Paying the price...

I'm stumbling along with the VAIO's defective keyboard, on which the "6", "-", "Home", and "Delete" key no longer work. Fortunately, pressing the "Fn" key and the "-" on the embedded keypad will type a hyphen (unless I'm in some sort of terminal mode, as I am with PuTTY), and "Num Lock" lets me use the "6" on that same keypad. I've even mastered the Alt key combinations to print the underscore.

But try as I might, I cannot fake the "Delete" key.

And that makes using Windows very difficult, seeing how one typically won't get far without the Ctrl+Alt+Del combination.

* * *I slept poorly, which is par for the night before a telecon. I've been up since about 4:30 am. Time to stop working (maybe having your machine hang can be a good thing) and get ready for the day.

Cheers...

Sim-ming away...

This morning's telecon was actually two telecons, one right after the other. I graciously took the opportunity of using the first as a sort of warm-up, and was gratified to learn that much of what was discussed would be brought forth during the main event.

I received about 20 pages of text and some printed slides for the main telecon, as well as an agenda, literally 15 seconds before the phone connection was made, so there wasn't much time to prepare. There were probably some awkward turns of the phrase (I didn't offhand know the term for "wire rope"), but the message got through, and the NASA lead was satisfied.

The telecons went longer than planned, so I arrived at the sim to relieve Alex A. at a little after 9:30 am. This has apparently been some kind of marathon simulation, and Alex had been here since 6 pm last night. My loops were pretty active shortly after I arrived, but they've quieted down over the past couple of hours, as most of the (simulated) action is taking place on the US side of the station.

* * *I stopped by the Half Price Bookstore yesterday to see what they had of Patrick O'Brian's. The choice was easy: there was nothing of his on the shelf (I sure wish the worker I had asked for guidance had told me that instead of sending me off to wander the shelves).

* * *In other news, I am seriously considering preparing the leg of lamb I bought the other day. Then again, I may not have the time, even if I go directly home after the sim. Hmmm... it occurs to me that I don't have Natalie's new number at work (I presume it'd be a new number, seeing as how she's got a new job, and all. :^)

Cheers...