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So there is this company in town that tests generic versus brand name drugs.  I am sure everybody from Fargo knows what I am talking about.  Basically they pay people to be guinea pigs.  The studies are about as safe as can be.  It’s not like they are testing untested drugs.  They just compare brand names versus the generic to make sure they are similar so the generic can get onto the market.  Most of the time you are given a low enough dosage that you don’t feel any affects, at least I have never felt any.  I usually do a few a year when some easy ones come up.  It’s not like we need the money.  We are doing pretty well, but it’s hard to pass up an easy $1000.

The one I am doing now is a patch study.  I just have to wear patches on my hips, and go in on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays for a check and replacement, for four weeks.

So for the last three weeks I have been going in three times a week to let people peak at my underwear and hips.  Yesterday I was getting a little reaction, so they had to move my patches.  They moved them in an inch or so, but now they are only and inch or so away from my pubes.  I am not a shaver.  I don’t know if many guys are, but I’m not.  I am all natural down there.  Now I am wondering if I should trim them back a little.  It’s going to be a little tricky to expose the patches without exposing some pubes.

I guess I will have to make the call when I am in the shower tomorrow.  I don’t think my decision will be blog-worthy though.

I finally have a day off, and I am sick.  I probably caught something from all the people I was around last week.  I had three long days at a conference for work.  The crappy part is they are only paying me for 16 hours, since that was the amount of time spent in classes.  I totally understand that, but I had to take 20 hours off work to go.  They should have at least paid me that.  I probably spent 28 hours doing conference stuff, and then worked my usual 36 hour weekend, and had to use 4 hours vacation.

Today is a well needed day off, lots to catch up on, and I feel like crap.  I rarely get sick, but I think I found out why.  I work with very few people, and am never really around people very often.  So actually I may be more susceptible since I don’t get exposed to as often.  Just two weeks until I get my flu shot though.  Hopefully that keeps me free from the flu all winter, because I don’t even have the flu and this sucks.

It’s been a crazy week, and the next few weeks will be crazy too, so it will be a little quiet around here.  I worked all week, and my crazy family will be here all weekend. 

Then next week I will be at a conference for work all week, and then work all weekend.  I will be glad when this week is done. 

For work we need continuing education credits every three years.  We can get them either by going to classes in Bismarck, or going to the yearly conference in October.  This year the conference is in Fargo, so a bunch of us are going.  Most people would rather go to the conference than the classes.  The classes take attendance, and you have to be there.  The conference is mostly just eating and drinking, and maybe attending a few of the talks.  It’s a lot of socializing with people, which I hate doing.  The free meals are usually pretty good, and Wednesday night the beer is free supplied by the venders, but honestly, I would rather just sit in a class room and maybe learn something.  Socializing with people I don’t know, and don’t have much in common just isn’t my kind of fun.

I have never bought a lottery in my life.  I — unlike most people — understand math, which probably takes a lot of fun out of my life.  I don’t play anything where the odds are stacked against me.  I have no fun in casinos, and lottery tickets are about the worst.

I am the only one at work that doesn’t put money into their lottery pool.  They all think I am stupid, and will be the only one left at work when they all win.  I think they are the stupid ones though.  I calculated how much each one of them have spent over the years, and it was well over $500, and they are never going to win.

The lottery is just a tax on the stupid.  Sure someone’s got to win, but it’s not going to be you.  This week I ran across a nice little lottery simulator.  You can play twice a week for 10 years in just seconds for free.  I did it and won $81, but spent $1040.  Try running it over and over, then you will see how stupid it is to play the lottery.