A Time of Chaos and Inertia

So the Summer is over, and work has begun in earnest. It was a good Summer, if mostly sedentary. I had hoped to do one of my patented whirlwind tours of Florida, and maybe even get up to Connecticut to visit my ancestral home, but once gas hit $4 a gallon I decided that it would be best to stay close to home. I did manage to get to South Florida for a brief visit, but since gas prices in Palm Beach County are even higher I took it easy down there, too. I noticed an interesting phenomenon during the Summer. I didn't have much to do, and I fell into a sort of torpor. As bored as I was, and as little as I needed to do, the less I wanted to do. It was really weird. But the semester began last week, and I'm glad to be back to work. My students are well rested and in good spirits and we have a huge set to build for the first show, Reckless. I'll keep you posted as that progresses.

I discovered something interesting recently. I have come to realize that I am something of a skeptic. I used to believe in all sorts of things: esp, ghosts, cryptids, UFO's. You name it, I wanted to believe. As time passed, and hard evidence failed to show up, I grew disappointed. Eventually I realized that these things I wanted to believe in just didn't exist. It never occurred to me that there would be a name for this, or that there was a movement, but there is. The Skeptical Movement is a very real, if very nascent, and I am finding thousands of like minded folks out there. I have been listening to things like The Skeptics Guide to the Universe, and Skepticality, and The Geologic Podcast, and what ties them all together, and appeals to me the most, is that all of these people would love to meet aliens, or a ghost, or a real psychic, but the evidence is just not there. And I know that several of you are saying what I've been saying for years, 'what's the harm?' Well, I recently found this site, What's The Harm. It's a data base of stories of people killed, hurt, or bilked by pseudo-science, alternative medicine, and psychics. It's an eye-opener. And there are links to every story, so you can see the evidence for yourself.

One of the coolest things about my time in South Florida was that Celebhith needed to get a new laptop since the screen on her's had developed a pair of lines running down the right side and repair was not cost effective. So I helped her pick out a new one, and load the programs, and she very kindly let me have the old one, and that is what I am typing on now. Thank you, Puddy! :-)

Finally I want to recommend to all of you that like movies, or Star Trek, or music, or just interesting discussions with a British accent that you check out SimplySyndicated.com. It is a podcasting network with something for everybody. There is also a forum that is rather unique since everyone treats each other with respect, and while we aren't exactly boy scouts, we do our best to keep civil and classy. If you do join the forums(and all the content is totally free) I'm Adm. Marius. It's a lot of fun.

Ok, it's half time, and the Buccaneers are ahead by 3, so it's time to grab another beer and hit the head.

Be cool, y'all. :-)

Marius