewer feels for in this film, as the life of their wives are also developed to make the audience feel for them also, which makes the entire story incredibly touching.
Brokeback Mountain far transcends the "gay-love story" tag, and is a powerful film about love, society and our expectations in life. It's a movie that makes one take a reality-check on the priorities in life. It's confronting, relentless and realistic, go see it.
An equally tragic, severely bleak film that I saw recently, and absolutely loved, is Requiem for a Dream. In contrast to the breathtaking scenery in Brokeback Mountain, there's nothing beautiful about Requiem for a Dream. The film is a naked, harsh, portrayal of drug use, and explores the pressure of societal expectations and the insidious nature of love. It's a film that ironically left me with the desire to pop a Prozac, due to its depressing nature.
Great, I'm all sad now, having pondered about these two remarkable movies. Sigh.
In line with my mind-zombification, I've been avoiding strenuous thought-processes by watching a lot of DVDs that have been on my "must-watch list". I really connected with the profoundly tragic, soul-crushing, love story of Brokeback Mountain that I watched the other day. It's such a beautifully crafted film, with stunning cinematography and superb acting that made me cry just a tad. The juxtaposition of the heart-wrenching story with the beautiful scenery in certain scenes provides a stark disconnect that serves to hammer home the emotional ordeals throughout the story. Although the epic story drifts towards being too drawn out at times it is constantly redeemed by intense, emotional scenes that ruthlessly pummeled my mind into a state of utter anguish, empathy and despair for the characters. It's not just the two main characters Jack and Ennis that the viewer feels for in this film, as the life of their wives are also developed to make the audience feel for them also, which makes the entire story incredibly touching.
Brokeback Mountain far transcends the "gay-love story" tag, and is a powerful film about love, society and our expectations in life. It's a movie that makes one take a reality-check on the priorities in life. It's confronting, relentless and realistic, go see it.
An equally tragic, severely bleak film that I saw recently, and absolutely loved, is Requiem for a Dream. In contrast to the breathtaking scenery in Brokeback Mountain, there's nothing beautiful about Requiem for a Dream. The film is a naked, harsh, portrayal of drug use, and explores the pressure of societal expectations and the insidious nature of love. It's a film that ironically left me with the desire to pop a Prozac, due to its depressing nature.
Great, I'm all sad now, having pondered about these two remarkable movies. Sigh.
13 August 2007
Which one was it again....?
In the spirit of all the terrible internet memes floating around the interwebs, here's a picture courtesy of my mate Entrepreneur (guess the whole 'waiting for the PhD thesis result' finally got to him). As in the picture I posted the other week, the aim of the game is to pick: Which one is......gay!
(Note the kid in the gray with the camera phone, cheeky little bastard.)
I'm reminded of the Glazastik (Big-Eyed guy) picture series that I got a giggle out of the other month. The Futurama brain slug one is my fave, although I'm surprised there isn't a Red Riding Hood themed picture. Ah, those crazy Russians.
(Note the kid in the gray with the camera phone, cheeky little bastard.)I'm reminded of the Glazastik (Big-Eyed guy) picture series that I got a giggle out of the other month. The Futurama brain slug one is my fave, although I'm surprised there isn't a Red Riding Hood themed picture. Ah, those crazy Russians.
29 July 2007
Change
I don't know if I want to continue with this blog in its current format. The original purpose of the blog was to provide a way for my mates back in Sydney to see what I've been up to in Boston. However, email, Facebook and Skype have made this blog largely redundant. Plus let's face it, no-one really gives a shit about my inane ramblings, and frankly, keeping a blog takes a crap-load of effort which I'm no longer willing to give. Yes I'm lazy.
I must admit I've enjoyed writing for this blog, it's a nice outlet and a pleasant change from the tedious scientific writing that I'm usually obligated to produce. Posting stuff online has also been strangely cathartic and personally liberating in a way, but whether I want to continue doing so is another matter. Plus I've got a shitload of other priorities than making sure my blog is up to date.
I do have a few posts that I've drafted which I will post in the future and I think I'll post randomly as the mood strikes, but I think posting regularly about my life in Boston is going to stop. So expect a bit of a change at +61.
I must admit I've enjoyed writing for this blog, it's a nice outlet and a pleasant change from the tedious scientific writing that I'm usually obligated to produce. Posting stuff online has also been strangely cathartic and personally liberating in a way, but whether I want to continue doing so is another matter. Plus I've got a shitload of other priorities than making sure my blog is up to date.
