overheard

"They're not cool, but it's whatever."


Co-worker's highly political description of the current relationship between a superdelegate and the candidate they're not supporting, but yet used to be friends with.

rumor mill

Another week of conventional and real time PCRs. The most interesting thing I've seen here in the three months I've been employed by the state was the Bastrop food poisoning cases (and I can actually talk about these, there was news coverage and a press release). It has also run its course and is now old news. Yes, my area, and specifically me, tested them, but they were negative for the genes I test for. As well as everything else that was tested for, including the reportedly previously detected shiga toxin. So they have been shipped to the CDC, who will hopefully figure out what may have caused the outbreak.

Much more interesting than the actual results was to see the rumor mill running tangibly. Not that the rumor mill is always running around here, usually at high gear, but that's about people. I try not to pay attention to the gossip and there's no way to validate what you hear. The local news correctly reported an outbreak in Bastrop with one child dead and another five individuals ill. No connection between the cases was apparent. Shiga toxin was detected by a local lab. By the time I heard people standing around in the halls talking about the outbreak it was six dead from eating at Whataburger in Bastrop. Remotely possible if untrue. I however, enjoy escalating things ridiculously, as does my lab mate. Truly blowing things to ridiculous proportions.

A: Have you gotten samples from the outbreak yet?
T: The one in Bastrop?
A: Yeah, it's riduculous. People here, who should know better, are saying six people died from eating at Whataburger.
T: Really? I heard I heard it was twenty four people died at Whataburger.
A: Yeah, twenty four people killed in a drive by shooting in at the Whataburger in Bastrop. With shiga toxin coated bullets!

whining

There really ought to be something I could blog about that somehow matters or is in some way at least a little bit significant. Today, however, has shaken it all out of me. Getting frustrated with this damn gel, or rather the PCR which is requiring five gels to get results. Seriously, there has GOT to be a better way to do this. And here I am at work past five o'clock just getting more and more frustrated with this damn thing because I think I'm going to have to do it over again despite all the pain and effort and ridiculousness and why did I even try doing this many samples at once and people are waiting for the results and maybe I'll just getting really drunk on green beer tonight and call in sick tomorrow.

Okay, done whining now. I think.

best sentence i've read all day

I'm thinking that all that bourbon might have had a tiny effect on the magnitude of my righteous indignation.

Okay, right. Back to work. Very important err...gels to run and samples to confirm. Yes. Very important. My GOD it's slow around here.

weekend

Simply put, this weekend rocked. Friday night was the Dropkick Murphys show at Stubbs. I went with some great friends and ran into a number of others (some literally, as I spent most of the show in the pit). Many of whom were happier than I've seen them in a long time. Leave it to a rugby player to sparkle with excitement while in a mosh pit. The show was totally worth waiting two years since the last time they played in Austin.


Saturday night was a time warp. One of my teammates held a party to celebrate leaving her Starbucks employment after five and a half years. Six hours disappeared without my noticing, lost in good converstation about everything from books to politics. One of our rookies is apparently a kindred spirit of mine. Even if she does think Jonathon Frakes looks better without the beard. And getting to spend time with my best friend was golden, watching her be as comfortable as I've seen her since she moved to Austin. By the time I happily, wearily crawled into bed after dropping off drunk friends, it was after 5AM. Damn daylight savings.

Go Vote

For the first time in a long time the Texas Democratic primary actually has an impact. Go vote! I could say I don't care who you vote for, but actually, I encourage you to vote for change, for a better future. Hope may not pay the rent, but it goes a long way towards getting people to step up and take advantage of their opportunities to help themselves.

It's not a long stretch to figure out who I voted for...

Days that feel like today...

Clouds and Heifer
Originally uploaded by Hull Cove.

...make me miss morning like this. Or maybe it could just be the time I spent talking to my family on the phone before 9:30 AM today. And the realization that it is time for yet another show season, already, and I am missing out.