Saturday, May 07, 2005

Comps accomplished, apparently am distinctive

Woo hoo! Passed the MA comprehensive exams, got "Distinction" (I guess the academic equivalent of Bling-Bling, pointless but somehow necessary). I know once you get your Ph.d. your grades are permenantly sealed, so no one can see how badly you did in say Core Bio if you end up as a bio-ethicist or something. I guess it stays on the good'ol vita, which is a relatively public document (unlike a resume, which you rarely find on the web). I am wondering who it would matter to, and the only thing I can think of is for Phd thesis grants. Surely not when they are hiring. At that point its all scholarship and good looks.

In other news, went to see a kick-ass show by the Decemberists and though I am not usually a fan of pale white geek rock, their lyrical integrity was startingly impressive. It was in the 9:30 club, and if you know that venue you know how loud it can get, but you could still actually hear the lyrics. To be honest, I don't remember a show where you can actually hear singing, perhaps Smashing Pumpkins in San Fran circa Ava Adore. The only thing I worry about these guys is shelf life, like I really can't stand to hear Belle and Sebastian now. Postal Service so far is carrying well, I like the bounceyness of the drum machine tracks, but I am not too sure if you can include a drum machine as a permanent member of your band. You know, there is a lot of good music these days, like Nine Inch Nails single "The Hand that Feeds" was really impressive. I didn't think Trent Reznor could get out of his downward spiral, but alas, I am proved wrong. What happened to my Grime fascination? Who knows, think that was a little too ahead of the curve. I really don't like this post, has absolutely no point to it except taking me away from my final paper for Ken Pollack's class.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Taliban? The Texiban!

Highschool cheerleader's in Texas will soon see restrictions on the 'sexiness' of their dance, restrictions on outfits, and a whole host of dirct government regulations on suggestive pom-pom use. In related news, Max Hardcore commits suicide.