Yeah, oh, I am a scientist

I'm gonna be updating this a lot more for a few weeks, since it's summer and I don't have a job or any gainful employment. I know, I know, I suck, but that's not the point. The point is that I need something to do.

So here goes. Today's gainful employment:

Summer reading recommendations:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The last J.K. Rowling book. It's derivative and all that, but frankly, I have all the others, so I'll buy this one and read it just so I know how the series ends.
Lots of Dorothy Sayers books. Mystery novels with humor and a bit of bite. You have to have a certain frame of reference to get some of the jokes and things. They're old mysteries, like 1920s-30s-40s old, so they're better than most. Sayers's main protagonists are Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, and both are likeable and entertaining.
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy. This is actually cheating, since I started on it before school let out, but I do need to finish it.
Lord of the Flies, William Golding. Izaak has to read it. I might as well.
Some classics, namely Of Mice and Men and, oh, whatever else I can find. I never did quite finish Moby Dick (Nathaniel Hawthorne, better reading than The Scarlet Letter) or Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen in a Gothier mood). Also, I need to get over my hatred of all things Brontë and reading Wuthering Heights and whatever else I can be bothered to track down. I am NOT, however, re-reading Jane Eyre. I detest that heroine.
Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut.
Catch-22, Joseph Heller. Okay, this is cheating too since I already read it, but I love this book.
Nickeled and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich. Because I just can't get enough social outrage.
The Truth (with jokes), by Al Franken. Because I just can't get enough of Al Franken.
Also, I might re-read The Bone Woman, by Clea Koff. We'll see how it goes.


Summer listening recommendations:
The radio. Specifically, NPR. More specifically, the BBC radio segments, This American Life, and Fresh Air. You just can't beat free, informative, and mind-blowing.
Welcome to the Monkey House, The Dandy Warhols. Slightly trippy, spacy, techno-y alternative rock with a lot of synthesizer. Very relaxing. Gotta love it.
Your New Favourite Band, The Hives. Loud, enthusiastic, unabashed Swedish punk rockers. This is my favorite album of theirs, although Tyrannosaurus Hives is good too. This one has better instrumentals, I think.
Icky Thump, The White Stripes. Hasn't been released yet, technically, but soon...soon. And I'm psyched. It's supposed to be a return to their earlier sound, which is all for the better. Get Behind Me Satan left a lot to be desired. Their earlier albums -- White Blood Cells, The White Stripes, and the much maligned but still marvelous De Stijl -- are my favorites. They're bringing it back, baby; blues and indy rock all in one.
With Teeth, Nine Inch Nails. Normally I'm not a fan of techno metal, really, but these guys are good at what they do.
We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, Modest Mouse. Good alternative rock. Don't why I like them -- I just do.
Waiting For My Rocket To Come, Jason Mraz. Lay off me. It's chill.

More later. Feel free to make suggestions. I want to hear some Mars Volta and more Killers over the summer too, but we'll see how it goes.