GET CARTER!

Somehow another day has passed, and I still haven't done anything. That's not entirely accurate. I turned on the dishwasher and ran a load of clothes through both the washer and the dryer. That apparently took me all day, looking back on it. Wow, I'm going to be worthless for a few weeks once I start back to the real world.

Doctor Who
Network: SciFi
Status: Returning
Review: A BBC series doing well here across the pond. In three seasons, they haven't kept the same two principles together for more than a thirteen episodes. There's a built-in story about how they can keep the series alive with new actors, but it doesn't really affect things. Again, this is a show that's ending for the season, and there are a bunch of storylines coming together. I've enjoyed all three seasons (or "series" if you go by the show's original airing location terminology) as the wacky Doctor and his companion travel through space and time having all sorts of adventures.
Grade: A
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 97%

Flash Gordon
No, just, no.

Stargate Atlantis
Network: SciFi
Status: Returning
Review: The only true "star stuff" airing on Fridays. This season is going to be its big test, without SG-1 propping it up, so I expect big things. They're shaking up the cast, bringing in some storylines, and, hopefully, surviving a few more years, because I can't go without my star stuff, I just can't. My favorite new addition is Jewel Staite (Kaylee from Firefly) as the new chief of medicine.
Grade: A-
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 97%

More tomorrow.

Hit Dog with Car Door - I'm Hooked

Not me. I was watching CSI: Original Recipe. That was about the repeat of the pilot of Reaper, which I'll watch eventually. With that going for it, though, I don't see how it won't be great.

Today, I needed groceries. After all, I grew up eating. I decided to explore the nearby Publix grocery store. It was low on motorcycle enthusiasts today, so I felt pretty safe there. I walked through the store, taking a quick inventory of prices. They had a very nice sirloin for $4.99 / pound. Most everything else was more expensive than Wal-Mart, so I doubt I'll be back, but I got a good steak out of the trip, so no big loss.

After grilling for the first time at my new apartment and enjoying that steak, I sat down to watch some more of premiere week:

Smallville
Network: The CW
Status: Returning
Review: Superman as a teenager, who can't act his way out of a paperbag. This season begins with a Bizarro battle and the Martian Manhunter lending a hand. Also, there is an elusive Supergirl. She's on the opening credits, so she probably won't stay elusive much longer. Following the trend I'm tracking for this season, she's also very attractive. That's not unheard of in TV, I know, but this season it seems like no one is trying to hide that these women are attractive. I heartily approve.
Grade: A-
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 95%

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Network: CBS
Status: Returning
Review: The king of the procedurals, this season of CSI kicks off with the closing of the story from last season: the miniature killer kidnaps Sara, and the rest of the team races to find her. After an unbearably boring flashback, she escapes the trap and wanders in the desert in the heat for an entire day. They find her, no pulse, EMTs, helicopter, Grissom holds her hand, and she wakes up. Lee had called the waking up a few minutes before it actually happened.
Grade: B+
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 92%

I filled in the rest of the night with movies from my free 7 channels of HBO. Actually, just the end of X3, but I don't review movies, at least not this week. I really need to do some work around my apartment, maybe I'll accomplish that tomorrow. Ha. More tomorrow.

Billabong

And other fun Cash Cab answers. I have a ton of them tonight, mostly because Lee and I were really smart and the actual contestants were especially dumb, so we added some joke answers to the mix. We also snarked about Top Chef, which had part 1 of its finale tonight. Finale, part I, says to me that it's not the finale. More TV later.

Today, I found out that my start date for MDA is October 15, officially and finally. They needed some paperwork related to my PCS (permanent change of station), which had to be faxed. Since I'm no longer at the school, that left me scrambling. Fortunately, the apartment complex has a "business center" with a fax machine for the residents. Unfortunately, the computer will not open PDFs, and the printer was out of ink. Wonderful. Plan B: I emailed the forms to my dad, had him print them and fax them from his office in Somerville (TN). It was a little after the MDA work day, but hopefully, they'll get them in the morning.

