Trent the Uncatchable

Right, then...

Last night I .. oh, wait, let me start over.

Yesterday I was supposed to do a demo of an intranet site for some attorneys, starting at 4 and lasting till 5:30. They changed the time to this morning at 8, which theoretically meant that I could leave work a little bit early. But, they had also given us lots of changes to make on the website. We knew in advance that we couldn't do them all, so I spent the day creating an HTML mockup of the entire thing ... including functionality, buttons, multiple versions of each screen for each role, and so on. It took some time. As a result, I didn't actually get out of work early. But, it wasn't 5:30.

We went home, and Ben asked if we could go to Parent/Teacher Conferences so that he could talk to his guidance counselor. Turns out that Dalhousie wants some information (on the admissions application) which is not available through normal channels, so he wanted to talk to his counselor about how to handle it. So we turned around and went back out.

His counselor was helpful - said that the information did exist, but was not easy to obtain. She would, instead, call Dal on Monday and ask them exactly what they were looking for so that the school didn't have to jump through unnecessary hoops. (They're looking for actual grades for each class - not just 'A', but '94%' or whatever.) There was another parent passing through the office as we were talking to the counselor, who overheard us say something like 'If he goes to MIT we'll be living in a cardboard box', who told us that she had sent two kids there and that it wasn't as bad as we were fearing. It's good to hear that it's possible...

We talked to his English teacher (and his English teacher from last year), his math teacher, his science teacher, and his computer teacher. He's doing very well in all of his classes, and all the teachers had good things to say. He was a little embarassed by how much praise they heaped on him, which I can relate to - I'm not very good at accepting unsolicited compliments either. But overall it was a good experience. And I might work with the computer teacher to help troubleshoot a web server problem or two. Also, he got a handful of scholarship applications and one in particular from last year's English teacher - he can get a $10,000 scholarship if he writes an essay on The Fountainhead. (And maybe another one from Atlas Shrugged.) Though he's not too keen on analyzing literature, his English teacher thinks he'd really enjoy Ayn Rand. I'll reserve judgement.

After the school, we went to Georgie Porgies. Got dinner and took it home, where we watched a couple Brisco episodes. And packed a little, and went to bed.

Today Ben drove me to work - he and Laura are taking the Prius in to get new tires and will then use the Focus to run errands, so they needed both cars. When I'm done for the day - hopefully about 3 - they'll come back for me. And then we'll gather the cats and hit the road. Google Maps says it's six hours, forty-four minutes to get to Loveland, which is about right (including stops). And then it's Thanksgiving in Cincinnati.

So, as Kit says, don't burn the place down while we're gone.

Prep...

Last night we went home, had leftovers for dinner, and did our various things. Laura worked on homework, with a brief distraction to watch some RHPS special stuff on the second disc, and I did some computery things. Ben also spent his night on the computer, preparing for today's science competition, folding laundry, and generally keeping to himself.

Tonight, no exact plans. Not written in stone, anyway. We've been discussing new tires for the Prius, which ought to either happen tonight or tomorrow (before we drive to Cincinnati). We need to do some other prep stuff before our trip. And pack. I have to work tomorrow, but Laura and Ben have the day off; I believe we're going to leave as soon as I get home. We'll be bringing the cats, which adds another dimension to the trip, and we'd like to get in as early as possible. (Plus there's a time change - Cincinnati is in the eastern time zone - so it will be "late" no matter when we get there.) And it's still a 6.5 - 7 hour drive, plus Chicago traffic. In theory I'll be getting out of work a little early tomorrow, which will be a good thing...

We'll come home Saturday or Sunday. And next week is a whole new month.

Weeks of programming can save hours of planning.

Friday night, since Ben was at a LAN party and Laura was later than usual picking me up (she had errands to run after work), we stayed downtown and had Thai for dinner. Then home, where we watched some Brisco and other things on tv. Ben got a ride home, so we didn't have to pick him up.

