the pod bay door

.: If this wasn’t on the BBC site, one would think it was written for The Onion: 21 people were rescued after they fell nine feet when a floor collapsed during a health and safety meeting at an educational supplies firm in Hyde in the UK.

.: February began with the trip to Toronto to present at the OLA Conference, followed by a few days in Winnipeg. Upon returning, I prepared and delivered five lectures to various engineering classes and started working at NINT half-days the same week. In the midst of all this, I was also rehearsing with Amelia for a concert we played today as part of the Music Wednesdays at Noon series, which went quite well, and was appreciated by all who attended. Now I can take a breath or two, and begin working on a presentation for the upcoming 231st American Chemical Society National Meeting in Atlanta. I am participating in the Social Software and Chemical Information program on Sunday, March 24th. While in Atlanta, I will spend some time hangin’ with my lawyer cousin, Adam. I was in Atlanta once before, in 1994.

I need sleep.

.: Like most others on the prairies, we are living through the strangest winter I can remember. It is 10 January 2006, and we have no measureable amount of snow on the ground. Random white patches scattered throughout Edmonton are reminders of distant snowfalls from November and December of 2005. Most lawns are bare and brown; daytime temperatures are well above normal. After so many weeks of this weather combined with daily increases in the amount of daylight, it’s beginning to feel as if winter may not happen this year. Famous last words, perhaps.

.: I have not posted since 31 Dec 2005, primarily because I have been too busy at the library. Having returned on January 3rd, I’ve worked to complete a column for IRSQ, e-mailed invitations to participants in the standards update, which I moderate at the SLA Annual Conference, this year to be held in Baltimore in June, 2006. I am madly trying to complete my annual report, and then begin work on the presentation I am giving (see #1722) at the OLA Superconference in Toronto on Saturday, 4 February 2006. Subsequently, I need to ready presentations to be given in at least five classes in mechanical, materials, and chemical engineering, as well as my contribution to an annual engineering ethics and integrity session hosted by the Faculty of Engineering. Trying to ignore the 90-plus emails doesn’t help the situation, but overall, I’m making progress.

:: On Wednesday, I invoked closure on the book chapter, which at the moment clocks in at just under 12,000 words. Perhaps I’ll add another line just to make it to that magic number. I sent the chapter to the editor at Penn State, and am going to spend the next six working days trying to clear some of my desk. I plowed through work e-mails today, reducing the inbox number from 175 to under 90.

:: I saw Sideways tonight. With Closer last week, I’ve seen two movies back-to-back featuring four central characters each, two men and two women, in relationship dramas, but decidedly different in tone, presentation and outcome. I enjoyed Sideways more than Closer, perhaps because the characters were considerably more likeable, although I found Thomas Haden Church’s character, Jack, to be loathsome. I won’t reveal why, should you decide to see the movie, which won a Top Ten Film Award for 2004 from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Haden Church received the NBR Award for Best Supporting Actor. The cast of Closer, meanwhile, won the award for Best Acting by an Ensemble.

Sideways also won the Gotham Award for Best Feature. Awards Season is officially underway. This time of year, it is much fun to read David Poland’s 20 Weeks to Oscar, with only twelve weeks to go. Also of interest are Poland’s various charts, with information on “This Week’s Frontrunner” for Best Picture, Director, Actor/Supporting Actor, Actress/Supporting Actress, and Screenplay/Adapted Screenplay. His analyses are not limited to potential Oscar winners, but also to the Golden Globes.