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John

Go Spurs!

About Me

This is what I felt like to finally finish my PhD:

My Interests

Smoothness.pole vaulting, hanggliding, laughing gas...seriously: music (especially torturing my lovely multi-continental guitar Sandy), situations that force me to speak in other languages, food.

I'd like to meet:

Stevie Ray Vaughn

Mack Brown, Osama bin Laden (to put a boot in his ass. It's the American Way), Alan Jackson (same reason).By the way, I heard from Nick Joseph (my long lost friend) and went to his wedding. First down, Myspace.

Music:

Weezer, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Muse, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Bright Eyes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Toadies, Death Cab/Postal Service, Sondre Lerche, Manu Chao, various KROQ junk I should be ashamed of (My Chemical Romance, Snow Patrol, Jimmy Eats F'in World), Jay-Z, Chris Isaak, Astrud Gilberto, Radiohead, Portishead, Seal, Seeed, Element of Crime, Springsteen, Wyclef, Zero 7, Dashboard, David Garza, Ben Folds, , Goldfrapp, Poe, Portishead, Keane, Daft Punk, Fastball, Dire Straits, 9 of 10 songs on Wes Anderson sountracks especially Seu Jorge--the Brazilian David Bowie guy--and all things Motown.

Movies:

I can't handle sitting still long enough to watch most of them, but I love to have seen a good one. Sin City worked. So did Spinal Tap, the Royal Tennenbaums, Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, Coming to America, and I didn't think Striptease was as bad as everyone said. But usually, they just make me want to set myself on fire.

Television:

The Office, Arrested Development, Colbert Report, the Daily, SportsCenter

Books:

Maus by Art Spiegelman was so good I dreaded the thought of it ending as I got into its later pages. The Satanic Verses is the best written thing I could never finish. Steve Martin and John Steinbeck are as good as it gets.

Heroes:

My grandmother Betty Pugh. I can't think of any close seconds.

My Blog

Like a virgin

Dude, Remember how I've called myself a "student" for the last 100 years?  I swear I've never worked hard in my life until now.  I mean, I've plunged into things I'm excited about, but this ...
Posted by John on Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:44:00 PST

football

Considering how impossible it is for me to sit still in front of a TV, and how much I enjoy the idea (although not always the experience) of watching football, I can't believe how often I forget this....
Posted by John on Mon, 20 Nov 2006 06:48:00 PST

Big switch

Today I've embarked on a new era.  Briefs vs. boxers is such a 90's conundrum.  Today for me it is the choice of undershirt: tee vs. wife-beater. To be perfectly honest, there has been no de...
Posted by John on Tue, 14 Nov 2006 05:27:00 PST

Navy Walruses

 Nothing makes you feel fatter than failing to sink in the ocean wearing over 50 pounds of scuba gear.  I was a human oil slick.  But, eventually, I managed to descend and had an amazin...
Posted by John on Mon, 13 Nov 2006 10:12:00 PST

Machu Picchu

Things sure are changing over there.  The Inca Trail is so over crowded now, alternative paths (and tours) are being set up.   I hope they manage to preserve that place... http://travel...
Posted by John on Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:33:00 PST

smelling the roses

Borat was as hilarious as I hoped.  I really built it up in my mind, and it did not disappoint.  Some of the jokes are cheap, but the mix of it all was amazing. The dumb part of going to the...
Posted by John on Fri, 10 Nov 2006 01:08:00 PST

Fitness update

Dang.  I should go on vacation more often.  The fitness log is looking good for the week. http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=jbill ime...
Posted by John on Thu, 09 Nov 2006 10:36:00 PST

present imperfect

Alright.  First real conference presentation under my belt.  It went awesome.  This, by the way, is the American Public Health Association conference in Boston.  I gave one of five...
Posted by John on Tue, 07 Nov 2006 01:56:00 PST

Sleep? Never.

Ok.  I'm too revved up about this trip to continue to do any actual work, so I'll just make a quick post and mosey. I just spent the past weekend in NYC with AB and his girlfriend Cori.  I w...
Posted by John on Mon, 06 Nov 2006 03:58:00 PST

Mentors

Today I gave a practice version of the talk I'm giving at the American Public Health Association.  There was well over a million dollars (annual) worth of experts in the room, including the last ...
Posted by John on Wed, 01 Nov 2006 10:17:00 PST