Emerald City Blues

Why is Virgin America 1/2 the cost of Alaska Air on a routine flight from Los Angeles to Seattle? Does it have anything to do with the people at Alaska knowing I have $500 in vouchers that are about to expire? Note to people at Alaska: SEA is your hub; you should be paying me to fly there.

Also at work today (best read bottom to top): [I usually remove the names of my coworkers, but evidently Ami Vu does not mind that everyone knows she is going to see New Kids on the Block.]
____________________________________________________________________________________
From: Lasko, Michael B
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 1:38 PM
To: Vu, Ami M; xxxxxxx, xxxxx x; xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx x; xxxxxx, xxxxxxxx
Subject: RE:


To remove me from this thread, delete my name from the "To" field before sending your reply.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: xxxxxxx, xxxxx x
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 1:41 PM
To: Vu, Ami M; xxxxxx, xxxxxxxx; Lasko, Michael B; xxxxxxx, xxxxxxx x
Subject: RE:
Ami,

Please remove the following names from this thread: Mike Lasko, xxxx xxxxxxxx, xxxxx xxxxxxx

Please add the following names to the thread: xxxxx xxx, xxxxx xx, and xxxxx.

xxxxx xxxxxxx, Pharm.D.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Vu, Ami M
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 1:39 PM
To: xxxxxx, xxxxxxxx; xxxxxxx, xxxxx x; Lasko, Michael B; xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx x
Subject: RE:

Yes, it’s a reunion!!!!!! They’ve got old songs and NEW songs too. I told Lasko that I would buy him a t-shirt of NKOTB!!!!!!!!

Ami
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From: xxxxxx, xxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 1:38 PM
To: xxxxxxx, xxxxx x; Lasko, Michael B; Vu, Ami M; xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx x
Subject: RE:


Is it a reunion? I thought they dissolved a long time ago. Their new band name should be New Adults on the Block now, right? 98 degrees? Did they have reunion too? In honor of Nick getting past Jessica Simpson? Ambrosia, you crack me up.
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From: xxxxxxx, xxxxx x
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 1:26 PM
To: Lasko, Michael B; Vu, Ami M; xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx x; xxxxxx, xxxxxxxx
Subject: RE:


Hold on Lasko, maybe Ami means that they're paying people to go to the New Kids on the Block concert.


xxxxx xxxxxxx, Pharm.D.
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From: Lasko, Michael B
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 1:12 PM
To: xxxxxxx, xxxxx x; Vu, Ami M; xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx x; xxxxx, xxxxxxxx
Subject: RE:

I want off this thread. In fact, I am going to make an appointment at Lacuna (as featured in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), so that I can forget I ever knew anyone who paid to go to a New Kids on the Block Concert.
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From: xxxxxxx, xxxxx x
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 1:10 PM
To: Vu, Ami M; xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx x; xxxxxx, xxxxxxxx
Cc: Lasko, Michael B
Subject: RE:

I can't go - I'm already going to the 69 degrees concert. : (

xxxxx xxxxxxx, Pharm.D.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Vu, Ami M
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 1:09 PM
To: xxxxxxx, xxxxxxx x; xxxxxxx, xxxxx x; xxxxxx, xxxxxxxx
Cc: Lasko, Michael B
Subject:

ARGHHHHHHHHHHH, AHHHHHHHHH!! MY HUSBAND HAS CONFIRMED THAT HE WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE ME TO A NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK CONCERT!!!!!!!! WHO’S IN?????


Ami

The things they do not teach you in pharmacy school (as usual, best read bottom to top):
_____________________________________________________________________________________
From: Lasko, Michael B
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 3:08 PM
To: xxx, xxxx x
Subject: RE: as400



is it "bumblebee"?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: xxx, xxxx x
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 3:08 PM
To: Lasko, Michael B
Subject: as400

Hi lasko,

I am so stupid, I changed my as400 pasword and now forgot what it is.

She had to leave...to Los Angeles...

If you were to attend a Pink Floyd or Who reunion, you would expect the band members to be...well, old.

As I attempted to capture my lost youth on Saturday, I was surprised at the seemingly premature aging of X. I did not expect the band to look like this:

But seriously, my grandfather should not be playing guitar in a punk band.

Jeez, the "after" shots of Exene Cervenka are just terrifying.


Notes on the performance/venue:

Very good overall; aside from their appearance, the band sounded exactly as I remember (leaving Nicole to remark: "I can't understand a thing they're saying unless I plug my ears")...except the lack of an organ took away from the blusie/Doorsie sound of their albums (Ray Manzarek must have better things to do); per Nicole, I had more hair than anybody else in the room (the punks had shaved heads...everyone else was bald); I am too fragile for a real slam pit (hey, I dominate at Violent Femmes concerts).

My google footprint has recently gotten bigger, resulting in a bit of an uptick in traffic. As far as what people are searching for (and what they end up getting), I do not see much of a pattern...with the possible exception of this picture of Uma Thurman.

In other news: Does anyone still use yahoo? I am the number 3 result for "frozurt".

A little chemical naming trivia from the Thingnamer was attached to a recent post. The comments got me thinking about IUPAC which got me thinking about chemicals with unusual names.

My favorite is easily: Fucitol (C6H14O5), an alcohol derived from Fucus vesiculosis, a North Atlantic seaweed. Its optical isomers are also called D-fuc-ol and L-fuc-ol.

