Finished Gods of Mars last night. I thought it was fantastic. Don't know if it would make a good movie or not, but it's a great book. It's very much a book of its time (1912 or so). Still a lot of Victorian ideals, and great excitement about new discoveries and adventures (Helium, Egypt, deepest darkest Africa). There's a lot in it, though, and the action never stops. And an interesting ending where defeat is realized just at the moment of victory.

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The plumber was here this morning at 7:00 AM! Seven. In the morning. But he was a total babe, so it was okay. He fixed the major leak, but found another smaller leak in the larger, common pipe, so he'll have to come back for a more extensive visit. I can live with that.

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What do these words have in common?

• disparagingly
• patronized
• irresolute
• ubiquitous
• preamble
• circumlocution

They are words underlined in chapter 1 of What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw (a/k/a The 4:05 from Paddington) that I got from the library last weekend. The list continues in part 1 of chapter 2 with the underlining of

• precepts
• concurred
• acquiescing
• dithery

and then it stops. What could it mean?

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I'm trying to make reservations at the guest house for the Outriders ride this year. So far no one is answering the phone.

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Got a sad note from MediaZone.com yesterday:

Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 16:49:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: MediaZone
Subject: RE: Giro (#8678-45372451-7231)

Greetings,

Thank you for contacting MediaZone Billing and Technical Support!
...

To the best of our knowledge we will not be broadcasting the Giro d’Italia this year.
...

Regards,
MediaZone Billing and Technical Support
GS

BUT! I logged into cycling.tv this morning and found that OLN will be broadcasting the Giro there, live, starting May 6. Cycling.tv’s new layout is a bit confusing, so when you get there, click the OLN tab at the bottom, then click "Switch".

The down side is it’s $19.99, which is a bit pricey considering last year it was $5.00. Still, 20 for a three-week stage race isn’t so bad, I guess. Especially since this year it promises to be a good one. Still, 20 for a three week pay-per-view event isn't so bad, I'll probably spring for it.

Cycling.tv has a new premium channel they’re using to broadcast all the spring races live. It’s only $20 for the year. At least they’re keeping a lot of the free content as well.

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