December 15, 2002

           [Author's note 2015-12-15: Some of these entries have hilarious mistakes. So you don't think I used to be a unlearned buffoon, I point out that this was the era when I tried using early versions of Dragon Naturally Speaking. The results were anything but natural.]

           Before continuing, here is a photo from "Kellscraft" that says I can use it by mentioning their name. Okay. This is the famous "Copley" Church in Boston. Welcome to Boston. My, what an extraordinary edifice. Why, if you are tired, or dusty, or hungry, well fuck you. There is a homeless shelter over on Roxbury.

           9:30 a.m.. It's a good thing I had extended morning coffee at Denny's until noon. My partner was having another his dumb-days. Eatmore used to call them her "dozy-days". Got maybe an hour's work out of him between two o'clock and five o'clock. I began reading [an]obscure book, “Lonely Vigil” about coastwatchers mainly in the Solomons. In part, it adds to my long-standing suspicion that Asians are capable of extreme cruelty, but only when outnumbering helpless and bound civilians and relatively unarmed opponents.
           Of the 276 tickets purchased on the lottery pool, the total winnings were $10, five dollars at [site] 687 and five dollars at headquarters.

           The new router performs as predicted, we are indeed 99% finished Project 21. The procedure of finishing work has to be repeated next weekend. But then that is it for the construction phase. Moving it becomes the next challenge. (That last 1% never happened, it turned out the whole operation hinged on that factor, which, unbeknownst to me until too late, the responsible parties left until last.)
           It's the Christmas chill set in, down to the 40s these nights. I still have my quilt, the only reminder that I once lived where it was cold enough to need one.

           [Author's note: “Lonely Vigil, Coastwatchers of the Solomons”, Walter Lord, Viking Press, New York, 1977.]

ADDENDUM
           The comment about Asian cruelty is not an idle statement. If there are countless examples to the contrary, I have yet to discover where these are recorded. When facing an armed opponent the kill ratio seems to be about 7:1 against Asians. This would not be sustainable to a creed or culture that had a proper respect for human life. Read “The Rape of Nanking”. I suspect this ratio represents the true count of the communist dead at Dien Bien Phu, if the truth were known.
           Today's Denny’s was at 36th North and Biscayne Blvd., an old stomping ground for me. Slowest service of any Denny’s in the world. Seriously, I have seen people wait over an hour to get an order to go.
           There is another comment about Frank having a dumb day. To me, it plainly goes without saying that when I say, “Stand it upright”, that means perpendicular to the center of the Earth. It does not mean asking, “Do you mean upright this way or upright that way?” while the 150 pound case is resting on my little finger. Later, I stand corrected because I just learned that to many Miami people, “Stand it upright” can mean at least two things, one of which is apparently to stop what you are doing and stand still with a goofy look on your face.

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