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We celebrated Millipore's 50th anniversary with champagne and cake. I won't bore myself relating details of the embarrassing self-congratulatory simulcasts, interviews, and celebratory slide shows. I can't believe that they'd spend so much money in such an annoying fashion. It just seemed obnoxious, instead of being together in spirit - or even in person. Whatever. The concept of using a 50th anniversary time capsule as the cornerstone of the new BioPharm R&D building is interesting. They've set a demolish by date before they’ve set a start construction by date. Lovely.

Of course, I can't complain. Tomorrow morning, I'll be interviewing with the two other managers in my group. Hopefully something comes of it, something other than the bizarre reality show send off that I've been envisioning since the bubbles went to my brain. Grapes give me paranoia. Grains do not. The funny thing was that while I was drinking the champagne, I kept thinking, this tastes likes a cheap, generic knock off of Midas Touch. Dogfish Head has claimed my soul.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 4:48 PM

 
"For every season that has passed"...

It's over. Trey’s posted to phish.com that the band's going to call it quits after this summer's festival. While the news is saddening, it's not a shock. Phish isn't a band that wanted to fade away. However, the members of the band aren't entirely interested in devoting sufficient time to the band.

The rehearsal time required to be well versed in the back catalog, improvise meaningfully, and create new material is just overwhelming. While I haven't listened to much from the NYE or Vegas, it seems that the mini tours aren't really satisfying musically. Yes they have their moments, but they also have their rust. I'm glad that the Band isn't going to cheapen themselves by playing sloppy versions of their crowd pleasers for ages.

I just wish that Trey, and the others (note: I blame Trey - he's taken responsibility for leading the band in the post-hiatus world and may be less satisfied writing for a quartet than he was with his big band or an orchestra) were willing to keep going.

At least I'll be there to bid the band adieu. Listening to their music taught me so much about music appreciation, and helped to shape my philosophy of life. Sweet sweet phish, I'll cherish the memories and the music.

Sweet sweet phish. Thank you for sparing me the pains of out growing my modest touring.

Sweet sweet phish. Thanks for passing, so more attention could fall to Umphrey's.

posted by Ben at (0) comments 8:16 PM

 

> WARNING

tevaben is radioactive. Wear protective clothing at all times.

Username:

From Go-Quiz.com
posted by Ben at (0) comments 8:20 PM

 
It’s a foggy, tired glaze that crusts my eyes. Why is it that I continually sleep less on the weekends than during the weeks. I suppose debauchery in Alston with fraternity brothers until 1 am, when my weeknight bedtime is 10 may explain some of it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t explain why I wake up unnecessarily early.

Regardless, the weekend was a success. It was great to get Keith, Mark, and Calvin together for some madness in or around Boston. I enjoyed some drunk driving (Mario kart) with Kate and my bros while the Ngs were at the game and had fun exploring the city in the we hours. I need to get a better handle on interesting things to do or see at odd hours of the night.

With a limited window of opportunity on Sunday morning, we went towards the waterfront and saw some of Beantonwn’s key sights. It was fun but soon the weekend dissipated.

Bittorrent brought me Friday’s Joan of Arcadia Episode. All I can say is wow – it’s a perfect cliffhanger, and a great season finale. It really reflected the show’s talented writing. Last week’s Soprano’s episode was quite good as well. We’ll see how things go. I think Johnny Sac is soon to be whacked. Tony is running out of peaceful solutions.

posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:55 PM

 
Millipore’s fundamental forces have kept me quite busy of late. While I enjoy the challenge, and the work, it seems that I have resigned literary self-reflection to a scant few idle moments, at my desk. While that is certainly no tragedy, it does limit the efficacy of my journal. And forces me to trade eloquence for a more time effective bulleted list of activity summarizing nearly a week of misadventures.

The key points of the weekend were:
Cambridge Brewing Company’s 15th Anniversary Party: It was great to see Steve again, and enjoy a nice dinner with some spectacular beers. I need to spend more time with my old friends from High School. They are good people, and our paths have diverged too far. Unfortunately, I spread my self rather thin between Boston, Maine, and the mountains. Yes, it is quite obvious that I need to bring these people to the mountains. It will solve all of the problems.

