I'm so sorry to hear about your friend's son, Theo.

NYE concert tickets can get very expensive, and a lot of people go to those things. That's all I got on thta subject, I think.

I am back. Santa Fe was cold, except when it wasn't. And I just have to bitch.

So on Monday, the 19th, I set up an interview with this guy for the 29th (i.e., today). He was supposed to e-mail me details. There were no details by the 23rd, the day before I left town. I e-mailed him and poked him for details, like "where" and "are we actually having this meeting?" No response before I left town.

Arrived home last night. Checked e-mail. No response. Began to make plans for today.

Guy e-mailed at TEN THIRTY to say he'd call me in the morning. The hell? When in the morning? No idea. I e-mailed him back and suggested he call me. He did, we agreed on 9AM, but he insisted on calling me at 8:30 to confirm.

The meeting went fine and all that, but I still have residual grumpiness over exactly how much bullshit I had to go through.

that guy is a jackhole. I'm adding him to the list.

OMG, a guy just came into the room where I'm sitting and took a Spider-Man lunchbox out of the fridge. He is my new favorite person ever.

NSA no longer using illegal cookies:

The National Security Agency's Internet site has been placing files on visitors' computers that can track their Web surfing activity despite strict federal rules banning most files of that type.

The files, known as cookies, disappeared after a privacy activist complained and The Associated Press made inquiries this week. Agency officials acknowledged yesterday that they had made a mistake.

Nonetheless, the issue raised questions about privacy at the agency, which is on the defensive over reports of an eavesdropping program.

"Considering the surveillance power the N.S.A. has, cookies are not exactly a major concern," said Ari Schwartz, associate director at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a privacy advocacy group in Washington. "But it does show a general lack of understanding about privacy rules when they are not even following the government's very basic rules for Web privacy."

How to build an interplanetary rocket: [link]

Actually, this is aimed at SciFi writers who want scientific plausability in their fictional spaceships, yet must maintain reader interest. It might also be interesting to those science geeks who don't write science fiction.

Also, lots of pretty pictures of '50s and '60s scifi spaceships from pulps, etc.

It might also be interesting to those science geeks who don't write science fiction.

And people who want to build rocketships.

Wheeeee!

The boss says we can go home early, today!!!

I can get my shit done!

Yay, Allyson! My boss just approved me taking tomorrow off and she's already told me that the other 1 1/2 PTO days I still have can be taken in the first part of January "unofficially," so I won't be losing them.

Interesting comment from former Senator Alan Simpson re: the potential impact on Washington from the Abramoff case from the Washington Post:

Alan K. Simpson (R), the former Wyoming senator who was in Washington during the last big congressional scandal---the Abscam FBI sting in the late 1970s and early 1980s, in which six House members and one senator were convicted -- said the Abramoff case looks bigger. Simpson said he recently rode in a plane with one of Abramoff's attorneys, who told him: "There are going to be guys in your former line of work who are going to be taken down."

Huh. Just got another $100 in gift points. "Outstanding Performance." Need to go browsing again.

Sadly, I'm even dizzier than when I was up before. Anyone want to bring me a chai latte from Coffee Bean? I think that would cure me.

Theo, that's so terrible. I skimmed your friendslist to look (I'm nosy like that), and I'm speechless, but glad to see the outpouring of sympathy and support she's getting in LJ.

Frank, that bites. But on the upside, the Buffistas get to vicariously car shop with you.

Allyson, yay.