Now, more TV:

Bionic Woman
Network: NBC
Status: New
Review: A remake of a 70's show, a la Battlestar Galactica, this show takes your average 24-year-old bartending, sister-guardian-ing, hot brunette who favors low-cut tops as super-charges her with nano-somethings. Along for the ride is her boyfriend / fiance who invented the technology, some shady organization which controls it, and another bionic woman, played by Katee Sackhoff (of BSG fame). This episode was a pilot in the sense that we don't get a sense of the full series - it sets things up, but doesn't really do much to let me know if the week-to-week will be any good. The chick fight in the rain was good entertainment, though.
Grade: A-
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 90%

Top Chef
Network: Bravo
Status: Returning
Review: I started watching about halfway through the season, and I now want to see how it ends. There is only one more episode this season, so I probably don't need to review this for the general public, but it's my blog, and I'll do what I want. It's down to the very gay guy, the very annoying Asian guy, and the girl. Everyone hates the Asian guy. It's because we're all racist and not because he's a complete jerk, I'm sure. I was pretty sure the other guy (who got kicked off tonight) was gay, but Lee said he was married, to a woman. Either way, I'm hoping for the girl to win.
Grade: B
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 95%, at least for one more episode

Cash Cab / Cash Cab After Dark
Network: Discovery
Status: Returning
Review: Standard game show question-and-answer format, but in a NYC taxi cab. The host plays it creepy sometimes, but I'm a fan of the show. I like the scoring system, red-light challenges, and Video Bonus. Not much to explain - it's a game show.
Grade: B+
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 95%

Not planning to watch, Wednesday nights: Kid Nation, and Count of Monte Cristo, I mean, Life. More tomorrow.

TV Reviews, Continued

Heroes
Network: NBC
Status: Returning
Review: After a great first season and a so-so season finale, I was going to love this episode whatever happened, short of Claire being killed for reals. It wasn't a shocking episode with lots of cool stuff going on, but you can't save the cheerleader or save the world every week. It did give us some nice stories to carry through for the season. Unfortunately, one of those stories was the death of Sulu, and another was the introduction of a boyfriend for Claire. A big plus, though, was the absence of the annoying kid who talks to computers.
Grade: A+
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 103%

Journeyman
Network: NBC
Status: New
Review: In a show that absolutely isn't Quantum Leap, a guy takes random trips back in time to affect changes, setting right what once went wrong, or something. The male lead (Kevin McKidd) was one of the principles on Rome, and I liked him on that show, but I couldn't make it through the entire pilot of not-QL. It was plodding, and I kept waiting for Al to show up and tell him what he needed to do. I don't like CSI: Miami, which is the only show opposite J-man, but I may have to channel surf rather than watching this show.
Grade: C-
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 20%

NCIS
Network: CBS
Status: Returning
Review: It's a procedural, but they have some interesting quirks with the format. It's also about the military and a spin-off of J*A*G. The premiere continues a story line I'm not particularly thrilled with, but I think they wrapped it up and will get back to the case-a-week format that works for them. The characters really sell the show, and Mark Harmon.
Grade: A-
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 85%

The Unit
Network: CBS
Status: Returning
Review: Another show with a storyline I didn't care for. This show makes up for it with U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers doing all sorts of completely AWESOME things. There are also storylines dealing with the wives and kids back home. And lots and lots of shooting and exploding.
Grade: A
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 93%

Cane
Network: CBS
Status: New
Review: Jimmy Smits as the head of a sugar cane producing, Cuban-American family in Florida. He was adopted by this family and was put in charge ahead of the natural-born children. Well, sort of. You see, he married his sister, his adopted sister, and they were given 40% control of the company while the two sons were given 30% each. Smits' family uses its sugar cane to make rum, but there is a movement to take sugar cane and make ethanol. And there's another sugar cane family that wants to corner the market on sugar-ethanol. Add in some murders, random hot women in bikinis, and I'd watch, except that it's against the Shatner.
Grade: B
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 70%

Boston Legal
Network: ABC
Status: Returning
Review: The season premiere was 90 minutes and overlapped The Unit and Cane, so I haven't seen it yet. The show is a comedy with some drama thrown in relating to the legal system in Boston (original title, huh?). When they stay away from the politics, it's a good show. When William Shatner shows up, it's a great show.
Grade: A-
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 85%

Eureka
Network: SciFi
Status: Returning
Review: Small town full of geniuses who occasionally get themselves into world-ending trouble brings in a normal-guy sheriff to fix these problems once a week. Helping him is a very hot deputy who has a thing for weapons. Most of the techno-babble is just babble, but occasionally they talk about some fun science. It's a summer series that's about to end, but it's on the air for another week, I think, and it's worth finding on reruns.
Grade: B
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 75%

That catches me up to today, and Wednesday seems to be a little light on shows I want to watch, and they're all at the same time. So, back to a real update tonight.

