21st Century Humanist

Happy Valentine’s Day （ハッピーバレンタインデー）

2012-02-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a romantic Valentine’s Day. Here is a gift of tropical flowers for you.

とにかく、私は誰もがロマンチックいバレンタインデーを願っています。あなたのための熱帯花のギフトはここにある。

- Just a peasant

Photo from Grenada

Back to School (学校に戻って)

2012-02-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

Here I am in Grenada for another semester. However, today is nice. It is a pleasant and windy day. It is a day I would like to share with friends. This photo is from the other part of our campus.

私は別の学期のグレナダにここにいる。但し、今日素晴らしいがある。それは気持が良く、風の強い日である。それは私が友人と共有することを望む日である。この写真は私達のキャンパスの他の部分からある。

- Just a peasant

Hardship

2012-01-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

While I sit here in relative comfort I am acutely aware that the same cannot be said for the people of North Korea. There is a claim that its repugnant regime will not last much longer; that these monstrous god-kings will fall to ruin. There remains a naïve hope that the two Koreas will peacefully reunite. Perhaps - but I have serious doubts.

The regime is unethically fueled by business deals with Russia and by the political-military machinations of China. It is artificially bolstered by international humanitarian aid and misplaced pleasantries. It is run by a group of sycophants and true believers who maintain their lifestyles at the expense of millions of slave laborers. North Korea’s atrocious institutions are defended by a fearful and paranoid military. It is a place of starvation, sickness, and desperation.

In their own brutal world they, the elite, are comfortable. It is acceptable to them. The status quo will remain in place. As for the peaceful “reunification” it should be remembered that power does not share power. They will not subjugate themselves to the ideologies of South Korea. Nor do I believe that South Korean leaders have any genuine intention of sharing governance with North Korea. The only real unification will be violent. As for the impending “demise” of North Korea, it must be remembered that those in control of government see themselves as righteous and beyond responsibility for the atrocities and travesties of their rule. The power players of North Korea have no remorse and no intention of changing.

This morning I am reminded that, on this very same planet, a cold snowy morning can bring quiet reflection to one person but bring dire hardship to another.

- Just a peasant

Photo from the backyard

Happy New Year (よいお年を)

2012-01-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a good year. Do your best!

私は皆がよい年を過すことを望む。がんばって。

- Just a peasant

Photo from Grenada - グレナダからの写真。

Daybreak (夜明け)

2011-11-28T14:04:00.001-08:00

The final exam of Immunology is over. It was a difficult exam. Now it is time for a rest.

免疫学の期末試験は終わった。それは困難な検査だった。今度はそれは残りの時間である。

- Just a peasant

Photo of very early morning in Grenada -グレナダの非常に早朝。

The World (世界)

2011-11-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

There will never be a world in which things are always good; only one in which there is always a chance to do good things.

万事に精良な世界など来ることはないのだろう。ただあるのは、善良さを受容する世界のみである。

- Just a peasant

November Sunset in Grenada - グレナダ11月の日没

My ribs! (私の肋骨!)

2011-10-21T11:04:00.001-07:00

It was just one of those nights. Last week I got a couple of bruised ribs (lower right side) from Thai boxing drills. It was from body checks. That’s where you take a hit to the body then launch a counter attack off of it. So last night I was doing some jujitsu – I’m terrible at jujitsu. But for some reason - everybody kept falling onto my injured ribs. It was painful and difficult to breathe. This went on for two hours. At one point I thought I had broken ribs. But I made it through. Today, I’m really sore but I feel awesome. I think we all have those kind of days.

それらの夜のちょうど1時だった。先週私はタイのボクシングのドリルから幾つかの傷つけられた肋骨(右下の側面)を得た。それはボディ・チェッキングからあった。それはある - 誰かはボディの1つの側面の打つそして次に - 反対の攻撃を進水させる。そう昨晩私は柔術を練習していた - 私は柔術でひどい。どういうわけか -皆は私の傷つけられた肋骨にころび続けた。それは苦痛だったそして呼吸すること困難。これは2時間続いた。一時は私は私に壊れた肋骨があったことを考えた。しかし私はそれを作った。今日、私は痛むが、驚くばかりに感じる。私は私達がすべてそれらの種類の幾日を有することを考える。

- Just a peasant

Sunrise Avenue（日の出アベニュー)

2011-10-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

I think this a really good song and video. Hollywood Hills. Such a familiar theme.

私が思うこれは本当に良い曲とビデオ。ハリウッドヒルズ。非常によく知られた主題。

- Just a peasant

Beautiful Things（美しいもの）

2011-10-10T13:24:00.001-07:00

The moon is far away but it is also very beautiful. I guess it is the same for many things.

月は遠いですが、それも非常に美しいです。私はそれが多くの事のための同じであることを推測する。

- Just a peasant

Moon over Grenada - グレナダ以上ムーン

Bananaquit

2011-09-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

This bird is called a Bananaquit. They like nectar. I also need a better camera. Sorry.

この鳥は、Bananaquit と呼ばれています。彼らは果汁を好む。私はまたよりよいカメラを必要とする。私は残念である。

- Just a peasant

Photo from Grenada - グレナダからの写真。

Daily Lectures (毎日の講議)

2011-09-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

My mornings are spent here in this classroom. We have several different classes here. Right now it is cardiovascular physiology. I really like this class a lot.

私の朝はこの教室でここに過ごされる。私達は複数の異なったクラスをここに有する。今それは心血管生理学である。私は実際にこのクラスをたくさん好む。

- Just a peasant

遠方からの伊東美咲 (Misaki Ito from Far Away) 2011

2011-08-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

私がそれを理解するように、伊東美咲は地震および津波の犠牲者のための彼女の部品をした。当然彼女は - 彼女はよい女優およびすばらしい人である。このごろ、日本は今のところ非常に離れているようで、私は実際に彼女をショー逃す。私は彼女が幸せであることを望む。当然、親であることは困難な仕事である。私はそれを理解する。私は彼女がうまくあることを望む。彼女は今でも私の好みの女優である。彼女は私の好み常にである。

今のところとして、私は非常に忙しい - 医療学校は非常に挑戦的である。また、私は短い本に取り組んでいた。この学期私達は精密身体検査を練習している。私達は精密身体検査を練習するのに私達の友人を使用する。しかし私は非常に怒っている - 私は伊東美咲が付いている検査を練習したいと思う。 Damn! 彼女はまた私の主要な気晴らしである。 HaHaHa! 彼女はほとんど魔法である。

1つのより多くの事 - 最終的に、すべての問題はおさまる。心配してはいけない、私は純真ではない。私は愚かではない。私はちょうど遠方人である。けれども私は実際に気遣う。わかりますか。

As I understand it, Misaki Ito did her part for the earthquake and tsunami victims. Of course she did – she is a good actress and great person. These days, Japan seems so far very away and I really miss her shows. Of course, being a parent is a difficult job. I understand that. I hope she is okay. She is still my favorite actress. She will always be my favorite.

As for now, I am very busy - medical school is harder than I thought it would be. Also, I was working on a short book. This semester we are practicing physical examinations. So we use our friends to practice the physical examinations. But I’m still angry - I want to use Misaki Ito for exam practice! Damn! She is also my main distraction. HaHaHa! She’s almost magical.

- Just a peasant

残念-私に他のどの写真もなかった。Photo from this website.

To celebrate (祝うため)

2011-07-05T09:42:00.001-07:00

I will always celebrate human compassion and achievement. I will never celebrate nationalism or war.

私は人間の同情および達成を常に祝う。私は決して国家主義および戦争を祝わない。

– Just a peasant

誕生日おめでとう

2011-05-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

おそらく美しい女優はそのような事を必要としない。それが価値であるものをのため - 誕生日おめでとう。

- Just a peasant

Support Japan （日本をサポート）

2011-04-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

I apologize for being quiet. I have been busy. I need to finish a grant proposal. Also, I have been thinking about the earthquake and tsunami. How could I assist the people of Japan? One idea was to make a T-shirt. It was designed by a professional. The money goes to charity. I am also helping someone else arrange a benefit event.

Many people around the world care about the Japanese people. Please remember that.

私は静かであることを謝る。ずっと私は忙しい。また、私はずっと地震および津波について考えている。日本の人々を助ける方法か。1つの考えはTシャツを作ることだった。それは専門家によって設計されていた。お金は慈善に行く。私はまた誰かを整理する利点のでき事を助けている。

多くの世界中の人々は日本人を気遣う。それを覚えなさい。

- Just a peasant

Photo of the T-shirt

日本2011年 (Japan 2011)

2011-03-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

当然私は日本の友人を心配していた。海辺の町の特に人々。地震および津波は非常に恐い。非常に悲しい。

私は心配しないことを試みる。 OK? ありがとう。

Of course I was worried about friends in Japan. Earthquakes and tsunamis are very scary. It's very sad.

- Just a peasant

Photo from NHK

Break Time (壊れ目の時間)

2011-02-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

I’m going to Oregon for awhile. I was invited to New Year’s dinner at this Chinese restaurant. The woman is the owner. She is very sweet to me. These men work for the agricultural mission from China. They help the local farmers improve agriculture in Grenada.

The food was excellent!

私はオレゴンに少しの間行っている。新年で、私はこの中国のレストランの夕食に誘われた。この良い女性は所有者である。彼女は私に非常に甘い。これらの人は中国からの農業の代表団のために働く。それらはグレナダのローカル農夫が農業を改善するのを助ける。

そして食糧は非常に優秀だった。

- Just a peasant

Photo from Grenada -グレナダからの写真

Happy Valentine’s Day （ハッピーバレンタインデー）

2011-02-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

Wow! Today I saw a new post today on her blog. It was an excellent surprise. Did she say something about drums? That’s really cool. She is also busy with her baby. That’s sweet.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a good Valentine’s Day. As for myself, I have a parasitology final exam. But today . . . was a good day. :)

Wow! 私は彼女のブログに今日、新しいポストを見た。それは優秀な驚きだった。彼女は二重太鼓についての何かを言うか。それはとてもクールだ。彼女はまた彼女の赤ちゃんとビジー状態です。それは甘い。

とにかく、私は誰もが良いバレンタインデーを願っています。自分のために、私は寄生虫最終試験を持っています。しかし、今日. . . 良い一日であった。 :)

- Just a peasant

Photo of St. George - 写真の聖ジョージ

To Listen - (聞くため)

2011-02-11T04:51:00.000-08:00

I know that there are sweet people in the world. Thank you. My problems are not important. But, how are you doing? I’ll listen. Of course I will.

Today, think of this tree. Think of the blue sky that lies beyond its branches. Think of the sound of the tropical ocean. I wonder if you will smile today?

Is the winter really cold? The winter here is warm. Here is a song from the Caribbean. India-Arie : Therapy.

私は世界に甘い人々があることがわかっている。ありがとう。しかし、私の問題は重要ではない。お元気ですか。私は聞く。当然私は。

今日、この木について考えなさい。枝を越える青空について考えなさい。熱帯海洋の音について考えなさい。私は今日微笑するかどうか疑問に思う。

冬は非常に冷たいか。ここの冬は暖かい。カリブからの歌はここにある。India-Arie : Therapy.

- Just a peasant

Photo from Grenada - グレナダからの写真

Caribbean Chess （カリブのチェス）

2011-02-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

I also like to play chess. Indigenous people fighting the Spanish Conquistadors.

私もチェスを遊ぶのが好きだ。スペインの征服者と戦う先住民族。

- Just a peasant

A hand-painted chess set - 設定手描きのチェス

Somewhere (どこかの)

2011-01-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

- Just a peasant

End of the Island (島の端)

2011-01-18T15:39:00.001-08:00

I contemplate the landscape around me.

