The Realm of Insanity

Well... it's been about a century since we last had a deadly flu pandemic and I sincerely hope we are NOT headed to the next flu pandemic. There are several things that have changed since the Spanish Influenza pandemic (1918-19), and yet there a numerous similarities. 

( Scientific/Historic Ramblings on Influenza )


All in all, the CDC, HHS and DHS's responses in the US should hopefully limit the viruses progression through the US. Additionally the WHO's and various countries health organizations are doing their part in other foreign countries (especially Mexico) to cease the progression of this illness. Hopefully in the next few weeks, we'll see this thing slow down to a halt with a low mortality rate. My prayers are with those who are ill and those combating this illness.

So... I know it's been a while but I just wanted folks to know I'm still alive!

I've been missing all my HP friends! I've been out here lurking though.

As some of you may remember, I was excited and anxious about my thesis and finally getting my MS. Well... I had good reasons for the anxiety as I was unable to complete my thesis to my committees approval. So, alas no MS.

I enjoyed the family cruise around Hawaii. It was alot of good times and short lived, but there was alot of insanity too! The boat was uber-sensitive about being antiseptic. (WARNING: Antibacterial/Antiseptic rant ahead)

I mean you couldn't go more than 5 feet without finding some antiseptic sprayer. To top it all off, as the trip progressed the staff made it mandatory that before you entered the dining rooms you had to have your hands sprayed. Within 3 minutes of having the spray on my hands, I started having an allergic response. GAH!!!! Crazy antiseptic cruise-liner creating
superbugs and not preventing them!

(Rant over) But all in all, loved Hawaii. My next adventure though will be during the first 3 weeks of May. My company is sending me off to Greenfield, IN. Apparently it is half-way between Indianapolis and Cincinnati. Anyone know what I can do around that area, since I won't know anyone? Hope to hear soon about what to do.

Take care!

Christmas Gift Toy & MySpace Layouts at pYzam.com

So as we head into the Fall season for TV, there's some growing hope for me. I loved the X-Files and I guess after the X-Files 2nd movie, Fox is hoping that Fringe will catch on just as well as the X-Files did for them in the 90's. I really think this is going to be an interesting show and really hope it does well.

Additionally, toshimasa enlightened me to a new Joss Whedon show called Dollhouse also on Fox this Fall. This could be interesting as well with the lead character of Echo being played by Eliza Dushku (aka: Faith from BtVS). So I hope this turns out to be really good but almost seems a bit like Dark Angel... without being genetically engineered, just had their memories erased and re-trained.

Also a new vampire TV show... TrueBlood! Now if you're a fan of Charlene Harris's Souther Vampire Mystery series (aka: Sookie Stackhouse series), you might have recognized that the trailer looks like scenes from Dead until Dark (the first SVM book). There's a reason for it. TrueBlood is the SVM series translated into a TV series. I'm so excited about it but I don't have HBO. *sighs* Yay for NON-SPARKLY vampires!

Another Non-sparkly vampire series.... Anita Blake:Vampire Hunter. Now all my BtVS friends... this is NOT a rip-off of Joss Whedon's series.  Anita Blake is an animator (raises Zombies) who happens to help St. Louis solve preternatural crimes and is a legal vampire executioner. This is another series where the vampires have been granted legal/living status by the US government.  Through the current 16 book series, alot of crap has happened in this series regarding Anita  and if you're the least bit interested, you should definitely read the series. A word of caution though, the series starts off violent but starts to become graphically sexual as the series continues. The sex scenes don't really start until book 3: Circus of the Damned and involves just minor characters but becomes overly gratuatous by book 10 Narcissus in Chains.  The reason I'm going on about this series is because there has been news from the author that she has a writer, producer and movie studio to make a movie and possibly a TV series.

With all the new vampire series/movies making it onto the screen, I'm just afraid that they're going to attribute this to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. About that, all I have to say is this. Hamilton's first AB:VH book came out in 1993, Harris's first Southern Vampire Mystery book came out in 2001, and Stephanie Meyer's first Twilight book came out in 2005. BtVS movie was released on 1992 and the TV series started in 1997. Of course the original Vampire story, Dracula by Bram Stroker was published in 1897. So... let's hope  that media doesn't state all of these vampire movies and series is because of Twilight. Let's attribute it to Bram Stroker at least or more modernly Joss Whedon. OK?

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Just when you think it's all over... it's not.

So, while I was waiting for the phone company yesterday at my folks house, I decided to watch Sense and Sensibility. This movie is one of my secret guilty pleasures. 

Now most folks know that Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson are in this film but there are a surprising number of actors and actresses that I dearly love in this movie that I simply must announce.

