So I wish it was an April fools joke but today they told us we are no longer aloud to listen to music while working. I guess the rule is mostly intended for the cops on patrol which I totally get…personally I would prefer the people keeping me safe from crime and terror not to be overly distracted listening to the latest Lady Gaga track or something. But for those of us in the lab who some times have to sit at our desks doing paperwork and case audits for seven hours straight a little music helps pass the time and just makes the lab a better place to be.
I wonder if they really think its going to help improve the quality of our work or morale because…yeah not so much.
Random stuff »« Flower Show
Friday night we had tickets to go see Garfunkel and Oates at Comix in Manhattan. I bought the tickets like the day they announced the show a few months back, not so much because I was afraid it would sell out or anything, but more so I could commit us to actually going. Much too often we see something we want to do, say “oh we should get tix and go do that” and never end up doing it.
So anyway, Friday after work we headed into the city. As a little pre-birthday treat I bough us the “VIP” dinner tickets which basically got us a reserved table and pre-paid for dinner and a glass of wine each. Dinner seating wasn’t till around 6:30 so we had a drink at the bar there while we waited. Was their happy hour so a rum and coke was only 5$ instead of like 10$. Yeah Manhattan comedy club drink prices…got to love em. Dinner was good, and the deserts were a nice little treat. Show it self started around 8, they had two opening comics who were alright nothing fantastic, and gave us time to have a few more drinks before the main show, which is probably the point.
Finally Garfunkel and Oates came on stage. (Real names Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci) they have done some TV/movie acting and were just recently on the Tonight Show with their most popular song Pregnant Women Are Smug. As you can guess from the above link they are sort of a comedy song duo who also happen to be totally cute. They also got popular a year or two ago with their song/video for Sex with Ducks which was a response to a Pat Robertson quote that legalizing gay marriage would lead to legalizing sex with ducks. They put on a really great show, both Meg and I really enjoyed the show. Both agreeing that for one we have to do this sort of thing more often (though also agreeing that we don’t do it TOO often what with the number of drinks we both had and what they charge for them in the city.
Rest of the weekend was pretty low key. Because we didn’t get in till late Friday we sort of slept in Saturday and after breakfast went out for a walk in the park to enjoy the nice weather we are finally having. Today it was mostly shopping and doing stuff around the appt. I put away my winter stuff and got out the spring clothing, so I am sure we will have a snow storm in the next week.
Nothing too exciting going on with work this week, have SCOTT pack refresher training Wednesday which means I get to run around the hazmat training grounds in a face mask and air tank. Always an odd experience.
30th birthday is next week 3-30 for those wanting to send gifts 
) No major plans, I have to work that day, have a glass fracture training class. No better way to celebrate ones birthday then playing with broken glass all day! Uh…or something. Meg is going to make me a cake and we may go out for dinner. Probably do more cake and what not that following weekend when we go up to CT for Easter.
Have to start dinner soon…trying a new Lemon Chicken Casserole recipe I found on line. Mmmm.
Flower Show »« Pep Boys Fail
This morning I came across a few pics on one of my co-workers Flickr page of a March 2010 Cosmopolitan magazine article titled “Inside a CSI Murder”. Its a mostly sensational/fluff piece on the Michelle Lee case (she was the Criminalist who worked at the lab and was killed last year). I guess with all the popularity of forensics and ‘CSI’ its not unexpected for the story to pop up here and there, I can only imagine what it’s going to be like when the trial of her alleged killer finally starts.
I found a copy on bittorrent so I could see the story. What is really odd is that the story is in Cosmopolitan magazine. So you have a story about the brutal murder of a young woman in the same issue as “How to touch a naked man”, “Curb Your Cravings! Without feeding your face”, and “Fashion:7 Items You’ll Wear the Hell out of”……uh really?
Who though that was a good idea and who approved said idea in the editorial room? The article it self is really unimpressive in my opinion. It’s really just a re-tread of stuff that already appeared in the papers last year, mixed in with questions to their forensic experts as to their thoughts on the case (with random forensic info graphics mixed in on blood splatter and fiber comparison).
