There is an automatically-flushing urinal installed in one of the men's rooms at the hospital. I just noticed tonight that the name on it is Neutralle (TM). It doesn't really matter to me at my age, but if I was a young guy, I wouldn't get my dick anywhere near something that was suggestive of neutering. Especially if it used invisible waves to do something. No indeedy. Not me.

Another slow night at work. Before work, I went to a meeting of the First District Society of Radiologic Technologists. This is my first meeting that I have attended since I stopped drinking. Anyway, the speaker was talking about Living Wills and Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions. Interesting. Pretty boring, too, although the speaker was good. Anyway, I have started attending meetings again because we are now required to provide Evidence of Continuing Education. A whole bunch of BS, in my opinion. However, necessary at this point to maintain certification, which is necessary to maintain a job.

At one time, I was very active in the state and local societies, spending about five years as editor of the monthly newsletter (I got fired... a long and interesting story) and as an officer in various capacities. I kinda really got burnt out on the whole thing, it was so hard to get anybody to be interested in a professional society. Now, of course, it's almost mandatory to participate.

Rain. Better than the snow being experienced in some parts of the country, but I really would like to see the sun. It's been a week or more since that's happened.

I did put my fishing gear up for this year, I'll get it back out again in February to prepare for the March Fork trip. I'm starting to look forward to that already. I didn't nearly get enough fishing in this last season.

Next Thursday is the Great American Smoke-out. I'm getting geared up to do that again. If I would've stayed quit, I'd have 15 days down now. I think that my goal this time will not be to quit forever, but to quit for fifteen days. Then, if I don't feel like quitting forever after fifteen days, I'll go for 30 the next time. Shit, I donno. I gotta keep trying, though.

I was just up in the smoking area discussing the weather with another employee. I said "I heard it's supposed to rain about an inch today. Or maybe that was tomorrow". The smoking area is enclosed on 3 1/2 sides by brick walls, and has a plastic semi-roof. Just as I said "Tomorrow", the rain started exploding on the roof. Sue burst out laughing, saying, "No, that's today!"

I was pleasantly surprised with a program that is available to watch for ECE credit, furnished to the techs at the hospital from Malenkrodt Pharmcueticals. Bad spelling. Anyway, I actually learned something! The program is on pediatric radiography, not one of my strong suites. Now I can look forward to doing my next screaming kid... oops, pediatric patient. I don't really hate kids, of course, just sick ones... the only kind I ever see here.

Home now, and I'm breaking with tradition again... I'm going to put this up before getting my email or checking out the other journals. Just today. I'm not going to make a habit of it.

The computer that I was working on last night and the night before is a gateway 2000 pentium plus 200... a screaming machine. Loads Word in 1.27 seconds. Mine takes about ten seconds. I can live with that. But it also has a 17-inch monitor. I don't know if I can live without that! But I will for a while, anyway. This is the same machine that my brother in Oregon got. I'm just so damned jealous...