Another fun Halloween, hiding in the dark so the trick-or-treaters don't come to the house and find out I ate all the Halloween candy weeks ago. Today was my first day back to school. Not too much to make up for the lost time. The air is vastly improved, but after hiking out to class and back to my car, you realize the air is still a little unpleasant. I'm going to try to run tomorrow morning, nonetheless. Gotta get back in training for January's half-marathon.

Tammy Faye will be at Current Affairs Bookstore in North Park tomorrow (Saturday) at 3:00. Should be an exciting time, I'm looking forward to it.

Fox nearly sued itself over 'Simpsons' parody: Matt Groening

A ghost story with a hidden agenda: Room for One More.

I was saddened to learn of the death of Muir College provost Patrick Ledden. He was always accessible for students, and was a real asset to the campus community. I remember having lunch with him and other student who had completed his summer reading assignment, a book on deaf culture, as a fond memory of my first year at this college, many, many years ago. I'm saddened that I will not be taking his senior seminar on Joyce.

Triumph Sniffs a Hit. I meant to link to this excellent article on Triumph the Insult Comic Dog's new album, but forgot until now, and can't find it on their web site anymore. I think the link will take you to the google cache of the article.

Sky is clearer today; the air quality is still horrible, but not as instantly noticable as it had been. Another "snow day," no school.

I went to L.A. last night to see the Kronos Quartet and the Tiger Lillies. It was odd going to Los Angeles for fresh air, but it was nice to be able to breathe freely for awhile. They of course have their own problems at the moment, but the air quality didn't seem to be the issue it is down here. The show was at Royce Hall, which is a neat building, a nice place to see a concert. I had a pretty good seat near the center in the balcony. The first half featured the two acts doing solo sets. The Kronos Quartet were good, the Tiger Lillies were great. After intermission, the two groups took the stage together to perfrom The Gorey End. Based on works by Edward Gorey, I was expecting more of a visual aspect to the performance, drawings by Gorey projected onto a screen or something. I didn't get that (it turns out the writings Gorey had given to Martyn Jacques were not illustrated) , but was not at all disappointed by the evening. Even without many visuals, the story of the various tragedies to befall the Hipdeep family were still made vivid. And the spirit of Gorey was clear in every song. "ABC" followed a similar structure to "The Gashlycrumb Tinies," as did "Histoire de Kay." "Dreadful Domesticity" was perhaps the most bluntly dark song of the evening, as a married couple of a dozen years realizes "They have exhausted all the other/Revenges for existing wrongs," and proceeds to beat each other into a single pile of pulp. I think "Weeping Chandelier" and "Trampled Lilly" were my personal favorites, both especially well-suited by Jacques' distinctive voice. Overall, a great show; I'd highly recommend the album.

Rod Roddy, dead at 66. I find this male breast cancer thing disturbing.

I feel awful; pounding headache, sore throat. The good news is the weather gave us a break, the winds aren't as bad as predicted.

This is the closest to a snow day we get in San Diego. UCSD, like every other school in San Diego, is closed today, as are most businesses. The sky is awful, I went to CostCo to get water, and my throat is burning still. Lots of people with masks on. I had planned to try to run on a treadmill, but I feel awful, and the Kroc Center where I work out has been turned into a evacuation center. Cars covered in ash. From the news coverage, it seems that the fire is worst in the Alpine area. Haven't heard much about the fire in the Mission Gorge and Mission Trails area, which would have the most direct impact on me, so I imagine they haven't advanced much. Winds are supposed to pick up at 2:00.

It just occured to me my storage facility is VERY close to the flames in Mission Gorge. I think the fires are heading in another direction, but it would be a bit of a bummer to lose all those posessions. Compared to people losing everything, it barely deserves mention, but still...

Watching this fire today has been quite something. The comparison being made is the Laguna fire of 1970, before my time, but it seems to me this may be the worse, which would make it the worst fire in San Diego's modern history. Mission Trails Regional Park, a favorite place of mine, is burning; their brand new, multi-million-dollar visitor's center, it seems from what I've heard on the news, is doomed. They are evacuating houses up to the intersection of Jackson and Navajo, which goes to show you that no house is safe. The ash and smoke in La Jolla was intolerable for much of the day; there was a great deal of ill will generated amongst the employees that we failed to close, and I imagine much will be said in the coming days. At first I thought it would have been overkill, but once Mirimar was on fire, we should've been out of there.

