soapbox

Rule #4376 = Every time you solder the plug on the end of the wire, you have to de-solder it and try again because you forgot to slip the heatshrink tubing onto the cord beforehand, and there’s no friggin’ way to put it on after the plug is attached.

Rule #1743 = Machine shop grease never really washes off your hands, it just rubs off on other things, lending a nice dingy hue to your iBook and flavoring your next meal with a subtle je ne sais quoi that proves to be an exciting and potentially poisonous enhancement to an otherwise healthily bland turkey sandwich.

Yeah, so I number my rule addendums randomly. Reckon I’m just a rebel like that…

So, by way of windfall from Alex’s father-in-law, we now have a new, non-potentially-lethally-functioning microwave in our group office.

As a result, the cantankerous old microwave that was prone to irradiating the room has found a new home under my desk, where it will live for several months while the magnetron capacitors discharge. After that time has passed, it will be converted for “research” in some fashion.

To facilitate this, I’m now opening the floor to suggestions, and will field any mildly reasonable requests, as possibility permits. I’ll go ahead and offer up the following:

1. Nuking CD’s: great as a highly entertaining example of dielectric breakdown, leaving lovely lightning-like patterns in its wake

2. Anything involving “Peeps” and/or Twinkies

I’m down to my last 15 minutes or so at the observatory. Then 15 hours of travel, and then I get to see my puppy again. And check my email again. Here’s hoping that all my flights are on time (or early), and I have no trouble finding the parking lot in which I am to ditch the van.

The mouse stopped by to pay a couple visits before Ann and I leave. It seems he’s living *in* the table top. Go figure.