There are no rules.

Celebratory drinks

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:35:01 GMT

I've won an award, which is great excuse to ask you all to come over my side of town and have a drink with me.
Thanks to all those who have already offered congratulations on drwally's journal.
Drinks won't be on me as I haven't received any $$$ yet, but there will be beer on tap and slightly less exorbitant prices as SOME of the bars on Chapel St.

The Union, corner of James St and Chapel St, Windsor
Friday 16th May, from 8pm

Hope to see some of you there!

The Astor needs revenue...

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:04:49 GMT

Is anyone interested in seeing "This is England" and "Noise" at the Astor next Thursday night? Two movies I've missed seeing.

I noticed that the Astor is not making smaller posters, and it's probably a cost-cutting measure, so I want to give them some business...

The passive smoking "debate"

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 06:20:45 GMT

With the institution of a ban of indoor smoking in all public buildings imminent, the risks of passive smoking have become topical for discussion. Last night I found myself yelling at someone in frustration after he’d made a comment along the lines of “There haven’t been many conclusive studies linking passive smoking with disease.”

Despite my interest in communicating science to the public, I think I managed to be entirely belligerent and quite uninformative. People who are unaware of the scientific research in a certain area are (often) intelligent, rational and largely well-informed and deserve to be treated as such. Towards that end, I’ve presented a summary of what I have found in the literature about passive smoking, with some links to short, interesting popular science articles. Please comment if you’d like to present any other material. However, if you’re going to present a study that claims the link between passive smoking and disease is inconclusive, please first check if it was conducted with funding from the tobacco industry (there are a few of these).

There are 6729 academic research articles concerning the detrimental effects of passive smoking spanning 1964-2007. Many are observational studies linking passive smoking with increased risk of disease (in particular cardiovascular disease and cancer, but also diabetes, asthma, respiratory disease and others). There are also biochemical and genetic studies on the effects of passive smoking.

A seven year (2000-2007) observational study by the centres for disease control

Here are the first couple of sentences:
Breathing secondhand smoke (SHS) causes heart disease and lung cancer in adults and increased risks for sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, middle-ear disease, worsened asthma, respiratory symptoms, and slowed lung growth in children. No risk-free level of exposure to SHS exists.

A news article about a British study using blood testing for tobacco-derived chemicals:
“Passive smoking danger was underestimated” (2004)

A few other New Scientist articles:

“Passive smoking kills one bar worker a week” (2004)

“Public smoking ban slashes heart attacks” (2003)

“Passive smoking dents children's IQ” (2002)

And my favourite:
“Passive smoking kills pets too” (2002)

Housewarming 19th Feb

Tue, 01 Feb 2005 22:53:50 GMT

HOUSE + WARM = PARTY

Hil and Ardy want you to come over. Why? Because you can!

HOUSE: 15 Duke St Windsor (off Chapel), parking off James St (next st down)

WARM: I'm not sure what warm means, but do bring anything you don't think we'll
have. Polar bears, dips, crowbars, beer.

PARTY: Saturday the 19th Feb! Starts at 4pm with a BBQ and rolls on until the
end of time, where we can stand around in the backyard and watch the stars
explode. It'll be awesome. Do come.

Softly arse-fucking universities

Wed, 12 Jan 2005 02:48:29 GMT

On the 1st of January 2005 the maximum income for those eligibile for a Health Care Card was lowered to $347 per week.

I, and all other holders of an Australian Postgraduate Award or other university scholarship earn $352.75 per week.

I wonder how many thousands of Australian postgraduate students are going to find it harder to get by this year? Let's see...the additional expense they will endure buying essential medicines like antibiotics and the pill, paying water bills, car registration and using public transport amounts to a hell of a lot more than $5.75 a week.

Who makes up these fucking figures? Somehow, it seems a just little too convenient.

Obviously it's time to stop wasting tax-payers money and get a real job. This education thing is not for the faint of wallet.

Golgotha TONIGHT

Sun, 31 Oct 2004 23:46:07 GMT

Please come out to Golgotha tonight, for the more the merrier. Lots of wonderful people have already said they are coming along, so come and swell the ranks further.

It's at the Megabar, crn Flinders and King Sts, City. $12 or $10 with a pass.

I am promising to be there by 11.

Hope to see you tonight!

My working day

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 01:52:21 GMT

I'm so glad to have found crystallography.

The structural analysis of life is pure joy; beautiful in the simplicity and elegance of it's design. To think that the complexities of sentience and intelligence are ultimately derived from the action of a few basic principles boggles the mind.

And I get to look at them, literally.

Cool.