Return of the TV

It's premiere week, and I'm doing my part to find new series worthy of my time. Combine that with my internet troubles, and I didn't feel like writing an update last night. During the premiere season, I'm going to write some descriptions and predictions of the shows, but first, I'm going to techno-babble about my internet situation, which now seems to work the way I want it to.

Thursday afternoon, Knology (the local cable company) sent a guy out to install my TV and internet service. After the TV was working, he set up the cable modem, checked it with my computer, and left. He told me I'd need to setup the wireless router, which is fair - that's not their problem, after all. I checked for myself that the internet worked and tried wireless once. Normally, I don't need to do anything other than plug all the cords in the right place and turn things on. That didn't work, and I was headed to Memphis for the weekend, so I packed up and hoped for the best.

I got back to really working on my internet connection today. (Yesterday, I was distracted by NBC.) I tried a few more times to get the router / modem to play nice, with no more luck than last week. I decided to find the local Nerd Herd / Geek Squad. I also wanted to explore the area a little more. After striking out with the staff at Office Depot (I find them at least as knowledgeable as most Best Buy employees, and usually much more willing to help), I walked next door to Best Buy. If that hadn't worked, I could have walked two more doors down to the Circuit City. Skipping any further geography lessons, the Best Buy staff was actually helpful. It seems I needed to give the MAC address of the router to the Knology people. So I called them, and the first lady I talked to said everything was taken care of. The system needed 15-20 minutes to reset, so I waited. An hour later, it still didn't work. I called again. This time, the guy said that he couldn't access the information he needed from the router, and that there must be something wrong with the port on the router. So I had him set things up to work with my computer again (apparently, only one MAC address can be allowed at a time).

After some research, I discovered that the router's MAC address could be changed. At first, I tried to change it to match the wireless card, but that didn't work. It makes sense now, but at the time, I was baffled. The guy at Knology had reset the modem to recognize the wired adapter, not the wireless card. So I used that MAC address. And, it works. I'm a genius, I know.

On to the TV reviews:

The Simpsons
Network: Fox
Status: Returning
Review: After, what, 312 seasons, it's not new anymore. It's still funny, though. I caught the season premiere on its "secondary" schedule (read: found elsewhere after airing), and was entertained, but not impressed.
Grade: B
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 80%

King of the Hill
Network: Fox
Status: Returning
Review: I've never found this show to have as many jokes as its animated cousins at Fox, but it has insights the others skip for the sake of a punchline. This episode involved Bobby finally becoming interested in football. I missed a lot of the references, because football isn't just a Texas sport, no matter what they may think about the sport.
Grade: B+
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 75%

Family Guy
Network: Fox
Status: Returning
Review: It's a Fox series reminiscent of the old Fox network, back when they were pure evil and leading the way in the amoralization of TV. OK, maybe that's still an accurate description. If you don't know about Family Guy by now, any description I give will be inadequate. The season premiere was a Star Wars Episode IV spoof, hence last night's references.
Grade: A+ (for the episode), A- (for the series, which has really started recycling jokes)
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 99.999%

Shark
Network: CBS
Status: Returning
Review: World's best defense attorney grows a conscience and takes a job putting the famous criminals of L.A. in prison. Helping him are Jeri Ryan and Sarah Carter, a nice age range on hot blondes. Again, I mentioned this in the last update. Not the most original show ever (think Jack McCoy with a little more ego, and that's saying something), but I like legal dramas.
Grade: A-
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 95%

Chuck
Network: NBC
Status: New
Review: The manager of the Nerd Herd at a Buy More gets NSA and CIA secrets downloaded into his head by his old college roommate who is now a spy. Spy-friend has a partner, who is hot and likes wearing lingerie and who is now going to be "handling" our friend Chuck. Jayne, from Firefly, killed spy-friend and is now also hanging around all the time. And, Jayne killed spy-friend, who was sleeping with hot handler chick. Follow all that? Just watch the show, I want it to survive.
Grade: A
Odds I'll Keep Watching: 98%

It's now much later than I intended. I'll try to finish Monday and Tuesday nights tomorrow with an addendum. Oh, the Law and Order: SVU that was on USA tonight from 11 to midnight had Claire Bennett / Butler from Heroes playing a 15-year-old slut. I have trouble seeing innocent Claire as this promiscuous strumpet. They need to recast this episode, even though she filmed it before Heroes was even a glint in Tim Kring's eye. More tomorrow.

