So we're migrating to a new database system at work. Of the two groups in Continuing Education, the registry functions (adding participants to courses and tracking their individual course completion records) went live a couple weeks ago; we on the provider side (registering new courses so that the registry can later record the participants) are ( Read more... )

So I could post about my car being in the shop for a $500 fix to some dang thing that caused the "checken Sie das Engine!" light to come on the other day. Eh, whatever. Instead, I'll tell you about the post office ( Read more... )

Today we didn't have any milk in the house so I skipped my usual breakfast of a bowl of cereal and instead for the first time stopped into the little lunch-and-breakfast cafeteria that is across the street from my office. While I was waiting in line I called bongsu to let her know that (a) I was having a meal and (b) it was raining (in case she hadn't ( Read more... )

In this country, about 22,336,000 people (7.2 per cent of the U.S. population, 14.7 per cent of the total work force) work for the government.

Okay gang. I'm hoping that this will be the last US presidential election in which I'll be allowed to have any public opinion. So I guess I'll make my opinions public while I can.

Given my demographic, you could probably guess that I want to see Obama become the Prez. My primary concerns are international relations and the image of the presidency ( Read more... )

Anyone in the DC metro area interested in watching the Perseids on the night of Monday August 11? Our plan is to head out to the countryside sometime after supper, watch some falling stars until sometime after midnight, then roll back into town in time to sleep a bit before work on Tuesday ( Read more... )

Poll But really, I'm not actually your friend.

Hey, anyone in Chapel Hill want to help (very indirectly) me get a job ( Read more... )

I highly recommend listening to this NPR piece where "The Story" interviews my mom's older brother Joe, who was partly eaten by a grizzly bear in 1959. It's fascinating, scary and inspiring.

Happy birthday to Alan Turing, the International Olympic Committee, Empress Joséphine, the original bassist for the Beatles, Sonic the Hedghog, June Carter Cash, Frances McDormand, the SATs, Joss Whedon and me.