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Ends and Odds
Sep. 12th, 2009 09:43 pmAlabama: I had a quick business trip down to Huntsville on Thursday. Well, actually to Decatur, where we toured the launch vehicle factory. As I've said before, hardware makes me happy. In the early evening, my two colleagues and I went to downtown Huntsville and meandered around the Twickenham historic district, admiring the 19th century houses. We also found an actual decent restaurant - a place called Cotton Row, where I had some nice ahi tuna with bok choy.
Celebrity Death of the Week: The obituaries for Larry Gelbart concentrated on his work for M*A*S*H, but I think his greatest accomplishment was the book for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
There's no doubt that he was one of the great humor writers working across pop culture.
Health care: I read a book last week about the battle for smallpox inoculation in both London and Boston. (The Speckled Monster by Jennifer Lee Carrell, if you care.) One interesting historical tidbit is that one of the disputes within Boston medical society of the 1720's was between doctors whose patients paid them an annual retainer and those who charged a fee for service. In other words, the American health care system has been muddled since colonial times.
Walking: There was a Volksmarch today at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna. I was having a hard time getting myself started this morning, but I couldn't pass up a walk that close to home. It was quite a work-out, with lots of hills. The scenery was nice, though the gardens are really better when the peonies and daylilies are in bloom.
Don't Interpret This, Please: I had a dream last night in which President Obama was getting springs added to his shoes at a salon where I was getting my legs waxed.
Celebrity Death of the Week: The obituaries for Larry Gelbart concentrated on his work for M*A*S*H, but I think his greatest accomplishment was the book for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
There's no doubt that he was one of the great humor writers working across pop culture.
Health care: I read a book last week about the battle for smallpox inoculation in both London and Boston. (The Speckled Monster by Jennifer Lee Carrell, if you care.) One interesting historical tidbit is that one of the disputes within Boston medical society of the 1720's was between doctors whose patients paid them an annual retainer and those who charged a fee for service. In other words, the American health care system has been muddled since colonial times.
Walking: There was a Volksmarch today at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna. I was having a hard time getting myself started this morning, but I couldn't pass up a walk that close to home. It was quite a work-out, with lots of hills. The scenery was nice, though the gardens are really better when the peonies and daylilies are in bloom.
Don't Interpret This, Please: I had a dream last night in which President Obama was getting springs added to his shoes at a salon where I was getting my legs waxed.