A Long Time Ago, but Somehow in the Future

I'll start my story with Part IV:

The Daily Jeffrey
Episode IV: A New Hope

Did I actually do anything today? I can't remember anything important. The new TV season started tonight with Shark, a lawyer show starring Jeri Ryan (7 of 9 from Star Trek: Voyager) and Sarah Carter (KentFan from Smallville). It also has the annoying presence of James Woods. I don't know why I started watching it - I never caught it live last season, but in the void that is Sunday night at 9pm in my TV schedule, I'll probably watch it more this season.

I head back to Huntsville tomorrow. I don't really need to leave early, except I need time to unpack and eat before Heroes and its NBC companion shows. This week is going to be the greatest week of TV in years. And I don't have anything better to be doing than watching. 18-24 year old male, watching primetime TV - advertisers, pay up.

This evening, on Facebook, within moments of each other, two of my friends, who don't know each other, both added statuses of "____ is Martha Stewart." Well, one was "Martha Freaking Stewart," but that's close enough. I don't know if this was Martha Stewart day, and I just missed it, but it's an odd coincidence.

I'm boring. You should already know this about me. More tomorrow.

Cousins' Wedding

Notice where the apostrophe is. It's a grammar joke, people. It's also just about the only one I could repeat from tonight's comedians at Comedy, TN. I thought they were funny, if a little vulgar. It's a good thing Melissa thought so as well, or that might have been awkwaaard. The headlining guy the first time I went to Comedy, TN was funnier and less vulgar, but these guys weren't awful. Both were from the south, which forgives a lot, in my book. Standard jokes these days are gays, race, and more about gays, so no one is original. Still, funny guys. Worth not paying admission to see. (They do require some food purchases, but I paid a total of $15 and that included an alcoholic beverage, not for me, of course.)

Earlier in the day, I had lunch with some of the guys at Buffalo Wilds Wings at Wolfchase. Probably the worst service I've had at a BWW. It wasn't a wing night, so I can understand they're slower, but this was ridiculous. Good food, though, and nice to catch up with the CBU group.

I should have more to say, having skipped an update, but I don't, and I have a new book to read, after I finish the one I'm on now. More tomorrow.

Memphis, Once More

I'm in Memphis for the weekend. I had a significant amount of stuff here that I didn't need at my old apartment that I do at my new one. Some of it is stuff I did want in Tullahoma, but I didn't feel was worth moving there, then moving right back down to Huntsville. Either way, it goes back to Huntsville with me on this trip.

Another reason I'm in Memphis is that I won tickets to Comedy TN for Saturday night. Actually, I won them a couple of weeks ago, but with the moving and all, I got them changed to this Saturday night. Because Saturday night was better for some people, but now it isn't. I'm still going Saturday night, and I have the option of half-price tickets for others. If there's a market for them, hot chicks get the first chance to go. Everyone else is first come, first served.

This weekend is currently freer than most and will probably stay that way with most of my Memphis friends either in class or not actually in Memphis. Maybe I can relax, because I haven't been laying on my couch for the past three days watching TV. More tomorrow.

Cable Tomorrow

Sometime between 12 and 2 tomorrow, my internet and full cable TV should be up and running. That means no more stupid wireless signals disappearing and a TV where I can find what I want to watch without waiting for the TV Guide channel to scroll around to it. After that, I'm driving back to Memphis for the weekend.

I called the MDA today. October 1 is out, but October 15 is now definite, unless it isn't. What I was actually told was that it was on the last step, which was going to take a week. Then, all paperwork has to be completed 10 days before I start, for some reason that elludes me. Maybe I won't starve between now and then. I'll just spend more time in Memphis and eat at my parents' house.

Lee got me to start watching Top Chef with the argument that it isn't the worst thing on TV in its time slot. That's about the only argument I have to watch the show. I probably won't watch any other seasons, but now, I want to see who wins this season. Not the worst thing on in its time slot - remember that. More tomorrow.

I Can Receive Mail Now

The apartment office only gives out the mail keys once the move-in checklist is completed. It's a little juvenile, not trusting people to finish up paperwork, but I can see where it's required. At least it was the attractive renting agent in the office today. And I got some coupons in the mail, so it was probably a productive exercise.

I need to dig out the phone number for the HR people and see what's going on there. It's been long enough that there should be some news. I'm a little tired of waiting, to be honest, and it shouldn't be my responsibility to keep calling.

My political discussions have found a different forum, and while I'm not working, there's not much to talk about. More tomorrow.

