Later, I read some articles. One was about fat. The basic message is that being overweight might not be bad, but being sedentary and eating a horrible diet probably isn't good for you. Another was a critique of the State of the Union Address. It's mostly a free-form interview with an expert on public speaking. Again, the message wasn't particularly revolutionary--George W. Bush is a horrible public speaker, but he did OK this week--but I enjoyed it for all of the little details about what makes a good speech. It also included some humorous anecdotes about Al Gore's inaccurate hand gestures and George W. Bush's tendency to make "duck head" movements.
In the afternoon I picked up some data about people who tried to lose weight through a ten-week intensive [non-pharmaceutica] intervention. I'm going to look at change in cardiovascular risk for a fun side project.
After that meeting, I went to Tower and bought some CDs. For those of you keeping score: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Voyager One, The Melody Unit, and OK Go; each for about $10. I also picked up a "new" issue of Vice magazine. In case you were wondering, Fresh Jive's new advertising campaign features a "found" photo of a man wearing shorts that don't conceal his genitals. There is also a photo spread of developmentally disabled adults, who also pose as the editorial staff of the magazine.
At a convenience store, the clerk told me that my shirt said Owls and that it had a picture of an owl. I told her, "yes, yes it does."