Everest Dreams

So, I guess the blog pretty much tells the story of how Gavin and I spent our Thanksgiving break. He played a lot on the computer, and I played a lot with the baby. :) Seriously, I think he's afraid he's going to break her or something. He always looks really worried whenever someone tries to hand her to him.

So other than my laptop breaking, it was a great weekend. I miss winter. We don't get winter in Texas. We don't. We get a couple months of cool, and a couple days of sort of cold. You never have to worry about whether you will be able to get your car out of the driveway in the morning. I know that doesn't sound very fun to people who have to deal with it all the time, but I miss snow. A lot. I don't need it all the time, but it's nice to have it sometimes. Seattle was nice - it almost always snowed a bit once or twice a year. You had the chance for a big dump, and you could go two hours into the mountains and find all you wanted.

OK, I had a wierd dream this weekend that I have to share. I dreamt that Sarah planned a trip to Mount Everest. Her friend Carter came with us because we were going to a baseball game on the way. Then, he went missing on the mountain. The rest of us had to climb up and down the mountain about 4 times looking for him. We finally found him, dead I'm sorry to say, in a creek near base camp. I know that there aren't any creeks near Everest base camp. I also know that I will never climb Everest once, let alone 4 times. But the symbolism is interesting. Sorry, Carter.

Stranded in Casper

Casper's been having a lot of snow this holiday weekend. So has Denver. We were supposed to leave Casper tonight around 4:40pm for home. The girls at the United desk, who seemed more than a little busy, let us know when we got there that the weather was bad in Denver and that our plane had not even left Denver yet. After loitering in the airport for an hour, we had in effect missed our connection flight on to Houston. And this being the Sunday after Thanksgiving, there were no open flights tonight or tomorrow morning. So, the ladies were happy to hear that we would prefer to wait and leave Monday afternoon and have another night to spend with the Sheppards instead of spending the night in Denver, somewhere. I'll miss the presentation tomorrow afternoon at work, but Rich can cover for me.

This holiday has been fun, except that A&M lost to Texas. We spent a night at Pat and Jessica's, along with Caroline. Caroline (she doesn't have a nickname yet, except for maybe Sugarbutt... ask Jessica about that one) was pretty good, sleeping from 8:30pm to midnight. Meanwhile we played Texas Hold Em Poker. I think I would enjoy playing poker once every other week or so, maybe some of our friends in Houston will be up for it. Jessica won one time, Jen the other. Pat and I just can't bluff our wives that well. But they don't seem to have a problem bluffing us.

There's probably a lesson in there somewhere...

Meanwhile I finished book two of the Homecoming series by Orson Scott Card. If I haven't mentioned it, Card has long been one of my favorite authors. In fact, I may decide he's my favorite. The series takes place a long time in the future on a world far, far away. It seems to be a retelling of much of the Old Testament, with a sci-fi flavor that fits it very well. If I could be half the author that Card is, I'd be happy. I've never, ever been bored reading one of his novels or short stories. And I've read many of them. He has very intriguing premises, exploring how people of certain character act and react. Some of these themes are religious, some moral, some both. Card's work always provides much food for thought.

T+1 day

So we're now on the day after Thanksgiving. It's snowing right now, we received two or three inches last night. I miss snow terribly.

On Wednesday Jen and I drove up to my parents, braving the T-1 day traffic madness in Houston. Many of our friends tried the same. Nick spent three hours moving about 50 miles and realized he probably wasn't going to get to Oklahoma before Thanksgiving at that rate. We switched to Hwy 59 and took a back way into my parents which worked great. In fact, we may use it all the time since I-45 is supposed to have a lot of construction over the next three years.

My parents had a great dinner for us. Dad had just flown in from a work meeting in South America, Mom had made some great beef burgandy and side dishes to go along with it. It was all quite splendid... except for the oddly uncooked and seasoned green beans which we experimented with. Well, it's good to try new stuff. :) Just not this time.

Then it was to bed for the travellers, waking up on T-0 day at 4am. It felt very early. It felt like I didn't have much to be thankful for. Then I rolled over and snuggled with Jen for a bit, rose from bed and got dressed, and wandered out into my kitchen where my parents were up and milling about. I decided I did have a lot to be thankful for after all. After breakfast and some more chit-chat, it was into the car and to the airport. Travelling to Casper was fine, no problems. No delays. We left Houston at 0625 central and arrived in Casper at 1000 mountain after switching planes in Denver. Pretty good, actually.