Saturday I let everybody sleep in while I went out to get nails for the stairs. And then turned on the computer, and played Morrowind pretty much all day. Our plans for Bardic Madness were scrapped by Laura's notification from her prof that she could go ahead with her final project; as a result, she spent the day reading and doing homework. I got nothing practical accomplished - in fact, the computer crashed at the end of my gaming session and I lost a couple hours of questing. (No, Tanya, I didn't do the stairs - you'd have won that bet.) Laura worked on homework and read a lot. Ben went to Thomas More High School to help set up for the Lego competition, returning with the news that he needed to make some sort of baked good for the baked goods sale. Went back out and bought instant cookie mix, then made peanut butter cookies. (Though he bought a package which should make 36 cookies and decided he wanted BIG cookies, and made a dozen ... not realizing that cookies tend to expand as they bake. And, of course, left them in a little longer than suggested because they were so much bigger. And then discovered that peanut butter cookies continue cooking after you take them out of the oven. And ... well, they were a touch overcooked.) In the process of all of this, we didn't go to the fondue party hosted by my coworker; pork fears aside,

Sunday I ran more errands in the morning and spent some time reclaiming my couple of lost hours. Ben spent the whole day (he left the house at 6:30 or so) at the Lego thing, which he said wasn't all that exciting. Laura did computery things, as did I, mostly. I went out in the late afternoon and did grocery shopping, and picked up chinese food for dinner. We watched an episode of Brisco while we ate, and then Ben asked if we had a copy of Rocky Horror. Seems he had seen a video on youtube, and it had gotten 'some songs' from RHPS in his head, so he wanted to see the movie. So, well. Of *course* we have a copy or two; of course we could watch it. So we did.

I wasn't ever planning to *make* Ben watch RHPS. And really, I'm not sure if it's better to introduce someone to the live theater performance first or the video. You'll understand the *movie* better if you watch it on video, I think, but it's more *fun* at the theater. So I guess it's a question of whether the point is to understand the movie or to enjoy the experience. And I think different people resonate to different aspects. As a piece of film, it's gloriously shlocky and awful. As an experience, it's ... well, indescribable. So maybe he'll go see it in the theater someday on his own, to really experience it. (I can't picture taking him to see it. We'd have to sit somewhere else - can you imagine going to see Rocky Horror with your *parents*?) I fear that he struggled too hard to *understand* the movie, though. Which would be a shame.

Tonight we have no plans. (Well. In a fit of nostalgia, I think we'll watch Disc Two of the RHPS 25th Anniversary DVD. Which has the Pop-up Video, the deleted scenes, the bloopers, the documentaries, the 'Where are they now' thing from VH1...) Tomorrow we have no plans. Wednesday night we'll drive to Cincinnati, leaving as soon as is feasible. (Laura and Ben both have the day off, but I have to work. But might get out a few hours early.) We're figuring out what to do with the cats for the weekend, too.

]]> When I was a freshman (grade 9) in High School, I was a band geek. (And other kinds of geek.) And I had a locker in the band hallway, which was to the right of the main entrance of the school (in the wing where the band room, the choir room, and the theater were), instead of to the left of the main entrance (where all the other lockers, the classrooms, the administrative offices, etc. were). Partway through my freshman year I got tangled up in the theater as well, working on the stage crew; I worked with a couple of guys named Tim and Brian who were sort of role models for me. That's all setup. Sophomore year (grade 10) I got more into it, and also tried out for a few plays. My memory's a little fuzzy, but I believe this was the year we did Grease (though it might have been West Side Story). One of the leads was Scott, who was also the Drum Major. Who also attended Rocky Horror at least once a year, having been dragged along by his older brother. (Later that year I auditioned to be Drum Major too, and got it, and got a ride with him and his brother - who was a student at University of Michigan - at Drum Major camp, which was my first experience in a convertible with the top down. As far as I remember.)