The wind sweeps effortlessly through the grass like a new and dazzling romance in a city of lonely millions. I have also known romance. Yes, I have experienced that ecstasy which is far better than the drug of the same name – which I have also experienced. Then my eyes move slowly to the cactus plants which barely move in the strong, reckless wind. And I remember that romance can also sting and cut. Yet, I also know that it is worth every single moment. I may be damaged goods - but I know that.

- Just a peasant

Photo from near campus - 近くのキャンパスから写真

Happy New Year (よいお年を)

2011-01-01T17:28:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone has a good year. This iguana enjoys the ocean.

私は皆がよい年を過すことを望む。このイグアナは海を楽しんでいます。

- Just a peasant

Photo - iguana in Grenada - グレナダのイグアナ

Study spot - 勉強する場所

2010-12-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

When I study, I like this place. I think about science and medicine. I think about the world. I daydream about the universe. But today, I have a simple thought. I wonder : could this be my last birthday? There is sadness - there is clarity. But, I am not alone. I have the sea and the sky.

私が勉強するするとき、私はこの場所を好む。私は科学や医学について考える。私は、世界について考える。私が宇宙に関する空想。しかし、今日、私は単純な思考を持っています。私は疑問 : 今日は私の最後の誕生日だろうか。哀しみがある - 明確さがある。しかし,私は一人ではない。私は海と天を持っています。

- Just a peasant

Photo from campus - 写真キャンパスから

Distance （距離）

2010-12-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

I dream of the horizon because I am a nomad. But the sun is setting and I cannot catch it.

私は地平線の私が遊牧民であるので夢を見る。でも太陽は設定であり、私はそれをつかまえることができない。

- Just a peasant

Photo from campus in Grenada - キャンパス写真グレナダから

Before the storm (嵐の前に)

2010-10-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

A tropical storm is approaching today. The island is preparing for it. Soon, the electricity and the water will be turned off. We will wait in the darkness. Exciting. See you later.

熱帯嵐は今日近づいている。島はそれのために準備している。すぐに、電気および水は消える。私達は暗闇で待っている。それはエキサイティングです。後で会おう。

- Just a peasant

Photo of calm cats - 穏やかな猫の写真。

Nothing special today (特別な何も今日)

2010-10-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

- Just a peasant

Photo looking out across the island - 見ること島を渡って

Jasper Morello (Jasper Morelloの神秘的な調査)

2010-10-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

I really like interesting animation. This is a creative short film. Click here to watch The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello. I liked it. What do you think?

私は実際に興味深い生気を好む。これは創造的な短編映画である。 Youtubeで見るためにここにかちりと鳴らしなさい。私はそれを好んだ。どう思いますか。

- Just a peasant

The grass is greener (草は緑である)

2010-10-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

These cows are smart. They know where the good grass grows. They also know how to relax between exams.

これらの牛はスマートである。彼らはよい草が育つどこに知っている。検査間で、彼らはまた緩む方法を知っている。

- Just a peasant

Photo of cows on campus - キャンパスの牛の写真

Waiting for Misaki (伊東美咲を待っている)

2010-09-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

私はここにグレナダで午前 - 衛生学校を通って苦しむこと - 私は伊東美咲からの次の映画を待っている。はい、私は非常に忍耐強い人である。私はあきらめることはありません。私はそれが実際によい映画であるもことを望む。このごろ私はに先に見ることを何かを必要とする。

自分自身のために、衛生学校は楽しみではない。私は実験室を逃す。私は新しい研究の夢を見ることを逃す。私は他の科学者とのその相互作用を逃す。ここに私は宇宙を熟視する時間がない。人間文明を熟視する時間がない。この場所では、私はちょうど無人機である。今日、私は衛生学校へ来ることのために愚かに感じる。

しかし一方では私は優秀な伊東美咲がいかにについてあるか考える。彼女はまた実際に滑稽です。そしてどういうわけか、それは私を幸せに再度させる。

英語：

Here in Grenada – suffering through medical school - I am still waiting for Misaki Ito’s next movie. Yes, I am a very patient person. I will not give up. I hope that it’s a really good movie too. These days I need something to look forward to.

For myself, medical school is not fun. I miss the laboratory. I miss dreaming of new research. I miss interacting with other scientists. Here, there is no time to contemplate the universe. There is no time to contemplate human civilization. Here, I am just a drone. Today, I feel stupid for coming to medical school.

But then I think of how excellent Misaki Ito is. She is also funny. And that makes me happy.

- Just a peasant

Photo from the beach. 浜からの写真。

Grenada haiku (俳句のグレナダ)

2010-08-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

Lonely, sweaty…
beneath the tropical sun
a red dragonfly

日本語:

孤独、汗まみれ…
熱帯太陽の下
赤いトンボ

- Just a peasant

Photo from wandering around Grenada - グレナダのまわりでさまようことからの写真

私は残念である-私の日本人はひどい。

The Arsenal (工廠)

2010-08-15T15:30:00.001-07:00

In the photo are the first books for medical students. These books are ammunition. We have 16 weeks to absorb what they contain. We must be able to apply this knowledge. Our brain must use this ammunition. I have studied some of this before. But that does not mean it will be easy. I can fail just like anybody else here.

これらは医学生のための最初の本である。これらの本は弾薬である。私達はそれらが含んでいるものを吸収する16週を過す。私達はこの知識を適用必要がある。私達の頭脳はこの弾薬を使用しなければならない。私は幸運である- 私はこれのいくつかを前に調査したあることが。しかしそれはそれが容易であることを意味しない。私は誰でものようにちょうどここに失敗する場合がある。

- Just a peasant

Photo of first term medical school books (写真: 衛生学校の本)

The Humble Medical Student (卑しいな医学生)

2010-08-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

My quest for knowledge continues. Now I am at medical school.

I could quit now and get a university job. I could work in a fertility clinic. But I don’t want a comfortable life. I have questions. I have ideas. I need this knowledge. Deep inside, I know I have to try.

I know I’m crazy. I wish I was a simple person. I sincerely do. I wish I could relax – like a normal person. I wish I could have friends – like a normal person. I wish I could love someone – like a normal person. But I love solving problems. I love learning. That is my life. That is my loneliness.

No worries. At the end of my life, when I take my last breath, I have to know that I pushed myself to the limit. One more thing - please remember this – I do care about you. My life is chaotic and busy but I care about your happiness. I always will. Okay?

知識のための私の探求は続く。今度は私は衛生学校に通っている。

私は今やめ、大学仕事を得ることができる。私は不妊治療院で働くことができる。しかし私は快適な生命がほしいと思わない。私は質問を有する。私は考えを有する。私はこの知識を必要とする。深い内部、私は私が試みなければならないことを知っている。

私は私が狂気であることを知っている。私の願いは私が簡単な人だったことである。私は誠実である。私の願いは私が緩むことができることである - 正常な人のように。私の願いは私に友人があることができることである - 正常な人のように。私の願いは私が人を愛することができることである - 正常な人のように。しかし私は問題を解決することを愛する。私は学ぶことを愛する。それは私の生命である。それは私の孤独である。

心配無し。私の生命の終わりに、私が私の最後の呼吸を取るとき、私は私が限界に自分自身を押したことを知らなければならない。1つのより多くの事-これを覚えなさい-あなたについてのIの心配。私の生命は無秩序および使用中しかし私はあなたの幸福を気遣うであり。私は常に気遣う。理解するか。

- Just a peasant

Photo from my new medical school (私の新しい衛生学校からの写真)

Summer afternoon - 夏の午後

2010-07-29T18:58:00.001-07:00

- Just a peasant

Nomad again (再度遊牧民)

2010-06-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

It is time to move again. I am definitely a nomad. This is a photo of my workstation. I studied embryos and sperm here. I spent many years here and analyzed tens of thousands of cells.

Tomorrow is a new adventure. So now I say good bye to the Midwest. Hello Pacific Ocean.

それは再度動く時間である。私は完全に遊牧民である。これは私のワークステーションの写真である。私は胚および精液をここに調査した。私は多くの年をここに過ごしそして数万個の細胞を分析した。

明日は新しい冒険である。そう今私は米国中西部にさよならを言う。こんにちは太平洋。

- Just a peasant

Photo of our fluorescent microscope and imaging accessories - 私達の蛍光顕微鏡およびイメージ投射付属品の写真

Train (列車)

2010-06-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

I think this a really good song and video. Hey, Soul Sister. I hope you have a good summer.

私が思うこれは本当に良い曲とビデオ。ねえ、ソウルシスター。私はあなたの良い夏したい。

- Just a peasant

誕生日の女の子

2010-05-26T00:02:00.000-07:00

今日は非常に甘い人の誕生日である。Happy Birthday! ( ^ _ ^)∠☆

はい - 伊東美咲の誕生日。

じゃあね

- Just a peasant

実験室の近くの花の写真。

Bad Bull (悪い牡牛)

2010-05-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been very busy. I work on several different things. This is a photo of bull sperm. This bull has a lot of abnormal sperm. This is a bad bull. I wrote numbers next to the cells.

最近、ずっと私は非常に忙しい。私は複数の異なった事に取り組む。これは牡牛の精液の写真である。この牡牛は面白いですので多くの異常な精液を持っている。これは悪い牡牛である。あなたのために、私は数字をセルに次の書き込み。

1 = Normal -正常
2 = Detached head -孤立した頭部
3 = Pyriform (abnormal narrowing) – 洋梨形の (異常な制限)
4 = Incorrect packaging of the chromosomes and a cytoplasmic droplet on the tail -染色体の不正確な包装そして尾の細胞質しぶき
5 = Macrocephalic and detached - 大頭のそして孤立した
6 = Incomplete spermiogenesis - 不完全なspermiogenesis

- Just a peasant

Photo from my lab - 私の実験室からの写真 (Click on photo to enlarge - をクリックして写真を拡大表示する)

Green Meteor Explosion (緑の流星の爆発)

2010-04-16T07:09:00.001-07:00

The other night a green meteor came to the Midwest. You could see it from our university. I only saw the light. This photo is from a webcam on our campus. There is also a video. The video is from a police car dash camera. Pretty cool right?

他の夜緑の流星は米国中西部に来た。私達の大学からのそれを見ることができる。私はライトだけを見た。この写真は私達のキャンパスのウェブ画像からある。またビデオがある。ビデオはパトカーのダッシュのカメラからある。かなり涼しい権利か。

- Just a peasant

Photo from the Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences building -大気および海洋科学の造ることからの写真。

Not strangers, but not friends

2010-04-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

There’s a Chinese restaurant I like to eat at. The woman there is from Hong Kong and we get along well. She is cheerful and has a loud but pleasant voice. I also know that she likes to go clothes shopping. Of course, she always stops at my table to talk to me. Today she is wearing a black, sleeveless shirt. On the inside of her upper left arm I notice heavy bruising. It appears almost like thumb prints. I am suspicious. While she’s talking to me I also look at her right arm. There are also light bruises along the back of her upper right arm. Her bruises seem consistent with physical abuse.

I point to her left arm and ask her what happened. I suspect domestic violence and so I am expecting one of two answers. Either she ‘fell down the stairs’ or she ‘fell in the bathroom’. She pretends she had not noticed the heavy bruising and then laughs and gives me the second answer. I fake a laugh and tell her to be more careful. I don’t ask about the bruises on her right arm. Poor thing.

I’m sad because I can’t really help her unless she asks me for help. You see, although we are not strangers, we are not quite friends either. I’m not scared to get involved in such things but I have also learned, over the years, that people’s private lives are complicated. It is not for me to decide the solutions to their problems. Interfering would embarrass her and probably cause her even more trouble at home. All I can do is to appear cheerful and oblivious.

- Just a peasant

Photo of sunset over the university hospital

伊東美咲 - がんばって! (Misaki Ito - Do your best!)

