Where the hell's that bass coming from?

Only a few people who read this blog will find this entertaining...



But everyone should think this is cool:

A heads up for nerds...

More immunology in the news today: Science Friday will be talking about B cells and antibodies at 2:00 on NPR. Tune in if you're curious. Immunology rules.

http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200907172

Of Genes and Antibodies (broadcast Friday, July 17th, 2009)

Researchers say they've identified the gene that tells the body to produce one type of immune antibody. Writing in the journal Science, a team of researchers describe the action of the BCL6 gene and its role in regulating the formation of certain CD4 T cells. We'll talk about the work, and its relevance to studies of the immune system and vaccine production.

Fifth year-itis...

I met with my thesis committee last week and discussed my research progress. They seemed genuinely interested in my project and supported my completion within the next year. So unless things really go to crap, I think I'm headed down the final leg to graduation. Hopefully at this time next year, I'll be done. Woo hoo!

Groceries: Gotten

I finally gave a sad farewell to my much-beloved Audi TT...




It will be sorely missed, but the parting was bittersweet, as it has been replaced by a new car. We picked up our brand-new 2009 Audi A4 Avant on 6/29:









It's nice to finally have a considerably more practical car than my old two-seater. I guess I'm just moving farther up the ladder of responsible adulthood. Maybe in the future I can get another fun little car... perhaps a Wiesmann?

You might even say I hate the post office...

I just tried to use my check card to purchase a $0.44 stamp at the UMN post office. To prevent ID theft, I write "See ID" in place of my signature on the back; that way, if someone steals it, they can't just practice signing my name.

Well, the young lady at the postal counter told me that they don't accept cards unless the signature is there. My signature is on my ID, so that's okay, right? Nope.

"We require you to sign the card, too. Even if it says 'See ID'."

That is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. I even asked her if that didn't just defeat the purpose of writing "See ID." She was adamant that it had to be there. I told her I wasn't going to sign it, and she replied, "So do you still want to buy the stamp?"

Well obviously not, if you're going to make me compromise my security over 44 cents. Ridiculous.