The Ramblings of Austgen

It’s chowtime, but I’ve eaten all my lunch, so I write a bit before getting back to work. Reflecting a bit, what was this summer…well, I worked. Yea, I had some down time with people, but I think that this will be the summer that I look back and really turned to corner in science. I’m starting to get some idea on the data that I’m going to look at, and abstracts are coming into my head. I’m not going to have to worry about getting an abstract for the national meeting next spring, and should have a poster in all the sessions at school. This is good, mainly cause I haven’t had anything in so long, my CV was beginning to fade away. If I can get two papers submitted by Christmas, and get them in print by June, I think I can get out of here next year.

I did spend some time out of the lab, hanging out, watching a bunch of movies, and sandwiching in those two Chicago trips. I do think I need to get out of town more often. Well, I will when I get some money (the fault of us all). Now that I’m out of classes, I may be able to do that more, when I can get out of the lab. With the sceduale, though, that might not be possible soon. Maybe in January, I’ll go somewhere….

The new place is going pretty well. ROOMIE PRIME is still ROOMIE PRIME, but ROOMIE ALPHA (ashton) and ROOMIE OMEGA (Erin) have gotten into the fold too. As long as I don’t get sucked into the reality shows that the girls watch (damn you Laguna Beach!!!!) I’ll be cool.

On a sad note, Morgan’s Brother passed last week. He never really got a chance…at well, damn near anything.

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I have once again returned from the great second city, though most of you didn’t even know I was gone (and you’re all bastards for it). Went up Saturday to catch the Sunday game, which featured the retiring of Ryne Sandburg’s jersey. Ryno was the second baseman for the Cubs when I was growing up…and my hero. I was really glad that my buddy Marco invited me up for the game. It was really cool to see Ryno take the walk around the stadium, with all in attendence going crazy. That man is like Ditka…anyone on the northside would give up anything for him…also was cool to see The Sarge and The Hawk raise the flag on the rightfield foul pole.

As for the game, was sitting in the far right of the right field bleachers. Basically, I was within spitting distance of the right fielders. And when Juan “Jonny-boy” Encarcinon was out there, did he get hell…which is normal. It got really bad in the seventh, when Jonny-boy took some tape off his wrist and threw it on the warming track….right under the sign on the bleacher side that said “Keep Wrigley Beutiful”. So, it got worse, with my addition being, “what would your mother say??”…which got the crowd going. Then when Zambrano got up, and roped a triple into the corner, Jonny-boy got another hearful, from the power of Z, JB’s lack of speed, and my quip about Karma, which got the crowd going again. After I predicted Nomar’s double, I think I got the appreciation of the folk. So, I suppose I’m a “Bleacher Bum”, but maybe I need to hit another game out there first….hopefully something early next season, when it’s butt ass cold.

A few other things from the weekend…

Took North Halstead for part of the trip…which holds “Boys Town”, or where a lot of gay folk live…interesting

Was dead to rights by a cop on the way up…but an Impala didn’t slow down (actually passed the cop), so he got tagged instead

SPF 50 does wonders to Irish skin

Hurricanes suck, but why do people report from them….it’s raining hard…yes, thank you

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School started this week, but not for me. I have no more classes to take, so I have finally succumded to fate, and have a “real” job…and any further slacking prevents me making more money.

Found out yesterday that my first two publications will be sent to the Journal of Comparative Neurology (that’s big)

I bought a new bass, football tickets, and free doctor visists for the semester in one week….and now I’m poor.

There are freshman everywhere and I don’t care….does that mean I, too, am accepting my fate (or am I just getting old?)

Fall softball this Thursday…come and watch me hit to the middle outfield!!!

Finally, today is Big Daddy Poth birthday…and he should be here celebrating it…COME BACK POTH!!!!

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Wow…that’s all I can say, as I sit here with my ears ringing and the rest of me sore. 311 still kicks ass. Tonight at the Missouri Ampitheater…or the hill behind Farout, Reel Big Fish, Unwritten Law, Papa Roach, and 311 rocked….well, I didn’t get to see RBF (got hosed with a 30 minute set), and didn’t know much of Unwritten Law, and didn’t really want to see much of Papa Roach, but 311…the last time I saw these guys was Spring of ’98, on their “Transistor” tour. To date this, Sugar Ray opened (and most folk didn’t know they were a thrash metal band…which I would like now), and before them, Incubus, with dreds…but 311 was fantastic. So to now. Mixed in lots of their old stuff (I’ll take anything off the self-titled) with a few new bits. Light show has gotten better, but SA’s voice is all weird. Also, in Chad’s drum solo, the rest of the band were playing long toms and cymbals, so it looked like marching band. And, it cooled off some, so I didn’t lose that much water.