Ben picked us up and drove us to their house in the foothills overlooking the town. Sandy and Jen chatted upstairs while Ben and I snoozed in the basement with the NFL on TV. Around 2pm Pat and Jessica and Caroline arrived. She's gained 2 pounds since we last saw her! (Caroline, that is.) That's a 20% increase in weight. Babies are pretty incredible. And she's very cute. She can lie on her stomach and push herself up with her arms so she can look around. She doesn't yet have the knees working in tandem, but I think she might be crawling within another month. Two at the most, maybe.

Pat brought over his other baby, the PC, and linked it up with the computers here so three at a time can play against each other. Then Jason and his girlfriend Ruth arrived, and much fun was had by all with the multiplayer games Battlefield 1942 and Star Wars Battlefront.

Then I decided to try to get Jen's laptop up and running in the network, so 4 could play at once! Alas, the laptop apparently did not survive the trip from Houston unscathed. I plugged it into the wall, saw the LED light up indicating it had power, and then pushed the power button. Nothing. Nada. 15 minutes of this, no luck. :/ Jen is bummed, she was really enjoying the laptop. Hopefully it's just an easy fix. It's still under warranty if we have to send it back... but this is the second time we'd have to send it back.

There wasn't much time to dwell on computer mayhem. Pat's parents arrived and then it was time for turkey, mashed 'tatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Very good. Some more game playing, some more baby watching, and then people went home and slept.

To wake up to a snowy Friday. I like coming back to the Rocky Mountains for holidays. It's sort of ironic, when Jen and I were kids living in Casper we both figured this was the last place we'd want to live. Small town, not too much to do, etc. Now we both find that we miss it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Early

7:45 AM, and I am already at work. This is very, very early for me. But it doesn't feel quite as early because it's light out. I'm not sure when the last time the sun was out in the morning was, but it has been a while. It's been a while since the sun was out, period. No complaints/smart-ass comments from anybody in Seattle, now. I'll trade places with you in a minute! :)

Sarah opened a conversation about a big camping trip for next summer yesterday. We're discussing the Pacific Northwest. :) Even though it's something that won't be new to me, I still would be really excited about going. I totally didn't take advantabe of the outdoor opportunities when I was in school. Too busy being a college student.

We're off to Wyoming bright and early tomorrow morning. The forecast keeps changing every time I look at it, but it looks like there's a chance of snow on the day we leave to come back. I've gotta admit, I wouldn't be too bummed if we got stuck an extra day or two. I don't have a lot going on at work right now.

Web usage

Oh, fun. This list is something Becca put up on her blog this morning. You type letters (i.e. “a”) into your web browser and see what you’ve been looking at recently.

A - http://www.aiaa.org
B - www.blogger.com (of course)
C - www.childrensartproject.com
D - http://del.icio.us/saroy
E - education.jsc.nasa.gov
F - www.fsrn.org
G - www.gohuskies.com
H - http://home.houston.rr.com/mendeck/blog.html
I - images.google.com
J - joaiken.net
K - www.kpft.org
L - listen.real.com
M - www.mapquest.com
N - www.nasa.gov
O - http://olympics.reuters.com/ (not the olympics anymore)
P - www.planetary.org
Q - Nothing
R - www.rsn.com
S - http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/home/
T - http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/
U - http://www.uncommongoods.com
V - http://www.v-infinity.net
W - http://www.webshots.com
X - http://www.xanga.com
Y - http://yahoo.shopping.com
Z - Nothing

I am from Saturn

So, here's the latest quiz everyone has been posting on their blogs: "What planet are you from?" My results...

You Are From Saturn

You're steady, organizes, and determined to achieve your dreams. You tend to play it conservative, going by the rules (at least the practical ones). You'll likely reach the top. And when you do, you'll be honorable and responsible. Focus on happiness. Don't let your goals distract you from fun! Don't be too set in your ways, and you'll be more of a success than you ever dreamed of.

What Planet Are You From?

Pretty much hits me on the head, doesn't it? I knew I'd get a boring planet when I said that I gravitate toward "responsible" people. One has to be honest with oneself, though.

