coming right up

the girlfriend and i are taking our annual trip this weekend. we used to be gone for a week, but we're both so popular these days that it has been cut back. friday i'm taking the train south and when i get off the train i'll head next door to the ferry, meet her, and off we'll go into the wild blue. then we'll head back to civilization on monday, do some final things, and go our separate ways.

i expect to have a lovely time with lots of catching up, eating of wonderful foods, reading, and touristing.

next agenda: scotland!

astro-physics man

My Younger Son had his quals today. they're a very big deal. he did an excellent job of preparing himself for the ordeal and came through with flying colors! he was only stumped by one question out of the many the four advisors asked and he felt really good about the whole experience.

i am soooooooo proud of him! and for him, too!

now it's onward and upward to his ph.d. he's got about six projects in the mill and when he gets them finished, he'll be close to the prize.

isn't he excellent?!

today is ...

Mmmmmmm, i smell the smell of home-made bread, fresh from the bread maker. the loaf is filled with sesame seeds, flax, pearl millet, oats, pecans, cranberries, cherries, and cinnamon. delicious!!!

it's a lazy day today. raining, cool, quiet. the thermostat is set on 50* and it's about 65* right now. i'm comfortable with a couple of silk turtlenecks, a polartec vest, and polartec pants. this weather is just my style!!

the husband hired a young friend to install an awning over our west-facing window. the window is huge (58" by 52") and in the summer it lets in LOTS of light. and heat. so with the awning, we'll still have lots of sky-view, but the sun will have less entrance into the kitchen. it looks great and i think it will work nicely.

our next project will be to put a pergola on the deck. we found plans for a lovely-looking one and are anxious to get the project started. when that's finished we hope to plant some bushes strategically so as to maximize the privacy of our small yard. i think it's all going to turn out great.

make-up

heads up -- clinique is having their twice-yearly gift-with-purchase in bellingham at macy's october 12-26.

teeth, 2

and so while i was at the dentist office, they mentioned doing that test where they slide this super-sharp needle under your fingernails, i mean under your gums so they can take this mysterious measurement to see if you are having any gum disease.

that frickin' test hurts. i hate it. i don't want it. i told them so. they were unhappy/nervous. i love my dentist though, and she came in to talk with me about the whole thing saying it was something that was supposed to be done yearly, and that it had been three years since it had been done, and i asked who made this law or rule, and she said lawyers.

well, shit. so we talked a little longer and reached a compromise and went ahead with the test. as it turns out it was a good thing to have done. if a person gets 1, 2, or 3 with this test, that is normal. if they get a 4, that is a warning. if they get a 5, that means there is the grumblings of dental disease starting and measures need to be taken. i actually had several 5s.

considering how much trouble i take with my teeth, 5s is astonishing. i brush every day (sonicare) and sometimes twice, i floss at least twice a day, and i use that little rubber-tipped thingy to go around my gums while i'm sitting and reading.

so the hygienist told me about this little bristly toothpick thingy. i like it and bought a bunch. key-ryst ... i don't know what else i can do about these teeth.

but back to my original point -- there's a law or rule which says someone can invade your body against your will????? when did that rule get made? and how in the holy hell did the american public let it happen? that is so disgusting i can hardly sit still. it majorly pisses me off. and to my way of thinking, it is much, much worse than the motorcycle helmet law.

teeth, 1

i went last thursday to have my teeth cleaned. before i have that done, i always have to take four pills (antibiotics) because i have lymphedema although i'm not sure what the connection is. anyhow, this time when i swallowed the pills, something didn't go down right and i got this really bad pain in my chest. it would come and go throughout the day and it was always very uncomfortable. it was still there the next day. and the next. and the next.

here it is four days later and that pain hasn't quiiiiite disappeared. between feeling that pain if i'd swallow a bite or take a drink of water, and having a burp present itself at the most mysterious times, i really don't want to take any more pills.

i've lost five pounds though. i mean, who wants to eat something and feel pain with every swallow?!

i spy

counterintelligence is alive and well. check this out (edit below):

The U.S. Commerce Department's security office warns that "a cellular telephone can be turned into a microphone and transmitter for the purpose of listening to conversations in the vicinity of the phone." An article in the Financial Times last year said mobile providers can "remotely install a piece of software on to any handset, without the owner's knowledge, which will activate the microphone even when its owner is not making a call."

Nextel and Samsung handsets and the Motorola Razr are especially vulnerable to software downloads that activate their microphones, said James Atkinson, a counter-surveillance consultant who has worked closely with government agencies. "They can be remotely accessed and made to transmit room audio all the time," he said. "You can do that without having physical access to the phone."

honestly, i'm all for whatever it takes to get the bad guys, but ... what the hell?! civil liberties!

revenge

a very good friend of mine mentioned recently that she has an aquaintance who has herpes. i don't know how long she's had it, but she was pissed when she found out she'd gotten it and now she's sleeping with every guy she can talk into going to bed with her -- without telling him about her condition.

yes, i'm sure she's very angry about having contracted the disease, but i'm appalled at her irresponsible behavior and complete disregard for everyone else. in fact, if there were some way to turn her into authorities and legal justification for it, i would do it.

sure, everyone has to be careful about sex these days, but for her to sweet-talk someone into bed with the express purpose of getting back at men? that's disgraceful and immoral and i wish it were punishable. a month in jail with daily appts with a counselor, for starters. this is one sick chick.

my weekend

don't you just love three-day weekends? you have an extra day to just do whatever you want. except they somehow fill up and you may or may not get to just lay around and do nothing. but still .... three days!

we went to see the grandaughter yesterday. she's growing so quickly. and cute!! she is adorable! and smart!! she is walking by herself (took off at 9 1/2 months) and saying words (she's 10 1/2 months now) like mama, dada, and lamp! they aren't crystal-clear yet, but by the time they are she may be reading the dictionary.

i simply cannot wait to see what she decides to do as an adult!