Note: While I enjoyed the $2.50 drafts of the flagships, and a number of the special beers (Benevolence, Weekapaug Gruit, Barrel Aged Porter, etc) I did not become overly intoxicated. As a point of information, I did not pass out from cxonsumption – I merely crashed face first into thumper jr. because I was tired, and Brianne had started a 20 minute conversation on the painfully dull topic of stupid baby names that were more popular than her own.

We saw Troy. Troy ist good, but not so commercial. I enjoyed the film, despite the shaky special effects (I was spoiled by LOTR). I was most interested in the way the film made characters on both sides of the war interesting, and others deplorable. It was a Greek “Gods and Generals”. It was also a bit difficult to watch as losers became winners, and winners losers. Achilles’ death reminded of Krishna, who was also slain by an arrow through the heel. I wonder if there is more of a connection than coincidence. To quote some Cardassian, probably Garak. “I believe in coincidences, but I don’t trust them.”

It was great to see Keith again and enjoy the hilarity of our pasts. I’m quite looking forward to the coming weekend of PhiTau madness.

As I mentioned before, my work week has been busy. I’ve been learning and doing and all of that.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 7:41 AM

 
Finally, a political tidbit worth commenting upon. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5120562

John Kerry is beginning to make moves that will renew my interest in him as a candidate. John McCain secretary of defense? I’m down with that. It’s certainly better than Bush’s plan of staying loyal to the weak links in his administration (Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Ascroft). I like the idea of McCain as a secretary of defense because it crosses party lines, and I can trust McCain not to let our losses in Iraq become meaningless. Kerry is too slippery for me to speak of with many certainties.

I suppose I should also comment on disturbing reports from Iraq on both sides of the conflict. It’s very easy to say that the human rights of prisoners of war need to be respected and preserved. Of course the exact nature of these human rights is ill-defined. The rights of a prisoner in the US and the rights of a prisoner in Turkey or Iran are completely different. I like to think that we hold ourselves to a higher standard than many nations within or opposed to our coalition. Yes, I recognize that some prisoners rights are defined by the Geneva convention, a document that we have signed but Al Qaeda has no intention of recognizing.

It is unfortunate that our armed forces lacked the discipline and instruction to prevent the embarrassing, and inhumane treatment of the Iraqi prisoners. Yes, we Americans have a just cause for outrage. Yes, the Iraqi’s can now call us hypocrites; however I feel that they should do so imagining what Saddam would have done to those prisoners. In comparison, our soldiers’ misdeeds seem innocent. One opinion expressed around the lunch table here at Club M, is that the prisoner abuse was benign compared to some fraternity hazing stories. Yes, it was wrong but it’s not the end of the world. The prisoners suffered no physical harm. We fell short of our ideals.

The soldiers and their immediate commanders deserve serious reprimand. They “snapped” and were stupid enough to permit it to be filmed. There should be a study to devise more effective means to educate troops and prevent similar incidents in the future. Yes. I feel that Ryan Edel should be pulled from whatever assignment he is on and called to spearhead this effort to eliminate abuse by instating prisoners rights seminars and flying some hippie liberal chicks into the desert to instruct soldiers who struggle with the frustrating task of interrogating and guarding prisoners.

All of the outrageous abuses inflicted upon Iraqi’s by Americans seemed negligible when compared to Al Qaeda’s revenge. The recorded beheading of an American prisoner is barbaric and in direct defiance of the ideals and letter of the Geneva Convention. It was absurd and inhumane. A stoic testament to Al Qaeda’s firm belief that they can invoke the Ghost of Vietnam, and turn America’s courage into fear and futility by spilling what they perceive as relatively little blood. They expect to win the war on terror by executing a few prisoners and killing enough soldiers to make us give up.

Hopefully both presidential candidates understand that backing down from the war on Terror and pulling out of Iraq would signal Al Qaeda that they were right. Hopefully the American people realize that the only way to beat Al Qaeda is to continue fighting – pressuring there interest in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will win the war on terror if we persevere, if we sacrifice, and if we live up to our ideals. Dogmas of hatred and intolerance will turn to dust if exposed to the light of liberty.

posted by Ben at (0) comments 3:29 PM

 

Sometimes my creaky office chair makes me think that I am a pirate upon the seas.  The wind is at my back and the ocean beginning to tumble.
posted by Ben at 11:19 AM

 
My complaints to an anonymous internet have been aknowledged by that irony driving the universe. Here's what I won/bought:

2/3 Pavillion - Best mail order ever.