Gavin is going to Ft. Worth this weekend to play games. So, I'm looking for girly things to do with, you know, the girls. Maybe the new Bridget Jones movie and Salad Express or something. The weatherman promises thunder storms tomorrow, which is too bad because it would be nice to take the dogs out somewhere. Maybe it will hold off until late, but weather.com has thunderheads in the picture all day. Oh, well. The house needs to be cleaned again anyway.

Incredible Fort Worth

So I'm heading up this weekend to hang out with Ben and Farah in FW. Bringing Chris, Adrienne and Bobby along with me. After a morning run tomorrow, we're going to play games and then tomorrow night hit the night scene. Should be fun. Jen's going to stay at home with the pups (since Ben and Farah are in an apartment, 7 people + 2 dogs + 1 cat would really be too much). Then after I get back on Sunday, we're going to go see The Incredibles again! :)

Sarah's blog shows that she's from Mars. Which is kind of cool. I took it, and it says I'm from the Moon.

You Are From the Moon

You can vibe with the steady rhythms of the Moon. You're in touch with your emotions and intuition. You possess a great, unmatched imagination - and an infinite memory. Ultra-sensitive, you feel at home anywhere (or with anyone). A total healer, you light the way in the dark for many.

What Planet Are You From?

I think Jen might have to disagree with the 'infinite memory' I'm rumored to have. And I dunno how manly it is to be called 'ultra-sensitive'...

I'm not gong to die!

Whoohoo! I'm so excited. The clinic gave me my flight controller card today on the FIRST attempt. This is huge. Usually, I've had to spend two months running back and forth to my doctor to debunk some potential problem with my lab work that no other doctor in Houston can detect. "Sometimes this can be indicative of Lupis - but I don't think you have that." Then why'd you say it? I didn't even get much of a speech about my elevated CRP. The doctor I got at the clinic was not an alarmist. I'm good for two more years!

We had a Thanksgiving pot-luck at work today. It was yummy. It's actually nice today, although I'm having a bit of trouble believing that Thanksgiving is next week when the weather is 80 deg outside. Going to my parents next week is going to be a shock.

Anyway, I guess I should work or something. I need to read the Flight Rules again. For those of you who have never seen this document, it's about 4" thick. Terribly fun reading.

Atolls

So, the Cannibals have excited a lot of conversation. For those who haven't read the description, here's a picture of the atoll in question - Kiribati. (Pronounced Kee-ree-bas for some reason.) Generally, it is rumored to look better from the air than from close up.

I'm in suprisingly good shape after my night shift last night. I got home at about 8AM. I slept until about 12:30, when Roxy decided enough was enough and it was time for me to get up. I came back to work for the afternoon, leaving the dogs inside out of the downpour that is currently occuring in Houston. If I can make it to 9 PM or so tonight, I should be back to a normal schedule by tomorrow.

4:32 AM

Since I’m at work at 4:32AM with not much to do, I thought I’d make a rare wee-hours update. I’m holding up fairly well. So far, I haven’t been in danger of falling asleep on console at all tonight. I get to go home in 4 hours.

Speaking of work, apparently I’m quite visible on a Travel Channel special called George Foreman’s Houston. George and Ginger saw me working at the FDO console. Nobody got it on tape, but I’m on the lookout for re-airing times.

Let’s see… I forgot to mention in my post last night that I got my hair cut. It’s one of the best cuts I’ve had in a long time. It no longer flips out in odd places in the back. It’s shorter than I’ve worn it in a while, but it got the stamp of approval from my husband, so I guess that’s OK.

After the haircut, I went to DSW and bought two new pairs of shoes. If anyone out there is looking for ideas for Christmas for me, my new favorite store may just be DSW. I’ve now found two pairs of shoes there that have revived my joy in shoe shopping. I lost it a couple years ago, but it’s back!

Not much else has gone on since last night. If I don’t post tomorrow, it’s probably because I never woke up after this crazy sim!

Random Cannibal Writings

Owing to my need to stay up for 6 more hours tonight, you - my loyal, lucky readers - are to be treated with two posts today. My dogs are curled up at my feet, imensely happy because I brought a sleeping bag into the living room for them to lie on. I can practically see the waves of contentment emmanating from them both. Roxy is snoring gently.