I do have a few posts that I've drafted which I will post in the future and I think I'll post randomly as the mood strikes, but I think posting regularly about my life in Boston is going to stop. So expect a bit of a change at +61.
25 July 2007
Which one is....?
I've been meaning to update the blog with another fabulously witty and incisive post about my life, but I've been too lazy, un-witty and preoccupied with other stuff at the moment. So here's a pic a friend sent to me the other week. The photo is doing the email circuit I'm sure, but the more I study the faces of the guys in the photo the more hilarious it is, so I felt compelled to share (the joke is more striking if you click for the enlarged image and study the faces). Enjoy.
Which one is.....?
Which one is.....?
13 July 2007
Fuck I'm Old!
Has been a good night out, I've returned home after a few beers with work colleagues, with me celebrating another week without getting yelled at by the boss. I had my first lab meeting presentation this week and I didn't get a frown, destructive comment or confidence-crushing remark from the boss which was a relief, my talk actually went pretty well surprisingly. The fact that there were two potential new postdocs in the meeting might have had been a significant factor in my escape from a public flaming.
But man, tonight made me feel bloody old. So there we were, having beers, laughing and relaxing, when I look around the table and realise that I'm hanging out with Assistant Professors, Doctors and married couples with kids, mortgages and all manner of grown up responsibilities. It was about this time that I ordered another intoxicatingly tasty Lagunitas IPA Maximus (alcohol content 7.5%/bottle, woohoo!). Instead of the good old student days of having beers and bitching about our supervisors, there was a total reversal tonight, where talk revolved around our students (yes I'm helping to supervise a fairly lost summer student at the moment), and the difficulties of running your own lab.
Yeah so...um whatever, it's a pretty useless post, but I've had several beers so gimme a break! Right, all this despairing at how I am warrants another beer. And if you think that drinking alone is a sign of an alcoholic, well fucking hell, I'll drink to that.
But man, tonight made me feel bloody old. So there we were, having beers, laughing and relaxing, when I look around the table and realise that I'm hanging out with Assistant Professors, Doctors and married couples with kids, mortgages and all manner of grown up responsibilities. It was about this time that I ordered another intoxicatingly tasty Lagunitas IPA Maximus (alcohol content 7.5%/bottle, woohoo!). Instead of the good old student days of having beers and bitching about our supervisors, there was a total reversal tonight, where talk revolved around our students (yes I'm helping to supervise a fairly lost summer student at the moment), and the difficulties of running your own lab.
Yeah so...um whatever, it's a pretty useless post, but I've had several beers so gimme a break! Right, all this despairing at how I am warrants another beer. And if you think that drinking alone is a sign of an alcoholic, well fucking hell, I'll drink to that.
5 June 2007
New tech for Ben, hooray!
Last week my laptop died. State-of-the-art 4 and 1/2 years ago, my Dell Inspiron 8200 is no more. I was simultaneously mortified and elated when I pressed the power button and heard a pathetic whine of a dead hard-drive instead of the reassuring clicking noises of a healthy drive. No-one believes me but I knew that the death of my laptop was imminent which is why I backed up my files the week before, thereby saving myself a crap load of lost-file grief.
The reason for my partial elation upon the demise of my Dell was because I hated its appearance (cheap looking black plastic case), and despised lugging it around (with its cumbersome chunky power pack, it was over 4 kg/8.8 lbs). Despite the unseemly aesthetics however, with all my folders, files and web-browser bookmarks arranged to my liking, plus the fact that I found the XP-professional operating system to be absolutely great, I really grew fond of my trusty Dell. It was a case of what was inside that counted and not looks.
So when my faithful Dell died, I was stranded. No computer=no internet at home. Combined with no TV, no radio, no-one to chat with at home, for about a week, it was unpleasant. The only thing that kept me sane during that time was my beloved iPod, my copy of the novel 1984 by Orwell, hanging out with Bing and Lulu for a bit, and sadly enough being crazily busy at work. Money is a bit tight at the moment so I didn't want to amuse myself by going out too much. If you think pfft, what a wuss, you try going from work to a home without internet/human interaction/radio/friend network nearby/familiar local hang-outs for a week and see how it goes.
But the technology-induced isolation at home is no more! Now I've got Triple J radio and billions of webpages to surf at home again. I'm now typing away on my shiny new Apple Macbook Pro. I've used Macs extensively at work so I had decided a while ago that my next computer would be a Mac.
I only received my new Mac today and one word sums up the notebook in terms of functionality and looks: elegant.
