the ANU is more or less Australia's premier research uni, so it is a more significant presence in the city than it would otherwise be.

Yeah, it has one of the best philosophy departments in the world, which is why Bob is considering applying.

::note to self:: Echidna skull

Preach it!

Yeah, it has one of the best philosophy departments in the world, which is why Bob is considering applying.

My brother studied philosophy there (as an undergrad, he did his PhD at Melbourne Uni). I can ask him stuff too, if you want.

Thanks for the offer! But I am just noodling until Bob has done more than just consider applying.

Good luck, Brenda.

And bt, you're at the other end of Australia from Monica, correct?

And bt, you're at the other end of Australia from Monica, correct?

That's correct. And I'm following the weather reports and thinking "at least it's not another El Nino year".

How are those japanese girls keeping their socks up?

They use glue.

No, really.

Japanese high school girls wear outrageously oversized socks called "loose socks." How do they keep their socks from falling down? You guessed it -- they use "socks glue" (also called sock-tachi in Japanese). Here's some authentic socks glue for you, straight from Japan -- an incredible handy water-based glue that you apply to your calf to ensure your socks don't fall down. They go great with the sailor uniforms we carry by Matsukameya of Nagoya!

I'm not familiar with the Nibelung story, but I assume it's more interesting than this.

I don't think so. People don't go to Wagner operas for the story. I watched Dark Kingdom with DH, who has some sort of handle on the Ring Cycle, and his only comment on how it was different from Wagner was the lack of gods.

Good luck, brenda.

A bizarre way to die (ranks up there with interstellar deathray): Man dies in plunge after huge sinkhole opens in his home

ALTA, CALIFORNIA -- A large sinkhole opened in the middle of a house, killing a 27-year-old man who plummeted 10 feet and was covered by the rubble, officials said Sunday.

The two-story home, built in the 1980s, might have been sitting atop a decades-old underground mine, authorities said. Recent rains possibly softened the ground under the home, in an isolated area near Lake Alta, northeast of Sacramento.

"It's unbelievable," Placer County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Dena Erwin said. "From the front of the house, it's absolutely normal. Then, in the middle of the house, is this enormous hole."

The victim was on the ground floor about 9:30 p.m. Friday when the concrete foundation near the kitchen gave way, Erwin said.

brenda, I hope your Monday gets less Mondayish.