i still believe in rock and roll
1. DANGER DAYS. I like it? But, as I asked the email chain, what happened to the guys who wanted to go back to being a stripped-down punk rock band? (Heh. I played the album for Aaron last night, and he was like, "Wait, that's the same band that did Black Parade and Life On the Murder Scene? Really? Nuh-uh. Really?")
2. SOCIAL DISTORTION. You guys. I can't even. MIKE NESS. I could watch/listen to him play guitar for hours. The show at Stubb's was pretty fucking awesome, even as seen from half-way back. Even though I only had a hoodie and tank-top on and froze my ass off. Last night's show at the HOB was even better, b/c I - we - were down in the pit.
Dear youngsters who don't understand how a circle pit works: if you bring a full beer to the pit right as the band starts, you will wear it or wade through it rather than drink it. Just, you know, for future reference.
3. Frank Turner is my latest musical crush. When he introduced his drummer, Nigel, I thought for a moment that he was just fucking with the crowd, a la Spinal Tap.
4. The CPRIT meeting. Poster sessions went fine. The speakers varied from CDC higher-ups to Ira Mellman to Phil Sharp. Apparently microRNA is the wave of the future with respect to regulation of cancer-related genes. The survivorship panel included Lance Armstrong, who was as engaging and entertaining as one might expect. But I have a hard time when I hear someone say their foundation's goal is a shot or pill to cure cancer. I don't say this to be negative; I wish it were that straightforward. But a single cure is just too simplistic. There will never be *a* cure for cancer, because there isn't just one type of cancer. And because cancer cells can develop resistance to chemotherapy just like bacteria develop antibiotic resistance. Even early detection is unlikely to be particularly efficient in the US, because systematic screening would require nationalized health care. And it doesn't matter how much you try to point out that prevention is ALWAYS cheaper in the long run than late detection and treatment, people hear "national health care" and their brains go haywire.
5. The Dresden Dolls tonight at Fitzgerald's. In the meantime, I've got some vacuuming & laundry to do. And some football to watch. Cross your fingers for the Badgers. Bad things tend to happen when they go to the Big House.
2. SOCIAL DISTORTION. You guys. I can't even. MIKE NESS. I could watch/listen to him play guitar for hours. The show at Stubb's was pretty fucking awesome, even as seen from half-way back. Even though I only had a hoodie and tank-top on and froze my ass off. Last night's show at the HOB was even better, b/c I - we - were down in the pit.
Dear youngsters who don't understand how a circle pit works: if you bring a full beer to the pit right as the band starts, you will wear it or wade through it rather than drink it. Just, you know, for future reference.
3. Frank Turner is my latest musical crush. When he introduced his drummer, Nigel, I thought for a moment that he was just fucking with the crowd, a la Spinal Tap.
4. The CPRIT meeting. Poster sessions went fine. The speakers varied from CDC higher-ups to Ira Mellman to Phil Sharp. Apparently microRNA is the wave of the future with respect to regulation of cancer-related genes. The survivorship panel included Lance Armstrong, who was as engaging and entertaining as one might expect. But I have a hard time when I hear someone say their foundation's goal is a shot or pill to cure cancer. I don't say this to be negative; I wish it were that straightforward. But a single cure is just too simplistic. There will never be *a* cure for cancer, because there isn't just one type of cancer. And because cancer cells can develop resistance to chemotherapy just like bacteria develop antibiotic resistance. Even early detection is unlikely to be particularly efficient in the US, because systematic screening would require nationalized health care. And it doesn't matter how much you try to point out that prevention is ALWAYS cheaper in the long run than late detection and treatment, people hear "national health care" and their brains go haywire.
5. The Dresden Dolls tonight at Fitzgerald's. In the meantime, I've got some vacuuming & laundry to do. And some football to watch. Cross your fingers for the Badgers. Bad things tend to happen when they go to the Big House.