Amateur Megalomania

I’m now in Day 10 of the Cold, and while I’m certainly on the mend, I’m still not feeling up to my usual standards. This thing has migrated to my sinuses, ears and any other remotely accessible hollow portion of my skull. It makes for an unpleasant existence.

As a result, I’m really not in the mood for my usual, angry postings on Islam, war, and the sorry state of the world. In fact, last week’s little explosion of anger has soured me on the whole thing anyway. I’ve been ‘doom and gloom’ for too long. Unfortunately, while I may decide to abandon the D&G, it doesn’t change the state of the world. Ignoring the problem isn’t enough for me to make peace with it. I regret any past combative attitude coming across here, but I still fear I’m right about where things are headed.

On the personal side, we put our three year old daughter on the bus today for the first time. Her school year started today. There is nothing quite as scary as turning your daughter over to a driver and assistant you’ve known for approximately three minutes. To be fair, we have asked the school system an extensive amount of questions about these employees, but we haven’t had a chance to meet them until today.

For those that might recall the saga of the Great Flooded Basement event of 2004, I’m finally settled on a technique for restoration of the lost space. To recap: we suffered a draining problem in our gutters, combined with some landscaping problems, resulting in the intrusion of a large volume of water beneath a very nice carpet and pad installed by the previous owner of the house. This went on for some time before it was noticed (as large pieces of furniture covered the wet areas…it wasn’t until I sat down at the computer desk and noticed my socks were soaked that the whole affair came to my attention). So, after changes in the guttering and downspouts, I feel we have the problem addressed. Unfortunately, I simply am not comfortable with a carpet installation when another water event could occur for a number of reasons. Once carpet is wet, the problem assumes a certain seriousness.

So I’ve decided to go with ceramic tile laid over the concrete foundation. My research has suggested this is the best solution for a below grade room that might see the occasional moisture. Of course, in a typical display of foolish naivety, I intend to perform this installation myself. Given that my tile-laying education consists of a four minute conversation with ‘Keith’ at Menards, I feel eminently qualified for the task.

This ought to make spectacular blog material.

On the ASL front, the Edson’s Ridge campaign game saw the end of the first day scenario. Unfortunately, the American position can be described as ‘appalling’ without being accused of exaggeration. The Japanese forces have complete command of the two key ridges, and I have amassed 2/3rds of the required victory points with three more play dates remaining. This result is not attributed to any particular skill on my part. The campaign design simply seems insufficient for the American side of the conflict. We plan on playing out the next night round and then decide on abandoning the CG for something more worthwhile.

So, that’s about it for me. Someday, when my head clears, I’ll find something more interesting to write about.

Filed under: Personal