T-Minus 1 Week

Until new Heroes. It's going to be awesome. The season 1 finale was on tonight, and it was even better than I remembered it. I can't wait for the new season.

I finished unpacking today. It was somehow less satisfying than I'd hoped. At least that part is done, although I won't be officially finally moved in until my cable gets installed Thursday, but as long as I can access the internet occasionally, I'm OK until then. It's annoying when it randomly stops, but it hasn't cost me anything important so far.

I've been watching a lot of the NASA channel. I like it. The problem I'm running into is that I've seen a lot of the interviews and mission profiles they're airing. They only have so much programming to fill the day, but I want new shows. If my government is going to fund a channel dedicated to something I'm interested in, it should fund enough programming to keep me interested.

There are people walking by all the time. I'm not a fan of this living with lots of people all around. More tomorrow.

All Moved In

I'm in Madison now, and mostly settled. I've got a little more organizing to do, then I'll get some pictures up on Facebook. I should have done that today, but instead I watched TV. It was more rewarding.

I don't have any rants right now, and I'm too tired to recount the last couple of days of moving. My internet connection is a little shaky until Thursday, so if you need me quickly the best way to reach me is by phone. More tomorrow.

Madison, AL, Trip I

Ah, the joys of moving. Today, I had to meet with an insurance agent, a rental agent for my apartment, and start the whole moving process. I didn't mind doing any of it, but it'd be a lot easier if I could just teleport my things down there. It's the packing and unpacking of boxes that I dislike most.

I had several things I wanted to mention tonight, and a much better title, but somehow they've gotten lost in the jumble that is my brain tonight. I need to get more work done tonight anyway, so maybe I'll remember what I wanted to say for future updates. More tomorrow.

Sounded like Someone Was Torturing a Cat

Alternate titles:

Where Should We Go to Test These Poison Fuels? : The Middle of the Everglades

Absolutely Great Engineer, from Alabama of All Places

He Didn't All Burn.

-and-

Jigger in the Main Burner

All of these are snippets from the seminar at UTSI today. The title of the seminar was "Never Told Tales of Blackbirds, U2s and Roadrunners, the Golden Age of Aerospace." The guy giving it had been an engineer at Pratt and Whitney for 32 years before retiring 20 years ago. He was what I hope to be in 60 years, less the cancer. He didn't cover a wide range of topics, and really only talked about the titular elements in passing, but he talked a lot about the engineering process as it was when he was working in the Golden Age of Aerospace. That's always interesting, and this guy was a self described "Irish storyteller" so he told all the stories well. I think I liked them all, but some of my favorites:

They were testing a new engine with a poison fuel with poison exhaust, so where did they go to test it? The middle of the Florida Everglades. Natural wildlife refuge now. Poison fuel test area then. (The program was cancelled before any tests were run there.)

Another test in the area while they were down there "sounded like someone was torturing a cat."

A design he worked on an engine for went from clean sheet design to first flight in 3 years. The F-22, which he also did some of the early engine design work for, took 20 years.

He knew a guy who was an "absolutely great engineer, from Alabama of all places."

When transporting charts for presentations containing secret information, the charts were rolled up and put in a tube which was then handcuffed to the person's wrist. This caused some issues on airplanes when the stewardess asked him to put the tube in the baggage compartment. Here was on sample conversation:

Stewardess: That [secret charts for a presentation] has to go in luggage.
Engineer Brown: I'm sorry, miss, but that's impossible. I can't do that.
S: Why can't you do that?
E: It's my father's ashes.
S: [a little shocked, walks away, returns a few minutes later] Excuse me, Mr, Brown, if that's you're father's ashes, why is it so big?
E: He didn't all burn.

The SR-71 Blackbird experienced significant thermal expansion during its flight. The tanks had to be designed so that they were solid at the expanded conditions, meaning they were very leaky at takeoff conditions, so fuel leaked all over the runway. The Blackbird flies at afterburner at all times, which would tend to light the runway on fire. Oops. So they needed a fuel that wouldn't catch fire on the runway. Unfortunately, if it's hard to catch fire on the runway, it's also hard to start the engine. They fixed that by adding a hypergolic (self combusting when exposed to air) fuel for engineer start-up. How much did they need? "A jigger in the main burner. Three jiggers to light the afterburner." Not sure what the official measure of a jigger is. Not sure if it's really a word, either, but whatever it is, it worked and the BlackBird holds 17 world speed records. It flew from Los Angeles (LAX) to Dulles airport outside of D.C. in 55 minutes, at partial power. It's equipment was supposedly sensitive enough to identify people and read license plates at a distance of 60 miles from an altitude of 90,000 feet. And that was from a plane designed and built 50 years ago.

