Friday, May 3, 2002
Inspiring high school teacher by day, apparent armed robber by night.
01:52 PM EDT
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Thursday, May 2, 2002
Hey! When I got sworn in to my state bar, I didn't get to say anything about guns!
10:44 AM EDT
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Wednesday, May 1, 2002
Apparently, Congress doesn't like Bush's student loan proposal, either. I'm impressed.
04:36 PM EDT
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Bad news: I think I'm sick.
Good news: We officially have tenants. We have a signed lease and payment of security deposit and first month's rent.
Whew.
04:20 PM EDT
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The headline to this article is hilarious. Drugs have side effects? Who knew?
Seriously, though, Sidney W@lfe, who is extensively quoted in this article, is like the Jesse Jackson of the pharmaceutical industry. He's everywhere, he's an alarmist, and he never misses a photo op or a media interview. Also of interest is that one of the FDA folk quoted in the article is the person ultimately responsible for the recent approval of my company's new drug. The FDA makes good points regarding discovery of post-marketing safety issues and the explanation that many black box warnings don't apply to the general population, but to a small subset, like pregnant women (black box warnings are the strongest cautions that are issued by the FDA for pharmaceuticals and is placed, wait for it, in a black box on the packaging).
Certainly, the drug approval process through FDA is imperfect. I also think it's naive to expect that every single side effect that may be reasonably traced to a drug can be discovered during clinical trials and pre-approval testing. No company, let alone the FDA, has the luxury of utilizing millions of people as subjects for clinical study. It would be lovely to have that opportunity, but it's neither practical nor cost-effective. I think that most people understand that drugs sometimes have side effects which can be unpleasant and very occasionally can cause harm. I also think that most people are smart enough to perform a cost-benefit analysis on whether taking a particular drug is the right choice for them.
01:25 PM EDT
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So you've decided to be evil...
11:15 AM EDT
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Sadly, I suspect that this couple, who won a third of the Big Game jackpot earlier this year, may end up living in a cardboard box if they end up managing their lottery winnings the way they managed their previous finances. How does one rack up $202,000 in credit card debt?
11:01 AM EDT
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Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Before anyone asks, the shitty event has nothing to do with the wedding.
In other news, I'm really wondering if the feed of "Seeing Red" that aired last night is a fake, since the previews had that "everything you thought is wrong!" voiceover. I wouldn't be surprised, frankly, judging from the spoiler threads I've seen. Should be interesting to see if it matches the feed that went up last night.
10:00 PM EDT
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Sometimes, things are just going along so well, so swimmingly, and everything is bright and happy and shiny and new.
And then, the sky falls in.
09:42 PM EDT
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Jamie Kellner, CEO of Turner Broadcasting, believes that using a Tivo constitutes theft. He believes this "because of the ad skips.... It's theft. Your contract with the network when you get the show is you're going to watch the spots. Otherwise you couldn't get the show on an ad-supported basis. Any time you skip a commercial or watch the button you're actually stealing the programming." He's kind enough to express an exception for people missing ads when they decide to go to the bathroom or grab a soda. What an ass.
05:49 PM EDT
[1 Comment]
Tough year for Bill Barber -- his wife died of cancer, his second-seeded team got knocked out of the playoffs in the first round after trading away a really good goalie for a guy who's now a free agent, and now he's out of a job.
04:23 PM EDT
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So I'm having some dental work done. I'm kind of embarrassed about it, because generally, I'm embarrassed about my teeth. When I was a wee tot, I was given tetracycline for some illness or other, and it resulted in some mottling and discoloration of my teeth; when I was in high school, my parents were kind enough to spring for bonding for my top front two teeth, and for a while they looked just marvelous. Unfortunately, bonding doesn't last forever, and over recent years, the bonding had started to chip away and get very discolored at the edges, leaving me loath to fully smile or laugh without being self-conscious about the color and especially the space that had opened up between my front teeth.
Unfortunately, because most insurance companies find bonding and placing of porcelain veneers to be cosmetic, there is generally little to no reimbursement for the procedures, and they tend to be rather expensive, which is the main reason that I had avoided having them done for the last several years.
However, with a wedding coming up in the not-so-distant future (no, we haven't set a date yet), and with a little more money in the bank than before, I decided to take the plunge and get laminates for my top teeth. Last week, I had study molds made, and last night, I had my front top six teeth shaved down a few millimeters in order to prepare them for installation of the laminates next week. I also had additional molds made to ensure correct shaping and thickness of the laminates. Since the shaving took quite a while, I had more than a few shots of novocaine. In fact, my face was numb from the middle of my nose all the way down to my chin.
Once the novocaine wore off, I figured out why he used so much. Holy mother of GOD, my teeth hurt. They're sensitive to both heat and cold, and their surfaces are all rough. It's a truly bizarre feeling. I'm popping anti-inflammatories like Skittles, but my upper jaw and my head are both just throbbing. Owie owie owie.
My teeth already look better, though. He evened out the surfaces and the alignment, and most of the old, chippy, discolored bonding is gone. Monday night, I get the final piece, and I'll finally be able to smile without quickly covering my mouth with my hand. I can't wait.
11:17 AM EDT
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Monday, April 29, 2002
It appears that perhaps Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah made a request that no females be in the air traffic control tower talking to his flights within the US last week. If this is in fact true, I am totally disgusted.
03:57 PM EDT
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Sunday, April 28, 2002
Here's a vow you can count on: This blog will not, I repeat, not, become the "all-wedding, all-the-time" blog. I promise you that. There may be small details here and there, but generally, I intend for this entire endeavor to be relaxed and fun. I'll also be taking down the picture of the ring from over yonder -- I'm sure you're all tired of looking at it.
On a serious note, though, I am overwhelmed by all of the good wishes for us. You all are just the best.
06:31 PM EDT
you're Scully!
Which X-Files Character Are You? Take the Quiz
03:48 PM EDT
How do I hate Dubya? Let me add another way.(free registration required). I almost required a dose of my company's new drug after reading this article, which explains how the Bush administration has proposed elimination of the 8.25% interest rate cap on student loan consolidations in order to raise $1.3 billion toward his administration's budget shortfall. I completely resent the implication that all doctors/lawyers/MBAs could easily afford a much higher interest rate to make payments, and that professionals who consolidate are somehow taking advantage of the system.
I'm currently as consolidated as it's possible to be, and I'm paying nearly $800 a month; that's all law school debt, no undergrad loans. In the meantime, I'm considered to make too much money to deduct any of my student loan interest (last year -- roughly $3000). I'm in no way crying poormouth, but if the interest rate were to go up 50-100%, my payments would be significantly less manageable. In the meantime, the administration sees nothing wrong with tax cuts for corporations like Enron. Grrrrrr.
01:34 PM EDT
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