I've almost sat down and written a post half-a-dozen times in the past week or so, and then started reading something else and distracted myself to no end. And while the reading is all very good, it also means that I have about six too many trains of thought running through my head at any given moment, and am feeling in need of a way to work that out.
I would also just like to note for the record that reading Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers is extremely odd at this point in my life. I keep getting insane impulses to sit down and write very long academic papers. Or perhaps just books. Jolly good story, though.
I ran across this article amongst my trawlings of the internets. It made me want to cry. Brilliant idea! Putting the whole 'civilian control of the army' thing in jeopardy will definitely make everything better!
People running for Congress should be made to actually read the Constitution, you know.
Also, if anybody wants Yet Another Take On Iran, I found a link to this report from the Chatham House on Talking Points Memo awhile ago. Be forewarned, it's a 52-page PDF file.
For the curious, yes, my A/C has been successfully replaced, just in time for the weather to cool off enough for me to turn the heat on. However, that's one less thing I have to think about replacing next year, and all for very little cost to me. I'm rather psyched about that.
There's a 4-session forum at the Cedar Rapids library starting this Sunday on "What America's Future in the Middle East?" First up: Dr. Jeremy Bringham on the Impact of Imperialism: The Political Economy of the Middle East. I'm still trying to decide whether to go or not. Leaning towards going because a) it might be interesting, b) it's free, and c) I need to go back to the library anyway. I got through this last stack of five books in a week, and the only reason I haven't gone back already is because I need to read the few of my own I haven't got around to, as well as the box of SF from my dad.
I'm supposed to go and get fitted for contacts the end of next week. This seems to mostly involve me showing up, learning all the intricacies of getting things in and out of my eyes, and taking a few pairs of soft lenses home to try out. If they work out, then I get to decide whether to order boxes more. I'm currently alternating between being a bit dubious about the whole thing, and being wildly excited. I have been wearing glasses every day of my life since I was seven, after all.
I'm also increasingly getting the feeling that I should redesign my blog template. This may or may not pass if I ignore it long enough.
But now it's really time for me to think about sleeping.