One other thing this guy mentioned about work back in the golden age - he worked side-by-side with Charlie Lindberg, Jimmy Doolittle, and Juan Tripp. I didn't link their Wikipedia articles because I knew who they were when he mentioned them. If you don't, that's what Wikipedia is there for. Go learn something about the history of modern aviation.

I mentioned that UTSI took my student ID card when I was outprocessing Monday. Today, I finished the process, and they did NOT take my key to the office. What's more important to them? That I can get discounts on food and bowling in Memphis or that I can get into the office where they store several, presumably, important things? Clearly, it's keeping me from getting discounts. And I'm now done outprocessing, so there's nothing else I need to do for them. I may show up on campus a couple more times, depending on whether I feel like coming back up here before I start work, but that'll just be to visit friends. I do need to return a couple things to Dr. Moeller, but that's not directly affecting my outprocessing, just tying up loose ends. Who cares, I'm done, and they can deal with it.

Hey, how'd it get to be midnight already? More tomorrow.

6 Years Gone

I neglected to mention that yesterday was the 6th anniversary of the attacks on America by the terrorists. It slipped my mind as I was writing the update, though I had remembered several times during the day. Just because it's been 6 years without another large-scale attack doesn't mean we're immune. We must remain vigilant and determined to maintain as much safety as possible. For the victims, for the survivors, for the heroes.

Check. Check. Check.

My list of things to get done before I move is quickly being pared down to nothing. About all that's left is finishing at the school (which I hope to do tomorrow), finalizing everything with the apartment manager here (which is also planned for tomorrow), and cancelling my current cable subscription here (and I think they turn it off the minute I call them, and I'd prefer to keep my TV working a couple more days). That's all I can think of that's left to do, other than the actual moving.

Speaking of actual moving - my bookshelf looks lonely. All my books are packed away in boxes in my spare bedroom. All that's left on the shelf is dust and two software boxes. My "desk" is much the same, though it has a few more things on it because of my computer. Also, it seems U-Haul hates Tullahoma. This makes sense because the only place in Tullahoma that rented U-Hauls was closed on the one day someone (Lee's parents) was going to rent one. But now I'm trying to rent one, and it's a headache. A guy in Estill Springs has some for rent and is willing to be very nice about the return time, saving us from paying for an extra day while not having to rush to get a trailer unloaded and returned. It would require returning the trailer to Estill Springs rather than dropping it off in Madison, AL where I'll be, and the cost of gas is close to the savings for the extra day, but the guy has been nice enough to offer some flexibility, and it's not real money - it's on a credit card.

From an article I read today:

[quote]

It costs $12,106 to cover the average American family, with workers picking up about 28 percent of the tab. That works out to $3,281 annually - about $1,500 more than they paid in 2001.

Similarly, it costs $4,479 to cover a single worker, who typically pays 16 percent of the bill, or $694.

[/quote]

Now, there are co-pays on top of that, but that strikes me as not awful. When I worked as a bagger at Kroger, I could afford that. Not much else, but I wasn't working full time, either. And since when does the problem of "not enough money" not have the solution "work more"? People want a "living wage" as the basis of minimum wage, but if you're working 80 hours a week, even at two minimum wage jobs, you're doing alright financially. Working while raising kids is tough, sure, but people have been doing it for as long as there have been people. I need to save it for the Straw Poll. More tomorrow.

I’m Quite British! What, What!

Tonight, I found the summary of The Protector's War that Lee had been looking for. It's here. If you get a chance, this guy has some decent blogs (same site, click on the title header). I didn't see many actual arguments as much as pointing out where liberals were being stupid. There's always room for more of that.

I made a lot of progress in being able to move this weekend and be gone from the school, but very little on packing. I'm wondering if it's more cost effective to move all my textbooks or burn them and buy new ones. On the one hand is the cost of the books. On the other hand is that they weigh 14 megatons (metric). The books and kitchen stuff are really the only loose items remaining. And clothing, which is going to be annoying.

I don't have to go, but there's a cool seminar at school Wednesday. Well, the speaker is actually going to be in Knoxville, and we're video conferencing in, or maybe just watching the video, since I don't think the room is set up for interactive. Still, the talk should be worth driving to the school for.

