I revamped my strength training routine, with my trainer's help. FYI, I see a trainer periodically through my employer's wellness program. I don't work out with a trainer regularly.
( Ow. Ow ow ow ow! No, no, it's good pain! )

If you got a message from me with a link to my Obama campaign fundraising page and...

1. you want to donate: Great! Do so with abandon!
2. you cannot donate: Dude, I understand. No pressure from me.
3. you want to be taken off the list: Let me know, I'll be happy to.

If you have been meaning to donate and didn't get a note from me, you can post a comment with your email.

ALL COMMENTS ARE SCREENED. Whatever you tell me about my fundraising page will be between you and me.

The Hammer is not his fists!

Now hear this! Now hear this! Joss Whedon Frees Supervillain Musicals From Corporate Shackles! Flabberghasted Fans Flock to Free Fillion Fracas!

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

I'd been meaning to watch it, and caught up tonight. I await the STUNNING CONCLUSION!

John McCain is old and, as several news outlets have reported, he's only getting older. This wouldn't be a problem if his opponent in the general election were equally chronologically gifted. But Barack Obama is one of the youngest Democratic nominees ever. If he won, he'd be the third-youngest U.S. president. The contrast is stark. Standing side-by-side, the two candidates look like a still from Finding Forrester.

So if Obama wins, will McCain say "You're the man now, dog?"

From Slate: McCain's Brain: How might the senator's mind deteriorate over the next eight years?

Pistachio Torrone is breaking my heart with deliciousness. I am telling myself NOT to purchase a 24-pack on Amazon.com...

My mother's a breast cancer survivor, so I'm really concerned about prevention. Cornell released some great information about "environmental estrogens." These are chemicals that come from pollution or occur in plastics and cosmetics. The full article and video are here.

Here's a quick list of ways to reduce your risk, according to the article:

• Avoiding cosmetics and personal-care products with parabens, placenta extracts and benzophenones or other ultraviolet screens that are estrogen mimics.
  
• Avoiding hard-plastic sports bottles that have been scratched or heated (including those left in hot cars or on the beach), because heat and wear and tear can cause estrogenic chemicals to leach out from the plastic into beverages.
  
• Using stainless-steel containers instead.
  
• Never microwaving food or liquids in plastic containers.
  
• Recycling cell phones and other electronic devices and rechargeable batteries to keep estrogenic heavy metals from leaching into the environment.
  
• Using biodegradable detergents that use plant- or vegetable-based surfactants, since these types of ingredients don't form estrogenic chemicals that can contaminate the environment.
  

Obama, Clinton hold talks in Feinstein's living room

I'd be pleased if Clinton ended up on the Obama ticket, but I'm not married to the idea. I don't mind that she hasn't formally conceded yet. I say take a few days to orchestrate an event that will continue the spotlight on Democrats, but now in a positive way. I was on the mall in DC at the March for Women's Lives when Clinton made a short speech calling on people to vote for Kerry. I think we're in MUCH better shape this time around, thank goodness. I think it will be a good thing for Hillary to campaign for Obama. The Republican sleaze machine will be in high gear regardless.

Sloshed hot water on my hand.

Knee feels better, if still extremely stiff.

Still cranky.
Desire to work from home increasing.
Ability to deal with people weakening.
Need to read my book increasing.

This is what a boring day spent in Microsoft Excel does to a person.

7 days working
1 day off
back to work tomorrow
grumble, grumble

Graduation was nerve-wracking. I plan it weeks ahead, but there's a seemingly inevitable 25-minute scramble before the ceremony when everyone is calling my name at once to verify who's sitting where, who's speaking when, who's shaking hands with whom... And then the planning period is over as soon as the ceremony begins. It's like loading up a cart for weeks and then just pushing it downhill. I've done my best at that point, so I can't account for every splinter. It's a big relief to finally let it happen.

I was reminded in my conversations with faculty afterward that I work for very pleasant, easygoing people that appreciate what I do. With that huge weight lifted I went in on Sunday to dole out diplomas, which is a fun enough job. I brought candy, and watched as people just automatically shoved it in their mouths even before getting their diploma. It was comical, and I realized chocolate may not be the best choice even if the diplomas are in sturdy envelopes. The grads were probably starving. It was just before lunch.

It would be nice to have tomorrow off, but there's plenty to be done for the students that haven't graduated yet. It won't quiet down for another 2-3 weeks, but campus will be very quiet. I can even get a good spot to read on my lunch breaks during the summer.

Carrier: Life aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz instantly hooked me. It's so fascinating to see what day-today life is like for those folks. I know next to nothing about military life in general. I could do without the music sometimes (Maroon 5? PBS, please), but otherwise it's great. In some ways there's an enviable cohesion to what they do, and they form really close group relationships. It can be hard to build that kind of camaraderie in civilian life. Then again, civilians can have a lot more day-to-day freedom.

Now this is my kind of church! They were in Ithaca yesterday.

The Reverend Billy Talen and the Stop Shopping Church

I'm less likely to spend money on stuff, but I see no problem with spending money on travel.

There's only one cure for wanderlust, and I've got a terrible case of it!

I met with a trainer this morning to make a workout plan. I'm excited! I'm tweaking what I do now and adding more stuff. Later I may add a 5K training program. If I get a bike, I can probably do intervals with that as well as running.

Between this and my new diet plan, I may just lose some weight!

(But how am I going to keep it all up while writing this paper? I have to be strong!)

I love almonds! Please let the crop be big this year!

The buzz about the almond industry's worker bees

So far, the main effect of the shortage of bees has been skyrocketing prices for their services. The price has gotten so high that a flurry of honeybee rustling has occurred in the valley. Only five or six years ago, farmers could rent hives for $30 or $40 each. That's still the price for most crops, but today for almonds, the increased competition means pollination costs $140 to $150 per hive and sometimes more.

Because it takes an average of two hives to pollinate an acre of trees, that can add up pretty quickly. Renting bees for 1,000 acres of almonds could run $300,000 or more.

Los Lobos rocked. I love that at first glance they're indistiguishable from stage crew in jeans and t-shirts. The theater staff weren't big on people dancing in front of the stage, so they just started pulling people onto the stage and got everyone in the place to at least stand and groove a little. It was a party. :) I waited to have them sign a CD, and they're all nice folks. The friendliest one asked me where I was from, what I do, whether I'm looking to continue my education... Thanks, dad!

The opener was James Hunter, who really blew me away because I had no expectations. I need to look into blues, because his set was a blast. My dad has a big blues collection, so I'll check it out. His website has a bunch of lame publicity copy that he could really do without!

I gave myself tonight to recover from the very thorough funk I was in. Very general assignments are all good when you have something in mind, but narrowing things down is proving very difficult.

I'm trying not to think about all the voluntary reading I could do if I dropped the course.

This. This is a strong cup of green tea.

PB & J and a cuppa tea. Wonderful stuff.