2010-03-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

彼女はまだ美しいそして彼女は家族の問題とまだ忙しい。(^_-) 映画を作ることは待たなければならない。オーケーです。

無関係な問題: preeclampsiaは通常妊娠の後半に起こる。新しい母の5%はpreeclampsiaによって影響されることができる。これは深刻な複雑化である。あなたの血圧力を定期的に点検される得なさい。

English:

She is still beautiful and she is still busy with family matters. (^_-) Making movies will have to wait. No problem.

On an unrelated matter: preeclampsia usually occurs in the second half of pregnancies. 5% of new mothers can be affected by preeclampsia. This is a very serious complication. Please get your blood pressure checked on a regular basis.

- Just a peasant

Photo of Misaki Ito 2010 -伊東美咲2010年の写真

Spring is here (春はここにある)

2010-03-16T13:03:00.001-07:00

I love Asian cuisine but Japanese is my favorite food. I really, really love sashimi. I eat sushi five or six times a week. However, it is a little expensive but it’s really good.

I have met people that never eat fish. I can’t believe it. I think that’s crazy. I’ll eat food from all over the world. I’ve eaten exotic foods too. I’ve eaten frog legs, rattlesnake meat, and chocolate-covered ants. I also like to cook but I just need a good kitchen.

私はアジア食糧を愛するが、日本語は私の好みの食糧である。私はさしみを愛する。週5か6回私はまた寿司を食べる。但し、それは少し高いしかしそれ実際によいがある。

私は決して魚を食べない人々に会った。私はそれを信じることができない。狂気である私は考える。私は世界中からの食糧を食べる。私はエキゾチックな食糧を食べたも。私はカエルの足とガラガラヘビ肉とチョコレートで覆われる蟻を食べた。私はまた調理するのを好むしかし私はよい台所を必要とする。

- Just a peasant

Photo from a shop near my lab. 写真-実験室の近くのレストランからの。

Winter Fire (冬の火)

2010-02-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

The sunset looks warm however, it is not. It is still very cold. It is just an illusion. Like an empty promise.

夕日を暖見えるが、そうではありません。それは今でも非常に冷たい外側である。それはちょうど錯覚である。それは空約束のようです。

- Just a peasant

Photo looking west from the lab - 私の実験室からの日没の写真。

Valentine’s Day (バレンタインデー)

2010-02-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

What did you enjoy for Valentine’s Day? As usual, I studied. This skeleton was my partner. It’s not romantic but, I really love surgery. I love chocolate too. Wait a minute! Is the heart in the correct position? No. Not even close. This is bad. I need to study more! HaHaHa. Relax - I’m just joking. Also - Happy New Year.

何をバレンタインデーの間に楽しんだか。いつものように、私は勉強した。この骸骨は私のパートナーだった。それはロマンチックではないしかし私は外科を愛する。私はチョコレートを愛するも。分を待ちなさい! 心臓は正しい位置にあるか。いいえ。それは近くない。これは悪い。私は多くを勉強する必要がある。 HaHaHa. 緩めなさい - 私はちょうど冗談を言っている。また - 明けましておめでとう。

- Just a peasant

Photo of my Valentine's date - 私のバレンタインパートナーの写真

Secret Experiment (秘密の実験)

2010-01-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

This picture is interesting. However, I can’t tell you what it is. Not exactly. Right now, it is a secret. I will tell you this: It is a boar sperm cell - it has something very special attached to it. That’s all I can say. If I am correct, then it is very important. Of course, there is a possibility that I am wrong. But I have many other ideas. I would rather study Misaki Ito. Sadly, there is no research funding to study her. I already checked. How annoying! Maybe next year.

この映像は興味深い。但し、私はそれがであるもの言うことができない。丁度ない。今、それは秘密である。私はこれを言ってもいい: それは雄豚の精子細胞である - それは何かを付す特別非常に有する。それは私が言ってもいいすべてである。私が正しければ、それは非常に重要である。当然、私が間違っているという可能性がある。私はむしろ伊東美咲を調査する。悲しげに、彼女を調査する研究の資金がない。私は既に点検した。ひりひり。多分来年。

- Just a peasant

Photo from one of my secret experiments. 秘密である私の実験からの写真。 SMCT

躊躇して。(Don’t Hesitate)

2010-01-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

私が若かったときに、私は死がランダムおよびパーマだったことを学んだ。したがって、私は私の感じおよび思考を表現する傾向を有する。私は微妙な人ではない。明日決して着くかもしれない私が知っているので。私は内気または秘密主義ではない。生命はそれのために余りに短い。

上の写真は移植医院の私達の大学病院に部屋である。それは他の人々の生命を救うために彼らの器官を寄付した人々のリストを有する。時々私はそこに坐るのを好むそして反映するため。その部屋は美しく、悲しい。夢を有すれば、それに続くべきである。誰かを愛なら、それらに言いなさい。躊躇して。

English:

When I was young, I learned that death was random and permanent. As such, I have a tendency to say what I’m thinking or what I’m feeling. I am not a subtle person. Because I know that tomorrow may never arrive. I am not shy or secretive either. Life is too short for that.

The photo above is of a room at our university hospital in the transplant clinic. It has a list of people who donated their organs to save the lives of other people. Sometimes, I like to sit there and reflect. That room is beautiful and sad. It is also a reminder to me - if you have a dream, follow it. If you love someone, tell them. Don’t hesitate.

- Just a peasant

大学病院の移植医院の写真 - Photo at the transplant clinic of the university hospital.

Haiti

2010-01-14T06:50:00.000-08:00

The situation is going to be very grim. Even in the best of times the overall infrastructure of the country is barely adequate for everyday life. It’s hard enough to deal with hurricanes much less a rare, but powerful, earthquake. Just having functional roads is a big deal. I spent a month in Antigua at my first medical school and it was easy to see the extent of damage that could be inflicted on any poor, Caribbean nation. Most of the houses I saw were made from cinderblocks without any steel reinforcement.

In 2008, the earthquake that struck Chengdu, in China, was a 7.9 and lasted 120 seconds. It killed approximately 69,000 people, injured 345,000 people, and left 18,000 people missing. Because China has a reasonably efficient infrastructure, further death was minimized by getting water, food, and medical care to the survivors.

I can only wonder at how the Haitian people will do in the coming weeks. They don’t have China’s resources or political stability. I’m also not sure that the other countries sending emergency aid will have the patience and determination for a long term commitment. And even after this disaster is dealt with, where will Haiti get the money to rebuild?

- Just a peasant

Photo of Port Au Prince from Global Times China. Many of these houses probably collapsed and fell onto other houses.

Don’t worry - I understand (心配してはいけない - 私は理解する)

2010-01-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

I’m not depressed or angry today - I’m just thinking. Every day, the internet always reminds me that I don’t belong anywhere. I don’t use Facebook or Twitter because I’m a private person. I don’t participate in any social networks because I hate rejection. I rarely leave comments on other websites because I always feel stupid after I leave a comment. People want comments from their friends or really popular people, not from me. So yeah, I get it – I don’t fit in.

This is nothing new. I didn’t even fit into my own family. That’s why I haven’t seen them in 15 years. However, I don’t hate society; I just don’t understand society. But, I can’t turn my back on people either. I hate when people are sad. I hate cruelty too. When girls cry, something happens to my heart. It doesn’t matter what age they are: 5 years old, 25 years old, 45 years old, or 70 years old. I’ll do whatever it takes to make them smile again. To make them laugh again. Yet, I already know, they will not remember me.

And that’s my own failure. Because girls want to be rescued by a Prince Charming. I’m not a prince, I’m not charming – I’m not even a Shrek. I’m just a guy, nothing more. But I still try. That’s just my nature. So don’t worry. When the tears are gone and I am forgotten – I understand. I’ve always understood.

*Sorry - I had some posting problems with Blogger the other day.

日本語 (私の日本人は吸う)：

今日、私は落ち込んでいないまたは怒っていない - 私はちょうど考えている。毎日、インターネットは私がどこでも属さないこと私に常に思い出させる。私は私のプライバシーを好む従って私はFacebookかTwitterを使用しない。私は拒絶を憎む従って私はあらゆる社会的なネットワークに加わらない。私は私がコメントを残した従って私が他のウェブサイトにまれにコメントを残さない後愚かに常に感じる。人々は友人からのコメントを望むまたは人気の人々 - ない私から。そうええ、私はそれを得る -私は属さない。

これは何も新しいことではない。私は私の自身の家族に合わなかった。そういうわけで私は15年のそれらを見なかった。但し、私は社会を軽蔑しない -私はどうしても社会を理解しない。しかし、私は人々を無視できない。人々が悲しいとき-私はそれを憎む。私は残酷を憎む。女の子が叫ぶ時、何かは私の中心に起こる。彼女の年齢に関しては、重要ではありません - 彼女は5歳であるかどうか、25歳、45歳、または 70歳。私はそれらに微笑を再度することを何でもする。それらに笑いを再度しなさい。しかし、私は既に知っている - 将来、彼らは私を覚えていない。

そしてそれは私の自身の失敗である。悲しい女の子は白馬の王子様によって救助されたいと思う。私は王子ではない、私はチャーミングではない、そして私はShrekではない。私はちょうど規則的な人である - 何も多く。しかし私はまだ試みる。それはちょうど私の性質である。心配してはいけない。涙がおさまる時そして彼らは私を覚えていない - 私は理解する。私は常に理解したあることが。

- Just a peasant

Photo from our lab showing nuclear DNA in bull sperm. 雄牛の精液で核DNAを示す私達の実験室からの写真。

Happy New Year (明けましておめでとう! )

2010-01-01T00:10:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a good year. 私は皆がよい年を過すことを望む。

- Just a peasant

実験室の外の写真。(Photo outside the laboratory)

Destination Unknown (行先の未知数)

2009-12-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

Right now I am facing an interesting problem. I keep getting accepted to different medical schools but I can’t afford any of them. HaHaHa! Their tuition is very expensive. The medical school tuition in Australia was also very expensive. So I keep looking for affordable schools. It’s quite a challenge but I will find a solution.

I’ve lived in many different parts of the United States and I know this: I want to go somewhere new. I want to go to a different country. Do you ever have this desire? I have it all the time. I do not want to die under the same piece of sky where I was born. I want to live with new people and new ideas and new dreams.

Today, another adventure begins.

日本語:

今、私は興味深い問題に直面している。私は異なった衛生学校に受け入れられたしかし私はそれらをできることができない。HaHaHa! 授業料は非常に高い。オーストラリアの衛生学校の授業料はまた非常に高かった。従って私は現実的な学校を捜し続ける。それはかなり挑戦であるしかし私は解決を見つける。

私は米国の多くの異なった部分に住んでいた。私はこれを知っている:新しい私はどこかに行きたいと思う。私は別の国に行きたいと思う。この欲求を有するか。私にそれがいつもある。私は私が生まれた空の同じ部分の下で死にたいと思わない。私は新しい人々および新しい考えおよび新しい夢と住みたいと思う。

今日、別の冒険は始まる。

- Just a peasant

Photo from the Oregon coast (オレゴンの海岸からの写真)

レゲエ-アフリカおよび日本語 (Reggae – African and Japanese)

2009-12-16T21:25:00.000-08:00

今、私は暖かい場所について私が私の自転車にどこに乗ってもいいか考えている。孤独な今夜なら、あなたのための2つの歌はここにある。

長い時間前に、私は音楽家およびされた重金属およびアフリカのレゲエだった。私がベースギターを演奏したアフリカのレゲエの歌を聞くことを望んだら、次リンクでそれを見つけることができる。それは「Aya Lolo」と呼ばれ、それは第3歌である。

日本のレゲエに関しては、私はを考えるlecca 大きいがある。彼女の声は優秀、重大である。彼女は非常に元である。 Man! それは実際によい。

1. Aya Lolo by Tomi D. (それは第3歌である - It’s the 3rd song on the list) *いいえ - 私はTomi D.ではない。私は彼のために働いた。私はベースギターをもう演奏しない。Tomi D.および私の写真はここにある(私は私の毛を投げている狂気の人である)。

2. My Measure by lecca

English:

Right now, I’m thinking about warm places where I can ride my bicycle. If you’re lonely tonight, here are two songs for you.

