One grade in - an A in Health Systems.

The best thing about the semester break is the opportunity to read for enjoyment again. I try to get in at least ten pages a night before bed when classes are in session, but I can't give over much more time than than. This week, I've finished A Time of Torment, by John Connolly - very good thriller, and ( Read more... )

I'm up way too early this morning, but it seems I've become hardwired to this sort of thing. I was up until 2AM last night, coffee and reading, and couldn't get my mind to slow down for nearly an hour after going to bed.

I'm reading A Fiery Peace in a Cold War, by Neil Sheehan. It's a biography of General Bennie Schriever, one of the driving ( Read more... )

The furloughs were expected, but another five layoffs weren't. My department got hit, one guy from Team 2. I wouldn't call him a friend, but he's a good dude. This is going to mean more of a load on the remaining two members of that team, as his territory is in the southeastern end of the state - many miles to cover - and word was given from On ( Read more... )

The good part of Saturday was getting in a game of Trail of Cthulhu, the first time I've played it under the Purist setting. It was suitably bleak and anticlimactic. The Investigators found things, and those things were horrible, and the Investigators did not survive intact.

Scoring a copy of Fortress America at half-price was pretty nice, too.

The ( Read more... )

Fire Academy continues to be a great experience. This week, we got a look at airpack systems. Obviously, they provide breathable air to firefighters in smoky or otherwise toxic environments. What they also do is alert nearby firefighters to an immobilized firefighter, share air between firefighters, and flat-out keep the wearer alive.

After the ( Read more... )

Basketball bores the everloving hell out of me. Around here, that makes me something of a pariah, as UK basketball is something of a religion. Being utterly disinterested when you're surrounded by a largely fannish population has some occasional advantages, though - like the office emptying out on Friday afternoon. Looks like I'll have that again ( Read more... )

Futzed around all day. Finished reading (again) Spook Country, which still entertains and has one of my favorite bits of writing - the description of United States $100 bills as "the universal currency of bad shit." Started (re-)reading The List of 7, a fantastic adventure story with creepy supernatural elements throughout. And read a couple of old ( Read more... )

It's Halloween!

I went to Lexington's Halloween celebration last night, mostly to see Space Madness on the Planet of the Apes by the March Madness Marching Band - and yes, they did "Rock Me, Doctor Zaius." Lots of people there, some good costumes, and the parade was a joy to behold.

I'd planned on driving to Florida this evening to see Space Shuttle ( Read more... )

Saturday afternoon, I went to a fundraiser at the Louisville Zoo. Lots of food from local restaurants and producers, wineries, micro- and craft breweries. I don't drink beers and ales, and don't like most locally-produced wines, so I was able to get away with the less-expensive ticket. And was, of course, given the alcohol-indulging wristband when ( Read more... )

GenCon 2010 has come and gone, and it was a really terrific show - again.

We arrived early Wednesday afternoon. Plans had been to leave Lexington at noon, but I asked for an earlier departure when I saw (or rather, smelt) that the repair work going on outside my apartment window was on a sewer line. Parked at the hotel and headed to Scotty's ( Read more... )