Anyway, Scott encouraged us all to go see RHPS. I remember him jumping up on top of the band lockers to lead us all in Time Warp, and various other theater people giving knowing glances. I convinced a group of other underclassmen to go out to see it, and we found a local midnight show and made the trip. Armed with newspapers and squirt guns and rice and no real idea of what was supposed to happen. And it was pretty mind-blowing. Soon afterwards I got a bootlegged copy of the VHS tape and bought a copy of the Audience Par-Ti-Ci-(say it)-Pation soundtrack on audio cassette and tried to recreate the magic in Rob Browning's den, but could never quite get it right. So I went to see it many more times. And ... well, I think that's enough detail for now.

If you need coffee and cigarettes, you're a goth.

Last night we went home and had leftovers for dinner, and watched the South Park episode I had recorded the night before. It featured goth kids vs vampire kids, and emphasized their differences. (And how tired goth kids are of being labelled vampire wannabes.) Also had a song called 'Burn Down Hot Topic'. I was amused. Then we played Daisy through the end of her solo adventure, the results of which ought to shake up the rest of the group. (No, she's not dead.) And then a Brisco County adventure, and then bed.

Tonight we have no plans except to pick Ben up at the end of his LAN party. Tomorrow we had hoped to go to Bardic Madness, but Laura expects to have homework - she has a big project due in a few weeks, and has been waiting for approval to proceed. Assuming that the professor approves it, she'll be working on that all weekend. I'm thinking it's time to cut the stairs apart, now that I have a saw. Also, I noticed yesterday that one of the steps is getting wobbly. Tomorrow also Ben is going to help set up for Sunday's Lego competition, and Sunday he'll be working there.

And now, meetings.

"I didn't know I had any joy left in my life to be sucked out."

Last night I presented a website for a group of attorneys, and they gave me some changes to be done soon. (This morning was the follow up meeting, with a few more changes.) Laura, who worked late (and did homework), picked me up and we went to Olive Garden for dinner. Then home, where we covered a little bit of Daisy's Solo Adventure in the D&D game, and to bed.

Tonight we have no plans. Other than Laura doing homework. I sort of think I'll be working on websites from home.

Ah, and the title came from an episode of Malcolm that was on this morning as I put on my shoes.

Tarantarah!

A Sartre says what?

Last night I worked late, then went to Curia early. And then went home, where Ben and Mike were soldering in the basement and Laura was asleep. I played Morrowind, did some more work (the joys of working for people on the coasts), and went to bed myself.

Tonight I have another late meeting. We have no other plans for the evening.

I picked up the reciprocating saw from Linda, who was kind enough to bring it Curia for me. Thank you! (Laura said 'I guess if it's a reciprocating saw we have to give it back someday?' And yes, we intend to return it. But not just to satisfy the name.)

We have no plans for the rest of the week, though Laura has homework to do. As far as I know, we're planning to be at Bardic Madness on Saturday. And now, plenty to do. Not a moment to waste!

Ooh

Last night we went home, then did all the pre-game cleaning. Ben went to a friend's house after school, and from there caught a ride to the community service thing, so we had dinner without him and got ready to play.

This community service concept is new to me, but is apparently a big deal in the Wisconsin school system. The NHS 'so you want to join the Honor Society' presentation we went to made a big deal out of it, and Wisconsin colleges and universities apparently require that prospective students perform a certain amount of 'community service' in order to do be eligible to attend their schools. Where I come from, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts (and Girl Scouts, for that matter) did things to help out around the community, or volunteered for charity events or functions. But we didn't have a big fat label of COMMUNITY SERVICE to slap on it. Community Service is what felons receive as punishment for minor infractions - Emilio Estevez had to do community service when he was nailed for drunk driving, and wound up coaching pee wee hockey. Adam Sandler got busted for something or other and had to coach basketball. In real life, George Clinton received 200 hours of community service when he was busted for possession of cocaine. It's not something that somebody does voluntarily, or something that *everybody* does. And apparently here everybody does it so frequently that it falls into a nice neat bucket. "I'm off to do community service." "Have a nice time, dear."

