Ha!

A recent article published in OIKOS showed that increasing beer consumption among scientists was correlated with fewer publications, citations and overall impact in the literature.

But I totally beat this trend because I prefer VODKA. Take that! 

I have a committee meeting in a few minutes, please excuse me while I try to keep myself from vomiting from the stress....

Update: it went fine, as usual. I am a dork.

Roller coaster

This week has been... interesting to say the least. I've had both highs and lows, based on how I feel about the data I'm currently analyzing. There's more variation than there should be, but I think I'm addressing it and the results are still valid. I had really hoped to get a publication out of this stuff, even a small one, but I keep dithering on whether it's actually doable. I have decided I'm writing up the article, to be a chapter in my thesis and to be reviewed by the communities I work with though, so the work will not be for naught even if its not quite up to publication. I really enjoy the graphs I gotten from it though.
So the work has been up and down. Similarly, so has my actual will to work. I have 4 days left of real productivity to be sought after, before I get to go home for the holidays and see some friends I haven't seen in over a year! There will be shopping, and baking, and parties..... I really can't wait.
The crazy snow we got hasn't helped either. It has been lovely to look at and induce dreams of christmas, thus adding to the lack of will to work, and making getting home a nightmare. It took me 2 and a HALF hours to get home on Tuesday! I stayed home Wednesday, only to venture out later and marvel at all the ice coating the trees, which was really quite lovely.
(I took pictures of this magical ice on my Blackberry but they have unfortunately turned out rather blurry, sorry!)
In any case, this week has actually finished off quite well and I've completed the stuff that needed to be, which for grad school, is pretty damn good.
I'm looking forward to the weekend, lots of relaxing and also hope to have fun with a few people. You have a good weekend too!
P.S. A good thing - I'm pretty happy with how Ignatieff is doing so far as the head of the liberals, I think he's striking the right now in terms of being open to talk, but maintaining the hard line. I will, however, miss Stephane Dion very much. In case you ever read this - my friend Christine and I will totally take you out for drinks to drown your sorrows. Give me a shout, it'll be a blast, we'll braid each other's hair and talk about the environment.

Christmastime

In other news, I have too many people on my Christmas list and Twig is getting tired of transcribing cards for me....

These people must be stopped

I was recently re-watching the entirety of 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'. I have to say, I LOVED that show and was very sad that it was cancelled. I will always adore Aaron Sorkin, I'm currently re-watching 'Sports Night'. I love YouTube.
In one episode of Studio 60, two of the guys discuss that there is a lot of stupid instructions these days. Instructions that tell people to not use the hairdryer in the tub, etc., and isn't this perhaps working against the natural selection that would otherwise be aiding us to thin the herd of the terminally stupid?
This brings me to Jenny McCarthy.

Jenny McCarthy rose to prominence via taking off her clothes. While that's very nice for her, I don't find it sufficient to allow her to argue against nearly every PhD and MD on the planet. They argue that autism is not caused by toxins in vaccines, the environment, food, but rather its a neurophysiological syndrome. She disagrees. Stridently. On Oprah and any other talk show that will take her.
I despise this woman. Just because you're a celebrity does not give you the right to try and indoctrinate the world to your crackpot ideas, no matter what Tom Cruise tells you. By increasing paranoia and fear as relating to vaccines, you're contributing to the rise of many diseases which have been almost eradicated in the western world. Its as dumb as arguing for intelligent design except it leads to CHILDREN DYING. Argh. Why can we not remove these people from the herd?
And if you don't believe me, just listen to Puppet Stephen Colbert.... (via Puppets who rant)

Snow!

I'm currently in my lab, puttering so as to try and time an all day reaction so that I can run out at 2 and help set up for the grad student holiday party this afternoon. It should be my last extraction for this project! Well, DNA extraction, but not having to deal with the liquid nitrogen and chloroform makes me SO EXCITED. The fact that its snowing helps!
I am already getting quite excited for Christmas. I'll have to do some writing over the break, but a number of my friends who are studying on the West Coast will be back, and of course I'll get to do the family thing. I have an absurdly large family who I love to death (most of the time), and really the only downside I find from going away to school is that I miss a lot of events, all involving free food. As a grad student, I really like free food (I pretended to be interested in the Quebec election last night to get some free bread and fruit) and so only increases my wish to be at those events.
I'm already playing Christmas carols on my computer, and the roomie and I will be hosting people on Sunday night to do some decorating, maybe a few crafts and watch a holiday movie, while drinking spiked hot chocolate. It'll be great!
We're debating which movie to show, and it led me to thinking about my favourite holiday movies this morning, which I thought I'd share with you all...