Should I go to school tomorrow to finish outprocessing or try to get it done Wednesday? They already took my student ID (expletive deleted), and I'm going to have to give them the key to the office before I leave, too. I got all the signatures where I didn't actually want to talk to the people today - and the secretaries signed so I didn't have to talk to anyone. Callie, Dr. Bomar, and Dr. Daniel, for those interested. I still have one more higher-up I need a signature from (Dr. Buckley), the librarian (out sick today), the physical plant (where they take my key), and Dr. Moeller (not there for some reason today). I don't remember anyone else I still need to talk to, but the form is in my laptop case and I'm too lazy to get it.

Apparently, I'm not as evil as I seem at first glance. This will have to be corrected. More tomorrow.

Going to be a Busy Week

The blog may go quiet for a while, especially once I'm in Huntsville. I don't know if I'll have internet access down there right away. I'm not really planning to spend a lot of time there if I don't (I'll be at my parents' house in Memphis most likely), but I'll have to be around some to make them think I'm living there. That, and I'm used to doing my own thing, and my own place is more condusive to my relaxation.

I spent some time packing and cleaning this weekend, much as I didn't want to. I also discovered that I stored a lot more boxes in my outside storage room than I thought I had. Things like my TV box, which may or may not be used for transporting my TV (those things travel very well seat belted into the front seat). I sprayed everything in there with bug spray, to make a preemptive strike with chemical weapons, so that the hand-to-hand battle is simpler later on. The Hague can deal with it.

I just realized I need to secure my grill for the night. More tomorrow.

Don't Wanna Pack

A week until I move. I need to pack and clean, but all I can motivate myself to do is read my book. I'm almost done with it, but I'll just find something else to keep me busy. The packing seems like a lot, and it is quite a bit, but it's not going to take a full week of solid effort. The hard part I can't do now anyway - loading up the washer and dryer and other big furniture. Times like these, telekinesis would be nice to have.

Updates are boring when all I do is read all day, and I don't want to spoil the story for Lee or anyone else, not that I know of anyone else who reads both the Stirling books and my blog. More tomorrow.

Lasagna

Come on . . .

Come on . . .

Well today I went up to the school for lunch, because they were serving lasagna, and Lee's argument (above) was so compelling. The serving lady gave him both a full serving of lasagna and a side of the pork dish they were also serving. The garlic bread was lacking something today, too. What was it? Oh, right, garlic. It wasn't a bad roll, but garlic bread it wasn't. After lunch, I came back here and spent a good chunk of my afternoon reading. I mean that in the sense that the part spent reading was good. I also tried to pack and straighten my apartment. That wasn't as enjoyable. Such is life.

The political debates were much calmer today, presumably because my primary opponent most of the day yesterday actually had to get work done. That's a guess. Maybe he just sees me as a lost cause. Either way, it was much quieter on the western front today. I enjoyed the debates yesterday, but you just can't do that everyday. Well, you can if you're unemployed and trying to avoid packing your things for a move that's only about a week away, but most people have real work to do. I had 18 notifications of responses to my arguments yesterday, and that's probably not even half of the arguments I actually addressed. I was on one argument, then another, then a third, then back to the first, in a constant cycle. If the debates were like that, I think more people would watch. And more candidates would have nervous breakdowns.

Josh Lyman: You know... can I say this? Why don't we just give the $60 billion to North Korea in exchange for not bombing us?
President Josiah Bartlet: It's almost hard to believe you're not on the National Security Council.
Josh Lyman: I know, I feel they're missing an important voice.

More tomorrow.

Anyone Speak Elvish?

My book that I've waited a year for has just enough Elvish to be annoying. Mostly, it's like the Chinese in Firefly - you don't really need to know most of the words to get the point, but it's annoying when the characters start talking, and I have to wait for him to translate it for me. Other than that, I really like the story he's putting together. It's not what I would have written, but he's the one getting paid big bucks to write stories, not me.

I spent most of my afternoon otherwise engaged, however. I was engaged in politcal discourse of the highest order. Maybe it was just a shouting match. It's hard to tell on the internet which it was. It was fun, if a little scary how some people look at the world. I think the particular quote bothered Lee more than it did me (I'd heard something similar before). Still, it made for some interesting debate.

Back to Cash Cab then more reading. I'm going to try to stay out of too many political debates for the rest of the night. More tomorrow.

They Say He Killed a Man in Borneo

Just to watch him die.