Of course Apple's OS operating system is quite different to Windows, but OS X is easy to learn. What also impressed me was how quickly I received my MacBook. Ordered it late on Friday and got it this morning, and having been provided a FedEx tracking number, it's pretty amazing that you can follow the whole procedure (OK from my amazement, it's clear that I don't get many FedEx deliveries, well not deliveries that I'm really hanging out for and obsessively tracking anyway):
Anyway, my MacBook Pro arrived earlier than some software that I ordered a day earlier that was being shipped locally, so I was impressed.
So farewell Dell old mate, I thought I'd commemorate the memories of lugging you across various continents, bashing out a PhD thesis on you, giving many Powerpoint presentations on you, and playing countless hours of music through your tinny speakers over the years, with a tasty local beer (or 3), as documented by the iSight camera on your hopefully worthy Apple replacement.
Cheers.
Update, Wednesday morning: As a slight kick to the nuts, I'm disappointed that the new line of MacBook Pros got released yesterday, just as I received my older version notebook: same price, extra memory/faster processor speed. I was vaguely aware of their release but had no idea it was so bloody imminent. In the words of 24's Jack Bauer, dammit!
Right, back to waiting for the gas company guy to arrive and change my meter. Apparently he's due sometime between 8am-12pm... A freakin' four hour window? Dammit!
The reason for my partial elation upon the demise of my Dell was because I hated its appearance (cheap looking black plastic case), and despised lugging it around (with its cumbersome chunky power pack, it was over 4 kg/8.8 lbs). Despite the unseemly aesthetics however, with all my folders, files and web-browser bookmarks arranged to my liking, plus the fact that I found the XP-professional operating system to be absolutely great, I really grew fond of my trusty Dell. It was a case of what was inside that counted and not looks.
So when my faithful Dell died, I was stranded. No computer=no internet at home. Combined with no TV, no radio, no-one to chat with at home, for about a week, it was unpleasant. The only thing that kept me sane during that time was my beloved iPod, my copy of the novel 1984 by Orwell, hanging out with Bing and Lulu for a bit, and sadly enough being crazily busy at work. Money is a bit tight at the moment so I didn't want to amuse myself by going out too much. If you think pfft, what a wuss, you try going from work to a home without internet/human interaction/radio/friend network nearby/familiar local hang-outs for a week and see how it goes.
But the technology-induced isolation at home is no more! Now I've got Triple J radio and billions of webpages to surf at home again. I'm now typing away on my shiny new Apple Macbook Pro. I've used Macs extensively at work so I had decided a while ago that my next computer would be a Mac.
I only received my new Mac today and one word sums up the notebook in terms of functionality and looks: elegant.
Of course Apple's OS operating system is quite different to Windows, but OS X is easy to learn. What also impressed me was how quickly I received my MacBook. Ordered it late on Friday and got it this morning, and having been provided a FedEx tracking number, it's pretty amazing that you can follow the whole procedure (OK from my amazement, it's clear that I don't get many FedEx deliveries, well not deliveries that I'm really hanging out for and obsessively tracking anyway):
Anyway, my MacBook Pro arrived earlier than some software that I ordered a day earlier that was being shipped locally, so I was impressed.
So farewell Dell old mate, I thought I'd commemorate the memories of lugging you across various continents, bashing out a PhD thesis on you, giving many Powerpoint presentations on you, and playing countless hours of music through your tinny speakers over the years, with a tasty local beer (or 3), as documented by the iSight camera on your hopefully worthy Apple replacement.
Cheers.
Update, Wednesday morning: As a slight kick to the nuts, I'm disappointed that the new line of MacBook Pros got released yesterday, just as I received my older version notebook: same price, extra memory/faster processor speed. I was vaguely aware of their release but had no idea it was so bloody imminent. In the words of 24's Jack Bauer, dammit!
Right, back to waiting for the gas company guy to arrive and change my meter. Apparently he's due sometime between 8am-12pm... A freakin' four hour window? Dammit!
25 May 2007
Star Wars
Today is 30 years after the release of Star Wars. It's one of those days where Star Wars freaks dust off their lightsabers, don their Jedi robes and try to 'out-Star Wars' every other fan with random trivia and classic quotes (*sounds of choking and a dead body hitting the floor* "Apology accepted, Captain Needa" Vader, after expressing his displeasure at the unfortunate Capt. by Force-gripping him to death).
