It still feels like 2006

The first week of January is always kind of awkward. There's a lot of time spent tying up the loose ends left over from last year, doing administrative stuff to get ready for the new year, and some unavoidable looking back at what happened in 2006.

This particular work day started off on the wrong foot. Any day when you wake up to Garrison Keillor's lugubrious bloviations about the Vietnam War is going to suck, and so far I think it's just dumb luck that's allowed me to avoid whatever hideous fate has been prepared for me. That having been said, I rolled over, found the remote for the stereo in less than two shakes and shut that sucker off. Gyaah. I then got up, even though I could have slept in for another ten minutes or so, and went about the business of getting ready for work. Oddly, I felt better than I should have, considering I only got about five hours of sleep after staying up too late thrashing the Mayans in Rise of Nations (I think I may finally have gotten the hang of that game) and reading the Geobreeders: Unfriendly Skies tankoban. Evidently it was quality sleep.

Today's main mission (replacing lost ski gloves with new ski gloves) has been accomplished, and other things are likewise getting checked off the to-do list. This day will be full of accomplishment and win.

It still feels like 2006

The first week of January is always kind of awkward. There's a lot of time spent tying up the loose ends left over from last year, doing administrative stuff to get ready for the new year, and some unavoidable looking back at what happened in 2006.

This particular work day started off on the wrong foot. Any day when you wake up to Garrison Keillor's lugubrious bloviations about the Vietnam War is going to suck, and so far I think it's just dumb luck that's allowed me to avoid whatever hideous fate has been prepared for me. That having been said, I rolled over, found the remote for the stereo in less than two shakes and shut that sucker off. Gyaah. I then got up, even though I could have slept in for another ten minutes or so, and went about the business of getting ready for work. Oddly, I felt better than I should have, considering I only got about five hours of sleep after staying up too late thrashing the Mayans in Rise of Nations (I think I may finally have gotten the hang of that game) and reading the Geobreeders: Unfriendly Skies tankoban. Evidently it was quality sleep.

Today's main mission (replacing lost ski gloves with new ski gloves) has been accomplished, and other things are likewise getting checked off the to-do list. This day will be full of accomplishment and win.

Random stuff

Colby Cosh asks "Does America need a Foreign Legion?" in the National Post; Kate and some of her commenters call BS; Jim Dunnigan says "Not so fast..." while pointing out that historically the Army has always had large numbers of foreigners and recent immigrants in the ranks. During the Civil War, for example, both the Union and the Confederacy had Irish regiments (the Union's Irish Brigade from New York being particularly famous) and the Union's XI Corps was noted for its numerous Germans, many of them recruited by the inept but energetic Franz Sigel. I think it would be kinda cool to pick up a brigade of Gurkhas, myself.

In the Sandbox, Bungie and Microsoft give the troops the opportunity to help test HALO 3. (Blackfive) Related: Armed Forces find out console gamers are naturals at handling fire control systems and UAVs. Apparently the next step is going to be deciding whether new control systems will be hueg like XBox or flingable like Wii...

Oh, yeah...some old loser got pwnz0r3d by the Iraqis over the weekend. Good riddance.

UPDATE: Interestingly enough, it turns out that there's a reinforced battalion's worth of Gurkhas serving as constabulary in Singapore. They get high marks for professionalism (duh) and for not being involved in any of the local ethnic politics.

Random stuff

Colby Cosh asks "Does America need a Foreign Legion?" in the National Post; Kate and some of her commenters call BS; Jim Dunnigan says "Not so fast..." while pointing out that historically the Army has always had large numbers of foreigners and recent immigrants in the ranks. During the Civil War, for example, both the Union and the Confederacy had Irish regiments (the Union's Irish Brigade from New York being particularly famous) and the Union's XI Corps was noted for its numerous Germans, many of them recruited by the inept but energetic Franz Sigel. I think it would be kinda cool to pick up a brigade of Gurkhas, myself.

In the Sandbox, Bungie and Microsoft give the troops the opportunity to help test HALO 3. (Blackfive) Related: Armed Forces find out console gamers are naturals at handling fire control systems and UAVs. Apparently the next step is going to be deciding whether new control systems will be hueg like XBox or flingable like Wii...

Oh, yeah...some old loser got pwnz0r3d by the Iraqis over the weekend. Good riddance.

UPDATE: Interestingly enough, it turns out that there's a reinforced battalion's worth of Gurkhas serving as constabulary in Singapore. They get high marks for professionalism (duh) and for not being involved in any of the local ethnic politics.

Where have all the unloved books gone?

Ann Althouse links to a WaPo article about libraries clearing their shelves of books not checked out in over two years. One gets the impression she isn't too crazy about having the trimming decreed by computer, and finds the online storage of such books a poor substitute.

Rachel reads the same article and rips it a new one for not mentioning that more than a dozen copies of the books cited are available elsewhere in the system. Geez, you can't rely on the MSM to get anything right any more, can you?

Where have all the unloved books gone?

Ann Althouse links to a WaPo article about libraries clearing their shelves of books not checked out in over two years. One gets the impression she isn't too crazy about having the trimming decreed by computer, and finds the online storage of such books a poor substitute.

Rachel reads the same article and rips it a new one for not mentioning that more than a dozen copies of the books cited are available elsewhere in the system. Geez, you can't rely on the MSM to get anything right any more, can you?

Busy, busy, busy...just not now

It's been a really slow afternoon at the Evil Banking Neighbor. I think I've taken two phone calls and loaded about the same number of files. Zzzzz...

In contrast, tonight is going to be pretty busy. I need to pick up prescriptions, pick up the copy of Kaleidoscope Century that's waiting for me at the library, pick up P and her laundry, pick up my laundry, mount an expedition to the laundromat, swing by the T-bird to pick up some registrations that were sent there in error, drop off paperwork with the hotel to cover the last six meetings for this year's covnention, haul P back to her place, and finally drag my butt on home, hopefully before 2300.

Maybe I should have just left at 5.

Busy, busy, busy...just not now

It's been a really slow afternoon at the Evil Banking Neighbor. I think I've taken two phone calls and loaded about the same number of files. Zzzzz...

In contrast, tonight is going to be pretty busy. I need to pick up prescriptions, pick up the copy of Kaleidoscope Century that's waiting for me at the library, pick up P and her laundry, pick up my laundry, mount an expedition to the laundromat, swing by the T-bird to pick up some registrations that were sent there in error, drop off paperwork with the hotel to cover the last six meetings for this year's covnention, haul P back to her place, and finally drag my butt on home, hopefully before 2300.

Maybe I should have just left at 5.