Jun 19 2004 Saratoga Performing Arts Center 13 JJ 9; 13 JJ 11
Aug 10 2004 Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts LAWN8 GA7 372; LAWN8 GA7 373
Aug 11 2004 Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts SEC 14 A 1; SEC 14 A 2

These seats aren't exactly front row; but they are seats.
posted by Ben at (2) comments 1:46 PM

 
My complaints to an anonymous internet have been aknowledged by that irony driving the universe. Here's what I won/bought:

2/3 Pavillion - Best mail order ever.

Jun 19 2004 Saratoga Performing Arts Center 13 JJ 9; 13 JJ 11
Aug 10 2004 Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts LAWN8 GA7 372; LAWN8 GA7 373
Aug 11 2004 Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts SEC 14 A 1; SEC 14 A 2

These seats aren't exactly front row - but they're under a roof.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 1:46 PM

 
I hate Music Today. HATE!!! I loath and despise this company that is taking advantage of the mellow easy going nature of hippies to screw us over. They are incompetent, inconsiderate, and unreasonable. They botched the ticket printing and shipment for last summer’s mail order, sending me to Washington without tickets and a hope that they wouldn’t drop the ball on the will call. Thank fully will call went through, and I could take my brother to his first show, at the gorge. I ordered a few items for Christmas, one was too backordered and another limited edition arrived damaged. I had a ridiculous time getting a refund and order stop on the back order and received no replacement or refund for the damaged item – despite three different service people who all said that my replacement would be on its way immediately – up until the stock sold out.

Now, music today is withholding information that is driving me nuts. As of 11:59 pm last night everyone was to have received their Phish ticket mailorder results. A bunch of folks did. I did not. I called up and the customer service guy told me that I received all of the shows that I ordered but couldn’t give me seating assignments. I have to wait for the email… Oh the frustration. I need the info so that Kate and I can effectively distribute our extras.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 1:18 PM

 
There’s just a few moments left in my lengthy day – just enough time for a bluegrass break (AKUS:Live) and mint julep reflection. Its Kentucky derby day in my mind. I’m wondering what I’m going to do.

It’s relaxing and warm, maybe a bit too humid. That’s the way it always is though, once I get into the habit of heading north to freedom – or at least Maine. I’ll still run this afternoon, as long as those silver pillows can hold their stuffing for another hour.

This morning was poorly lit, and rich with kitten happiness. It was a fine end to a weekend that mixed yard work, domestic demolition, and fishing.

I didn’t start my new project. That will wait for tomorrow, as Jay has swamped with things that rolled in while he was out with some dread stomach disease. It’s making the rounds of Millipore. Hopefully by steady diet of beer and cookies (and all that meat my mother cooks) will keep it at bay. I’m looking forward to this project. Things are arcing in directions that seem to indicate that I’ll be transitioned out of Virus and Vmax so that I can handle the reigns of this customer requested study.

There’s no word from Burlington (or sadly Charlottesville – I really wish that the Flynn was still in charge of mail order). There’s a charge for the full order on my credit card. The only questions are seating assignments. Using prognostication skills, I anticipate that I’ll have pavilion seats at no more than 1 show (likely one of the tweeters). Seats or lawn, there’s no place more fun than a Phish show.

posted by Ben at (0) comments 3:59 PM

 
My lobes tingle with the sense of opportunity. The progress is on two fronts. First, a fiscal invasion of Normandy. Fidelity finally sent me my 401k materials. Since my temp agency is a Fidelity run entity, I am eligible to participate in their 401k plan. This pleases me greatly, as I will not retire in Massachusetts and I can cut the state out of some of their burdensome income taxation. It’s an interesting plan, with a lot of aggressive investments and only a few funds for conservative investors. So, I’ll take advantage to diversify my portfolio into medium to high risk investments.

Yes, it’s time for me to ride the tsunami of profit that will spew forth from Japan’s smaller businesses.

The second opportunity allows me to benefit from another’s misfortune. One of my coworkers broke his wrist while playing soccer – so he’ll need an extra pair of hands solving a customer problem. I’m the extra hands that will help with testing for the next couple weeks, and have the potential to take over the project when Jay needs to shift his attention to a different fire. I’m pleased as this opportunity affords a strong potential for customer interaction and work at another Millipore site. If nothing else it’s good training and an additional resume bullet.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 12:57 PM

 
As I rushed to finish the last entry before dashing off to a lunch meeting, I realized that I omitted the key thought that inspired my comprehensive rant. The institution of marriage is under assault, not only from contemporary society’s lax attitude from divorce, but also from a reckless youth culture that enters into marriage without fully appreciating the magnitude of that commitment. A hasty marriage may quickly degrade, perpetuating the devaluation of marriage.

