I was down. The position was uncomfortable, but I think I had some legitimate counterplay and was going to simplify down to something that should work out. I played what I thought was objectively the best move but which also left the opportunity open for my opponent to make a greedy blunder which drops the his rook. He made the greedy blunder, I played the winning move, he resigned immediately. I was getting ready for a long, grinding endgame with a lot of maneuvering, with me having an extra pawn on the queenside but much less piece activity. Easier this way, though! Since the game was over quickly, this gave me the bright idea that people might still be drinking. They were. This, my friends, is what we call winning. Free beer was had by all.

Bad news, though: I kind of needed to get some homework done.

Good news: they fixed my car door and it was only about half an hour of labor costs. Sweet.

This is not going to be the diary wherein I discuss the various meanings of saying the State does the bidding of the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. I don't have time for that and I still need to think about it, because I hadn't really critically thought about it too much before. Sure, there are some examples, and it kind of sounds good to say, but it's also mostly a talking point of various political movements, some radical, some not, and therefore merits examination rather than tacit acceptance.

Trip begins tomorrow. I have one big project to finish off before then.

When I return from my trip, my job will be largely changed. Essentially, we're getting rid of reporting and are only doing analytics and internal consulting, essentially. This is good.

Seen from some clown on the internets: there's a new supernova! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/03/20/supernova-2012aw-the-pictures/ Unfortunately, requires a telescope. Fortunately, well within the means of typical amateur astronomers.

I woke up for a short time between 2:30 and 4 last night. Annoying.

Okay, I think it's my coworker's retirement lunch now.