A long time ago, I was a musician and played heavy metal and African reggae. If you’d like to hear an African reggae song where I played bass guitar, you can find it at the link above. It’s called “Aya Lolo” and it’s the third song on the list.

As for Japanese reggae, I think lecca is great. Her voice is excellent and memorable. She is very original. Man! It really is good.

- Just a peasant

*No - I am not Tomi D. I worked for him. I do not play bass anymore. Here is a photo of Tomi D. and me (I’m the crazy guy throwing my hair around).

実験室の外の写真。(Photo outside the laboratory)

Snow Storm (雪の嵐)

2009-12-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

It's the morning after the first snow of the winter.

日本語:

それは冬の最初の雪の後の朝である。

- Just a peasant

Photo from outside my lab. (私の実験室の外からの写真)。

Before the Ice Arrives (氷の前に着く)

2009-11-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

The wind is very strong and very cold. Soon, the ice will silence this lake. I am human and I want to stay warm. During the dark winter, the warmth of a lover’s body is everything. Her soft breath, against my ear and against my neck, is what will keep me alive.

日本語:

風は非常に強く、非常に冷たい。すぐに、氷はこの湖を沈黙させる。私は人間であり、暖かくとどまりたいと思う。暗い冬の間に、恋人のボディの暖かさはすべてである。彼女の柔らかい呼吸は、私の耳と私の首に対する、私を生きた保つものがである。

- Just a peasant

Photo of the lake in November and some hungry ducks (11月およびある空腹なアヒルの湖の写真)

Another Moment of Truth (別の決定的瞬間)

2009-11-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

A long time ago, I had a girlfriend who was always angry with me because I never had any money. So I started a business of fixing up old, used musical instruments for school children and renting them to poor families. I had trumpets, clarinets, saxophones, and flutes. I had ten customers mostly African-Americans and mostly single mothers.

After a few months some people weren’t paying their rental fees and my girlfriend angrily demanded I do something about it. So one day I went to their houses to collect the money. At the first house, the mother apologized but said she just didn’t have the money. She had so many bills to pay. And then the little girl came out holding the flute I had rented to them. She was 8 years old and I could see tears in her eyes. She was scared that I was going to take away her instrument. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take away her flute. I told her mother that she could keep the instrument and that they didn’t have to pay anything for it. It was a gift. The mother was confused but very thankful. And when I looked down at the little girl, she had a huge smile on her face. That smile was precious to me.

After that, I went to all of the other people and told them the same thing. I gave away all the instruments that night; every single one of them. That was the end of my business. When I got home my girlfriend was furious. She yelled and insulted me all night long. She said I was pathetic. She said I wasn’t a real man. She talked about other men that she would rather marry. She hated me. I never said a word all night but my girlfriend’s insults had no effect. Because I sat quietly, thinking about that little girl’s cute smile - and - I was invincible.

日本語:

長い時間前に、私に私に決してお金がなかったので私と怒っていた常にガールフレンドがあった。従って私は貧しい家族に学童およびそれらを賃借するための固定のビジネス古い、使用された楽器を始めた。私にトランペット、クラリネット、サクソフォーンおよびフルートがあった。私に10人の顧客の大抵アフリカ系アメリカ人および大抵シングルマザーがあった。

少数の数か月後で何人かの人々彼らの貸出料金を支払っていなかった。そう1日私は家にお金を集めることを行った。最初の家で、母は謝ったが、彼女にどうしてもお金がなかったことを言った。彼女は支払うべきそう多くの手形を有した。そして女の子は来私がそれらに賃借したフルートを握る。彼女は8歳であり、私は彼女の目の破損を見ることができる。私が彼女の器械を取り除こうと思っていた彼女はおびえていた。私はそれをすることができなかった。私は彼女のフルートを取り除くことができなかった。私は彼女が器械を保つことができる、そしてそれらがそれの何でも支払う必要がないように彼女の母に言った。それはギフトだった。母は混同してしかし非常に感謝していなかったではなかった。そして私が女の子を見たときに、彼女は彼女の表面の巨大な微笑を有した。その微笑は私に貴重だった。

その後で、私は他の人々全員に行き、それらに同じ事を言った。私はすべての器械を与えた。それは私のビジネスの終わりだった。私が家を得たときに私のガールフレンドは激烈だった。彼女は一晩中叫び、私を侮辱した。彼女は私が悲しかったことを言った。彼女は私が実質の人ではなかったことを言った。彼女は彼女がむしろ結婚する他の人述べていた。彼女は私を憎んだ。私はその夜に話さなかった、私のガールフレンドの侮辱は効果をもたらさなかった。私が静かに坐ったので、その女の子のかわいい微笑について考える - そして- 私は無敵だった。

- Just a peasant

Photo from a garden on campus (キャンパスの庭からの写真)

Misaki Ito and Beyond (現在を越える伊東美咲)

2009-11-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

2009年の残りのためにこれは私の机の隣に伊東美咲さんのカレンダーの写真である。私は彼女が米国中西部の冬の間服を着ること好む。彼女はきらめき党の何もしばらく掲示しなかったが、おそらく彼女の個人的な生命に重要な何かと忙しい非常に。それは彼女が多くを最後の10年の仕事したので良い。

のための私と他の多くの人々、彼女は実際にすばらしい女優であり、私は2010年を越える彼女の今後の作業そして彼女の役割に先に見ている。彼女が40、50、そして60歳のとき、私は代理の技術彼女に会うことを望む。私は伊東美咲さんがまだ美しく、優雅であることをまた確かめる。私は実際にどんな興味深い特性を彼女が将来開発することを得るか見たいと思う。私はどんな涼しい原稿に彼女が得るか見たいと思う。私は彼女のスクリーンの外的人格がいかに成熟し、変わるか見たいと思う。有能な女優は映画をずっと一生涯作ることができる。

私は彼女が生命のための多くのファンを得たことを伊東美咲さんが意識することを望む。ちょうどの日本で、しかし地球もの反対側! 私は私が彼女のプログラムを常に見ることを知っている。私が死んでいなければ死んだ後私がことを聞いたので、インターネット接続は非常に遅い!

当然私は謝る。私の日本人はひどい。

English:

For the rest of 2009 this will be the calendar photo of Misaki Ito next to my desk. I like that she’s dressed for the Midwest winter. She hasn’t posted anything for a while on Twinkle Party but she’s probably busy with something very important in her personal life. That’s okay because she has done a great amount of work in the last 10 years.

For me, and for many other people, she really is a great actress and I am looking forward to her future work and her roles beyond 2010. I want to see her acting when she’s 40 years old and 50 years old and 60 years old. I’m also sure that Misaki Ito will still be beautiful and elegant. I really want to see what interesting characters she gets to develop in the future. I want to see what cool scripts she gets. I want to see how her screen persona matures and changes. A talented actress can make movies for the rest of her life.

I hope Misaki Ito will realize that she has earned many fans for life. Not just in Japan, but on the other side of a planet too! I know that I will always watch her programs. Unless I’m dead -because I’ve heard that after you die, the internet connection is extremely slow!

- Just a peasant

Sorry about the color and angle of the photo – I moved to a different office and the light is different. 写真の色そして角度について残念私は別のオフィスに動き、ライトは異なっている。

October Child (10月の子供)

2009-10-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

I had to drive to Northern Wisconsin to look at embryos on a deer farm. I didn’t get to see many embryos but there were plenty of deer. This fawn was very funny and confident. When she’s a good girl she gets a marshmallow treat too. She was constantly looking around and moving so the photo is a bit blurry.

日本語:

私は北ウィスコンシンにシカの農場の胚を見るために運転しなければならなかった。私は多くの胚を見ることを得なかったが、沢山のシカがあった。この子鹿は非常におかしく、確信していた。彼女がよい女の子のとき彼女はマシュマロの御馳走を得るも。彼女は絶えず見て、動いていた従って写真はぼやけたビットである。

- Just a peasant

Photo of a White-tailed deer fawn (白後につかれたシカの子鹿の写真)

Cup of Water

2009-10-17T22:08:00.001-07:00

I was homeless once and fell asleep
somewhere, lost in the Nevada desert
I slept on the low ground because
high ground belongs to the rattlesnakes
I slept in the clearings because
bushes belong to the scorpions

And when I woke up all sticky with failure
I found my dreams evaporating fast
from dirty fingers and tired hands
and Love, yes even Love
had fled my dry, cracked lips

My feet were nothing more than
burns and blisters, top and bottom
yet still I raced on with childish hope
all the while grinding that pathetic sand
deeper and deeper beneath torn skin

I want to keep running, I promise you I do
but when it’s high noon I can’t find the Sun
hiding up there in the bright white sky
I can’t tell East from West or North from South
and I know I’m going in circles too
always to the left - damn my bloody right foot

There are no Valkyries, there are no angels
there are no spirits, there are no gods
which is why I hate to mention now
my own persistent and fatal flaw
that as usual, I simply can’t recall
where I left that last old cup of water

- Just a peasant

Photo of Mojave desert from RickO's photostream (RickOのphotostreamからのモハーベ砂漠の写真)

Broken Heart Syndrome (失恋シンドローム)

2009-10-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

I noticed my friend taking short breaths and occasionally clutching his chest. My 20-year old friend plays rugby, lifts weights, and should have been healthy but, his girlfriend was leaving him. So it seemed that his heart was breaking. I tried to assure him that life would go on and there would be a tomorrow but it had no effect. He was still complaining about pain in his chest.

When I was young I felt Love’s sting many times and, back then, that pain became a thing of poetry and reflection. But all these years later, watching my friend, I suspected that perhaps it was a mild form of stress cardiomyopathy. With great and sudden emotional stress in the mind, the body releases a flood of adrenaline and norepinephrine. There is a disruption of the muscular function of the left ventricle and it struggles to pump blood to the body. In the worst cases, it is very similar to a heart attack and, although it’s associated with older women, I suspect that a similar reaction occurs in younger people. Whether young or old, if you have chest pain as a result of emotional stress, please get to the emergency room.

As I watched my friend that day, I imagined that maybe this is why, even in our dreams, a lost Love can still hurt us a little bit.

日本語:

私は私の友人に短い呼吸を取り、時折彼の箱をつかむことを気づいた。私の20歳の友人はラグビーをしが、重量を持ち上げ、そして健康なべきである、彼のガールフレンドは彼を残していた。従ってそれは彼の中心が壊れていたことにようである。私は生命がそしてそこに継続すること彼を保証することを試みた明日がありなさいしかしそれは効果をもたらさなかった。彼はまだ彼の箱の苦痛について不平を言っていた。

私がより若かったときに私は何回もおよび、その当時、その苦痛愛の刺し傷をなった詩歌および反射の事に感じた。しかし後ですべてのこれらの年、私の友人を見て、私は多分それが圧力の心筋症の穏やかな形態だったことを疑った。心の大きく、突然の情緒的ストレスによって、ボディはアドレナリンおよび norepinephrineの洪水を解放する。左心室の筋肉機能の中断があり、ボディに血をポンプでくむために努力する。最悪の場合では、それは心臓発作に非常に類似して、老女と関連付けたが、同じような反作用が若者達に起こることを私は疑う。情緒的ストレスの結果として胸痛を有すれば、若くか古い緊急治療室に着きなさいかどうか。

私が多分こういうわけで、私達の夢で、無くなった愛はまだ私達を少し傷つけることができることを日が、私想像した私の友人を見たので。

- Just a peasant

Photo showing the heart struggling to pump blood to the body Libyan Journal of Medicine.