1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - hilarious. Utterly hilarious. My mom and I watch this every year and HOWL with laughter. The squirrel, the family, the lights.... as a grad student I also really enjoy Clark testing out his super slippery "non-nutritive cereal varnish". *Snort*

2. White Christmas - a wonderful musical from the 50s, with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. I've watched this movie every year since I was really young and can basically sing every song from memory, and used to perform the 'Sisters' routine for my family from time to time. Unfortunately, I do now know that Bing Crosby beat his children, Vera Ellen was an anorexic and wore turtlenecks to cover up a haggard looking neck and Danny Kaye was not so subtly closeted, but my inner cynic cowers before my inner softy.
Speaking of softy.... 3. Love Actually and 4. The Holiday - LOVE THESE MOVIES. They make me sigh and giggle and yet be OK that I don't currently have a boyfriend to cuddle with. Hugh Grant and Jude Law - both somewhat skeezy in real life but their respective roles in these films make me still love them. Adorable British children? Push these films both over the top from cute to classic.





And finally, 5. The Muppet Christmas Carol - its the Muppets, telling the Christmas Carol story. What more can you ask for? If you need more than that, you HAVE A HEART OF STONE.

Anyways, if you haven't seen any of these films, you simply must. Go. Now. I don't care if you're at work, or doing something actually productive *snort* but you must put it aside. Or Baby Jesus will cry. (As if I can't get through one post without snarkyness...)

Busy busy busy

It's been a crazy couple of weeks.
Last week, was running several PCRs a day, so that I could have data to present in Mistissini last weekend. Thursday worked for 10 hours, ran home, ate quickly and kept working for a few more hours. We drove up Friday, 14 hours thanks to the bus breaking down many kilometers from any town, and arrived around 9. Saturday and Sunday were some really quite productive meetings, despite the miserable weather... I really enjoy getting to go back to the north. I'm currently working on a program to go into schools into the communities and teach them both about their traditional medicines and why they're important, along with the science we use to try and promote staying in school. At the end of Sunday we had a fantastic feast which included traditional doughnuts, beaver and fabulous moose stir fry. I bought some lovely crafts for Xmas presents and we got awesome jackets from the community! Good times had by all.... though driving back Monday was not much fun. Wait, drinking by the side of the highway was fun....
This week has also been busy, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for my real time work - only about one more week! Woohoo! And I even have some significant results so far.... Might actually be able to pull all this off.
Still haven't reacted here to Obama winning! Yayy!!! Roomie and I spent Tuesday night frantically reloading pages on CNN along with all the blogs. Interesting to see what the next few months will bring.
One thing that I hope will not be brought is more of Sarah Palin. You lost lady! Go back to Alaska! And is it just me or is this picture of her terrifying? She's coming for you with her claw like hands!!! Aaaaaah....

Though I do kind of want to see her run against Obama in 2012 to get completely smacked down in the debates.

Another busy Saturday is ahead of me, going to a mini conference out on Mac, then running home to host a dinner party for people in my lab. Sunday, however, I will basically refuse to leave my bed. Cannot wait. Ta ta for now!

48 hours to go....

This time Tuesday evening, the first results will start being released from the American election. I've been following the election fairly closely since the first primaries in January. I was first aware of Obama through reading an article in the New Yorker about him running for the Illinois senate seat, which I'm still entertained to note that he won quite handily because the ex-wife of his Republican adversary, Star Trek Voyager's Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), testified in their divorce proceedings that he had made her go to sex clubs. Ryan is forced to drop out, is replaced by a nutbar and Obama wins! Is that a violation of the Prime Directive though? (Needed to throw in a Trekkie/er? joke...)
In any case, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to fill my time with after Tuesday, checking blogs and latest polls has been the major way I've entertained myself in the lab while waiting for reagants to thaw, etc. But in any case, if I have any Americans reading this blog who haven't yet voted, listen to my Canadian plea..... FOR GOD'S SAKE, VOTE OBAMA!
We enjoyed getting to mock your president for 8 years, but we really don't need more... recessions, wars, increased headaches at airports due to security, loss of manufacturing jobs due to downturns in the states, air pollution, greenhouse gasses, international instability, nuclear proliferation in those unstable states, genocides, prescription pill shortages due to Americans coming up here to buy them, species under threat thanks to Republican's love of hunting and ignorance of conservation, guns, moral deserters fleeing to Canada (not that I'm not for them being allowed to stay, but there shouldn't be any at all!), trade embargoes, Wal Marts, Russia getting cocky again (despite Palin keeping an eye on that), Starbucks closing thanks to a tanking economy and real estate market, creationists, pro-lifers and idiots who see no need to educate themselves about the world around them, thanks to Bush's shining example.
This list could go on (if you think of more, please leave a comment!) and I know I'm biassed, but please, vote Democratic on Tuesday, the world, and not just Canada, will thank you for it.