Commuting

So my normal route home from Long Island is to take 295 to 278 W to 87 N, where I get off at exit 4, which is Yankees Stadium.  So, now that baseball season has started, and I get home around 6:30 pm, and the Yankees game starts at 7:05 pm, I knew I needed another route to get back to the UWS.  So yesterday in the car I use Google maps and my GPS and fiddle around and find another route.  I follow it out, and it seems fine, but whaddya know, the exit I get off on from the highway happens to be the exit for the Mets' Citi Field!  Just can't win when you live in NYC.  Luckily there was no game-related traffic, but I'm not sure if it will stay that way for long.  Although I'm guessing the Yankees are more popular than the Mets, so maybe I'll stick to the Mets' route.

Interesting study

People who go to church are fatter

So this study discovered that religious, church-going people are more likely to be obese and have cardiovascular disease.  It's interesting to think about why--the article says that maybe religious people marry earlier, and that common knowledge is that many people gain weight after they marry.  Or, they suggest, the time people devote to religious activities takes the place of physical activity.  Overall, an interesting thought-provoking article.

Pharmacy

So I've had a bad sinus infection and today I went to the Columbia health clinic (and got the same bitchy doctor as last time), and got a prescription for antibiotics.  But instead of going to the Duane Reade, I went to the little Hartley Pharmacy on the corner of 120th and Amsterdam.  And the pharmacist there was really nice and we were complaining together about having difficulty swallowing large pills.  Anyway, I just like supporting the little shops.

Walkie Talkies

So in my lab, the facility is so big and we have to be doing simultaneous things in different locations so we use walkie talkies.  And this has actually made the whole research thing a lot of fun.  And I got to thinking, why are walkie-talkies so fun? If we compare them to cell phones, they're very similar.  They're mobile, small, 2-way, etc etc.  The only thing I can think of is that walkie talkies are associated with "cool" people -- FBI agents, secret agents, Secret Service, security of all sorts.  When you use one, you feel kind of important and unique and like your work is special enough to deserve walkie-talkies. 

Late-night productivity

So last night I got less than 7 hours of sleep, which would normally make me really cranky, lethargic, and unproductive.  But, lo and behold, I've been relatively normal today, and (look at the timestamp) I'm actually productively reading scientific articles and filling out forms for EGSC social events all the way until midnight without feeling tired.  Maybe this will backfire, but I think I'm going to try getting less sleep (6.5 hrs) and see what happens. 

Updates from the gym

• So here's something I don't get.  In the winter, it's cold outside, yet it's the EXACT same temperature INSIDE the gym.  Yet all the girls wear workout pants during the winter, not shorts.  So you're choosing to be uncomfortably hot while working out, just because the outside temperature happens to be different?  
• So with being away on weekends and going to group exercise classes instead, I hadn't been on the treadmills since last week.  So I went this morning, and lo and behold, the New Year's resolution people have already quit! The gym is so much less busy and I can actually move around and have any machine I want.  At the Bally's in Philly I went to, the New Year's resolution people didn't quit until mid-March or so. 

Valentine's Day problem

The problem with living near Harlem is that when you go to Duane Reade to get a Valentine's Day card, all of the cards either refer to the Gospel or have pictures of black people all over them.  Guess I need to go downtown....lol