get drunk friday lazy blogging

As it happens, I have the house to myself and am having a beer to celebrate the blessed arrival of Friday evening. I realized I have not written much here lately, and thought that I could perhaps steal RW's idea of "Get Drunk Friday". Or something. Then I started looking back through his blog and realized he hasn't done GDF in a while. And before I could find his most recent GDF entry, I came upon this one in which he presents a lovely little meme (read: an excuse to indulge in blogging endlessly about yourself) that I had made a note to go back and grab once I had forgotten about it. I know that doesn't make much sense, but hopefully it will, once you get into it...



1. Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 - in the book closest to you right now, what does it say?

Scientists have a nasty habit of writing very long paragraphs--especially when they are freed from the constraints and conventions of primary literature--as a result, the nearest book at hand contains a mere portion of a single paragraph on page 18 that actually began on page 17. So I will pick up at a random spot ~3/4 down the page:

"Because the diameter of the Airy disc is governed by the objective NA and the [lambda] of the light, the higher th NA of the objective, the smaller d will be. A shorter wavelength is also beneficial for increasing objective resolving power. Table 2.1 shows that the values for the limit of resolution..."

(You get the idea. What's embarassing is that I'm actually at home.)

2. If you stretch out your left arm as far as possible, what are you touching?

The interior of the northern wall of my house.

3. What's the last program you watched on TV?

An episode of Battlestar Galactica on DVD last night.

4. Without looking, guess what time it is.

6:43pm

5. Aside from the computer, what can you hear right now?

The odd car passing on the street, and my dog occasionally sighing.

6. When was the last time you were outside and what did you do?

About an hour ago. I was walking said dog.

7. What are you wearing?

Army green Achewood Calling T-shirt, blue jeans, and black Doc Martens.

8. Did you dream last night? If you did, what about?

Yes. It was one of the ones where I'm trying to get to class in high school, but can't remember what classes I take at what time and where they are. I have this dream a lot, and occasionally it occurs to me in the dream that I don't need to go to class anymore because I've graduated. A few times. But last night it didn't and it really sucked.

9. When was the last time you laughed?

Just now, before deleting RW's answer to this question from the text I pasted into this window. His answer was "1965".

10. What's on the walls, in the room you're in right now?

My degrees, a nice arty collage of scenes from Georgia Tech, a several group photos from scientific meetings, a collage of photos from the lab where I did my grad work and first postdoc (a goodbye gift), a portrait of my parents and sister and I taken around 1998 or so, a multi-panel frame of pictures of my sister and I ranging from babyhood to adulthood, a picture of M and I taken before L and K's wedding, a bodhran I brought back from Ireland, and an African mask that my sister brought back from Uganda. Also, a mirror from Ikea and a great deal of paint.

11. Have you seen anything strange lately?

Yes.

12. What do you think about this meme?

It's pretty good, but you have to either do it the minute you read it or wait like a month and then remember to do it and do it without getting up or cheating.

13. What's the last film you saw?

Intimate Strangers

14. If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money?

I would pay off all of my debts as well as those of my family. I would buy new cars for my wife and I, but not terribly fancy ones. We would travel a bit, but not all at once. I would probably quit my job, and start working towards figuring out how to open and operate a small brewery/brewpub, and when I felt confident I was ready to do so, do so. Sock the rest away and live off the interest if the brewery doesn't work out. Give some money here, here, and here.

15. Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know.

My right leg is about one inch longer than the left. I'm not kidding. It's a miracle I don't just run around in circles.

16. If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt, what would it be?

I'm not sure I understand the caveats of the question exactly, but...I would just like people to rely less on their superstitions and more on their powers of reason.

17. Do you like dancing?

Only when I'm really, really drunk, and so is everybody else.

18. George Bush?

He would have been a decent caretaker president, with policies almost indistinguishable from Bill Clinton, but for 9/11 and the collective insanity into which it thrust us all (albeit to different extents and for different durations.)

But as things are, I think he's shit.

19. What do you want your children's names to be, girl/boy?

I do not plan to have children, but if I did I would probably afflict them with some horrid, convention-defying moniker that they would grow to hate me for. Which only reaffirms my decision.

20. Would you ever consider living abroad?

I would and I do. Often.

21. What do you want God to tell you, when you come to heaven?

"I know, I know. Just play along, OK?"

22. Who should do this meme?

All who read and blog must carry this meme forth. I command it!