I'm very proud of myself for reading something different right now. You see, for the last few years really I've been reading pretty much straight fantasy with some sci-fi thrown in here and there for seasoning. Not that there's anything wrong with the genre, but I didn't used to be so exclusive. On the Peru trip, Becca leant Gavin The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost. Everyone raved, so when it's return to Becca became imminent, I snagged it before it could leave the house. It's non-fiction. It's hilarious. It is expanding my horizons. And, if you were wondering whether it's really me writing this unusual entry, it is changing my writing style, because books do that to me when I'm really enjoying them.

Every chapter starts with a description. It goes something like this:
"Chapter 6 - In which the Author, in case Anyone was Wondering what exactly he was Doing on Tarawa while his Girlfriend Toiled, discusses his Plan for making Productive Use of his Time on an Atoll."

This guy writes the way I would like to write if I ever wrote anything substantial. It's random, stream of conciousness, and reminds me of Piers Anthony, although Troost is not Brittish. But the effect on my writing is similar to what Anthony has. Anyway, thumbs up on the book.

Camping

We had a pretty good time camping this weekend. We went to Martin Dies Jr. SP near Jasper, TX. It was cloudy all weekend, so going out and playing on the lake was pretty much a no-go. It was cold enough to make having a fire really pleasant, so we spent a lot of time clustered around the fire talking and playing cards. We took the dogs out on two ~3 mile walks, thereby pretty much exploring the entire trail system in the park. The park is pretty stereotypically east Texas. There is a lot of swamp and trees. The trails go over some bridges on the verges of the reservoir. Roxy is apparently scared of walking over things she can see through. She would crouch down low and kind of slink across the bridges. She was running around the top of one just fine until she looked through the cracks between the boards and saw the water ~6 feet below her. Then she got scared and started slinking again. Zoya has no such problems - I was just glad she didn't try to jump off into the murky, probably alligator infested water.

Apparently, the lake is polluted. There were signs saying that an adult shouldn't eat more than 2 meals of the fish per month or risk mercury poisoning. You gotta love industrialization. And though the park was pretty, in a swampy, eerie sort of way, I just don't enjoy hiking through densely wooded areas as much as when I can get above everything else and get a good view. I was longing for the Rockies pretty much through the whole hike. Sigh.

Anyway, I got a couple of pictures for reference, and I'll post them from home later.

In other news, I have to work the graveyard shift for a sim tomorrow night, so I'm in this weird sleep shifting schedule this week. It won't be bad at all getting through the shift, I don't think. What I'm expecting to be tough is getting a full work week in after the sim. I have a plan - we'll see if it works.

S'mores

Yesterday I got the day off work for Vets Day. I spent the day mowing the lawn (still necessary in November in Houston), doing laundry, grocery shopping, and cooking/prepping for camping this weekend. I did sneak out of the house for a 2-hour dinner at Mely's with the standard gang.

The puppies saw the camping gear come out and I think automatically assumed that they weren't going to get to go. Roxy put her head down on the tent footprint and gave me sad eyes. The last three or four times we've packed for camping have been plane trips, so I can see where they're getting paranoid. They do get to go on this one, although they have reservations at the kennel for Thanksgiving and Christmas. :(

Camping is going to be a little cool this weekend - highs probably in the low 60's. The lows are only supposed to be in the 50's , though, so it should be pretty comfortable campfire weather. Probably not hot enough to properly enjoy the lake, though. It's always a treat in Texas when you are actually glad for the campfire from a warmth standpoint rather than just tolerating it because it's camping and you should have a fire.

That's kind of how I feel about s'mores actually. We always bring stuff to make them because you're supposed to have s'mores when you camp. But I think I really don't like marshmallows too much. I always end up just eating the chocolate and graham crackers after a mallow or two. That's probably related to my extreme dislike - one might say hatred - of peeps. This amuses my husband to no end, but they're disgusting! I don't know how they manage to make something that is pretty much just sugar taste bad, but...

Discussing Wonders

Tonight I was speculating to Jen about possible advances in artificial intelligence and what that might mean for humanity down the road. What if AI development could get to the point where we don't ask a computer to solve specific problems or how to do it, instead we merely tell it to look for problems and tell us what it found and its best solutions? We talked for several minutes, but didn't get too far because of a miscommunication. I wasn't being clear on what I wanted to discuss. She was pointing out that I'm hardly an expert on AI and how was I going to explain this development anyways?

