Phew

It's been a terribly long week, but the light at the end of the current tunnel doesn't look like a train after all.

Look upon my works, ye mighty,
and say, 'hey, cool'.
    -- Sidramandias.

Also, From Russia

Russian ship docks with ISS.

Report from the Paramecia Department

Specifically, the Global Influenza Team:

Flu epidemic has begun in Russia. Omsk, Astrakhan, Chelyabinsk, Pskov, Rostov-on- Don, Novosibirsk, and Penza have reached epidemic-levels of flu incidence in all ages.

Telomerase 'Off' Switch for Cancer Cells

Secrets of Cancer's "Eternal Youth"

Whoa. Cool stuff.

The gist here is that cancer cells may be re-activating a gene that supports our initial cell growth in the womb. The result: cancer cells replicate forever and never stop. (Normal cells don't.). This effect is produced, quite possibly, by the cell unravelling its copy of the telomerase gene, which holds the on/off swtich for cell growth. According to the article, about 85% of cancers re-activate this unlimited cell growth sequence. Now, quite possibly, we 're on the edge of turning that back 'off'.

I'm all, like, acidopholous-y

I been cultured.

San Diego Opera. Beethoven. "Fidelio".

The Civic Theatre is very nice, and our balcony-side seats had a very good view ('cept for the guy in front of me, the one with the head....the one with the *big* head.).

Wonderful orchestra, fabulous singers, fun story and really seamless set changes. (Speaking as the offspring of thespians, seamless set changes are utterly marvelous.)

I loved the story, and this is the first time I've paid attention to above-stage captioning, which didn't get in the way if I wanted just to look at the stage, but were easy to spot if I wanted to know what was being said, as my German is so inadequate I'm loathe to use the phrase 'my German'. I can parse maybe one word in 10, and it better be a simple one.

ANYWAYS. A big thumbs up overall.