Friday morning: beginning of the end of a long week . . .

1. A hearty Liamverse welcome to kass_rants , who is going to fit in right nicely here.

2. Yes, I have seen xkcd today. Yeah, it's amazing. I am in awe.

3. When I got home from work Tuesday, I could feel a col, north wind slicing down Main Street in Salem. I do not think it's been above 16 or 18 since, and I know it's been below freezing at night. It's supposed to get into the 30s this weekend.

4. I think I am finally getting over the sinus infection, and I actually slept well last night for a change.

5. No SCA event this weekend. Probably a little cleaunup and some videogaming tonight, cleaning and cooking tomorrow, maybe a side trip and a visit to the Lake George Winter Festival and Chilly Willy events Sunday.

6. Been doing more reading this week. I will post details later. I have actually gotten all the way through one book and will be finishing another today.

7. I need baseball!

 "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains."

Friday night: Thank goodness that one's over . . .

1. OK, so Monday and Wednesday I stay home from work, Tuesday and Thursday, decent work days.

Today, maybe three hours of work and the rest of the time dealing with getting a flat fixed. The truck passed inspection, but he had to put the spare on it, leaving me with effectively no spare. Flat tire. Call Triple AA to have it moved three blocks to the tire place. Wait an hour-plus, and I think they have patched the spare and put it on. Turns out, they had put on a used tire instead. (That's OK, it was $25 for everything).

I leave, have lunch and realized that one's flat. They send a guy with air to pump it up and get it back.

So I drop for two new front tires (honestly needed), and finally get home an hour later than usual.

Remember, I have a $1,000 pickup truck. The idea is to only have to put $500 to $750 into it each year. I did well the first year. I had hoped it would last longer into this year. But it's all good now.

Unfortunately, I got next-to-nothing done today, and my new boss has to be wondering about me.

2. So one of the jobs I am *not* applying for? Specimen collector. Yeah, you go into offices (like mine) and collect specimen bottled. I like "body man," but it was not what I thought.

3. So about a week ago, I was thinking I had not seen any deer in the roadside fields for quite a while.

Last night I saw about a half-dozen on Route 30, and on the way home, I saw seven or so on Route 22 in Salem.

Just up the road, there was the big herd, 30+ out in a farmers' field. It was getting dark, but I just stood and watched.

4. I am listening to Bernard Cornwell's "Lords of the North."

New king: Does it hurt (to become a Christian)?

Hero: "No."

New king: I thought they nailed you to a cross or something."

I have the CD version of his new book, "Agincourt" on reserve. I can't wait.

5. Have any of the rest of you found yourself reading a lot more political stuff since the election/inauguration? I have been at the New York Times and Washington Post every day, and I have also been reading the Chicago Tribune, which has had a lot of good stuff.

6. I cannot believe I was pining for baseball, and then it was pointed out to me that today was "Truck Day." Only in Boston.

"Truck Day," a holiday in Red Sox Nation, is the day the truck leaves Fenway Park bound for Spring Training in Florida.

7. "Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for? "