I like to speculate about technological advances, admittedly without researching the topic in detail to defend them, because I'm really more interested on how such a development might impact us rather than how it works. That's how I like to think. I imagine something, and try to weigh how useful or beneficial it might be. I think such an approach is worthwhile; I decide whether I would spend resources to see if it can be done.

So I speculate out loud to Jen, trying to build up a scenario with the goal of to weigh the good and bad side of an idea like a technology development. I don't think I'm very clear when I bring it up that I'm more interested in what the effects would be. Since I mention the technology first, I think Jen interprets that an interest in how such a technology might work. Sometimes I haven't the faintest clue how such an advance could occur. Sometimes she doesn't either, the conversation sort of faulters as we wrestle with that. And sometimes never get to the point of whether such a wonder would be useful or not, which frustrates me. I think I frustrate her at the same time, sounding pretty cocky talking about things I don't know of.

I wonder how I can improve on that. Not on frustrating her, but the reverse. I think the biggest area I can improve on is effective communication, both verbal and written. So that's what I'm working on. It's also why you may notice me posting more often. :) Let me know when I'm not being effective.

Unfortuantely this week I'm working long hours, hard at documenting the process and software I built over the last year. Dozens of hours spent in the previous weeks doing the same. Despite all that, as I'm rushing I don't have a high confidence that the product will truly be effective. But, we'll see what the reviewers say.

Bad Day

Yesterday was a bad day. I was TRAJ for a rendezvous sim. We managed to put a bad state vector onboard. This is one of the few things you can do in a simulation that gets talked about the next day in staff meetings, and requires formal responses to the flight directors and meetings to determine if there is a break in the procedures, etc. etc. So, that was fun. It took some very smart timing coincidences to happen, but still - no excuses.

So, I went home and slept for more than 12 hours, pretty much straight. I feel better now. I must have been in some sleep debt that I didn't know about.

This morning, I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to see the class that we sponsored get their Challenger Center mission. It was pretty cool. They were very excited. As it turns out, the teacher that the Challenger Center hooked us up with is the teacher Becca worked with for Aerospace Scholars last year. Small world, huh!

I'm rewatching "The Fellowship of the Ring". I'm really happy with the treatment Peter Jackson did of my favorite books. Although as far as movies go, I'm looking forward more to the third Harry Potter movie coming out on video than I am for "Return of the King". I have to wait for Christmas for both, because Gavin claims the honour of buying them for me. Sigh.

Organized Religion and Me

This post is going to be a little serious, as I order my thoughts. So bear with me or move on, as you wish.

People sometimes ask me if I am religious. I usually reply, "No, but I consider myself spiritual." By that, I mean that I claim to be of no organized religion, but I believe in a Higher Power, God, the Creator. I believe that there are such things as right and wrong, but that it isn't always what an organized religion says it is. I'm not a big fan of organized religion. I know it helps many, both in the past and present. But it has also been terribly abused in the past for personal gain and for that reason I cannot help but view with suspicion whenever some aspect of its teaching seems less out of concern for our well-being and more out of self-interest.

Earlier today some friends were talking about Christianity. However, the discussion quickly swerved towards the afterlife. According to many religions those of other faiths, the non-believers if you will, won't be saved and/or will suffer in the afterlife. After one, a devout Christian, explained her understanding of who would and wouldn't be in Heaven and why, I spoke up.

In my life I've met many people, of different religions, cultures, and character. Many of them have been good people, people who I admire. Some are Christians, others Muslim or Mormon. Charitable people. People who exemplify many human morals, many shared by several religions. Good people. And I can't help but wonder if God would really consign these people to suffer in eternity. And if he would do so simply because they did not acknowledge or did not know some "requirement". If so, I concluded with some anguish, that would not be a God I would wish to believe in.

My devout friend had tears in her eyes for a moment when I said that. Whether for me or not, I am not sure. I only know I did not intend for them, and I hope I caused her no lasting pain. She mentioned that she had asked herself the very same questions, but in the end found herself believing all the same. The discussion then briefly touched on whether religion is necessary as a basis for morals, but many seemed uncomfortable and we separated to return to our work.