Although I'm by no means a fanatic, I quite enjoy the Star Wars saga. I still remember coming out of the cinema after seeing Episode one: The Phantom Menace on opening night gushing like a little kid about how cool the end fight sequence was. Yes, I must confess that I actually like Episode one, even with Jar Jar Binks in it. Sure the special effects were a bit heavy handed, the acting comical at times, and the dialog cheesy, but the movie did break the 20-something year drought of Star Wars cinema.
Plus Episode one had plenty of action, we finally saw some real Jedi knights kick some ass, and for me the film cemented Obi-Wan Kenobi as the most heroic and uber-cool Jedi in the series. What about Luke Skywalker? the Star Wars purists cry out. This line "But I was going into Toshi Station to pick up some power converters..." said in an overly whiny, sulky Skywalker manner in Episode IV completely depreciated my view of Skywalker for the rest of the original trilogy. I mean come on, the best movie out of the original series was The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke was getting his butt-kicked (or should I say hand lopped off) by his Daddy.
For those fellow Star Wars enthusiasts, take some time out debating whether life is best faced with the rogue attitude of Han Solo "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side kid", or the dignified steadiness of Ben Kenobi "This [lightsaber] is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or as random as a blaster, but an elegant weapon for a more civilized age", and enjoy these entertaining clips:
Vader calls The Emperor to break the bad news of the Deathstars demise - you have to watch this, it's frickin hilarious.
Troops - a Star Wars parody of the TV show COPS, very funny. The first half is funnier than the second.
Ryan v Brandon - An award winning fan-made lightsaber duel movie. The kids who made this have talent. The acting is a bit dubious, but the special effects are top-notch (Youtube doesn't do the effects justice, sorry I couldn't find the hi-res version that I originally found some time ago). George Lucas actually hired one of these guys after seeing one of their productions.
Ryan v Dorkman 2 - Another unbelievably impressive fight scene made by the guys above, with better and more special effects. Also check out RvD 1.
Obi-Wan buys a new car - funny skit by some Brits. Don't miss the fight scene at the end!
Lego Star Wars - pretty cool clip. Vader the orchestra conductor, "impressive, most impressive".
And who would have thought that C-3PO would have one of the most philosophically memorable lines in Star Wars? Next time you're discussing philosophy, Camus or Dostoyevsky, just remember the sage words of C-3PO "We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life."
Although I'm by no means a fanatic, I quite enjoy the Star Wars saga. I still remember coming out of the cinema after seeing Episode one: The Phantom Menace on opening night gushing like a little kid about how cool the end fight sequence was. Yes, I must confess that I actually like Episode one, even with Jar Jar Binks in it. Sure the special effects were a bit heavy handed, the acting comical at times, and the dialog cheesy, but the movie did break the 20-something year drought of Star Wars cinema.
Plus Episode one had plenty of action, we finally saw some real Jedi knights kick some ass, and for me the film cemented Obi-Wan Kenobi as the most heroic and uber-cool Jedi in the series. What about Luke Skywalker? the Star Wars purists cry out. This line "But I was going into Toshi Station to pick up some power converters..." said in an overly whiny, sulky Skywalker manner in Episode IV completely depreciated my view of Skywalker for the rest of the original trilogy. I mean come on, the best movie out of the original series was The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke was getting his butt-kicked (or should I say hand lopped off) by his Daddy.
For those fellow Star Wars enthusiasts, take some time out debating whether life is best faced with the rogue attitude of Han Solo "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side kid", or the dignified steadiness of Ben Kenobi "This [lightsaber] is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or as random as a blaster, but an elegant weapon for a more civilized age", and enjoy these entertaining clips:
Vader calls The Emperor to break the bad news of the Deathstars demise - you have to watch this, it's frickin hilarious.
Troops - a Star Wars parody of the TV show COPS, very funny. The first half is funnier than the second.
Ryan v Brandon - An award winning fan-made lightsaber duel movie. The kids who made this have talent. The acting is a bit dubious, but the special effects are top-notch (Youtube doesn't do the effects justice, sorry I couldn't find the hi-res version that I originally found some time ago). George Lucas actually hired one of these guys after seeing one of their productions.
Ryan v Dorkman 2 - Another unbelievably impressive fight scene made by the guys above, with better and more special effects. Also check out RvD 1.
Obi-Wan buys a new car - funny skit by some Brits. Don't miss the fight scene at the end!
Lego Star Wars - pretty cool clip. Vader the orchestra conductor, "impressive, most impressive".
And who would have thought that C-3PO would have one of the most philosophically memorable lines in Star Wars? Next time you're discussing philosophy, Camus or Dostoyevsky, just remember the sage words of C-3PO "We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life."
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