Friday, March 27, 2009

At Random

iPodery: The Fort Knox Five, Neko Case, Dr. Octagon.

Slice and Dice

Kudos to Trent for this link to an article in wired at, http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/17-04/ff_brainatlas . I do stuff like this at work. Plenty of people only think of Pathology in terms of Forensic Pathology: homicides, suicides, suspicious deaths, accidental deaths, etc. But much of it is for patient care and research - stuff that strives to imrpove your quality of life. I have had to remove still warm brains and cut them in half for studies into Alzheimers and Parkinsons. (note: sectioning like what you see in the article is done by the Neuropathologist here) It has to be done within 24 hours of death for the samples to be useful. One half is frozen at -70°C and the other is fixed in formalin.
As Geo often points out, this is the sort of work that makes a person feel good about what they do - and it does. I like knowing that I am contributing to something useful, something beneficial. I have had too many jobs where my work's worth is seriously in dooubt.

Photos

I do plan to post some photos soon. I have shot pictures of the art being produced here at the University of Saskatoon that I think should be shared.

Unreal City

CFCR's Theo has started his own comics and collectables shop, Unreal City, in the downtown are of Saskatoon. Really well laid out and a good starting selection of merchandise to choose from. No other shop in town is dealing collectables as far as I know, and Theo is a great guy. If you are from Saskatoon or Saskatchewan, it might be worth your while checking it out.
I schilled for Trent, how can I not schill for others now?

Monday, March 23, 2009

Whassamatta You?

"(hey!)/Gotta no respect?/Whaddaya think you do?/Why you looka so sad?/It's-a not so bad/It's-a nice-a place/Ah, shaddap you face!" - Joe Dolce "Shaddap You Face" 1981

Yesterday I was planning to write a brief post about the big melt down here in Saskatoon. Overcast, gloomy and very, very wet. It reminded me of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, actually. However, I awoke to a very cold apartment and looked outside to see fresh snow on the ground and slush more on the icy side than the slushy side. I have a bank day today, so I decided to go pay my electrics bill. Now, Saskatoon City Hall has to be the least friendly City Hall I have ever been to (New Westminster being the friendliest) but today it was even worse - one might say it was frigid in there. So I went to catch the bus to the university and the driver was unpleasant, so were the passengers, so are the students.
Now, I grew up in the relatively balmy environs of the Lower Mainland so shouldn't the cold be making me unhappy? Perhaps it is the overcast weather? Well, take my advice Saskatoon, the best way to get past the overcast conditions is to just go outside and be in it. Truly. Things improve once you are out in it. It is certainly brighter than being indoors. Calgary got a foot of snow compared to our 1/2 inch! Honestly, cheer up - it's-a not so bad!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

A Post in Passing

I have been away for a while, but shall return when things are less hectic. Right now I have plugging in hours and training for a second postion in the health region. Busy, busy.

Saturday, March 07, 2009

I don't know why, either


So sugary looking, it makes my teeth hurt. From a gallery opening last night. I have photos of the work on display but am not sure if I should post them.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Truths found in record stores


Found this in the Vinyl Exchange on 2nd Avenue. The picture is my current desktop.