perfidy

I was going to post something more today. But I have opted not to. The reason being, I am exhausted from my trip out to Ohio and back. The trip was fine, saw family, blah blah blah. But the weather was hot, humid, and I spent the majority of the weekend damp or wet. And the air conditioning on the bucketmobile went out. And the journey home was made more stressful by virtue of the fact that I nearly rammed a cop on an exit ramp. Thankfully, he was alert and paying attention, and honked in time to avoid a collision. I was issued a warning, which was altogether fair. Having kids in the car helps you look more like a responsible adult who lost it for a moment, rather than an idiot who deserves a reckless driving citation. Then, continuing cop night for the buckethead clan, my Sir John-of-the-sudden-emesis woke from a deep sleep and began puking all over the interior of the unairconditioned bucketmobile. Fearing worse to come, we pulled to the side of the road to deal with the vomit crisis. Following their long an honorable tradition of appearing when they're not needed, a cop pulled up behind us, lights flashing, to insure that we weren't doing anyting nefarious. No officer, just squeegeeing the vomit off my son. We'll be fine, really. Do you have any napkins?

Despite all of that, one highlight of the trip was Mrs. Buckethead and I taking turns reading to each other. We'd never done that before. It is a truly excellent way to pass the time. The book we chose was Before the Dawn, by Nicholas Wade. So far, a fascinating story - how new genetics research is shedding light on the murky prehistory of our race. For example, did you know that the entire human population outside Africa is descended from a mere 150 people? One band of early humans snuck out of Africa, fought lions and tigers and bears - and neanderthals - and laid claim to a planet. How cool is that? I recommend it highly. While you're at it, I also recommend Charles Stross' new one, Glasshouse. Better written than Accelerando, if slightly toned down on the speculation. Excellent read.

But now, I must nap.