Monday, February 27, 2006
My favorite breakfast. Helped Cindy insert logos into a Word document and then print it to PDF. Retrieved alumni data for Lucia. Sent Cindy proposed changes for adding some links to our current students page. Spent most of the day rebuilding one student's laptop and trying to figure out why VPN won't install on the other. Chatted with two students about how to send formatted e-mail out of Outlook 2003. Lost the day's journal data after removing a USB drive without safely disconnecting it first - d'oh! Two small lunches today: turkey and cheddar sandwiches I brought from home. Met with Susie briefly, we discussed decisions regarding our plans for video on our website. The internet was out when I got home. Cycled power on the router and all was well. Dinner at home with Patrick: ravioli with broccoli, bread and butter. Downloaded last night's photos to the computer. Shopped online for clothes, the first time I bought from a store specializing in men 5 foot 8 and under. We'll see how they turn out. Yesterday the weather forecast for today was "drenching rain" and they weren't kidding. My pant legs were soaked when I got home today. Fortunately I didn't get as wet going to work. The wind was unusually gusty, and from multiple directions, too. If you had an umbrella you'd have wanted to use two hands to hold it. About a week ago I finished reading Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon The Deep, which Nate generously let me borrow. I haven't read science fiction in a long time, and when I started reading it I thought, "This is much more hardcore science fiction than I'm used to," and that wasn't a bad thing. Not at all. What I love most about this book is that Vinge doesn't hold your hand much at all and that he seems so sure of his ground telling the story that that itself is reassuring. I had a hard time understanding why the parents didn't exercise greater caution, but my disbelief was fleeting, and the characters, the story lines, and the various races eventually all drew me in. I enjoyed having my mind expanded by the multigalactic scope of the book's events. I think I've never before read about greater tragedies. I've already started in on the prequel: A Deepness in The Sky (also borrowed from Nate).