Also, basically completed the move to the new place. My room is a lot smaller then the last, and I don’t think that I can get all of my stuff in here. But, the downstairs is pretty spacey….not now, and there’s boxes and shit everywhere. The girls are being sympathetic so far to our quirks…me not being home at any set time, and ROOMIE PRIME sleeping, but it’s only been about 48 hours…give’em til Sunday…sooner if the downstairs isn’t squared away….the garage, that’s a whole different bowl of soup.

Lastly, an explination of the title….at the show, there were a fair amout of police folk around…one of them was taking a feller up the hill, with a member of the event staff, when that feller to offense to being lead off, and tried to shake off the woman….well, then another man in blue grabbed this feller’s other arm….now, this feller got real upitty, and tried to shake them both off….that lead to this feller getting thrown down to the ground (violently), cuffed and taken off….this was mirrored by another feller, who when grabbed by a cop, was calmly lead away. This takes me to my point. There are times in your life when you must accept your fate. Person two did, and most likely left the premises…where the first will get the book thrown at him. Let this be a lesson to you all, young grasshoppers.

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When you go on a float trip in Southern Missouri, and you only see one topless girl, are you suppose to be dissapointed???

When the Cubs don’t win by, say, six runs every game, but still win, why do people complain???

Where in the world of the Grad student does it say taht you have to work 12 hours on a Monday…isn’t that againts the rules or the geneva convention, or something???

I really don’t want to move…not that I really like it here anymore, but I own to much stuff (ok, Jason owns to much stuff)

Sloppy Joe’s are tasty

Dana Sedai was enchanted by a feller on E…that can’t be a good sign…

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So, some quick reviews…of stuff….

Last night, caught the new Jonny Depp flick, “Charlie and Chocholate Factory, Wilder-lite.” I had a lot of reservations about this movie, as did, I bet, half the known world. Gene Wilder did such a great job with the original, most peolpe would wonder whether a remake would be….needed. Now, supposedly, this movie follows the book more, which I think is a requirement of remakes. That said…I like this movie a lot. Jonny Depp makes Wonka, well…really, really creepy. I would bet that this is what Michael Jackson is like in person. The Umpaloompa’s are hysterical. The characters: the kids, there parents, seem to be fairly two dimensional, but they all work…it’s also been moderized…Mike Teevee, or whatever, plays video games and has a rather violent streak. But, overall, I’d give it 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Also, I bought, and finished the new Harry Potter novel. This, the sixth book in the series, occurs about three weeks after the complition of the last. I really enjoyed this one. Rowling did well to streamline the text, leaving out a lot of minor dialog, so this book was considerable shorter. Harry has made a signifiicant change, as have a majority of the other charaters. In as such, some of the dialog may not be understood by the younger audience, but wold more in the older. Overall, this book started well, ran well, and ended…well shitty…not in the writing, but in the plot twists. When they say a major charater buys the farm…well, I won’t say more… The only thing I really didn’t like about the book, and maybe the series, is the path that Harry has to go. It been obvious from the fifth book that harry must kill Voldemort to live…so he’s got fate and survival…but I think that he’s beginning to get revenge in there too….and as they always say in the movies, what do you do after you’ve had your revenge. I suppose I can see why the right wing christians don’t like this series. But, go buy it, read it, loan it to someone else.

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So last night, we won are softball game in a ’98 Yankee type fashion, winning 12-0. It was a display of good defense, smart plays, luck, and timely hitting. I finally succeeded in hitting a homer, though I think I was out at the plate (and, I should’ve stopped at third, with the lead we had…). Of course, with scales having to be balanced, I wrenched my shoulder getting a feller out at first. If I can only remember to use proper form, I think my shoulder woes would be over. The true agony is for our beloved Lab Rat team, which played the evil MBS. Saying MBS doesn’t belong in the D league is the greatest understatement of all time. The Lab Rats got killed, 14-0. The Notorius TMZ took a liner in the leg, and now her lower right thigh will be pretty colors for a month. Jason the third got his foot suck UNDER THE FENCE…bad luck. It’s one thing to have bad defense and give up a big inning. That’s what happens in this league. You’re suppose to have teams in which most of the girls are gonna have weak grounders. And guys that pop-up all the time. You should only have a few good people, cause they organize the teams. MBS is all good, they can all hit…and only one or two can’t field well. Now, granted, they’re not the only team like this. I would say that mine is almost like this. All of the guys are fairly athletic, and we can all hit…the girls are pretty good too. Great fielding, strong fundamentals (even if our SS is, well, really short). So, I suppose I shouldn’t get on my soapbox just yet. However, it looks like some of the rainouts that we make up (next three weeks) may end up being intersquad games at the practice field. And honestly, I think it would be more fun just to play againts them for a few hours.

