The thing is it really should be up to them to prove it. No physical evidence, and most of the evidence against him was anonymous testimony. That strikes me as a really bad precedent. The judge ruled against LA beause he agreed to the mediator that made the decision based that anonymous testimony. But I really think that even if LA is an asshole (have not followed closely enough to know) he was convicted on an absurd level of evidence. I gather he is being punished for not confessing and repenting.

Yay Tom!

I just realized that my kitchen window is right on the fire escape, so maybe I don't want to leave it open all the time, which is bumming me out. It was so good open at night! I need to check a little more closely, but it does look like someone could just walk right up and in the window, so.

It's Friday, maybe I'll start drinking now.

Good news! It's National Duck Out For A Drink Day (Observed)! [link] (I am still paranoid to make a pretty link...)

That's 'cuz in a few billion years, our galaxy will merge with the Andromeda galaxy. 100 billion years from now some of the remnants of our solar system (along with stuff from Andromeda) will have formed new solar systems.

That's if expansion due to dark energy doesn't result in the Big Rip happening about 20 billion years down the line, as I've heard posited by a recent theory.

OK, I think this belongs in the Good Stuff blog:

Surgeon Commandeers Pink Bike to Get to Work

Dr. Catherine Baucom was on her way to the Elliot Mastology Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where a patient was waiting for her to perform surgery on Wednesday morning. But an accident on I-10 created a huge traffic jam in which hundreds of cars were stopped. That's when Baucom took matters into her own hands, creating a scene right out of a Hollywood movie. She recognized the neighborhood, and knew a colleague that lived nearby.

"Catherine called, she was outside my house. She said 'Hey do you have a bike?' I walked outside and said yea, its a kids bike," said Dr. Brian Barnett. After a quick test run, Dr. Baucom decided the bike was her only choice to get to the hospital. "I got the air pump out and aired the tires up as much as I could."

He gladly loaned her his seven year old daughter's bike and helmet and the nearly six foot tall surgeon resumed her journey to the surgery center.

"It was hot pink and small," Dr. Baucom said, describing the bike. "The helmet was pink with princesses." He added he was laughing so much he couldn't get video of her before she peddled away. "But she did utilize the plastic basket on front, to put her cell phone in. Showed her experience with the bike."

She says she traveled down Tara Boulevard, onto Fairway Drive, crossed Jefferson Highway and over to Essen Lane. When she reached I10, she was stopped by police. After explaining the circumstances and where she was headed, she was escorted through to meet her patient.

The police couldn't resist taking some video of the doctor.

eta: News report with interview and video: [link]

I love the fact that everything is literally stardust. And eventually we'll all be stars again.

Right now, it looks like I’ll be starting work on Sept 4th, after Labor Day. One more week of freedom for me!

Right on, Tom! (Both on the job and on having one more week of freedom!)

So much Good Stuff today!

Right now, it looks like I’ll be starting work on Sept 4th, after Labor Day. One more week of freedom for me!

YAY! You should come back to SF to celebrate!

My semester starts on Monday. I really should have gone into my office today to finish up my syllabus and get stuff organized, but my ankle is hurting a lot, and I'm drowsy from the Vicodin I took for it last night, so I figure I'll go in over the weekend to finish that stuff up.

I love the fact that everything is literally stardust. And eventually we'll all be stars again.

"Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."