Today I had a nice lunch conversation with someone which ranged over a variety of topics. But perhaps the one that's made me think the most is cooking. She asserts that it is possible to cook good food fast and cheaply. And despite the usual "good, fast, cheap - choose two", I agree. So then the question becomes, why don't I? I can talk about ( Read more... )

So, a lot has happened recently. I've applied to and gotten into grad school, studying Software Engineering. I'm taking two classes this term. I've had my first class in each. So far so good. I'm going to have to do a lot of catching up, but I have no doubt I can do it. I am also a TA, teaching the "Intro to Computing Concepts" class, in ( Read more... )

Strange dreams. It seemed to alternate between two settings. In one, I was with Ariel. It was in this setting that I found a large imaginary brass ring (perhaps resembling an oversized class ring) with a square-cut stone in the top. I could feel it in detail, but it was invisible. And by pulling and pushing, I could adjust the size, and it ( Read more... )

On the twelfth day of Ragnarok, my Time Lord gave to me:

12 regenerations
11 fish stick custards
10 snogged companions
9 leather jackets
8 human mothers
7 dark forbodings
6 coats a-dazzling
5 cricket bats
4 floppy hats
3 fast cars
2 recorders
and a police box in a junk yark

"Help us, Doctor, you're our only hope!"

New Doctor Who. It was an unavoidably weak episode, but you can't introduce a new Doctor and a new companion (with a new head writer) and have a strong episode. Of course, weak is relative. It's still quite good compared to a lot of previous episodes ( Read more... )

I appear to have slightly sprained my ankle. Given a lack of recent trips, slips, or falls, or strenuous exercise involving feet, I can only conclude it's a result of sitting on it strangely while playing Zelda. Which adds video games to my list of embarrassing injuries and things more dangerous than swordfighting.

Went to MSU today for a prospective grad student orientation type event. It was fun. There were a couple of presentations about the CS grad program itself, one about the SENS (Software Engineering and Network Systems) lab, and meeting/interviewing with several professors (I answered "tell me about yourself" several times). I did learn some ( Read more... )

Shuffling my playlist can sometimes lead to amusing sequences. Such as the following:

Nox Arcana - Ritual of Summoning (off Necronomicon. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.")

Followed by...

Bee-Gees - Stayin' Alive

The worst part is that it's actually a fairly smooth transition between the two.

It's been an unexpectedly good week. First, on Monday, I woke up in a good mood, for no apparent reason. This is unusual for December, and has lasted since. And so comes christmas. Last night, we finished watching Babylon 5 season 3 (not to be confused with Babylon 3 season 5). Then I did some server updates, and stayed up until 9am playing ( Read more... )