Tonight is Curia. Tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday nights we're Ben-less as he has robotics, robotics, and a LAN party. Saturday is Bardic Madness in Chicago. And the beat goes on.

]]> The fun began in a widening of the path (not really a clearing), where the party was beset by bandits. The ten adventurers - Jim the Fighter, Jebidoh the Cleric, Jillian the Rogue, Daisy the Barbarian, Anasha the Socrceress, Riki the Wolf, Granny Mabel the Monk, Alain the Priest, Talys the Fighter, and Jorian the Half-Elf - dealt with the bandit horde in their usual way. Daisy, enraged, didn't seem at all surprised that her enemies were, as she hit them, bursting into flame. Granny Mabel used her patented 'Lead them off the path by convincing them that she's a little old lady' technique. And Anasha lit one of them on fire as well, causing a brief blaze in the undergrowth which was completely ignored.

Alain led the group to the outskirts of Hommlet, and then into town. They passed a few farmhouses, and Granny was greeted by townsfolk who seemed quite pleased to see her. As they passed one in particular, the goodwife there called to Mabel and suggested that she come chat before returning home. Mabel, anxious to see her house again, decided to come back later. They passed through the center of town, which featured the Inn of the Welcome Wench. A little farther on they passed the church and discovered a huge crater where the graveyard had been. When they reached Granny's home they discovered that it had been destroyed by fire. Granny rushed into the blackened ruins and unearthed a stone box (with the help of Jim and Daisy), from which she withdrew a couple of rings. She then rejoined the party, and they walked back to visit with the goodwife who had hailed them.

Goodwife Saercha was quite distressed. She told the party that a week or so after Mabel's departure a group of bandits had ridden into town, accompanied by some priests. The priests had declared that Granny's home was cursed and burned it down, and declared her land and everyone that walked on it cursed as well. In the same visit they destroyed the graveyard. Saercha was able to provide a few more details such as descriptions of the priests' garb, explaining that they wore black robes with red edging and symbols depicting a crescent with an eye set upon it. She also told the group that the bandits had been visiting the town for weeks, though they generally didn't cause trouble like this. And that the priests might be holed up in the church - which was a church to St. Cutbhert - now. She suggested that there might be some people in town who would be willing to aid the party in making things right, but also that some people should be avoided.

During the conversation, Daisy got up and left. Riki followed her, but lost sight of her when she turned a corner. She apparently vanished into thin air. Her adventure will be told at another time.

The party split up. Talys, Jorian, Alain, and Mabel stayed with Saercha. Jillian went to the Inn to secure lodging for the party. Jim and Jebidoh went to visit Mytch the Miller, a member of the local militia and follower of Cuthbert, who might be willing to lend the group aid in ridding the town of the bandits and 'dark priests'. Anasha and Riki went to visit the town Elder, who it was said had a large library and knowledge of the area.

Jim and Jebidoh went to the Miller's. They were greeted by a servant, who was loading sacks of flour into a cart. He sent them inside. There, they spoke with the goodwife. She answered some of their questions, and was pleased to hear that Granny Mabel had returned to town, and told them briefly about the bandits and the fact that they had kidnapped Mabel's niece April. When Jebidoh asked if there were men in town who might assist them with dispatching the bandits, she fetched her husband. Mytch greeted them, and explained that he was a member of the militia. And answered some of their questions about the priests and the bandits, and suggested that there might in fact be like-minded men in town. But that they should speak cautiously about such things. He also confirmed that April had been taken, and that he and others suspected that the priests of Cuthbert had been chased out and that these 'dark priests' had taken up residence in the church. And he sold them some bread, and sent them back to Saercha's with her cart of flour.

Jillian took Anasha and Riki to visit the town Elder, then left them and went on her way. Anasha and Riki were greeted by one of the Elder's sons, who showed them in to the library. Anasha prowled the bookshelves while she waited and found some books which might be interesting for future perusal. Elron arrived and chattered ceasely, distributing useful information and gossip. He was pleased to hear that Mabel was back in town, and sorry to hear about the trouble which had befallen her. He discussed, briefly, her niece April and the presence of the bandits; he mused on their origin and current location. He also gave Anasha some information about the town of Nulb and the Temple which was the party's eventual goal. Eventually she took her leave and went to the Inn to rejoin Jillian.