I reflected more about it on the drive home. (It's a 15 minute drive, otherwise I might be a great philosopher or theologian instead of merely an amateur.)

I believe in God, and I believe that God is good. I believe that humans are flawed, despite our best intentions. I believe that God would not punish those who live their lives caring for others. Who treat others with compassion. In short, I don't believe they would suffer in eternity, because the God I believe in would not be so cruel.

But I also believe that organized religion, centuries ago, when they helped craft social and political order, wanted to convert new people and keep believers believing. What better way than to tell them, "if you don't believe you'll suffer for it". Sometimes this was with blood, but usually they meant in the afterlife. Why would I suggest something so terrible? That a religious leader might knowingly and falsely proclaim directives as the will of God? I feel that organized religion, despite good intentions, is in the end run and managed by humans. We're not perfect. Sooner or later, one of us comes along who milks the system. Who abuses it. Who sees that an increase in the numbers of the faithful will translate into policital, military, or economic power for the leaders.

When I read things in the Bible such as "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man", I think this might be an example of humans in interpreting the Word of God to suit their own goals. I don't take it literally (which my wife probably appreciates). In fact, I rarely take anything from organized religion literally. Despite good intentions of some, I cannot tell how much is really meant to help us live better lives and how much of it was someone's personal slant on how they think we should live our lives. I would like to believe the Bible is an unbiased document to enlighten us, but I cannot knowing that it has been written and rewritten several times by others. Each with their own agenda, some laudable and some not.

I would like to read original translations of the works that form the basis for organized religions, but even those might be questionable due to the social and political pressures of the period.

Instead, I read and reflect. I do not claim to be perfect, but I won't stop trying to improve myself either. To examine what the authors of the Bible, and other works, meant for us to learn. All the while, I ask myself whether the lessons they teach are in my self-interest... or theirs alone.

Sometimes I wish I had a better opinion of human nature. That I wouldn't feel the need to question religious texts. These texts that should be held in the highest regard as some of the greatest works on the planet for all people to learn from. Instead, we often chose one to live by and discard the others. Sometimes because we believe with great certainty that this one is right and the others are not. Other times, I fear, because someone tells us to.

Caught

If you have nothing better to do than check my blog for updates all the time, you may notice that I posted a "pre-dated" entry for yesterday. I actually wrote it yesterday, but blogger was down when I tried to post it. So, I saved it off. Luckily, I was writing it in Word, so I didn't lose the whole thing.

I talked to my sister last night. Caroline is starting to interact with the world. I’m really glad I get to see her again this month. Normally, I only go back to Casper once or twice a year, but I think I’m going to be very tempted to make trips more often while she’s still little. I mean, if I were to not go back again between Thanksgiving of this year and Christmas of next, she’d be a whole different kid! More than 1 year old and only sort-of a baby. This is what they mean when they say that kids grow up too fast!

I got a cold this week. It seems to have been fairly short-lived as I started feeling bad on Monday, and I feel almost normal except for a few sneezes today. Becca thinks there’s something wrong with me that I get colds so often. I don’t get seriously sick very much, though. I think my immune system just doesn’t think a common cold is worth spending effort on. So, it’s like “hey, come on in!”

The weather is gorgeous. It’s sunny and cool, and I love it! Must do much outdoors while it lasts.

I have to go home early tonight because our cable modem is acting up again. We had them out less than two weeks ago, for the record. Plus, they finally came out to bury the cable (after 2-1/2 years) and they cut the wire for the radio fence. So I have to go out and see what I can do about splicing it together before the sod grows back together and we can’t find the breaks any more. :P

Singular Sensation

So, it seems pretty certain that President Bush is going to get four more years to try to remake the world in his own image. Maybe that’s not quite fair. The thing about Bush that always frustrates me is that I think he honestly believes that he’s doing what is best for the country. I just don’t happen to agree with his assessment of what’s best for the country. A lot. So I’m left with the quandary of admiring his intentions and his commitment, but completely disagreeing with the direction the country is marching in under his leadership. And having no hope that he will reassess the situation and come to a different conclusion, since he doesn’t see anything wrong with what’s going on now.

