Journal entry number 2... wow, I've stuck with it this long it must be all down hill from here.

+On Jogging+
You hear about people getting shin splints, fallen arches, sprained ankles, even getting in shape. but that is not the evil that is jogging, no siree bob. Ribs, that's what I'm talking about.

Now sure, it was my idiot idea to wear my backpack jogging, and to do so in a light rain, and to do so along a major road (Granville Street for those on the wet coast of Canada), and, well, to decide that I didn't need to wait for the light, I could just cross where I wanted. where was the point of that... oh yeah, jogging bad, injured ribs, not my fault. Dogged a car, tripped on a meridian just over the bridge into downtown, couldn't get my balance, hit flat on my front and slightly, ever so slightly to the left. result... scraped up knees and elbows and some sore ribs. no big deal, right?

not so right. that was 3 weeks ago. after constant nagging (good humoured) from my wife, and waking up this morning unable to move, I decided a trip into the doctor's was in order.

note the subject... XRays, Tylenol 3s... and no beer or alcohol for weeks to come. well, that isn't the problem, but I also can't jog, ride my bike, play rugby (Canada lost to the US in the Churchill Cup, shit!), or generally do any of the really fun things in life... sigh.

Ok, this was just a bitch and rant post. I'll get the results back of the XRays in a day or so, I looked at them myself and I can see the cracks and lines indicating previous injuries (cool things these XRays, nifty application of quantum physics really) but I don't know enough to know what's current for sure and what's old, so I have to wait I guess.

Cheers, and someone have a beer for me, k? Someone else tackle someone, woo hoo.

Time to get involved in this blogging business, see if I have anything interesting to say. Nothing so far.

+On Quantum Physics+
I'm re-reading John Gribbin's book "In Search of Shroedinger's Cat - Quantum Physics and Reality". It's quite good actually, from a layman's point of view.

Although he says that it's math light, not being a math whiz, I do find some of the text requires a bit more knowledge than I have to make it easy reading. Apart from that I really enjoy his style of writing about the mind bending subject that is qp in the modern world.

There is the standard quote from Bohr "Anyone who is not shocked by Quantum theory has not understood it" that keeps me wondering if I'm really shocked, or just trying to be shocked because I want to understand it.

I went into the book, and have into a few others with the knowledge that I was just going to have to accept some things that I don't have the background to prove... like the duality of particles and waves, or the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, or even the 'proof' that answered the EPR thought experiment. I think because of that, I'm not really as shocked as I should be.

The polarity puzzle (polarized light waves between louvers) really does shock me though... or just really bugs me anyway. But not in the way that I imagine old Albert was. I mean, here is like the smartest guy in recent history, and he coudln't get his head around this stuff, who am I to take it for granted, heh.

+On perl+
Am working through Vincent D. Lowe's Perl Programmer's Interactive Workbook. I'm not a perl newbie, but I lack a fundamental knowledge of the underlying structure so I thought starting from the beginning might help me pick up the background that I need to tie together all the knowledge that I've picked up as I've _needed_ it.

The book itself doesn't seem bad in what it teaches, but I don't know if I like the format of the book. I only took the time to do the lessons in the first chapter today at lunch (going to try for one chapter or lab per lunch until it's done if that's feasible) but the structure seemed a bit wordy. It could just be because there wasn't anything to learn in the first part really, I might appreciate that in later chapters. I'll update more then, perhaps do a full review after I'm done.

+On rugby+
Ribs are still sore, but I'm up for a practice on Saturday. Need to get a LOT more conditioning done. I'm puffing and wheezing after far to short a time and am sweating buckets at the drop of a hat. I'm biking 90km+ a week, but it's not getting me in rugby shape. Just don't have the inclination (could have lied and said time/energy) to get off my ass and do the workouts I need to get it in shape.

We are doing a video training session on Thursday to analyze the Canada / England game from the Churchill Cup. It was painful to watch Canada get tromped like that, but apart from some very questionable calls, to be honest, they deserved to get ass kicked in the game. Easy to sit on the side and say we would have done better (we wouldn't, we don't have the conditioning to give it our all like that for 85 minutes) but even on a play basis, it's easy to see how they were making the mistakes they did.

+On family+
Well, the older two kids are out for the summer now having finished final exams and all that. I'm guessing that the eldest daughter is going to have failed math and the son is going to have failed English, and possibly french. :( Sucks.

Why I remember when... heheh, no, I'm not going to say it or even finish thinking it. Summer school is going to cost a couple of hundred bucks a class that I'm NOT looking forward to dishing out for them just because they didn't get off their asses and study.

I'm more inclined to pay for the math since I do see that my daughter just doesn't 'get it', but there is also the fact that she just doesn't spend the time studying either.

With my son, I just know he isn't studying... grade 8, convinced he knows everything, and the teachers hate him and the work is too hard, and I'm an ass for getting on him about studying anyway so it's all my fault (that was an actual excuse, heh).

The younger kids are still in school for another week and a half, but they are doing well. Grades wise the star will most likely be the 8 year old. Could be one of the 10 year olds but I think personal planning will bring down that grade, heh, she comes by that naturally of course.

Wife wants to go to a party this weekend. I'm into it in some ways, but not in others. Hate going to parties and just sitting about, I want to be in there and interacting, doing things. Wife wants more to 'people watch' which drives me nuts after about 10 minutes. Will see if we can figure it out. If not it will be the last party for a while, again, sigh.

+On gaming+
Have started playing rolemaster with a couple of buddies I was playing AD&D 3ed with until recently. The GM is quite good, knows his stuff and has an excellent style, but the game seems quite 'ordered'. Good in that it's MUCH more realistic than D&D, but bad in that it keeps the GM digging in books constantly.