Jillian, after dropping off the others, went to the Inn and looked it over. She haggled with the innkeeper to secure rooms for the party at a small discount, paying 16 GP for two nights lodging and the suggestion that they might be in town a little longer than that. She then waited for Anasha and Riki.

We wrapped up there for the night. We'll pick up next time with the various party members returning to Saercha's to regroup.

A weekend of stuff

Friday night we didn't have to pick up the car because Ben got a ride. We instead went home and Laura did some homework while I messed with the computers. And we had a nice evening together of playing Diablo2 and chopping badguys to pieces. Ah, love.

Saturday I went out and mailed a package to Ginger and almost mailed a package to Laura's parents ... but I have two addresses for them in Pinawa and I don't know which one is accurate. (A convoluted google might have answered that question.) And went to the Army/Navy store to exchange Ben's pants. Home, where Laura embroidered and we watched 'Worst Jobs in History'. (I didn't know this show existed. How fabulous!) Laura went out to run some errands, and when she returned I convinced her to watch the last episode of Brisco so that we could return it. And played some Morrowind, now on my computer instead of Laura's. I returned the DVD and picked up the first disc of Chuck, and we watched that until the wee hours.

We're not bowled over by Chuck. The actors are *almost* actors we recognize, the characters are *almost* characters that we've seen in other shows, the dialogue is *almost* like other dialogue. It's not as well written as, say, anything by Joss Whedon. Or Dead Like Me, or Keen Eddie, or the other shows that we watch. The shows are really formulaic, and are set up with the 'We'd better include a recap just in case we have first-time viewers' attitude that I've grown to dislike. But, well, most anime series don't get interesting until the fifth or sixth episode where the Big Bad is introduced. Maybe this series is like that - maybe it just hasn't hit its stride yet.

Sunday morning we got up and drove down to Grayslake to get our hair cut. Ben's robotics thing was done early and he caught a ride home, so we arrived shortly after him. (That was frustrating, because we had skipped Walker Brothers in order to get home in time to pick him up; he called while we were about 45 minutes out to tell us that he was at the shop and needed a ride home. And then that he was getting one from Colin.) We menued for the week and I did grocery shopping, then we watched the Fox lineup (and Mythbusters, and Prototype This). Oh, and had dinner. And like that.

Tonight is D&D, though Ben's decided to join the robotics club for a community service thing. Tomorrow is Curia. Ben has robotics on Wednesday and Thursday, a programming competition on Friday during the day and a LAN party Friday night. Saturday is Bardic Madness in Chicago, which we will be attending. On Sunday Ben is chaperoning (and working a bake sale for) a Lego League competition as a representative of Robotics Club.

Anyone detecting a pattern here?

Hilarity ensued

Last night we went to the DMV to renew our license plates and put in requests for personalized ones. Then home, where we curled up on the couch and watched the second disc of Brisco County. Ben got home around 9 and immediately went back out to fill the car with gas, since he'd pretty nearly drained it dry. (I should note, he did this without prompting because he felt bad for having used so much gas.) At 10 I did some work, and Laura caught up on email and other computery things. She went to bed, and I joined her not long afterwards.

Ben, tonight, is headed down to Terra Haute with the robotics club. They're doing a presentation in Kokomo tomorrow from 1-3:30, talking mainly about the control system they've been beta testing. (I get the impression that it will be pretty similar to the presentation they did on Nov 1, which I linked to on their website.) Then they'll drive to Chicago, and spend the night there. Sunday they're presenting twice at UIC (at 9 and at 1). And then coming home. (Hmm. I wonder if there's a fighter's practice at Ida Noyes on Sunday. Right there on the same campus as Ben's robotics thing. Hmm.)

