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QUIET

It's been a quiet week and I'm ready for a do nothing weekend. All my little pieces of paper are in to Alison's office there at HSA so I suppose that there's nothing more that I can do on that front. My understanding from them is that I've been shortlisted for the TASC job. Now it's just a matter of hanging on and waiting for a decision. I'll admit that I'm ill suited for that kind of incertainty. But... it's been very nice to just sit around for a week and do nothing but shuffle a few application forms... but I'm over it. Hopefuly, they'll make a decision the beginning of the week next week and I can get to work. In the meanwhile, I'll sit around and read, go visit my friend Tommy and argue with him about the ACLU and geopoltics, do some blogging and other useful work, and generally contribute nearly nothing to the net downfall of the culture. Heh.

My friends the Schulte's have got themselves a brand new Volvo engine to replace the one that took a dump on them in New Zealand. Like most things in life... it's only a matter of money. I know exactly how they feel. I once was returning from Jamaica in my old Raindog when the Perkins diesel started to make very expensive noises then siezed up. Oops! The thing about sailing and boating generally is that you have to pay early and dearly for every lesson. The Schulte's are going through that learning process now. In my case, I had gotten my oil changed before leaving Port Antonio... sounded like a sensible thing to do. Little did I know that the idiots who changed the oil had not used motor oil but had filled me up with cooking oil. Duh! And the crazy thing was that I had been standing there watching them when they pumped the stuff in out of an unmarked barrel. Yes.. the gods are crazy. But what can you do? Just pay the freight and move on.

I talked to Kathryn about an hour ago. They've been busy being new parents for the last few days but she still wanted to check up on me. Good kid. Everything continues to be great over at the birthing cell.. mother and child doing just fine thank you very much. I'm gonna enlist the new father for some boat labors next weekend. I need to take the chain plates off and get a new strap made before I put the mast back up. It's not a heavy task, but I don't want to drop any bits and pieces into the water and it is one of those inside/outside kind of jobs. You hold it on deck while I turn the wrench down below. What fun.

Anyhow, like I said... a do nothing weekend.

Bob