After my initial problems with Mozy and the month-long(!) grace period it took to finally back up everything in its queue, I have returned to my love affair with it. It’s a brilliant product, and now I don’t entirely have to worry about my lab burning down and losing everything that’s stored on my external drive.

Except for one new gripe. It does this weird thing where it won’t let me include certain sets in the update package. Rather, they appear to be updating files and file sizes, but they never finish. I’ve left it on all day, and nothing happens. Quite annoying. The sets are convenient, and I’d like to be able to actually use them without going in and selecting individual files and folders, which is pretty much the purpose of the sets in the first place. For some reason, this makes me want to slam a hood door on my head several times.

Abbie and I started training for one of the Chicago half-marathons last week. After four runs, I’m already on the DL with some sort of knee injury. At any rate, here’s our typical 4-miler. It’s a pretty scenic route, or rather it would be anywhere other than Chicago where getting caught in a cyclone seems inevitable.

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Also, Google Maps is probably going to take over the world in the distant future. It’s going to poison our asses with poisonous gases.

All we hear about these days in Chicago is how ridiculously high the gas prices are getting to be and how we’re now officially the city with the highest average gas prices in the country. I can distinctly remember a few times getting gas in high school (must have been sometime in 1999 or 2000) for $0.879 a gallon.

What’s changed since then? Normal increases in the prices of everything. Mass freakoutage and oil shortages. Oh yes, and some dude named Bush got elected. Twice. Well, once by convention, and once by the Supreme Court. Doubt he’s had anything to do with it though…

Interesting story, too, this morning on NPR regarding the costs of and taxes on gasoline in Chicago. Seems that a more expensive type of fuel is used during the summer months, and taxes per gallon actually go up as the price per gallon goes up. So, what motivation could lawmakers in Illinois possibly have to keep gas prices down? Slight conflict of interest there.

And I agree 100%.

The husband of my mom’s neighbor died a few days ago from renal cell cancer AND small cell lung cancer (Just for a little context: their entire family smokes. She does, he did, and their two kids do too.), and the neighbor was obviously extremely sad and broken up about it, but while my mom was trying to console her, this lady kept telling her how she was planning to sue his doctors because they had only recently diagnosed him with this stuff. Honestly, I truly feel bad for her, but I also wanted to be like, Lady, are you kidding me? STOP SMOKING.

w00t: It’s our 6-month preniversary.

w00t: We accepted their counter-counter-counter-counter-counter-offer to our counter-counter-counter-counter-offer to their counter-counter-counter-offer to our counter-counter-offer to their counter-offer to our offer. AND IT COMES WITH A BIKE.

FYI, and also in the interest of disclosing every life detail, however minute, to a rabble of readers who wouldn’t know me if they passed me on the street, which—let’s be honest—is clearly the purpose of any blog.

Yes, that is Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain about an inch away, depending on your zoom level. Yes, that is the lake also an inch away. Yes, that is the park where live bands play during the summer every Thursday through Sunday, and yes, that is the perfect angle at which to view the fireworks over the lake several times a month. Yes, I agree, and my, what an astute observation you’ve made: It is, in fact, the best location in history.

It also comes with a bike. Don’t be too jealous.

I recently authored a post at The Differential, Medscape’s group medical student weblog, entitled “Discrimination in Science and Medicine.” Do not go there and read it under any circumstances.

There is a whole weblog composed only of Final Jeopardy questions, and it is amazing. Through this week and last week, I am only 2-for-8. Apparently I need to brush up on my state capitals. And poetry. And wives of monarchs. And film. And military history. And fast food history.