The picture is stunning, and the caption full of fascinating details. If you're a space buff at all, you'll probably enjoy NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for today, 12-Apr-2012.

I got a chance to grab the Sunday comics for last weekend, and since it was April 1st, that was bonus round, imo! If you haven't seen 'em, I recommend checking them out. My favorites were:

Dilbert
Foxtrot *waves to Seanan*
Pearls Before Swine
Crankshaft
Non Sequitur

I've been working part time at a local company since October. I like both the job and the company culture a lot, and it's been great to have income, but a full time job would be even better. Well, in the Wishes Granted department, here we go: I got - and signed - an offer letter last night, for full time work at this company! I'll be moving from part time to full time (and from Fri/Sat to Sun-Thurs). It's still at an hourly wage, but *with* health insurance (starting in June) and paid vacation. The money's not great - about what I was making as a software engineer a quarter century ago, only in 2012 dollars - but it's full time, and with benefits (at least $10K in value), so I'm pleased and relieved. Maybe, after 5-1/2 years of "drought", I'll be able to scramble back to the realm of positive cash flow? That'd be awesome...

Color me bleary (too little sleep after too many shifts in a row will do that) but happy.

There's an article in the Seattle paper about a pilot project to collect garbage biweekly instead of weekly in our metro area. It has lots of interesting facts including waste diversion stats and future goals, and a report on how less-frequent garbage collection is/n't working elsewhere. We've come a long ways... but we still have plenty of room for improvement. I'm glad they keep raising the bar. Now, if we could just expand the recycling efforts to the eastern side of the state...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017890177_garbage02m.html

While I parted ways with my ex back in November, most of my stuff remained where it was, while various legal and logistical issues got sorted out. Because of the legal stipulations still in place, I cannot be present when things are packed up and loaded out, so I need some folks who could put in a few hours to help me get the rest of my stuff out of Shoreline.

My ex has agreed to allow people access to her residence for six hours, 9am - 3pm, on Sunday 3/11. Most of what needs to be reclaimed is in the garage, but a few items (e.g. books, some clothes, some cookware) are still in the house, and need to be packed up on or before Sunday the 11th.

I have one friend who has volunteered to donate around a dozen boxes, and last I knew there were some other flattened boxes in the garage at the house. Also, I have a few boxes that I have emptied. If those aren't enough for everything that needs to be boxed, let me know and I will get more.

So: is there anyone who could be available on Sunday, 3/11, to help load the truck?

Is there anyone who can be available Saturday or early on Sunday, to pack items for loading?

Packers would need to contact my ex to coordinate times with her. People who can help on Sunday, please contact me so that I know how many are participating, and what kind(s) of food / libations you prefer.

AdvTHANKSance

I love a good story. Even more, I love a good backstory.

( such as this one )

There are speeches... and there are tributes. Meryl Streep's acceptance speech for her third Oscar (out of seventeen total nominations) was as beautiful and gracious as the woman herself. I encourage you to take four minutes and see for yourself. Go ahead; I'll wait.

'Twas serendipity that I was at the right place, right time, to have been watching as she gave the speech. I'm so very glad I was!

I couldn't read this story without thinking of the filk song that has the line about 'designing a part that can't even be cast' ... and its rebuttal, written by Jordin Kare, which ends with something about there being nothing that's beyond the capabilities of 'an M.I.T. grad hyperspace engineer'.

I bet Mr. Seifert is having a good time geeking with those Apollo engineers, about now.

My profound gratitude and respect to you, sir.

It's currently "raining pitchforks, points down", as my dad used to say. A good night to be very grateful for being warm and dry and *inside*.

Usually when it rains this hard, it tapers off after a couple of hours. I hope so, or I'll end up taking an extra shower today, just walking the 20 ft (6m) or so from building to car and car to house.

A few authors I know, who write epics spanning multiple tomes, years of time, and hundreds of characters, sometimes lament the difficulty they have in coming up with character names.

I wish I could send them the database of names of Real Customers that I'm currently working with. Both the actual first-last combinations, and various mix-n-match options would yield hundreds of names as well as hours of amusement. I recognize the ethnic origins of many of the non-Anglo names, of which there seem to be around 30%. Some of the Anglo names, though, leave me shaking my head, or thinking that if I'd been stuck with that moniker, I would already have changed it by now. Particularly the folks with last names such as "Darling" or "Flower" or "Colon" or "Mufti". Puts my own mild dissatisfaction with the names bestowed by my parents in a whole different perspective, y'know?