The Real

Tue, 11 May 2004 05:10:00 GMT

Inertia, apathy and fear, bundled into being, so familiar now. A reminder of life, insufficient for motion, uncoupled from passion. I have become no-one in an instant, by slow progression, unnoticed. I exist in moments, craving fleeting simulations of feeling, to banish the real: mundanity, the death of ideals, vision and love.

Bye bye high-school blues

Thu, 25 Mar 2004 23:44:57 GMT

Last night I dreamt that I was discussing the Deadlands rule system with Dr. Hugh from my lab. I walked in to find a group of people sitting around and chating, as they do, but this time they were talking about roleplaying. Hugh mentioned Deadlands and this, of course, was my cue to chime in about my weekly game and how I love all the cards and chips and clips and stuff.

Geeky, I know.

Nevertheless, I think I know why I had this dream. My day-to-day interactions within the lab have been scattered with just such moments of recognition, a momentary intersection if interests from our outside lives. From Bill Hicks to comics, sci-fi to frisbee, nothing I have leaked has been met with a blank stare.

I am myself here. I am at home.

And I really love these guys, they're genuine people who aren't concerned about appearences: I guess their lives are full enough that they don't have to pretend.

Twitch

Mon, 22 Mar 2004 23:28:16 GMT

I hate that I love smoking. I'm trying to compromise with myself, but my self is being stubborn. Bitch.

Frisbee, frisbee, frisbee

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 23:20:04 GMT

Last night I went and checked out the Albert Park social league for ultimate frisbee. Unfortunately, I came straight from training at Monash and was woefully underprepared in planning directions; both to get to (and into) Albert Park and then to the right oval, where the frisbees fly. My incompetence led to much, much, walking, while asking random joggers if they had seen a disk flying around hereabouts. So, when I turned up, people were already in teams and my legs were exhausted, so I didn't end up playing. Only when I was cold, hungry, and even more tired did I realise that I faced yet another half hour or so walk home.

I walk funny now.

Still, now that I've found the place, I'm going to play next week: I'm sure that once one gets over the intimidation of seeing lots of people who look like they've done this before and look like they're a lot fitter than your flabby, cigarette-smoking arse, it will be loads of fun.

Motorbikes and mosquitoes

Fri, 12 Mar 2004 00:22:57 GMT

It's just so damn difficult to concentrate on Fridays. And today I have absolutely nothing to do but reading, which is the hardest thing to do when you can't concentrate. On Friday my mind is always occupied with plans and possibilities, with the social and personal aspects of my life.

It doesn't help that I've already had two coffees this morning, both of them before 9 am. This dire need for caffeine is due to two important events that occurred last night: Tim had an accident on his bike (leading to late-night text messages and fevered dreams about a lot of money in a letterbox) and a mosquito found it's way into my bedroom (leading to severe intimidation and phantom itching sensations throughout the night).

Tim is bruised but fine, and no-one thought to check my letterbox for a wad of cash in the witching hour. To my knowledge the mosquito is still at large, though I thought I got the bastard when he landed on my nose.

So, let the weekend roll. Just hurry, please....

University utopia

Thu, 04 Mar 2004 23:12:33 GMT

I love being a PhD student.

I love the Rossjohn Lab.

I love seeing the lovely Teresa and Thea every day.

I love running into people who remember me and stop to say hello.

I love being back at Monash. Environment is everything.

Don't give that screwdriver to me...

Wed, 03 Mar 2004 22:57:33 GMT

Fellow PhD candidate Fleur and I have liscence to refurbish our office space into something workable. Right now it's a big pile of junk with our books and papers gingerly balanced in the few onoccupied spaces of bench, and my photos tacked up pathetically in an attempt to make it feel more like home.

The very first renovation is going to be removing those STUPID FUCKING SLIDE-OUT KEYBOARD TRAYS that prevent us from sitting with our chairs under the desks. This will require only a screwdriver and a lot of pent-up agression from two very determined women.

But we can get in new desks, shelves, filing cabinets, a few burly men in overalls and even PCs. This would be fun if it weren't so urgent.

Wed, 03 Mar 2004 22:40:26 GMT

Hilary's poxy pearls #3(I know you've missed them):

Love is not a feeling. Love is a decision.

Eventually, everyone is assimilated

Tue, 02 Mar 2004 05:09:11 GMT

Frisbee is FUN!

Cha-cha-cha-cha-changes

Sun, 29 Feb 2004 08:13:06 GMT

Well, Andrea's all moved in and there's beer in the fridge, which makes me feel a little less apprehensive. Isn't it hilarious the inferences we make: I was toying with the idea of putting "smoker preferred" in my share housing ad, just to weed out the squares, but then I thought of all the crazy non-smokers I know and thought better of it.

