On Wednesday I did something I have never done before. I attended a series of musical performances at a bar in the west village. It’s one of those arrangements that is similar to a comedy show. They have various performers. You pay a cover to get in and then there is a lovely X drink minimum that you must purchase while there. Annoying. But I went because an amateur singer/songwriter who contacted me through MySpace was having a performance and I missed his last one. I’m not gonna lie, the situation was kinda weird. He contacted me through MySpace based on my interest in John Mayer. He said he was similar and that I should check him out. So I did and I actually liked his songs a lot. His name is Jason Daniel and you can check out his page here.

I foolishly got to the bar shortly after the show started, even though Jason was performing third. I had to sit in an empty bar while this kid did his thing. He was trying to be a cross between Soundgarden and Our Lady Peace. He was really nervous and his voice failed constantly. Pretty rough. Next up was a group called Two Wheel who were trying to be a cross between 3 Doors Down and Our Lady Peace. Maybe they had some good stuff, but their electronics were so loud that I couldn’t really hear the music. I’m actually a fan of Soundgarden, 3 Doors Down, and Our Lady Peace, so when you’re trying and it’s just not working…well, I can’t imagine every getting up on stage and performing knowing I was that unrefined. Finally Jason was up and by then the place was packed. And deservedly so, he was really professional and refined. The wait was worth it. After Jason, I was told that some famous girl who was on Letterman and the lead singer from Spin Doctors would be up, but rather than risk a bitter ending, I headed back to my sweet apartment.

Not taking any days off after my move has made me realize that settling into a new apartment is easier said than done. I was hoping to have spiffy pics of my new place by now, but I’m still not fully unpacked. I also haven’t sorted out key issues like my bed frame and chair for my desk. I place the blame on my working constantly, still having to do soccer club administrative stuff, and the standard “I’m too tired after a work day to work on my apartment.” Though I have to admit, I wasn’t too tired to squeeze Mamma Mia and the Dark Knight into my monstrous work week last week (on one day I worked 19 hours). The former of which was ok, and the latter was amazing as pretty much everyone felt (except for DrHeimlich). But things are coming along and that’s what counts.

Speaking of counting, I finally got a proper paycheck. I take that back, since there’s really nothing proper about it. I’m making more money as a post doc, but it’s not a lot and it pushes me into the next tax bracket. So, I have to pay more taxes for not much increase in gross income. Also, I now have to pay for social security which is silly as it will be bankrupt in my lifetime. And of course, I pay much more in rent. Everything makes sense, but I’m not wild about taking home less money now as compared to when I was a student. Needless to say I will try and continue my other odd jobs to offset expenses. On the upside my new pad is sweet and only a 2 minute walk to work.

After six years of living dorm-style in Mount Sinai student housing I was finally able to pack up and move out. I was able to get new housing through Sinai as a postdoc and my new apartment is a one bedroom only a block away from my old place (preserving the 2 minute walk to work). My new apartment is small, which is not uncommon for apartments in Manhattan, but it still gives me enough space to live comfortably.

Some of the perks to the new place are that 1) I am living alone, 2) I have ample closet space, 3) I have ample fridge space, 4) I can have an air conditioner that doesn’t decimate the environment and my wallet, 5) I have a bathroom with a standing shower (no tub to scrub), and 6) the apartment was completely renovated before I moved in.

Since I was only moving a block away and since I didn’t have much in the way of major furniture (no bed or desk), I decided to pack everything and move it myself with a hand truck instead of paying over $1000 for movers. I had two days to do it, which I figured would do the trick, but in retrospect that was a little tight. Amazingly it wasn’t the 6 flight walkup that was a problem, it was the fact that I could only wheel so much stuff on a hand cart. Fortunately Triple G volunteered (nay, insisted) to help me on Tuesday night and that was much appreciated. With his help I was able to shave off 4 hours of moving and be finished with the move as intended by late afternoon Wednesday. I’m still in the process of getting furniture and putting away stuff, but when that’s all done I will post again with furnished apartment pictures.

From last week’s issue of C&EN:

In 1898 Chemists at Bayer believed they had a wonder drug on their hands. Their newest pain reliever and cough remedy, a diacetylated form of morphine, was more potent than its parent opioid with one-tenth of its toxic effects. And unlike morphine, this compound wasn’t habit-forming, or so proclaimed one report in the Boston Medical & Surgical Journal. The wonder drug’s reputation so impressed the members of the St James Society that the U.S. philanthropic began a campaign to mail free samples of the stuff to morphine addicts who were trying to kick the habit. That wonder drug was heroine.

As much as we’d like to think things have changed over the years:

Introduced in 1995, OxyContin is a controlled-release formulation of oxycodone that provides 12 hours of pain relief. Pain management experts hailed OxyContin as a breakthrough, and by 2001 it was the most frequently prescribed brand-name narcotic for treating moderate-to-severe pain in the U.S., bringing in more than $1 billion in annual sales. At the same time, reports were surfacing about the drug’s potential for abuse. Crushing, chewing, or dissolving the tablets destroys the controlled-release feature, delivering the entire dose of oxycodone at once and a heroine-like high along with it. Last year, Purdue and three of its executives pleaded guilty to misleading regulators, doctors, and patients about OxyContin’s addictive properties and potential for abuse. They agreed to pay $634.5 million in fines.

With many big pharma brand-name drugs ending their period of protection under patent laws, will the pressure to create new drugs and maintain profitability result in more of the above?

Last week I had the honor to be the keynote speaker at the annual Robert Pavlica Authentic Science Research Symposium. This annual event highlights the research of high school students who are conducting independent scientific research projects. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is the program that jump-started my scientific career. As such, it was a wonderful experience to return to my old high school and once again stand on the auditorium stage, but this time as the teacher.

It was amazing to see how much the program has expanded. When I was enrolled, I was one of 5 seniors graduating from the program. This year there were 17 seniors and over 60 juniors and sophomores. This is an incredible percentage of what is a very small public school. It was also amazing to return to my high school and see how far I have come. That night, I held the highest degree of anyone in attendance. It felt kinda weird, but it also felt good. =) I look forward to returning for next year’s symposium (the 20th Anniversary) and also volunteering some time for the program once I get settled into my new job.

At this point I would expect that most everyone knows, but for the record, I was finally awarded my Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences! Things moved pretty quickly thereafter and I have transitioned into a postdoctoral fellowship also at Mount Sinai. I’m in a different department now, Endocrinology, but the work I will do still has relevance to skeletal fragility. In addition, I get to incorporate studies of diabetes and obesity. I will be moving (one block) away in a month or so to my very own 1-bedroom which I am ecstatic about, mostly because I will have more closet space. Seriously folks, I am barely surviving with my tiny closet here in the Sinai residence hall. So, it’s a new phase in life for me and I’ve very excited. In honor of this new phase I have upgraded to this brand new blog on WordPress. As much as I love Google, WordPress is much better than Blogger and let’s face it…nowadays I’m all about better.

The countdown has begun. For a variety of reasons it’s time to wrap up 30 years of schooling with a doctorate in April…Monday April 14th to be exact. That’s the day I will be defending my Ph.D. thesis. My talk, which will be open to the public, will be 9-10am and then there will be the closed “exam” from 10am-Noon. Afterwards there will be food and rejoicing. For those planning to attend, you now have the date.

It’s been a few months, but once again I’m off to another conference to showcase my work. This time I head to San Francisco, a city I’ve never been to before. I’m leaving early to spend some time with my friend Blake and see the sights. When I get back next week that will mark the last trip for me as a grad student. From then on I finish writing my thesis and defend!