Ben also asked last night if I might consider being a (the?) mentor for the robotics group. I'm toying with the idea.

We don't have any real plans for the weekend, though we do have some things to get done. Chore-like things. Laura's got homework-like things, too. And gosh, I still have stairs to build. Though I was considering tackling the bathroom too...

Anyway. Work to do.

Bowled over!

Last night we went to the bowling alley. (Actually, Laura ran some errands on the east side, and I went bowling, and she met me at the alley.) And there I bowled while Laura did homework.

There were five web developers, five project managers, and five 'others'. (For some reason one of the project managers wound up on the 'others' team and the content manager was on the project managers' team, but that's okay - the PM did better than the content manager.) I was on the 'Others' team, which consisted of me, the rogue project manager, the business analyst, the department admin assistant, and her friend. In the first game, the Others won and the project managers took second, with the web developers a close third. In the second game, the Others won and the web developers too second, with the project managers in third. And in the third game, the web developers won by 2 points, beating the project managers. (The Others had retired after two games, so I got that news this morning.)

We went home after the second game, picking up Ben on the way there, and then I went back out on a grocery run. Home, where we watched some tv and went to bed.

Tonight we're stopping at the DMV to renew our license plates. Ben has robotics again, as a final prep for this weekend's activities. We have no other (firm) plans for the weekend - maybe I'll decide that I have the time and wherewithal to tackle the stairs. Which means a call to Linda to borrow her saw...

Gonna Bowl Tonight!

We're gonna rock, we're gonna roll, we're gonna bop, we're gonna bowl!

Last night we went to the Army/Navy Surplus store in downtown Milwaukee. We looked at boots. After some hemming and hawing, I decided on the Corcoran 10" Leather Plain Toe with Lug Outsole. Laura looked at the Jump Boot, which has a cute cap toe. (She looked at a men's boot because the store doesn't carry women's sizes as a matter of course, but will order them on request.) We decided that, though it was cute, it wasn't cute enough for the price yet. (She has boots. My pair is pretty much dead, so I needed something.) So we bought mine. As an added bonus, we bought Ben a pair of jeans.

Got home, and found out that the jeans didn't fit Ben. Or, I should say, they didn't fit Ben the way he likes them - he wears his pants baggy enough to carry the contents of his backpack in his pockets. (Not baggy like all the kids are wearing them these days, but ... baggy.) This pair was too tight for his liking. (He also pointed out that this pair was actually a size smaller than his current pair, so maybe it *was* too small.) So, fine. After dinner he and I went to Kohl's and got him some 'relaxed fit' and 'comfort fit' jeans.

Tonight I'm going bowling with the web developers and project managers. It's a duel to the death in the alley! Laura will drop me off and then prowl the East Side, and then we'll head home. And do homework and system testing. Hurrah! Tomorrow night, no plans. Friday afternoon Ben will catch a ride to Indiana. And we have the weekend plan-less.

A friend just lost his job in the IT Consulting world. If anybody has leads in the Milwaukee area drop me a note and I'll put you in touch with him. He's kind of a jack-of-all-trades - network, servers, maintenance. And like that.

Sleep

Last night I went to the Sleep Wellness place, where I met with the nurse practitioner and she said, basically, "You seem to be doing fine - no reason to have you come back in for a sleep study." And "The insurance company will pay for a new machine this year or next year, but if yours is okay there's no reason to replace it." And "We can replace the reservoir and hose, sure. ... We don't actually have your machine listed in your file. Call it in to us and we'll arrange for you to get a reservoir and hose." So.

So, grocery shopping on the way home. And then home, where I tested some security things and played a game of C&C:G.

Tonight we're planning to swing past the downtown Army/Navy store to get boots. No plans for the rest of the night, other than more security testing and Laura doing homework. Tomorrow night I'm going bowling with some work people. And that's it for the rest of the week. Note to self: Ben needs to find out when he's leaving on Friday.

Zut alors. Isn't this cute?