Biographical Sketch (伝記のスケッチ)

2009-10-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

For my thesis I was asked to provide a biographical sketch. They wanted the usual things like: Where was I born? Where did I grow up? Where did I study? What are my hobbies? Those kinds of things. I thought it was a foolish request. What does it matter? Who really cares? Why do they ask us to define ourselves in such mundane and trivial ways? In the end, this is what I gave them:

"Cyclops, you ask my name and I will tell it to you. But give me therefore, the present you promised me. My name is No Man - this is what my father and my mother and my friends have always called me. I am No Man." - The Odyssey by Homer

日本語:

私の説のために私は伝記のスケッチを提供するように頼まれた。それらは通常の事がのようなほしいと思った : 私はどこに生まれたか。私はどこで育ったか。私はどこで調査したか。私の趣味は何であるか。それらの種類の事。私はそれが愚かな要求だったことを考えた。それは何を重要であるか。だれが実際に気遣うか。彼らはなぜ私達にそのような世俗的で、とるに足らない方法で私達自身を定義するように頼むか。ついに、これは私がそれらに与えたものである:

" シクロプス - 私の名前を頼み、私はあなたにそれを言う。しかし従って、私にあなたが私を約束した現在を与えなさい。私の名前は人ではない -これは私の父および私の母および私の友人が私と常に呼んだあることがことである。私は人ではない。" - The Odyssey by Homer

- Just a peasant

Photo of shadow puppets (Odysseus and Cyclops) from a play by the extraordinarily talented Theodora Skipitares - her stuff is very cool!

実質のため (For real)

2009-10-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

より早いポストで私は私達の宇宙および星についての何かを言った。誰かはそれが翻訳したほしいと思った。それはここに下記のとおりである:

ここに私達は、この小さい惑星で、それを見て、調査したり、ミステリーの夢を見ている。必ずあなたが夜空に調べることを星の部分が触れていることを意識したか。比喩的にしかし物理的な現実として。星の核炉では、精力的な反作用はあなたの目の細胞の視覚受容器を打つまで、スペースの広大な間隔を渡って、老化する流れで移動する光子を作成する。それらが細胞膜の受容器を打つとき、神経衝撃を発生させ、この神経衝撃があなたの頭脳で登録されている rhodopsin 蛋白質に conformational 変更がある。そう今空のあらゆる星にライトの非常に古代糸によって接続され、実際にあなた自身を宇宙の生地の一部分と考慮できることを、その時、私は想像する。

上の写真はHubbleの望遠鏡からの実質の写真である。それはまた光子の流れから情報を集める。

In English:

In an earlier post I said something about our universe and the stars. Someone wanted it translated. Here it is:

Here we are, on this tiny planet, watching it, studying it, and dreaming of its mysteries. Did you ever realize that pieces of stars are touching you every time you look up into the night sky? Not metaphorically but as a physical reality. In the nuclear furnaces of stars, energetic reactions create photons which then travel across the immense distances of space, in an ever aging stream, until they strike visual receptors in the cells of your eyes. When they strike the cell membrane receptors, there is a conformational change in the rhodopsin proteins which then generate a nerve impulse and this nerve impulse is registered in your brain. So now you are connected by a very ancient thread of light to every star in the sky and, at that point, I imagine you really could consider yourself a part of the fabric of universe.

The photo above is a real photo from the Hubble telescope. It also collects information from streams of photons.

- Just a peasant

Last breath of summer (夏の最後の呼吸)

2009-09-18T07:34:00.001-07:00

Flowers on a bright September morning. 9月の明るい朝の花。

- Just a peasant

Photo of flowers near the lab. 花の写真は実験室に近づく

For Scott (スコットのため)

2009-09-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Scott Barr Moritz was a friend of mine and on September 1st, he died of pancreatic cancer.

We played together, a long time ago, in a band called Whipping Dead Horses. He was a really good song writer. We had a lot of really great times together.

At the end of the night, after a loud and exciting show, the auditorium is finally empty and the amplifiers are silent. And then you find yourself sitting completely alone on the stage with your fingers resting gently on the strings of your bass guitar. And in this moment of unusual stillness, it’s as if you had accidently stepped into a puddle of Eternity and are now watching the ripples spread outward. It is then, with a sad smile, you realize that there are no more notes to play. There are no more words to sing. Everyone has gone home. The show is over . . . the show is over.

日本語:

スコットは私の友人であり、9月1日に、彼は膵臓癌で死んだ。

夜の終わり、刺激的で、騒々しいショーが、講堂空だったおよびamplifiersで無声が後ありなさい。そしてあなた自身を穏やかにあなたのギターの一連に触れるあなたの指を搭載する段階で完全に単独で置かれることを見つける。それは永遠の水溜にあなたのよう偶然歩み、今見ているさざ波を外側に広がったである。それから遊ぶべきこれ以上のノートがないことを、悲しい微笑と、意識する。歌うべきこれ以上の単語がない。皆は起点に行った。ショーは……ショーに終わったある。

- Just a peasant

Photo from AppleDave

Always Waiting (常に待っている)

2009-09-02T05:06:00.000-07:00

It seems like I’m always waiting for something. Waiting for results. Waiting for grant approval. Waiting for availability. Waiting for a war to end. Waiting for Misaki Ito’s next movie. Waiting to get paid. Waiting for a flight. Waiting for a stranger to say something nice.

Why am I always waiting? In a civilization that prides itself on the speed of its daily life – why do I spend so much time waiting? In a universe that made the human life so very short – why do I spend so much time waiting?

Anyhow, while I was waiting for something to happen I did some experiments. In the photo above is a boar sperm head in the early phase of an acrosome reaction. The acrosome reaction occurs during fertilization of an oocyte. (The oocyte is the egg) A special part of the sperm membrane attaches the sperm to the surface of the oocyte. After that, the sperm forces its way into the interior using its tail to propel it.

日本語 :

それは私が何かを常に待っているようにようである。待っている結果。待っている補助金の承認。待っている供給。端への戦争を待っていること。待っている伊東美咲次の映画。俸給を受け取る待っていること。飛行を待っていること。素晴らしい何かを言うために他人を待っている。

私はなぜ常に待っているか。私が時間の待をなぜそんなに使うか毎日の人生のの速度のそれ自身を自漫する文明か。私が時間の待をなぜそんなに使うか人命をそう非常に短い作った宇宙か。

私は起こることを何かを待っていたが何としても、私はある実験をした。上の写真でacrosomeの反作用の早い段階の雄豚の精液の頭部はある。 acrosomeの反作用はoocyteの受精の間に起こる。(oocyteは卵である) 精液の膜の特別な部品はoocyteの表面に精液を付ける。その後でそれを推進する、精液は尾を使用して内部に方法を強制する。

- Just a peasant

Photo of a boar sperm using scanning electron microscope (SEM) from one of my experiments. The background material is the filter. 私の実験の1つからのスキャンの電子顕微鏡(SEM)を使用して雄豚の精液の写真。背景はフィルターである。

Down

2009-08-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

A colleague got on the elevator with me today.

Colleague: Are you going down?

Me: Yes. (PAUSE) Actually, from a mathematical perspective, my entire life is a downhill trend.

Colleague: Oh my! Is that a bad thing or a good thing?

Me: Neither – it just is. But I’m working on gaining a lot more velocity so that when I hit the bottom – SPLAT!! I might as well go out in spectacular fashion.

- Just a peasant

Actors playing surgeons (外科医を演じている俳優)

2009-08-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

I see a lot of dramas, Asian and American, in which actors are playing doctors or surgeons. One thing I hate is when an actor does not hold the instruments correctly. I see this most often when they are supposed to be suturing a wound. It is not very convincing. So I took a picture to help out.

The needle forceps (left side of the photo) are used to guide the needles through the tissue. Hold the needle forceps with your thumb through the top loop and your ring finger (4th finger) through the bottom loop. Place your index finger (2nd finger) on or near the fulcrum to guide and stabilize your instrument when placing sutures.

In the picture above I am also holding a pair of scissors (pointing back towards my wrist) to cut the sutures. But this is just a personal preference of mine to save time. I can quickly switch between the two instruments when I have to throw a lot of interrupted sutures. I learned this when I worked at a veterinary hospital and used it in graduate school.

日本語：

（私は私の日本人がひどければ謝る。私はどうしても練習する時間がない。）

私は俳優が医者か外科医を演じている多くの戯曲を、アジアおよびアメリカ見る。私が憎む1つの事は俳優が器械を正しく握らないときである。私は彼らが傷を縫合するために仮定されるときこれを最も頻繁に見る。それは非常に説得力をこめてではない。従って私は助けるために私の実験室の映像を撮った。

針の鉗子 (写真の左側) がティッシュを通して針を導くのに使用されている。最下のループを通して上のループおよびあなたの薬指(第4指)を通してあなたの親指を搭載する針の鉗子を握りなさい。縫合線を置いた場合あなたの器械を導き、安定させるために支店にあなたの人差し指(第2指)を置きなさい。

上記の映像で私はまた縫合線を切るためにはさみを (私の手首の方に指す) 握っている。しかしこれは時間を節約する私の物のちょうど個人の好みである。私は2つの器械の間で私が多くの中断した縫合線を投げなければならないときすぐに転換してもいい。私は私が獣医の病院で働き、大学院でそれを使用したときにこれを学んだ。

- Just a peasant

Photo of my right hand and a couple of not so shiny instruments. 私の右手および幾つかのそう光沢があるない器械の写真。

DNA Origami (DNAを折ることの芸術)

2009-08-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

In the photo above, are a series of dolphin shapes. These shapes were made with groups of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecules called oligonucleotides. Both DNA and proteins fold into 3-dimensional shapes because of the interaction of the molecules that they are made of.

Imagine if you had a pearl necklace. When you put it into your hand it folds up and takes on a shape. But every time you do the shape changes. DNA and proteins also fold but they always take the exact same shape. It would be the same as if, every time you put your pearl necklace in your hand, it folded to the exact same shape.

By changing the order of molecules in DNA and proteins (nucleotide pairing and amino acids) you can change the folding and shape. The nature of the molecular folding interaction is specific to the point that you can create shapes such as boxes or dolphins. These pictures were taken using atomic force microscopy.

日本語 :

上で写真では、一連のイルカの形はある。これらの形はオリゴヌクレオチドと呼ばれたDNA (デオキシリボ核酸)の分子のグループとなされた。の作られることDNAおよび蛋白質は両方分子の相互作用のために3D形に折る。

真珠のネックレスがあったかどうか想像しなさい。あなたの手にそれを入れるとき畳み、形で取る。しかしする度に形は変わる。 DNAおよび蛋白質はまた折るが、厳密の同じ形を常に取る。それはあなたの手にあなたの真珠のネックレスを置いた度に、厳密のに同じ形を折った場合と同じである。

DNAおよび蛋白質(ヌクレオチドの組み合わせることおよびアミノ酸)の分子の発注の変更によって折りたたみおよび形を変えることができる。分子折る相互作用の性質は箱またはイルカのような形を作成できることポイントに特定である。これらの映像は原子力の顕微鏡検査を使用して撮られた。

- Just a peasant

Photo from - Anderson et al., 2008. DNA origami design of dolphin-shaped structures with flexible tails. ACSNano. 2: 1213-1218.

