Back from The Old Continent! I did not bring Roman back from Switzerland with me. There was, however, a sign in Switzerland for a “Noctambus” but alas I don’t really stay awake past sunset.
I just received “Snow Leopard” for my computer. The best part is the picture on the box cover of a Snow Leopard.
PIcking up The Bunny tonight. Hopefully she lost weight while she was at Bunny Boot Camp.
I have, with great difficulty, acquired GPS maps for the Tour Du Mont Blanc so we’re gonna know the haps on the craps.
Watched a couple good track races today at the World Athletics Final. Tyson Gay had a gutty 100m victory over Powell. In the MEN’S 800m, it’s looking like this David Lekuta Rudisha can take a stab at Kipketer’s 1:41.11 WR. Running 1:42.01 at 20 years old (equivalent to a college sophomore/junior) isn’t bad at all. Actually Kipketer’s indoor WR of 1:42.67 is more impressive than the outdoor WR.
We had an excellent backpacking trip, resplendent with dogs, to extreme NE California, the true boonies, in one of the least-visited wilderness areas in the state. It was totally beautiful and humanless. On the last night, we were up around 9000ft and the dogs were cold so they slept in the tent. Dog 2 decided she liked my sleeping pad and pushed me off of it so she could benefit most from the warmth of the two people bodies in the tent. I was smashed against the side of the tent but the big black sleeping seal was snoozing very soundly. Then the next morning she proudly brought us a gift. When she got close to us it was apparent that, maybe, we would not think the gift was as cool as she thought it was. She lowered her head and tail and sheepishly showed us the poopy-toilet-paper encrusted piece of tree bark she retrieved from far off in the woods. Only a few hours later, she found something else wonderful: LO yelled: “Don’t touch it! It’s a leg!” and indeed it was–there was still some cartilage on the knee and the hoof was intact.
We made it all the way to Lake Patterson which was extremely cold. Good views of Shasta on the way home, and we saw Lassen Peak from all sides. We climbed Warner Peak, which offered amazing views of the tri-state area. Awesome mountain mahogany, limber pine and whitebark pine, the latter two distinguishable by their large and small pinecones, respectively.
Last Friday I delivered the Chico State chemistry (!) seminar–I hope they liked it? I tried to mention electron orbitals because that’s what I think chemists talk about.
Noctambulator 