Stuff, Stuff, and More Stuff

Y'know, it's an absolute disgrace the way work, school, and preparing for a massive lifestyle overhaul can take away from important things like blogging. Here's a quick rundown on new thoughts n' stuff:

She's beautiful, she's insanely talented, and she's generous too? Not fair! Jule Garnye, one of our favorite performers, has organized an effort to get money to the Red Cross. Right now, every cent that you give through her Ten-in-ten relief effort gets QUADRUPLED, thanks to her sponsors. So GIVE, dangnabit!

The Agony and the Ecstacy was a book and movie about Michelangelo, but the title refers equally well to my friggin' thesis research. One minute, things are going well, the next... well, let's just say that disappointment and misery have been regular companions of mine in the lab recently.

Speaking of disappointment and misery, at least the Mets were gracious enough to hold off their regular season breakdown until just before football season, and the Giants started off looking good (hope springs eternal in the sport fan's breast).

I was dragged me kicking and screaming accompanied The Lovely Wife(tm) for a marathon shopping/browsing session at "Babies 'R' More Expensive than you Can Even Begin to Imagine," followed by a tour of the hospital delivery ward where we expect to be spending several blissful hours in a few weeks. The tour was taken with several couples from our Lamaze class. Naturally, when we were led into the birthing room itself, all the women looked with horror at the delivery chair/ medieval torture device, while the men wanted to make sure that, yes, you could get ESPN on the TV in the room.

If I can convince work to let me take one of these home, I think I'll be ready for the newcomer.

Hey, Catherine! Oh, excuse me... Ms. Catherine Skidmore, R.N.! When are you coming over for that Shabbat meal? What, now that you're a hoo-hah/pish-pash registered nurse, and got interviewed for the Rent DVD, you're too good for the little people who remembered you before you had the world's coolest tattoo?

Four years ago yesterday, I was on the 20th floor of an office building, feeling the ground shake as each building of the World Trade Center collapsed in a cloud of black smoke. I came home that evening covered in dust, and came to work for the next month through subways plastered with "Have you seen...?" posters. A schoolmate of mine, and a colleague of my wife's were among those killed. To the owner of the SUV bearing the bumper sticker "Rememember 9/11, the liberals have already forgotten": eff you.