So it seems that, for now at least, the worst of the internet disruptions should be over after that viscious "shark attack" (as we heard it was initially reported) or whatever it was that started making it so iffy. But then, it's always iffy here... meanwhile, I've apparently been leaving a ghost behind on AIM when I've gotten disconnected, which is frequent.


My class this semester is going to be a much more difficult one than my last class as far as having more to write and type about the subject that I have to come up with on my own, rather than just plug numbers or choose responses in the homework module. So the time consumption is probably going to be about equal, I'd imagine, but I sure can't afford to procrastinate in this one.

And of course, my Pats didn't win after all. I had to leave for watch right after the Pats' last touchdown, and for a while I figured that me abandoning them is why they let the Giants slip on by, but then I heard about the dude in California (I think) who drove into an electric line pole right towards the end there and knocked out power for some hundreds of homes. It's gotta be his fault. I took a lot of flack about it, especially while on watch that day, but since Pats fans aren't fair weather types, I still support my team with all my New England buddies.

What else, what else? Oh, I took an Equal Oppotunity Management class (sort-of, just a training class, not a college-credit type) this past week... Probably because of a conversation the week before in which the senior person lecturing me had said something very ignorant about race relations regarding a committee, and I said that it actually wasn't an EO issue if the members of that committee were fairly elected, and I really suspect that's why I was in the class. Which only confirmed my point, and I wonder whether he was baiting me to see whether I would make a good EO before sending me, or whether he was really that ignorant.


I really enjoyed the class. Got to bring a lot to it, too, and both the class and the Multicultural Committee of which I'm a part had some great opportunities for me to flex some leadership, public speaking, and facilitating muscles, and got comments about being a natural or that I must have a lot of experience in these areas. So that was great feedback and great practice.

And now I've got an essay exam (6 questions to answer, at least three different sources and four paragraphs for each question.. yikes!) to go do, and other mundane weekend stuff.

Oh goodness, I went to a local grocery store yesterday, through a sandstorm that limited visibility to the point where I couldn't even see the store from the street, and the sand stung at my eyes... but I'd gotten myself looking forward to salmon and fresh spinach for the first time since getting here, and ended up getting a whole basket of wonderful things there, so I braved the storm anyway. This one more than any of the previous showed me exactly what people in Jax were talking about with the sandstorms and how the sand gets everywhere. I know that there are worse, but this was plenty enough for me as yet. I tried to convince myself that it was exfoliating and therefore good.

Oh! and finally, also, I've finally gotten the other English-language channels in, which means I have at least a few more BBC shows and several more American shows and movies now, including (drumroll please) NCIS and HOUSE!!!! Yay!!