We saw “A Chorus Line” last night. It was so-so. The dancing was really good, but I got bored during the middle of the play for a while. My favorite parts:
1. The opening scene, which captures the intensity of trying out for professional performance roles very well, and totally reminds me of drum corps.
2. One of the “character sketches” in the middle of the play where a girl is singing about her experience at the School for the Performing Arts. She talks about how they want her to BE an ice cream cone, and all she can think is “this is crap!” Also reminds me of drum corps.
3. Singular Sensation, of course.

I’m excited because I’m wearing a sweater for the second time this fall, and it is appropriate inside and out. The high temp today is supposed to be about 62 deg. It’s nice. I was so tired of summer. I need to take the dogs out somewhere nice this weekend. There’s a new dog park on the east side of Houston. It’s about 45 min away from home, but that’s about 45 min closer than the one they opened last year. Maybe we’ll go check it out.

I’ve started to move some stuff to our new web page. I have photo albums of Caroline, Jessica’s baby shower, and Peru up at http://www.v-infinity.net/albums.html. Check them out!

Haunted

I need to get back in the habit of posting in the morning. Otherwise, I forget. So, it's been several days since my last post, again. What's been going on?

Saturday we went down to Galveston to take the Haunted Galveston tour. This is a tour run by a company called "High Spirits". They take you to places that are supposed to be haunted and you look for ghosts. We took the Haunted Houston tour a couple years ago, and it was pretty good. The last place they took us in Houston is the old Jefferson Davis Hospital, which has been abandoned for a while now and is really, really spooky. It was on a TV show about the country's most haunted places. There's a creamatorium out back that they used to use to dispose of medical waste. It's a site to see. You can actually see it from the freeway near downtown, but I'd never noticed it before we went on the tour. Now I see it all the time.

Anyway, considering all the history and old buildings in Galveston, we figured that tour would be really cool. Not so much. The whole thing was basically about telling us about "personal experiences" that the people running the tour have had - most of which weren't even remotely believable. And taking pictures of ghosts. You see, apparently ghosts exist on a higher energy frequency that we can see with our eyes, but our cameras can see them. (And dogs and childern - but let's not go there.) Anyway, when you get a little sphere in your camera view, that's an "orb". This is the basic level of manifestation. Then there's "vortexes". These look like what you get if you swing a flashlight around on an exposure. Then comes the highest level of manifestation, which is "ectoplasm". This looks like white smoke in a picture.

So, all in all we came away wishing there'd been a bit more history and less, um, "ectoplasm" up our ***es. Even when the lady tried to do history/science, it sounded like she was making things up on the spot - like slaves being chained to giant wheels to generate electricity for Galveston Island, or that lemony smell that ghosts sometimes have (which was totally Matt and Stephanie's homemade bug spray).

So anyway, on Sunday I spent a LOT of time cleaning. Then we had our Halloween party. It was great! Everybody dressed up. :) I love Halloween. We had a decent amount of Trick-or-Treaters and people actually ate most of the food I'd prepared. I didn't get to the cider, but it was probably too hot for that anyway.

So, yeah, it's finally fall in Texas. FINALLY! The high on Halloween was about 85, but it's only about 65 today. Yea! It's still raining a bit from the front, but that's supposed to stop tonight. Then it looks gorgeous for the rest of the week. We're planning camping on the weekend after vet's day, so that should be good.

Today we went to vote early. The lines in our Precinct were not bad at all. I honestly don't know what to think about what the outcome is going to be in the Presidential race. I mean, you only talk about politics a lot with your close friends, and I don't think my friends are really representative of most Texans - let alone people from other areas of our contry. Well, Texas will go for Bush, of course, but you know what I mean. When I was living in Seattle, it was hard to believe that Republicans ever got elected in that state. But it's "light blue" in all the charts you see on CNN. I think it will be a victory for us all no matter what, because it seems that the numbers at the polls are going to be up this year. That's good.

Tonight I'm going to "A Chorus Line" downtown, after dinner at Cafe Adobe. I'm pretty excited about getting to a show again. I bought season tickets this year for Theater Under the Stars. The next one is "Singing in the Rain" which Gavin even wants to go to. :)

Well, that should make up for a couple days missed. Once again, I must vow to post more regularly. Really, it'll happen one of these times.