As the Norwalk virus makes its second sweep...

I'm mostly over it now, for the second time... it was a problem yesterday. But just a few minutes ago, I was up working and I heard unmistakable retching coming from the nursery. Kevin has come down with it... after a shower, cleaned mattress and new sheets, he's tucked in again with a basin. Last time for him, he was sick all day on Christmas... then James came down with it 2 days later. We'll see if it makes rounds on its second sweep through my household, this season... sigh.

The house still smells ill, but time to get back to ISRU milestones if I'm going to get any sleep tonight.

(no subject)

Happy Birthday, inflectionpoint! :)

lunar mining firedrills

This week... NASA's exploration systems budget is being cut, and the R&D component is being squeezed in turn to free up cash for external development contracts to industry. So... the area I'm currently working in (lunar resource prospecting and use) is being cut about 30% for FY08, and next year's descoped budgets are due next Monday. So this week is a flurry of inter-center politics, dealmaking, power plays, and chaos... a "fire-drill". I was up until 2am last night working, then up again for an 8:30am telecon, then have been negotiating and haranguing and reading between lines and merging clashing agendas... not unusual, but not pleasant either.

Next week, I'm off to an exploration systems conference in Albuquerque, with many of the same players... then the following week to San Diego to play a different game (proposal selection panelist).

Upcoming business travel... twice to Houston in March, then to DC in mid-April, Atlanta sometime in May and DC again in mid-June.

Eight years ago...

I had gone to alt.polycon 4 in Chicago, planning to advance a budding relationship... with RA. We had had a couple of dates, were going to spend some time together at the con, then fly to Phoenix to buy a used car and then drive it back home, staying together overnight. I shared a room with rmjwell and two other guys. patgreene liked RA and had gingerly prepared herself for this relationship change, making jokes.

Except... I met someone else. RA handled room-sharing and introduced us. "Here's the NASA guy who will be sharing your room Sunday night." (The other guys were leaving, so I'd been assigned to share with a couple from Minneapolis...) We clicked... kept coming back to each other... her name was Nancy. Saturday, three things happened: the car in Phoenix broke down (so no sale, and hence no return overnight with RA). RA developed an interest in my roommate rmjwell... and Nancy and I spent more and more time together. By Sunday night, we were already well into NRE, and happily spent the night together before my early morning flight home.

With that unexpected twist, the aftermath at home... was rough, and life-changing. Nancy and I... and patgreene... all worked very hard. I'm glad she's in my life, admire her enthusiasm, her fire and zeal and strength, and the... easiness and chemistry that we have in the relationship. And will forever view airport connections differently. ;-) Happy anniversary, dear!

(and I just got a package from her in today's mail -- cards and clothes to replace those ruined in Spain ;)