SEX the official abbreviation of sodium ethyl xanthate reminds me of my favorite piece of Bond dialogue:


Tanaka: This... is an order for naval stores. 500 kilos of butter, 50 containers of lox. What is lox?
James: Oh, it's an American name for smoked salmon. But it's also the technical name for liquid oxygen. Which makes rocket fuel.

Actually that's not my favorite Bond line. My favorite Bond line (from the same movie) is:

James: Now what's the plan for me?
Tanaka: First, you become a Japanese. Second, you train hard and quickly to become a ninja like us. And third, to give you extra-special cover, you take a wife.

Michael B. Lasko, Quadathlete

7 miles running.
10 miles bicycling (okay it was to lunch and back...on Kilroy...wearing flip-flops).
10 lengths swimming (at the condo, not the Olympic pool at UCI).
3.4 (nautical?) miles sailing...this was the only portion of the quadathlon with competition. I finished in 3rd; I am pretty sure I would have won the beach cruiser race if anyone else had shown up.

It's the interest that kills you...

(Alterative title: "Barack Obama has inpired me too...)

I finally decided to get around to paying off my student loans. Although the rates (and terms) are hard to beat, it seems crazy to continue paying for college after retirement.

I've been paying down pretty aggressively for about a year; today I noticed that the bank does not want another payment until 2011:

Total amount due on 05/20/11 $172.28

PS: That's just one of my loans. I am still very much in debt. If you would like to donate to the "Pay for Michael's College" fund, please click here. Free drug information will be given with each contribution.

Note to self: Do not spend 2 hours talking to "Danny". Do not go to Anteater (Anthill?) Pub with "Danny". Do not spend two hours drinking at Pub with "Danny". Do not accept ride home from "Danny". Do not spend another hour in car talking to "Danny" after he has taken you to an empty parking lot. Do not remain in car with "Danny" after he has unzipped my pants.

Seriously, how do I get off this email list?

More importantly, when did the Anthill Pub reopen?

On Thursday, May 29, 2008, a female UCI student was waiting out in
front of Langson Library late in the afternoon when she was approached
by a young man. He introduced himself as "Danny", a student from
another (unknown) school. Danny and the UCI student talked in front
of Langson Library for two hours. Danny then suggested they visit the
Anteater Pub to eat or drink and they walked over to the Pub at
7:30pm.

While at the Anteater Pub, they continued talking and consumed several
beers each (no food). At 9:30pm, the female student was tired and
told Danny she had to go home; Danny offered her a ride and she
accepted. They walked to Danny's car in Parking Lot #1. Danny's car
is only described as silver in color (no further description). Danny
drove the female student out of Parking Lot #1 and made a hasty turn
into Parking Lot 3-A (adjacent to the Merage School of Business and
across from the Social Science Parking Structure). The parking lot
was empty. The female objected and asked why he had turned into the
empty parking lot; Danny told the victim he wanted to talk some more.

Once parked in Lot 3-A, the student and Danny talked for another hour
or so. Danny then unzipped the victim's jeans and reached in,
touching her pubic area several times; no penetration occurred. The
victim verbally resisted and Danny stopped. Danny then put his hand
into the victim's shirt, grabbing her breasts. Fearing for her
safety, the victim fled the silver car and ran away toward Langson
Library at 11pm. Danny started following the victim on foot for 100
yards, calling to her to stop; Danny returned to in his car and left
the area. The victim made good her escape and arrived at Langson
Library.

The victim was upset over the incident, and did not immediately seek
police assistance. She sat outside Langson Library for two hours
before being spotted by others who notified police at 1am. The victim
provided the below suspect description; she was not injured.

Suspect Description: "Danny", Male Asian, 21 years, short black hair,
brown eyes, 6 ft 1 inch tall, 160 lbs. Last seen wearing a gray
sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Our safety escort service is available by calling 949-824-SAFE. A
uniformed CSO will then meet you and escort you to your destination, a
safe alternative to walking alone at night.

If you have further information on the suspect or are a witness,
please call the UCI Police Department at 949-824-5223.

For the grape lover in your house...

(Alternative title #1: Better than a free parade!!!)
(Alternative title #2: Don't worry, "sigmoidoscopy" is the name of that little hammer they hit your knee with.)

Volunteers Needed for Grape Cancer Prevention Study

Healthy adult volunteers are being sought to participate in a study
that will examine whether a diet supplemented with grapes can help
prevention colon cancer. The study is directed by Dr. Randall
Holcombe and is designed to see whether a component in grapes,
resveratrol, acts to block a key signaling pathway involved in the
development of colon cancer.

Participants will be placed on a monitored diet for 2 weeks which
avoids foods rich in resveratrol. They will then have a limited
flexible sigmoidoscopy to get a biopsy of the lining of the colon.
Then, participants will have their diet supplemented each day with
fresh grapes, between 1/3 of a pound and 1 pound per day for 2 weeks
and have the biopsy procedure repeated.

There will be no cost to participants. Each participant will receive
$100, vouchers from Ralphs to assist in the purchase of grapes, a
digital kitchen scale and cooler bag. This study is approved by the
UCI Institutional Review Board. For more information, please call
study coordinator Micii Martinez at 714-456-7069.


Randall F. Holcombe, MD
Director, Office of Clinical Research and Trials