On a lighter note: I believe that all meeting should be held over lunch. Not only is the food superior to that available in the cafeteria or within my lunch bag – but as an hourly employee who isn’t attached to the notion of a lunch break I support the concept of the working lunch so that I can hit the road asap.

posted by Ben at (0) comments 2:59 PM

 
While my writing is promoted by a combination of idleness, amusement, and swayed passions few things motivate composition more than rage. Right now my muse is a tornado swelling about potential tragedy in a time that should be a proper cause for celebration. Unfortunately, it’s another witless engagement of convenience wrought not with desire to build a life together, but from alienation, convenience, and an illusion that unity is redi-mixed – just at rings and mix vigorously.

I recognize that my view of marriage is much more conservative than the average American, but I don’t really see a valid argument to support a more lax interpretation.
Here are my key beliefs
1)Marriage is a religious contract between two autonomous and independent individuals. It is meant as a permanent commitment. It should be made by people capable of forming a financially and socially independent union. While it is traditional for ceremonial costs to be absorbed by the couple’s families; ritual items such as rings and the post-matrimonial domestic arrangements should be financed by the couple.
2) Divorce is a tragedy that should be avoided at all costs, unfortunately there are a few mitigating circumstances that justify the action. However, two well intentioned and reasonable people will avoid such pitfalls. Divorce ought not to be easy and should not be seen as a socially acceptable outcome. It’s no less wrong and life shattering than teen pregnancy.
3) Marriage is not a right. Darwin must approve of all selections as “natural”. People who are lucky enough to find a life partner ought to be encouraged to marry. It is not however something that should be expected as inevitable. Thankfully, marriage works out for a lot of people making it seem like it is a god given right. However, the ACLU wouldn’t support the Comic Book Guy if he claimed that he had a right to a bride. It would interfere with someone’s right to choose not to marry a loser.

My frustrations were stirred by the news that a couple, who I shall refer to as the Stephanolopolis Consortium has publicly announced intentions to sanctify their relationship. While I ought to be pleased for Kate’s classmates, I find myself addressing the situation with dismay. Fortunately, I rarely interact with the consortium. While I find one of the founder’s has potential to be interesting, her close association with the other leads me to question my initial observance. At best, her judgment is clouded by an ambition that is as socially blinding as it is academically motivating. It’s the fatal flaw in her trip.

Now trip is a great, and expressive piece of slang. It’s much more refreshing to use than something with a carton of zs and some discount vowels. It’s also monosyllabic. Power comes from being pithy. How many obscene words have 3 or more syllables? Obscenity can only come from the brash potency of the monosyllable. In fact, in English few obscene words contain more than four words. The syllable count, is also how I can justify my assertion that biatch is an order of magnitude less offensive than the original bitch. Dime store vowels save the day.

It seems that the more interesting founder has set getting married as a goal with no real thought to the responsibilities associated with the commitment. She’s pressured a few prior partners to the point of long term commitment to the consortium. In 13 months of “official” operation and probably a few more of activities that would have angered the prior partner (who was unceremoniously fired by email) the consortium has committed to a long term involvement in what I can only assume to be the lucrative business of whip testing. The academic efforts of the consortium are unlikely to turn a profit within 5 years. In fact, that seems to be a fundamental problem. The founder’s ambition for an academic career will likely force her to separate from her partner – or encourage him to prematurely terminate his dual degree academic program. He may not need much convincing after five years of analyzing whip impact strength.

I can’t imagine that the consortium has dedicated that much thought to long range planning. Given that they spend their time reinforcing each other’s trade in frustration and alienation instead of encouraging good business practices and positive interactions with colleagues and competitors.

In fact, there is little indication that the founder is capable of either long term commitment or running the consortium whilst telecommuting. Prior experience indicates poor performance in both areas.

It troubles me to see two, or at least one, reasonable person sign on for a hard lesson and to flirt with tragedy. Perhaps more work without a contract and a prolonged study of current and future interactions would benefit both parties.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:52 AM