Thursday, August 30, 2007
Numbers don't lie
To maintain the same standard of living that one would enjoy by earning $75K in Owensboro, KY, it turns out that one would have to earn $139K in Boston, MA.
What stage of change are you in today?
Apparently there's five of them, according to this model, which can be applied to the process of effecting any kind of positive change in one's life:
I am told some people tend to drift between contemplation and preparation, unable to actually advance to action. These people will most likely never effect change. You don't want to be one of these people. You are also probably better off not considering them as potential dates, bosses, landlords, or coauthors.
- Pre-contemplation
- Contemplation
- Preparation
- Action
- Maintenance
I am told some people tend to drift between contemplation and preparation, unable to actually advance to action. These people will most likely never effect change. You don't want to be one of these people. You are also probably better off not considering them as potential dates, bosses, landlords, or coauthors.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Martinoz movie reviews: Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
This little independent gem is about a smart yet dorky junior-high-aged girl looking for love in all the wrong places, namely everywhere. The script is at once heart-breaking and humorous, as we watch her learn the unavoidable lesson that we already know, i.e., that people are stupid jackasses.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Late-blogging my trip to England: Day 4
There were rivers.
And there were tapas.But mostly there was tractography.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Late-blogging my trip to England: Day 2
At the end of this unassuming street...
... is, like, Oxfordshire General Hospital.
Great, I needed some of those...
... and looks like this is where they keep 'em.
Some people you can call while in town.
Meanwhile, at the Museum of Science, ...
... Science is closely guarded by the benevolent giants of the Patriarchy.
And all this Science is fueled by steak and mushroom pies.Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Ode to english breakfast
My sweet english breakfast
After a night of dinnerless starvation
In a cold, damp, pink room
You look like music to my stomach
Oh how I wish to devour you
Alas, you taste like crap
And half an hour later
You are like lead to my stomach
I suspect that tomorrow
I'll be less happy to see you
And by the fourth day I'll have you
I'll want to flush you down the toilet
(Before I even eat you)
And yet we'll always have
The glorious exhilaration
Of these the first moments
Of our first encounter
Late-blogging my trip to England: Day 1
After endless plane maintenance and back and forth at the gate, this looks like dinner at Petit Robert.
Waitress: This is an awesome movie! Must be added to Martinoz cinematheque viewing list.
(Possible themes this movie could fit into: M.D.'s, affairs, baking, starting fresh. Also: American independents.)
Still only half way there. Now what?
Some quality reading...
... some more quality reading...
... finally. Only 1h 20min late.
Onto the bus...
... out on some desolate street...
... this looks promising...
... and this is were the bed and the breakfast is...
... where the key awaits under the mat...
... up the stairs...
... past the mystery door at the stairs...
... (which, in case you were wondering, leads to a bunch of crap)...
... and straight to door number five.
Monday, August 20, 2007
bagel beating, bbq style!
Bagel Blog
Date: Monday August 20, 2007Time: 3:25pm (Central Time)
Place: Einstein Bros. Bagels,
24th and Guadalupe
Austin, TX.
Order: Honey Whole Wheat Bagel with Garden Veggie Cream Cheese, lightly toasted, and a Nantucket Nectars Half&Half.
Cost: $5, including the 58 cent tip I left.
*Rate My Bagel: 8
Overall Experience: Not only did they get my order correct, down to the level of toasting, but indeed, it was fully cut and both halves were aligned properly. Points were earned for the absence of rotten, unwashed fruit, and the presence of smiles (in fact, 58 cents was earned for the presence of smiles!) Points were lost for lack of bagel slicing apparatus, and the lack of nursing professionals on the premises.
*Rate My Bagel rating based on the following criteria:
1. Is the bagel sliced all the way through?
2. Do the top and bottom halves align?
3. Did you get the avocado you asked for?
4. Was there bacon on the bagel even though you specially asked for no
bacon?
5. Did you get a rotten or chalky apple/pear? Did you get to choose the
type of rotten fruit you prefer?
6. Did you pay $3 for a 6 oz. coke to go with the bagel?
7. Did you get to see the bagel flying through the slicing machine?
8. Is there wireless internet access at Einstein's?
9. Are there nurses/speech therapists in the building too or is it a
bagels-only establishment?
10. Did any bagels fall on the floor? Were they returned safely and
quickly to the bagel display box? Did anyone notice?
