Ph.D. time!

MYS has finally gotten a date to defend his thesis: august 10. i'm not real clear on the difference between a thesis and dissertation in his field; maybe it doesn't matter. regardless, he's nearing the end of the tunnel.

we'll be attending his defense and i'm excited to see if i can understand anything he says. i've been able to follow along, over the years, as he has explained things to me, but still, since neither physics nor astronomy were ever a big part of my education, it could be a little foggy.

regardless, one huge CONGRATULATIONS to him on seeing a payoff for all his hard work -- may i present the-soon-to-be Dr. Yirak!

crooks

remember -- if you get an urgent e-mail from a friend who says they need an immediate infusion of cash, talk with them and get the real story. i mean, after all, what friend is going to be asking you for money anyway?!

death

and now i understand that cremation has disadvantages. i suppose it's only a matter of time before any good concept falls into dispute. at least, that's how it seems to go.

at any rate, there are apparently alternatives to cremation, assuming you don't want the traditional burial. something called resomation is available in minnesota and florida, and maybe california before long.

and then there's cryogenic cremation -- which a company in england is trying to perfect.

seems like there's always something you need to think about ....

tough!

did you see the article about having some extra weight probably isn't a bad thing? and it reiterated what i've always known -- if i diet, my body thinks i'm dying and does everything it can to save me. and genetics plays a part -- i look like my grandmother and my aunts .... big-hipped women who lived well into their 80s and my grandmother (still living in her own home and taking care of herself) died when she was 92. i've finally decided as long as i make a reason attempt to eat the right foods (vegetables/fruit/cheese, grains with some meat) and get a reasonable amount of exercise, the industries who want to give me advice can go to hell.

status quo

our weather has been interesting the last 7 or 8 months. it's been mainly 57* that whole time. sure, there has been variation -- down to 31*, up to 72* -- but it's been surprising how much the temperature has stayed the same. i haven't minded it, although i like to have a couple of really cold days. the heat though, meh ... not so much.

if global warming is influencing our weather, does that mean it's going to get hotter farther north? or that it's going to start making everything cooler. i'm confused about that making-things-colder part.