Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Braaaain!!!!!*

My slippery, unreliable brain is messing with me again. 

I had this little item that was lent to be by a friend, and I saw it several weeks ago and said to myself, said I, "since this is small and could be misplaced, I must be careful with it. I shall put it somewhere safe."

And then I put it...somewhere.

I guess it's safe.  Anyway, I have little chance of damaging it since I cannot for the life of me find it. My friend, who owns it, is also unlikely to accidentally destroy it since I can't send it back to her.

And I keep searching my mind, asking myself, "where would be a spot that I would have thought was safe?" But my sneaky, unhelpful brain, clearly trying to get me in trouble, just keeps suggesting the box where we keep postage stamps. I don't know why that's particularly safe, and anyway it's not there, so thanks for nothing, brain.

I may just have to buy her a new one. Fortunately, it only costs about $2, so it's not that big a deal, but it's kind of bugging the hell out of me.


*That's "Braaaain!!!!!" with a "curse you my old archnemesis" emphasis, not "Braaaains!!!!! with a zombie emphasis.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Oh, Come On!

After all my watchful eyeing of the shadows at previous meetings, this is the year there's a zombie hunt at MLA? When I'm on the other side of the country?

That's it. I want Boston to have liches. They're powerful magic-using undead. Way more challenging than regular zombies. All the zombie-hunting in Seattle should give people the practice they'll need. It'll be magnificent.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Good News!

Science-Based Medicine concludes that horrifying tales of pills made from human fetuses are probably urban legends.

This is good, because eww. Although to be fair a lot of medicine is eww, so I guess if it really did anything, we'd have to have a reasoned debate about the subject.

Which would never happen, so, again, good news!

The post is also a very nice example of the value of questioning ones own assumptions and the importance of doing the research on a subject.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Packing Up

Hey, this is cool: the MLA Relevant Issues Section is doing a service project at this year's meeting, for which they ask attendees to pack extra socks and underwear. These will be donated to the Pioneer Square Clinic in Seattle, which offers care to low-income and homeless patients.

A worthy cause, and who doesn't find the need to make a little extra room in the luggage for swag at the end of a conference? Prepare for swag by stuffing your bags with socks on the way out!


Saturday, May 5, 2012

Timing

Sigh.

I'm starting to get all bummed because I'm receiving exciting MLA-related messages (visit our booth! attend our presentation!) and I totally want to start making a schedule to make sure I catch everything that sounds interesting, but then I remember I'm not actually going to be there.

I'll miss out on so many exhibit-hall wanderings. Meet-ups with people I almost never see. Piles and piles of free food.

Don't get me wrong, I have a good excuse for not going, and I will cherish this time with my tiny redheaded child instead, but...exhibits! Meetings! NLM updates! The Bearded Pigs!

The MLA'12 Blog is not helping with all this nice info on Seattle.

I'll miss you, MLA. Don't have too much fun without me.

I'm going to advise my co-workers who are going that they must tell me it was the worst meeting ever, no one had any fun or learned anything interesting, and I'm lucky I didn't have to go. Boooooooor-ing, must be their verdict.

If you're going, consider yourself held to the same standard.