1. Is the bagel sliced all the way through?
2. Do the top and bottom halves align?
3. Did you get the avocado you asked for?
4. Was there bacon on the bagel even though you specially asked for no
bacon?
5. Did you get a rotten or chalky apple/pear? Did you get to choose the
type of rotten fruit you prefer?
6. Did you pay $3 for a 6 oz. coke to go with the bagel?
7. Did you get to see the bagel flying through the slicing machine?
8. Is there wireless internet access at Einstein's?
9. Are there nurses/speech therapists in the building too or is it a
bagels-only establishment?
10. Did any bagels fall on the floor? Were they returned safely and
quickly to the bagel display box? Did anyone notice?
Travesty
4) Winning Entry in Hand Hygiene Slogan Contest: Be an ACE!
After receiving more than 300 entries in its hand hygiene slogan contest, the STOP (Stop Transmission of Pathogens) Task Force is pleased to announce the winning entry is "Be an ACE!" submitted by Bill Perry, MGH respiratory therapist. The word "ACE" is an acronym that stands for "Always Calstat Entering and Exiting" patients' rooms. As the winner, Perry received a football autographed by Richard Seymour of the New England Patriots. The purpose of the contest was to develop a slogan that could be used by all MGH employees to discreetly remind one another to practice hand hygiene. The new slogan will be actively promoted so that its use becomes a regular part of our workplace culture. By using hand hygiene ourselves and giving friendly reminders to each other to do so, we can achieve excellence in hand hygiene.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Martinoz Field Trip to Texas
I've found a place for you all to stay. The description is pretty accurate.The prices are cheap and the location is decent, but boy is this place scary. It is small and does not feel like it is very clean. The walls are thin,
and some of the customers seemed a little creepy.
and some of the customers seemed a little creepy.
They are down this alley-way, and it seems they come with a complimentary pile of crap outside. But, some of us know that Texas piles of crap are bigger and better! At first it may appear that this place is abandoned, but trust me - it's not. If I hadn't been alone, and if it had somehow been lighter than high-noon, I would have gone in. But, I had to stop taking pictures because, frankly I was a little afraid. I was afraid of someone pulling out their shotgun because I took a mis-step and got on their "lawn" (read: patch of dirt with some trash on it). And then there were the trucks of men. Who pulled over. And yelled. And whistled. I really think y'all will love this place. But if I haven't painted enough of a picture - let me show you the surrounding businesses...something for everyone!
Can't wait - when should I make the reservations for?!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Martinoz movie reviews: In July (2000)
This is a cute, fun little summer movie from Germany.
Extremely reserved yet hot physics teacher meets captivating Turkish woman on the night before she leaves Hamburg to go to Istanbul. With newfound impulsiveness, he decides to travel to Instanbul to find her. Thus starts his adventurous road trip from Hamburg through Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, on which he is accompanied by an equally adventurous woman named Juli.
Althought the plot has some weaknesses, such as the occasional unlikely escape from prison while the guard is checking out a foxy lady and things of that nature, it has a lot of originality and maintains viewer interest throughout. I found parallels between the women that the protagonist meets along the way and the women that Odysseus meets on his journey to Ithaka but I won't go into that here. As usual, former Yugoslavs are portrayed as criminal psychopaths, which is getting a little tiresome. But overall a cute, fun little summer movie.Saturday, August 11, 2007
Peaches
From the Associated Press:
Animal Sanctuary Faces Foul-Mouthed Bird
- - - - - - - - - - - -
August 11,2007 | ALBION, Ind. -- People are being careful about their language around an 8-year-old named Peaches [pictured left] who has a habit of learning and repeating the worst she hears.
Peaches is a Moluccan cockatoo, and staffers at Black Pine Animal Park say she used to be a pet in a household where she picked up a vocabulary that can be as colorful as her feathers.
The bird didn't miss anything when a volunteer construction worker started cussing recently after a chimp threw feces at him, said Jessica Price, senior zookeeper at the sanctuary about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne.
"She started laughing and carrying on," Price said.
Peaches then reverted to a few of her own favorites.
"Go away, shut up, shut your blankety-blank mouth," Price said. "She says a lot of very bad words."
It is difficult to get birds to stop using words they have learned, she said.
"We obviously don't repeat them," Price said. "We don't encourage it."
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
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