School's have been cancelled in San Diego, and the Mayor is calling on all non-essential employees to stay home, so I assume UCSD will be closed. So I guess tomorrow I can stay planted in front of the TV all day. The weather isn't supposed to give us a break, and after its jumped the I-15 and the 52, who's to say how much this could spread. If an ember were to set off something in Rose Canyon, say, this could get really ugly.

The fire has jumped the I-15. Seven dead, homes lost. The 15, 52, and 163 are closed. Sea World and the Wild Animal Park are closed. We are open. And I don't see why not, even if I'd rather not be here. No imminent threat, and visitors are actually coming. The chunks of ash that are falling are getting bigger, and one burned me when I was shaking out a tarp that was covered in ash. Singed leaves are also falling. Air quality is getting worse. If a spark were to ignite Rose Canyon, we could be in for some rough times here, but for now its more a curiosity than anything. Except for our employees whose neighborhoods are threatened, of course.

One plus of the fires; the smoke allows one to look at the sun, and observe the solar storms that have been in the news. I should mention I'm sure the smoke cover does not protect one from long-term damage from staring at the sun, and I accept no liability if you blind yourself watching the storms, but it is interesting to get a quick glance at it.

I got up this morning around 6:30, so Tanner could go outside. I was surprised that it seemed rather dark, considering the time change; I went to bed assuming the light would wake me up early. When I went into the back yard, it looked like the world was ending; in case you're not from these parts, most of Southern California is on fire. I assumed it was the Camp Pendelton fire, which was surprising that it would send this much smoke that far (I'm probably about 35 miles from that fire), but it turns out that quite a few more have flared up overnight, including Julian, which was where most of the smoke came from. By the time I left for work, winds had blown most of it west, so it was clearing up in La Mesa, but by the time I hit Mission Valley, cars had their headlights on, and it was darker than it was in La Mesa at 6:30. Not night-time dark or anything, but still impressive. La Jolla is fairly clear, but the air quality is abysmal, and the way the Santa Ana winds are blowing, its only a matter of time before the smoke heads our way.

Which stinks, for the people who have lost their homes, of course, but in a more petty (at yet for me more important) way, for me. I've been sick for awhile now. Thursday and Friday were the worst, but I've been sick enough that I haven't been running since the Thursday before last. I can't recall if I mentioned my unpleasant run around Lake Murray and the gastrointestinal distress that accompanied it, but lets just say it wasn't fun. I missed the Chancellor's Challenge 5K, which I've been looking forward to for some time, and which may in fact be the final event in the series, due to the Chancellor's departure. And I feel myself growing sluggish and gaining weight, when I should be beginning serious training for the San Diego Half-Marathon in January. So today, having felt better yesterday, I was to return to running, but the heat and smoke have cancelled that plan. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse heat-wise, which means it will probably still be bad smoke-wise. Perhaps I'll head to the Kroc Center for some treadmill running.

A volunteer just informed me they are evacuating Mira Mesa due to the Ramona fire. I-15 closed, bumper-to-bumper traffic. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; the wind blowing the smoke should be doing the same for the flames. The Alpine fire two years ago was pretty bad, but I don't remember anything this wide-spread and with such a horrendous effect on the air quality. I also don't remember, in previous fires that have destroyed houses, hearing talk about hundreds of homes lost, as were in the L.A. County fires. And as I was typing this, I hear even more news of the Ramona fire, which I guess I should now call the Scripps Ranch fire, growing even more, and half our fire department is helping in Los Angeles. It's pretty bad.

