Otherwise Occupied

Hmmm.... two months to the day since my last post.... definitely been slacking in the blog department. Some stuff that I've been occupied with that I haven't blogged about (yet):

• Moving to a different apartment in Boulder
• Permanently joining a research group at CU
  
• ManFest '08
• GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!
• Honeymooning in Belize
• Wedding reception in Crescent City
• Road-tripping to CO from CA
• Grad school's Mega Test of Death
  

I'll get a post up "soon" (whatever that means)... until then, if you'd like, you can whet your appetite with photos from the wedding.... over 900 from the wedding photographer, and almost 40 from the ever-so-talented Dave Way. Bon appetit....

Photo shoot

Eva-Lynn's cousin Erin (see saucybritches.com) lives in Denver, and a few weeks ago she came out to Boulder to see Eva-Lynn and her mom, while they were both out here visiting. She brought her camera and took some great shots of the three of us. It was great to get some fun photos of Eva-Lynn and I, without having to "set the timer and run," like usual. Thanks, Erin!!!

Marvin, Earl, and Ilsa

I've been wanting a 4-wheel drive vehicle for quite a while, especially since I've moved out here to Colorado. Hiking, camping, even just driving around town during a snowstorm.... not so easy in "Marvin", my little 2000 Toyota Corolla. (I'll explain his name later.) The ridiculous price of gas has been holding me back, though; Marvin gets around 35 mpg or more, while 4-Runners (the gas-guzzlers I've had my eye on for a while) get around 20 mpg, if you're lucky.

In swoops my fair damsel to rescued me from distress. Eva-Lynn has a 2003 Honda Civic (recently dubbed "Ilsa") that she'll be bringing out with her in August. Since we'll have Ilsa for fuel economy, I figured I could finally trade Marvin in for something more... brawny (no offense, Marvin).

Val and I shopped around when she was out here over spring break, and we ended up snapping up an awesome deal on a 2000 Toyota 4-Runner. We decided to sell Marvin ourselves, rather than take the rather low trade-in value we were offered. I just got around to getting him cleaned up and put on craigslist this week; within three days, he was sold, for a full $1,300 above Kelley Blue Book value!

And so... goodbye Marvin, hello Earl.

Marvin. He was named from a movie line that I tended to shout when I was in a hurry: "Drive, Marvin! Drive like you've never driven before!"
(Props to anyone who can name the movie....)

Earl. Named after his color... he's halfway between silver and white, a shade technically known as "pearl." After we bought him, as we were thinking about names, Val's first suggestions were "Pearlie" and "Pearla".... I quickly and firmly vetoed both as being waaaaay to wussy for our macho mud-machine. (Although, admittedly, I've encountered very few "pearl"-colored macho mud machines....) Her next suggestion, Earl,
ended up sticking.

I have no pictures of Ilsa, but she's one sleek little hottie (just like her owner). She was actually unnamed until we got Earl, and we figured Val's car needed a name too. We'd recently watched Casablanca for the first time, and discovered that the heroine's name is Ilsa "Lund"! So the car is named after the subject of some of the most famous lines in movie history. Tweaked to fit our circumstances, we have:

• Here's looking at you, car.
• We'll always have Newberg.
• Eva-Lynn, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
• Of all the Science Departments in all the colleges in all the world, she walks into mine.
• Round up the usual used car salesmen.
  
• Play it (again), Val. (In the movie, no one actually says "play it again, Sam.")
  

Marvin and Earl... friends for so brief a time. Meh, they would've been rivals for Ilsa's affection anyway. Just like the guys in Casablanca.

Memorial Day weekend

I've reverted to my old ways... no blogs in over a month. But take heart, loyal fans; I have heard your cries (all two of them) for more posts, and here, at last, your thirst may be quenched.

This weekend I flew out to Washington to meet with Eva-Lynn and her pastor, who'll be uniting us in holy matrimony in a couple months (!!!!!). On Sunday after church, we drove over to the coast for the afternoon. I miss the ocean.... not much salt water in Colorado....

Hark, fair mermaid! Don't I get three wishes or something?








