The Empirical Manifesto

Went outside for a scooby-snack this cold morning, and noticed Tremors-esqe movement on the ground adjacent me. Soon, a mole popped up, sniffed the air, then burrowed just under the surface, and made his way in a straight line to the concrete sidewalk. He then turned, and continued against the edge of the sidewalk until he came to another concrete barrier. He was cornered. He made another turn, heaing into open area, running into a round outdoor lamp. He circumnavigated that, headed another direction entirely, then popped to the surface, knowing he was going the wrong direction! He stumbled across the cold concrete sidewalk, paying me no attention, and continued on his way across the parking lot in search of the end, to bury himself once more. What a fitting analogy for my own day here at work. Stumbling blindly into brick walls, stopping my progress at each turn. We had MLK off yesterday, but no other ministry did. Ergo, I missed all my appoitnments, received threats and foreboding announcments of my absence, and have twice the amount of work I would normally incur. Furthermore, two of my guys are out. Not a large number of people, but that does happen to represent 50% of my staff. Nice.

The hotel manager did not have another suite, nor did he have two rooms with a connecting door. So. We are now in two smaller rooms, side-by-side, across the hall. I had the manager move the bed in one of the rooms into the other room, as my two children are much too young to be in a room alone, and we set up shop in the other room. The manager told me that my suite would be dry within a day or two, and the carpet replaced, and we could move back shortly. I told him, "We're not moving again." He explained that although he's letting me have both these rooms for the price of one, he would be unable to continue this arrangment past a week, perhaps 10-days. I continued to look at him without answering until he suggested that he would contact his manager and see about an extension. Awfully wide of him, don't you think?

My wife bought our son a large-scale aircraft carrrier, replete with a squadron of aircraft. A couple of things bothered me about this particular toy. First of all, it was marked "68" which would be CVN-68, the USS Nimitz. Having been aboard the Nimitz, at least they put a resonable facsimile of the conning tower on this ship. Now, I understand that this is only a toy, and I also understand its made in China, however, the complement of aircraft onboard included a Swedish Viggin, a Soviet Fulcrum, a French Mirage 2000, an experimental US steath aricraft (F-19 nomenclature), a C-5 Galaxy (to date, nothing that large has ever landed, nor managed to to successfully flung from a carrier), a British Tornado, and a US FB-111. Oh, and a Chinook. At least I can tell him why some aircraft have variable-geomety wings, and why the Chinook has folding blades. I'll give the Chinese that for at least suppling the naval varient! Enough of that.

Still working on that spreadsheet. New requirements. ...and the hits just keep on playing!