We made it to Chicago safe-and-sound this evening. The ride from Texarkana to Chicago took a little over 12 hours, including breaks for gas and lunch. Not too bad, all things considered.

We’ll be getting together with old work friends tomorrow (Wednesday) and then heading over to visit Ev’s sister for a couple of days.

Well, we made it safe in Texarkana (right on the border of Texas and Arkansas). Took about 6 1/2 hours with a lunch break. Texas sure is a big state. Tomorrow we head out to Chicago. It will be a long ride, probably in the 12-13 hour range.

We’ve decided to leave for Chicago tomorrow (Monday) afternoon, since chances are I won’t have to work a full day. We’ll be spending the night in Texarkana, which is closer to Austin than Little Rock (since we’re getting a later start). Then, on Tuesday we put in the 12 hour drive up to Chicago.

So, we’ll be in Chicago on late Tuesday night (the 19th). Our likely departure date back to Austin will be 12/30.

According to a study by InsuranceHotline.com, a Web site that quotes drivers on insurance rates, astrological signs are a significant factor in predicting car accidents.

The study, which looked at 100,000 North American drivers’ records from the past six years, puts Libras (Evelyn) followed by Aquarians as the worst offenders for tickets and accidents. Leos (Ron) and then Geminis were found to be the best overall.

Dunno how good the study was (could be complete BS), but it is interesting-especially since it’s in my favor.

I’m getting a kick out of reading about the bozos who are launching their Wii remotes into their nice new LCD TVs. And, in our ever diminishing belief in personal responsibility, they are blaming Nintendo for their own ass-hattery. Here’s an example:

I now have a broken Wii remote to go well with the broken television set as the remote hurled into the TV due to a sub standard wrist strap.

Not only can they not hold onto their controller, but they can’t write a decent sentence either. Ah, humans. There is some hope, though:

My wrist straps are fine. Over the years I’ve managed to develop an ability to hold onto my controllers for an extended period of time without them flying out of my hand. My grip works well on plates, glasses and various types of fruit as well.
–Chris Brooks, Sittingbourne, UK

Evelyn got quite a kick out of the new KGB (FSB) headquarters. Take a look at the picture of their symbol here. Here’s a closeup of the pins they wear. I think they KGB could fund all their activities by just selling t-shirts to Americans.

Evelyn created this cool electronic Christmas card. Click for a bigger version.

 

I’m a big fan of “new history” sites, a term I just made up. Basically, they are places in our modern landscape that reach back into the not-too-distant, but often forgotten, past. I was reminded of one of these places at this site, which has pictures of the Old LA Zoo.

It’s very interesting for me to see, and visit, places that were a part of recent history, but have now been all but forgotten. Every place has them, you just have to dig around and look. You end up learning quite a lot about the place you live. For example, I was wondering why a big swath of land near Shoal Creek here in Austin was empty. In my research I found out that there was a huge flood in 1981 that wiped out homes and businesses in that area. (We live about 2 blocks east of Shoal Creek.) You can read more about the floods in Austin here.

Those interested in Sherlock Holmes may want to check out a couple of books I recently picked up.

The first is called The Science of Sherlock Holmes by E.J. Wagner. It’s a short (200 page) book that covers the forensic science behind the stories. It illustrates how many of the stories used (what was) cutting edge science. For those interested in forensics and/or Holmes, it’s worth checking out (though a bit pricey–see if you can find it used or at the library).

The second has actually been out for a year or two now, but I just picked it up. It’s called The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, edited by Leslie Klinger. There are three volumes in the set. The first covers the Adventures and Memoirs collections. The second covers Return, Last Bow, and Case-Book. The third (which I don’t have) covers the novels.

Good annotations can be wonderful editions to read, especially for older books. For those unfamiliar, an annotated version is basically the original text with a ton of side-notes. This helps a modern reader to understand older phrases or concepts that are no longer in widespread use. Very helpful if you want to learn more about the history surrounding a writing.

Now these books are gigantic. Volume One is over 750 pages and Volume Two is over 1800 pages! And the paperbacks are trade, meaning that they are the same size as the hardcover editions. Not pocket books, that’s for sure! You can find the hardcover editions for about $60 on Amazon, and they are well worth the price. However, I was able to pick the set up from the Quality Paperback Book Club for only $20 (with free shipping)! It’s an absolute steal at that price. Not only do you get all of the short stories, but you get annotations and many illustrations, too.

If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes, I highly recommended picking up these books–especially the New Annotated set.

Well, this is going to be my second winter without snow and I can’t say that I miss it. While not as warm as PR at this time, we aren’t exactly freezing down here in Austin. Last week was chilly (30′s), but this week is shaping up nicely (it’s 70 right now). It’s kinda nice being able to walk around without a coat in the middle of December.

I do kinda like the fact that Austin can get quite cold during the winter. It really gives you a feeling of the seasons changing. This feeling can be good or bad I guess, since it reminds me that we’re all getting older. Though, in PR it never felt like Christmas, or Spring, or Summer, or whatever.

I’m pleased that the Austinites do seem to like Christmas quite a lot. Though we don’t have snow, there are a lot of lights and decorations up. Plus, this being a god-fearing state many people are off for Christmas week. (No, not “holiday” week. Christmas week.)

An update on our planned Chicago trip: I will probably be working on Monday the 18th, so our likely arrival date in Chicago is late on the 20th (19th is our overnight stay in Little Rock).