Blah blah blah blech

'Nuff said.

OK, not enough (what would this blog be if I didn't prattle incessantly about nothing for at least 2 paragraphs). If there was a theme song to my day today, it would be that awful Daniel Powter song "Had a bad day". Not because I'm having a bad day, but because it's so grating that it would allow to you feel my annoyance. Like feel it under your skin and make you want to pull out your arm hairs. Why be annoyed? Well, for starters it's 30 bloody degrees in my office and Microsoft is asking for yet another update that will require yet another computer restart. Where, in my productivity training, should I include time wasters courtesy of Microsoft? MICROSOFT!

Otherwise, productivity is going well. With 10 working days left in the month, I only have 15 days of work, 5 of which can fit in September. Right on schedule (sweet!). Today's drama shall include a paper on the futility of routine blood testing to prevent adverse reactions in statin therapy. Statins are the most widely prescribed medication in N. America. Most clinicians do a baseline blood test and a follow-up in a few months to check for anything weird and wacky. This practice, however, hasn't been shown to amount to much, other than a lot of poking and prodding for otherwise healthy individuals. Some argue (like the National Lipid Association Statin Safety Assessment Task Force) that this practice should be discontinued.

That's right - I'm changing the world one step at a time. Kinda like Buffy (as in The Slayer....you know, always gotta clarify those pop-culture references for people who actually have a life). She fights evil and popular misconceptions with style, grace and witty banter. Hmmm...wonder if I should also wear a leather car coat and high-heeled boots to slay the sacred cows of drug therapy. Just a thought.

Vampires and Werewolves

Stephanie Meyer. One name. So much of my time.

For those that don't know - Ms. Meyer has authored a series of ridiculously addictive teen-fiction books. Admittedly, I read a lot. More than most people, I suspect. It is so satisfying to find a good book to keeps you reading all hours of the night. I know - it's sick. Who does that? Though I sometimes regret my late night rendezvous in the ante meridiem (see - bookish), I crave stories that are so good that you barely stand it. For me, those books are the Twilight series. TWILIGHT!!

Now, the subject matter here is cheesy stuff. It includes 1) the greatest love of all time, 2) a love triangle, 3) a myriad of temptations, and most importantly 4) an ever present danger in some form or other. The writing is even worse. However, from the first book, I was sucked in. I even watched the upcoming movie trailer over and over, just to feed the addiction. This past weekend, the 4th and final book of the series was released (at least the final one from the heroine's perspective). The nearly 800-page novel absorbed my week and killed my productivity (yes, this may be a scapegoat). Filled with self-loathing and shame, I couldn't put this book down.

That said, if you haven't read the series and are looking for a way to kill some time in August - go pick them up. You'll hate yourself the entire way through, but they are so satisfying that you'll never think of vampires the same way again.

Getting Feisty

It was my +1 anniversary last night and what better way to celebrate than by getting Feist-y. I'm referring to Mlle Leslie Feist, of course, at Deer Lake Park. In case you aren't aware, Deer Lake Park is a pain in the ass to get to, and an equal ass-pain to get away from, but while you're there, it's stunning. Sporting a nice outdoor amphitheatre on a grassy hill and Deer Lake as a backdrop, the crowd was a wee bit granola and a wee bit mid-life. My kinda speed (I am a pharmacist, after all - I specialize in this kinda thing).

It's also a Wednesday, after a long weekend. I'm useless, of course, having slipped effortlessly into my prior procrastination. The good news is that I've gotten my work ratio down to requiring 26 days of work out of 20 days total. An improvement from 46 days/20 available days. Mr. O'Connell did have a positive impact on my life. In addition, though somewhat tedious and boring, the Annotated Bibliography is proving quite useful.

The plan today (other than pull my head out of my ass and get to work) is to work on the AB for 2 hours, and work on the thesis project methodology for 4.