睡眠無しの夏の夜

2009-07-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

考えなさい、考えなさい、考えなさい。ほとんど毎晩私は健康上の問題の人々について考える。時々私は眠ることができない。最近、私はcerebellar失調症と外科手術の介在が考えました。あなたは1リットルの涙がみましたか。それは非常に重要である。それは私にとって非常に重要である。

だから、毎晩私はこれらの事について考える。困惑の部分。どうして。そして私はいかに解決を加えるか。人はいかに生命の少数のより多くの年を与えることができるか。人はいかにほんの僅か幸福を与えることができるか。

寢るとき接するどう思いますか。

- Just a peasant

Photo: 実験室の外の夏の雨雲 (summer storm clouds outside the lab)

伊東美咲 - まだベスト

2009-07-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

3年前に、私が電車男（テレビドラマ）をみました、伊東美咲さんがすごいいでした。私はうっとりした、今日何も変わってしまわなかった。伊東美咲さんは日本でいちばん美しい女優です。その上に、彼女は非常に才能がありますね。伊東美咲さも非常に頭が良いらしいです。もちろん、それはすきです。

私は私達が伊東美咲のクローンを作ることができることを望む。That would be AWESOME!! 伊東美咲のクローンがいくらですか。高いでしょう。彼女が風邪かインフルエンザを経験するとき彼女の好の食糧は何であるか。私の質問を理解したか。

私は実験室のそれに今日取り組む。Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ冗談です。

でも - 日本は伊東美咲のサイボーグを作るか。 :)

- Just a peasant

English:

Misaki Ito - Still the Best

Three years ago, I saw Densha Otoko (Television drama), Misaki Ito was wonderful. I was spellbound and today nothing has changed. Misaki Ito is the most beautiful actress in Japan. Additionally, she is very talented. Misaki Ito also seems very intelligent. Of course, I really like that.

I wish we could make a clone of Misaki Ito. That would be AWESOME!! How much would that cost? It’s probably expensive. I wonder what her favorite food is when she has a cold or the flu? Did you understand my question?

I’ll work on it today in the lab. Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ That’s a joke.

But - does Japan make a Misaki Ito cyborg yet? :)

The Vibrant Earth

2009-07-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

Of course, when I’m looking across the ocean or out into space, I’m not forgetting our own backyard. One side effect of chemistry and physics is Life. Biochemistry gives rise to organisms. There are planetary tide pools in the universe, where the downward flow of energy is temporarily interrupted and Life thrives for a time, before that energy is gone. But during that time, billions of years sometimes, all sorts of organisms arise and disappear. Our planet is the only example we have so far.

I saw an episode of some reality TV show where some men and women were taken to a tropical island and they would attempt to seduce each other or some other nonsense. I don’t remember the name of the show because it is not important. Anyway, they spent their time strategizing, plotting, laying around, drinking, and wearing bikinis to gain the affections of someone. What a total waste of time! To me, the sad part was that they were on an island that had three species of very interesting bats and a huge coral reef. Yet these beautiful, but rather boring people, seemed totally oblivious to this fact. Yes - the fact that the island was far more interesting than they were.

If I had been there, I would have gotten a flashlight and headed out into the jungle at night to find some of these nocturnal animals. They are flying mammals after all and I think that’s pretty interesting. I wonder what fruit trees they visit or help to pollinate. I wonder if there were any cool and dangerous snakes too – they love the night. You can also attract some pretty strange insects with your light. Another place to investigate at night are the coral reefs or tide pools. All sorts of creatures come out at night to go about their routine of survival and propagation. If you can, use a red light filter. This planet is alive and interesting day and night.

And why is it people hate the rain at the beach? I think it’s romantic. It’s even better when you can smell wood burning in fireplaces.

- Just a peasant

Photo of some starfish in a tide pool on the Oregon coast 2009.

The Brilliant Sky

2009-07-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

“We are simply an accident of physics with all the biochemical trimmings.” – from Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness.

Out there, stars are living and dying, entire galaxies are colliding, and somewhere planets are falling into black holes. I guess if you had a civilization on one of those planets it would be quite discouraging. There are also comets, asteroids, quasars, pulsars, and supernovae. Indeed, the universe is as chaotic and violent as it is beautiful and vast.

And here we are, on this tiny planet, watching it, studying it, and dreaming of its mysteries. Did you ever realize that pieces of stars are touching you every time you look up into the sky? Not metaphorically but as a physical reality. In the nuclear furnaces of stars, energetic reactions create photons which then travel across the immense distances of space, in an ever aging stream, until they strike visual receptors in the cells of your eyes. When they strike the cell membrane receptors, there is a conformational change in the rhodopsin proteins which then generate a nerve impulse and this nerve impulse is registered in your brain. So now you are connected by a very ancient thread of light to every star in the sky and, at that point, I imagine you really could consider yourself a part of the fabric of universe.

While I was out on the Oregon coast this summer I was also going out in the middle of the night just to look out into space. There’s not too much interference from city lights and, since our moon was not present, the Milky Way was clearly visible. It was a vista somewhat different from the pulsing ocean but just as awesome. I also saw two man-made satellites and two small meteors skipping across the atmosphere. And I remember thinking how our lives here are so short and what a tragedy it is that our personalities, that we have struggled so hard to construct, will be extinguished upon our death. Yet, I thought while looking out into the sparkling veil of the night sky and past the subtle glow of our own galaxy, what a spectacular universe we live in nonetheless. Wouldn’t you agree?

- Just a peasant

Photo from our planet looking towards the center of our galaxy by Richard Payne. Can you see that the plane of our solar system is almost perpendicular (actually about 60 degrees I think) to the plane of the Milky Way? Tilt you head to the right.

That Fool (그바보)

2009-07-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

“As we live, making irreversible decisions or overcoming bad things doesn’t make it a sad life . . . a sad life, is when nothing ever happens.” - Goo Dong Baek from the Korean drama That Fool

That Fool (그바보) is a really sweet and fun Korean comedy/drama and, as the storyline evolved, it just got better and better. I suppose I really liked it because I completely identified with the main character’s personality (Goo Dong Baek). I’m like that sometimes.

On another level, for my self at least, comedy is no good without serious elements to set up contrasts, and that’s why I like Japanese and Korean dramas. Comedic characters, at some point, should evoke serious pathos in the viewer – a profound moment that we all recognize and none of us laugh at.

Anyway, there are also two nice renditions of the song Over the Rainbow in the series. In fact, there might be a third but I have to listen to the ambient soundtrack more closely again. Oh, and Minji’s story about the monkey totally cracked me up!

- Just a peasant

You can see the show here at mysoju.com - the showed aired this year not in 2004.

The Blue Ocean

2009-06-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

The Pacific Ocean. Standing there was good – it’s always good for me. As I looked out over the ocean I was thinking that this area is so tiny compared to the whole ocean. So I looked east towards Japan and thought about the people there. How many of them are falling in love today? How many of them will have their hearts broken tomorrow? Then I thought about places further beyond. I thought about people in Iran too. How many of them are wishing for change today? How many of them will be crying at funerals tomorrow?

I realize that I can’t make the world love me. I don’t have that power. But the ocean is blue and sensuous and that’s enough for me. So I sat meditating on the pulse of the sea and watching it crash onto the shore. I closed my eyes and listened to the wind and to the distant roar of the waves. I breathed in the ocean air. And, with a new thought, I opened my eyes again.

Yes, this is a small part of the whole, but doesn’t even this small fragment of ocean have power? Don’t its waves also shape the rocks? Won’t these high cliffs eventually crumble into its depths?

- Just a peasant

Photo from the Oregon Coast June 2009

I try too hard

2009-06-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

I know I’m tired today, sitting here, listening to Pink’s new song Please Don’t Leave Me.

I need the ocean - the Pacific Ocean. I need its blueness and its vastness to fill my heart again. I need its raw power to remind me that I can’t make the world kind and gentle – that no matter how hard I try - I can’t make the world love me.

- Just a peasant

Photo of some flowers in case someone is sad and needs them tonight.

Between the storms

2009-06-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

A small break between thunder storms.

- Just a peasant

Photo from a garden here on campus.

Life?

2009-06-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, people try to draw me into a debate on embryonic stem cells and whether it is ethical to sacrifice an embryo to make these cells. I always refuse to participate. My answer to them is always the same:

Until this country stops dropping bombs on innocent civilians – men, women, and children – nobody here has a right to speak about the sanctity of human life.

It is absolutely absurd to discuss the ethics of tearing apart an embryo when your own country, on a weekly basis, tears apart the bodies of women and children. Weren’t their lives of value? Weren’t their thoughts and dreams of any consequence? As a rule, this country kills civilians. Innocent people – non-combatants. Iraq, Afghanistan, or to wherever the American monster wanders the end result is dead people. Not peace, not security, not even hope.

The United States is, by far, the largest exporter of military armaments in the world. Yet, Americans have the audacity to speak about preserving life? How ridiculous. Embryos don’t feel and they don’t think and they don’t form memories. But all those dead civilians did - as well as all those who are going to die in the next three years of occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

- Just a peasant

Fluorescent image of stem cells from one of my experiments.

Cyborg She (僕の彼女はサイボーグ)

2009-06-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

This is a really nice movie and is definitely one of my all time favorites. I just got my DVD today which was shipped from Hong Kong. After seeing the movie I also ordered the soundtrack which is beautiful. I’m not going to tell you what happens – you just have to watch it for yourself.

And yes – I cried a lot (ToT)

- Just a peasant

I ordered through yesasia.com and I’ve never had a problem with them. Cyborg She.

Done!

2009-06-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

So I finally got my PhD today. The defense wasn’t easy but at the same time, it wasn’t a bloodbath either. Of course, an hour beforehand, I prepared by listening to this song – something that seems to represent me to some degree. Man, Helloween was an awesome, but totally underrated, band! So by defense time, I was pretty amped up.

Anyway, after the defense, my professor wanted to go get a beer but, since I don’t drink alcohol, we just got a Coke instead. I really like him and will definitely miss him. But now my time here is limited – I can’t stay forever. I have other objectives the first of which is to roll back into medical school.

I have applications in New Zealand and Australia right now so we’ll see. I’m not exactly the traditional medical school applicant you understand. Yet, I am a scientist and I am obligated to continue my education, or the acquisition of new knowledge, until my last day of life. And I am perfectly comfortable with that.

As for getting a regular job to make some money? I have no interest in money. Money has never been important to me. And anyway, when I do have money I use it to buy meals for my friends, or to buy new science books, or cool movies, or things I need for lab experiments. Ultimately, the only three things that matter to me are becoming a better scientist, applying knowledge to solve problems, and the most important thing of all – Love.

And this is who I am.

PS: Please don’t think I’m being pretentious. I promise I’m not an arrogant person. It’s just that a defense seminar has a tendency to put one into an introspective and philosophical mood.

- Just a peasant

Photo looking north from the roof of our department.

誕生日花 - May 26th

2009-05-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

きょうは甘い人の誕生日がです。( ^ _ ^)∠☆

- Just a peasant

Photo of a flower nearby our laboratory (click photo to enlarge)

Countdown to defense

2009-05-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

So I submitted my thesis and now the clock is ticking. My committee members have one month to plan their attack. I have one month to plan my defense.

In the picture above is one of my favorite professors and committee members. He’s one of those scientists who always has something interesting going on in his lab as well as anywhere - from Thailand to Vietnam to Kenya to Mongolia. He is a most excellent guy and I’m really lucky to have him on my committee.

But he is also a formidable committee member. His training and extensive experience is in quantitative genetics and statistics – two of my weakest points. He is not easily convinced or surprised by any argument. Right now I am going over each statistic in my thesis, piece by piece, in preparation for him. It could be brutal you understand.

I should also mention that his reaction of nonchalance in this photo would be considered – typical.

- Just a peasant

Sorry if the photo is a bit grainy.

