01:37:34 Monday February 02 2004
I completed my Ally training today. There was an inordinate amount of "ice breaker" games, which I never enjoy. Over all it was a good thing. I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know, except that "Streisand ticket-holder" is a synonym for gay. Of course the goal was not necessarily to learn. The goal was to give some money to a good cause, raise awareness of gay issues, become a member, and get the door card so that all who pass into my office know that it is safe in here. See also: PFLAG

I finished The Da Vinci Code the other night. Come to think of it I didn't really learn anything there either. There was the interesting bit about how if you were to project the path of Venus in the elliptical sky over an eight year period onto a two dimensional surface it traces a pentacle. Other than that it was uninspiring. I suspect that I was supposed to be impressed that he knows about the Gnostic Gospels and what not, but I already know most of that stuff. He does not cover any interesting topics in detail. It is all very rushed, which I suppose is all right for a mystery/thriller. However, it is a lousy mystery. I had the "main bad guy" nailed even before we met him. Overall the research is only skin deep, the characters have interesting jobs but are not themselves interesting, and you are left with the impression that the mystery was written by someone just a little less clever than you. It is a quick and easy read. So if you are in the mood for something light pick it up, but don't expect too much.

In other news I am starting to fall apart. After working through two weekends and not getting much sleep and general stress the ticking has begun. It is damn early in the semester for that so I am somewhat concerned. I am going back on my medication and trying to grab some sleep tonight. I have become almost completely useless for work since it has been so long since I had a break. I put together my own set of oblique strategies or more aptly Oblique Stratagems. I have the suspicion that I will be faced with many difficult problems this semester. They will be useful indeed.