On a note of being utterly shocked and uber-pissed….what the fuck is going on in this world. This “terrorists” I just don’t get. Hiding behind a religion, they kill the innocent. What I don’t understand is the Islamic world. They have got to know that Islam preaches non-violence. Why doesn’t anyone do anything. I wonder if this is anyway (though this is a thin one) analogus to the Mafia. Instead of a Don, there’s the cleric…failure to follow his words is punished…extortion. Thin, but somehow the only way I can figure it out.

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So, it’s been awhile. To finish the rest of the Chicago trip, went to see the Fire (soccer team) play FC Dallas. We won, I got on tv numerous times with the folk. Got to hang out with the newest cousin/last hope for the reynolds clan. She’s cool, and the reason Cousin #3 bugged out of my brother’s wedding. Also, Soilder Field, from the outside, looks really fucking gay. It really does look like a space ship landed on the field. Once you get inside, it’s pretty nice…

Lab’s been kicking my ass. Can’t seem to get a rat to survive. At this rate, I’ll never get out of here. But, if I can just get five rats to work by September, I’ll be ok for my seminar, and getting an abstract in for EB would finally be easy again. Looking more like defending in late November, early December, then looking for work after the new year…unless I go to med school….

Lastly, what in the hell happened to the Cubs?? The pitching is suppose to be healthy, we have a possible triple crown canidate, and they’ve scored about 10 runs in the last week. What’s it gonna take??? A hanging…do we need to lynch someone from the center field flag pole? This may be the greatest underachieving team of all time….unless the Yankees get worst….but, WE WERE SWEPT BY THEM!! Fuck, i’m just gonna become a Nat’s fan or something.

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I returned from the near-city of my birth today…to five hours of work in the lab. But that is neither here nor there. Chicago did well to kick my ass. To recap…Friday, attended the massacare that was the Cubs game…not only to see the Cubs dole out 20 hits, but the Old Man, Greg “MadDog” Maddox hit one out. That was great. Then hit six or so bars (Bernie’s, Murphy’s Bleachers, blahblahblah) got a FOUR POUND (or so) burrito, went to another bar, then went back to Marco (POLO!!)’s place. Walk about six miles in the stretch. Unfortunately, on the way home my GI tract revolted, and the burrito was a casulty. Sucked, cause I wasn’t drunk…either the mexican was bad, or I was so full of food and beer and such that the body just gave up. But, Friday=good…..also, more mad props to THE BAGGER for the jersey….someone had to ask who’s it was, and I think I was then only one with that specific number…didn’t make it out to Cousin #3′s gig….Marco (POLO!!) and I were wrecked my 10 pm…

Saturday began with sleep and a message from a friend in NY that was drunk dialing me after a bachlorette party…she couldn’t understand why my phone would have been off at 1:30 in the morning…eh. Stupid neighbor girl when and backed into my car…but, now I get a free paint job for the car. After hanging at Cousin #2′s for a while, when into the city to hook up with Cousin #3 and fiance, to hit the Chicago Blues Fest down by the lake. The food was awesome (pad thai noodles, and mustard fried catfish) but I got to see BUDDY GUY!!!! Man, that guy can whail on the guitar. After watching part of his show, we wandered around the lakefront, watched the fireworks, then the longest “L” ride of my life.

More to come….

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I’m up here in the Chicago sprawl, currently hanging with my boy Marco (POLO!!). In three hours I will be in Wrigleyville, attending this afternoon’s contest of the Cubs and the Red Sox…consequently, this is the first time that the Sox have ever been to Wrigley. Played in Comisky (sp?) in 1918 for the series. Then I’m heading to the Beat Kitchen later tonight to watch Cousin #3 play, and maybe meet up with Cousin #2 and 2-alpha. Also, big thanks to THE BAGGER for loaning my his 1984 Lee Smith home alternate. Looking pimp.

The weekend doesn’t stop with today’s excitment. Tomorrow going to head to cousin #2′s place and maybe hit the Blues Fest in the City, then going to Soilder Field to catch the Fire play FC Dallas….baseball, soccer and beer….gotta love it.

This is a test…this is where you click

Above should be a link….let’s see if it works….

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