The good, the bad, and the weird, respectively...

1) I have a new job to apply for,  this one at the University of Kentucky Law Library.  It's a digital librarian position.

2) I didn't get either of the part-time positions I interviewed for, but I'm moving on and trying not to take the rejection hard.

3) At the employee social tonight I asked the bartender for a Diet Pepsi, watched him put something in it and assumed it was some sort of syrup,  then tasted it and realised it was bourbon. Needless to say,  as I was driving,  dislike alcohol, and can't even drink a half a glass of wine without getting drunk,  I didn't drink any further. When asked, the bartender insisted there was nothing in it. I guess he was on autopilot and didn't realise what he did.  But that could have been bad.

Parents, take heed

When should you talk to your kids about alcohol? Before they turn 10, doctors say

Adolescence is a time marked by testing limits and exploring the unexplored, the authors of Monday's study note.

"It is no coincidence that this is the chief period for initiating substance use," they said. "Alcohol is the substance most frequently used by children and adolescents in the United States, and its use in youth is associated with the leading causes of death and serious injury at this age (i.e., motor vehicle accidents, homicides, and suicides)."

Researchers found that 21 percent of young people have tried more than a sip of alcohol by age 13, and nearly 80 percent acknowledged drinking before graduating high school.

In addition, the study noted, 4 out of 5 teenagers said their parents had the biggest influence over when — and whether — they decided to drink. A 2013 study, for example, found that parental communication about alcohol before college helped prevent students who didn't drink from becoming heavy drinkers. It also greatly reduced drinking patterns among teenagers who already had begun drinking prior to college.

I am not so much surprised

or incredulous as, well, flabbergasted that anyone would think this was a good idea. Oh. Yeah. We're talking people whose brains are still forming (no offence to the teens of the world, but hey, I'm just saying).

Teens using vodka tampons to get drunk

And no, it isn't just girls. Guys are using similar methods rectally.

An interesting article

The Chemist's War: The little-told story of how the U.S. government poisoned alcohol during Prohibition with deadly consequences

The author discovered the government's agenda--and the New York medical examiner's records and opposition to it--whilst researching her new book, The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. Here's the product description:

Deborah Blum, writing with the high style and skill for suspense that is characteristic of the very best mystery fiction, shares the untold story of how poison rocked Jazz Age New York City. In The Poisoner's Handbook Blum draws from highly original research to track the fascinating, perilous days when a pair of forensic scientists began their trailblazing chemical detective work, fighting to end an era when untraceable poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime.

Drama unfolds case by case as the heroes of The Poisoner's Handbook-chief medical examiner Charles Norris and toxicologist Alexander Gettler-investigate a family mysteriously stricken bald, Barnum and Bailey's Famous Blue Man, factory workers with crumbling bones, a diner serving poisoned pies, and many others. Each case presents a deadly new puzzle and Norris and Gettler work with a creativity that rivals that of the most imaginative murderer, creating revolutionary experiments to tease out even the wiliest compounds from human tissue. Yet in the tricky game of toxins, even science can't always be trusted, as proven when one of Gettler's experiments erroneously sets free a suburban housewife later nicknamed "America's Lucretia Borgia" to continue her nefarious work.

From the vantage of Norris and Gettler's laboratory in the infamous Bellevue Hospital it becomes clear that killers aren't the only toxic threat to New Yorkers. Modern life has created a kind of poison playground, and danger lurks around every corner. Automobiles choke the city streets with carbon monoxide; potent compounds, such as morphine, can be found on store shelves in products ranging from pesticides to cosmetics. Prohibition incites a chemist's war between bootleggers and government chemists while in Gotham's crowded speakeasies each round of cocktails becomes a game of Russian roulette. Norris and Gettler triumph over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice during a remarkably deadly time. A beguiling concoction that is equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page-turning account of a forgotten New York.

It really sounds interesting (of course, I like mysteries, forensics, and for that matter, I'm fascinated by poisons). The Lexington Public Library's online catalogue appears to be down at the moment but I'll check back to see if they're acquiring it.

What a long but lovely day

Today I went to Bardstown, Kentucky, where we ate at the Old Talbott Tavern and then went to the Nelson County Public Library for a meeting of the Kentucky Medical Library Association.

The meeting went very well. KMLA is the result of the merger of two organisations and finally has a by-laws in place. The criteria for membership was the main topic and had the potential to be divisive (the outlooks of the two groups in terms of mission had been very different), but instead everyone spoke up and a good consensus was reached.

Bardstown and the surrounding countryside were very picturesque, and it was nice to get out of Lexington for a change. Thanks, Mary, for the ride.

Then I went to a friend's home and did a lot of stuff with him, and took a taxi home with a great cabbie who took the shortest/cheapest route and was very personable. I took his card to have for later. Now I'm at home eating and enjoying some Mike's Harder Cranberry Lemonade, which is only 8% alcohol and I've had half a can, but I'm a little buzzed. Did I mention I don't hold alcohol well? I hate to think what I'd do with something really strong. Fortunately I know this, rarely drink, and stop at one, two at the most. And of course, I only drink when there's no chance I'll be driving.

I think I'll find out what happened today in the world and maybe write some more if something strikes me, but I'm also tired and sleepy, so I don't want to stay up too late. So if I don't see anything blogworthy, good night.

Glad to be a (for the most part) non-drinker

I'm still premenopausal, and I drink maybe one alcoholic drink every 3-5 years (and usually drink those silly fruity drinks because I don't like the taste of alcohol, although the only beer I can stomach is stout.) But if you do drink regularly, and you're a woman, take note:

Frequent Alcohol Consumption Increases Cancer Risk In Older Women

Postmenopausal women consuming two or more alcoholic beverages a day may double their risk of endometrial cancer, suggests a study led by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC).

Research: Drinking May Lead to Increased Risk of Endometrial Cancer

A couple of quizzes between jobs

Your Vocabulary Score: A+

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

And because I just had to take my semi-annual alcohol training:

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

Which is funny, because I don't care for any beer but very stout, but can't drink enough of it to get drunk because it's just too much. Maybe a half-pint of Guinness is for me. I was very disappointed that O'Neill's didn't have them.

I'm just not an alcohol person anyway. If I drink, it's usually something fruity like a dacquiri, and really, what's the point of the alcohol at that point? What I really like is the smoothie taste. :)