"i love you!" "that's wonderful! now go love some more"

It's not uncommon that I haven't seen whatever movie you're going to be shocked I haven't seen. This past year marked my initial viewing of The Goonies and A Christmas Story, for example.

With that in mind, I saw Harold and Maude for the first time last night.

... And I loved it.

I'll spare you the same old tired reviews. Instead, I'll tell you what this movie did.

This movie made me get out my violin (which I've been avoiding because it reminds me of bad past relationships) and play. And remember that I can play, and enjoy playing. That hitting the wrong note is okay. That my fingers are nimble. That swaying back and forth to keep rhythm is fine. That having calluses on my fingertips is satisfying...

This movie made me dream about playing tennis. I remembered how it feels to bend my knees, with wrists held loosely in preparation... To spring load, and throw my weight behind a return-of-serve backhand down the line. I remembered the rush from a shot well placed... A plan successfully executed...

Granted, this movie probably couldn't have been watched and as well received at just any time. It's like the movie found its way to me serendipitously... Which is sort of true. I didn't request it. Netflix accidentally sent it to the apartment--- a movie on my long-since held account's queue. Did I travel forward in time and put Harold and Maude at the top, knowing that it would arrive right when I needed to see it?

Ok, probably not. I don't really care. All I know is that I have an hour of court time scheduled tonight to play tennis (I've been avoiding my racquet because I last used it when I tore my hamstring). And that maybe I don't have to hate myself all the time for liking what I like. And that if any of those things end up hurting, that's ok, too.

I can handle it.

Happy New Year

I just finished making a mix cd that includes a bunch of new bands I got into this year and songs off 2008 releases from bands I loved already. Send me an address if you want one mailed to you!

Including, but not limited to:

She & Him
Of Montreal
Crystal Castles
Titus Andronicus

...and more.


My resolutions are: NO MORE REDOs, to get into grad school (I'll take both the hook and crook options, please), and to start playing tennis again.

fuck you, pharmaceutical industry

Roomie and I were watching TV this evening when a commercial for Menactra came on. In it, smiling kids and teens are happily going about their business. This is interrupted by threatening typed overlay warning that "meningococcal disease can kill in less than 24 hours" and "children aged 11-18 should be vaccinated!!!11111eleven" like seen in these screenshots from the website:


Does this disturb anyone else?

I felt annoyed by the sensationalism, but decided to do a quick internet search to gather some statistics. Maybe, I told myself, I'm underestimating the problem. Maybe, self, you're simply too cynical....

First thing's first: how many incidences of meningitis are there? According to the National Meningitis Association, there are 3000 cases in the U.S. annually, 300 of which turn out to be fatal. According to the googles, the current U.S. population is about 300,000,000, giving us a 0.001% occurance and a 0.0001% rate of fatality.

So the commercial seems a little over the top with the death threats and all. But again-- total population isn't a very fair gauge given that they're targeting 11-18 year olds (the website says 2-10 year olds should consider being vaccinated, but whatever. I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt...) The best statistic I could find for the youth population is here and says we're roughly talking about 64,000,000 people. Assuming those 3000 cases are all within this age group, let's say the incidence rate increases by almost a factor of 5 to 0.0047%.

...

I get that meningitis is a devestating illness to those who give it. I don't mean to undermine the importance of treatment and/or prevention. But. Is it really ethical to use an advertising campaign that gives the impression that AT ANY MINUTE YOUR PRECIOUS CHILD COULD DIE!!!!! Especially given the mass hysteria the public is prone to?

Which leads to... What kind of profits are we talking about?

According to the CDC vaccine website, Menactra costs about $100 a pop. If even 10% of the people in the targeted age group had the vaccine, we're talking about $640,000,000 in profit. I don't know how much it cost the company to develop the vaccine, and I know drug development is expensive and all, but $0.64 billion is a lot of money.

And scaring the shit out of parents is a good way to get that profit margin up.

Go, go gadget blog!

This is why I want to be a grad student:




I looooooooove geeky science humor. Andrew Douglas, are you single?

random thought:

I'm glad my roomie and I keep a copy of the bible stacked next to the complete works of the Marquis de Sade. It just makes sense.

Irony: Ur doin it right.

You've got to be kidding me...

Who, tell me WHO would get this permanently etched on his body? It's like... Really, dude? Which of Patrick Swayze's movies did it for you? Was it Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, or maybe Fox and the Hound 2? Why does he look more like a gremlin than a person? Why does he look like a cheesy male escort? And WHY is he a fucking centaur???

Story of my life:

doin' it for the lolz.