Waught the Fock

I've been having daily meetings with a sponsor and a vendor to get a mobile phone app going for a study (patients will enter their dosing information into it- cool, eh?). The vendor screwed something up something critical in a HUGE way during Wednesday's call. I was working from home, so I couldn't see the reactions in the office and wasn't in on what I was sure was an interesting conversation afterwards.

Later, C called me and we talked about the whole debacle. She described how shocked our local team was and that they were all just speechless.

Our sponsor's product manager is a petite girl with the cutest English accent. She's very sweet and endlessly positive.

I said, "I wonder what (the sponsor's product manager) said when they got off the call!"

C said, "She probably said..." and then in the cute, girlish voice with the English accent, "What the F**K."

...which, of course, is now the running phrase at work. It's actually brought a bit of culture to the place. ;)


Saturday 9: A Day in the Life (1967)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) According to Rolling Stone, this is the greatest Beatles song of all. What's your favorite Beatles song?
"A Day in the Life" is an amazing song. One of my faves. But "Oh! Darling" is probably my very favorite. As a bonus, you can really drama it up when you sing it. Fall to your knees, etc...



2) "A Day in the Life" took 5 days to record. Looking back on the last five days, what did you accomplish?
I am locking a database next week, and I got all my ducks in a row for that.

3) This song is the highlight of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, the first album released after the Beatles gave up touring. Critics predicted that, when they abandoned live concerts, their creativity would wane. Obviously this wasn't the case. When has someone underestimated you?
I've been accused of being "too nice," but I come out swinging when I need to, to many people's surprise.

4) The song says our hero "woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head." How is your hair right now? Are you prepared to go out and face the world? 
My hair is good! I'm ready for the world.

5) The lyrics tell us he had to hurry to catch the bus to work. When is the last time you rode public transportation?
I rode the game bus in College Station from the mall to campus the weekend before last.

6) "A Day in the Life" was a true Lennon-McCartney collaboration. Conventional wisdom is that Paul is easy going while John was edgy. Is your temperament more Lennon or McCartney?
McCartney

7) "A Day in the Life" came out five years after the Beatles replaced their drummer. Taking over for Pete Best was undoubtedly the biggest break of Ringo Starr's career. Tell us about a time when fortune smiled on you.
I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in college and was scheduled for a local surgeon (the doc who diagnosed me at the university Health Center) to remove all the lymph nodes in my chest. The director of the Health Center heard about my diagnosis and intervened immediately. She informed me that surgery was not a good treatment option. She knew a doc at MD Anderson, which was referral-only at the time, and he got me in. I was in Houston starting chemo within a few days. Her actions likely saved my life.

8) It would be hard to overestimate the Beatles' impact on popular culture. Their story and music have inspired a Broadway musical, a Las Vegas show, two movies and, according to Amazon, 900+ books. What's the most recent biography you read?
Anderson Cooper (it's been a while). I'm working on Jenny Lawson's book. (Does that qualify as a biography?)

9) The Beatles are an ongoing boon to England's tourism industry. Fans from all over the world visit Liverpool each year to see where the Beatles grew up and got their start. If you won a trip to England, tell us what you'd like to see.
I'm going to England in December! I've been before and hit all the major London and Brighton sites, but I'd love to visit a bunch of castles. I love castles!