Robots and Stuff

Friday night after work we went to the Admirals game. The Ads, as they are locally known (though I prefer my nickname, the skellies), did well in the first period, though they let San Antonio score once. The second and third periods were rocky, with lots of fighting and not as good skating. The Ads tied it up ten seconds before the end of the third period, putting them into overtime. A five minute overtime period ended scoreless, so they went into a shootout. And the Ads won.

While there, Laura bought me my jersey. (A few years ago she offered me a jersey of my choice for Christmas, and I couldn't make up my mind which one I wanted. I finally chose.)

Saturday I went out and ran errands - visited the Milwaukee Army Navy surplus store to look at boots, since mine are pretty well dead; they have some, but I'd like Laura to see them before I get them. I also picked up Morrowind for the PC to see if it would work on Laura's computer. We did some things around the house, none of it too stressful, and watched Get Smart on DVD in the evening.

Sunday I dropped Ben off at the Robotics place (he had another demo, this time at one of the museums downtown) and drove down to have breakfast at Frank's with Todd and Chelsea. Among other things we discussed possible plans for next year's Halloween. While at Frank's we got to see pictures of Chantelle dressed as Sarah Palin, which happened last weekend (Ginger and MB, be sure to ask). And I discovered that Mike who kept all the animatronics, smoke machines, and general electrical stuff at Fright Fest last year is working at Frank's in the off season.

Down to Faire to pick up some things that Ginger left behind. Then home to sleep off the garbage plate. I got up to do some other erranding and pick up dinner, and we had a nice evening in front of the tv.

Tonight I have an appointment at the Sleep Wellness place - it's been a few years since I've been in, and they'd like me to come in for a checkup. Tomorrow night we might stop by the Army Navy store on the way home. Wednesday night the developers are going bowling. And that's the plan for the week. Ben's going to Indiana to present some more robotics stuff over the weekend, and I believe we're staying home.

While looking up the URL for Ben's thing, I found video with him in it. It's here. (He's introduced at 1:41. He actually speaks at 25:15.)

Go Ben. :)

Something...

Last night we stopped for GPs on the way home. Then we watched a couple episodes of Brisco County, Jr and started watching the pilot with the audio commentary. (Did you know that the cave entrance shown in the pilot episode and later episodes was the same cave entrance as the Bat Cave from the Batman tv show? *And* the same cave that they park the car in in Army of Darkness? I had no idea!) Eventually Laura moved to her computer, where she showed me her photos from TRF.

At dinner in Texas one night, Laura handed out pieces of paper and markers and had people write messages for me. Which she then photographed (that is, she took photos of the people holding their messages), put in order, and showed to me. They were cute, fun, meaningful, important. It's things like that which make me really appreciate my friends. And especially my wife, who came up with the idea.

Afterwards, I flipped over to watch the new South Park. (Which I taped, because I think Laura would enjoy it.) And we went to bed relatively early.

Tonight, no plans as such. We might rent a movie, might go see one on the big screen, might stay home and relax. (We're not going to Clothiers Seminar.) Ben has robotics stuff on Saturday and Sunday, and otherwise we don't have anything planned over the weekend either. After I discuss such things with my wife, I might give Gwyneth a call and borrow her reciprocating saw and take apart the stairs...

Right. On to work.

Whizz Bang Pow

Last night I stopped on the way home to pick up prescriptions and groceries. Then I mostly messed with computers and Laura worked on homework, while Ben was at robotics and then went to a friend's house. Oh, I blew some stuff up on the porch in honor of Guy Fawkes Night, but it was too warm (for my tastes) to have a bonfire. But it's supposed to snow in the next few days, so ...

The doctor changed my prescription. In a couple weeks (and I made a note this time) I need to call him with my blood pressure and the answers to some other questions. This new one might make me dizzy at first, so that should be a good time...

Tonight we have no plans. I'm going to try to hit the gym. We need to decide whether or not we're going to Minneapolis this weekend so that I know if I can declare things like 'We have no plans for the weekend', and so on.

And, um, yeah. Like that.