av8rmike

So, what's been going on the past month? Lots of the same uninteresting stuff, like trying to organize stuff around the house and get things unpacked. The PHP/MySQL project for work for which I've been up to my eyeballs finally seems to be clearing, so I may actually have time to start doing things like updating and Support again. It's been really interesting, and I've learned a lot about server-side programming, but probably not enough to help out significantly with DW/LJ because I still find Perl pretty impenetrable, and I didn't have to consider a lot of scalability problems for the work site.

For Thanksgiving Jamie and I flew back to see her family in Wisconsin. I found it amusing that the question nearly everyone asked was, "How was the security?" or "Did you get [frisked]?". What people who have been following the stories only loosely may not have understood is that not everyone is required to get scanned. At BWI and Milwaukee, for instance, I only went through the same metal detectors I always go through. The millimeter-wave scanners were there, and some people were going through them, but I couldn't see a pattern to it, nor was I asked to step through. So, you do still have a choice, and it's not exhibitionism vs. groping vs. arrest.

Anyway. Off to a full week of rehearsals for 3 separate concerts!

They're ripping siding off the building, the grounds-keeping crew is outside with their leaf-blowers, and someone else is outside cutting down the giant bushes with a chainsaw.

It's way too much noise for a Monday. Good thing I ripped all those Mahler and Bruckner symphony CDs from my dad, which should be pretty effective at drowning them out.

( Pic! )
One of my co-workers was in California last week and picked up this nice coffee mug for me. It's oversized and is a pretty pastel blue color, but while I was washing it I saw that it had a sticker* on the bottom. Apparently the glaze used on the mug contains trace amounts of cadmium and lead, which because of Prop 65, causes cancer in the state of California. I guess it's a good thing I live in Maryland.

* According to a different co-worker, these stickers are on everything in CA. How fragile are you guys out there? =P

If I can't figure out how to visualize what I'm trying to design, I may end up bringing in my LEGO Technics to work tomorrow.

I'm having way more fun than I should be searching through the ABS Steel Vessel Rules for the string "poop".

Sample results:

• "Poop Side Plating"


• "Bridges and Poops"


• "Exposed Poop Decks"


• "Access to Midship Quarter between Poop and Bridge"


• "A bridge or poop is not regarded as enclosed unless an alternate means of access is provided for the crew from any point on the exposed portion of the uppermost continuous deck to reach the machinery space or other working spaces within these superstructures when the bulkhead openings are closed."

I even found the equation to calculate the thickness of the poop.

Everyone who's come into my office in the last day or so has said the same thing: "Man, it smells like cat pee in here."

Thanks, I hadn't noticed.

I wonder, if I go put in a few hours at the office tomorrow, if they'll let me use my holiday hours for Rosh Hashanah next Wednesday.

My first day back in the office after a three-day holiday weekend, and I'm supposed to do work?

OK, so it's only sort-of work: playing with power tools, and right now, going to Home Depot to buy wood with a company card.

Never send an intern to do an engineer's job. Gaah.

Also, there's something wrong with needing to have the air conditioner on in December.

It's going to be really hard to get any work done today... Fortunately, I don't seem to be doing anything high-priority compared to the last few weeks.

I'm going over to Dad's place after work, because our cousin is in from England until the end of the week, and also my brother's coming down from New York this afternoon. I'm bringing my violin, and we'll probably play through some of the stuff my cousin needs to work on (he has to accompany a violinist in a few weeks).

Jamie's flight gets in after midnight. No, I won't forget to pick you up. ;) Tomorrow, among other things, we'll be going downtown to try some new instruments.

Saturday is a concert with my string ensemble, which I pretty much just want to get over with. Anything else that happens is just icing on the cake! =)