Feelin' puny...

Today was a struggle to finish my self-imposed quota, but I got there. A series of power naps did the trick. Things ought to go easier tomorrow, though it's after midnight as I type this.

One last thing before racktime: The paradox posted earlier today reminds me of something I read in a copy of Chess Life not long ago, in an article examining the unfortunate phenomenon of cheating in chess.

It'd be easy to dismiss the idea of cheating at chess as something frivolous, but the fact is that prize funds at big tournaments are pretty attractive, even down below the grandmaster level. And if you consider that most mediocre chess programs play high-quality, master-level chess without any particular tweaking, then you can understand why some organizers have instituted all sorts of draconian rules in an attempt to forestall cheating (e.g., forfeiting you if your cell phone goes off during a game).

Once chess computers become implantable, though, how do you catch cheats? One proposed method: subject the winner to a quiz by players of equal or superior strength, where answers will have to be provided explaining one's thought processes during a game.

It's an interesting approach, on its surface, but I must pull another Fermat and leave further discussion for another time.

Cheers...

So here we are...

It's shortly after 5 pm and I freshly rested... again. Last night, I logged very nearly 10 hours of sleep (or maybe a little less if you consider the usual 6 am wakeup to go take Shiloh for a walk). Soon after rising, I was asked to turn around what became a 2,000-word rush for my best client, which I did, after which I took a nap.

So the 2500 words to be done by the end of the work day have yet to be touched.

Yesterday's effort bagged about 4500 target words. Another chunk of the same job had to be sent back for OCRing, and although there's a lot of repetition in it, the 7800-source-word size is still pretty intimidating, expecially since the client wants that part back by the end of the day tomorrow.

It also occurs to me that I'll probably need to spend a couple of days before I leave - okay, one complete day - packing up all the stuff in my office in preparation for pulling up stakes for Colorado, although technically, I suppose this could be done once I return from my Houston gig. (But I kid myself if I think that!)

There'll be time enough for wondering about that later. Right now, there are about 2500 words of the current job that need bagging!

Cheers...

Found recipe...

None of the recipes that keep cropping up on odd pieces of paper represent any kind of haut cuisine, but it beats the heck out of not knowing how to cook at all. I just ran across something I can't wait to try, once I have a kitchen in which to work.

Lamb Stew

1-1/2 lb.lean lamb (part of a leg) for stewing
2 or 3 potatoes
3 carrots
2 onions
2 small parts garlic, cut up (optional)
some dill (optional)
string beans or green pepper (optional)

Wash all ingredients and put all in together into cold water. Cook about an hour and a quarter.

Apropos of dinner, we had stuff mostly out of plastic bags from Costco. Yech.

I'm about halfway through what needs to be done before I call it a night. I have not been particularly aggressive about it, but now that it's 9:15 pm, I better start hunkering down.

Cheers...

Okay!

Veering into a small run of previously encountered sentences made the work go a little faster, but the main part of the project is all over (but for the depeckling).

I sent my defective Sansa e260 in for warranty service on May 5, and just got the replacement unit via UPS today, putting the lie to SanDisk's claim - in an email of May 9, that it would take 5-7 days to rustle up a replacement and send it to me. >grin< The package appears to be a standard retail package and includes earphones, case, strap and - second in importance only to the unit itself! - an interface cable. The unit itself looks brand spanking new, which is certainly nice. I've just plugged it in, to allow it to gather some charge.

More later, maybe, as it turns out the unit is already charged!

UPDATE: The good news is that apparently, they sent me a newer V2 model of the e260. This means I can download stuff from Audible.com directly onto the unit without having to make an MP3 copy first to accommodate my iPod (which only works "natively" with Audible via iTunes, which I won't run).

The bad news is that the firmware version was out of date and the updating software wants to run every time I start my machine (fat chance). However, the software has done its job, so I'm happy.

Cheers...