In the EOS cave

Hi! I have been completely without internet for several months now, although since I got my iPhone a month or so ago, it has been more bearable. I am observing a calibration over at GSFC today that has long breaks, so I am able to avail myself of the free and speedy wifi to catch up on some things. I can get internet at home, but I more or less haven't gotten around to it yet. One more thing to do.

I have been well, though. We made the transition to Sigma Space in August and everything has been pretty smooth since then. The word is that we will move to our new office space at the beginning of Dec. I am excited because there is a really nice bike path that goes almost directly from my house to the new office, although it is about an 8 mile ride, so it is more something I would do on the weekend than during the week (especially since I would be sweaty all day long).

I am *really* looking forward to the long weekend! My long suffering, but completely wonderful and saintly, parents have come down the last two weekends to work on my house, and as a result, we almost have the family room done! Well, we still have to paint the walls, lay most of the floor, finish the electrical, grout the hearth, reposition the wood stove, replace the window, and move the furniture in, but, you know, except for that! It is SO exciting to be getting closer to done in that room. We replaced 80% of the drywall (which my dad decided to take down, as there wasn't any insulation behind the walls!), redid all the electrical including adding in an outside motion detecting light, covered the disgusting popcorn ceiling with new 3/8 in drywall, replaced the sliding door with a window, redid the two doorways, leveled the old slanted garage floor (after ripping up all the old parquet flooring - I hurt for three days after that), replaced the sketchy hearth, and fixed the defunct air vent. OK, when I say "we", I really mean my dad did everything with me and mom helping when possible. One room almost down, 7+ rooms to go! At some point, I will post pictures, whenever I get my act together.

In VERY happy news, Cat is coming to visit one night with her family - I can't wait to meet her cutie patootie kids! My house is still a hot mess, but I can't wait to see them and just hope that they forget their glasses...

At the end of October (the 25th) I am running the affiliated 10k at the Marine Corps Marathon. Brave and superfit Clare is running the whole marathon, though! Sheesh! I am super nervous - I still haven't run that many miles in a row yet, although I will before the day, I hope. I have been having motivation issues this week, coupled with the early night it is is a killer. So any positive vibes you'd like to throw my way, I would be most appreciative! If you would like to come, let me know and I can advise about where to be to see Clare...

My work colleague of 1.5 years, Ben, is leaving in a week - we will miss him, but I know he has been itching to move on for a while now, so it is for the best. Good Luck, Ben! Have fun in sunny LA!

I am happy to see the cooler weather here. It was a bit chilly last night even under the medium weight blanket. Pretty soon, I will have to break out the down comforter! Yay!

A bunch of random people from HS FB'ed me recently - people that couldn't have cared less about me in HS, or even went out of their way to make a point of not liking me. I am happy to report that I eventually accepted their request, but couldn't really care less about them either way. Complete ambivalence. Fabulous!

My aunt (from B'more) got married this past weekend, or more precisely had a vow renewal. It was more low key than I expected, and I got to see 2 sets of aunts and uncles that I haven't seen in many years, so that was really nice. A good excuse to put a dress on!

I am really liking my new community. I feel like MD is very much a suburban wasteland for the most part, but Bowie is a bit more established and community oriented. My neighbors are all really nice. Just this past weekend, one of my neighbors went around distributing home grown zinnias, which are colorful and beautiful in my construction zone home.

Hope this holds you until the next update! I do plan on getting broadband sometime soon, maybe before winter sets in...