All in all a truly bizarre reading experience.
Pep Boys Fail »« Valentine’s day weekend
Just got thought with dinner. Ended up making soup tonight and tried a new beer bread recipe which came out really good. (Due to a little mis-communication we ended up with too much beer last weekend for the BBQ in Hartford so we took home the extra hence my desire to find alternate uses for all the beer ) The only problem is that I am going to have a LOT of left over soup and bread. I am not used to cooking for 1 any more and with Meg still in Fl looks like I will be eating soup for a day or two.
Didn’t do much exciting today. Tore the bedroom apart to clean it. The sad thing is it doesn’t look THAT different. Most of the cleaning was corralling the dust bunnies llamas that were under the dresser and behind the bed. I think I got black lung disease in the process but the room is mostly dust free now. The trick is going to be trying to keep it that way.
Back to work tomorrow. Though given I will have the room to my self some how I don’t think it will be too bad of a Monday!
Sagamore Hill »« Weekend update
I suck at updating and again I blame twitter. Its so easy to post random stuff a few times a day/week that actually sitting down and writing a longer post of any substance is more work than I want to do most of the time.
We ended up going to CT for Memorial day weekend. Had a nice visit. We did the usual Bookbarn trip and had a BBQ at my parents house Sunday. We ended up driving back early Monday and beat all the traffic. I think we made the best time for our CT-NY drive ever.
We are still working on wedding planning stuff. The main focus right now is finding a place for our reception lunch after the actual wedding. We are looking at a few places but really have to find and book something soon, if not people will be ordering off the dollar menu at McDonalds before we have our wedding-hot-apple-pie
Speaking of weddings this week at work we did a little party for one of the guys who is getting married this weekend. My job was to bring the bagels since I have everyone here addicted to Glendale Bagles when I bring them in from time to time. It was an adventure to say the least when I realzed while already on the bus that they forgot half my bagels and I had to go back and get them and then go BACK on the bus to head to work. Still bagels were darn tasty
This weekend we went to see UP which was a cute little movie. We both liked it, though I think Meg liked it more than I did. She especially liked the talking dog “Doug”. We also went out for a little walk later in the afternoon to enjoy the nice weather.
Today was just us being lazy for the most part, which was nice too.
Date night »« fun with photography
We were told someone we work with was found dead this morning in their appt. News/facts are still coming out but it was quite a shock. I didn’t really know the girl that well. She worked in my section for a short time before she started training. Still…was quite a sad day at the lab today.
…Like something out of The Stand. »« Chicago day 3
Yesterday was our first day of class. We pretty much covered the basics and theory behind the microscope, how to set it up, how to calibrate the scale, things like that. They brought in lunch for us since there really isn’t much with in walking distance from where the class was.
Last night 5 of us all met up in the lobby and went out to see a little bit of Chicago. We took the subway a few stops up to the John Hancock Center and based on a tip from one of the instructors, went up to the Signature Lounge which is even higher than the visitors center (96th floor) and instead of paying 15$ to ride up and look out the observation deck windows we spent 10$ on a drink in the lounge and got to look out those windows which gave a quite impressive view of the city.
Ohhh also while up there we saw Bobby Lee from Mad TV up there having a drink with some friends. A few people took pictures with him and he seemed nice. Just figures that I live in NYC for 5 years and the first “famous person I saw on the street” story is from Chicago.
After the sun set we went back down and headed to Giordanos (the famous pizza place) for dinner. 4 of us split the tropical pizza which was pineapple, cheese, and canadian bacon. It was VERY good. Plus we didn’t eat till like 9 here which is like 10 for me so I was just a little hungry.
Today is day 2 of class. No idea what we might do tonight. One of the museums is open till 8 and free today so there was some talk of being total nerds and going there. Have to see.
sad day at the lab »« In Chicago
I had to go to court today in Manhattan on a drug case. Granted I no longer do drug cases but I guess the wheels of justice can sometimes turn slowly so I may have the occasional need to testify on cases I did a year or two back. The timing worked out great though, because it meant I was down by Foley Square across from the courts in time for Obama’s inauguration. They had a big video screen set up and I ended up spending my lunch hour standing outside in the cold with a few hundred other people watching him take the oath of office.
