There is nothing more frustrating than working on a problem with no solution. I spent four hours yesterday trying to get a piece of code to work, only realizing this morning that there is a problem with one of the dll's i'm using. Posted on the IDL newsgroup asking for a fix, and now i must begrudgingly let that project go ... for now.

This whole Ten Commandments monument episode is so ridiculous it's difficult to believe it's really happening. Yet again, the Onion provides succinct commentary: "At the rate the liberals are going, it won't be long before our country has an official policy mandating the separation of church and state", says systems analyst Stanley Weltey.

Until yesterday, i hadn't played any console games since returning to California ... what was that, like 50 days? A new record! Anyhoo, that streak ended when Gary came over to play Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour with V and i. A fun game ... V and i both enjoy golf games. Now i'm in that phase where i feel an overwhelming urge to sit down and unlock every last feature.

Saw a financial planner last week. Negatively-correlated stocks ... what a concept.

The mandatory footie ponderings (the season just started, cut me some slack): Chelsea appear to be making some progress with their overcrowded squad: Boudewijn Zenden is making overtures for a transfer to Paris St. Germain, while professional loaner Mikael Forssell is on his way to Birmingham for a year with City (i like Forssell a lot, hopefully soon he will earn a regular place with the real Blues) . My guess is J.F. Hasselbaink won't be around for long if new strike force Hernan Crespo and Adrian Mutu gel quickly. With the August 31 transfer deadline only 3 days away, i'm looking forward to respite from the neverending wheeling and dealing at Stamford Bridge. Roman Abramovich may sneak one more buy in, with the purchase of Real Madrid stalwart and malcontent Claude Makelele apparently finalized after an "on again, off again" saga over the last few weeks.