Sunday !

Another Sunday that isn't quite turning out as we'd planned. My wife's been on a teleconference since about 2:30 this morning, doing, I think, a system refresh, and right now it isn't going too well. The people on the teleconference are working hard, and there is little doubt that they will come up with an answer -- which, paradoxically, is a bad thing, as it means that they can't simply say The Heck With It, cancel the refresh, and pursue it tomorrow. So, we've had to skip having Sunday brunch today. Bummer.

SO.... I'm sitting out here by myself, listening to a tape (Cristofori's Dream) and leafing through the papers. Occasionally, I think about that system problem I've had all week, that I have to face tomorrow, like going to the dentist. (Though I did meet someone the other day who is about 22 and said she has never had a single dental problem, and therefore does not mind going there. She attributes that to lots of milk drinking. I think it's good genes, but whatever, I envy her. I would imagine most people hearing that feel that way, too.) Its amazing to me (shouldn't be, but is) that I like being technical, and want to do more of it, right up to the point where something goes seriously wrong, like my system problem -- and then I just want to cut and run. Go retire, bake, and so forth. Have I lost my willingness to work? I think: maybe.. or at least, I'm not as willing to encounter the grief thats part of this job. My tolerance is lower, my enthusiasm overall is lower. Problems are fine; problems that cause me to doubt my abilities aren't.

I saw an article in a doctor's blog about the problems that medical practitioners are having with overhead, and a second article about how difficult doctors find it to be to use the computer systems that are being forced upon them. The guy in question was writing quietly and rationally, so I was willing to listen to what he had to say. I didn't agree with him, necessarily -- I have a hard time sympathizing with doctors about money;though I didn't say that there, I did leave a comment there to the effect that doctors aren't the only ones who care about patient outcomes -- but it was good reading, nonetheless. He sounds bright and is clearly literate. His writing can be found here.

Got a response to a post in this blog by someone who signs missives 'Samaha'. I'm guessing Muslim, but I have no idea for sure -- or even which post they refer to. Man, do I wish that the comment function indicated which post was being responded to.

An article today about retirement said that if people were willing to retire in their mid to late sixties, employers would be more likely to hire them. I doubt it. I think if they were willing to do that AND to cut their salaries, then yeah, likely. Older workers have experience and knowledge and all of that...but they have a lot of financial baggage, too. I think that baggage is the primary reason companies look to replace older with younger (while still, ahem, adhering to age discrimination laws).

The guinea pig's eye (eye being a decorative rather than functional term) is somewhat better. It still looks on the hideous side, but not as absolutely gross as before. She looks as if she has a plastic cover over the eye. Unfortunately, thats actual scab -- or something. That we can see the eye around the edges is a guardedly good thing. No guarantee whats underneath, though. Apparently, the problem was glaucoma -- the intraocular (I think thats the word) pressure in that eye was twice what it is in the other. Back to the vet again this week.

An article in the Washington Post says that with many of the old guard Republicans out of office, the younger ones are more fractious, more willing to vote as they feel they should, not according to the will of the leadership. Of course, I'm pleased by anything that throws the Republican organization into disarray, but I think I'm equally delighted to hear them make comments like 'You're freer to vote your conscience' (Jo Anne Emerson, Republican of Missouri). I like the idea that these people are thinking, not moving in lockstep, even if they are likely thinking things that aren't in line with the Democratic platform. If the Democratic leadership has to fight and compromise to get its acts done, I think thats a good thing for the country. We've seen how horrible one-party rule can be.

"Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam." Now, more than ever... (How come no one ever says 'Now, less than ever?' Never mind, thats obvious...) A different article in the Post says that people in Iraq like to point out that the US doesn't hang around in foreign countries where things did not go well (Somalia, Vietnam) and therefore they can count on us leaving there, too. Might be right. Certainly, a lot of people want us to leave there. I doubt very many (for which read: damn few) of the people who do support it could come up with a persuasive argument (and no, I don't regard 'Otherwise, they'd have died in vain' as a persuasive argument). Is there one? I suppose, given my obvious bias, the answer is apparent, at least in my case. Its certainly true that it is very difficult for me to imagine anything that would validate such an action. Barring attack on our country, or likely attack (and either would have to be by a specific country, or clearly on its behalf), nothing comes to mind.

I contacted my local Democratic Party organization to see about volunteering. Wonder if I should mention I'm a Republican?