But I digress. Haven't posted much lately, because not much to share. Been sick, missed a fair amount of school; not my best academic quarter, I think I've admitted as much here before. But I think I'll do respectably well. Saw Comedy of Errors at the La Jolla Playhouse, would have enjoyed it very much, I think, had I been feeling better. My birthday is Tuesday; looking forward to seeing the Kronos Quartet and the Tiger Lilies in Los Angeles that day. I pre-ordered Final Fantasy XI for the PC, as a birthday present for my mother to give me, but then cancelled it, because I'm afraid it might not run on my PC. So I've just been playing Final Fantasy X instead. Not the best in the series, but I enjoy it. Will purchase Final Fantasy X-2, I'm sure, though maybe I'll play through the early games in the series while I wait for the price to fall. Of course, with the amount of time I waste already, should I really be playing video games? I've put off buying the Simpsons Hit-and-Run until the quarter's over, both to avoid the distraction and in the hope that the price might come down by then (though I doubt it will before the holidays).

Way to go, Wal-Mart. They face a potential $3,000,000 fine, probably a drop in the bucket for them.

Fred Berry, dead at 52. Did they really need to compare him to Urkel in his obituary?

History's notable television programs reconsidered.

I'm sick. I've been sick for about a week, I think, but it really hit me yesterday. Today I feel better, but I'm still a little queazy. Last Thursday was the last time I've been running, about twenty minutes into it I had to stop due to nausea, and as I began the long walk back around Lake Murray, I started feeling more unpleasant gastro-intestinal distress. A rather unpleasant run, which makes it hard to motivate me to get back on the road when I'm still feeling unpleasant. I guess I'll see how I feel this afternoon and decide if I will run after work. I was hoping to set a new PR in the 5K on Friday, but now I don't know if that is feasible.

Also, my right arm hurts badly. Today not as bad, but yesterday I could barely lift it without a sharp pain in what I think is my tricep. I can feel a sort of knot, which I can't locate on the other side, which is a sure sign it ain't supposed to be there. I don't know what I did; I lifted a box not too long before it started hurting, but it wasn't that heavy. So basically, I'm just falling apart.

As long as I'm posting, I should just comment on a few random things I haven't bothered to post yet. Saw Intolerable Cruelty; not the Coen's best, probably because they didn't write it, but I enjoyed it very much all the same. Great moments, but just lacking a bit in cohesion, so as to not be as strong as the sum of its parts. School ain't going too hot; I've focused all my energies (such as they are) into the one class I care about, and just let the rest fall apart. It's a bit frustrating, since I'm on the one had eager to finally wrap this long educational saga up, yet I barely seem to be advancing at all, and then there's the whole Latin situation, which I won't go into. Cecily's getting married, which is surprising to say the least. The guy looks a bit gumpy from what I've seen on the website, and by my math, I figure they couldn't have been dating more than six months, but who am I to judge? She seems suited for live in Merced. Dad's birthday was 10/8, the Wednesday before last. I went to the cemetary on a whim and hung out at his grave about thirty minutes, and yet didn't realize until far later in the day that it was his birthday, felt a bit unobservant, seeing as the date was written right on the marker and all. 10/11 was the anniversary of him first getting sick, out in Boston. 10/28 is my birthday, I'm going to see the Kronos Quartet and the Tiger Lillies in a performance based on some unpublished work by Edward Gorey. Also on my birthday, Final Fantasy XI comes out for the PC. The Playstation version won't be out until about February, because that's when the required hardware to make it compatible for the Playstation comes out. I broke down and pre-ordered the PC version, my mom is making it a birthday present for me. I hate the idea of paying $50 (actually, $40 with a rebate) for a game that requires a subscription fee, but considering I purchased a Playstation and later a Playstation 2 solely to play Final Fantasy, why pass up a shot to try the first massively multi-player version? I'm eager to go to Vegas again, even though I'd have to say I only had a mildly good time last trip, and I'm not sure how I can really get away in November, but I think if I leave on a Wednesday after class, I could stay for the weekend and just miss class on Friday. I haven't decided if its really a good idea or not, though. Free room offer from Green Valley Ranch, my favorite Las Vegas (actually, Henderson) hotel, with a $50 dining credit, which should go a long way in their new Sushi restaurant, if I'm dining alone. Stay their Wednesday/Thursday, then move to the strip or downtown for the weekend. Go alone, or see if Chad can skip out on work. I believe he's going Thanksgiving weekend, but I'd feel bad leaving Mom that weekend. Mom's wrist still bothering her, rather ridiculous she hasn't been to a doctor about it.

Biblical plagues snowdomes. At a mere $10 with shipping, I'm really wondering if I need one.