Have to figure out the holiday situation this year. Blah.

Turned in the coins this weekend for amazon credit. Got $37. There were no quarters in there. The jar was full. Need a new jar, they had recycling there and I didn't want to carry around the empty tomato sauce jar all day. I also have $50 in amazon certificates coming from my credit card company.

We're done with our CSA and glad. CSAs are good ideas, but this just was not a good fit for us.

Frig, I had hoped to skip out a little early and get some studying done for the test I have tonight, but $OLD_BOSS scheduled my performance check-in for 4:30-5:30, it's her last act as my manager. Probably the only time she has available, so I'm not going to try to reschedule. I'll just cut off working a little early and study at my desk until then. Probably at, like, 3:45 or 4, since I got in fairly early to accomodate my plans. The test won't be too hard, but it's good to get a little bit of extra drilling to solidify some concepts in there.

Almost done with Desolation Island. There is an outbreak of gaol fever, that is, typhus. Apparently, mortality rates are 10-40%, but it can be easily treated by antibiotics. It is endemic in flying squirrels.

This week's sermon at church was abysmal. Not the worst ever - that would be the "female rage" sermon. That one was as bad as it sounds. Fortunately, the sermon is, perhaps, the least important part of a modern Orthodox service. Extensive discussion about the crapitude. The thing is, the sermons are long-winded and rambling, and sometimes go into territories where the man no doubt has a good point in mind, but it is stated in such a way as to imply, on its face, something offensive or wrong. A couple sentences to explicitly mitigate that effect would go a long way, but they remain unsaid. This week's seemed to imply that anybody who went to a psychiatrist, therapist, counselor, doctor, "life coach", or what-have-you was in the wrong. Mostly mental ailments, but some mention of physical ailments as well. This is, of course, not at all what he meant (perhaps he meant it to some extent, especially in terms of mental health, in which case he's completely wrong), but he said nothing to mitigate that presumption. If somebody is coming by and is not inclined to hear what is said charitably, then it would give a very bad impression. Well, whatevs. Least important part of everything.

Going to a stupid conference thing tomorrow. I might not be able to train because of it. I'm skipping dinner afterward, though.

Female rage: http://www.amazon.com/Female-Rage-Unlocking-Secrets-Claiming/dp/0517595842

I squatted 420x5 this weekend. That would put my max somewhere around 485. I'm getting close to my goal of 500. I figure if I can do 440x5, 500 should be easy.

I drank some coffee this morning. I didn't sleep particularly well last night. My arms kept falling asleep and I had some alcohol during the day, which always seems to make sleep a little more precarious.

It's hard to explain the Aubrey/Maturin series to somebody in a few words without making it seem like a series of typical war novels or boat books. They are literature! Much better than Hornblower.

When growing up, I remember some of my favorite toys were cardboard boxes.