Getting There

2009-04-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

My thesis is due May 1st so I’ve been pretty busy getting it ready. Change this, polish that, say something about those and so on and so on. That’s how it goes these days. And, I’ve been working on two other projects in different labs so there’s barely time to blog. For the most part you have to feed stem cells every day.

Once in a while I escape to the roof of our building just to think. It’s great up here – like hiking up on the ridges in the Columbia Gorge. The sounds are distant, the sights are distant, the world is distant. It’s like looking at my future – a distant future. Will I die tomorrow? Will I live another year? Another five years? If I make it to 80 years old – will I still be able to do science and medicine? What if I live to be 100 years old? Will I remember what love was?

- Just a peasant

Photo from the roof of my department (click to enlarge) - Spring is not quite here yet.

You see what I mean?

2009-04-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

Like I said – everyday is a new day. 毎日は新しい日があります。

For her, life started only 5 days ago and I'm sure she was a bit confused, a little scared, and a little cold. But now, when she’s tired, she just finds a warm spot in the sun to lie down and then falls asleep.

I wonder what baby horses dream about.

- Just a peasant

Photo of a new filly from our university’s stable. Incidentally, in English, a young female horse is called a filly.

新しい日

2009-03-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

医学はすばらしい先生です。私はこれが習いました：いい日と悪い日があります。高さとくぼみがあります。成功と失敗があります。生涯と死があります。毎日。

でも、これが覚えておきてください　－　毎日は新しい日があります。

See you.

In English (英語):

A new day

The medical field is an excellent teacher. I have learned this: that there are good days and bad days. There are highs and lows. There are successes and failures. There is Life and Death. Everyday.

But, please remember this – everyday is a new day.

See you.

- Just a peasant

Background artwork for a video game, about fairies, that I never finished (made with Vue6)

Fight （ファイト）

2009-03-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

“We don’t need belts or grades in Thai boxing. There are really only two levels of Thai fighter: the one standing and the one not standing.” - as I was instructed once by a fight trainer from Thailand

For all these years, no matter where I go, I still manage to do some sort of Thai boxing or MMA. But the real question is why do I continue to subject myself to such a beating on a weekly basis even if I’m no longer young? Why do I continue taking kicks to the legs, shots to the face, knees to the gut, and elbows to the head?

Because it’s a constant reminder – to me - to keep fighting no matter what happens in life.

No matter how hard things get – no matter how much pain there is – no matter how far there is to go - no matter how much blood is on the floor : count to 8 and get back up.

And I have no intention of quitting anytime soon.

- Just a peasant

Photo of my basic Thai equipment which still follows me wherever I go

Serious Matters – the refugees

2009-03-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

Several years ago I started a small humanitarian organization to help Nigerian school children pay their yearly school dues. But yesterday I began the tedious and semi-expensive work of filing for the charitable donations tax-exempt status, affectionately known as 501(c)(3), to start a new objective.

There are approximately 12 million refugees, scattered throughout more than 700 refugee camps, around the world. And in these refugee camps, all the simple amenities we take for granted on a daily basis, don’t even exist. Having once been homeless, I have some empathy for them.

The new objective involves a strategy for helping these refugees and internally displaced people (IDP). Why? Because I’m not comfortable living in a world where people have to beg for civilization’s scraps and are condemned to such cruel sadness. Is that the kind of world you’re comfortable living in? I really think we can do better.

Of course, I hope you will understand that there are certain reasons I won’t discuss the name, or aim, of my organization on this blog. For one, I am at least semi-anonymous here. Years ago, when I was a musician, I wanted the whole world to know who I was. Yet it never happened. C'est la vie. But now, I don't care anymore. Those days are gone forever and I have far more important things rolling around in my brain. Secondly, my blog is not for advertising. It’s just for thoughts and reflection. It’s a frail journal containing some guy’s random thoughts – nothing more. And nobody should have to pay money for that. Finally, it’s also about balance; the balance between serious matters and light-hearted matters. The absurd and the logical. The ugliness and the beauty. I enjoy that balance.

Some days, I need to express my concern over violence and injustice or the absurdities of politics and hate. Other days I get to be mesmerized with human triumph and romance, extraordinary landscapes, or even a particular, beautiful Japanese actress. * If you read this blog you already know who she is!! *

But this week: 12 million refugees. That’s the matter at hand and - it’s a very serious matter.

- Just a peasant

Photo of a child at a Hmong refugee camp from Doctors Without Borders site

I did my part for Japan's economy (伊東美咲)

2009-02-18T08:04:00.000-08:00

At the same time I supported my favorite actress, I also helped out Japan’s crashing export market. I finally got my imported Misaki Ito (伊東美咲) calendar for 2009. She’s so cute! Now when I’m working I can just look up and there she is. And that’s a good thing – because we all know she’s never coming to the Midwest. I don’t blame her – it’s very cold here.

So all day long I work on stuff and, once in awhile, look up at the calendar. So now it’s like: Numbers, numbers, numbers – Awesome! Reading, reading, reading – Cool! Writing, writing, writing – Excellent!

My lab mates are like, “Who is that?” I tell them, it’s Misaki Ito (伊東美咲). They say, “So you have her calendar?” So I tell them, “Yeah - it’s for research purposes.” SWEET!

Okay, just so that you don’t think I’m too weird, I actually thought this was the kind of calendar you could write daily notes on. But you can see that there's nowhere to actually write anything. Oh well. Am I going to move it? Hell no! It’s for research purposes.

- Just a peasant

If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can just barely see the vertically arranged month and days on the right. Maybe I'll take a better photo later.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T12:05:00.000-08:00

If this rose is not enough then get some free hugs here.

- Just a peasant

Yes . . . yes it is funny

2009-02-06T07:31:00.000-08:00

You read it right - Concept A Bitch.

When you work in a reproduction lab there are often some very humorous days. When this nutrient supplement for pregnant dogs arrived I had several hours of good fun. I respect any company that just says it like it is.

That’s right beeyatch – Concept A Bitch! Buy it today!

Incidentally, do you notice how yellow the light in the photo is? This photo was taken in our embryo lab and the lights have yellow filters to protect the embryos while we’re working with them outside of the incubators. Many years ago one study in embryos suggested that full spectrum white light was harmful to early embryos and that yellow or red light was less harmful. I don’t how much of a difference it really makes but I do know that the red lighting bothered the human eye and tended to freak people out. Hence, the yellow light filters.

- Just a peasant

Photo – if you didn’t see it you might not believe it.

Putting out Vigor (元気を出して) with Misaki Ito (伊東美咲)

2009-02-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

My Japanese is just not good enough so I apologize ahead of time if anything I say here is incorrect.

There is a new, three-part TV show - Putting out Vigor (元気を出して) - with Misaki Ito (伊東美咲). It seems to have aired in October of 2008. As to the content of the show I am a little uncertain on this but the show seems to be based on the theme of a musical composition. I think it has something to do with different approaches to life and love with people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. If you go through the links there are some pictures and an interview with Misaki Ito. Here is a direct link to shots from the show. If you go here, you can find the 2nd episode with Misaki Ito. It's not translated so it's a good time to practice listening skills for Japanese. I can't believe I lost my Japanese dictionary!

And yes, I know there are a lot of other actors on the show but, on this blog - she is just that awesome!

As for the photo above, it is not from the new show but from her appearance at the Sex and the City movie premier in New York. X marks the spot. I think she really - really - likes this wedding dress. Maybe she’s trying to give a hint to her boyfriend or something. HaHaHa. Okay, just joking – it’s none of my business. But she does look quite excellent.

- Just a peasant

Special

2009-02-01T03:46:00.000-08:00

A lover’s job is to make the other person feel special. Plain and simple. In fact, I would argue that this might be one of the most important ingredients in any relationship. However, there is certainly never any guarantee.

I think long term relationships begin to suffer not from daily routine but from a daily routine that is never punctuated with efforts to make the other person feel special. And I do understand the conditions that allow this kind of relationship to continue on without making the other person feel special. Yet, I myself could never stay in a relationship where I’m not special to my lover. I mean if you’re not special to them then what’s the point of staying?

All over the internet I’ve seen relationship surveys that, at some point, ask, “What is your perfect date?” Then they list several romantic options which might involve concerts, plays, candlelight, bubble baths, fine dining, wine tasting, sports events, philosophical discussions, and many other things.

Yet it seems to me that something is missing. What would I consider a perfect date? My perfect date is when my companion and I do something - that she wants to do.

Those surveys never offer that as an option. Interesting.

- Just a peasant

Photo (click to enlarge) of an unexpected, close encounter I had with a Great Blue Heron while hiking on the Oregon Coast. Hiking can be an interesting date too.

Those exploding stars

2009-01-31T12:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I mentioned the super nova of stars that could affect life on Earth. I was referring to some specific examples that have very low probabilities of affecting our solar system.

In the constellation of Sagittarius, is a binary-star system known as Wolf-Rayet 104. When these stars eventually go nova there’s a small – very small – chance that a gamma-ray burst will strike our planet. On the Bad Astronomy website, this subject and its probability, is explained. Even with the evidence in 2009, that the angle of inclination of WR104 is higher than previously believed, the chance of being hit by a radiation burst, within the next few hundred thousand years, is significantly higher than the chance of an apocalypse on December 21st, 2012.

Another star of interest is IK Pegasi out in the constellation Pegasus. Its only 150 light years away. Maybe not close enough to kill us but close enough to make us jump when it does goes off.

Yet, even with these low probabilities, super nova events should not be underestimated. Here is an interesting theory involving species extinctions during the Pliocene era related to a passing interstellar cloud of exploding stars. And no matter what, our own star, the Sun, will eventually burn out turning Earth into a toasted marshmellow. If you want to see a really cool size comparison of our Sun to other stars go to this video. VY Canis Majoris in the largest known star of our galaxy. You'll see.

And, to a certain person that asked, I'm sorry but I do not believe in Astrology or the interpretation of Zodiac signs, though you are correct, I would be Sagittarius. In fact, I believe that Zodiac signs and Astrology, whether Western or Eastern, are ultimately a subtle form of prejudice. They attribute a preconceived idea of behavior and character to a person based upon the year or time of birth during the year. This is no different from racism that attributes specific behaviors to people based on either the color of their skin or on their country of birth. And that’s just nonsense - plain and simple.

Incidentally, the magnetic pole of the Sun flips every 11 years and already flipped in 2007.

- Just a peasant

Photo from Wikipedia entry on Super nova

2012: Nothing to worry about

2009-01-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today; it’s already tomorrow in Australia.” – from The Peanuts by Charles Schultz

This post isn’t about the movie, it’s about the very real fear that some people already have for the date of December 21, 2012. I wouldn't mention it if I hadn't heard people talking about it. Once again some people are predicting the "end of the world" on that date. And hey, that’s only a few days after my birthday so it’s kind of exciting.

I’m also sure that another group of people is deciding how they will make some money off of this ridiculous fear. It happens all the time. I myself have lived through at least four end of the world predictions starting when I was sixteen. Yet even then, I had the sense to know that end of the world predictions are nothing new. More importantly, they’ve never happened. This time it’s based on the Mayan calendar. Yes, a calendar used by the same people that failed to predict the demise of their own civilization.

Are there Earth devastating events to worry about? Sure. Are numerologists, psychics or religious leaders able to predict them? Absolutely not. They never have and they never will. So relax. Here is a good website listing many end of the world predictions for the last 2000 years.

However, there are real threats to the viability of our small planet. For instance, large asteroids can and have intercepted our planet. Changing the chemistry of our planet’s atmosphere is a bad idea. Nuclear wars are not an answer to anything and radioactive munitions are not toys. We even have stars in our galaxy that are close enough that, while maybe not turning our planet to ashes, could still deliver some nasty surprises to life on Earth. And regardless, there’s certainly no point in losing sleep over any of this.

