Brain Fertilizer

There's only a handful of people in the world who will get the following joke:

...apparently, sometimes I play one in the blogging world.

Or, as a very small minority of wackos calls it, the "blogosphere".

In any case, I will probably do this at some point in my life.

There's a great essay in relation to the offering here.

I know it will work with me; I often go and purchase old favorites as I run across them.

...hopefully, I can someday post one of my books here. Based on what Eric the Librarian said, and based on how he characterized Jim Baen's views on the issue, I'll be offering my first novel to Baen's books first, just as soon as I complete it...I've made some really good progress lately.

I've been feeling this for some time, but couldn't find a good way to say it.

I still believe we're winning the war in Iraq, despite the best efforts of the information campaign being waged with complicity of our own news media to destroy our morale. But thanks to the said domestic and international news media, we are losing ground somewhat.

It can still be won...but a self-fulfilling prophecy can still take us to a loss.

I feel like all of my efforts (30 months of deployment time) and the efforts of all my brothers in arms are all for naught. I thought old people were supposed to be more patient than a 24 year old but apparently I have more patience for our victory to unfold in Iraq than 99.9 percent of Americans. Iraq isn’t fast food--you can’t have what you want and have it now. To completely change a country for the first time in its entire history takes time, and when I say time I don’t mean 4 years.

I think I'll name my next kid "Eponymous".

This is the best news I've heard in some time:

NASA announced Monday it will establish an international base camp on one of the moon's poles, permanently staffing it by 2024, four years after astronauts return to the moon.

The serendipitous benefits of space exploration are well worth the investment. I don't want to say something sweeping and unfair like, "And anyone who doesn't think so is a complete ignoramus"...but it's hard not to: Digital time-pieces, computer advances, teeth capping, improved medicine, steel, the continued development of superconductors...all are benefits from the space program that have added billions of dollars to our GDP and improved our quality of life immensely.

Unbelievable

Our starting QB lost the game for us.

If he doesn't throw an INT in the end zone, we get a FG and the game never goes to overtime.

After getting up by 2 TDs, our starting QB then went 3 for 9 in the 3 possessions that counted. He got only 26 yards (which means a horrible 2.9 yard/attempt!), converted only 1 of 3 3rd downs, and fumbled the ball away in our own territory when we still had a chance to win with a FG.

On the 3rd of those possessions, the first in overtime, he went 1 of 4 for a mere 8 yards. The team that wins the toss wins most overtimes. Our QB didn't get it done, putting our defense on the field to save the game. (which they didn't)

But if our QB had done his job, we would have
- been up 3 scores with 9 minutes left instead of just 2 scores.
- run enough time off the clock to prevent their tying score
- scored a FG to end the game in overtime

The defense didn't win the game. But a starting QB has to be better than 3/9 with a TO or 1/4 for 8 yards when the game is on the line.

Trent had a great 3+ quarters. But his sub-par 4th lost the game.

Go back to what Herm said from the beginning: the offense has to help the defense. We've lost too many games with Trent Green QBing the team because he scores a bunch of points, but can't get a first down when we need one to close out a game.

Not that it matters. Personality is more important than a temporal attractiveness that will, inevitably, fade. And I'm married to the woman I will love for the rest of my life.

...but you gotta continue a theme. Especially when it gets you some hits.