If you don't get the Johnny Cash reference, stop reading now. The quote is actually from Eureka, but it's too close to the song not to be intentional. That's a fun show. It doesn't deal with big political issues or saving the world in any type of realistic way - it's just a nice solid science fiction show with a hint of believeability. Except that Erica Cerra would give the time of day to any of them. That part isn't so believeable.

I started on The Sunrise Lands tonight. I'm probably an hour or so of reading behind Lee right now, and more as I write this, but it's not a race to the finish line - it's the enjoyment of a good story that won't have its next book published for about a year. I finished the other book I'd been reading and gave that back to Lee this morning. Just in time to start this one, that I spent $27 on and will be done with in less than 24 hours, most likely. Still, enjoyment, good story. Twin amazons fighting in the nude.

Well, I'm going to shut down the lower level and keep reading. It's nice that I don't need to go into school tomorrow. I can read all day. More tomorrow.

Last Drive to Tullahoma

From Memphis, at least. I may make the trip from Huntsville to visit friends if I don't start work right away. As I mentioned, it seems more and more likely that I won't start right away. There was mention of a Heroes premiere get-together, but only in passing. I don't have anything against this town in the middle of nowhere, but neither do I feel any special attachment.

I'm also very tired, and I still need to make my bed before sleeping in it. I don't know why I need to make it, it's not like I'm going to use the sheets, but I feel I should at least have them on there. More tomorrow.

Elementary School Reunion

This title was probably more apt a couple of days ago, but I only thought of it tonight. People I haven't thought of or seen in years are randomly finding me on Facebook. I'd never really lost contact with Melissa, at least not since high school. I went to high school with Russell, though I didn't know that, or him, until college. A couple of weeks ago, a girl I went to elementary school with added me as a friend. Friday, I think, a guy from elementary school added me. I knew him pretty well way back then and had bumped into him a couple of times during high school, but it's still a little odd to find all these people after so many years.

Yesterday: I didn't really do much during the day. I think I mostly watched TV and surfed the interweb - standard time wasting. Sheena was having a going away party at 9, so I headed out there sometime after 8. I was the first one to arrive at Bartlett Lanes, designated party spot for the evening. Garrett was next with Sheena after him, and only about 10 minutes after 9. David and Christina got there pretty soon thereafter, and the four of them started bowling. I had no strong desire to bowl, so I sat out the first two games. Lee and Jennifer got there about as the bowlers finished up the second game. The three of us decided to bowl a game while the other four bowled a third game. About the time we were finishing our last frame, Melissa showed up. She had family obligations and wasn't sure she was going to make it at all, but I know Sheena was glad to see her. Melissa was headed to dog sit in my neck of the ghetto, so she followed me around on the interstate back this way. Apparently, that was only the start of her evening, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Today: Again, a lazy day. I handled some errands with my dad that took us out around Collierville. He also wanted to look at the new GM pickups, so we stopped at the GMC dealership there on Poplar in Collierville. I looked at some of the new cars, many of which seem to have a strange new feature. On the side of the engine compartment, there are small chrome pieces, which, upon inspection, have a grating that seems to lead to the engine. I'd wondered if they were purely decoration or served a purpose. My guess now is that they allow air that comes in through the front grill to escape along the side of the vehicle as well as below and through the area between the hood and the windshield. That arrangement probably cuts down on some of the air resistance from air coming up from the hood and hitting the windshield. I can't imagine it saves all that much, but I guess it's worth it. I hadn't noticed the contraptions until a couple of days ago, now I see them on cars all over the place.

Tonight, I met Melissa at the McAlister's over by my house. She was finishing up her dog sitting, and it seems the only place we can meet is McAlister's or Chili's. Always seems to work out that way, at least. She had to write a paper for a class Tuesday, so we didn't spend a ton of time there this time around. She did tell me how the dogs seemed to really like playing mind games with her all night long. I think she said it was after 3 before she finally got to sleep, then the dogs woke her at 8:30 to go outside. Doesn't sound fun to me, either.

I've been working to finish up the book I'm on right now before my new book comes out. That's supposed to be Tuesday, but that doesn't mean the "book" "store" in Tullahoma will have it. The nearest real bookstore is in Murfreesboro, and it's a tough call as to whether it's worth the drive to have to book on the day it comes out. Tough call. I need to finish this one first, either way. It's already later than I intended it to be to get back to reading. This is a pretty good update, especially compared to recent ones, so I'll leave you with the promise of more tomorrow.

Bowling, Again, Yippee

I'll roll this update into tomorrow's update. I better not hear a peep out of any of you. More tomorrow.