I went and saw David Bowie on Friday night which rocked. The Rod Laver Arena is fine as long as you have good seats; I take back my vehement denunciation of the place.

I am too tired to look after myself properly. Feel free to drop donations towards my sanity in the letterbox.

Musings on the Rossjohn lab

Thu, 26 Feb 2004 23:02:33 GMT

1. There are an inordinate number of good-looking people. I haven't figured out why yet, but I'm sure there's a reason. Could be something in the water.

2. It is the messiest space that I have ever seen. I mean it. I've been to some bachelor pads in my time but this takes the cake. Bench space piled up with crap, empty containers everyshere; no-one seem to throw anything out. Maybe they're hoarding it incase they need it later. I am a very organised person and I am itching to clean, but I'm sure the urge will pass.

3. There are no research assistants or technicians. Not one. This is probably the reason for point 2. There are six post-docs and 5 PhD students (including me!) that make up the core group and there are a couple of others that are kinda half here.

4. There is brewed coffee and pastries at our weekly Friday morning meeting. Oh yeah.

5. We have funky computers. They are black, have the biggest screens I have seen, run Linux and generate pretty pictures of protein structure. I am in for a steep learning curve. I'm thinking about checking out "Linux for Dummies" from the library.

6. It is the best work environment I have ever been in. I actually like coming in in the morning. It's still the honeymoon period but I'm off to a great start.

I love it.

Gimmie back my brain!

Mon, 23 Feb 2004 12:00:00 GMT

I finally got a 2004 diary today and I feel like I've found my brain. I'm sure as hell going to be turning up to more events from now on. Sorry if I've missed anything....

Finally some stability in my life...

Tue, 17 Feb 2004 14:41:19 GMT

I have a new flatmate! Her name is Andrea and she is nice, intelligent and sane. Perfect.

Flatmate hunting

Mon, 09 Feb 2004 07:20:45 GMT

I finally got around to putting an ad in the age for a flatemate this week.

I've been having 'faltemate interviews' today, which are truly bizzare: how do you work out what a person in like by asking a few surface questions in a 10-15 minute interview? Any suggestions for questions to be asked would be appreciated (and "What's your stance on the use of recreational substances?" has already been suggested, thanks :) ).

The first interviewee this evening made me feel much better about the whole prospect of getting a stranger to move in. She's a recently arrived french teacher and is bright and bubbly.

I just had my second interviewee who was also very cool: older than me, probably in her 30s, works for channel 31 and does private investigation.

Now I'm just confused. I hate making decisions.

Further updates will no doubt follow.

Another notch in the belt...

Tue, 03 Feb 2004 05:08:19 GMT

Last Friday I worked my last day at Box Hill Hospital, Monash University Department of Medicine and Surgery, Australian Centre for Blood Diseases.

My first real job, and I managed to make it through my contract: 12 months, nearly to the day. There were some tenuous times though; months went by in which I didn't work one full week. In all honesty I can't believe they never fired me.

My last day fell inopportunely after the Flaming Lips gig: those electrifying masters of performance played for over two hours, leaving me sleep-deprived and unable to drag my sorry arse out of bed despite gratuitous encouragement.

Driving to work, around 10am I get a text message from the one actual friend I've made at work in the entire year:

"You'd better come in today. They're having an afternoon tea for you."

Man, that just says it all.

Today

Sun, 18 Jan 2004 02:07:32 GMT

Went to a damn funky aerobics class. Cooked curry. Beatlesed out. My 'Let It Be' experience was so fine I had to do it again.

So happy. Ahhhhhh. And I love this place so much that I can't bear to leave it!

News: I am second author on a paper that I have been helping with at work for the past month. If working for the past year has contributed nothing else toward my career, there it is. Being published is pretty much how success is measured in science...so yay me! And there's only nine more days of work left. I must have a retirement party.

Evolution

Thu, 08 Jan 2004 05:42:51 GMT

Some days I feel like I could grow wings and fly. They are already there: I effortlessly unfurl them, translucent and fair, soft feathers moving gently. Like shimmering sails they cup the air.

I am supported. I am free.

I spread my wings over the world, pervade and transcend it; my self swells and expands outward.

I am everywhere. I am everything.

Be strong my friends, for I can reach you, wherever you are. Remember, we are all gods.

Yay me!

Mon, 15 Dec 2003 07:41:24 GMT

I found out today the I have a scholarship to do a PhD. So that's me organised financially for the next three years or so. You know, I actually prayed before I looked up the successful applicants.

"I am still a Christian when I am afraid enough."
- Sigismundo Celine in Robert Anton Wilson's "The Historical Illuminatus Chronicles: The Widow's Son"