This could could totally (metaphorically) be me...

I'm continuing my tradition of Friday tunes and posting what I want to do when middle age comes-a-knocking, if only I could play guitar, sing, or was in a band....

To be honest, what they are doing isn't nearly as cool as how much fun they are having doing it. Maybe I should start embracing the punk ethos of doing whatever I want, and not caring what people think about it.

As background, the band is the Effigies, legends and forerunners in the Chicago punk scene in the early 80's and they are playing on a very local cable access show (Chic-a-go-go). For those of you who love Yo Gabba Gabba, you'll realize that this is essentially the same show, only without celebrity appearances or any budget. And it's been around 10 to 15 years now....

New scam spam? My recent nomination Into distinguished professionals suggests so...

Sigh.... Seems like there is always someone willing to prey upon the insecurities of those struggling to make a mark in (or even start) their careers. For fun, I'm copying the text of the message below. Then you can tell me if you think its a scam or not (links removed)...

"Dear Professional,

As you know, you have been considered for inclusion in the upcoming 2011 Edition of Distinguished Professionals Online, which is scheduled for publication in early 2011. Despite our efforts to contact you, we have still not received your contact information .

To reply with your contact information, please visit here.


Distinguished Professionals Online, publisher of over 350,000 biographies, continues to uphold its reputation as the world's foremost source for biographical reference, with an unmatched dedication to accurate biographical reporting.

The publication's editors are now assembling the biographical profiles of today's leaders from a wide range of professional fields into one comprehensive collection. Thousands of researchers at medical, academic, public and corporate libraries, as well as journalists and media professionals, rely upon Distinguished Professionals Online as a daily reference tool for obtaining information about the world's most experienced men and women. Inclusion in our directory is considered by many as a important mark of achievement.

You have already been selected based on your current professional standing. The information you provide will be evaluated according to the selection criteria Distinguished Professionals Online has developed over many years as the world's premier biographical publisher. If your data passes our initial screening, we will prepare your biography.

Please remember: Inclusion of your biography in Distinguished Professionals Online carries neither cost nor commitment on your behalf. Our goal with each new edition is to prepare a biographies spanning the spectrum of noteworthy and accomplished men and women across all areas of the professional world.

To be considered for inclusion in this prestigious registry, you need only provide the requested information by completing our online biographical data form.

To verify your profile and accept the candidacy, please visit here.

I congratulate you on the achievements that have brought your name to the attention of our editorial committee. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Robert Patterson
Vice President, Research Division

Distinguished Professionals Online
26 Bond Street
Westbury, NY 11590, USA"

Perseverance

It's been awhile since I've given myself a pep talk, and now seems to be a great time for it.

In grad school I felt that the key to success was to keep focused on the goal, and not to be disturbed too much by the challenges along the way. Science is a marathon, not a sprint, and it is far to easy to become distracted by the challenges you encounter. Nothing is insurmountable, and everything worthwhile takes effort. I'm not certain, but I think this still applies for me as I attempt to join others on the tenure track. I have my goal. Now I need to stay on track and do everything in my power to succeed.

To be honest, I know that a lot of things have to line up right for me to get my dream job, but I'd argue most of life is that way. Perhaps the purpose of having a goal isn't so much achieving what you set out to do, but rather starting a journey toward something more meaningful. The true success is enjoying where it takes you and seeing opportunities as they arise.

Am I being overly sensitive?

OK. I love my kids to death. Which is why I'm a little worried when the nurse at the clinic recognizes me and knows my youngest son's name. She also remembers all the other times we've gone in to have blood drawn. And he's only 2 years old.

My son is not terribly sick or fighting any known disease, but I hate the fact that he now dreads going into that office. One look at the waiting room and he turned to me and asked "home now?" It tears me up to have to hold him while they draw 6 vials of blood, and to be honest, my muscles are a bit more tense than they should be....

Sigh...

Best morning ever

Me and my boys. Lots of wrestling, lots of Phineus and Ferb and a little Yo Gabba Gabba. No thoughts of work.

Life is good.

I couldn't live in Seattle

I hadn't realized how depressed the weather was making me until I saw the sun today. For about 15 minutes. But twas enough to make me skip and jump. Maybe I won't apply for that TT position in Seattle....

Bah - who am I kidding! Of course I'll apply! To everything that I might be even remotely qualified for. And probably some that I'm not....

And now that I'm cheered up, I can sing.

Interview with a 1 yr old

I came across this video (and entire youtube channel) by accident and I'm pretty much posting this only because I thought it was hilarious. My wife didn't think it was quite as funny as me and may have questioned my sanity when I showed it to her, but that's not entirely the point. I'm tired, somewhat nervous about my future, and in an odd mood.

Hopefully you'll appreciate this as much as I did, and look past the fact that I'm not really creating any new material for my blog....