Thursday, May 31, 2007

Yes, I am still alive. I've simply been busy, not to mention lazy when it comes to this blog. On the off chance anyone still checks in from time to time, I'll throw a post up today dealing with political issues that have caught my attention.

1) NASA chief interview on NPR. My only response to this is WTF? (I apologize for the implied profanity, but nothing else truly fits.) Even his boss, our, ahem, beloved President, is apparently finally actually possibly maybe just maybe realizing that global warming/climate change isn't going away.

2)
NASA lead climate change scientist on NPR. Ah, the voice of reason. I particularly like his subdued "WTF?" reaction to the above interview. He'll probably lose his job for not being political enough, not covering the boss's behind, or complaining about budget cuts.

3) Phonemarks. Ah, the Democratic Party... I'd hoped for more from you. Alas, you are only human... no wait, are politicians human? Hmm. Well, anyway, it won't take a lot to lose the trust of the people and erode the gains made in the last round of elections.

Friends update: I finally got back in touch with my long-time friend, Sean. Rumors of his abduction by aliens were exaggerated, though not by much. Another friend, Brandon, is on the mend, having survived a brush with death following oral surgery. Yet another long-time friend, Jeff, continues to keep in touch. It's nice to catch up with people from time to time. I've emailed about the 20-year high school reunion, but haven't heard any details. Chances I'll go are nearly null, but I'd like to find out what's planned anyway.

School update: I've wrapped up two classes this semester (well, since I started classes on multiple dates, it's an odd sort of semester-session-unending-purgatory thing) with a few more to go. Grade-wise, I'm doing fine. Everything should be wrapped up in June, with one class possibly dragging into July. My goal is to have 2-4 weeks of blissful non-education in August before the fall semester begins.

Monterrey update:
The drug cartels continue to kill policemen. A recent assassination attempt failed. It's the closest yet to our house, only a few blocks away. Two cops were at an OXXO (convenience store chain) when the gunmen drove up and sprayed their car (and the store) with automatic weapons fire. I heard these were AR-15s (altered to full-auto), not the AK-47s used in some of the other attacks. The gunmen didn't succeed quickly so they fled, fearing getting trapped when the cops locked the area down. We didn't hear the shots, but our next-door neighbor did. Despite all the killings, it's had little impact on us. We don't see any big, obvious changes in traffic patterns or anything; maybe we're oblivious to it. The State Department has thus far decided that Monterrey isn't dangerous enough to warrant either evacuation or additional danger pay.

Weather update: It's been wetter and a bit cooler
than I expected for the last month or so. The last few days are more what I expected: sunny and highs in the 90s.

Critter update: I've seen fewer lizards (anoles and house geckos) than I expected to see based on last year. Hopefully they'll return; we have too many mosquitos. A dove was out on our patio and I let Boots out to chase it (she gets to chase far fewer critters here). Unfortunately it was a fledgling, which I didn't know at the time, and couldn't get away. Boots seemed just as surprised to catch it as I was. She didn't injure it and I called her away and back inside. I then shooed it along until I could catch it and place it in the tree by the patio. It remained there for several hours, gradually working its way higher until it finally fluttered off onto the roof and beyond. Here's a picture: