And we all need a medicine man

[austin_dern]

I'm sick. It's just a cold, and I doubt I've even got a fever (I'm not any good at fevers), but I'm not sure where I left my digital thermometer. I'm just a little bit achy, and a lot tired (even for me). Most of how the cold's come out is coughing. Really, really hard. As in hard enough to be left dizzy after a particularly good coughing spell, and to make me worry the shaking of my head might do permanent brain damage. I may be over-worrying. I'm a great cougher. Once as an undergraduate I coughed hard enough long enough the guys in the next room -- separated by cement block walls, I note -- brought me cough medicine, which is very nearly as effective as water in stopping my coughing.

Still, it was bad enough I had to cancel class. I've never had to do that before, though once as a teaching assistant I did oversleep through a class. Since we just had an exam everyone did quite well on there wasn't going to be much; just reviewing a particular transform and doing examples before moving on to applications. I can probably make up the lost time with the recitation section and moving a bit quicker next week.

The Channel 5 Monday Mega Movie is The Empire Strikes Back, facing stiff counter-programming from Disney Channel's Stitch: The Movie. Last week's Monday Mega Movie was Star Wars, and in two weeks they'll have Return of the Jedi, followed by Attack of the Clones. Can't imagine why. Next week is some fantasy flick Fellowship of the Ring Lords or something.

Trivia: The first ``atomic'' clocks based their timing on ammonia molecules. They could run accurately for hours, eventually improved to days. Source: Splitting the Second: The Story of Atomic Time, Tony Jones.

Currently Reading: Shakespeare's Planet, Clifford Simak.

Comments

not just allergies?

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

That's what I get around this time, these days.... :|

Re: not just allergies?

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

No, mercifully, I haven't yet encountered anything to which I'm allergic. Some folks just get lucky, I guess.

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

Although, given the locale, can it really be called a cold? ^_^ Hopefully it'll be gone presently. Still, in case the sneezing really is your soul trying to escape, it couldn't hurt to borrow one of those capture devices the Ghostbusters used. Although I'm not sure if you'd be able to give classes in that condition. I wonder what would happen if a ittle divider were then dropped in the middle of such a device - would both portions be you, or are you only you when fully combined?

Erf. Stitch: the Movie.. quite the tepid production. Not entirely surprising, of course, given Disney's recent fondness for, and quality of, direct to video productions, but disappointing that yet again, they couldn't budget for a writer. A pity, given the luminance of the original - still, nice to see more of Stitch. (My vague understanding is the TV series has continued this downwards slope, but I could be mistaken)

Apropos of nothing, I've got a short (ten minutes or so) interview with Kurt Vonnegut kicking around here, if you're interested in seeing it.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I have wondered if cold is the right word here, particularly since my body temperature always runs a little cold. I'm fairly sure it's not the bird flu, anyway, though such would explain the feathers.

Stitch the movie and the TV series are all right, with the occasional lovely character design and occasional marvelous dialogue (like the nurse at the clinic saying to Pleakley, ``Take a number,'' and his overjoyed response, ``They're free?!'') ... but, yeah, mostly it's a pretty mundane version of the movie. Sometimes an episode will build the plot to dizzying over-the-top conclusions, but for the most part it's lessons about being honest or not worrying about how many friends you have as long as you have a couple good ones or whatnot.

A Vonnegut interview sounds interesting. Oddly enough I've never read anything past the short story length of his, but I've enjoyed those.

[noctalk.livejournal.com]

Greetings to everyone's favorite coatimundi.

Thanks for touching base on Spaceroo's journal. I'm adding you to my friends list, if you've no objections.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Hiya ... oh, no, absolutely no objections. One of the minor thrills of my days is being added to people's friends lists. I should be more organized about returning the favor ...