Kind of intimidating... "Don't mess with me, or I'll mess with your FACE!"



Umm.... not so intimidating.


We had a bit of set-the-timer-and-run photo fun with some railroad tracks we came across....





(This one took a lot of tries. Fortunately, no teeth were harmed in the making of this photo.)

...said one grad student to another.

(see blog title)

Once again, PhD comics hits the nail on the head:

The Tax-Me-More Act

Critical of tax cuts for high-income earners? Think the wealthy should be giving more money to the government? John Campbell has the answer!!!

California Republican John Campbell yesterday introduced in the House his "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Act," which would amend the tax code to allow individuals to make voluntary donations to the federal government above their normal tax liability. The bill would place a new line on IRS tax forms to make this easy.

Mr. Campbell says he has heard the "cries" of those wealthy Americans – Mrs. Clinton, Warren Buffett, Barbra Streisand – who reject the lower tax rates passed in 2001 and 2003 and complain that they and their fellow rich don't pay enough. "It's a great injustice that citizens wishing to fulfill their dream of paying more taxes cannot simply check a box on their 1040 form to make a donation," he says. His bill would give liberals a chance to salve their consciences without having to raise taxes on millions of Americans who already feel overtaxed as it is.

Considering that the IRS already accepts donations, yet folks haven't exactly jumped at the opportunity, I'd guess this won't go over so well. Could it be that wealthy individuals feel that there are more effective, more efficient methods of aiding the poor, curing diseases, and improving society than via Uncle Sam's vast bureaucracy? Hmmm....

Expelled

Tonight I went to see Expelled, a documentary by Ben Stein, the economist and Nixon speechwriter... who you probably know much better as the deadpan teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. ("Anyone...? Anyone....?")

(Make sure to play the trailer all the way to the end... one of the best lines is in the last two seconds of the clip.)

It raises a lot of thought-provoking issues, and is actually really funny. Even if you don't agree with everything it says, it'll definitely be a conversation starter... which is one of the main points of the film: that this sort of stuff should be talked about, not ignored or suppressed.

Check it out.

Speaking of medical mysteries....

I saw this clip on YouTube a few months ago about the "Tree Man of Java" (superpowers sold separately):

For those with slow connections (or for those who need motivation to wait for the video to load), here's a shot of his "hands":


I ran into a recent article about his condition (a random combination of the HPV virus plus an incredibly rare genetic immune disorder) and the treatment he's been getting... which led me to an article on the man without a face....



....which, in turn, led to an article about a girl with two faces....


...which, logically, pointed me to an article about an 11-pound, 23-inch-tall 15-year-old. Here, she's pictured with a 13-month old, and her classmates:


It's interesting to note the role of religion in some of these stories. The guy with the facial tumor has firmly refused medical treatment until recently, since (until recently) the medical procedures involved would have required a blood transfusion, something he won't consider as a staunch Jehovah's Witness. Meanwhile, the girl is being hailed as a reincarnation of the Hindu god Ganesha. Her parents certainly don't mind... everyone who comes to pay their respects to the baby include a nice monetary gift.

More medical freakiness.... have you heard these news reports about the pregnant "man" from Oregon? That'll have to be a post for another day....

I'm just one big medical mystery

I think if you were to compare the number of cans of Dr. Pepper I drank this weekend to the number of hours I've slept, Dr. Pepper would win. In fact, I'm pretty sure I ate more oreos than the hours I slept this weekend, too.

How have I never had a cavity?

For that matter, why am I not 30 lbs overweight?


(Happy thought: Just 19.5 days left until the end of Semester Two of grad school. I finish my last exam at 5PM on Saturday. Yup, a final on Saturday... lame, eh? Let's see, that's just 468 hours from now.... and counting...)

Moose, Yaks, White Rhinos... whatever.

As my dad pointed out, he didn't give me Moose Tracks for Christmas. Moose Tracks is an ice cream flavor:



He did, in fact, give me a pair of YAK Trax.... not nearly as creamy and delicious, but slightly more helpful in slippery conditions:


Either way, thanks, Dad. You can send me Yak Trax or Moose Tracks any time you want.