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WEEK 47 2005

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Saturday 26 November 2005

Saturday - one of Mike's cats snuck into his house the other day. It's an outdoor cat, mostly, but it has a sibling that is an indoor cat. Both have beautiful tortoise shell coats - and I can't tell them apart. So the outdoor cat is going to be an indoor cat until Mike gets back. Meanwhile, Theo, a different, big bruiser of an indoor cat, tries to sneak out every time I open a door.

As I wrote, I now have to sit outside with the dog, to keep him from jumping the fence. From the WeatherUnderground link above, here is a wind record for last night and today-

My own cats are exercised about being left alone so much. I can tell because they've now peed in my suitcase (on my clothes), and on a pile of papers in the bedroom, and the wall in the bathroom. Accursed beasts.

A Fifty Book Challenge update. In short, there are five weeks left in the year, and I am five books short. And have just started a new job. On the other hand, I'll be taking Christmas week off, so I may make it.

Book #42 was David McCullough's 1776. This was a great book, one of the best this year. It covers roughly a year - 1776 - and concentrates on George Washington's generalship versus the various British commanders and garrisons. It's fascinating. If my schools had made history this interesting I might have become a historian, rather than an engineer.

Coincidentally, this Friday Ann Althouse linked to a NYT list of 100 notable books for 2005. In that list the blurb for 1776 is

1776. By David McCullough. (Simon & Schuster, $32.) A lively work that skewers Washington's pretensions and admires citizen soldiers.

This is completely wrong - so much so that one has to wonder if the reviewer read the book, or just the dust jacket. The book does not 'skewer' Washington at all, and indeed states that he was the right man for the job, despite being a fairly mediocre tactician who made numerous mistakes (indeed, all the generals made mistakes, American and British alike!). His stubbornness and adherence to the cause, when all seemed lost, was the very key to victory. And as for 'citizen soldiers', the American militia sometimes behaved gloriously, but they often broke and ran at the slightest excuse, and generally made nowhere near as good an army as the British regulars and the German Hessians.

McCullough has a wonderful reading voice, I should mention.

Book #43 was At All Costs, the latest David Weber space opera. It's a big thick book, but I find I am losing interest in this series (military sci-fi). For one thing Weber is killing off characters left and right, characters that have been around since the series inception. Plus the space battles (and ships) keep getting bigger and badder, but the rationale for the war, as presented, is very weak, and it relies on the anger and prejudices of the characters not to see the obvious. It could be that his publisher's see the series as a golden goose, and are pressing him to continue on indefinitely (War with the Solarian League after defeating Haven?), and this is his way of making sure he can stop.

If so, then any time now he'll have Honor Harrington disappear in the notorious hyperspace turbulence near the Reichenbach Cluster.

Book #44 was Around the World in 80 Days. Since I left the audio tapes in my friends' van, so that they could finish it, I instead read the rest of the book on line. This was only Fogg's final journey from New York to England, so it went quickly. It was a fun read as well, and I should mention that most of Verne's (and H.G. Wells') works are available free, on line, in multiple places.

Book #45 is Double Star, an old Robert Heinlein novel. I found it laying on the patio floor at my brothers', and it gave me something to read while cat/dog/fish/house sitting. It's an odd book, that I'd place between his early 'juveniles' and his later blockbusters, and shares traits of both.

So here is the "read books" table for 2005, brought up to date, it now being, in the Shire Reckoning, Week 47

The 50 Book Challenge
Joseph Banks: A Life Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince How to Sail the Atlantic Alone Newton's Madness, The Language of Power	Whispering Nickel Idols Worldwar: In The Balance, Worldwar: Tilting the Balance, Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance, Worldwar: Striking the Balance,
Rabble in Arms Olympos Civil War Ironclads Schrodinger's Kitten's Eagle Seamanship	Colonization: Second Contact, Colonization: Down to Earth, Colonization: Aftershocks My Ship is so Small Portuguese Irregular Verbs.
Beyond Infinity Pompeii Listening to Whales Iron Sunrise Neither Here Nor There	Founding Brothers Farther Than Any Man The Hungry Ocean Word Freak Alone Across the Atlantic
A Time to Die The Romantic Challenge Maiden Voyage Grant Comes East #35 Never Call Retreat	#36 Saucer: The Conquest #37 We Few #38 The Way to Glory #39 20 Small Boats to Take You Anywhere #40 Dove
#41 Benjamin Franklin: An American Life #42 1776 #43 At All Costs #44 Around the World in 80 Days #45 Double Star

Friday 25 November 2005

Friday - in the morning I went over to Mike's place and let Duke out, into the back yard, to do whatever was needful. Since it was o'dark thirty and cold, I went inside to wait. After about five minutes there was a scratching at the front door. It was Duke. Apparently, since I'd closed the back door he just jumped the fence and went around to the front door to try to get in. He certainly does enjoy visiting with me, but it means I now have to sit out back with him, whatever the weather is doing.

And it has turned cold, and windy.

Pretty quiet at work. Which, if you are trying to come up to speed on some new software (MATLAB) is great.

Thursday 24 November 2005

Thursday - Thanksgiving. I've a lot to be thankful for - a good job, with good health and good friends. I am, I know, a fortunate man.

Wednesday 23 November 2005

Wednesday - Working eight hour shifts is tiring. I'd gotten in the habit of working and resting as I felt like at the home office - I always would try to put 8 hours in, but I could spread it over ten or twelve hours of the day, working at my own pace.

Tuesday 22 November 2005

Tuesday - still filling out forms. However I have phone mail, a work station, email, and a lot of other stuff. Access to NASTRAN, PATRAN, MATLAB, and a bunch of other needed software.

I talked to my brother Mike. Since it's my first week of work I'll be staying in Lancaster for the holiday. While he is up visiting with my father I'll house sit his place. This includes fish, cats, and his dog, Duke, Duke has recently learned to jump his (six foot high) fence, it seems. Mostly Duke will be inside the house - good for security that, as no one in their right mind would mess with Duke, who is more of a force of nature than a dog.

My friend R&S have invited me over for Thanksgiving, so that will be nice.

Monday 21 November 2005

Monday - first day of work. Lots of forms to fill out. Met my new NASA tech monitor and dynamics group mates. I know most of them already, to some extent. My office mate is Roger, whom I went to school with, and have worked with for many years. This should be fun.

Sunday 20 November 2005

Sunday - on the road again, back from San Diego to Lancaster.

Picture of the Week

Photo Notes: The Grand Canyon being a National Park, there is no hunting, and the wildlife is not particularly afraid of people. The squirrels, in particular, are apt to nearly mug you for treats...

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