It was actually a lot of fun to get to watch with a crowd, and every one cheered as he took the oath and laughed when, while talking about his plans to you know not torture prisoners any more because the world expects better os us, the cameras cut to now ex-president GW Bush.
After Obama gave his speech it was time for me to head over to court and meet with the DA, which was a good thing because until I started walking I didn’t really realize how cold I had gotten standing there for an hour. First stop when I got to the court was a nice hot coffee.
Slow time of year »« Cold
We are back in NYC after yet another long weekend visit to my parents up in CT. We had a really fun time. Did the usual book barn trip but also got to go pick apples and visit the Berlin Fair. Meg was quite excited at getting to pet her first sheep!
Today was back to work for me (took last friday off) but it will be a short week. I am traveling up-state Wednesday for a conference/meeting about arson and fire debris. I am not exactly looking forward to the 5 hour drive I have to do to get up there but getting to see the “live burn” demonstration should more then make up for it!
Made it »« Better than a lucky penny
So at work I am currently training in the Fire Debris section. Basically I am learning how to analyze evidence from fire scenes and see if there are any ignitable liquids present. This could indicate the fire was intentionally set, or not…not my call. All I do is say what’s there or not there really.
ANYWAY…for part of the training one side experiment we are doing is to see the effects of soil microbes on Gasoline. Literature says that stuff in soil can actually “eat” some compounds in gasoline. So to test this the plan is to add some gasoline to dirt, let it sit, and see what happens. So there I am out back behind my apartment building last night with a small metal can and a large slotted spoon digging up some dirt from the little garden area we have against the back fence. This is all fine and good at first, but it seems that my new landlord (who up to now I have met exactly once when the old one brought him around to meet all of us) was doing some work down in the basement, the door to which opens on the back of the building in full view of the garden area. So from HIS prospective he opens the door to see someone squatting down behind his building shoveling dirt into a can with a slotted spoon.
He finally said something like “uh hi what’s going on?” and I realized who it was and got up to introduce my self and told him exactly what I was doing back there. I didn’t really go into much detail other then where I worked and that it was “for science” which really I have found works quite well in a large number of situations. He was cool with it all once he realized who I was and all that and we both went on our ways. If nothing else, I suppose, it gave him a odd little tale to tell at home or work the next day.
Myrtle ave 1951 »« The truth is out there…unfortunately
So today I had to go down to NYPD medical for a check up of sorts for my SCOTT pac air tank training (see this from last year). Had to be there for 6 am so that was oodles of fun, like last time I took a cab. It was worth the 10$ not to deal with the bus at 5am.
So I get there and the rent-a-cop…er security guard in the loby asks what I am there for. I tell him I am with the NYPD and am doing a medical screening. He looks at me again and then asks “Oh…are you here for psychological screening?” I just stared at him for a moment and said “uh no…for hazmat related training medical check up”. He told me what floor to head to and I went on my way. So you know thanks security guy for my needing psychological testing being your first guess as to why I was there. Maybe a just had an extra crazy look this morning, a combination of being out at 6am and not having eaten anything for the last 12 hours due to the blood test (which was the LAST thing they did…seriously..take my blood first then while I am standing for 20 minutes waiting to see the Dr. I can eat a snack cake or something)
But I digress, rest of the thing went fine and I was back at work a few hours later…medically fit apparently but I guess I will just never know about my psychological state Maybe next time!
HMS Pinafore »« Men’s Room at the Hilton
But seriously…on the one hand it’s a cute little…promotion…or something but one would think that in advertising the “Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science” at the University of New Haven you would go for something a bit more….well scientific? I mean granted there is science involved in the little thermal reactive patch on the ruler which changes color with the temperature (think Mood Ring) but presenting it as a lie detector…even as a joke, doesn’t really do much for science credibility. They may as well of printed a star chart or Ouija board on it and told people to use that to catch the criminal.
