just my type

do i get extra points for symmetry?

this must be a popular quiz lately. i've been asked my myers-briggs personality 3 times in 2 weeks, including at happy hour friday where i drank beers next to my manager who knew i was getting laid off monday (no hard feeings).

so, there you have it. i'm sure the free internet source was reliable, and i'm certain this complex algorithmic output determines my fate. but i'm too cheap to buy the manual. will just have to wing it.

you know, i've always wanted my palm read. i remember this story of an eccentric woman friend of my mom's in california. she had hers read. the gypsy told her she would meet her husband soon and he would have red hair and a mustache. guess what? (sarcastic tone) her future husband had red hair and a mustache. at any rate, i do think it would be fun. and then i could go through life with an ingrained search pattern for a predetermined set of parameters, and marry the man/woman (to be fair) that fit the bill. i can see the potential for success.

(on second thought, some of this personal stuff is too much fun not to post)

or maybe the gypsy would tell me to avoid taking on a roommate despite being unemployed because it might be bad for my health. craigslist sent me some winners last week. i posted an ad for a roommate, male or female, $650/mo. responsible, quiet, etc. first one out of the gate: desperation.

There are 3 of us, my sister from Manchester, England, my wife and I from Vancouver, BC, here spending time with our 82 year old father in a nursing home in Austin, Texas, dying of bone cancer. Our stay is indefinite, and we are relying on faith in God to help us through this ordeal. We can afford $500+ per month for a room with two beds with utilities included, and internet access would be nice as I am maintaining church website. Also willing to pay or work in exchange for accomodation. I am experienced in all areas of computers, webmaster, carpentry, electronics, engineering and a great handiman. My wife, [x], extremely clean, has accounting, booking keeping, computer and baby sitting/nanny experience. My sister, [x] has teaching, music, banking, child-care center and computer experience. Thanks.

where to begin. how does $650 for 1 become $500 for 3? math much? is this story for real? who pours out their most personal drama to a stranger on craigslist? the email had a thread attached below with numerous identical requests sent to multiple ads. i don't know if that was an attempt to include references, or proof that they were trying hard, or just sloppiness.

round two: and in this corner we have the hummanitarian (sic)

Hello Renter

I saw you advert on CL,and i thought i should let you know that i am interested in it cause the fee to be paid and location sounds great to me as it is has almost what i am looking for in a place to live.

My name is [FIRST LAST IN ALL CAPS],a Hummanitarian nurse and also a make up artist,but keep my other job as part time/or i should say one of my hobbies

A little about me,i love to live with clean people,caring,responsible,neat type. I'm 5"7' straight,I will love to move in as soon as possible, but it all depends on the availability of the room,I speaks French and English, so you have the chance to learn french ,i am an interesting person to live with,I'll let You know more about me if i am to rent the particular room that you have to offer ,all i will want to know if the availability of the place

I will be anxiously waiting for your email ,I want you to know that i really need the room now and i am the serious type paying rent ,when emailing me please tell me more about the place if you have any and please tell me more about the place..

Kind Regards
[x]

spell much? grammar lately? since when did i become a renter? i thought i was advertising a room out of my own house. i honestly wonder which language is her native tongue. i hope french. would you rent to this person? would you fear writing her back to say 'no thanks' and use a junkmail address?

i took the ad down. i'm a little hesitant to put it back up. there has to be a better way.

what's next

looks like vacation came early this year.

Dear [kitty]:
I just wanted to see how you were doing. I am sorry that you were released this morning. I cannot imagine your sadness and disappointment. However, please know that it was a great honor working with you. It is indeed such an uncommon occurrence to encounter someone like you who has both the tenacity and moral integrity in a R&D environment. I will miss you tremendously. And my sadness of your departure is great. Please know that [*] and I will be praying that you find employment quickly. And please feel free to contact me if you need anything at all. Have a blessed day.

[officemate]

yes and look what tenacity and moral integrity brought me. same thing it brought me when the university pulled my phd in my 6th year of grad school. same thing i got for loving a man for 7 years who didn't want me for who i am. i think i have paid my dues and would like a refund please.

sorry, i don't usually write about personal stuff. it slipped.

end of the line

boss goes on travel sunday. layoffs will be announced monday. coincidence?

we've called a happy hour today because you could cut the tension with a knife. you can see it in the faces in the hall. hear it in the voice on the intercom.

we're pretty sure at least one in our group is getting axed. i took home a box of stuff wednesday. i'll be prepared to pack and go monday am.

i can't help but question the logic of it.

we hired 6-8 people in the past year and upper mgmt gave themselves $375k in raises. our profits are about $4M, expenditures about $4.5M. and that scenario has repeated itself every year since 1997.

math?

oh, austin.

going somewhere. not sure where yet.


now if i leave i can at least say i took a picture of pennybacker bridge.


this sums up how i felt this week. my ulcer is back with vengeance and there's a knot in my neck that keeps me from looking over my left shoulder.

rough wednesday

thoughts from yesterday on the drive home after day 2 of fretting over layoffs and a nerve racking midterm visit from homeland security.

1. why does the consumer of pt cruisers always drive like shit? could it be that they are distracted by their ugly vehicles?

2. do stalkers know they're stalking? harassers know they're harassing? no. they don't.

time to move.

cat time

they smell like earth. they've not been outdoors since they were 6 wks old, yet somehow they smell like earth. i love that smell.

i wonder what they think when they smell me.

deadbeat matt

this is so worth it. i smiled for 4 minutes. now my face hurts. link from boing boing

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

schistosomiasis

quirkmaster, while i know you try to read the entire internet at least once daily, it's a shame you boycott my blog. look at what you're missing. even better than pachysandra.

“I gave myself 50 worms, and I felt it,” he recounted. “I had stomach pains and diarrhea. But with 10 worms, we’ve ascertained a dose that does not cause symptoms. The patients are happy. They’ve kept their worms, and I get an e-mail a day from people all over the world who want to be infected.” link

mutating ccr5

"This trick would not eliminate the virus, but it might be able to permanently raise the T-cell counts of AIDS patients, increasing their ability to resist secondary infections and remain healthy." link

they're already using entry inhibitors to suppress/block binding to ccr5. this mechanism is different. it would be a mutation of ccr5.

although this is the major receptor, hiv uses other receptors for entry too. as seen with so many hiv drugs and therapies, you're selecting for those viruses that can escape the ccr5 mutation. and you may block other necessary traffic that uses ccr5. you'd still need a combination therapy. it'll be some years before it makes it to people. curious to see the outcome.