Thanks, guys. It seems so unreal, even though he's been sick for so long. And the thought of her raising that little guy alone, and then having to go back to work full-time... Cancer really does suck. Hard.

I should make this clear:

This BIG HONKING REPORT is due every seven years.

In June 2004 we received a letter informing us of the deadline for the preliminary version -- August 31, 2005.

The faculty committee was organized in November 2004.

The first draft of two sections (20% of total) were completed in June 2005.

25% of the initial writing was complete in July 2005.

35% of the initial writing was complete on August 31, 2005.

Deadline moved back to September 30, 2005.

As of this morning, writing had begun on all the sections, and 60% of the document in "final" state. The remaining 40% is either being edited or IS AS OF YET UNWRITTEN. The unwritten part amounts to as much as 10% of the document.

The document should be off the press and in a FedEx box heading for DC RIGHT NOW, or at least before the pickup time (2 hours or so from now). It's not even ON THE PRESS. It's not even AT THE COPY CENTER.

And the worst of it... my section (the appendicies) is 80% complete. I'm waiting for the other 20% and an editing pass, but it's ready otherwise. I'm supposed to get the other 20% tomorrow or Monday, but I'm not holding my breath.

And oh... I'm the liasion with the copy people now (we've dumped the press idea). So, at some point I have to clearly state to them what exactly this document is supposed to look like and how many copies. Heh. Can't even do that right now, because I have NO DOCUMENT so I have no idea WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE.

Current target date is next Friday. And the word is that's about to slip. Despite the recent flurry of activity, I'm thinking I'll be playing Duke Nukem Forever on my Windows Vista system before that happens.

I've seen poorly managed projects before. Hell, I've been in them. But this one dwarfs all others. Honestly, MICHAEL BROWN COULD DO A BETTER JOB. THAT'S RIGHT. FEMA BOY COULD DO A BETTER JOB. THAT IS HOW BAD THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN.

And the stakes are high. If we get this wrong, we could be on the road to losing our accreditation. No accreditation, no Federal grant money. No Federal grant money... no jobs.

Dylan, that is unbelievable. I feel your frustration.

I need some quick Bitch advice, please. Joe and I just decided to go to a friend's wedding in Killeen next weekend. Our options are:

1. Direct flight out Saturday, 1 night in hotel, fly home Sunday.
2. Flight w/connection Friday, 2 nights in a hotel, fly home Sunday.

The plane tickets are the same price either way. I'm mostly a bit worried about the hassle of flying w/a baby. A direct flight seems like the best option with a small baby, but it leaves us with less than 24 hours there, although our friend is the bride and you never really get to see them on their special day. Advice?

Direct flight, alas. Sprinting to make a connection with a baby and a diaper bag and a fold-up stroller or a carseat or whatever is fiendishly difficult.

Betsy is right - it can be difficult, but we made our Houston connection very easily. Depends on how you pack it all, I guess.

Despite the recent flurry of activity, I'm thinking I'll be playing Duke Nukem Forever on my Windows Vista system before that happens.

Nah. That presumes Vista'll ship anywhere NEAR on time.

(And jeez, who does your job think they are, Microsoft?)

What do I do with her carseat once we are on the plane?

We always check it. Or, you can gate check it with the stroller.

Nah. That presumes Vista'll ship anywhere NEAR on time.

Heh. I have it pencilled in for 2012 or so.

(And jeez, who does your job think they are, Microsoft?)

I used to wonder why Microsoft complained about not getting enough comp sci majors out of this institution. Then I discovered that reality ends at the front gate of this institution, and it takes years for what's going on in the real world to fully cross the threshold into this place.

I would not be surprised if most of the vaporware MSFT products have graduates of this fine institution as project managers.

Thanks, Aimee. I'm not sure why I didn't think of that. It seems sort of obvious now.