Kate Winslet  (Marianne Dashwood) -  Finding Neverland and Enigma (oh and that other blockbuster movie about a boat that sinks due to an iceburg)
Hugh Grant (Edward Ferras) - Love Actually and Two Weeks Notice
Elizabeth Spriggs (Mrs Jennings)- HP:PS/SS (The Fat Lady)
Robert Harding (Sir John Middleton) - HP series (Cornelius Fudge)
Imelda Staunton (Charlotte Jennings Palmer)-  HP:OotP (Delores Umbridge)
Huge Laurie (Mr. Palmer) - House
Oliver Ford Davies (Dr. Harris)- Star Wars 1 - 3 (Naboo's gov. Sio Bibble)
James Fleet (John Dashwood)- Phantom of the Opera and Vicar of Dibbly

Also, the soundtrack was written by Patrick Doyle, who has also written HP:GOF, Eragon and Quest for Camelot

It was just a good thing that I was at the house alone. Because each time an actor or actress came on the screen that I knew and hadn't realized was in the film I was squealing like a rabid fangirl!

Yay for guilty pleasures!

 
Edit: Are the HP casting directors secretly picking Jane Austin films to choose their actors/actresses for their adult roles? Or are the HP films just of the same calibre of Jane Austin and William Shakespear? 

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A. Go to www. photobucket. com (don't sign in)
B. Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box
C. Use ONLY the first page
D. Copy the html and paste for the answer

If you like Star wars or just want to see something hysterical, you must go to this web site! You won't be disappointed.

http://www.maniacworld.com/death-star-cafeteria.html 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY  voldiebeth!!!!!!

 1. Go Here.
2. Put in Username: nycareers, Password: landmark.
3. Take their "Career Matchmaker" questions.
4. Post the top fifteen results

1. Pharmacologist (had thought about it... decided against it)
2. Zoologist (*LOL* I got a C in Zoology... uhm unlikely)
3. Forensic Specialist (Seriously think this job is cool and have applied repeatidly for it)
4. Botanist (ACK!!! Plants are only so interesting and I also have a hard time keeping them alive)
5. Conservator (uhmm... I've applied to the EPA before but not really my cup of tea)
6. Microbiologist (HELL YEAH! This is what I'm working on my Masters for! I'd be so up for a job like this)
7. Paleontologist (*ggls* I always wanted to be on when I was little. Dinosaurs still intrigue me but now I'm more interested in the ancient microbes)
8. Marine Biologist (Why do you think I really learned how to scuba dive in the first place?)
9. Veterinarian (hmmm... maybe if I was at a facility like the one I'm at now but definitely not in the general practices or shelters)
10. Taxidermist (Considering what I do now... it wouldn't be a stretch, but I'll pass)
11.  Biologist (I'd like to consider myself this already... after all I have a BS in this)
12. Chemist (I have a BS in this too... but only because it was so easy for me)
13.  Veterinary Tech (sorta what I'm doing now....)
14. Pharmacy Tech (could be interesting but I'd rather be on the research side of this)
15. Medical Lab Tech (volunteered as one in college)

Does this show just how incredibly GEEKY I am. I'm SUCH a science nerd. In fact the first NON-science related job I got on this was number 20 (Historian). Oh and just for grins and giggles...18. Meteorologist. It's amazing how much of these jobs I'd do.

6 years has passed since that terrible day that we all vowed "WE SHALL NOT FORGET!" Maybe it's just me but it seems as though we really should have said... "we shall not forget... at least not for a while." Are our memories so short?

Today at work, there were very few people who understood the significance of the day. This is absolutely sad because everyone at work has to document their work with the date. Even more sad is that I live in the DC area. Everywhere I looked, the only true remembrance of this day I saw was flags at half-mast. Now I guess one could say our ability to live today just like any other day is the true testament to how the terrorist didn't win 6 years ago. However I hope everyone took just a moment to thank all the heroes of that day as well as the heroes still defending us today. Perhaps I'm just more sensitive to this as a former military brat. *shrugs*

Happy 4th of July everyone! Let us all remember those who are fighting for our freedom, the men and women of the US Armed Forces! 

            

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Just wanted to post this because y'all truely do matter to me! Thanks for being there for me always!

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So... I'm still amazed that I have internet to post this, but today has been a crazy day. If y'all don't know what's going on... check out this news article. Thought it'd be a normal day but I should have known differently after the creepy thunderstorm yesterday. I just thought nothing of it. Typical summer thunderstorm. Yeah, right. Living where I do (high on the terrorists hit list) we should've been more prepared. No one really knew what to do when people started acting out of sorts. Agreesive tendicies are nothing in this area with so many folks around and all the hot air coming off the Capitol Hill. Well, we're in too highly a military area with alot of biodefense research occuring that it was bound to occur one day. Fortunately, it was my day off so I was isolated when it all went down. Still a little confused as to what happen, but being able to barricade myself has helped. I'll be fine for a while with food but the water is questionable. I'm not sure if I can trust it yet but it's bacterial or viral and so boiling it should be fine. Thank god I have a gas range.

Well... I just wanted to post to let y'all know I've survived the initial attack and I shall try hard to survive further. Hey guys, let me know y'all are doing okay.