Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Quiet Day At Work

I'm ~trying~ to be productive. I swear....

My sister has a tumblr account, which is fascinating and beautiful, and after browsing through other users pages, I was quite tempted to sign up for my own account. But since I have this little corner of the internet to myself (not mention a rarely used LiveJournal account, along with my frequently updated Twitter and Facebook), I decided not to do it. Instead, I shall use this space more creatively, and with less self-consciousness.

To wit: I'm sharing some images from a new collection of amazing pre-1960 color photographs online, courtesy of the The Library of Congress and their new Flickr page


I am just blown away by these (sorry, gonna be cheesy) "captured moments". Maybe it's nostalgia of some sort, maybe it's simply respect for the artistry, maybe it's a combination of a few things. But I am just amazed by these.

I used to imagine myself quite the amature photographer. In 7th or 8th grade, I had a photography class at camp and was given a secondhand Minolta. I treasured that camera and would take with me everywhere, even after the class was over, using up roll after roll of film as I took photographs of the most mundane aspects of my daily life. I know my parents weren't exactly thrilled about processing all that film.

In high school, I took a chunk of my savings (mostly Bat Mitzvah money) to contribute towards a new Nikon. And I was taking photography classes again, so my shutterbug habit was less expensive, and more focused on completing class assignments.

And now, I'm addicted to my digital camera. I have so many random pictures and and videos from my daily life... perhaps I will have to start sharing them more often.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Shoes and Smoking

I wrote an entry last week about the interesting choices that DC women make in footwear during icy weather, but I didn't put it online -- partially from being swamped at work, but also because the weather has been delightfully spring-like for several days now, which made my thoughts (temporarily) irrelevant. But when the weather changes again in a few days, I'm sure the rain boots and Uggs will come out once more, which will provide me with a chance to share those particular musings.

In the meantime, I am fascinated with this article from the American Journal of Epidemiology, about a potential correlation between smoking and HPV:

Is Smoking an Independent Risk Factor for Invasive Cervical Cancer?

The strong correlation between smoking and exposure to oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs) has made it difficult to verify the independent role of smoking in cervical carcinogenesis. .... The point estimates increased with increasing age at diagnosis and increasing cotinine level. This study confirms that smoking is an independent risk factor for cervical cancer/SCC in women infected with oncogenic HPVs. These findings emphasize the importance of cervical cancer prevention among women exposed to tobacco smoke.


Evidence that demonstrates the negative consequences of smoking just keep piling up. And when I see how tobacco uniquely effects women, I get more anxious for my friends who smoke. And angry at the tobacco companies ... but I won't go down that route just now.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Quote of the Day

"For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe."
~ Anonymous