One more thing, I’ll bet each person $100 that the Earth does not end in 2012. There will be no alien ship arriving to transform Earth. There will be no evolutionary unveiling of a noösphere. There will be no awakening or apocalypse of bodies and minds. The magnetic pole of Earth will not suddenly reverse. There will be no Planet X falling through our solar system. I will take bets on any of these and I will expect payment because I have a lot of school loans to pay off.

- Just a peasant

Okay – one purpose

2009-01-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

When I arrived back in the Midwest, I wasn’t even in the lab yet and already being invited into new projects. But on the train here, I focused on only one objective: to complete the PhD! No designing new games. No studying for the MCAT. No reading anatomy textbooks. No writing music tracks for video games.

Finish, finish, finish – this thesis.

- Just a peasant

Photo of some winter meadow in the Rocky Mountains - sunny and very cold.

Twinkle Party – with Misaki Ito (伊東美咲)

2009-01-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

Yea! Misaki has her Twinkle Party up and running. Not that I could ever get in to one of her parties but its still good news for fans. I’m not sure, but I still think her site, the 'diary' part at least, is mainly for girls you know - fashions, jewelry, make-up, etc. No problem. I was once scolded by a singer, a very cool dude, for my lack of knowledge about perfumes. I’ve since tried to educate myself about such things.

For all the regular Misaki Ito fans, and I do get quite a lot of them to this site, there is a link to in the sidebar as well. Her site is written in Japanese but you can get a translation of her posts by using Yahoo Babel Fish. The translations get kind of crazy sometimes but you can at least keep up with her thoughts or lifestyle or new appearances or whatever.

For those who watched Densha Otoko (TV series) and have asked, “What does "kitaa” or (kita) mean? It is an exclamation that means something like “It finally arrived!” or “It finally happened!" or "This is it!” Twinkle Party is here – KITAA!

And speaking of Densha Otoko – I have a train to catch.

- Just a peasant

I don't where this photo came from. It just looked nice.

Update: a new Misaki Ito television show Putting out Vigor (元気を出して) will be out. I think that's the right translation. More later.

Leaving Oregon - again.

2009-01-16T12:41:00.000-08:00

I must say goodbye to my good friends here.

The train is a nice change of pace from absurd airports and cramped planes.
See you guys later.

- Just a peasant

Photo of my Totoro companions

Where is my hiking hat?

2009-01-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

“. . . no matter where you go, there you are.” – from Buckaroo Bonzai

So now, in a couple of weeks I have to move back to the snowy Midwest to finish my thesis. I’m pretty sure that I will never have a regular home. Everywhere I live is only temporary. I seem to belong nowhere. I wish I had a yurt. Yet it’s always been this way - even growing up. And even though I’ve changed careers, I am still a nomad – a mercenary - of sorts. I have grown accustomed to, and even have a preference for, sleeping on couches. I am careful not to get too comfortable in any one place.

When I count all the times I was on the road as a musician, it totals out to 54 months. That’s four and a half years of living out of suitcases. And in between those tours and traveling I kept everything in boxes. Mostly books. I love books. It was the same in college too. I’ve been to five colleges. And it was the same in marriages and divorces and with girlfriends and fiancées. I’d rather not count all those up. And nothing has changed today except that I keep less and less stuff each time. Fewer things and fewer relationships. Fewer and fewer attachments every year. I am an atheist caught up in a Zen parable. I am careful not to unpack too many things.

I’m always a little sad to go but I’m not complaining because I love traveling too. I really like living in new places or finding new challenges. Actually, I just can’t see myself any other way. I loved being on the road when I played music and remember the other musicians that hated it. I loved being in Guam and digging holes in the impossibly hard ground of that coral rock island to plant a bunch of coconut trees. Antigua was a small adventure too - especially where the streets had no names but could be identified by each unique pack of stray dogs that diligently patrolled them. I once lived on a sailboat in southern Florida where I speared red crabs or blue fish for breakfast and watched glowing yellow creatures swim through the water at night. I traveled to the restaurants of Shimonoseki in Japan to eat as much fugu (puffer fish) as I could possibly find. Later I wandered the quieter streets of Hachioji and then through the towering glass elegance of Tokyo as the summer heat gnawed on my skin and I remember listening to the incredible feast of amazing sounds in the train stations and other buildings. I wanted to stay in Japan forever with all those cool people, mechanical melodies, and endless rainy days.

So where will I finish this chaotic journey I wonder? Where will I be when I watch my last rain fall? But most importantly, who will I be - when I draw my last breath?

- Just a peasant

Photo: I found my hat. Time to go.

My definition of Art

2009-01-13T11:36:00.000-08:00

We had an interesting debate yesterday over the question, “What is Art?”

My summary was:

Art is when the creative impulse transcends the process of the medium.

- Just a peasant

Photo of Cirque du Soleil's Alegria from The Cirque Tribune website. Here is a link to a Youtube video clip of the hula hoops performance by Elena Lev.

Fallout 3 - I love it!

2009-01-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Fallout 3 is awesome! I spent so many hours playing this RPG-FPS from the very first day it came out. My real world productivity declined as my characters roamed the nuclear wasteland of the Washington, DC area. I skipped real world meals as my characters sustained themselves on radioactive water and insect ‘meat’. I completely lost track of time while my characters scrounged the post-apocalyptic ruins for any trace of ammunition. My real world dreams were filled with VATS combat and bloody explosions. This is what a video game is supposed to be. It was totally worth it! I bought both the regular edition then went and got the special edition with the lunch box and bobble head you see above.

This game is by Bethesda Softworks, the makers of Oblivion, which is also really great though a completely different genre and setting. But what’s amusing to me is that I just can’t play an evil character. My characters have to always do the ‘right thing’ - help people not hurt them etc. etc. However, in Fallout 3 this is good because I kept gaining positive karma which influences other things in the game.

I give it a 92 out of a 100. (I subtracted 5 points because Misaki Ito (伊東美咲) is not in the game. What did I tell you people?!!).

- Just a peasant

My Vault-Tec boy bobble head pictured above. If you play the game you’ll realize the significance of the bobble head dolls.

Happy New Year from Oregon

2009-01-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

We had a large amount of snow this year which is unusual for Portland. The car sat in the driveway for a week and a half. This was the state of my neighborhood for most of the holidays.

I hope everyone has a good year.

- Just a peasant

Let it melt!

2008-12-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

That’s right – I said it: let the arctic melt away. Why would I say such a thing you might inquire? Because this year I wrote to Santa Claus and specifically requested a special gift: Misaki Ito. Not a Misaki Ito calendar. Not a Misaki Ito bobble head. Not a Misaki Ito pillowcase. I asked for the real thing! MISAKI ITO (伊東美咲) herself.

So on Christmas morning I raced downstairs and guess what I found? NOTHING. I looked high and low; outside then inside. I crawled under the house in case those mice were stirring and stole her - they're clever like that. I checked the chimney in case she got caught on the flue. I checked the kitchen just in case Santa was scrounging for cookies and milk. I NEVER leave cookies out for him – he needs to lose some weight. I even looked for a lump of coal in case Santa was punishing me. There was no coal either which was good - because I was so angry I could have squashed it into a diamond! I checked every closet in case Misaki was disoriented from being in Santa’s toy bag or had gotten knocked in the head by some moron’s Nordic Track that Santa was delivering. Nothing. No sign of her. How could this happen!?

Look, I haven’t asked Santa for anything since I was six years old. I haven’t done anything bad since I was 23 years old! Okay maybe 25 but still, it’s been a really long time. So what's up?

Well Santa let me tell you something: No longer will I support the cause to save the North Pole. I will aid global warming in any way I can think of. The North Pole will melt away! I will so enjoy the day when your elves are clinging desperately to their wooden workbenches as they float away. I will snicker as your reindeer are forced to do menial labor in the herds of Lapland. And I will laugh maniacally as you flee from all those hungry polar bears fighting for what’s left of the ice. Run Santa Run.

Come on people, lighten up - its the holidays!

- Just a peasant

Photo Shiseido Maquillage from Heart Attack blog

Operation Smile for the holidays

2008-12-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

I support Operation Smile. This is a secular (i.e. non-religious), non-profit organization that sends medical teams and specialists to less developed countries to perform cleft lip and cleft palate surgical reconstruction. In these countries either the expertise does not exist or the cost is too great for the families. The difference made by the Operation Smile projects is solid and impressive. If you believe in the power of a smile – or that a child should articulate words without prejudice from other children – or a person should be able to walk down a street with dignity – or if you believe in the magic of a teenager’s first kiss – then it’s a good place to make a contribution.

- Just a peasant

Pictured above is Thanh - a boy from Vietnam (click to enlarge). I have the link above or in the sidebar. You can also find videos of more stories of other children over on You Tube.

For the story of this child go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1py27mBY6-c

21st Century Humanist

Happy Valentine’s Day （ハッピーバレンタインデー）

Back to School (学校に戻って)

Hardship

Happy New Year (よいお年を)

Daybreak (夜明け)

The World (世界)

My ribs! (私の肋骨!)

Sunrise Avenue（日の出アベニュー)

Beautiful Things（美しいもの）

Bananaquit

Daily Lectures (毎日の講議)

遠方からの伊東美咲 (Misaki Ito from Far Away) 2011

To celebrate (祝うため)

誕生日おめでとう

Support Japan （日本をサポート）

日本2011年 (Japan 2011)

Break Time (壊れ目の時間)

Happy Valentine’s Day （ハッピーバレンタインデー）

To Listen - (聞くため)

Caribbean Chess （カリブのチェス）

Somewhere (どこかの)

End of the Island (島の端)

Happy New Year (よいお年を)

Study spot - 勉強する場所

Distance （距離）

Before the storm (嵐の前に)

Nothing special today (特別な何も今日)

Jasper Morello (Jasper Morelloの神秘的な調査)

The grass is greener (草は緑である)

Waiting for Misaki (伊東美咲を待っている)

Grenada haiku (俳句のグレナダ)

The Arsenal (工廠)

The Humble Medical Student (卑しいな医学生)

Summer afternoon - 夏の午後

Nomad again (再度遊牧民)

Train (列車)

誕生日の女の子

Bad Bull (悪い牡牛)

Green Meteor Explosion (緑の流星の爆発)

Not strangers, but not friends

伊東 美咲 - がんばって! (Misaki Ito - Do your best!)

Spring is here (春はここにある)

Winter Fire (冬の火)

Valentine’s Day (バレンタインデー)

Secret Experiment (秘密の実験)

躊躇して。(Don’t Hesitate)

Haiti

Don’t worry - I understand (心配してはいけない - 私は理解する)

Happy New Year (明けましておめでとう! )

Destination Unknown (行先の未知数)

レゲエ-アフリカおよび日本語 (Reggae – African and Japanese)

Snow Storm (雪の嵐)

Before the Ice Arrives (氷の前に着く)

Another Moment of Truth (別の決定的瞬間)

Misaki Ito and Beyond (現在を越える伊東美咲)

October Child (10月の子供)

Cup of Water

Broken Heart Syndrome (失恋シンドローム)

Biographical Sketch (伝記のスケッチ)

実質のため (For real)

Last breath of summer (夏の最後の呼吸)

For Scott (スコットのため)

Always Waiting (常に待っている)

Down

Actors playing surgeons (外科医を演じている俳優)

DNA Origami (DNAを折ることの芸術)

睡眠無しの夏の夜

伊東 美咲 - まだベスト

The Vibrant Earth

The Brilliant Sky

That Fool (그바보)

The Blue Ocean

I try too hard

Between the storms

Life?

Cyborg She (僕の彼女はサイボーグ)

Done!

誕生日花 - May 26th

Countdown to defense

伊東美咲 - がんばって! (Misaki Ito - Do your best!)

伊東美咲 - まだベスト