I guess it just bothers me that in a field where we have to constantly fight the media image of forensic science as something that is akin to magic process that can solve any crime in 30 minutes or less, even the big “reputable” organizations of higher learning further the stereo type instead of…well you know…educating people as they are supposed to be doing to the truth of Forensic Science and all the work that goes into it. We have enough problems with jurors expecting “cool science stuff” in every trial, and really the last thing we need is them now wondering why the officer didn’t just use is portable lie detector to find out the truth.
Leaving Las Vegas »« AC hell
So last night was my co-worker Allan’s wedding. Alison, Meg, and I all rode up together. Due to crazy Long Island Memorial Day Weekend Traffic we ended up missing the ceremony at the church, but made it in time to see everyone come up and congratulate them then at least:
While we were there we met up with a few other people we knew from work and got to snap a few pictures:
After that we headed down to the Thatched Cottage (also on Long Island) for the reception. The place was quite nice/classy. First time ever using valet parking. Ooooo. The food was really good. There were tons of tasty things at the cocktail hour (as well as cocktails) Meg was excited that there were Pina Coladas. We ate a little and had a few drinks, out on the patio it was a really nice view:
Then we all headed up for the dinner and more drinks. They split up the people from the lab among two tables. Meg and I ended up sitting with Alison, Debbie and her Husband, and Michelle and her Fiancee. So yeah we all had a good time. The food was good as you can see:
I had the duck (and followed proper photo procedure and included a scale) We did the same with a bunch of photos we took using the disposable cameras they had at the table.
The rest of the evening followed the typical wedding type stuff, music, toasts, and ect.
The one bone I have to pick is with Alison and Michelle who WERE NOT being helpful brining Meg more drinks every 10 minutes hehe. But really, a good time was had by all.
The rest of this weekend will be spent mostly taking it easy. We went out to the movies today and saw the new Narnia movie which was alright. Nothing great but we were both in the mood for some mindless entertainment and it sufficed. I have Monday off for Memorial Day so I get a nice long weekend to recover before it’s back to work.
The letter in the pond »« Domestic Partnership
As of this morning I am officially done with my Chemical Unknowns training!!! Yay! There were points where it felt like we would never be done but it is finally over. I am now fully trained in the analysis of chemical unknowns. We are just waiting to get our first chemical cases, which should be any day now. It just feels good to finally be finished. At some point in the near future we will start the next stage of our training where we will be split up and do either explosives or fire debris training (no idea yet what one I will do first but the plan was for us to end up learning all three disciplines at some point)
Not much going on on the home front, the girl and I went to see Iron Man Saturday. It was good, better than I expected. We did a belated Birthday Celebration for her with cake and her favorite dinner. I also gave her the Stargate movie dvd I had been saving for her (and almost forgot about). She enjoyed her semi-late birthday, though really who doesn’t enjoy cake
Domestic Partnership »« Viva Las Vegas!
Finally had my mock trail for my chemical unknown training this past Friday. (it went as well as could be expected) I did fine as far as I know. Will find out this week I imagine for sure. Ended up leaving at 2 on Friday and I have Monday off. The girl and I came up to CT and are staying with my parents. Jenn is up in NH this week visiting her family and is going to drive down here today to visit. yay!
We have ended up deciding to go down to New Haven today and will visit the Peabody Museum (woo for dinosaurs) and hit Mamouns Falafel for lunch/dinner. Which we are both quite excited for (well Meg is too because she likes that place also). Unfortunately Jen can only spend the day but we will get to see her again in a few months at her wedding (which I still have to get tickets for….ugh…stupid airline prices)
Rest of this weekend has been quiet up to this point. Yesterday was a shopping day, I got a new suit and bough Meg some much needed jeans. Then last night I took my parents out for a duel birthday dinner at this great local Mexican plane. We have to head back some time tomorrow and will probably go back early so we don’t hit any rush hour traffic and what not.
Both Jen and I will have out DSLR’s so I’m sure there will be many geeky pictures of us pointing at dinosaurs and whatnot to post to flickr in a day or so
Viva Las Vegas! »« The PCR song…
