Today we are all April Fools.  We thought it was spring, and yet it is snowing and sticking.  Yesterday a windstorm caused a power outage in Bothell due to a fallen tree.  Surprisingly, UWB only experienced power fluctuations.

It has been 9 months since my last blog entry.  So much has happened I hardly know where to begin.  The Obama election was a big relief.  No, he doesn't have Hillary's integrity and won't be ending the war in Iraq as soon as I had hoped, but he is fixing a lot of the damage that Bush did. 

I lost my Father-in-Law and another Aunt late last year.  I'm sad about both.  I hate that life ends in pain, debility, and loss of dignity.  I'm sad that I didn't know my Aunt better.  I'm sad that I didn't know my Father-in-Law longer.  They were both wonderful people.

My Mom now has a pacemaker.  She was revived after falling, by her boyfriend, Myron, who performed CPR on her.  Myron will be 90 next year.  He's planning a big party if he lives that long.  He and my Mom have been seeing each other for more than 8 years, I think.  He is an expert at being obnoxious and inconsiderate when he feels like it.  He thinks he's being funny.  Strangers tend to walk away from him.  It's taken a while but I've warmed up to him.  He has been very good for my Mom.

I spent too many months not riding my bicycle due to ice and snow.  We had just enough of it this winter to make bicycle commuting difficult.

I created a webapp for myself that is a birthday reminder and contacts database for my family, friends, etc. It uses a mysql database and perl-cgi.  Last year I had a bunch of snow days from UWB (now there's a perq!) and used it to code this app for myself.  Then I volunteered (ow!) to do the same for NARGS.  It is a great organization, but it is a lot of work for someone who also has a full time job and a full life.

I've created a huge arsenal at work of Perl scripts that automate various System Administration processes.  So far I've posted one of them on my Web site:  rpm_backup.

I've installed Matlab Distributed Computing Server in our LinuxLab.  I've created isolated Windows XP VMs in Vmplayer on the Linux desktops in the LinuxLab, for our Computer Forensics course.

I timed-out on my special project; proof that my life is too busy and that I shouldn't be volunteering for anything.  Now I'm working on taxes.  Under miscellaneous:  note to self, if someone has a photo of his reflection in a mirror proving that he isn't a vampire, don't believe it.  The photo was obviously faked.  Also note, bleeding is a clue.

The snow is still coming down.  Yesterday I saw my first rhody in bloom.  We watched the ducks doing their neck-bobbing almost a month ago.  The varied thrush arrived late and some are still lingering here.  The sarcococca bloomed in late January and lasted through February.  The viburnum bodnantense is blooming now, and the winter blooming fragrant clemetis has just started (late!).  It has been an unusually cold and drawn-out winter.

I now have a worm bin with red wigglers.  I'll be picking up some orchard mason bees this weekend.