One thing that really sets my teeth on edge is when individuals stick their chin in the air and declare that “people hate me, because I tell it like it is. They hate the truth and I speak the truth. They don’t wanna hear the truth, so because I speak it, they hate me ( Read more... )

Something I’ve been pondering lately is how our species love puzzles of all kinds, (from crosswords to Sudoku, Connect 4, jigsaws, chess, cryptograms, you name it.) But so many of the general populous of puzzle solvers are terrified or oblivious to the fact that learning to write computer programs comes from the exact same place & passion. If you ( Read more... )

I am a word geek. Etymology is up there among my favorite subjects in life. I love words, language, where stuff can from, how it came to be known, how the words were formed and what cultural influences were involved - the more word-geekery I can find, the better. One of my favorite constructions is “plumbing ( Read more... )

I had a CAT scan this morning, and it wasn’t much like I expected. I was picturing the enclosed MRI torpedo tube, but it was nothing like it ( Read more... )

Since Monday, I’ve had the apartment to myself while my wife is having a mega-needed vacation with her sister and sister’s granddaughter, following a year of hell. I was unable to get this week out of work, as I just had 2 weeks out, and much is happening right now. So brief background: I’m from England, my wife is from the US, and after we fell ( Read more... )

[Edit - I screwed up some formatting last time and it chopped half my post off ( Read more... )

Going back to work today after 2 weeks out of the office. I am a little tired, pretty well rested, mentally recharged and de-stressed (that was my primary objective). I’m surprised to hear myself wanting to go back, but I miss it. I miss the people, the place and the work - I love my job. I also found that without a set routine, after a while my ( Read more... )

Just a quick question for anyone reading ( Read more... )

I have to periodically remind myself to lay off the self-chastisement when I don’t produce as much as my calculations had figured I woulda shoulda oughta have by now ( Read more... )

Had crazy insomnia lately, and have been up at all hours of the night. Tonight around 4 am it’s forecast to thunder; maybe I’ll see it, but hopefully I’ll be soundly asleep, dreaming about ice cream and small, rubbery, purple aquatic amphibious water-giraffes, and oblivious to weather of any variety. I haven’t had the patience or inclination to ( Read more... )