Last week I began training in the processing of transfer student applications, which keeps me away from my desk and thus my computer, leaving me little chance to email or blog. Training has continued, but we quit a little early today, and I've just finished all the other work on my desk. I'd rather do this for a few minutes before searching out more work to keep me occupied.

I did attempt to go camping over the weekend. But with all the last-minute rush on Saturday afternoon to procure a tent, we perhaps neglected a few of the details of preparation. After driving down to the Wichita Mountains (we had decided to camp at the wildlife refuge there rather go to Turner Falls) and taking our pick of the campsites (we had the place to ourselves), we fought against the rising wind and rain and cold temperatures to lay the ground tarp and spread out the tent-- only to discover that we had no stakes or poles for said tent. A bit of a problem, especially given the weather, which hadn't been pleasant all day and was rapidly getting worse, and also the darkness which inevitably ensues shortly after six o'clock during January. Really, I thought we'd been lucky to have light as long as we did. So we got back in the car, drove back to Norman, rented some movies, and had a slumber party with our sleeping bags.

But, as I told Amy, one of the reasons I love to camp (in addition to the communing-with-nature-cooking-over-an-open-fire bits) is that it's the closest thing to traveling overseas that I've found within the U.S. The unexpected can, and usually does, happen at any moment, your belongings are pared down to only the essentials, and a change in the weather almost inevitably effects a significant change in your plans.

And we did have our road trip-- about six hours of it, all told-- which is the thing we were really wanting anyhow.

The plan was a road trip to Boulder, Colorado next weekend. After the last OU hockey game before the holiday break, we realised that there wasn't another home game until the very end of January. What to do for the next nearly two months? So we decided to drive up to Boulder for the series against CU. Leave Norman Thursday evening, arrive in Boulder Friday, cheer at a hockey game that night, ski Saturday, cheer at the second game Saturday night, drive back to Norman on Sunday. One of the best parts of the plan was that the next day, Monday, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. So we'd have a day off to recover.

But now we've chickened out. Cost, time involved, cold, lack of sleep-- too many reasons not to go right now. Maybe in March, if we still really want to go to Colorado. Or we'll find another away series and head out for that. My mother is probably vastly relieved that I won't be going skiing. I said I'd be careful, though.

So now we're thinking maybe a camping trip in the Arbuckles next weekend. A little rock climbing, perhaps. Don't worry, Mom. I'll be careful.

I need goggles. I'm finally beginning to work on the breast stroke (all I've been able to do thus far is kicking and an elementary backstroke), and I'm getting a crick in my neck from trying to keep my eyes out of the water for the whole lap. My goal was to quit procrastinating (the usual goal) and acquire goggles before swimming again this evening. Accordingly, last night I left the warm comfort of my couch and the warmer comfort of a good book to set out on a shopping expedition. And wouldn't you know? Apparently neither Target nor Wal-mart (yes, I even tried a Wal-mart) carry swimming goggles during January. How unreasonable.
I suppose I'll actually have to venture out before 9pm and visit a sporting goods store. Such a cramp in my schedule of evening relaxation. The trials and tribulations we poor convenience-obsessed Americans must sometimes suffer.

CICS is down again. (Hmm... that sounds familiar.) So I've spent the time redesigning my blog template and, in doing so, experimenting with cascading style sheets. Much better programming (if HTML can be called such) technique than the old way.

Incidentally, "IT" stands for Information Technology, the oft-discussed but rarely seen blackhole of OU that is supposedly responsible for keeping the university's computer systems running smoothly. (Right. We expect that from computer geeks, let alone the computers themselves?) So no, that wasn't an allusion to the nightmarish clown of the Stephen King novel.

CICS is down again. (CICS = that darn all-important interface constructed by now mostly dead (in all senses) programmers in the nearly archaic language of COBOL)

Long live IT.

It's been a few days, I know, but this past weekend was anything but conducive to blogging. A couple of friends came into town-- one of them stayed with me-- and so I was unusually social from Saturday morning on, culminating in the big game on Sunday night (boomer sooner <sigh>). Though for the first half I wasn't very social at all, since I quickly became completely uninterested in the ball game (bored to the point of irritability). Thankfully, about half-way through the third quarter I convinced some of the group to walk across the parking lot with me to play some pool. Much improved. And we could still watch the game on the big screen. But occupy ourselves at the same time.

I'm at work, which is a nice place to blog between applications, since I'm already sitting here at a computer with great internet access. Our campus-wide computer interface just went down yet again, so there's not much official work I can do right now.

Unfortunately, there's also not much I can think to write right now.
end of discussion

Okay, so actually the tower o' scratching and climbing fun for the cats (or should I say cat, since Emily has yet to touch the thing, though Edgar races up and down it and hangs off the side of it and sleeps at the top of it-- which probably greatly contributes to Emily's avoidance of it) has a far more concrete existence than my lackadaisical attempts at re-birthing my blog. But today is the first day of a new year (Happy New Year!) and, accordingly, I will endeavor to begin again. (poor old Michael Finnegan)

My warning to anyone who needs to be cautious about what words or topics they read via the Internet (and you know who you are): I'm not going to edit this for a level 3 clearance. Or even level 2. I'm just not going to edit this. Given the months that have passed since I last posted here, this shouldn't be an issue. You've all given up on me, and I'm not going to tell you I've started blogging again. But just in case.

What do these three things have in common: a snowstorm in Florida, a hula hoop with a nail in it, and the U.S.S. Adams?

Think about it. Don't read on yet. I'll give you the answer (because if I wait until a later post, then it will appear on the actual blog page above the question and that's not very fun). Think hard. It stumped me.

(blank space)

(more blank space... are you thinking?)

Given up? Figured it out? It must be one or the other, because here's the answer:
They're all navel (or naval) destroyers.
Ponder that for a while.